Wikipedia:Main Page history/2021 August 26

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

The Battle of Crécy, from Froissart's Chronicles

The Crécy campaign was an expedition by an English army from the north of Normandy to the County of Boulogne, devastating the French countryside on a wide front, followed by the successful siege of Calais. It began on 12 July 1346 during the Hundred Years' War. Led by King Edward III, the English stormed and sacked Caen, slaughtering the population. They then devastated the country to the suburbs of Rouen before cutting a swath along the Seine's left bank to Poissy, 20 miles (30 km) from Paris. Turning north, the English became trapped in territory which the French had denuded of food. They escaped by fighting their way across the Somme against a French blocking force. Two days later, on ground of their choosing, the English inflicted a heavy defeat on the French at the Battle of Crécy on 26 August, before moving on to besiege Calais. After an eleven-month siege, which severely stretched both countries' financial and military resources, the town fell. (This article is part of a featured topic: Crécy campaign.)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Herma Albertson Baggley

... that Herma Albertson Baggley (pictured) was the first woman to be on staff full-time as a naturalist with the United States National Park Service at Yellowstone National Park?
... that Zaranj was the first Afghan provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban since the Battle of Kunduz in 2016?
... that it took more than a decade for Michael M. Thomas to secure a publisher for his eighth novel, which was rejected by approximately 25 publishing houses?
... that the 2014-built ERV Nene Hatun is Turkey's first emergency response vessel?
... that prosecutors who worked to convict Kevin Strickland in 1979 now say they believe him to be innocent?
... that the freshwater leech Haemopis sanguisuga sometimes emerges from the water to hunt for earthworms?
... that before she was elected to the Parliament of Armenia, Maria Karapetyan spray-painted political graffiti on the streets of Yerevan in support of Nikol Pashinyan?
... that Chinese biblical scholar Zhu Weizhi believed that Jesus was a proletarian?

In the news

Paralympics opening ceremony

The Summer Paralympics open (ceremony pictured) in Tokyo, Japan.
Ismail Sabri Yaakob is appointed as prime minister by the King of Malaysia.
Hakainde Hichilema is elected President of Zambia.
The Afghan government collapses as the capital city of Kabul falls to the Taliban offensive.

On this day

August 26: Heroes' Day and Herero Day in Namibia; Women's Equality Day in the United States

Sigmund Jähn

1071 – Byzantine–Seljuk wars: Seljuk Turks led by Alp Arslan captured Byzantine emperor Romanos IV at the Battle of Manzikert.
1346 – Hundred Years' War: English forces established the military supremacy of the English longbow over the French combination of crossbow and armoured knights at the Battle of Crécy.
1748 – The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, was founded in Philadelphia.
1978 – Aboard the Soviet Soyuz 31 spacecraft, Sigmund Jähn (pictured) became the first German in space.
2008 – After a ceasefire was reached in the Russo-Georgian War, Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Humilis of Bisignano (b. 1582)
Arnold Fothergill (b. 1854)
Mildred Albert (d. 1991)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Canary Wharf is an area of London on the Isle of Dogs. It is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Along with the City of London, Canary Wharf is one of the main financial centres of the United Kingdom and the world, containing many high-rise buildings including the fourth-tallest in the UK, One Canada Square, which opened on 26 August 1991.

Photograph credit: Tony Jin

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.
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.