Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 April 17

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Today's featured article
Thomcord is a seedless table grape variety and a hybrid of the popular Thompson Seedless or Sultanina grape (a Vitis vinifera variety) and Concord grape (a Vitis labrusca variety). Thomcord was developed in 1983 by Californian grape breeders working for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as part of a test to better understand a new seedless grape breeding procedure. Its aromatic, "labrusca" flavor is similar to that of Concord, but mellowed by the mild, sweet taste from Thompson Seedless. Thomcord grows well in hot, dry climates, ripens between late July and mid-August, and is tolerant to powdery mildew. It is a productive variety, yielding an average of 15.1 kg (33 lb) of grapes per vine. The plant is not restricted for propagation and distribution. Virus-free propagation material is available from the Foundation Plant Services (FPS) at the University of California, Davis, and its genetic material is archived at the National Plant Germplasm System. After 17 years of testing, it was declared ready for use in 2003. It is expected to appear in supermarkets, possibly as a specialty item. (more...) Recently featured: Me and Juliet – Hurricane Isabel – Pedro Álvares Cabral Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that Bach composed Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182, for Palm Sunday as his first cantata for the Schlosskirche (pictured) of the court in Weimar? ... that the first car that had a body entirely of plastic was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in 1941? ... that the Codex Sangallensis 1395 is one of the oldest manuscripts of the Vulgate? ... that the design of the West Washington Street Bridge in Muncie, Indiana was inspired by the work of an American Civil War engineer who built military bridges? ... that Tell Arslan in the Sands of Beirut was the oldest known neolithic village settlement in the Beirut area? ... that missionary E. E. Aiken was a member of Skull and Bones at Yale in 1881 and the next year wrote a book denouncing such secret societies? ... that in Jones v Kaney, the UK Supreme Court overturned a line of authority going back 400 years to allow an expert witness to be sued for professional negligence? ... that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) established the Elite 88 Award in 2009 to recognize the student athlete with the highest grade point average at each NCAA championship? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Hosni Mubarak States of emergency are declared in several areas across the Southern United States after at least 26 people are killed in a large tornado outbreak. Former Croatian general Ante Gotovina is sentenced to 24 years prison after being found guilty of war crimes during Operation Storm. BRICS states meet in Sanya, China, for an annual summit that features South Africa for the first time. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (pictured) and his sons are detained, two months after having resigned amid widespread protests. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency raises the severity of the Fukushima I nuclear accidents to level 7, the highest on the International Nuclear Event Scale. Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo is arrested after a five-month standoff with Alassane Ouattara. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
April 17: Palm Sunday (Christianity, 2011); Evacuation Day in Syria (1946) 1080 – On the death of his brother Harald III, Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized, became King of Denmark. 1907 – Construction started on the first ship in the Minas Geraes class, making Brazil the third country in the world to build a dreadnought battleship and sparking a South American naval arms race. 1961 – Armed Cuban exiles backed by the CIA invaded Cuba, landing in the Bay of Pigs, with the aim of overthrowing the Cuban government under Fidel Castro. 1975 – The Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot (pictured) captured Phnom Penh, ending the Cambodian Civil War, and established Democratic Kampuchea. 1984 – British police officer Yvonne Fletcher was shot and killed while on duty during a protest outside the Libyan embassy in London's St James's Square, resulting in an eleven-day police siege of the building, and causing a breakdown of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Libya. More anniversaries: April 16 – April 17 – April 18 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now April 17, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The poilu's holiday, December 25 and 26, 1915, a French World War I poster depicting a poilu's Christmas leave from the war. "Poilu", literally meaning "hairy one", is a term of endearment for French infantrymen. The word carries the sense of the infantryman's typically rural, agricultural background. Beards and bushy moustaches were often worn. The image of the dogged, bearded French soldier was widely used in propaganda and war memorials.

Artist: Adolphe Willette; Restoration: Lise Broer

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