Jump to content

Wikipedia:Main Page history/2014 July 31

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Welcome to Wikipedia,
4,570,743 articles in English

From today's featured article

Sir William Gordon-Cumming in court

The royal baccarat scandal was a British gambling scandal of the late 19th century involving the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). In September 1890 he was invited to a house party at Tranby Croft, Yorkshire, the home of Arthur Wilson and his family. During Edward's stay, lieutenant colonel Sir William Gordon-Cumming (pictured) was accused of cheating at baccarat and pressured into signing a document that stated he would never play cards again, in exchange for the silence of the guests. The secret was not kept for long, and Gordon-Cumming demanded a retraction from the Wilson family, who he considered to blame for divulging the news. They refused and he sued for slander. The atmosphere at trial in June 1891 was described as being like a theatre. Edward was called as a witness, the first time the heir to the throne had been compelled to appear in court since 1411. Despite discrepancies in the evidence and a strong closing speech by Gordon-Cumming's barrister, the jury found against him after a summing-up from the judge that was described by some as biased. Gordon-Cumming was dismissed from the army and ostracised from society for life, though public opinion was on his side. (Full article...)

Recently featured: History of Chincoteague, Virginia – William Calcraft – SMS Goeben

Did you know...

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

Elsa Billgren (2013)

In the news

McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft

Ongoing: Commonwealth Games Gaza conflict Ebola outbreak Ukrainian unrest

On this day...

July 31: Ka Hae Hawai'i Day (Flag Day) in Hawaii

K2

More anniversaries: July 30 July 31 August 1

It is now July 31, 2014 (UTC) – Reload this page
Orchis mascula

Orchis mascula is a herbaceous plant of the orchid family. Found in much of Europe as well as the Middle East and northwest Africa, it blooms from April to June.

Photograph: Tuxyso

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.

Wikipedia's sister projects

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