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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

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the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

118,057 active editors
6,986,533 articles in English

From today's featured article

Playbill for Black Slave's Cry to Heaven

Black Slave's Cry to Heaven was a 1907 stage play performed by the Spring Willow Society, a Chinese student troupe, in Tokyo, Japan. Adapted by Zeng Xiaogu from a translation of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, the play focused on the experiences and eventual escape of two slaves, Eliza and George, after killing several of their pursuers. Modified to allegorically call attention to the experiences of Chinese migrants in the United States, Black Slave's Cry to Heaven was innovative in its use of spoken dialogue and realistic set designs. Performed twice at the Hongō-za Theatre, the show was well received by critics and audiences. Although its script has been lost, the play has inspired subsequent works. Due to its technical innovations and nationalist themes, Black Slave's Cry to Heaven has been canonized as the first modern, Western-style Chinese drama. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Luis Corvalán (right) with Erich Honecker

... that anti-Pinochet dissident Luis Corvalán (pictured) had his appearance surgically altered by Soviet doctors before returning to Chile?
... that the two known populations of the desert musk shrew are found on opposite ends of Africa?
... that the body of a rebel commander was identified after the Battle of Siluk by his diamond-adorned kris?
... that the origin of Girls' Day in China is uncertain?
... that Patriots in Georgia conducted a raid on Tybee Island to capture runaway slaves during the American Revolutionary War?
... that "Multo" was the first song by a Filipino act to enter the Billboard Global 200 chart?
... that last year, Pope Francis simplified the book for papal funerals?
... that commentators described American wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson defeating an Olympic gold medalist as the "biggest upset in NCAA history"?
... that The Alchemist Code, a game themed around the seven deadly sins, collaborated with The Seven Deadly Sins?

In the news

Pope Francis

Militants attack a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 people.
Pope Francis (pictured) dies at the age of 88.
Daniel Noboa is re-elected president of Ecuador.
Peruvian writer and Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa dies at the age of 89.
A nightclub roof collapse in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, kills 232 people.

On this day

April 26

Lorenzo de' Medici

1478 – In a conspiracy to replace the Medici family as rulers of the Republic of Florence, the Pazzi family attacked Lorenzo de' Medici (pictured) and killed his brother Giuliano at Florence Cathedral.
1915 – First World War: Britain, France and Russia signed a secret treaty promising territory to Italy if it joined the war on their side.
1933 – The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, was established.
1989 – A tornado struck the Manikganj District of Bangladesh and killed an estimated 1,300 people, making it the deadliest tornado in history.
1994 – Just before landing at Nagoya Airport, Japan, the copilot of China Airlines Flight 140 inadvertently triggered the takeoff/go-around switch, causing the aircraft to crash and killing 264 of the 271 people on board.

Marcus Aurelius (b. 121)
Alice Ayres (d. 1885)
S. J. V. Chelvanayakam (d. 1977)

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Today's featured picture

The Royal Palace of Amsterdam is a royal residence in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Opened in 1655 as a town hall, the main architect was Jacob van Campen, who designed it in the Dutch Baroque style. Louis Bonaparte became King of Holland in 1806 and established his court in Amsterdam, turning the town hall into a palace; it has been used by Dutch monarchs since then, although their main place of residence is Huis ten Bosch in The Hague. The Royal Palace of Amsterdam is used for entertaining and official functions during state visits and other official receptions, such as New Year receptions. This photograph shows the Royal Palace from Dam Square in 2016.

Photograph credit: Diego Delso

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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: