Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

202,416 active editors
7,091,076 articles in English

From today's featured article

Scarlett Johansson

Black Widow is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editor Stan Lee, scripter Don Rico, and artist Don Heck, the character debuted as an enemy of Iron Man in 1964. She reformed into a hero in The Avengers in 1966. Black Widow has been the main character in several comic titles since 1970, receiving her own Black Widow series in 1999. She also frequently appears as a supporting character in The Avengers and Daredevil. Natalia Alianovna "Natasha Romanoff" Romanova was introduced as a spy for the Soviet Union until she defected to the United States. Her stories often explore her struggle to define her own identity as a spy and the trauma she endured from her life of training in the Red Room, a Soviet training facility. Black Widow has been adapted into a variety of other media, including film, animated series, and video games. A version of the character was portrayed by Scarlett Johansson (pictured) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Ruins of Boghead

... that local folklore links Boghead (ruins pictured), a Northumbrian bastle house, to the story of Barty Milburn, an accomplished swordsman and killer of Scots?
... that Adolf Real was re-elected as Mayor of Vaduz in 1900, but he refused to take the office?
... that a crew member of the film Velký vlastenecký výlet walked out after a protagonist justified rape?
... that periodontist Angela Pack called the Dental Council board "lily-livered chickens" for hesitating to allow training of dental hygienists in New Zealand?
... that the "books within books" of the European Geniza are a collection of manuscript fragments recovered from medieval and early-modern book bindings?
... that Bob Barrabee studied tobacco farming in Cuba and played in the NFL in the same year?
... that the Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center was the site of a building collapse, a radio station, and the 5th National Eucharistic Congress?
... that Eschiva of Montbéliard left her children, fled to Buffavento Castle disguised as a monk, brought ample provisions, and joined an old knight in defending it?
... that the most senior crew member of the Titanic to survive the disaster, as well as an American colonel, one of the telegraphists, the chief baker, and a teenage boy were all saved on an upturned boat?

In the news

Typhoon Fung-wong

An amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan creates a new court of final appeal and establishes the position of Chief of Defence Forces, strengthening military rule.
A suicide bombing kills 12 people in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Typhoon Fung-wong (satellite image shown) hits the Philippines, leaving more than 27 people dead.
A car explosion in Delhi, India, kills at least 13 people.

On this day

November 16

Andrew Doria

1776 – American Revolutionary War: A Dutch fort on Sint Eustatius fired The First Salute to an American brig (pictured), marking the first international recognition of the American flag.
1885 – After a five-day trial following the North-West Rebellion, Louis Riel, a Canadian Métis leader and "Father of Manitoba", was hanged for high treason.
1938 – Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first synthesized the psychedelic drug LSD in Basel, Switzerland.
1967 – Aeroflot Flight 2230 crashed after takeoff from Koltsovo Airport, Russia, killing all 107 people aboard.
1981 – About 30 million people watched the fictional couple Luke Spencer and Laura Webber wed on the television show General Hospital in the highest-rated hour in American soap opera history.

Ælfric of Abingdon (d. 1005)
Charles-Antoine Campion (b. 1720)
Clark Gable (d. 1960)
Hannah Hampton (b. 2000)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a species of true buffalo in the Bovidae family. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it is found in a number of disjoint ranges stretching from south-eastern Senegal through West and Central Africa to South Africa. It lives in savannas, swamps and floodplains, as well as mopane grasslands, and the forests of the major mountains of Africa. The African buffalo is a large bovid, with a shoulder height ranging from 1.0 to 1.7 m (3.3 to 5.6 ft) and head-and-body length between 1.7 and 3.4 m (5.6-11.2 ft). There is variation between subspecies, the African forest buffalo having a mass of 250 to 450 kg (600 to 1,000 lb) while the Cape buffalo weighs 425 to 870 kg (937 to 1,918 lb), males being about 100 kg (220 lb) heavier than females. The adult African buffalo is known for its characteristic horn. This male African buffalo was photographed in Phinda Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. It has a red-billed oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) standing on its muzzle.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – The central hub for editors, with resources, links, tasks, and announcements.
Village pump – Forum for discussions about Wikipedia itself, including policies and technical issues.
Site news – Sources of news about Wikipedia and the broader Wikimedia movement.
Teahouse – Ask basic questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
Help desk – Ask questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
Reference desk – Ask research questions about encyclopedic topics.
Content portals – A unique way to navigate the encyclopedia.

Wikipedia's 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: