Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Selena Gomez, who portrayed Alex Russo

Wizards of Waverly Place is an American fantasy teen sitcom created by Todd J. Greenwald that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between October 2007 and January 2012. The series centers on Alex Russo – played by Selena Gomez (pictured) – a teenage wizard living in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, who undertakes training alongside her siblings, Justin (David Henrie) and Max (Jake T. Austin). Wizards of Waverly Place enjoyed high viewership in the United States; its series finale was the most-watched final episode of any Disney Channel show. A television film adaptation, Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, aired in 2009 and was awarded a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program in 2010. The series Wizards of Waverly Place won two Emmys, in 2009 and 2012. Television critics praised the show for its humor and cast; Gomez's affiliation with the network led to a prominent musical career apart from the program. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Choe Han-gi

... that Choe Han-gi (pictured) published a theory that aimed to replace Newtonian mechanics with one based on qi?
... that a class-action lawsuit against Global Plasma Solutions claimed that their air-purification devices used in schools did not function as advertised and were potentially harmful?
... that Arthur Leslie Walter Newth was only 21 when appointed to command the 16th (Service) Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment during the First World War?
... that Todd Terry's To the Batmobile Let's Go features the first track to sample Arthur Russell?
... that when sworn in, Annas Maamun was the oldest serving Indonesian governor?
... that GhostRider is the longest wooden roller coaster on the West Coast of the United States?
... that the 2000 Taiwanese presidential election ended more than 50 years of Kuomintang rule?
... that an online community makes its users pretend to be long-time neighbors as part of a fictional town named Lower Duck Pond?

In the news

Francesco Bagnaia

In motorcycle racing, Francesco Bagnaia (pictured) wins the MotoGP World Championship.
Precision Air Flight 494 crashes into Lake Victoria in Tanzania, killing 19 of the 43 people onboard.
In baseball, the Houston Astros defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.
The Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces sign a peace treaty, agreeing to end the Tigray War.

On this day

November 12

Robert Falcon Scott

1912 – Eight months after perishing during the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, the bodies of Robert Falcon Scott (pictured) and his companions were discovered on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.
1942 – World War II: The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, the decisive engagement in a series of sea battles between Allied and Japanese forces during the months-long Guadalcanal campaign in the Solomon Islands, began.
1945 – Sudirman was elected the first commander-in-chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces.
2014 – The European Space Agency lander Philae touched down on 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, becoming the first spacecraft to land on a comet.

Peter Martyr Vermigli (d. 1562)
William Henry Barlow (d. 1902)
Jo Stafford (b. 1917)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

An example of a mizrah papercut art which serves a dual purpose: as a mizrah (decoration for the eastern wall, marking the direction of prayer), and as a shiviti, an edifying text which reminded the worshipper of the importance of prayer.

Artwork credit: Israel Dov Rosenbaum

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: