Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Life reconstruction of Titanis

Titanis is a genus of Phorusrhacidae, or "terror birds". The extinct family of large, predatory birds originated in South America and inhabited parts of the present-day United States during the Pliocene. Like all phorusrhacids, Titanis had elongated hind limbs, a thin pelvis, proportionally small wings, and a large skull with a hooked beak. Estimates placed Titanis at 1.4 to 2 meters (4.6 to 6.6 ft) in height and over 300 kilograms (660 lb) in body mass. Phorusrhacids are thought to have been ground predators or scavengers, apex predators that dominated Cenozoic South America. They may have swallowed small prey whole or targeted larger prey with repeated strikes of the beak. Titanis likely preyed on mammals such as the extinct armadillo relatives Holmesina and Glyptotherium, equids, tapirs, capybaras, and other Pliocene herbivores. Titanis is unique among phorusrhacids in that it is the only one known from North America, crossing over from South America during the Great American Interchange. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Flag of São Tomé and Príncipe

... that upon independence from Portugal, the flags of São Tomé and Príncipe (pictured), Cape Verde, and Guinea-Bissau all featured the colours green, yellow and red, as well as black stars?
... that cinematographer Alfredo Gandolfi also had a career as a singer that included more than 300 performances at the Metropolitan Opera?
... that the demolition of the Iloilo Central Market was criticized as being unlawful?
... that Swedish naval officer Henrik Johan Nauckhoff fought against the British in the American Revolutionary War?
... that nine-year-old children were sometimes employed to help teach younger children in infant schools in the 1840s?
... that the Zbrojovka Z 4 was the first Czechoslovak mass-produced car with front-wheel drive?
... that "Ka Esi Le Onye Isi Oche", a 1983 song by Mike Ejeagha, went viral in 2024?
... that despite being an independent candidate, Leanne Mohamad came within 528 votes of defeating shadow health secretary Wes Streeting in the 2024 UK general election?
... that German officials exiled the Samoan king from his own kingdom in 1887?

In the news

Paralympics opening ceremony

The Summer Paralympics open (ceremony pictured) in Paris, France.
More than four hundred people are killed in an Islamist militant attack in Barsalogho Department, Burkina Faso.
The Islamic State claims responsibility for a mass stabbing that killed three people at a festival in Solingen, Germany.
In cycling, Katarzyna Niewiadoma wins the Tour de France Femmes.
Doctors strike and protests occur across India after the rape and murder of a female physician in Kolkata.

On this day

September 5

Squeaky Fromme

1367 – Swa Saw Ke was crowned the ruler of the Kingdom of Ava in Upper Myanmar.
1816 – Facing rising discontent in France, Louis XVIII was forced to dissolve the Chambre introuvable, the legislature dominated by Ultra-royalists.
1887 – A fire that killed 186 people broke out at the Theatre Royal, Exeter, England.
1964 – Hurricane Cleo dissipated after causing 156 deaths, mainly in Haiti, and causing roughly US$187 million in damages across the Caribbean and southeastern United States.
1975 – Squeaky Fromme (pictured), a devotee of Charles Manson, attempted to assassinate U.S. president Gerald Ford in Sacramento, California.

Katharina Zell (d. 1562)
James Innes (d. 1759)
Archie Jackson (b. 1909)
Jean-Chrysostome Weregemere (b. 1919)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The oroblanco (Citrus maxima × C. Paradisi) is a sweet seedless citrus hybrid fruit. It was developed as a cross between a diploid acidless pomelo and a seedy white tetraploid grapefruit, resulting in a triploid seedless fruit that is less acidic and less bitter than the grapefruit. The oroblanco was patented by the University of California in 1981 after its development at the university's citrus experiment station by Robert Soost and James W. Cameron. Oroblancos are either round- or oval-shaped with a thicker rind than grapefruit. The fruit is available from September through December and can be peeled and eaten like an orange. A similar fruit named the "sweetie" has been commonly cultivated in Israel since 1984. This photograph shows oroblancos grown in Israel, one whole and one sectioned. The picture was focus-stacked from 12 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: