Wikipedia:Main Page history/2022 December 20

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From today's featured article  Hypothetical reconstruction of the Réunion swamphen The Réunion swamphen (Porphyrio caerulescens) is a hypothetical extinct species of rail that was endemic to the Mascarene island of Réunion. While only known from accounts by visitors from the 17th and 18th centuries, it was scientifically named in 1848 based on a 1674 account by Sieur Dubois. The Réunion swamphen was described as entirely blue in plumage with a red beak and legs; the size of a Réunion ibis, which could mean 65 to 70 cm (26 to 28 in) in length; and possibly similar to the takahē. While easily hunted, it was a fast runner and able to fly. It may have fed on plant matter and invertebrates, and was said to nest among grasses and aquatic ferns. It was only found on the Plaine des Cafres plateau, to which it may have retreated during the latter part of its existence, whereas other swamphens inhabit lowland swamps. While the last unequivocal account is from 1730, the bird may have survived until 1763. Overhunting and the introduction of cats probably drove it to extinction. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...  The Maria Advocata In the news   HTMS Sukhothai
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 * ... that the Maria Advocata (pictured) is one of the oldest icons of Mary, mother of Jesus, and that according to legend it was painted by Luke the Evangelist?
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Ongoing: Recent deaths&#58; On this day December 20  City Hall, Cardiff John Bell ( d. 1820)Kan'ichi Asakawa  ( b. 1873)Beatrice Beeby  ( d. 1991)</li></ul> More anniversaries:
 * HTMS Sukhothai (pictured), a corvette of the Royal Thai Navy, capsizes and sinks, leaving 31 crew members missing.
 * In the Fijian general election, FijiFirst wins the most seats, but fails to gain a parliamentary majority.
 * In association football, the FIFA World Cup concludes with Argentina defeating France in the final.
 * At least 24 people are killed in a landslide near Batang Kali, Malaysia.
 * Mahsa Amini protests
 * Peruvian protests
 * Russian invasion of Ukraine
 * Christian Saulsberry
 * Stephen "tWitch" Boss
 * Frank J. Shakespeare
 * Nihal Nelson
 * P-22
 * Jim Carr
 * Nominate an article
 * 1955 – Cardiff (city hall pictured) was recognised as the capital of Wales by the British government.
 * 1987 – The deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history occurred when the MV Doña Paz sank after colliding with an oil tanker in the Tablas Strait in the Philippines, resulting in an estimated 4,385 deaths.
 * 1988 – The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, governing international cooperation against the illegal drug trade, opened for signatures.
 * 1995 – American Airlines Flight 965 crashed into a mountain in Buga, Colombia, killing most of those on board.
 * 2007 – Pablo Picasso's Portrait of Suzanne Bloch was stolen from the São Paulo Museum of Art before being recovered about three weeks later.
 * December 19
 * December 20
 * December 21
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