Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

285,578 active editors
7,151,508 articles in English

From today's featured article

Illustration of the value of

π

The number $π$ (pi) is a mathematical constant, approximately equal to 3.14159, that is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It is an irrational number, meaning that it cannot be expressed exactly as a ratio of two integers, though it is sometimes approximated as ⁠22/7⁠. Its decimal representation never ends, nor does it enter a permanently repeating pattern. The digits of $π$ appear to be evenly distributed, but no proof of this conjecture has been found. It appears in many formulae in mathematics and physics, and for thousands of years mathematicians have computed its value with increasing accuracy. Since the late 20th century, mathematicians and computer scientists have extended the decimal representation of $π$ to many trillions of digits. Many equations from trigonometry and geometry rely on $π$ , especially those concerning circles and spheres. A transcendental number, $π$ is one of the most widely known mathematical constants. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Charlotte Brontë

... that the first novel by Charlotte Brontë (pictured) was published posthumously?
... that Agostino Steffani missed the 1709 premiere of his opera Amor vien dal destino because he was in Rome mediating between the pope and the emperor?
... that John H. Beyer co-founded an architectural firm in 1968 that opposed large-scale urban redevelopment, inspired partly by the book The Death and Life of Great American Cities?
... that the Eurovision performance of "Bird of Pray" featured a backing vocalist whose song had been defeated during selection?
... that a key moment in the 2022 LastPass data breach saw an attacker compromise an engineer's Plex account?
... that cameraman Bob Broughton, who later became a Disney Legend, was first hired there by mistake?
... that more than 2,000 children's artworks were used in the music video for Meg Myers's cover of "Running Up That Hill"?
... that the mayor of El Paso, Texas, founded a tequila company that sells its product in dog-shaped bottles?
... that a five-year-old girl donated her favourite rock to Poole Museum, after which it was put on display and became the museum's most famous object?

In the news

Jasprit Bumrah

In cricket, the Men's T20 World Cup concludes with India defeating New Zealand in the final (player of the match Jasprit Bumrah pictured).
Mojtaba Khamenei is elected Supreme Leader of Iran following the assassination of his father, Ali Khamenei.
Flooding in Kenya leaves at least 43 people dead.
The Winter Paralympics open in northern Italy.
The Rastriya Swatantra Party and its prime ministerial candidate Balen Shah win a landslide victory in the Nepalese general election, called after the Gen Z protests.

On this day

March 14: Sikh New Year's Day; White Day in parts of East Asia; Pi Day

Catherine Cornaro

1489 – Catherine Cornaro (pictured), Queen of Cyprus, was forced to abdicate and sell the administration of the island to the Republic of Venice.
1593 – Japanese invasions of Korea: A force of 3,000 Korean soldiers successfully defended Haengju Fortress against 30,000 Japanese invaders.
1885 – The Mikado, Gilbert and Sullivan's most frequently performed Savoy opera, debuted at the Savoy Theatre in London.
1945 – The Royal Air Force first used the Grand Slam, a 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) earthquake bomb, on a strategic railway viaduct in Bielefeld, Germany.
1991 – Escondida, one of the most productive copper mines in the world, was officially inaugurated.

Castro Alves (b. 1847)
Diane Arbus (b. 1923)
A. A. Kannisto (d. 1930)
Charlie Whiting (d. 2019)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Columbus is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. It had a population of 905,748 at the 2020 census, making it the 14th most populous city in the United States, and a metropolitan area population of around 2.2 million. The city is the county seat of Franklin County and also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. Columbus was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers and was named after Christopher Columbus. It became the state capital in 1816 and grew during the nineteenth century as a transportation and industrial hub linked by the National Road, canals and railroads. Columbus is now a center for high-tech manufacturing with plants operated by Intel, Honda and LG Energy Solution and is home to Ohio State University, one of the largest universities in the country. This photograph shows Downtown Columbus and the Scioto Mile, viewed from the southwest.

Photograph credit: Paul Wasneski

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: