Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

264,676 active editors
7,263,295 articles in English

From today's featured article

The Royal Gloucestershire Hussars was a regiment of British volunteer Yeomanry Cavalry that traced its origins to a troop of yeomanry raised in Gloucestershire in 1795. It was officered by nobility and gentry, and its ranks were recruited largely from among landholders and tenant farmers. During the 19th century, it was deployed in ceremonial duties and as mounted police during times of civil unrest. It won its first battle honour for service in South Africa during the Second Boer War. In 1908, it became part of the Territorial Force, and during the First World War the regiment saw action as infantry at Gallipoli and as cavalry in the Sinai and Palestine campaign. It converted to armour just before the Second World War and fought in the North African Campaign. After several post-war reorganisations, the regiment was reduced to a squadron, and its lineage is maintained by C (Royal Gloucestershire Hussars) Squadron of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Illustration of earthquake lights

... that a factory foreman reported seeing a ball of light "about the size of 20 suns" during the 1911 Ebingen earthquake (drawing pictured)?
... that Eva Davis led a wildcat strike against Church's Chicken in Atlanta in 1972?
... that many people from Madagascar change their names multiple times during their lives?
... that football players Walter Johnson and Rickey Jackson lived in the same city, played at the same high school and college, and both played in the NFL on defense?
... that a medieval ivory chest showing a fictional battle between Richard I and Saladin was found in a Brighton junk shop in 1945?
... that SB19 was the first Southeast Asian group to perform at Lollapalooza?
... that when a disability limited David Miller's use of his hands and legs, he memorized Bible passages and preached from memory in his wheelchair?
... that the production of scientific instruments in the 16th- and 17th-century Mughal Empire was dominated by seven members of one family?
... that Archbishop Eustorge of Nicosia excommunicated his nephew's widow and her new husband, who were said to be "happy to fester in their own excrement"?

Help us improve this article!

Spinning tops

This week's article for improvement is spinning top, a type of toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom that is designed to be spun on its vertical axis.

You can improve this article by:

Expanding the "History" section
Finding reliable sources about spinning methods and its physics

You can be bold and start editing the article. Have questions or suggestions? Visit the article's talk page, or post at the Teahouse for general discussion.

In the news

M. John Harrison

In literature, The End of Everything by M. John Harrison (pictured) wins the Booker Prize.
Novaya Gazeta, one of Russia's oldest and most prominent independent newspapers, closes under pressure from the Russian authorities.
In stock car racing, Kyle Larson wins the NASCAR Cup Series.
A mass shooting in the Main Square of Kraków, Poland, leaves six people dead and sixteen others injured.

On this day

November 12

Corozal

1911 – The Corozal (pictured), at the time the most powerful dredger ever built, was launched in Renfrew, Scotland, for service in the construction of the Panama Canal.
1956 – Suez Crisis: During an invasion of Rafah, Israeli soldiers shot and killed an estimated 111 Palestinian refugees and local inhabitants.
1973 – The first episode of Last of the Summer Wine, the longest-running television sitcom in history, premiered on the BBC.
2001 – American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into residential buildings shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, killing 265 people.
2006 – South Ossetia held a referendum on independence from Georgia; more than 99 percent of voters were in favour of maintaining the region's status as a de facto independent state.

Sun Yat-sen (b. 1866)
Robert Goff, Baron Goff of Chieveley (b. 1926)
Edward Soriano (b. 1946)
Ansgar Løvold (d. 1961)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The collared lory (Vini solitaria) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in Fiji, where it inhabits tropical forests but has also adapted to urban environments, including the capital, Suva. Measuring around 20 centimetres (8 in) in length, it has bright scarlet underparts and cheeks, a purple crown and greenish upperparts. It feeds on fruit, seeds, nectar and blossoms, and is usually found in pairs or small groups. The species nests in tree hollows, sometimes using holes in rotting coconuts still attached to trees. Its colourful feathers were historically prized and traded between Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. This collared lory, perched on an octopus tree, was photographed in Colo-i-Suva Forest Reserve in south-eastern Fiji.

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: