Wikipedia:Picture of the day/Archive
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These featured pictures, as scheduled below, appeared as the picture of the day (POTD) on the English Wikipedia's Main Page in the last 30 days.
You can add an automatically updating POTD template to your user page using {{Pic of the day}} (version with blurb) or {{POTD}} (version without blurb). For instructions on how to make custom POTD layouts, see Wikipedia:Picture of the day.
August 4
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Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971) was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz, with a career spanning five decades and several eras in the history of jazz. Armstrong received numerous accolades, including the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance for "Hello, Dolly!" in 1965, as well as a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972. His influence crossed musical genres, with inductions into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, among others. This photograph, taken in 1947 by Harry Warnecke and Gus Schoenbaechler, shows Armstrong playing the trumpet in a blue suit against a yellow background. The image is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. Photograph credit: Harry Warnecke and Gus Schoenbaechler; restored by Yann Forget
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August 3
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The 2014 edition of the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field, a composite image of separate exposures taken from 2003 to 2012 with the Hubble Space Telescope, and showing the full range of ultraviolet to near-infrared light. Made from 841 orbits of telescope viewing time, the image contains approximately 10,000 galaxies, extending back in time to within a few hundred million years of the Big Bang. Photograph credit: NASA, ESA, IPAC/Caltech, STScI, ASU
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August 2
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The Otoe–Missouria Tribe of Indians is a federally recognized tribe in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, comprising the Otoe and Missouria peoples. Their language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan–Catawban language family. In 2011, they had 3,089 enrolled tribal citizens. This oil portrait on canvas by George Catlin, painted around 1832, shows Wah-ro-née-sah (The Surrounder), an Otoe chief. He was described by Catlin as "quite an old man; his shirt made of the skin of a grizzly bear, with the claws on". The painting is in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Painting credit: George Catlin
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August 1
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Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617) was a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman and painter, associated with Northern Mannerism and noted for his use of the burin. He has been described as the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period. Trained by Dirck Coornhert, he had an unusual drawing style due to a childhood hand injury. He spent most of his career in Haarlem. Goltzius produced this self-portrait, dating from around 1593–1594, with chalk, pen, grey ink and watercolours. The portrait is in the collection of the Albertina in Vienna, Austria. Illustration credit: Hendrick Goltzius
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July 31
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The streaked spiderhunter (Arachnothera magna) is a species in the family Nectariniidae, the sunbirds, found in forests from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia. About the size of a sparrow, it has olive-yellow plumage with dark streaking and a long, curved black beak adapted for feeding on nectar. Its nest is made by binding leaves together with cobwebs. This streaked spiderhunter was photographed in Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand. Photograph/ credit: JJ Harrison
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July 30
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The Battle of the Somme was fought between 1 July and 18 November 1916 by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. The largest battle of World War I on the Western Front, it was fought on both sides of upper reaches of the river Somme in France. The battle was intended to hasten a victory for the Allies. More than three million men fought in the battle, of whom more than one million were either wounded or killed, making it one of the deadliest battles in human history. It illustrated the deadly potential of mechanized warfare that began in the mid–19th century. This map, adapted from an original published by the United States Military Academy, shows the situation during the first day on the Somme (1 July), as well as Allied gains up to 19 November, immediately after the end of the battle. Map credit: United States Military Academy, edited and vectorised by Grandiose; inset map by Giro720
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July 29
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Fernando Alonso (born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who currently competes in Formula One for Aston Martin. He is Spain's first Formula One World Drivers' Champion, having won the title with Renault in 2005 and 2006. Often named as one of the sport's greatest drivers, Alonso has also won the 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice and the 24 Hours of Daytona. This photograph shows Alonso in the colours of United Autosports in 2017. Photograph credit: Jakob Ebrey
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July 28
