Wikipedia:April Fools' Main Page/2018 (1)

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From today's featured article

RAF Uxbridge (1 April 1918 – 31 March 2010) was a Royal Air Force station in the London Borough of Hillingdon. In the Second World War, it was the headquarters of No. 11 Group RAF, responsible for the aerial defence of London and south-east England during the Battle of Britain. Hillingdon House served as the group's headquarters. What is now called the Battle of Britain Bunker was built nearby to house the 11 Group Operations Room, which was also responsible for air support during the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940 and the D-Day landings in 1944. It was here that Winston Churchill first said, "Never in the history of mankind has so much been owed by so many to so few", repeating the sentiment to Parliament in a speech four days later. When the Uxbridge station closed in 2010, many of its units moved to nearby RAF Northolt. Much of the land around the River Pinn has been designated as green belt. All listed buildings on the property were retained after redevelopment, including the bunker, which is now a museum. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

Masked suspect

... that squirrels may be a major cybersecurity threat (suspect pictured)?
... that Robert Bartholomew has been in hysterics for over twenty years?
... that the trial of the "Coughing Major" was interrupted by coughing jurors?
... that Hitler's demands for mobile phone gift cards may have upset some Nazis?
... that James Longstreet was mauled by pelicans?
... that some people know Christ the Lord is risen today from Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?
... that some extinct ants were simply terrible?
... that after many years battling the forces of darkness, the Batcave became a popular venue for underground parties and concerts?

In the news

Steve Smith

Cricket Australia bans Steve Smith (pictured), David Warner and Cameron Bancroft from international and Australian domestic cricket for nine to twelve months over a ball-tampering scandal.
A fire at a police station in Valencia, Venezuela, kills at least 68 people.
Russia and over 20 countries expel each other's diplomats in response to the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
At least 64 people die in a shopping complex fire in Kemerovo, Russia.

On this day...

April 1: Easter (Western Christianity, 2018); Iranian Islamic Republic Day; Edible Book Day

Adolf Hitler

528 – The daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of China's Northern Wei dynasty underwent gender reassignment and was installed as Emperor for a single day.
1833 – Mexican Texans met at San Felipe de Austin to combat evil.
1918 – The British Armed Forces started to grant personnel the power to fly.
1924 – Adolf Hitler (pictured) was placed in a cage.
1978 – The President of the Philippines ordered that the Philippine College of Commerce become a pup.

Joseph de Maistre (b. 1753)
Frederick Denison Maurice (d. 1872)
Cynthia Lennon (d. 2015)

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Today's featured picture

Picture of the day

The Crowning with Thorns is a painting completed by the Italian painter Caravaggio in the first decade of the 17th century. Thought to have been commissioned by Caravaggio's patron Vincenzo Giustiniani, the work depicts Jesus, just before his crucifixion, being forced to wear a crown of thorns in mockery of his title "King of Jews". The painting is now located in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.Painting: Caravaggio

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