Wikipedia:Main Page history/2012 June 4

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Kaga was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Originally intended to be one of two Tosa-class battleships, Kaga was converted under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty into an aircraft carrier as the replacement for the battlecruiser Amagi, which had been damaged during the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. Kaga's aircraft first supported Japanese troops in China during the Shanghai Incident of 1932 and participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War in the late 1930s. With other carriers, she took part in the Pearl Harbor raid in December 1941 and the invasion of Rabaul in the Southwest Pacific in January 1942. The following month her aircraft participated in a combined carrier airstrike on Darwin, Australia, helping secure the conquest of the Dutch East Indies by Japanese forces. During the Battle of Midway in June, Kaga and the other carriers were attacked by American aircraft from Midway Atoll and the carriers Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown. Dive bombers from Enterprise severely damaged Kaga; when it became obvious she could not be saved, she was scuttled by Japanese destroyers to prevent her from falling into enemy hands. In 1999, debris from Kaga was located on the ocean floor; the main body of the carrier has not yet been found. (more...) Recently featured: Sweet Track – Elizabeth II – Steve Dodd Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the US Navy has been developing autonomous underwater gliders (example pictured) to track submarines and marine mammals? ... that the Oblates of Mary Immaculate founded missionary stations at Aminuis and Epukiro in rural eastern Namibia at the beginning of the 20th century? ... that stock car driver Casey Roderick was described as a "legitimate protege of Bill Elliott"? ... that the Taney Court held that it had no jurisdiction to review former Congressman Clement Vallandigham's arrest and trial by military commission by means of habeas corpus? ... that diplomat Karol Boscamp-Lasopolski was executed by an angry mob during the Kościuszko Uprising? ... that Thursday Nights, Channel 5 once almost led to a fight between Chelsea and Manchester City players? ... that comedienne Connie Ediss, in a string of popular London musicals from 1896, became known for her "buxom bourgeoise" characters? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Hosni Mubarak More than a thousand ships parade down the River Thames in London as part of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. A passenger plane crashes into a building in Lagos, Nigeria, killing all 153 people on board. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (pictured) is sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of demonstrators during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry approves the names flerovium and livermorium for two recently discovered synthetic elements. Viswanathan Anand defeats Boris Gelfand to win a fourth consecutive World Chess Championship. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 4: Whit Monday (Eastern Christianity, 2012); Day of National Unity in Hungary; Queen's Official Birthday in New Zealand (2012); Western Australia Day (2012) 1792 – Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver (pictured) claimed Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest for Great Britain. 1920 – The Kingdom of Hungary was split into five countries with the signing of the Treaty of Trianon in Paris. 1939 – The German ocean liner *St. Louis, carrying 937 Jewish refugees seeking political asylum from Nazi persecution, was denied permission to land in the United States, after already having been turned away from Cuba. 1987 – American intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard* pleaded guilty to charges of spying for Israel. 1989 – The People's Liberation Army violently cracked down on the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing, leaving at least 241 dead and 7,000 wounded, and causing widespread international condemnation of the Chinese government. More anniversaries: June 3 – June 4 – June 5 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now June 4, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured list

Vegetable oils are triglycerides extracted from plants. Such oils have been part of human culture for millennia. Edible vegetable oils are used in food, both in cooking and as supplements. Many oils, edible and otherwise, are burned as fuel, such as in oil lamps and as a substitute for petroleum-based fuels. Some of the many other uses include wood finishing, oil painting, and skin care. There are three methods for extracting vegetable oils. The relevant part of the plant may be placed under pressure to extract the oil, giving an expressed oil. Oils may also be extracted from plants by dissolving parts of plants in water or another solvent. The solution may be separated from the plant material and concentrated, giving an extracted or leached oil. The mixture may also be separated by distilling the oil away from the plant material. Oils extracted by this latter method are called essential oils. Essential oils often have different properties and uses than pressed or leached vegetable oils. Macerated oils are made by infusing parts of plants in a base oil, a process called liquid-liquid extraction. (more...)

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Phallus indusiatus

Phallus indusiatus is a stinkhorn fungus found all over the world in tropical areas. The fungus is characterised by a conical to bell-shaped cap on a stipe and a lacy "skirt" that hangs from beneath the cap. Mature fruit bodies are up to 30 cm (12 in) tall with a cap that is 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) long. It is an edible mushroom used as an ingredient in Chinese haute cuisine.

Photo: Christian Schwarz

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