Wikipedia:Main Page history/2017 July 26

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Calvatia sculpta, commonly known as the sculpted puffball, is a species of puffball fungus in the family Agaricaceae. Up to 8 to 15 cm (3.1 to 5.9 in) tall by 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in) wide, the pear- or egg-shaped puffball is readily recognizable from the large pyramidal or polygonal warts covering its surface. It is edible when young, before the spores inside the fruit body disintegrate into a brownish powder. Originally described from the Sierra Nevada, C. sculpta is found in mountainous areas in western North America, and was found in a Brazilian dune in 2008. It may be easily confused with Calbovista subsculpta, a similar puffball that—in addition to differences observable only with microscopy—is larger, and has slightly raised warts with a felt-like texture. Other similar species include Calvatia arctica and immature specimens of Amanita magniverrucata. The species was first described in 1885 by American mycologist Harvey Willson Harkness, who called it "a curious and strikingly beautiful species". (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

Gorgonia mariae

... that Gorgonia mariae (pictured) is one of several species of sea fans affected by a terrestrial fungal disease in the Gulf of Mexico?
... that Alfred Ezra learnt how to keep hummingbirds in captivity using baby food?
... that the Flag of Washington must show George Washington's profile facing the same direction on both sides, making it one of the most expensive U.S. state flags to produce?
... that Oxford Bibliographies Online has been called "an anti-Google"?
... that the white-necklaced partridge's forehead is white in one subspecies and chestnut in the other?
... that Richard Scott was a doctor who in 1963 became the world's first professor in general practice?
... that the short film Le Building was created as an opener for the Annecy International Animated Film Festival as the thesis project of five students of Gobelins?
... that Martin F. Scanlon was one of the Early Birds of Aviation?

In the news

Jordan Spieth

In golf, Jordan Spieth (pictured) wins the Open Championship.
The Women's Cricket World Cup concludes with England defeating India in the final.
In cycling, Chris Froome wins the Tour de France.
Ram Nath Kovind is elected President of India.
Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to receive the Fields Medal, dies at the age of 40.
Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese pro-democracy activist, political prisoner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, dies at the age of 61.

On this day...

July 26: Independence Day in Liberia (1847)

Moncada Barracks

1533 – Conquistador Francisco Pizarro executed the last independent Inca Emperor Atahualpa in Cajamarca during the Spanish conquest of the Empire.
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.
1908 – Unable to use U.S. Secret Service agents as investigators, Attorney General Charles Bonaparte established what is now the Federal Bureau of Investigation as his own staff of special agents.
1953 – Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl led a group of approximately 135 rebels in an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks (pictured), thus beginning the Cuban Revolution.
2007 – After widespread controversy throughout Wales, Shambo, a black Friesian bull that had been adopted by the local Hindu community, was slaughtered due to concerns about bovine tuberculosis.

George Bernard Shaw (b. 1856) · Carl Jung (b. 1875) · Robert Todd Lincoln (d. 1926)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The Old Musician is an 1862 oil painting on canvas by the French painter Édouard Manet. Depicting an old musician with a violin surrounded by listeners, the painting has been seen as influenced by Spanish art and the work of Gustave Courbet. This work is one of Manet's largest paintings and is now held at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Photograph: Édouard Manet

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.