Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 August 9

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Ivan Konev

The 2nd Red Banner Army was a Soviet field army of World War II that was formed at Khabarovsk in the Soviet Far East in July 1938. It spent most of the war guarding the border in the Blagoveshchensk area, sending formations to the Eastern Front while undergoing several reorganizations. At the time of its creation, the unit was part of the army group known as the Far Eastern Front. The unit was designated as the 2nd Army and was led by corps commander Ivan Konev (pictured). It became the 2nd Independent Red Banner Army in September 1938 when the front was dissolved and its troops were split into two independent armies, and was redesignated in June 1940 as the 2nd Red Banner Army. In August 1945, the army fought in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, capturing the Japanese fortified regions of Aihun and Sunwu adjacent to its sector of the border, and advancing into Manchuria to Qiqihar. The army was disbanded after the war in late 1945. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Truman Taylor

... that President Ronald Reagan once phoned television host Truman Taylor (pictured) on the air to praise his "creative" Job-A-Thon show?
... that the Northern Rhodesia Regiment was a British colonial regiment with the motto "Different in Race, Equal in Fidelity"?
... that performer Lady Midnight teaches music production and performance to youth experiencing homelessness in Minnesota?
... that the roll-on/roll-off car ferry Europic Ferry offloaded equipment under aerial attack during the British landings to retake the Falkland Islands in 1982?
... that the publication of Cantate!, Heinrich Bone's 1847 hymnal with a title translating to Sing!, was followed five years later by an edition with melodies?
... that the Ottendorfer Public Library in Manhattan's East Village contained a librarian's residence on the third floor?
... that Shantaram Siddi is the first Indian legislator of African descent?
... that Devolver Digital requested that the video game Serious Sam Double D be a "Contra on acid"?

In the news

COVID-19 pandemic

Gotabaya Rajapaksa

An Air India Express aircraft overruns the runway at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, India, killing 18 people on board.
The incumbent Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party, led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa (pictured), claims a landslide victory in the parliamentary election.
In India, construction of the Ram Temple on disputed land officially begins, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the foundation stone.
Explosions in Beirut, Lebanon, kill at least 157 people and injure more than 5,000 others.

On this day

August 9: International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples; National Women's Day in South Africa (1956)

Leaning Tower of Pisa

1173 – Construction began on a campanile that eventually became known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa (pictured).
1862 – American Civil War: After nearly being driven from the field in the early part of the Battle of Cedar Mountain, Confederate troops counter-attacked and achieved a victory.
1942 – World War II: In the first major naval engagement of the Guadalcanal campaign, Japan forced the U.S. Navy to withdraw from the Solomon Islands.
1960 – The unrecognized region of South Kasai seceded from the former Republic of the Congo.
2006 – British police arrested 24 people for conspiring to detonate liquid explosives carried on board airliners travelling from the UK to the US and Canada.

Walter of Kirkham (d. 1260)
Albert Ketèlbey (b. 1875)
Brett Hull (b. 1964)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The Singapore National Day Parade is a national ceremony in Singapore that takes place each year on 9 August to commemorate the country's independence. The firework display seen here was part of the festivities in 2011, held at The Float @ Marina Bay, the world's largest floating stage and football stadium, located on the waters of the Marina Reservoir. In the foreground on the right is the lotus-flower-shaped ArtScience Museum, situated within Marina Bay Sands, an integrated resort that opened in the same year.

Photograph credit: Chensiyuan

Recently featured:

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.