Main Page

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Benedetto Pistrucci (1783–1855) was an Italian gem-engraver, medallist and coin engraver, probably best known for his design of Saint George and the Dragon for the British sovereign coin. Born in Rome, he became prominent as a cameo carver. In 1815, he moved to Britain, where he would live for most of the rest of his life. His talent brought him to the attention of William Wellesley-Pole, Master of the Mint. Pole engaged Pistrucci to design new coinage, including the sovereign, which was first issued in 1817 to mixed reactions. In 1819 he was commissioned to create the Waterloo Medal, a huge piece some 5.3 inches (130 mm) in diameter that the British government planned to award to the generals and national leaders who had defeated Napoleon. He took thirty years to complete the design, but because of the coin's great size it could not be struck. After Pistrucci's death, the George and Dragon design was restored to the sovereign coin, and is still used today. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

BP Building

... that the BP Building (pictured) features Europe's first example of "suspended construction"?
... that Da'ud, the heir apparent of the last Fatimid caliph, spent almost his entire life imprisoned by the succeeding Ayyubid dynasty?
... that Encanto's Mirabel is the first Disney heroine to wear glasses?
... that Siegfried Goldschmidt translated Kalidasa's epic poem Sêtubandhu from Prakrit into German?
... that the headless body of Thomas Aquinas was boiled, possibly in wine, after his canonization?
... that after going off the air due to financial issues, the control room of Texas radio station KBIL was set ablaze by an arsonist?
... that Elena Guseva's training as a choral conductor helped her analyse the score when playing Polina in Prokofiev's The Gambler at the Vienna State Opera?
... that the vegan-food brand Squeaky Bean produces food that does not contain beans?

In the news

Sergio Mattarella

Sergio Mattarella (pictured) is re-elected as president of Italy.
In Burkina Faso, a coup d'état led by military officer Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba deposes President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk and peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh dies at the age of 95.
Belgian-British pilot Zara Rutherford becomes the youngest woman to fly solo around the world.

On this day

January 30: Martyrs' Day in India (1948)

Attempted assassination of Andrew Jackson

1607 – Low-lying places around the coasts of the Bristol Channel of Britain were flooded, possibly by a tsunami, resulting in an estimated 2,000 deaths.
1835 – Richard Lawrence became the first person to attempt to assassinate a sitting US president when he failed to kill Andrew Jackson at the US Capitol (assassination attempt pictured) and was subdued by the crowd.
1939 – In a speech to the Reichstag, German leader Adolf Hitler threatened the "annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe".
1959 – On the return leg of her maiden voyage, the "unsinkable" Danish ocean liner Hans Hedtoft hit an iceberg and sank with the loss of all 95 passengers and crew.
1972 – The Troubles: On Bloody Sunday, members of the British Parachute Regiment shot 26 civil-rights protesters in Derry, Northern Ireland, killing at least 13 people.

William More (b. 1520)
Angela of the Cross (b. 1846)
Abdullah II of Jordan (b. 1962)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae, native to sub-Saharan Africa. About 20 centimetres (8 inches) in length, it feeds on insects, perching on a high branch and sallying forth to catch prey in mid-air. This swallow-tailed bee-eater of the subspecies M. h. chrysolaimus was photographed in Senegal.

Photograph credit: Charles James Sharp

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Teahouse – To ask your first basic questions about contributing to Wikipedia.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.

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: