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Today's featured article SMS Friedrich der Grosse was the second vessel of the Kaiser class of battleships of the German Imperial Navy. She was commissioned into the fleet on 15 October 1912. Assigned to the III Squadron of the High Seas Fleet for the majority of World War I, she served as fleet flagship from her commissioning until 1917. The ship participated in all the major fleet operations of World War I, including the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916, from which she emerged unscathed. After Germany's defeat and the signing of the armistice in November 1918, Friedrich der Grosse and most of the capital ships of the High Seas Fleet were interned by the British Royal Navy in Scapa Flow. On 21 June 1919, days before the Treaty of Versailles was signed, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered the fleet to be scuttled to ensure that the British could not seize the ships. Friedrich der Grosse was raised in 1936 and broken up for scrap metal. (more...) Recently featured: Southern Cross Expedition – Bernard Bosanquet – Ruth Norman Did you know... From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Tara VanDerveer (pictured) had to take a one-year leave of absence from her position at Stanford to coach the 1996 U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball team? ... that Saul Steinberg's famous New Yorker cover, View of the World from 9th Avenue, was named the fourth greatest magazine cover in a 40-year survey? ... that the Canon EOS-1D X is a full-frame flagship model for Canon? ... that Broad Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, went from vacant storefronts to a vibrant arts district in less than a decade? ... that the humming frog aestivates in an underground burrow during the hottest part of the summer? ... that after collaborating with actress Laura Dern on three films, David Lynch and a cow personally lobbied for her to win the Academy Award for Best Actress?

In the news Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner sets records for the highest manned balloon flight, highest skydive and fastest freefall speed. The High Court of Botswana rules that women have the constitutional right to inherit property. The European Union (flag pictured) is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe". Chinese author Mo Yan, famous for working in the style of writing known as hallucinatory realism, wins the Nobel Prize in Literature. On this day... October 15: Teachers' Day in Brazil; Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in Canada and the United States; National Tree Planting Day in Sri Lanka 1582 – Spain, Portugal, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and most of the Italian states became the first countries to replace the Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar. 1764 – English historian Edward Gibbon (pictured) observed friars singing Vespers at Capitoline Hill in Rome, inspiring him to write The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. 1932 – Air India, the flag carrier airline of India, began operations as Tata Airlines. 1945 – Pierre Laval, twice head of government of Vichy France, was executed for high treason. 1965 – Vietnam War protests: The Catholic Worker Movement staged an anti-war rally in Manhattan, including the burning of draft cards, the first such act to result in arrest under a new amendment to the Selective Service Act. More anniversaries: October 14 – October 15 – October 16 It is now October 15, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured list Many events considered central to our modern understanding of chemistry are also considered key discoveries in other scientific and technological fields. Chemistry is therefore often referred to as "the central science", and its history can be traced back to the earliest recorded history. Early ideas that later became incorporated into the modern science of chemistry come from two main sources. Natural philosophers, such as Aristotle and Democritus, used deductive reasoning in an attempt to explain the behavior of the world around them. Alchemists, such as Geber (pictured) and Rhazes, used experimental techniques in an attempt to extend the life or perform material conversions, such as turning base metals into gold. In the 17th century, the synthesis of the ideas of these two disciplines led to the development of a process of thinking known as the scientific method, whereby the modern science of chemistry was born. (more...)

Today's featured picture An aerial view of Laguna Beach, a seaside resort city and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, US. The region was originally known to the Spanish as "La Cañada de Las Lagunas" which means "The Canyon of the Small Lakes", in reference to two lakes found near the head of Laguna Canyon. Photo: D Ramey Logan Recently featured: Tabby cat – Whirlpool Galaxy – Giant Caribbean sea anemone

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