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Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in the north of England. Its name originates from the River Sheaf that runs through the town. The city has grown from its industrial roots to encompass a wide economic base. It has become world famous for its production of steel. Many innovations in the industry have been developed locally, including crucible and stainless steel. This fuelled an almost tenfold increase in the population since the start of Industrial Revolution. It gained its city charter in 1893 and became officially titled the City of Sheffield. International competition caused a decline in local industry during the 1970s and '80s, impacting on Sheffield's population. In recent years the city has attempted to reinvent itself as a sporting and technology city; there are signs that this is reversing its fortunes. The present city boundaries were set in 1974, when the former county borough of Sheffield merged with Stocksbridge Urban District and two parishes from the Wortley Rural District. This area includes a significant part of the countryside surrounding the main urban region. Roughly a third of Sheffield lies in the Peak District National Park (no other English city has a national park within its boundary), and Sheffield is England's greenest city, containing over 150 woodlands and 50 public parks. (more...)

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Selected anniversaries

February 20: Presidents' Day in the United States and Family Day in Alberta, Canada (2006)

• 1472 - James III of Scotland annexed the Orkney and Shetland Islands from Denmark-Norway.
• 1810 - Andreas Hofer, a Tyrolean patriot and the leader of a rebellion against Napoleon's forces, was executed.
• 1913 - King O'Malley (pictured) drove in the first survey peg to mark the commencement of work on the construction of Canberra, Australia.
• 1959 - The Avro Arrow supersonic jet fighters programme in Canada was cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate.
• 1965 - The Ranger 8 spacecraft successfully transmitted 7,137 photographs of the moon in the final 23 minutes of its mission before crashing in Mare Tranquillitatis.

Recent days: February 19 – February 18 – February 17

In the news

• A series of mudslides in Southern Leyte in the Philippines leaves hundreds dead or missing.
• The British House of Commons votes to enact legislation on a smoking ban for all indoor public places in England.
• Former president René Préval is declared the winner in the Haitian presidential election following days of protests over claims of electoral fraud.
• Tokelau's referendum on self-governance fails, with the 60% support vote in the New Zealand territory falling short of the two-thirds majority required to pass.

2006 Winter Olympics

• Snowboarding: Tanja Frieden of Switzerland and Seth Wescott of the United States win the inaugural gold medals in Snowboard Cross.
• Skeleton: Duff Gibson and Jeff Pain of Canada win gold and silver in the men's competition.

Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest articles:

• ...that the body of Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, who led the Russian Buddhists from 1911 until his death in 1927, is said to exhibit no signs of physical decay?
• ...that Hochtief AG, the company that moved the Abu Simbel temple complex to save it from the Aswan High Dam, also built the Führerbunker, scene of Adolf Hitler's suicide?
• ...that Alfred the Great's taking of London in 886 was followed by his treaty with Guthrum, the Viking ruler of East Anglia?
• ...that Margaret Brundage illustrated most of the covers for the pulp magazine Weird Tales from 1933 to 1939?