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The burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) is a small, long-legged owl in the family Strigidae. It is native to the open landscapes of North and South America, where it inhabits grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, and other open habitats with low vegetation, nesting and roosting in burrows usually excavated by other animals. When threatened, it retreats underground and produces rattling and hissing sounds resembling those of a rattlesnake, an example of acoustic Batesian mimicry. This southern burrowing owl (subspecies A. c. cunicularia) was photographed near Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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July 27
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Hafnium is a chemical element; it has symbol Hf and atomic number 72. A lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal, hafnium chemically resembles zirconium and is found in many zirconium minerals. Its existence was predicted by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869, though it was not identified until 1922, by Dirk Coster and George de Hevesy. Hafnium is named after the Latin name for Copenhagen, where it was discovered. The element is obtained only by separation from zirconium, with most of the world's hafnium production coming from processes that also produce zirconium. These processes make use of heavy mineral sands ore deposits, which include the minerals zircon, rutile, and ilmenite, among others. This photograph shows the front and back sides of four pellets of 99.9%-pure argon-arc remelted hafnium ingots, with visible crystalline structures. Each pellet is about 3 centimetres (1.2 in) in diameter. The visible colours are caused by a thin-film effect in the surface oxide layer. Photograph credit: Heinrich Pniok
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July 26
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The tiger bee fly (Xenox tigrinus) is a species of insect in the family Bombyliidae, the bee flies. It is found in parts of the United States and Canada. Its black-and-white body and patterned wings resemble the coloration of a large bee, an example of Batesian mimicry, which helps to deter predators. Females lay their eggs near the nests of carpenter bees, particularly the eastern carpenter bee, and the developing larvae parasitize the bee's young. Adult tiger bee flies are also pollinators. This tiger bee fly was photographed on a leaf in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York City. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites
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July 25
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Lavaux is a region in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, in the district of Lavaux-Oron. The region consists of 830 hectares (2,100 acres) of terraced vineyards that stretch for about 30 kilometres (19 mi) along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva. The region is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the formal name Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces. The vine terraces in the area date to the 11th century, under the rule of Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries. The main variety of wine grape grown here is Chasselas. This photograph shows an aerial view of the terraced vineyards of Lavaux near the village of Rivaz, overlooking Lake Geneva. Photograph credit: Lorenz Poffet
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July 24
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Alexandre Dumas (24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870) was a French novelist and playwright who is celebrated for historical adventure fiction. His best-known works include The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. The son of General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, he began his career writing successful plays before turning to novels and travel books. Exceptionally prolific, Dumas produced about 100,000 pages and founded Paris's Théâtre Historique. He also wrote many plays, his works have inspired film adaptations, and in 2002 his remains were reinterred alongside other French luminaries in the Panthéon. This portrait of Dumas was created by the French photographer Nadar in 1855. Photograph credit: Nadar
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July 23
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The West Indian whistling duck (Dendrocygna arborea) is a species of bird in the family Anatidae. The largest and darkest of the whistling ducks, it is roughly the size of a mallard, growing to 48 to 58 centimetres (19 to 23 inches) in length. Widely scattered across the West Indies, the species was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 as Anas arborea, based on earlier accounts. The species is now placed in the genus Dendrocygna, introduced by William Swainson in 1837, and has no recognised subspecies. This photograph shows the head of a West Indian whistling duck in George Town, on the island of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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July 22
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God Speed is a painting by British artist Edmund Blair Leighton which was completed in 1900. It depicts an armoured knight leaving for war and leaving his beloved, who ties a red sash around his arm. A griffin on the banister of the stairs is a symbol of strength and military courage. The painting was exhibited in the Royal Academy of Arts in 1900. It is now held in a private collection. Painting credit: Edmund Blair Leighton
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July 21
