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Welcome to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.2,332,096 articles in EnglishArtsBiographyGeographyHistoryMathematicsScienceSocietyTechnologyAll portalsOverview · Editing · Questions · HelpContents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z indexToday’s featured articleThe 1999 Sydney hailstorm was the costliest natural disaster in Australian insurance history, causing extensive damage along the east coast of New South Wales. The storm developed south of Sydney on the afternoon of 14 April 1999 and struck the city’s eastern suburbs, including the central business district, later that evening. The storm dropped an estimated 500,000 tonnes of hailstones in its path. Insured damages caused by the storm were over A$1.7 billion, with the total damage bill (including uninsured damages) estimated to be around A$2.3 billion, equivalent to US$1.5 billion. It was the costliest in Australian history in terms of insured damages, overtaking the 1989 Newcastle earthquake that had resulted in A$1.1 billion in insured damages. Lightning also claimed one life during the storm, and the event caused approximately 50 injuries. The storm was classified as a supercell following further analysis of its erratic nature and extreme attributes. During the event, the Bureau of Meteorology was consistently surprised at the frequent changes in direction, as well as the severity of the hail and the duration of the storm. The event was also unique as the time of year and general conditions in the region were not seen as conducive for an extreme storm cell to form. (more…)Recently featured: Lisa del Giocondo – Kansas Turnpike – J. K. RowlingArchive – By email – More featured articles…Did you know…From Wikipedia’s newest articles:…that the Luckey, Platt & Company Department Store (pictured) in Poughkeepsie once claimed it had 2 miles (3.2 km) of counter space?…that the Church of Scientology purchased Castle Kyalami, formerly a tourist attraction near Johannesburg, to serve as an advanced Scientology spiritual retreat in South Africa?…that Theodorus van Capellen was appointed a vice-admiral in the Dutch navy in 1814 even though he had previously been cashiered and sentenced to banishment for life for his role in a mutiny?…that the medieval Swedish ballad “Stolt Herr Alf” contains an unusual name for the Norse god Odin?…that the Pentecostal Union of Romania has experienced rapid growth in recent years due to conversions and high birthrates, with some families having up to 18 children?…that 17th-century actress Julia Glover was sold in marriage by her father for £1,000?…that Heitsi-eibib is a life-death-rebirth figure in the Khoikhoi mythology and as a result, his funeral cairns can be found in many locations in southern Africa?Archive – Start a new article…In the newsThe Channel Island Sark (pictured) abolishes the last remaining feudal system in Europe.Soyuz TMA-12 is launched, carrying Yi So-yeon, the first Korean in space, for a mission to the International Space Station.The Olympic torch relay is disrupted in London, Paris and San Francisco by protesters objecting to China’s human rights record.The Washington Post wins six awards and Bob Dylan receives a special citation in the 2008 Pulitzer Prizes.At its summit in Bucharest, NATO invites Albania and Croatia to join the alliance.Jules Verne, the first European Automated Transfer Vehicle, successfully performs a fully automated docking with the International Space Station.Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events…On this day…April 14: Pohela Baishakh in Bengal, Vaisakhi in India, N’Ko Alphabet Day in West Africa.1471 – Wars of the Roses: The Yorkists under Edward IV (pictured) defeated the Lancastrians near the town of Barnet, killing Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.1865 – Actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth shot U.S. President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.1931 – King Alfonso XIII left Spain. The Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed by a provisional government led by Niceto Alcalá-Zamora.1956 – The use of the quadruplex videotape was first demonstrated in public.1970 – An oxygen tank aboard Apollo 13 exploded, causing the NASA spacecraft to lose most of its oxygen and electrical power.1978 – Thousands of Georgians demonstrated in Tbilisi against an attempt by the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.More events on this day…Recent days: April 13 – April 12 – April 11Archive – By email – More anniversaries…Today’s featured pictureA Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) hanging on a bird feeder. This woodpecker species’ breeding habitat is open country across southern Canada and the eastern-central United States. Adults are strikingly tri-colored, with a black back and tail and a red head and neck. Their underparts are mainly white. The wings are black with white secondary remiges. It is often confused with the Red-bellied Woodpecker.Photo credit: MdfRecently featured: Saturn – Jaguar – LocustsArchive – More featured pictures…