Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Vance Drummond (1927–1967) was a New Zealand–born Australian pilot who fought in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Posted to No. 77 Squadron in Korea, he flew Gloster Meteor jet fighters and earned the US Air Medal for his combat skills. He was shot down in 1951 and imprisoned for almost two years. He was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1965 after leading the Black Diamonds aerobatic team of No. 75 Squadron. Drummond was promoted to acting wing commander in 1965 and posted to South Vietnam on staff duties with the US Air Force. He joined their 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron, operating Cessna Bird Dog aircraft, as a forward air controller in July 1966. That month he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for his part in rescuing a company of soldiers surrounded by Viet Cong forces. Returning to Australia, he took command of No. 3 Squadron in February 1967. His Dassault Mirage IIIO crashed into the sea during a training exercise in May; neither Drummond nor the aircraft was found. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Vicky López

... that Vicky López (pictured) took up horse riding during a six-month period when she was not allowed to play football?
... that Blackpink's "Pink Venom" incorporates the sounds of traditional Korean instruments such as the geomungo?
... that Iona Allen, "the only one to ever make a perfect pair of boots", constructed the pair worn by Neil Armstrong on the Moon out of thirteen layers of precisely fabricated material?
... that Vostok 2022 marked the most comprehensive participation of Chinese forces in a Russian military exercise to date?
... that the chandelier Pokémon Chandelure is a playable character in the fighting game Pokkén Tournament?
... that the REM de l'Est, a planned light rail network, was abandoned due to its controversial use of elevated railways in downtown Montreal?
... that Porter Robinson listened to excerpts of 100,000 songs in two years to create his EP Virtual Self?
... that tokoyama (traditional Japanese hairdressers) working in kabuki are divided into specialties named after the floors of the Kabuki-za?
... that the Puyallup people traditionally took ritual sweat baths before hunting, after intercourse, and even as a sport?

In the news

Voyager 1

NASA announces that the Voyager 1 space probe (rendering shown) is sending readable data for the first time in five months.
The HDZ-led coalition wins the most seats in the Croatian parliamentary election but falls short of a majority.
Ichthyotitan, the largest known marine reptile, is formally described.
Flooding in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula leaves more than thirty people dead.
The historic Børsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, is severely damaged by a fire.

On this day

April 25: Liberation Day in Italy (1945)

USS Triton

1643 – First English Civil War: Despite being vastly outnumbered, a Parliamentarian force under James Chudleigh defeated a Royalist army near Okehampton, Devon, at the Battle of Sourton Down.
1915 – First World War: The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Anzac Cove while British and French troops landed at Cape Helles to begin the Allied invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire.
1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine Triton (pictured) completed the first submerged circumnavigation of the world.
1983 – The first issue of The Jakarta Post was published in Indonesia.
2015 – Nepal was struck by a magnitude-7.8 earthquake, killing more than 8,000 people, including 22 from avalanches on Mount Everest.

Naresuan (d. 1605)
Georg Sverdrup (b. 1770)
Emmeline B. Wells (d. 1921)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The Madagascar stonechat (Saxicola sibilla) is a species of stonechat endemic to Madagascar. It is a small bird, closely similar to the African stonechat in both plumage and behaviour, but distinguished from it by the more extensive black on the throat and minimal orange-red on the upper breast of the males. This male Madagascar stonechat perching on a branch was photographed in Analamazaotra National Park, near Andasibe.

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: