Wikipedia:Main Page history/2021 August 19

Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Three species in the genus Pongo are recognised. The most arboreal of the great apes, orangutans spend most of their time in trees. They have proportionally long arms and short legs and their hair is reddish-brown. Adult males may develop distinctive cheek pads or flanges and make long calls that attract females and intimidate rivals. Orangutans are generally solitary, with most social bonds occurring between mothers and their dependent offspring. The apes eat mainly fruit, but also vegetation, bark, honey, insects and bird eggs. Among the most intelligent primates, orangutans use a variety of sophisticated tools and construct elaborate sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage. The illegal pet trade, poaching, and habitat destruction for palm oil cultivation have caused severe declines in the populations and ranges of all three species. (Full article...)

Church Missions House

• ... that the steel-framed Church Missions House (pictured) in New York City predates the city's first steel skyscraper?
• ... that Gunhild Bergh was the second woman in Sweden to be awarded a PhD in literary history?
• ... that Tone Roads No. 1, a composition for chamber ensemble by Charles Ives, was originally titled "Tone Roads, rough ones—good ones, bad ones, fast ones, slow ones!"?
• ... that FBOY Island sets three female contestants to identify twenty-four men as either womanizers or nice guys?
• ... that Yulimar Rojas is good at jumping, but her sister Yerilda Zapata is good at throwing?
• ... that an inquiry into the death of Orville Blackwood at Broadmoor Hospital in 1991 found that admissions of black people to the hospital were more likely to have police involvement?
• ... that the manga series Mashima Hero's was originally titled Hero's and had its name changed to rank higher in search engine results?
• ... that William Earle referred to slave traders as "Bite Men"?

• Hakainde Hichilema (pictured) is elected President of Zambia.
• The Afghan government collapses as the capital city of Kabul falls to the Taliban offensive.
• A 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti kills more than 2,100 people.
• The Inter­govern­mental Panel on Climate Change releases the first part of its Sixth Assessment Report on the state of knowledge of climate change and its effects.

August 19: Day of Ashura (Shia Islam, 2021)

Edward I of England

• 1274 – Shortly after his return from the Ninth Crusade, Edward I (pictured) was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, nearly two years after his father's death.
• 1759 – Seven Years' War: At the Battle of Lagos, British ships, having damaged several French vessels the previous day, pursued the remainder of the fleet to Lagos, Portugal, and continued the battle there in violation of Portuguese neutrality.
• 1934 – A referendum supported the recent merging of the posts of Chancellor and President of Germany, consolidating Adolf Hitler's assumption of supreme power.
• 1981 – Two U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcats shot down two Libyan Su-22 Fitters during military exercises over the Gulf of Sidra.
• 2005 – Thunderstorms in southern Ontario, Canada, spawned at least three tornadoes that caused over C$500 million in damage.