Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

116,975 active editors
6,988,457 articles in English

From today's featured article

Citizens of Nantes paying homage to John and Joanna of Montfort

The initial campaign of the Breton Civil War took place in 1341. John, Duke of Brittany, had died on 30 April 1341 and the Duchy of Brittany was claimed by both his younger half-brother, John of Montfort; and his niece's husband, Charles of Blois, a nephew of the king of France, Philip VI. John quickly installed friendly garrisons in most of the towns and castles of Brittany. Rumours of John's discussions with English emissaries reached Philip, causing him to recognise Charles as the new duke. John refused to give way and Philip sent an army to Brittany to impose Charles. Within a month John had been defeated and was a prisoner. His wife, Joanna, took command of her husband's army, stormed the town of Redon and moved to the small but strongly walled port of Hennebont. There she set up her two-year-old son, also named John, as the faction's figurehead. The Hundred Years' War between France and England had been ongoing since 1337, so she despatched a senior counsellor to encourage English military intervention. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Sequoites dakotensis cone cast fossils

... that Sequoites dakotensis was first described from clay-filled casts (examples pictured) and not the original tree cones?
... that before becoming an actor, Jeremy Allen White trained in ballet, jazz, and tap dancing?
... that Laurence Sterne's journal of love letters reverses the found-manuscript literary device by claiming that his real diary is fictional?
... that Katsumaro Akamatsu, a founding member of the Japanese Communist Party, supported the expulsion of communists from the Japanese Federation of Labour?
... that Eleanor Island was first designated as a Migratory Bird Sanctuary and later as a National Wildlife Area to give it a stronger protection status?
... that Vermont politician William Baxter personally funded the construction of an Orleans County school, provided that the second floor was used for religious purposes?
... that a fictional character from Peg O' My Heart complained about his insomnia with netizens on Threads?
... that a candidate in the 1968 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware took his dog on the campaign trail?
... that an elderly Brazilian woman helped to arrest dozens of drug traffickers and corrupt police officers?

In the news

Mark Carney

In Canada, the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney (pictured), wins the most seats in the federal election.
An explosion and fire at the Port of Shahid Rajaee, Iran, kills at least 70 people and injures more than 1,200 others.
At least 11 people are killed in a car-ramming attack at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada.
Militants attack a group of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 people.

On this day

April 30: Yom HaZikaron in Israel (2025)

Evacuees on the USS Midway

311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians officially ended in the eastern Roman Empire.
1943 – Second World War: The Royal Navy submarine HMS Seraph began Operation Mincemeat to deceive Germany about the upcoming invasion of Sicily.
1963 – A refusal by the Bristol Omnibus Company and the Transport and General Workers' Union to permit the employment of black bus crews led to a bus boycott in Bristol, England.
1975 – American forces completed a helicopter evacuation (aircraft and evacuees pictured) of U.S. citizens, South Vietnamese civilians and others from Saigon, just before North Vietnamese troops captured the city and ended the Vietnam War.
2021 – A crowd crush killed 45 people during the annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Israel.

Marie of the Incarnation (d. 1672)
Emily Stowe (d. 1903)
Kirsten Dunst (b. 1982)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Mimetite is a lead arsenate chloride mineral (Pb₅(AsO₄)₃Cl) which forms as a secondary mineral in lead deposits, usually by the oxidation of galena and arsenopyrite. The name derives from the Greek Μιμητής (mimetes), meaning "imitator," and refers to mimetite's resemblance to the similar mineral pyromorphite. This focus-stacked photograph shows a 3 cm × 1.7 cm × 1 cm (1.18 in × 0.67 in × 0.39 in) sample of mimetite collected from the Congreso-León mines in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

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: