Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

John Hay (1838–1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. After graduation from Brown University in 1858, Hay read law in his uncle's office in Springfield, Illinois, adjacent to that of Abraham Lincoln. Hay worked for Lincoln's successful presidential campaign, and became his assistant private secretary. Through the American Civil War, Hay was close to Lincoln, and stood by his deathbed after Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre. In 1897, President William McKinley made him the ambassador to Britain. The following year, Hay became the U.S. secretary of state. He served almost seven years, first under McKinley before his assassination, and then under Theodore Roosevelt. Hay was responsible for the Open Door Policy in China. To clear the way for the building of the Panama Canal, he negotiated the 1901 Hay–Pauncefote Treaty with the United Kingdom, the 1903 Hay–Herrán Treaty with Colombia, and the 1903 Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty with Panama. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Sitara from the door of the Kaaba

... that the British Museum's 2012 exhibition Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam included textiles from the Kaaba (example pictured) that were described as bringing "a visceral artistic buzz to the display"?
... that Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed to investigate Donald Trump, played football for Liverpool?
... that the parasitic fossil fungus Paleoserenomyces allenbyensis was named after a Canadian ghost town?
... that retired Indonesian general and politician Mochamad Hasbi fled from arrest for seven years after he was sentenced to a year in prison in relation to a corruption case?
... that the Apple II game Pentapus was developed by Jeremy Sagan, son of astronomer Carl Sagan?
... that the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights has been described as "Canada's most prominent pro-gun group"?
... that the South Asian river dolphin is nearly blind and relies on echolocation for navigation?
... that Cow Hell Swamp got its name because cows would frequently wander in and get stuck?

In the news

Pelé

Brazilian footballer Pelé (pictured) dies at the age of 82.
A winter storm causes record-breaking low temperatures and leaves more than 90 people dead across North America.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal becomes Prime Minister of Nepal after the general election.
Sitiveni Rabuka becomes Prime Minister of Fiji after a coalition government is formed following the general election.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban institute a ban on women attending university and working in non-government organisations.

On this day

December 31: Saint Sylvester's Day (Western Christianity)

Tornado near Fort Leonard Wood

1775 – American Revolutionary War: At the Battle of Quebec, British forces repulsed an attack by the Continental Army to capture Quebec City and enlist French Canadian support.
1907 – New York City held its first annual ball drop event in Times Square as part of New Year's Eve celebrations.
1965 – Central African military officers led by Jean-Bédel Bokassa began a coup d'état against the government of President David Dacko.
2010 – 28 tornadoes (one depicted) touched down in midwestern and southern United States, part of an outbreak that led to the deaths of nine people and large property damage.

Carlo Gimach (d. 1730)
Kapiʻolani (b. 1834)
Amy Cure (b. 1992)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The Survey of Palestine was the government department responsible for the survey and mapping of Palestine during the period of British Mandatory Palestine. The survey department was established in 1920 in Jaffa, and moved to the outskirts of Tel Aviv in 1931. It established the Palestine grid. In early 1948, the British mandate appointed a temporary director general of the Survey Department for the impending Jewish state; this became the Survey of Israel. The maps produced by the survey have been widely used in "Palestinian refugee cartography" by scholars documenting the 1948 Palestinian exodus, notably in Salman Abu Sitta's Atlas of Palestine and Walid Khalidi's All That Remains. This composite map of the region of Palestine was assembled from twenty-four separate 1:100,000 sheets published by the Survey for Palestine and its successor, the Survey of Israel, between 1942 and 1958.

Map credit: Survey of Palestine and the Survey of Israel; assembled by DutchTreat

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: