First page

The Wikipedia Main Page

Welcome to the Wikipedia tour. My name is Denis, and I will be your guide. This trip will show you the diversity of the content on Wikipedia, some of its most unusual articles, the inner workings of the project, its policies and debates, and everything you need to know to become a contributor. Don't worry about getting lost - I will be with you during the whole trip.

What you see below is the Main Page of Wikipedia. You've probably seen it before, but pay a closer look. Much of the content below is updated daily by our open community of editors. The featured article, for example, is picked from the list of featured articles. These are pages which have undergone a community review process. The Did you know section in the lower right comes exclusively from our latest article additions. Also take a look at all the other languages Wikipedia is available in!

Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

116,430 active editors
6,937,132 articles in English

From today's featured article

Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and one of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture. Often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", Presley began his career in 1954 and became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll in the late 1950s. Conscripted in 1958, he relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. In 1968, he returned to live performance in a television special that led to an extended Las Vegas residency and a string of tours. In 1973, he staged the first concert broadcast globally via satellite, seen by around 1.5 billion viewers. Prescription drug abuse severely affected his health, and he died suddenly in 1977. With wide success in many musical genres, Presley is one of the best-selling solo artists in the history of popular music. He won three Grammys, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the age of 36. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Promotional still from Two Stars in the Milky Way

... that the soundtrack of Two Stars in the Milky Way (scene pictured), one of the few surviving early Chinese films, has been lost?
... that aerospace engineer Nuno Xavier signed the treaty that made São Tomé and Príncipe an independent nation?
... that some journalists interpreted Taylor Swift's song "But Daddy I Love Him" as her criticism of her own fans?
... that The Bootleggers portrays the illegal alcohol trade during the Prohibition era of the Roaring '20s?
... that the Hanta Road on Okinawa was used by both Ryukyuan armies and the U.S. Navy's Perry Expedition?
... that political consultant Jim Rivaldo said that moving to San Francisco made him realize that "there were gay lawyers, gay businessmen—a lot of people like me"?
... that Aquilegia barykinae is likely more closely related to other species of columbine than to Aquilegia amurensis, which shares its range?
... that Mark Smith was a fourth-generation actor who performed in 70 theaters in New York City and on more than 2,000 radio programs?
... that the director-screenwriter of Blossoms Under Somewhere joined Telegram groups that sell used lingerie to conduct field research?

In the news

Tibet earthquake aftermath

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake (aftermath pictured) hits Tingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China, leaving at least 126 people dead.
Justin Trudeau announces his intention to resign as prime minister of Canada.
Luke Littler wins the PDC World Darts Championship.
A spree shooter in Cetinje, Montenegro, kills 12 people and injures 4 others.
Romania and Bulgaria become full members of the Schengen Area.

On this day

January 8

Blackstone Library

1697 – Scottish student Thomas Aikenhead became the last person in Great Britain to be executed for blasphemy.
1904 – Blackstone Library (pictured), the first branch of the Chicago Public Library system, was dedicated.
1977 – Three bombs attributed to Armenian nationalists exploded across Moscow, killing seven people and injuring 37 people.
1981 – In Trans-en-Provence, France, a local farmer reported a UFO sighting claimed to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time".
2011 – Jared Lee Loughner opened fire at a public meeting held by U.S. representative Gabby Giffords in Tucson, Arizona, killing six people and injuring twelve others.

Prince Albert Victor (b. 1864)
Mary Arthur McElroy (d. 1917)
Joseph Franklin Rutherford (d. 1942)
T. J. Hamblin (d. 2012)

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Today's featured picture

A lime is a citrus fruit, which is typically round, lime green in colour, 3–6 centimetres (1.2–2.4 in) in diameter, and contains acidic juice vesicles. There are several species of citrus trees whose fruits are called limes, including the Key lime, Persian lime, kaffir lime, finger lime, blood lime, and desert lime. Limes are a rich source of vitamin C, are sour, and are often used to accent the flavours of foods and beverages. They are grown year-round, originally in tropical South and Southeast Asia but now in much of the world. Plants with fruit called "limes" have diverse genetic origins; limes do not form a monophyletic group. This photograph shows two limes grown in Brazil, one whole and one halved, and was focus-stacked from 23 images.

Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus

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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: