Wikipedia:Main Page history/2015 December 30

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Kailasanath Temple

The Rashtrakuta dynasty ruled large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and tenth centuries. Early Rashtrakuta inscriptions show their clans ruling from Manapura, a city somewhere in Central or West India, and from modern-day Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh and Elichpur in Maharashtra. This third clan overthrew Kirtivarman II and built an empire as the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta, rising to power in South India in 753. At the same time the Pala dynasty of Bengal (in eastern India) and the Prathihara dynasty of Malwa (in the northwest) were gaining force. Each of these three empires annexed the seat of power at Kannauj for short periods of time while struggling for the resources of the rich Gangetic plains. At their peak the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta ruled a domain stretching from the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in the north to Cape Comorin in the south. The early kings of this dynasty were Hindu, while the later kings were strongly influenced by Jainism. The empire was known for its literary and architectural achievements, including the Kailasanath Temple at Ellora (pictured) and the Jain Narayana temple at Pattadakal, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Ralph Vary Chamberlin

... that biologist Ralph Vary Chamberlin (pictured) is said to have been banned from Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology by Ernst Mayr?
... that Tintin and the Picaros was the only book completed by Hergé in the last 15 years of his life?
... that the California/Nevada border passes through both the main dining room and the swimming pool of the Cal Neva Lodge & Casino?
... that 13 years after Lydia Emelie Gruchy graduated her theological studies with honors, she was finally ordained in 1936 as the first female minister of the United Church of Canada?
... that a cyclone caused historic flooding in Yemen in 1996?
... that Martin Selig and his family fled the Nazis via Poland, Russia, Korea, and Japan, got off the boat in Seattle "on a whim", and later built the tallest building there?
... that the Hindu text Pranagnihotra Upanishad asserts that all the gods are enclosed in every human body?
... that at the age of 10, Zuriel Oduwole became the world's youngest person to appear in Forbes?

In the news

Falcon 9 rocket's first stage on the landing pad

Governments of Japan and South Korea announces their "final and irreversible" agreement on historical comfort women issue.
The Charter of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank enters into force.
After launching a Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX successfully lands the vehicle's first stage (pictured) in Cape Canaveral.
Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, the suspended presidents of FIFA and UEFA respectively, are banned from association football for eight years amid a corruption case.
More than 70 people are missing after a landslide in Shenzhen, China.

Ongoing events:
- Syrian Civil War
- European migrant crisis
Recent deaths:

On this day...

December 30: Rizal Day in the Philippines (1896)

Ferdinand Marcos

1702 – Carolina colonial governor James Moore abandoned the siege against the Castillo de San Marcos at St. Augustine, Spanish Florida, and retreated to Charles Town in disgrace.
1853 – The United States purchased approximately 29,600 sq mi (77,000 km²) of land south of the Gila River and west of the Rio Grande from Mexico for $10 million.
1906 – The All-India Muslim League, a political party in British India that developed into the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state on the Indian subcontinent, was founded in Dhaka.
1965 – Ferdinand Marcos (pictured), who went on to rule the Philippines for 21 years, took office, beginning his first term as President.
2005 – Tropical Storm Zeta was declared a tropical depression, making it the record-breaking thirtieth tropical cyclone of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, the most active in recorded history.

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Pellets of 99.9% pure argon-arc remelted hafnium, with visible crystalline structures. The colors are a thin-film effect in the oxide layer; this chemical element is generally a lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal. Hafnium is widely used in filaments and electrodes, as well as in some superalloys.

Photograph: Heinrich Pniok

Recently featured:

Archive
More featured pictures...

Other areas of Wikipedia

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