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Today's featured article
The durian is the fruit of trees of the genus Durio belonging to the Malvaceae, a large family which includes hibiscus, okra, cotton, mallows and linden trees. Widely known and revered in Southeast Asia as the "King of Fruits," the fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale-yellow to red, depending on the species. The hard outer husk is covered with sharp, prickly thorns while the edible flesh within emits a distinctive odour, which is regarded as either fragrant or overpowering and offensive. The odour of the ripe fruit is strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness and is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet edibles in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked. Many consumers express preferences for specific cultivars, which fetch higher prices in the market. (more...) Recently featured: George I of Great Britain – 2006 Atlantic hurricane season – Jurassic Park Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest articles: ... that the Moika Palace, a museum about the murder of Grigori Rasputin (pictured) by Prince Felix Yusupov, was also the scene of the homicide? ... that of the 30 covered bridges that once stood in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, only Forksville, Hillsgrove, and Sonestown remain, all of which were built in 1850? ... that Indian actress Kamalinee Mukherjee's poem was selected for an international poetry contest in Washington, D.C. just before she began her acting career in the Telugu film industry? ... that Hurricane Huko had effects in all three North Pacific tropical cyclone basins? ... that Roy Agnew has been described as the most outstanding Australian composer of the early 20th century? ... that the American Fork Railroad stopped 4 miles (6.4 km) short of the Forest City, Utah smelter it was built to serve? ... that after the Mendiola massacre on January 22, 1987, the Filipino Government banned all public demonstrations on Mendiola Street in Manila? ... that Morris W. Turner, as a city council member and then the mayor of Lubbock, was among those charged with rebuilding the downtown after the West Texas city faced devastating tornadoes in May 1970? Archive – Start a new article...
Tomorrow's featured article
The Priestley Riots took place from 14 July to 17 July 1791 in Birmingham, England; the rioters' main targets were religious Dissenters, most notably the religious and political controversialist, Joseph Priestley. The riots started with an attack on a hotel that was the site of a banquet organized in sympathy with the French Revolution. Then, beginning with Priestley's church and home, the rioters attacked or burned four Dissenting chapels, twenty-seven houses, and several businesses. Many of them became intoxicated by liquor that they found while looting, or with which they were bribed to stop burning homes. A small core could not be bribed, however, and remained sober. They burned not only the homes and chapels of Dissenters, but also the homes of people they associated with Dissenters, such as members of the scientific Lunar Society. While the riots were not initiated by Prime Minister William Pitt's administration, the national government was slow to respond to the Dissenters' pleas for help. Local Birmingham officials seem to have been involved in the planning of the riots, and they were later reluctant to prosecute any ringleaders. Those who had been attacked gradually left, leaving Birmingham a more conservative city than it had been throughout the eighteenth century. (more...) Recently featured: Durian – George I of Great Britain – 2006 Atlantic hurricane season Archive – By email – More featured articles...

In the news
Pakistan condemns an apparent United States-led air strike near the border with Afghanistan that killed 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops, in clashes that also killed eight Taliban militants. Japan's House of Councillors passes a censure motion against Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (pictured), the first such motion to be passed since World War II. Sudan Airways Flight 109 crashes on landing at Khartoum International Airport in Khartoum, Sudan, killing dozens. IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory break a processing speed record with the world's first petaflop computer, Roadrunner. Following a coal mine collapse in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, 24 miners are rescued with 12 still missing and one reported dead. Seven people are killed and ten injured in a stabbing spree in Tokyo, Japan. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
June 12: Independence Day in the Philippines; Russia Day in the Russian Federation; Dia dos Namorados in Brazil 1864 – Union General Ulysses S. Grant pulled his troops out of the Battle of Cold Harbor in Hanover County, Virginia, ending one of the bloodiest, most lopsided battles in the American Civil War. 1889 – In one of the worst rail disasters in Europe, runaway passenger carriages collided with a following train near Armagh, present-day Northern Ireland, killing 88 people and injuring 170 others. 1942 – On her thirteenth birthday, Anne Frank began keeping her diary during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. 1967 – The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its decision in the landmark civil rights case Loving v. Virginia, striking down laws restricting interracial marriage in the United States. 1979 – Pilot Bryan Allen flew the human-powered aircraft Gossamer Albatross (pictured) across the English Channel to win the Kremer prize. More events: June 11 – June 12 – June 13 Archive – By email – More anniversaries... It is now 08:33, June 12, 2008 (UTC) – Refresh this page
Tomorrow...
June 13: 1525 – Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora (pictured), against the celibacy discipline decreed by the Roman Catholic Church on priests. 1886 – King Ludwig II of Bavaria was founded dead in Lake Starnberg near Munich under mysterious circumstances. 1898 – The Yukon Territory was formed in Canada, with Dawson chosen as its capital. 1966 – The Miranda v. Arizona landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court established the Miranda warning, requiring law enforcement officials to advise a suspect in custody of his rights to remain silent and to obtain an attorney. 1971 – The New York Times began to publish the Pentagon Papers, a 7,000-page top-secret United States Department of Defense history of the United States' political and military involvement in the Vietnam War. More events: June 12 – June 13 – June 14 Archive – By email – More anniversaries... It is now 08:33, June 12, 2008 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A collage of six mustard images: Seeds of the mustard plant (top left) may be ground (top right) to make different kinds of mustard. The four mustards pictured are a simple table mustard with turmeric coloring (center left), a Bavarian sweet mustard (center right), a Dijon mustard (lower left), and a rough French mustard made mainly from black mustard seeds (lower right).

Image credit: Rainer Zenz

Recently featured: United States Capitol dome, 1846 – Waldenburg, Baden-Württemberg, 1945 – Victoria Crater

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Tomorrow's featured picture

United States Army forces target railway cars south of Wonsan, North Korea, an east coast port city, during the Korean War. Trains in North Korea were targets of attack by U.S. and other U.N. forces, so much so that both military and civilian trains often had to wait out the daylight hours in tunnels.

Photo credit: United States Army

Recently featured: Types of mustard – United States Capitol dome, 1846 – Waldenburg, Baden-Württemberg, 1945

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