Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From yesterday's featured article

Meghan Trainor in 2014

A Very Trainor Christmas is a Christmas album by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor (pictured). It was released on October 30, 2020. Trainor co-wrote the album with her brothers, Ryan and Justin, among others. It features artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Seth MacFarlane, Trainor's cousins, and her father. The album covers Christmas standards such as "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (1951) and "Last Christmas" (1984), with six original recordings. Trainor promoted A Very Trainor Christmas with public appearances and televised performances. Trainor and MacFarlane's cover of "White Christmas" (1942) reached number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. Several other tracks received music videos. Critical commentary for the album was generally positive, with praise directed towards Trainor's charisma and the material. It reached number 7 on the US Holiday Albums chart and the top 50 in Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. (This article is part of a featured topic: Meghan Trainor albums.)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Voltairine de Cleyre

... that after Senator Joseph R. Hawley offered $1,000 to shoot an anarchist, Voltairine de Cleyre (pictured) publicly accepted the challenge?
... that tourte de blettes, a sweet pie made with Swiss chard, is traditionally eaten in Nice on Christmas Eve?
... that Casanova's friend Edoardo Tiretta built a bazaar in India?
... that Christmas: A Biography states that, despite its Christian origins, Christmas has been mostly secular since its inception in the fourth century?
... that Oh Hee-ok was the last surviving female Korean independence activist?
... that the Christmas carp traditionally swims in a bathtub for a few days before becoming Christmas Eve dinner?
... that Italian anti-Mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri survived three assassination attempts within three weeks?
... that in 2016 two thieves stole $350,000 worth of rare books in Oakland, California, and tried to sell some of them to Moe's Books nearby?
... that energy executive Chris Wright once drank fracking fluid to prove that it was not dangerous?

In the news (For today)

Manmohan Singh

Former prime minister of India Manmohan Singh (pictured) dies at the age of 92.
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 crashes near Aktau International Airport, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people.
A multi-vehicle crash in Minas Gerais, Brazil, leaves 41 people dead.
A car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, kills five people and injures more than two hundred others.

On the previous day

December 25: Christmas (Western Christianity; Gregorian calendar); Hanukkah (Judaism) begins at sunset; Quaid-e-Azam Day in Pakistan

Mikhail Gorbachev

1046 – Henry III was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Clement II.
1724 – Johann Sebastian Bach led the first performance of Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, based on the Christmas hymn written by Martin Luther in 1524.
1831 – A Baptist preacher named Samuel Sharpe began an unsuccessful eleven-day slave revolt in Jamaica.
1991 – In a nationally televised speech, Mikhail Gorbachev (pictured) resigned as President of the Soviet Union.
2009 – A fire destroyed Longford's 19th-century St Mel's Cathedral, considered the "flagship cathedral" of the Irish midlands.

Humphrey Bogart (b. 1899)
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (b. 1924)
Billy Martin (d. 1989)
Zail Singh (d. 1994)

More anniversaries:

Yesterday's featured picture

The Kefermarkt altarpiece is a richly decorated wooden altarpiece in the Late Gothic style in the parish church of Kefermarkt in Upper Austria. Commissioned by the knight Christoph von Zelking, it was completed around 1497. Saints Peter, Wolfgang and Christopher are depicted in the central section. The wing panels depict scenes from the life of Mary, and the altarpiece also has an intricate superstructure and two side figures of Saints George and Florian. The identity of its maker, known by the notname Master of the Kefermarkt Altarpiece, is unknown, but at least two skilled sculptors appear to have created the main statuary. Throughout the centuries, it has been altered and lost its original paint and gilding; a major restoration was undertaken in the 19th century under the direction of Adalbert Stifter. The altarpiece has been described as "one of the greatest achievements in late-medieval sculpture in the German-speaking area". This image shows the upper-left wing panel of the Kefermarkt altarpiece, depicting the birth of Christ. Mary is portrayed kneeling in devotion in front of the infant Christ, who is placed before her on a fold of her dress. On the other side, Joseph is also kneeling in front of the child. Above Mary, on the roof of the building behind them, are two angels playing a mandolin and a lute. The annunciation to the shepherds can be seen in the background.

Sculpture credit: Master of the Kefermarkt Altarpiece; photographed by Uoaei1

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: