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The English-language Wikipedia is celebrating its 25th birthday! Learn how you can take part in the encyclopedia's continued improvement.

From today's featured article

Cover of the first issue

The Ladies' Journal was the longest-lasting and widest-circulating Chinese women's magazine during the Republican period. Published from 1915 to 1931 by the Commercial Press, it initially focused on domestic issues and short stories of the Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies school of romantic fiction. Following criticism over the journal's stances, Shen Yanbing (Mao Dun) was hired as editor in 1920. Shen left later that year, and Zhang Xichen replaced him as editor. While lacking prior interest in women's issues, he became a dedicated liberal feminist and recruited like-minded writers such as his assistant Zhou Jianren. A controversial 1925 special issue on the "new sexual morality" alongside political disagreements with the Commercial Press led to their removal as editors. The journal returned to a domestic focus. Already struggling due to decreased advertiser investment, the journal was cancelled after its headquarters were destroyed in a month-long battle between Chinese and Japanese forces. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

USS Severn

... that the US Navy sold USS Severn (pictured) as part of a scheme to build a new warship discreetly?
... that El Sistema Sweden has provided low-cost or free music lessons to 9,000 children across 30 Swedish cities?
... that a bad review inspired Aya Ogawa to create an Obie Award–winning play?
... that The Times said in 1871 that the Idyllic school "aims at making pictorial idylls out of the unpromising materials of lowly life in town and country"?
... that both players in the final of the 2025 WPA Women's World Eight-ball Championship high-fived before the final rack?
... that Patricia Allan had an abuser's name removed from the New Zealand Prayer Book?
... that the painter of an ancient Greek vase wrote an inscription on it taunting a fellow artist?
... that Fine to Flush was introduced to reduce confusion about flushing wet wipes down toilets, but was discontinued because it caused confusion?
... that a selfie broke Twitter?

In the news

Iliana Iotova

Iliana Iotova (pictured) becomes the first female president of Bulgaria following the resignation of Rumen Radev.
Vietnam's Communist Party Congress re-elects Tô Lâm as General Secretary, the most powerful position in the one-party state.
Italian fashion designer Valentino, founder of his eponymous fashion house, dies at the age of 93.
Wildfires in Chile leave more than 20 people dead.

On this day

January 28

Explosion of Challenger

1521 – Charles V and the estates of the Holy Roman Empire met at the Diet of Worms to discuss Martin Luther and the effects of the Protestant Reformation.
1958 – The Lego Group, a Danish toy company, filed a patent in Denmark for the design of Lego bricks.
1961 – In Gitarama, Rwanda, local and other government officials initiated a coup to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic.
1981 – U.S. president Ronald Reagan lifted price controls from petroleum products, contributing to the 1980s oil glut.
1986 – The Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds into its tenth mission (video featured), killing all seven crew members.

George S. Boutwell (b. 1818)
Howard Wing (b. 1916)
Roza Shanina (d. 1945)
Elijah Wood (b. 1981)

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From today's featured list

The Linda Lindas

The Linda Lindas, an American rock band, have recorded songs since 2020 for one studio album, two extended plays (EPs), multiple singles, and other album appearances. The band consists of guitarist Lucia de la Garza, drummer Mila de la Garza, guitarist Bela Salazar, and bassist Eloise Wong. The Linda Lindas formed in 2018, starting out as a cover band. They released their debut single, "Claudia Kishi", independently in 2020, followed by the EP The Linda Lindas. Their debut album, Growing Up, was released in 2022, and their second album, No Obligation, in 2024. Along with their main catalog, the Linda Lindas have appeared on one cover, one remix, and one tribute album, as well as soundtracks. They have released forty songs, of which eight are covers, and most were produced by Carlos de la Garza, the father of band members Lucia and Mila. (Full list...)

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Today's featured picture

The blue petrel (Halobaena caerulea) is a small seabird in the family Procellariidae, the only member of its genus. It is distributed across the Southern Ocean but breeds at only six known sites, all close to the Antarctic Convergence zone. Its plumage is predominantly blue-grey, with an "M" banding across its top, which is similar to that of the closely-related prions. It also has a white-tipped tail. The blue petrel is 28 cm (11 in) in length with a wing span of 66 cm (26 in), and feeds predominantly on krill as well as other crustaceans, fish, and squid. This blue petrel was photographed off the eastern coast of the Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania, Australia.

Photograph credit: JJ Harrison

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