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Today's featured article The murder of Julia Martha Thomas was one of the most notorious crimes in Britain in the late 19th century. Thomas, a widow who lived in Richmond in west London, was killed on 2 March 1879 by Kate Webster, her Irish maid (pictured). Webster dismembered the body, boiled the flesh off the bones, and threw most of it into the River Thames, allegedly offering the fat to neighbours as dripping and lard. Part of Thomas's remains were soon recovered but her severed head was only found in October 2010 during building works being carried out for the naturalist Sir David Attenborough. After the murder, Webster posed as Thomas for two weeks but was exposed and fled to her family home at Killanne, Ireland. She was arrested on 29 March and stood trial in London at the Old Bailey in July 1879, where she was convicted and sentenced to death. She confessed to the murder the night before she was hanged on 29 July at Wandsworth Prison. The case attracted considerable interest from the public and press in Great Britain and Ireland. (more...) Recently featured: Warren County, Indiana – Psilocybin – Murasaki Shikibu Did you know... From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Colorado Fuel and Iron banned residents of its company town at Redstone (pictured in present) from treating each other to drinks? ... that Caroline Birley's lifelong love of geology started with stones she collected as a child on family holidays? ... that in 2010, the only known complete manuscript written in the extinct Khitan language was identified in the collection of the Saint Petersburg Institute of Oriental Manuscripts? ... that Rémi Ochlik, who was killed in the February 2012 bombardment of Homs, won the 2012 World Press Photo contest for his photograph of a Libyan rebel fighter? ... that Australian Stinger coach Greg McFadden requires members of the national water polo team to eat every thing on their plates? ... that Margaret Thatcher joked that her statue in the Houses of Parliament should have been made of iron?

In the news Davy Jones (pictured), a member of The Monkees, dies at the age of 66. North Korea agrees to suspend uranium enrichment in exchange for humanitarian aid. Construction of the Tokyo Sky Tree, the world's second-tallest freestanding structure, is completed. Chinese architect Wang Shu wins the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The Artist, directed by Michel Hazanavicius, wins five Oscars, including Best Picture, at the 84th Academy Awards. At least 23 people are killed during protests after copies of the Quran are burned at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. On this day... March 2: The Nineteen Day Fast begins (Bahá'í Faith) 1444 – Skanderbeg organised the League of Lezhë, an alliance of Albanian Principalities that is regarded as the first unified Albanian state. 1484 – The College of Arms, one of the few remaining official heraldic authorities in Europe, was established by royal charter in London. 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Patriot militia from Georgia and South Carolina attempted to resist the British action to seize and remove supply ships anchored at Savannah, Georgia. 1919 – Communist, revolutionary socialist, and syndicalist delegates met in Moscow to establish the Communist International. 1933 – The film King Kong (poster pictured) made its premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. More anniversaries: March 1 – March 2 – March 3 It is now March 2, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture Diatomaceous earth – a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock made up of the cell walls/shells of single cell diatoms – as viewed under bright field illumination on a light microscope. The primary uses of diatomaceous earth are for cleaning (scouring), filtration, heat-resistive insulation and as an inert absorbent substrate. Photo: Richard Wheeler Recently featured: Eastern Barred Bandicoot – Mantoux tuberculosis test – Common Blue Damselflies mating

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