Wikipedia:Main Page history/2013 July 11

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Damage on Grenada from Hurricane Ivan

The effects of Hurricane Ivan in the Lesser Antilles and South America in September 2004 included 44 deaths and over $1 billion in damage, primarily in Grenada (damage pictured) where it was considered the worst hurricane in nearly 50 years. Hurricane Ivan developed from a tropical wave on September 2 and rapidly intensified to become a major hurricane, passing through the southern Lesser Antilles on September 7 with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h). At the time, its tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 160 miles (260 km) with hurricane force winds outward to 70 miles (110 km). The northern portion of the eye passed over Grenada, killing 39 people and causing the worst damage in the region: the damage total of $1.1 billion represented 200% of its GDP. The hurricane damaged more than 14,000 homes in Grenada; 30% of the houses were destroyed, leaving about 18,000 people homeless. The United States Agency for International Development, European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office and others helped with reconstruction work. Moderate damage and at least three fatalites were reported in northern Venezuela, and one person died each in Trinidad and Barbados. The name Ivan was later retired. (Full article...)

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Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest content:

Rokel River Estuary at Freetown

  • ... that the Rokel River estuary (pictured), which extends over an area of 2,950 square kilometres (1,140 sq mi), became a Ramsar wetland site of importance in 1999?
  • ... that Richard de Courcy was one of the few nobles to witness charters from both of the warring brothers Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy and King William II of England?
  • ... that Les Gold began his business career at age seven?
  • ... that the Wirgman Building in Romney, West Virginia, housed three banks and a newspaper office, and served as a military prison during the American Civil War?
  • ... that And Still I Rise, Maya Angelou's third volume of poetry, contains two of the author's most famous poems?
  • ... that Andrée Howard created over 30 ballets, mostly for Ballet Rambert and The Royal Ballet, of which little now remains?
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  • In the news

    Mahabodhi Temple
  • Widespread flooding in China causes at least 50 deaths and the evacuation of more than 36,000 people.
  • Ten bombs are detonated at one of the holiest sites in Buddhism, the Mahabodhi Temple complex (pictured) in India, injuring five people.
  • More than fifty supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi are killed in clashes with the military in Cairo.
  • In tennis, Marion Bartoli wins the women's singles and Andy Murray wins the men's singles at the Wimbledon Championships.
  • Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashes while landing at San Francisco International Airport, killing two people.
  • A runaway fuel train derails in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, killing at least twenty people and destroying at least thirty buildings in the town's core.
  • On this day...

    July 11: Day of the Flemish Community of Belgium; Naadam begins in Mongolia

    William Howard Taft

  • 1833Noongar warrior Yagan, wanted for leading attacks on white colonists in Western Australia, was killed, becoming a symbol of the unjust and sometimes brutal treatment of the indigenous peoples of Australia by colonial settlers.
  • 1921 – Former President of the United States William Howard Taft (pictured) was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, making him the only person to ever hold both positions.
  • 1943 – In a massive ethnic cleansing operation, units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army attacked various Polish villages in the Volhynia region of present-day Ukraine, killing the Polish civilians and burning those settlements to the ground.
  • 1991 – Shortly after takeoff from King Abdulaziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 caught fire in mid-flight and crashed, killing all 261 occupants on board.
  • 2011An explosion at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base killed 12 people, including the head of the Cyprus Navy, making it the worst peacetime military accident in Cypriot history.

    More anniversaries: July 10 July 11 July 12

    It is now July 11, 2013 (UTC) – Reload this page
  • Today's featured picture

    Harescombe Church

    The Church of St. John the Baptist in Harescombe, a small village in Gloucestershire, England. The church, consecrated in 1315, is a Grade II* listed building. It has an unusual bellcote and a small octagonal stone spire, and is home to the oldest bell in the county.

    Photograph: Saffron Blaze

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