Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 February 27

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From today's featured article

Fort Dobbs was an 18th-century fort in the Yadkin–Pee Dee River Basin region of the Province of North Carolina, near what is now Statesville in Iredell County. Used for frontier defense during and after the French and Indian War, the fort was built to protect the British settlers of the western portion of what was then Rowan County from Cherokee, Catawba, Shawnee, Delaware and French raids into North Carolina. The fort's name honored Arthur Dobbs, the colonial Governor of North Carolina from 1754 to 1765. When in use, it was the only fort on the frontier between South Carolina and Virginia. On February 27, 1760, the fort was the site of an engagement between Cherokee warriors and provincial soldiers that ended in a victory for the provincials. Fort Dobbs was abandoned after 1766, but archaeological work in the 20th century and historical research in 2005 and 2006 led to the discovery of the fort's exact location and probable appearance. The site on which the fort sat is now operated by North Carolina's Division of State Historic Sites and Properties as Fort Dobbs State Historic Site, and supporters of the site have developed plans for the fort's reconstruction. (Full article...)

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In the news

In the Italian general election, the centre-left alliance Italy. Common Good led by the Democratic Party wins a majority in the Chamber of Deputies while no alliance wins a majority in the Senate.

Following an in-flight explosion, a hot air balloon crashes near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people.

Argo wins Best Picture and Daniel Day-Lewis a record third Best Actor at the 85th Academy Awards.

Nicos Anastasiades is elected president of the Republic of Cyprus.

In stock car racing, Jimmie Johnson wins the Daytona 500 as pole winner Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to achieve a top-10 finish in the event's history.

Two bomb blasts in Hyderabad, India, kill at least 17 people and injure more than 100 others.

Recent deaths: C. Everett Koop

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On this day...

February 27: Independence Day in the Dominican Republic (1844)

1560 – The Treaty of Berwick was signed, which set the terms under which an English fleet and army could come to Scotland to expel the French troops who were defending the Regency of Mary of Guise.

1776 – American Revolutionary War: A Patriot victory in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge resulted in the capture or arrest of 850 Loyalists over the next few days.

1870 – The current flag of Japan (pictured) was first adopted as the national flag for Japanese merchant ships.

1988 – The Armenian community of Sumgait in Azerbaijan was the target of a violent pogrom.

2004 – The initial version of the John Jay Report, with details about the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in the United States, was released.

More anniversaries: February 26 – February 27 – February 28

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Today's featured picture

The terminus of Matanuska Glacier, a valley glacier in the US state of Alaska. It is the largest glacier accessible by car in the country, measuring 27 miles (43 km) long by 4 miles (6.4 km) wide. It is the source of the Matanuska River, also seen here.

Photograph: Sbork

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