Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

252,454 active editors
7,220,878 articles in English

From today's featured article

Satellite image of Cerro Panizos

Cerro Panizos is a Miocene-age shield-shaped volcano spanning the Potosí Department of Bolivia and the Jujuy Province of Argentina. It features two calderas, a group of lava domes and part of the Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex (APVC). Cerro Panizos is also part of the Central Volcanic Zone, a volcanic arc that extends from Peru to Chile. Volcanic activity commenced in the APVC about 10 million years ago, producing the large volcanic calderas of Cerro Panizos, Vilama, Cerro Guacha, and the volcano Uturuncu. The formation of the APVC is linked to a giant magmatic body in the crust of the Central Andes. The Cienago Ignimbrite erupted over 350 cubic kilometres (84 cu mi) from Panizos about 7.9 million years ago, and 6.7 million years ago the Panizos Ignimbrite erupted over 650 cubic kilometres (160 cu mi). Volcanic cones were active between the ignimbrite eruptions and a plateau of lava flows and lava domes formed in the central area of the Panizos Ignimbrite after the last eruptions. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Aimee La Joie

... that actress Aimee La Joie (pictured) portrayed an entire film crew in The Film Crew?
... that the largest in-orbit fragmentation event was a Chinese anti-satellite missile test in 2007 that released some 3,500 debris fragments?
... that sales of a book honoring Popó Vaz, a police officer, were to be donated to transgender-rights organizations?
... that John M. Klineberg commuted to NASA in a Corvette Stingray every day until his retirement?
... that a 19th-century English poem has been interpreted as the poet's expression of his "fury against Russia"?
... that in-game items for Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 were distributed via trading cards?
... that Niall Garbh O'Donnell, Lord of Tyrconnell, stole his cousin's cattle for surrendering to the Crown?
... that the earliest predecessors of U.S. Route 101 in California were 16th-century "royal roads" built by the Spanish?
... that, according to some legends, King Eiso was born after his mother dreamed that she was impregnated by the Sun?

In the news

Broad Peak

Shootings at Debsirin School and a residence in Nonthaburi province, Thailand, leave at least nine people dead.
An avalanche on Broad Peak (pictured) in Pakistan kills ten climbers.
About 80,000 migrants cross the Morocco–Spain border at Ceuta, leading to at least 111 deaths.
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, leaving at least 38 people dead.

On this day

August 8

Warsaw radio mast

685 BC – Spring and Autumn period: Amid a succession dispute, the forces of Duke Zhuang of Lu, who was attempting to install a claimant to the Qi throne, were defeated at the Battle of Qianshi.
1695 – The foundation for what is now known as the Wren Building, the oldest surviving college building in the United States, was laid in a ceremony at Middle Plantation, Virginia.
1918 – The Battle of Amiens began in northern France, marking the start of the Allies' Hundred Days Offensive through the German front lines that ultimately led to the end of World War I.
1991 – The Warsaw radio mast (pictured), then the tallest structure ever built, at 646.38 metres (2,120.7 ft), collapsed due to an error in exchanging the guys on the highest telecommunications equipment of the mast.
2010 – A massive mudslide in the Chinese province of Gansu killed at least 1,471 people.

Sophia Duleep Singh (b. 1876)
S.Coups (b. 1995)
Daniel Jarque (d. 2009)
Olivia Newton-John (d. 2022)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The small red scorpionfish (Scorpaena notata) is a species of scorpionfish found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. First described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1810, it typically grows to a length of around 15 cm (6 in), although individuals can reach 20 cm (8 in). It is typically reddish-brown, with a distinctive black spot on the spiny dorsal fin. A benthic predator, it rests on rocky seabeds and feeds on small fishes, crustaceans and other invertebrates. The species has venomous fin spines and is assessed as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This small red scorpionfish was photographed in the Mediterranean off the coast of Catania, Sicily.

Photograph credit: Diego Delso

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: