Today's featured article
The 1896 Summer Olympics were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. The International Olympic Committee was established in 1894 by a congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris. The committee appointed the Greek capital Athens as the host city, and the games took place from 6 to 15 April 1896. According to the committee, 14 nations took part, and 241 male athletes competed. The participants were all European, or living in Europe, with the exception of the United States team. More than 65 per cent of the competing athletes were Greek, and Greece won the most medals overall, 47. The athletic highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spyridon Louis. The most successful competitor was the German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann, with four victories. The 1896 Olympics were regarded as a great success, with the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. (Full article...)
Did you know...
- ... that a Kubrick stare (example pictured) can be "invasive" and "troubling"?
- ... that Chloë Farro, María Sara Grippoli, Edda Hannesdóttir, Viren Nettasinghe, Oyuntsetsegiin Yesügen, and Lê Đức Phát are flagbearers at today's Olympic opening ceremony?
- ... that silver dimes kept a Tennessee TV station on the air?
- ... that agronomist Oliver Golden remained in the Soviet Union after his delegation of cotton experts returned to the United States?
- ... that the Guinness World Record holder for the world's largest menorah, in Manhattan's Grand Army Plaza, is smaller than a menorah in Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza?
- ... that Olympic swimmer Camil Doua represents a country in which "the only existing swimming pools are those in hotels"?
- ... that there is a rare circumstance in which Jewish soldiers are allowed to abandon kosher dietary laws?
- ... that physiotherapist Alison McGregor was one of the Olympic flame torchbearers from Imperial College London in the build-up to the London Olympic Games in 2012?
- ... that NATO was once targeted by a group of "gay furry hackers"?
In the news
- In cycling, Tadej Pogačar (pictured) wins the Tour de France.
- Incumbent U.S. president Joe Biden withdraws from the 2024 presidential election.
- In golf, Xander Schauffele wins the Open Championship.
- General secretary and former president of Vietnam Nguyễn Phú Trọng dies at the age of 80.
Selected anniversaries
July 26: Independence Day in the Maldives (1965), Kargil Vijay Diwas in India
- 1759 – French and Indian War: Troops led by French brigadier general François-Charles de Bourlamaque attempted to blow up Fort Carillon, near present-day Ticonderoga, New York, rather than defending it against approaching British forces.
- 1887 – L. L. Zamenhof (pictured) published Unua Libro, the first publication to describe Esperanto, a constructed international language.
- 1936 – The Canadian National Vimy Memorial, dedicated to Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed in the First World War, was unveiled in Pas-de-Calais, France.
- 1953 – The Battle of the Samichon River, the last engagement of the Korean War, ended a few hours before the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement.
- 2007 – After widespread controversy throughout Wales, Shambo, a black Friesian bull that had been adopted by the local Hindu community, was slaughtered due to concerns about bovine tuberculosis.
- Winsor McCay (d. 1934)
- Betty Davis (b. 1944)
- Liz Truss (b. 1975)
- Ed Gein (d. 1984)
Today's featured picture
Wikipedia:POTD row/July 26, 2024Other 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:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
MediaWiki
Wiki software development -
Meta-Wiki
Wikimedia project coordination -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikispecies
Directory of species -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
Wikipedia languages
This Wikipedia is written in English. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.
-
1,000,000+ articles
-
250,000+ articles
-
50,000+ articles