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
6,936,519 articles in English

From today's featured article

Gerald Durrell (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer and zookeeper. He was born in British India and moved to England in 1928. In 1935 the family moved to Corfu, but the outbreak of World War II forced them to return to the United Kingdom. In the 1940s he began animal-collecting trips for zoos, and published well-received accounts of these, starting with The Overloaded Ark. His account of the years in Corfu, titled My Family and Other Animals, appeared in 1956 and became a bestseller. He founded the Jersey Zoo in 1959, intending it to be an institution for the study of animals and for captive breeding. Durrell and his second wife, Lee McGeorge, made several television documentaries in the 1980s, including Durrell in Russia and Ark on the Move. They co-authored The Amateur Naturalist, which became his most successful book, selling well over a million copies. His ashes were buried at Jersey Zoo. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Remnants of the Onekaka Wharf

... that painter Doris Lusk chose the Onekaka Wharf (remnants pictured) as her main subject for five years?
... that Josie Childs served as a Chicago mayor's assistant, worked as a campaign organizer for three U.S. presidents, and hosted the British queen?
... that Kenshi Yonezu's song "Dune" describes his perception of a "desert-like atmosphere" on the video-sharing website Niconico?
... that Haliey Welch earned more than $65,000 within weeks of hawk tuah going viral?
... that Mauritius's abortion law was "dormant for nearly two centuries"?
... that the first women's dormitory built at Hampton University was partially paid for with money collected by the school's choir in tours led by Thomas P. Fenner?
... that hefker, unowned property in Talmudic law, came to express both personal freedom and societal abandonment in 20th-century Yiddish poetry?
... that NFL player Darrell Hogan watched Gunsmoke every day?
... that players play Pokémon Smile by brushing their teeth?

In the news

Tibet earthquake aftermath

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake (aftermath pictured) hits Tingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region, leaving at least 95 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 7: Christmas (Eastern Christianity; Julian calendar); Victory over Genocide Day in Cambodia; Laba Festival in China (2025)

CQD in Morse code

1797 – The Italian tricolour was first adopted as an official flag by the government of the Cispadane Republic.
1904 – The Marconi International Marine Communication Company specified CQD (audio featured) as the distress signal to be used by its operators.
1939 – French physicist Marguerite Perey identified francium, the last element to be discovered in nature rather than by synthesis.
1979 – The People's Army of Vietnam captured Phnom Penh, marking the end of large-scale fighting in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War.
2020 – After 253 days without an operational government, a second round of investiture votes produced Spain's first coalition government since the Second Republic.

Francis Poulenc (b. 1899)
Melly Goeslaw (b. 1974)
Richard Hamming (d. 1998)
Run Run Shaw (d. 2014)

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Today's featured picture

The golden-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family, Picidae. It is found in the southern United States, Mexico and parts of Central America. It inhabits mesic and xeric landscapes, including mesquite brushlands and riparian woodlands. It can also be found in urban parks and suburban areas. Males and females have the same plumage except for the pattern on their heads. Adult males have a red crown and a golden orange to yellow nape with a gap between them; females have a grayish crown and a paler yellow nape. The golden-fronted woodpecker has a diet of adult and larval arthropods, some aerial insects, fruit, nuts and corn, as well as occasionally eating other birds' eggs. The bird has a loud call and a short, slow drumming pattern. This male golden-fronted woodpecker was photographed perching on a branch in Copán, Honduras.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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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: