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Today's featured article The 1910 London to Manchester air race took place between two aviators, Claude Grahame-White (pictured) and Louis Paulhan, who each attempted to win a £10,000 prize for flying from London to Manchester in under 24 hours. Grahame-White was the first to make the attempt, on 23 April 1910, but engine trouble forced him to land near Lichfield, where he had to give up because of inclement weather. Several days later Paulhan began his flight, with Graham-White, his aeroplane only just repaired, following several hours behind. Despite Graham-White's best efforts, Paulhan arrived in Manchester on 28 April, and won the prize. The event marked the first long-distance aeroplane race in England, the first take-off by a heavier-than-air machine at night, and the first powered flight into Manchester from outside the city. (more...) Recently featured: Martha Layne Collins – Cyclone Elita – Banksia cuneata Did you know... From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Devonian Orcadian Basin once contained a lake estimated to be hundreds of kilometres across, forming distinctive sediments (pictured) in which a diverse fauna of fossil fish has been found? ... that a daughter of the 1796 Epsom Oaks winning filly Parisot was poisoned with arsenic in 1811? ... that future National Hockey League player Paul Reinhart's agent Alan Eagleson threatened to take his junior league to court after a rule change would have forced him onto a different team? ... that "the bravest man in Saudi Arabia" was charged in the Specialized Criminal Court that tries suspected al-Qaeda members and human rights activists? ... that Thomas Horne was passed over as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania due to his precarious financial situation, but later became President of the Legislative Council? ... that pianist Siegfried Rapp, who lost his right arm during World War II, premiered Sergei Prokofiev's 4th Piano Concerto (for the left hand)?

In the news Businessman Allen Stanford is convicted of running a US$7 billion Ponzi scheme. Avalanches in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province kill at least 50 people. Vladimir Putin (pictured) is elected President of Russia for a third term. Explosions at an arms dump in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, kill at least 250 people and injure more than 2,000 others. A train crash near Szczekociny, Poland, kills 16 people. On this day... March 9: Shushan Purim in Jerusalem and Susa (Judaism, 2012) 1776 – The Wealth of Nations by Scottish political economist Adam Smith (bust pictured) was first published, becoming the first modern work in the field of economics. 1925 – The British Royal Air Force began Pink's War, an air-to-ground bombardment against the mountain strongholds of Mahsud tribesmen in South Waziristan, British Raj, without the support of the British Army. 1932 – Éamon de Valera, one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, became President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State. 1945 – World War II: A bomb raid on Tokyo by American B-29 heavy bombers started a firestorm, killing over 100,000 people. 1977 – Twelve gunmen seized three buildings in Washington, D.C., and took 149 hostages in a 39-hour standoff that ended in only two deaths. More anniversaries: March 8 – March 9 – March 10 It is now March 9, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture The Collaroy, one of the ships that comprise the fleet of the Manly ferry services, connecting Manly, New South Wales, Australia, to Circular Quay in Sydney. The services are provided by Sydney Ferries, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. Ferry services began in Manly in 1855 and have been instrumental in promoting the development of Manly. Photo: David Iliff Recently featured: Heterochromia iridum – Laughing Kookaburra – The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas

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