Wikipedia:Main Page alternatives/(simple layout)
Almanac · Categories · Glossaries · Lists · Overviews · Portals · Questions · Site news · Index
Art | Geography | History | Mathematics | People | Philosophy | Science | Society | Technology
We are building an open-content encyclopedia in many languages. We started in January 2001 and are now working on 6,824,373 articles in the English version. Learn how to edit pages, experiment in the sandbox, and visit our Community Portal to find out how you can contribute to Wikipedia. This page is also available without pictures. More main page alternatives
Today's featured article
Hö'elün (fl. 1162–1210) was a Mongolian noblewoman and the mother of Temüjin, better known as Genghis Khan. She played a major role in his rise to power. Born into the Olkhonud clan of the Onggirat tribe, Hö'elün was originally married to Chiledu, but was captured shortly after her wedding by Yesügei, an important member of the Mongols, becoming his primary wife. She and Yesügei had three sons and one daughter, as well as Temüjin. After Yesügei was fatally poisoned and the Mongols abandoned her family, Hö'elün shepherded all her children through poverty to adulthood—her resilience and organisational skills have been remarked upon by historians. She continued to play an important role after Temüjin's marriage to Börte. Hö'elün married Münglig, an old retainer of Yesügei, in thanks for his support after a damaging defeat. During the next decades, she arranged marriages, maintained alliances, and was heavily involved in disputes between Genghis, his brothers, and Münglig's sons. (Full article...)
Did you know...
- ... that Enchylium limosum (example pictured) loves lime?
- ... that despite graduating last in his West Point class, Frederick Kimble eventually became a general?
- ... that the 2024 film 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days was filmed in Japan in March to capture both snowfalls and cherry blossoms in the same month?
- ... that a will bequeathing the Chestnut Street Opera House to the University of Pennsylvania was contested at the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania?
- ... that the comedian Jonny Pelham is one of an estimated 200 people in the UK to suffer from popliteal pterygium syndrome?
- ... that after a CD edition of Taylor Swift's album Midnights containing the exclusive song "You're Losing Me" was released at MetLife Stadium, some of the first purchasers uploaded the song online?
- ... that BBC Breakfast's resident doctor Nighat Arif has advocated for more women to be given vibrators for medical reasons?
- ... that Soviet prisoners of war were the second-largest group of victims of Nazi mass killing?
- ... that Katherine Sleeper Walden was a journalist, postmistress, innkeeper, community organizer, environmental activist, and conservationist who now has three mountains named after her?
In the news
- Robert Fico (pictured), the prime minister of Slovakia, is hospitalised after an assassination attempt.
- Lee Hsien Loong steps down after nearly 20 years as the prime minister of Singapore, and is succeeded by Lawrence Wong.
- Switzerland, represented by Nemo with "The Code", wins the Eurovision Song Contest.
- A series of solar storms impact Earth, creating aurorae seen farther from the poles than usual.
- Former prime minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama is sentenced to one year in prison for attempting to pervert the course of justice.
On this day
May 16: Global Accessibility Awareness Day (2024)
- 1426 – Mohnyin Thado captured Sagaing to become the king of Ava, in present-day Myanmar.
- 1605 – After a scuffle in which one cardinal received broken bones, a papal conclave convened in Rome elected Camillo Borghese as Pope Paul V.
- 1929 – The first Academy Awards ceremony was held at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
- 1975 – Japanese climber Junko Tabei (pictured) became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
- Pietro da Cortona (d. 1669)
- William H. Seward (b. 1801)
- Amanda Asay (b. 1988)
Today's featured picture
The Valère Basilica is a fortified Catholic church in Sion, in the Swiss canton of Valais. It is situated on a hill at an altitude of 615 metres (2,018 ft), and faces Tourbillon Castle located on the opposite hill. The first parts of the building were constructed around 1100, with numerous additions over the subsequent centuries. It was designated a minor basilica in 1987. The site is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance, which includes the surrounding hill due to the large number of protected plant and animal species present there. This photograph shows the Valère Basilica in February 2021, with the Haut de Cry, a 2,969-metre (9,741 ft) peak of the Bernese Alps, in the background. Photograph credit: Christian David
Recently featured:
|
Portals
Categories
Culture
Arts – Culture by region – Languages – Literature – Mass media – Movements – Mythology – Popular culture – Religion – Sports – Traditions – Travel
Entertainment
Animation – Celebrities – Dance – Entertainers – Festivals – Games – Hobbies – Humour – Music – Parties – Radio – Television – Toys
Geography
Africa –
Antarctica –
Asia –
Australia –
Europe –
North America –
Oceania –
South America
Cities –
Climate –
Countries –
Landforms –
Maps –
Parks –
Subterranea –
Towns
History
Mathematics and Abstractions
Algebra – Analysis – Arithmetic – Computer science – Economics – Equations – Geometry – Logic – Measurement – Numbers – Proofs – Philosophy – Theorems – Trigonometry – Statistics
Personal life
Science and Nature
Astronomy – Biology – Chemistry – Earth sciences – Ecology – Information science – Natural hazards – Neuroscience – Physics – Space
Social sciences and Society
Anthropology – Archaeology – Business – Communication – Demographics – Economics – Finance – Government – History – Law – Linguistics – Philosophy – Politics – Psychology – Sociology – Sexology
Technology
Agriculture – Architecture – Computing – Electronics – Engineering – Manufacturing – Medicine – Nuclear technology – Telecommunications – Tools – Transport – Vehicles
Reference
Sister Projects
Wikipedia is run by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Wikimedia operates several other multilingual and open-content wiki projects:
Meta-Wiki — Coordination of all Wikimedia projects
Wiktionary — A multilingual dictionary and thesaurus
Wikibooks — Free textbooks and manuals
Wikiquote — A collection of quotations
Wikisource — Free source documents
Wikinews — Free content news source
Wikipedia in other languages
This Wikipedia is written in English. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.
-
1,000,000+ articles
-
250,000+ articles
-
50,000+ articles
If you find this encyclopedia or its sister projects useful, please consider making a donation.