Main Page
From today's featured article
![Painting by Antonio Jacobsen, 1903](http://webcf.waybackmachine.org/web/20240303113002im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/SS_Kroonland%2C_Antonio_Jacobsen%2C_1903_%28adjusted%29.jpg/183px-SS_Kroonland%2C_Antonio_Jacobsen%2C_1903_%28adjusted%29.jpg)
SS Kroonland was an ocean liner for International Mercantile Marine (IMM) from her launch in 1902 until she was scrapped in 1927. When completed by William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia, she was the largest-ever United States steamship. Kroonland sailed for IMM's Red Star Line for 12 years, mostly on the route between New York City and Antwerp, and later sailed for IMM's American Line and Panama Pacific Line. Kroonland was one of ten ships that came to the aid of the burning liner Volturno in the mid-Atlantic in October 1913. Despite stormy seas, Kroonland took aboard 89 survivors. In 1915, she became the largest passenger vessel to that point to pass through the Panama Canal. During and after World War I, the ship served as U.S. Army transport USAT Kroonland through April 1918, and as the Navy auxiliary USS Kroonland (ID-1541) from April 1918 to October 1919. After being returned to IMM, she continued on various passenger routes until 1926. She was sold and scrapped the following year. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that a malaria-control program in rural Brazil attracted droves of annoying, colorful bees that collect pesticide (example pictured) into homes?
- ... that Caspar Richter co-founded an orchestra in Vienna and conducted it in performances of new musicals including Mozart! and Elisabeth?
- ... that the Fighting Vanguard waged a guerrilla war against the Syrian government in the 1970s and 1980s?
- ... that Robert Brigandyne constructed the first purpose-built dry dock in England, after King Henry VII's new warships grew too big to be repaired on mudbanks?
- ... that actor Jim O'Heir consumed numerous cinnamon rolls for a scene in Better Call Saul?
- ... that the British musician Nieve Ella has a hair salon named after her?
- ... that a reviewer thought that the video game Robbery Bob contained cringeworthy dialogue?
- ... that Muhsin Hendricks of South Africa has been described as "the world's first openly gay imam"?
In the news
- Former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney (pictured) dies at the age of 84.
- Following the general election, Feleti Teo is appointed Prime Minister of Tuvalu.
- Dahomey wins the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
- The Odysseus robotic lander of the IM-1 mission performs the first commercial soft landing on the Moon.
On this day
March 3: Liberation Day in Bulgaria (1878); Hinamatsuri in Japan
- 1284 – The Statute of Rhuddlan was enacted, introducing English common law to the Principality of Wales.
- 1891 – Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming was established as the first national forest in the United States.
- 1913 – Thousands of women marched in Washington, D.C. (program cover pictured) "in a spirit of protest" against the exclusion of women from American society.
- 1924 – The Ottoman Caliphate, the world's last widely recognized caliphate, was abolished.
- 1991 – Motorist Rodney King was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers during an arrest, causing public outrage that increased tensions between the African-American community and the police department over police brutality and social inequality.
- Antony Bek (d. 1311)
- Bonnie J. Dunbar (b. 1949)
- Xavier Bettel (b. 1973)
- May Cutler (d. 2011)
Today's featured picture
![]() |
The Wine Glass is an oil-on-canvas painting by Johannes Vermeer, created around 1660. It portrays a seated woman and a standing man drinking in an interior setting. The work follows the Delft School convention of genre painting, developed by Pieter de Hooch in the late 1650s. It contains figures situated in a brightly lit and spacious interior, while its architectural space is highly defined. The figures are set in the middle ground, rather than positioned in the foreground. The Wine Glass is now in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, Germany. Painting credit: Johannes Vermeer
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:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
MediaWiki
Wiki software development -
Meta-Wiki
Wikimedia project coordination -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikispecies
Directory of species -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
Wikipedia languages
This Wikipedia is written in English. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.
-
1,000,000+ articles
-
250,000+ articles
-
50,000+ articles