Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

254,583 active editors
7,232,158 articles in English

From today's featured article

Dualism divides a domain or phenomenon into two separate principles or kinds.

Dualism is a family of views that posit a fundamental division into two separate principles or kinds. It typically emphasizes a sharp distinction between independent or antagonistic sides, but also includes theories in which the two sides are correlated or complementary. Dualism contrasts with monism, which rejects any fundamental division, and spans many domains. Mind–body dualism holds that mind and body are fundamentally different. Ethical dualism regards good and evil as antagonistic forces that govern human conduct and the cosmic order. Platonic dualism divides reality into timeless forms and mutable matter. Epistemological dualism posits an essential gap between the object of perception and the real object. Critics argue that dualism ignores continuities, creates pseudoproblems, or introduces evaluative biases. Dualism has its roots in antiquity as a key theme of various religious traditions, such as Zoroastrianism, Jainism, the yinyang school, Samkhya, Gnosticism, and Manichaeism. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Qi Zai

... that Qi Zai (pictured) is the world's only brown-and-white giant panda living in captivity?
... that Kenyan waste picker John Chweya rose to represent waste pickers at UN conferences?
... that Rob Grant co-created Red Dwarf and its recent prequel, but he never saw the publication of the latter?
... that pornographic actress Josephine Jackson left Ukraine despite her philanthropic activities in support of army veterans?
... that you can sit in an Oval Office at the The People's House: A White House Experience?
... that Attaher Maïga went from being punished for participating in a labor strike in French Sudan to becoming a member of its legislative assembly within six years?
... that "Be Like Water" is a Mandarin Chinese song recorded by two Malaysian Malay singers?
... that Empress Xiaojing was blind by the time she was reunited with her son after nearly thirty years of separation, and died shortly thereafter?
... that, despite funding 65 Carnegie libraries in New York City, Andrew Carnegie was prevented from attending the opening of the first one?

In the news

Harald V in May 2026

King Harald V of Norway (pictured) dies at the age of 89 and is succeeded by Haakon VIII.
Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama dies at the age of 97.
Bosnian Serb military officer and convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić dies in prison at the age of 84.
At least 586 people are killed after flash flooding in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot Districts of Nepal and along the China–Nepal border.

On this day

August 29: Feast day of the Beheading of John the Baptist (Catholicism, Anglicanism)

Slava

1786 – Angered by high tax burdens and disfranchisement, farmers in western Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays began an armed uprising against the U.S. federal government.
1903 – Slava (pictured), the last of five Borodino-class battleships, was launched by the Imperial Russian Navy.
1916 – Congress passed the Philippine Autonomy Act, the first formal and official declaration of the U.S.'s commitment to grant independence to the Philippines.
1984 – Followers of Osho began deliberately infecting people in The Dalles, Oregon, with Salmonella in the first and largest bioterrorist attack in United States history.
2007 – Six nuclear warheads were mistakenly loaded onto a United States Air Force heavy bomber that flew from North Dakota to Louisiana.

Edmond Hoyle (d. 1769)
Louis Adrian (b. 1859)
Nicholas Tse (b. 1980)
Jules Loh (d. 2010)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found along the east coast of Australia, from northern Queensland to South Australia, and inhabits forest, shrubland, wetlands and some artificial habitats. It feeds mainly on fruit, pollen and nectar, using a specialised tongue to gather pollen and nectar from flowers. Clutches contain one to three eggs, which are incubated for around 25 days by the female alone. The species is classified as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This rainbow lorikeet of the subspecies T. m. moluccanus was photographed in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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: