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Today's featured article Prince Louis of Battenberg (1854–1921) was a German prince related to the British Royal Family. After a career in the United Kingdom's Royal Navy lasting over forty years, in 1912 he was appointed First Sea Lord, the professional head of the British naval service. He took steps to ready the British fleet for combat as World War I began, but his background as a German prince forced his retirement at the start of the war when anti-German feeling was running high. Queen Victoria and her son King Edward VII, when Prince of Wales, occasionally intervened in his career—the Queen thought that there was "a belief that the Admiralty are afraid of promoting Officers who are Princes on account of the radical attacks of low papers and scurrilous ones". However, Louis welcomed battle assignments that provided opportunities for him to acquire the skills of war and to demonstrate to his superiors that he was serious about his naval career. Posts on royal yachts and tours arranged by the Queen and Edward actually impeded his progress, as his promotions were perceived as royal favours rather than deserved. He married a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and was the father of Earl Mountbatten, who also served as First Sea Lord from 1954 to 1959. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort of Queen Elizabeth II, is his grandson. (more...) Recently featured: Titania – Richard Barre – Pathways into Darkness Did you know... From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Moses (pictured) won the 1816 Derby Stakes wearing the Duke of York's colours, and became the third racehorse owned by British Royal Family to win the Derby? ... that the Rosemount ski boot, one of the earliest all-plastic designs, was invented by a company better known for aerospace instruments? ... that current Canberra Capitals players Jessica Bibby and Natalie Porter were both 2000 WNBA draft picks? ... that the actress Helen Barry, who starred in London and New York, married an ex-Mayor of Monmouth? ... that the fruit of mountain snowberry honeysuckle is eaten by the yellow-billed magpie? ... that Louis de Saint-Just and Maximilien Robespierre dined at the Ledoyen two days before they were executed on 26 July 1794? ... that Gabriel Duvall has been called the least significant justice in the history of the Supreme Court of the United States?

In the news Sauli Niinistö (pictured) of the National Coalition Party is elected President of Finland. The New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLVI. The passenger ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea, leaving 100 people still missing. Polish poet Wisława Szymborska, recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature, dies at the age of 88. More than 70 people are killed in crowd violence following a football match in Port Said, Egypt. Queen Elizabeth II annuls Fred Goodwin's knighthood due to his role in the Royal Bank of Scotland's near-collapse. In tennis, Victoria Azarenka and Novak Djokovic win the women's and men's singles titles, respectively, at the Australian Open. On this day... February 6: Sami National Day (Sami people); Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan begins (2012) 1819 – British official Stamford Raffles signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, establishing Singapore as a trading post for the British East India Company. 1833 – Otto (pictured) became the first modern King of Greece. 1922 – Britain, France, Japan, Italy and the United States signed the Washington Naval Treaty to avoid a naval arms race. 1952 – Elizabeth II ascended to the thrones of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and three other Commonwealth countries upon the death of her father, George VI. 1976 – In testimony before a U.S. Senate subcommittee, Lockheed president Carl Kotchian admitted that the company had paid out approximately US$3 million in bribes to the office of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka. More anniversaries: February 5 – February 6 – February 7 It is now February 6, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured list The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award is presented annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's (NFL) championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and broadcasters who vote after the game. Since the first Super Bowl was held in 1967, the MVP award has been given to 41 players. From 1967 to 1989, the Super Bowl MVP was presented by SPORT magazine. Since 1990, the award has been presented by the NFL. At Super Bowl XXV, the league first awarded the Pete Rozelle Trophy, named after the former NFL commissioner, to the Super Bowl MVP. Joe Montana (pictured) is the only player to have won three Super Bowl MVP awards; four others—Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Tom Brady and Eli Manning—have won the honor twice. The MVP has come from the winning team every year except 1971, when Dallas Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley won the award despite the Cowboys' loss in Super Bowl V to the Baltimore Colts. (more...)

Today's featured picture Successive close-ups of the scales of a Peacock butterfly (at top) wing. Shown from left to right, top to bottom: (second row) a closeup of the scales of the specimen at top, high magnification view of coloured scales (different species); (third row) electron micrograph of a patch of wing (~×50 magnification), the scales close up (~×200); (last row) a single scale (×1000), microstructure of a scale (×5000). Photos: MichaD (top and second row left), Shaddack (second row right), SecretDisc (micrographs) Recently featured: Aurora australis from space – Violet coral fungus – Pink Lady's Slipper orchid

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