Main Page

Wulfhere (died 675) was King of Mercia from the end of the 650s until 675. He was the first Christian king of all of Mercia, though it is not known when or how he was converted. His accession marked the end of Oswiu of Northumbria's overlordship of southern England, and Wulfhere extended his influence over much of that region. His campaigns against the West Saxons led to Mercian supremacy over much of the Thames valley. He conquered the Isle of Wight and the Meon valley and gave them to King Æthelwealh of the South Saxons. He married Eormenhild, the daughter of King Eorcenberht of Kent. He was effectively the overlord of Britain south of the Humber from the early 660s, although not overlord of Northumbria as his father had been. In 674, he challenged Oswiu's son Ecgfrith of Northumbria, but was defeated. He died, probably of disease, in 675. (more...)

Recently featured: Space Invaders – England national football team manager – Earth

From Wikipedia's newest articles:

Kermadec arc volcanoes

• ... that most of the recent volcanism in New Zealand has been along the line of the Taupo Volcanic Zone and the Kermadec island arc (southern arc pictured)?
• ... that Cuban tobacco grower Alejandro Robaina was dubbed the "Godfather of Cuban tobacco"?
• ... that the Soviets organised a campaign against the pro-Allied sympathies of the Baltic governments before their annexation in 1940?
• ... that by 1941, American zoologist Edward Alphonso Goldman had described more new mammals than any other living scientist?
• ... that Maltese-born Anthony Perici, a veteran of the British Royal Navy, served as the first full-time mayor of Twinsburg, Ohio?
• ... that the Iceberg Theory refers to Ernest Hemingway's distinctive writing style?
• ... that British filmmaker Tim Sullivan began his career in television after chauffeuring Anthony Andrews to the set of Brideshead Revisited?
• ... that the city of Clearwater, Florida, painted two white lines across Watterson Avenue to block Lisa McPherson Trust protesters from disrupting the operations of the Church of Scientology?
  
  Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

• At least 85 people are killed in a series of bombings over two days in Baghdad.
• A clash in South Darfur kills 58 and raises tensions along the internal border.
• The U.S. Air Force launches the X-37B military spaceplane (pictured) on its maiden flight.
• Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani of Pakistan announces a new energy policy, extending the official weekend and banning neon signs, in order to combat an energy crisis.
  Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...

April 25: ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand; Liberation Day in Italy; Red Hat Society Day

• 1719 – Robinson Crusoe, a novel by English author Daniel Defoe about a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Venezuela, was first published.
• 1898 – Spanish–American War: The United States retroactively declared war on Spain, stating that a state of war between the two countries had already existed for the past couple of days.
• 1915 – World War I: Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Anzac Cove while British and French troops landed at Cape Helles to begin the Allied invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire.
• 1953 – Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids by molecular biologists James Watson and Francis Crick was first published in the scientific journal Nature, describing the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA (diagram pictured).
• 1974 – The song "Grândola, Vila Morena" by Zeca Afonso was broadcast on radio, signalling the start of the Carnation Revolution, a bloodless coup against the Estado Novo regime in Portugal.

More anniversaries: April 24 – April 25 – April 26

An 1838 colored lithograph of the Great Hypostyle Hall of the Precinct of Amun-Re, the largest of the four main enclosed areas of Karnak, a complex of ruins near the city of Luxor, Egypt. The site is a vast open-air museum and the largest ancient religious site in the world. Construction of temples started in the Middle Kingdom and continued through to Ptolemaic times. Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity, and diversity not seen elsewhere. Hypostyle Hall contains 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows, with some of the columns reaching 21 m (69 ft) tall and up to 3 m (9.8 ft) in diameter. Artist: David Roberts & Louis Hahge; Restoration: Lise Broer Recently featured: Scene from Tom Cobb – Andrew Gregg Curtin – Pale Blue Dot Archive – More featured pictures...