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Today's featured article Augustine of Canterbury (c. first third of the 6th century – 604) was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church. Augustine was the prior of a monastery in Rome when Pope Gregory the Great chose him in 595 to lead a mission, usually known as the Gregorian mission, to Britain to Christianize King Æthelberht of the Kingdom of Kent from his native Anglo-Saxon paganism. Before reaching Kent the missionaries had considered turning back but Gregory urged them on and, in 597, Augustine landed on the Isle of Thanet and proceeded to Æthelberht's main town of Canterbury. King Æthelberht converted to Christianity and allowed the missionaries to preach freely, giving them land to found a monastery outside the city walls. Augustine was consecrated as a bishop and converted many of the king's subjects, including thousands during a mass baptism on Christmas Day in 597. Roman bishops were established at London and Rochester in 604, and a school was founded to train Anglo-Saxon priests and missionaries. The archbishop probably died in 604 and was soon revered as a saint. (more...) Recently featured: 2007 USC Trojans football team – "Amazing Grace" – Simon Bolivar Buckner Did you know... From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the mite Brevipalpus phoenicis (pictured) reproduces primarily by parthenogenesis and almost all individuals are female? ... that adaptive rowers Pam Relph, Naomi Riches, James Roe and David Smith, alongside cox Lily van den Broecke, won a gold medal at the 2011 World Rowing Championships and have been selected to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Paralympics? ... that the 1966 Syrian coup d'état removed the original founders of Ba'athism from power, caused the party to split, and brought neo-Ba'athists to power in Syria? ... that basketball player Kobe Bryant went to Germany to receive Orthokine treatments that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration? ... that in some portrayals of the marriage of the Hindu deities Shiva and Parvati, their yet-unborn sons are depicted? ... that in 1960, Martial became the first Irish racehorse to win the British Classic 2,000 Guineas Stakes? ... that 14-year-old 2012 Australian Paralympic wheelchair racer Rheed McCracken qualified for the Games after only using a wheelchair since late 2009? ... that the 2006 Swift raids were the largest workplace immigration action in United States history?

In the news The pardoning of convicted murderer Ramil Safarov, upon his repatriation from Hungary to Azerbaijan, leads Armenia to sever ties with Hungary. A national emergency is declared in Sierra Leone after a cholera outbreak causes the deaths of more than 300 people. At least 36 people are presumed dead after Hurricane Isaac (satellite image pictured) strikes the Gulf Coast of the United States, Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles and the Bahamas. In Mexico, the Federal Electoral Tribunal declares Enrique Peña Nieto the winner of the contested presidential election. The opening ceremony of the Summer Paralympic Games is held in London. On this day... September 2: Father's Day in Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand (2012); Democracy Day in Tibet (1960) 1666 – A large fire began on London's Pudding Lane and burned the city for three days, destroying St Paul's Cathedral and the homes of 70,000 of the city's 80,000 inhabitants. 1901 – U.S. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt first uttered the famous phrase "speak softly and carry a big stick" (cartoon pictured) at the Minnesota State Fair, describing his philosophy of negotiating peacefully while simultaneously threatening to use military force. 1946 – The interim government of India, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru, formed to assist the transition of India from British rule to independence. 1967 – Paddy Roy Bates proclaimed HM Fort Roughs, a former Second World War Maunsell Sea Fort in the North Sea off the coast of Suffolk, England, as an independent sovereign state: the Principality of Sealand. 1992 – An estimated magnitude 7.2 earthquake off the coast of Nicaragua was the first tsunami earthquake to be captured on modern broadband seismic networks. More anniversaries: September 1 – September 2 – September 3 It is now September 2, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture A colony of boulder brain coral (Colpophyllia natans), a species of stony brain coral found primarily in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It is characterised by large, domed colonies, which may be up to 2 m (6.6 ft) across, and by the meandering network of ridges and valleys on its surface. It is considered one of the dominant reef-building corals of the Caribbean region and is commonly found on shallower reef ledges and slopes. Photo: Nick Hobgood Recently featured: Battle of Bazeilles – Cadmium – Making a death mask

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