User:Acturary/mastercopy/mainpage

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

1,535,181 articles in English

Overview · Searching · Editing · Questions · Help

Categories · Featured content · A–Z index

Today's featured article

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Zarqawi took responsibility, on several audiotapes, for numerous acts of terrorism in Iraq and Jordan. These acts include suicide bombings, and the killing of soldiers, police officers, and civilians. As an Islamist that identified with the Salafi movement, Zarqawi opposed the presence of United States and Western military forces in the Islamic world and opposed the West's support for and the existence of Israel. In September 2005, he reportedly declared "all-out war" on Shia Muslims in Iraq and is believed responsible for dispatching numerous Al-Qaeda suicide bombers throughout Iraq, especially to areas with large concentrations of Shia civilians. As the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq he is suspected of responsibility for thousands of deaths. Zarqawi was killed in a US airstrike in June, 2006. (more...)

Recently featured: Enzyme inhibitors – Mormon handcart pioneers – History of the board game Monopoly

Archive – By email – All 1,195 featured articles

Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest articles:

...that the Certosa di Pavia (pictured) was commissioned by Gian Galeazzo Visconti to be built halfway between his two courts in Milan and Pavia?
...that Jason Bedrick, a New Hampshire state representative, is that state's first Orthodox Jewish elected official?
...that Chiri Yukie prepared the first Japanese translations of several traditional Ainu yukar as a teenager?
...that the Vedic Mathematics genre was revived after Hindu Shankaracharya Jagadguru Swami Sri Bharati Krishna Tirthaji Maharaja rediscovered it in the form of sixteen sutras?
...that the Department of State Lands is one of Oregon's oldest government agencies?
...that on October 5, 1914, a French Voisin III pilot scored the first air-to-air kill of World War I?
...that Broadway actress Evelyn Hoey was found shot dead in the bedroom of Henry H. Rogers's grandson in 1935?
...that Julien Wiener is the only Jewish Australian Test cricketer?
...that in Boyd, Oregon only the wheat fields are still operational ?
...that Operation Show Me How was a major Interpol drug bust concerning the transporting of heroin within the covers of the children's book Show-Me-How-I-Can-Paint?
...that Peter Gadsden, the 652nd Lord Mayor of London, was born in Canada and became a Companion of the Order of Australia?

Archive – Start a new article...

In the news

The Chinese River Dolphin (illustrated) is declared functionally extinct, the first extinction of a large mammal in recent decades.
Suffolk police launch an investigation on five dead bodies discovered near Ipswich in Suffolk, England.
Astronauts on mission STS-116 attempt to retract a solar array on the International Space Station's Integrated Truss Structure.
Former President of Ethiopia Mengistu Haile Mariam is convicted in absentia of genocide by an Ethiopian court for his part in the so-called "Red Terror".
A conference aiming to "review the Holocaust" is held in Tehran, Iran.
In his final speech in office, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan encourages the United States to provide global leadership whilst respecting multilateralism.
A military funeral is held for former Chilean head of state Augusto Pinochet.

Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...

On this day...

December 16: National Day in Bahrain (1971), Victory Day in Bangladesh (1971), Independence Day in Kazakhstan (1991).

1598 - Admiral Yi Sun Sin's Korean navy defeated the Japanese fleet in the Battle of Noryang Point, the final naval battle of the Imjin War.
1653 - The Protectorate: Oliver Cromwell (pictured) became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England.
1689 - The Parliament of England adopted the Bill of Rights, declaring that Englishmen possessed certain positive civil and political rights.
1773 - Boston Tea Party: To protest the British Tea Act, members of the Sons of Liberty dumped crates of tea break from three British East India Company ships into Boston Harbor.
1971 - The Indo-Pakistani War ended when Pakistani forces in East Pakistan surrendered. This also effectively ended the Bangladesh Liberation War and led to Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan.

Recent days: December 15 – December 14 – December 13

Archive – By email – More anniversaries...

Today's featured picture

A close-up of the face of a Culpeo, clearly showing its vibrissae, or whiskers. Vibrissae are specialized hairs that grow around the nostrils or other parts of the face in most mammals. They offer an advantage to animals that do not always have sight to rely on to navigate, or to find food, or when the usefulness of non-tactile senses is limited.

Photo credit: Whaldener Endo
Archive - More featured pictures...

Other areas of Wikipedia

Help desk — Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Reference desk — Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Village pump — For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.
Community portal — Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Site news — Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.

Wikipedia's sister projects

Wikipedia is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other projects:

Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus	Wikinews Free-content news	Wikiquote Collection of quotations
Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals	Wikispecies Directory of species	Wikisource Free-content library
Wikiversity Free learning materials and activities	Commons Shared media repository	Meta-Wiki Wikimedia project coordination

Wikipedia languages

This Wikipedia is written in English. Started in 2001, it currently contains 1,535,181 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; the largest are listed below.