Wikipedia:Main Page history/2019 July 26

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Chichester Cathedral's high altar,
behind which Neville is buried

Ralph Neville (died 1244) was a medieval clergyman and politician who served as Bishop of Chichester and Lord Chancellor of England. Neville first appears in the historical record in 1207 in the service of King John, and remained in royal service for the rest of his life. By 1213 Neville had custody of the Great Seal of England, although he was not named chancellor, the office responsible for the seal, until 1226. He was rewarded with the bishopric of Chichester in 1222. He was briefly Archbishop-elect of Canterbury and Bishop-elect of Winchester, but both elections were set aside, or quashed, and he held neither office. As keeper of the seal, and later as chancellor, Neville was noted for his impartiality and for overseeing changes in the way the chancery operated. Neville was deprived of the Great Seal in 1238 after quarrelling with the king, but continued to hold the title of chancellor until his death. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Pirogue on the Ébrié Lagoon

... that the Guinean striped mojarra is one of the fish caught in the less polluted part of the Ébrié Lagoon (pictured)?
... that Canadian businessman Lloyd Pollock brought Junior A-level hockey to Windsor, Ontario?
... that in 2004 the British Rail Class 458 trains were so unreliable that their operator considered replacing them all, but by 2012 they had become the most reliable fleet in Britain?
... that the Granadan princess Fatima bint al-Ahmar was described as "surpassing the women of her time like the Night of Power surpasses all the other nights" by the historian Ibn al-Khatib?
... that the final owners of Connecticut's WQQW radio station were involved in a fraudulent banking ring that toppled the town's mayor?
... that Lilian Benningsen, a singer at the Bavarian State Opera for decades, appeared as Carolina in the world premiere of Henze's Elegie für junge Liebende (Elegy for Young Lovers)?
... that the verses of the inscription on the funerary Stele of Arniadas are said to be "extraordinarily similar" to the words of Hector in the Iliad?
... that Joe Biden prefers the Chevrolet Corvette, but Joe Biden prefers the Pontiac Trans Am?

In the news

Boris Johnson

President of Tunisia Beji Caid Essebsi dies at the age of 92.
Boris Johnson (pictured) succeeds Theresa May as the leader of the Conservative Party and becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló announces his resignation following protests in the wake of a social messaging scandal involving his cabinet.
The Netball World Cup concludes, with New Zealand defeating Australia in the final.

On this day

July 26

King Edward VIII unveiling the figure Canada Bereft on the Vimy Memorial

1759 – French and Indian War: Rather than defend Fort Carillon near present-day Ticonderoga, New York, from an approaching 11,000-man British force, French Brigadier General François-Charles de Bourlamaque withdrew his troops and attempted to blow up the fort.
1882 – Boer mercenaries declared their independence from the Transvaal Republic and established the Republic of Stellaland.
1936 – The Canadian National Vimy Memorial (pictured), dedicated to the Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War, was unveiled near Vimy, Pas-de-Calais, France.
1953 – In Short Creek, Arizona, police conducted a mass arrest of approximately 400 Mormon fundamentalists for polygamy.
2009 – The militant Islamist group Boko Haram launched an attack on a Nigeria Police Force station, sparking violence across several states in northeastern Nigeria, leaving more than 1,000 people dead.

Justin Holland (b. 1819) · Carl Jung (b. 1875) · Sandra Bullock (b. 1964)

More anniversaries:

From today's featured list

Hurricane Carlotta

The 2012 Pacific hurricane season was an above-average year in which seventeen named storms formed. The hurricane season officially began on May 15 with the formation of Tropical Storm Aletta in the East Pacific and ended on November 30 in both basins. The season produced seventeen tropical storms; ten became hurricanes, while five further intensified into major hurricanes. Impact during the season was relatively minimal. In late May, Hurricane Bud paralleled the western Mexico coastline before dissipating, causing minor damage but no reported fatalities. In mid-June, Hurricane Carlotta (pictured) came ashore in Oaxaca at Category 2 hurricane intensity, making it the easternmost tropical cyclone in the basin to make landfall at hurricane intensity since 1966. The storm killed seven and caused $12.4 million (2012 USD) in damage. (Full list...)

Recently featured:

Today's featured picture

New York is a state in the Northeastern United States, one of the original Thirteen Colonies. It was the 11th state to be admitted to the Union, on July 26, 1788. With an estimated 19.54 million residents in 2018, it is the fourth most populous state; the state's most populous city, New York City, makes up over 40% of the state's population. The state and the city were both named for the 17th-century Duke of York, later King James II of England. Albany, in Upstate New York, is the state capital.

This picture is a historical depiction of New York's coat of arms, as illustrated by American engraver Henry Mitchell in State Arms of the Union, published in 1876 by Louis Prang. The escutcheon depicts the Hudson River, with the sun rising behind a mountain range in the background, while the crest features a globe surmounted by a bald eagle. The supporters are personifications of Liberty on the left and Justice on the right. Below the shield is the Latin motto Excelsior, commonly translated as 'Ever upward'. This design also appears on the flag and the seal of New York.

Illustration credit: Henry Mitchell; restored by Andrew Shiva

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

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