Wikipedia:Main Page/3

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Site map of Great Wilbraham

Great Wilbraham is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure, an archaeological site near the village of Great Wilbraham in Cambridgeshire, England. The enclosure is about 170 metres (560 ft) across, and covers about 2 hectares (4.9 acres). Causewayed enclosures were built in England from before 3700 BC until c. 3500 BC; they are characterized by the enclosure of an area with ditches that are interrupted by gaps, or causeways. Their purpose is not known; they may have been settlements, meeting places, or ritual sites. The Great Wilbraham enclosure was first identified from aerial photographs in 1972. An excavation was begun in 1975 by David Clarke, with a planned five-year research programme, but he died in 1976 and his results remained unpublished. His archive of finds and records was reanalysed in the 2000s. The site was rich in finds, including Neolithic flint, pottery from periods from the Neolithic to the present day, and animal bone. The site has been protected as a scheduled monument since 1976. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Ennis House

... that the Ennis House (pictured) was variously characterized as "a mausoleum, fortress, Tibetan monument, Mayan temple, and palace"?
... that, in 12th-century Igodomigodo, King Ohuede proposed allowing women to inherit the throne in the absence of male heirs?
... that one Japanese bullet train service once skipped the cities of Nagoya and Kyoto?
... that, when five consecutive Ranger spacecraft failed, Harris Schurmeier was put in charge with a mandate to transform the program?
... that Here Will I Nest was the first dramatic Canadian feature film to be shot in colour, and the first film adaptation of a Canadian play?
... that Prescott Currier was one of the first Americans to visit the British code-breaking centre at Bletchley Park?
... that Elyn Saks's memoir about her life with schizophrenia won her a "Genius Grant"?
... that the subculture of Aristasia combined Guénonian Traditionalism with lesbian separatism?
... that fencer Bernardo de la Guardia was a competitor and a judge – at the same Olympic Games?

In the news

Muhammadu Buhari

Former president of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari (pictured) dies at the age of 82.
Clashes between Druze militias and the Syrian Armed Forces result in hundreds of deaths.
The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani over their alleged persecution of women in Afghanistan.
Flooding in Central Texas, United States, leaves at least 140 people dead.

On this day

July 19

Detail from The Day the Earth Smiled, with Earth as a pale dot between Saturn's rings

1845 – A fire in Manhattan, New York, destroyed 345 buildings, killed 30 people, and caused at least $5 million in damage.
1903 – French cyclist Maurice Garin won the first edition of the Tour de France.
1919 – Following Peace Day celebrations marking the end of the First World War, English ex-servicemen unhappy with unemployment and other grievances rioted and burned down Luton Town Hall.
1997 – The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced that it would resume its ceasefire, ending its 28-year campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland.
2013 – The NASA spacecraft Cassini took a photograph of Saturn with Earth in the distance (detail pictured), for which people were invited to "wave at Saturn".

Margaret Fuller (d. 1850)
Nicola Sturgeon (b. 1970)
Christopher Luxon (b. 1970)
Janusz Zajdel (d. 1985)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The passion fruit is the fruit of a number of plants in the genus Passiflora. They are round or oval, and range from a width of 1.5 to 3 inches (3.8 to 7.6 centimetres). The fruits have a juicy, edible center composed of a large number of seeds. They are native to subtropical regions of South America from southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina. This photograph shows two passion fruits of the species Passiflora edulis, one whole and one halved. The picture was focus-stacked from 22 separate images.

Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus

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: