Wikipedia:Main Page history/2015 June 3

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Psilocybe semilanceata is a fungus whose mushrooms, known as liberty caps, are also called magic mushrooms for their psychedelic properties. They are the most common of the psilocybin mushrooms, and among the most potent. They have a distinctive conical or bell-shaped cap, up to 2.5 cm (1.0 in) wide, with a small nipple-like protrusion on the top. Yellow to brown in color and fading to a lighter color as they mature, they feed off decaying grass roots in fields, grassy meadows, and similar habitats, particularly in wet fields that are well-fertilized by sheep and cattle manure. The mushroom is widely distributed in the cool temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in Europe, and has been reported occasionally in India, South America, and Australasia. The earliest reliable history of P. semilanceata intoxication dates back to 1799 in London. In the 1960s the mushroom was the first European species confirmed to contain psilocybin; it was later found to contain the psychoactive compounds phenylethylamine and baeocystin as well. The possession or sale of psilocybin mushrooms is illegal in many countries. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know...

From Wikipedia's new and recently improved content:

... that La Promenade (pictured) shows the influence of the Rococo Revival and the high-key palette of Impressionism?
... that Yao Yuan Hao swam in a lake on a cold day for a scene in Big Red Riding Hood, then ran a half marathon in his birthday week?
... that on 16 March 1942 (the day before St Patrick's Day), St Patrick was toasted in the conning tower of U-boat U-753 as they awaited orders from Germany on whether or not to sink the Irish Willow?
... that Zainab Sultan Begum, a wife of Mughal emperor Babur, was also his cousin?
... that 245 teams entered the 2009–10 FA Women's Cup, which was eventually won by Everton?
... that both Gracchi brothers were slain after a decree known as senatus consultum ultimum was passed against them?
... that the National Transportation Safety Board found that a track gauge ⁵⁄₁₆ of an inch (7.9 mm) too wide caused a garbage train to derail in the Bronx?
... that Madhuri Dixit holds the record for the most nominations (14) for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress?

In the news

Sepp Blatter (pictured) resigns as president of FIFA in the wake of corruption indictments of FIFA officials.
At least 18 people are confirmed dead and more than 400 missing after a Chinese cruise ship is struck by a cyclone and sinks in the Yangtze.
Almost half of the world's saiga antelopes, a critically endangered species, die in May from suspected pasteurellosis.
Scientists announce the discovery of an early hominin species, Australopithecus deyiremeda.
Cable telecommunications company Charter agrees to buy Time Warner Cable in a deal worth US$55.1 billion.
A heat wave in India kills more than two thousand people.
In motorsport, Nico Rosberg wins the Monaco Grand Prix.

On this day...

June 3: Feast day of Saint Charles Lwanga and the Uganda Martyrs (Roman Catholic Church, Church of England, Lutheranism)

1781 – American Revolutionary War: Jack Jouett made a "midnight ride" to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of coming British cavalry who had been sent to capture them.
1839 – Qing government official Lin Zexu (pictured) precipitated the First Opium War by ordering the destruction of nearly 1.2 million kg (2.6 million lbs) of opium in Humen, China.
1940 – Franz Rademacher, a Nazi government official, proposed that Madagascar should be made available for the resettlement of the Jews of Europe.
1963 – Buddhist crisis: South Vietnamese Army soldiers attacked protesting Buddhists in Huế, with liquid chemicals from tear gas grenades, causing 67 people to be hospitalised.
1982 – An assassination attempt on Shlomo Argov, the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, failed; this was later used as justification for the 1982 Lebanon War.

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

The Geneva drive is a gear mechanism that translates a continuous rotation into an intermittent rotary motion. The rotating drive wheel has a pin that reaches into a slot of the driven wheel advancing it by one step. The drive wheel also has a raised circular blocking disc that locks the driven wheel in position between steps. Such a mechanism is used in film projectors, watches, and indexing tables, among others.

Animation: Mike1024

Recently featured:

Archive
More featured pictures...

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.