Introduction · Almanac · Categories · Glossaries · Lists · Overviews · Portals · Questions · Site news · Index

Welcome to Wikipedia Information

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit

As of 11:28, Tuesday, July 23, 2024 ( UTC), Wikipedia has 6,856,831 articles and 47,712,351 users. ( Purge to refresh)

Geography

History

Film

Biography

Health

Technology

Today's featured article

Flask from Iznik, c. 1560–1580

Empire of the Sultans was a touring exhibition from 1995 to 2004 displaying objects from the Khalili Collection of Islamic Art. Around two hundred exhibits, including calligraphy, textiles, pottery (example pictured), weapons, and metalwork, illustrated the art and daily life of six centuries of the Ottoman Empire. Many of the objects had been created for the leaders of the empire, the sultans. Two of the calligraphic pieces were the work of sultans themselves. In the 1990s, the exhibition was hosted by institutions in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Israel, and its first catalogue was published by J. M. Rogers. The exhibits visited thirteen cities in the United States from 2000 to 2004, despite controversies in the wake of the September 11 attacks and the Iraq War. Critics described the exhibition as wide-ranging and informative. They praised it for showing beautiful art works – naming the calligraphy in particular – and for presenting a fresh view of Islam. ( Full article...)

Recently featured:

In the news

Joe Biden

Incumbent U.S. president Joe Biden (pictured) withdraws from the 2024 presidential election.
In golf, Xander Schauffele wins the Open Championship.
General secretary and former president of Vietnam Nguyễn Phú Trọng dies at the age of 80.
The International Court of Justice finds the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories to be a violation of international law.

On This Day

July 23: Seventeenth of Tammuz (Judaism, 2024), Birthday of Haile Selassie ( Rastafari)

Wilfred Rhodes in 1906

1860 – The trial of the Eastbourne manslaughter, which later became an important legal precedent in the United Kingdom for discussions of corporal punishment in schools, began in Lewes.
1927 – Wilfred Rhodes (pictured) of England and Yorkshire became the only person to play in 1,000 first-class cricket matches.
1942 – The Holocaust: The gas chambers at Treblinka extermination camp began operation, killing 6,500 Jews who had been transported from the Warsaw Ghetto the day before.
1995 – Hale–Bopp, one of the most widely observed comets of the 20th century, was independently discovered by astronomers Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp.
1999 – In Tulia, Texas, 47 people were arrested for dealing cocaine; years later, 35 of the 47 were pardoned by the Governor of Texas.

John Day ( d. 1584)
Bonaventura Peeters the Elder ( b. 1614)
Daniel Radcliffe ( b. 1989)
Hassan II of Morocco ( d. 1999)

More anniversaries:

Did you know...

Jenny Hurn

... that Jenny Hurn (pictured) in Lincolnshire, England, is said to be haunted by a boggart that crosses the River Trent in a dish propelled by oars the size of teaspoons?
... that the Mount Leona Fire was finally contained on the upper slopes of Profanity Peak?
... that the International Olympic Committee's TikTok account praised the "incredible strategy" of speed skater Yang Jingru's win at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics?
... that according to writer Russell T Davies, he conceived elements of the Doctor Who episode " Empire of Death" decades before he wrote it?
... that during his tenure as the manager of Austria's Burgtheater from 1971 to 1976, Gerhard Klingenberg often directed plays with analogies of a divided Europe?
... that Red (Taylor's Version) was credited by media publications with popularizing the "Sad Girl Autumn" phenomenon in popular culture?
... that 14 months after taking up track cycling, René Heyde only narrowly missed out being selected to the New Zealand team at the 1972 Summer Olympics?
... that during the construction of 181 Montague Street in New York City, each of the building's columns was pulled by 14 horses?
... that Unilever invited Britons to congregate and worship at a shrine to Marmite in 2010?

Featured Pictures

Commons picture of the day

Sally Ride as photographed in 1984. She died on this day in 2012.

Picture of the day

Censorship under the military dictatorship in Brazil consisted of restrictions on the media, artists, journalists, and others which the government deemed "subversive", "dangerous" or "immoral". The political system of the Brazilian military dictatorship, installed by a 1964 coup d'état and which persisted until 1985, also set out to censor material that went against what it called "morality and good manners". The constitution of 1967 established censorship as an official, centralized activity of the Brazilian federal government. There were several protests against the practice, including the Cultura contra Censura protest in February 1968, depicted in this photograph, which shows the actresses Tônia Carrero, Eva Wilma, Odete Lara, Norma Bengell and Cacilda Becker.Photograph credit: unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden

Archive – More featured pictures...

Todays featured list

Today's featured list is: July 23.

Wikipedia community

Every page on Wikipedia is a collaborative effort. But there are some special places reserved for specific types of discussion and assistance. Find what you're looking for here:

Help (contents) — Use this if you need help editing. There is also a comprehensive range of help articles available here. You can ask a question about using Wikipedia at the Help Desk.
Community bulletin board — Requests for help within the Wikipedia community.
The Village Pump — These are main discussion forums for Wikipedia.
The Signpost — This is Wikipedia's local newspaper.
The Community Portal — This is the center of community involvement. Learn about projects and activities you can join to help improve Wikipedia.

Collaborations — Weekly, monthly, and ongoing collaborative article improvement drives within specific subject areas.
Reference Desk — Help other Wikipedians who are looking for specific information by answering their subject-related questions at the reference desk (like a library's information desk).
Local Embassy — For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Department of Fun — Dedicated to FUN on Wikipedia.
Clinic for Wikipediholics — Sign-in to Wikipedia!
Welcoming committee — Greet newcomers.
Wikipedia Boot Camp — Take a crash course about Wikipedia!

Wikipedia sister projects

Wikipedia is written by volunteer editors and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other volunteer projects: