Wikipedia:Main Page history/2016 June 12

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James B. Weaver (1833–1912) was a two-time candidate for US president and a congressman from Iowa. After serving in the Union Army in the Civil War, Weaver worked for the election of Republican candidates, as an advocate for farmers and laborers. He switched to the Greenback Party, and with Democratic support, won election to the House in 1878. The Greenbackers nominated Weaver for president in 1880, but he received only 3.3 percent of the popular vote. He was again elected to the House in 1884 and 1886, where he worked for expansion of the money supply and for the opening of Indian Territory to white settlement. As the Greenback Party fell apart, he helped organize a new left-wing party, the Populists, and was their nominee for president in 1892. This time he gained 8.5 percent of the popular vote and won five states. The Populists merged with the Democrats by the end of the 19th century, and Weaver went with them, promoting the candidacy of William Jennings Bryan for president in 1896, 1900, and 1908. Several of Weaver's political goals became law after his death, including the direct election of senators and a graduated income tax. (Full article...)

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Spirit of St. Louis

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In the news

Garbiñe Muguruza

IUPAC proposes the final names of four new chemical elements: nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson.
A car bomb targeting a police bus kills at least 11 people in Istanbul.
In tennis, the French Open concludes with Garbiñe Muguruza (pictured) winning the women's singles and Novak Djokovic winning the men's singles to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.
In horse racing, Harzand, ridden by Pat Smullen, wins the Epsom Derby.
Severe flooding in Western and Central Europe causes at least 18 deaths.

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On this day...

June 12: Dia dos Namorados in Brazil; Independence Day in the Philippines; Loving Day in the United States

Anne Frank

1240 – The Disputation of Paris began in the court of King Louis IX, in which four rabbis defended the Talmud against Nicholas Donin's accusations of blasphemy.
1776 – The Fifth Virginia Convention adopted a declaration of rights, a hugely influential document that proclaimed the inherent rights of men.
1889 – Runaway passenger carriages collided with a following train near Armagh, present-day Northern Ireland, killing 80 people.
1942 – On her thirteenth birthday, Anne Frank (pictured) began keeping her diary during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
1999 – In the aftermath of the bombing of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo War, the NATO-led Kosovo Force entered Kosovo with a mandate of establishing a secure environment in the territory.

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Today's featured picture

The whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. One of the most widespread of the curlews, this migratory species winters on coasts in Africa, South America, south Asia into Australasia and southern North America. It is also a coastal bird during migration. It is fairly gregarious outside the breeding season.

Photograph: Andreas Trepte

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