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Today's featured article The history of Michigan State University (MSU) dates to 1855, when the Michigan Legislature established the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan. As the first agricultural college in the United States, the school served as a prototype for future Land Grant institutions under the Morrill Act. The school's first class graduated in 1861. That same year, the Michigan Legislature approved a plan to allow the school to adopt a four-year curriculum and grant degrees comparable to those of rival University of Michigan. In 1870, the College became co-educational and expanded its curriculum beyond agriculture into a broad array of coursework commencing with home economics for women students. The school established "Farmers' Institutes" as a means of reaching out to the state's agricultural community; the program gradually became the MSU Extension Services. After World War II, the college gained admission to the Big Ten Conference and grew to become one of the largest educational institutions in the United States. In its centennial year of 1955, the state officially made the school a university and the current name was adopted in 1964 after Michigan voters adopted a new constitution. (more...) Recently featured: John Martin Scripps – Gobrecht dollar – Battle of Milne Bay Did you know... From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Kabaret Starszych Panów (sculpture of two main characters, pictured) was a cult Polish cabaret, poking fun at the reality of the early People's Republic of Poland? ... that 2012 Paralympic swimmer Mitchell Kilduff mentors other swimmers with autism? ... that ultra-deepwater semi-submersible drilling rig Scarabeo 8 was built in shipyards in three different countries? ... that Sally Tanner wrote California's lemon law? ... that in 1922, Franz Kafka's story "Ein Hungerkünstler" first appeared in Die neue Rundschau, a German literary magazine founded in 1890 and still in print? ... that Indonesian Paralympic hopeful David Jacobs defeated Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a table tennis match? ... that the song "Need You Now", performed by Lady Antebellum, ranked as the number-one song on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart on the Billboard 2010 year-end list? ... that Turid Birkeland became Head of Concerts Norway in April 2012, succeeding Åse Kleveland, whom she had also succeeded as Minister of Culture in 1996?

In the news Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (pictured) announces the commencement of peace talks with the rebel group FARC. American astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon, dies at the age of 82. A blast at the Paraguaná Refinery Complex in Falcón, Venezuela, kills at least 41 people and injures at least 90 others. A jury in California rules that Samsung Electronics owes Apple Inc. more than US$1 billion for patent infringement. Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in the 2011 Norway attacks, is sentenced to 21 years in prison, subject to extension. Retired cyclist Lance Armstrong decides to stop contesting doping charges from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. On this day... August 29: Feast day for the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (Gregorian calendar) 1533 – Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire: Conquistador Francisco Pizarro executed the last independent Inca Emperor Atahualpa in Cajamarca. 1786 – Led by Daniel Shays, disgruntled farmers in Western Massachusetts, US, angered by high tax burdens and disenfranchisement, started Shays' Rebellion. 1831 – Michael Faraday (pictured) discovered electromagnetic induction, leading to the formation of Faraday's law of induction. 1916 – The United States Congress passed the Philippine Autonomy Act, the first formal and official declaration of the US commitment to grant independence to the Philippines. 1949 – The Soviet Union successfully conducted its first nuclear weapons test, exploding the 22-kiloton RDS-1. 1991 – Italian businessman Libero Grassi was killed by the Sicilian Mafia after taking a public stand against their extortion demands. More anniversaries: August 28 – August 29 – August 30 It is now August 29, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture The Canadian Museum of Civilization is the country's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada. It is located in the Hull sector of Gatineau, Quebec, directly across the Ottawa River from Canada's Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. With roots stretching back to 1856, the museum is one of North America's oldest cultural institutions. Photo: Wladyslaw Recently featured: Castello Plan – The Tepees, Petrified Forest National Park, US – Italian wall lizard

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