Wikipedia:Main Page alternatives/(simple layout)
Almanac · Categories · Glossaries · Lists · Overviews · Portals · Questions · Site news · Index
Art | Geography | History | Mathematics | People | Philosophy | Science | Society | Technology
We are building an open-content encyclopedia in many languages. We started in January 2001 and are now working on 6,901,814 articles in the English version. Learn how to edit pages, experiment in the sandbox, and visit our Community Portal to find out how you can contribute to Wikipedia. This page is also available without pictures. More main page alternatives
Today's featured article
Hadji Ali (c. 1888–1892 – 1937) was a vaudeville performance artist famous for acts of controlled regurgitation. Thought to be of Egyptian extraction, his feats included water spouting, smoke swallowing and nut and handkerchief swallowing followed by disgorgement in an order chosen by the audience. The mainstay of Ali's act was water spouting (poster pictured). After swallowing 60 to 100 glasses of water at a time, he spouted it in a continuous stream sometimes for up to one minute. Ali's most famous stunt, and the highlight of his act, was drinking water followed by kerosene, and then acting by turns as a human flamethrower and fire extinguisher as he expelled the two liquids onto a theatrical prop. Ali had a dedicated following on the vaudeville circuit in the United States and performed for heads of state, including Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. After he died in England, his body was offered to Johns Hopkins University for study, though the offer was declined. (Full article...)
Did you know...
- ... that a nuclear reactor was nearly built at the New York Hall of Science (pictured), but the money for the institution instead went to Yankee Stadium?
- ... that George Bernard Shaw jokingly threatened to torture Hilaire Belloc if it would get G. K. Chesterton to write his first play?
- ... that Norman warrior Hugh Bunel lived for years among the Saracens before turning against them to join the First Crusade?
- ... that after reading American Writers, William Lloyd Garrison told John Neal to be on guard should he return to the United States?
- ... that Druze rower Saleh Shahin won a bronze medal for Israel at the 2024 Paris Paralympics 19 years after he was injured in a terrorist attack?
- ... that the Hong Kong–based holding company now known as Nan Nan Resources went by three different names in 2011?
- ... that Dusko Doder reported the 1984 death of Yuri Andropov, the leader of the Soviet Union, before any official announcement?
- ... that Queen Victoria supported Clare embroidery by purchasing dresses for her family?
- ... that chocolate is included as an ingredient in 18th-century Italian recipes for pappardelle, fried liver, black polenta, and lasagna sauce?
In the news
- An attack by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (perpetrators pictured) on the Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters in Ankara leaves seven people dead.
- Tropical Storm Trami kills at least 97 people in the Philippines.
- Moldova votes to amend its constitution to include the aim of becoming a European Union member state.
- Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is killed in a firefight with Israeli forces in Gaza.
On this day
- 1904 – The first underground segment of the New York City Subway opened, connecting New York City Hall (station pictured) with Harlem.
- 1914 – World War I: The Royal Navy dreadnought HMS Audacious was sunk by a mine, but its loss was kept secret for four years.
- 1946 – Inter-religious riots in which Hindu mobs targeted Muslim families began in the Indian state of Bihar, resulting in 2,000 to 30,000 deaths.
- 1967 – American Catholic priest Philip Berrigan led a protest against the Vietnam War by pouring blood over Selective Service records in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 1993 – Widerøe Flight 744 suffered a controlled flight into terrain while on approach to Namsos Airport, Norway, killing two crew members and four passengers.
- Abulfeda (d. 1331)
- William Gillies (b. 1868)
- Judy LaMarsh (d. 1980)
- Li Keqiang (d. 2023)
Today's featured picture
Acer negundo, also known as the box elder, is a species of maple in the family Sapindaceae, native to North America. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, ash-like compound leaves. It is sometimes considered a weedy or invasive species, and has been naturalized throughout much of the world. It grows up to 10 to 25 metres (35 to 80 feet) tall, with a trunk diameter of 30 to 50 centimetres (12 to 20 inches). Male and female flowers appear on separate plants, with flowers on male plants generally appearing in clusters of four and flowers on female plants appearing as a raceme. These flowers of a female A. negundo plant were photographed in Keila, Estonia. Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus
Recently featured:
|
Portals
Categories
Arts – Culture by region – Languages – Literature – Mass media – Movements – Mythology – Popular culture – Religion – Sports – Traditions – Travel
Animation – Celebrities – Dance – Entertainers – Festivals – Games – Hobbies – Humour – Music – Parties – Radio – Television – Toys
Africa –
Antarctica –
Asia –
Australia –
Europe –
North America –
Oceania –
South America
Cities –
Climate –
Countries –
Landforms –
Maps –
Parks –
Subterranea –
Towns
Algebra – Analysis – Arithmetic – Computer science – Economics – Equations – Geometry – Logic – Measurement – Numbers – Proofs – Philosophy – Theorems – Trigonometry – Statistics
Astronomy – Biology – Chemistry – Earth sciences – Ecology – Information science – Natural hazards – Neuroscience – Physics – Space
Anthropology – Archaeology – Business – Communication – Demographics – Economics – Finance – Government – History – Law – Linguistics – Philosophy – Politics – Psychology – Sociology – Sexology
Sister Projects
Wikipedia is run by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Wikimedia operates several other multilingual and open-content wiki projects:
Meta-Wiki — Coordination of all Wikimedia projects
Wiktionary — A multilingual dictionary and thesaurus
Wikibooks — Free textbooks and manuals
Wikiquote — A collection of quotations
Wikisource — Free source documents
Wikinews — Free content news source
Wikipedia in other languages
This Wikipedia is written in English. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.
-
1,000,000+ articles
-
250,000+ articles
-
50,000+ articles
If you find this encyclopedia or its sister projects useful, please consider making a donation.