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Today is 1 January 2005. As of January 1st, there were 438,533 articles on the English Wikipedia. (refresh)

The Alchemist in Search of the Philosophers Stone (1771)

Alchemy is an early protoscientific practice combining elements of chemistry, physics, astrology, art, semiotics, metallurgy, medicine, mysticism, and religion. Two intertwined goals sought by many alchemists were the philosopher's stone, a mythical substance which would enable the transmutation of common metals into gold; and the universal panacea, a remedy that would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. European alchemy continued in this way through the dawning of the Renaissance. The era also saw a flourishing of con artists who would use chemical tricks and sleight of hand to "demonstrate" the transmutation of common metals into gold. Alchemy can be regarded as the precursor of the modern science of chemistry prior to the formulation of the scientific method. (more...)

Recently featured: Planetary nebula – Max Weber – Turquoise

Did you know...

...that the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism was famous for developing the shakuhachi flute as a means of meditation?

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On this day...

January 1: Public Domain Day; Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Roman Rite Catholicism)

"Am I not a man and a brother", emblem used by abolitionists

417 – Galla Placidia was forced by her brother Honorius into marriage with his magister militum, Constantius III.
1808 – As a result of the lobbying efforts by the abolitionist movement (emblem pictured), the importation of slaves into the United States was officially banned, although slavery itself remained permitted.
1914 – The St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line in the U.S. state of Florida became the first scheduled airline using a winged aircraft.
1957 – The revised Thai criminal code came into force, strengthening the law on lèse-majesté in Thailand to include insult and treating it as a crime against national security.
2019 – The NASA space probe New Horizons flew by the trans-Neptunian object Arrokoth, making it the farthest object visited by a spacecraft.

Henry of Marcy (d. 1189)
Marie-Louise Lachapelle (b. 1769)
Vidya Balan (b. 1979)
Tusse (b. 2002)

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Today's featured picture

A honey bee extracts nectar from a flower using its proboscis. Tiny hairs covering the bee's body maintain a slight electrostatic charge, causing pollen from the flower's anthers to stick to the bee's hairs, allowing for pollination when the bee moves on to another flower.

Photo credit: Jon Sullivan

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