Main Page/test This Wikipedia page is currently inactive and is kept primarily for historical interest . If you want to revive discussion regarding the subject , you should ask for broader input , for instance at the village pump . Other languages FAQs | Table free Welcome to Wikipedia , a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit . In this English version , started in 2001 , we are currently working on -1 articles . Browse : Culture | Geography | History | Life | Mathematics | Science | Society | Technology Browse Wikipedia - Article overviews - Alphabetical index - Other category schemes Find out how you can help those affected by the recent Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis . Today 's featured article The featured article for this day has not been chosen yet . See Wikipedia : Today 's featured article for guidelines . Recently featured : – Archive – By email – More featured articles ... Selected anniversaries December 8 : Constitution Day in Romania . 1854 - Pope Pius IX ( pictured ) proclaimed the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception . 1941 - World War II : Takashi Sakai and the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Hong Kong and quickly achieved air superiority by bombing Kai Tak Airport . 1941 - The Holocaust : The Chełmno concentration camp in Poland , the first Nazi extermination camp to use poison gas , began operations . 1980 - Mark David Chapman fatally shot former Beatle John Lennon outside the Dakota apartments in New York City . 1991 - Leaders of Belarus , Russia and Ukraine met to dissolve the Soviet Union and establish the Commonwealth of Independent States . Recent days : December 7 – December 6 – December 5 Archive – By email – More anniversaries ... In the news In Iraq , Saddam Hussein ( pictured ) is sentenced to death by hanging for crimes against humanity . The Conference of Rulers elects Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong , the head of state of Malaysia . His term begins on 13 December 2006 . The government of Uganda and the Lord 's Resistance Army rebels agree to a ceasefire as negotiations restart in Juba , Sudan . Venezuela and Guate mala withdraw their bids from the election for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council after 47 rounds of voting , and propose Panama as their candidate . The World Confederation of Labour and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions merge to form the International Trade Union Confederation , representing 166 million members . Hassan Nasrallah , the Secretary General of Hezbollah , says negotiations are underway with Israel for exchange of the prisoners taken in July 's Zar'it-Shtula incident . Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events ... Did you know ... From Wikipedia 's newest articles : ... that a fire that broke out a few days before Hiralal Sen ( pictured ) died destroyed all his films including India 's first political film ? ... that a hurricane-sized cyclonic storm over 1500 kilometres in diameter was spotted near the Martian north pole in 1999 ? ... that California Mule Deer have had their population controlled by humans starting in 12 , 000 BC by indigenous Native Americans ? ... that `` Splice the mainbrace `` is an order given aboard naval ships to allow the crew an extra ration of rum ? ... that the small herds of marble cows that can be found in several locations around Texas are the work of Dallas sculptor Harold F. Clayton ? ... that the exploitation film Mom and Dad , grossed an estimated $ 40-100 million , and is the third highest grossing film of the 1940s ? ... that Stan McCabe , who once caused a cricket Test to be abandoned in poor visibility due to the danger his hard-hitting posed to the fielding team , died after falling off a cliff ? Archive – Start a new article ... Wikipedia in other languages You can read articles in many different languages : This Wikipedia is written in English . Started in 2001 , it currently contains -1 articles . Many other Wikipedias are available ; the largest are listed below . 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