Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 February 19

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Today's featured article
The Battle of Musa Qala was a military action in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, launched by the Afghan National Army and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) against the Taliban on 7 December 2007. After three days of intense fighting, the Taliban retreated into the mountains on 10 December. Musa Qala was officially reported captured on 12 December, with Afghan Army troops pushing into the town centre. Senior ISAF officers, including US general Dan K. McNeill, the overall ISAF commander, agreed to the assault on 17 November 2007. It followed more than nine months of Taliban occupation of the town, the largest the insurgents controlled at the time of the battle. ISAF forces had previously occupied the town, until a controversial withdrawal in late 2006. It was the first battle in the war in Afghanistan in which Afghan army units were the principal fighting force. Statements from the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) emphasised that the operation was Afghan-led, although the ability of Afghan units to function without NATO control was questioned during the battle. Military engagement over Musa Qala is part of a wider conflict between coalition forces and the Taliban in Helmand. Both before and after the battle, related fighting was reported across a larger area, particularly in Sangin district to the south of Musa Qala. (more...) Recently featured: "Bring Us Together" – Maya stelae – Climate of Minnesota Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that fortuitous finding of a colossal basalt lion (pictured) in 1955 led to discovery of the Ain Dara temple near Aleppo in Syria, which was built in three structural phases between 1300 BC and 740 BC? ... that Mary Frances Winston Newson was the first American woman to be awarded a PhD in mathematics from a European university? ... that Stan Brakhage described his 1959 film Cat's Cradle as "sexual witchcraft involving two couples and a 'medium' cat"? ... that British botanist Charles Edward Hubbard was "the world authority on the classification and recognition of grasses"? ... that Doomsday Gun (HBO, 2004) was the first television drama to deal with U.S. and British covert involvement with Saddam Hussein preceding the Gulf War? ... that the two leading sopranos in the 1711 world premiere of Handel's Rinaldo, Isabella Girardeau and Elisabetta Pilotti-Schiavonetti, were bitter rivals? ... that Hemioniscus balani is called a "parasitic castrator" although its barnacle host remains a functioning male because the barnacle can no longer also function as a female? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
IBM's artificial intelligence program Watson wins on the American quiz show Jeopardy! against two of the show's most successful contestants. Anti-government protests are held in Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Libya and Yemen. In Operation Power Outage, conducted by the U.S. Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, 74 members of the criminal organization Armenian Power are arrested. NASA probe Stardust flies by the comet Tempel 1, capturing images of the crater formed by the Deep Impact mission (collision of Tempel and the impactor pictured). An Ecuadorian court fines Chevron US$8.6 billion for Texaco's pollution of the Amazon over a twenty-year period. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is indicted for allegedly hiring an under-age prostitute. The People's Republic of China overtakes Japan as the world's second-largest economy by nominal GDP. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
February 19 1600 – The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina exploded in the most violent eruption in the recorded history of South America. 1884 – More than sixty tornadoes struck across the Southern United States, believed to be among the largest and most widespread tornado outbreaks in American history. 1910 – The football stadium Old Trafford in Greater Manchester, England, hosted its first match between Manchester United and Liverpool. 1942 – World War II: In the largest attacks mounted by a foreign power against Australia, more than 240 bombers and fighters of the Imperial Japanese Navy bombed Darwin, Northern Territory. 1965 – Colonel Pham Ngoc Thao of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and a communist spy of the North Vietnamese Vietminh, along with Generals Lam Van Phat and Tran Thien Khiem attempted a coup against the military junta of Nguyen Khanh. 1986 – The first module of the Soviet space station Mir (pictured) was launched, establishing the first long-term research station in space. More anniversaries: February 18 – February 19 – February 20 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now February 19 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A conopid fly (species unidentified). Also known as "thick-headed flies", the majority of conopids are black and yellow, or black and white, resembling wasps or bees. They may be easily confused with hoverflies, who are themselves notable mimics as well. The larvae of all conopids are parasitoids, most of aculeate (stinging) Hymenoptera.

Photo: Fir0002

Recently featured: Sand sculpture – Capture of Columbia – Mountain bike trials competitor

Archive – More featured pictures...

Other areas of Wikipedia

Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.
Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.