The black-faced blenny (Tripterygion delaisi) is a species of fish in the family Tripterygiidae, the threefin blennies. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Atlantic Ocean coasts, at depths from 3 to 40 metres (10 to 130 ft), and prefers shaded areas such as rock faces and crevices. During the breeding season, territorial males develop a characteristic yellow body with a black head, while females and other males are coloured grey-brown for camouflage. The black-faced blenny produces a red fluorescent signal using specialised cells in the iris, which it can regulate in brightness. Males defend nesting territories beneath overhangs, aggressively repelling intruders and defending the eggs from predators until they hatch. These black-faced blennies, one female and the other a territorial male, were photographed in Arrábida Natural Park, off the Portuguese coast. Photograph credit: Diego Delso
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July 20
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Apollo 11 was an American spaceflight mission, the first to land astronauts on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin set the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle down on July 20, 1969, with Armstrong and Aldrin stepping onto the lunar surface six hours later. They spent about two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft, and collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar material. While they were on the Moon's surface, Michael Collins flew the command module Columbia alone in lunar orbit. Armstrong's first step onto the lunar surface was broadcast on live TV to a worldwide audience. He described the event as "one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind". Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21.5 hours on the lunar surface before rejoining Columbia in lunar orbit and then returning to Earth. This photograph, taken by Collins from Columbia, shows Eagle above the lunar surface, with Earth in the background. Photograph credit: Michael Collins
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July 19
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Bile Beans were a widely advertised patent medicine first marketed in Australia in 1897 before production moved to Leeds, England. Promoted as a remedy for ailments ranging from indigestion to headaches, they were claimed to derive from a secret vegetable known only to Aboriginal Australians and researched by the scientist Charles Forde. In reality, "Charles Forde" was the pseudonym of the entrepreneur Charles Fulford, and the supposed discovery was entirely fictitious. In 1906, Scottish judges ruled that the company's business was founded on fraud, yet Bile Beans remained commercially successful and continued to be sold until the 1980s. This paper bag advertising Bile Beans probably dates from around the 1930s, and is part of the collection of ephemera at Wellcome Collection in London. Design credit: unknown artist
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July 18
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The kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) is a species of pigeon native to New Zealand. Described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1789, it is a large, conspicuous pigeon, up to 50 centimetres (20 in) in length and ranging from 550 to 850 grams (19 to 30 oz) in weight, with a white breast and iridescent green–blue plumage. Kererū pairs are monogamous, breeding over successive seasons and remaining together when not breeding. Found in a variety of habitats across the country, the kererū feeds mainly on fruits, as well as on leaves, buds and flowers. Its numbers have declined since European colonisation and the arrival of invasive mammals such as rats, stoats and possums in New Zealand, although populations have recently increased in suburban habitats. Considered a taonga (cultural treasure) to the Māori people, the kererū was historically a major food source in Māori culture. In 2018, it was designated Bird of the Year by the New Zealand organisation Forest & Bird. This kererū was photographed in the Waitākere Ranges on the North Island. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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July 17
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Phyllis Diller (July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, actress, and author, known for her rapid-fire jokes and self-deprecating humour. Born in Lima, Ohio, she began working in journalism, radio and advertising before making her professional stand-up debut at The Purple Onion in San Francisco in 1955. She then went on to appear on national television, including You Bet Your Life, The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show. Diller later worked with Bob Hope, starred in various television series and films, and became a prolific voice actor. She is regarded as a pioneer of female stand-up comedy and inspired many later female comedians. This photograph of Diller was taken in Reno, Nevada, by the English photographer Allan Warren in 1973. Photograph credit: Allan Warren; retouched by Yann Forget
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July 16
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A snifter is a type of stemware, a short-stemmed glass whose vessel has a wide bottom and a relatively narrow top. It is mostly used to serve aged brown liquors such as bourbon, brandy and whisky. This photograph shows armagnac in a pipe snifter, a variant with a glass tube to allow the liquor to be consumed from the bottom of the vessel. Photograph credit: Didier Descouens
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July 15
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Glaucus atlanticus, commonly known as the blue dragon, is a species of sea slug in the family Glaucidae. It is pelagic and found in tropical and temperate oceans worldwide. The species floats upside down at the ocean's surface using a gas-filled sac in its stomach, with blue and silver countershading to help camouflage it from predators. It preys on venomous cnidaria such as the Portuguese man o' war, storing the prey's stinging nematocysts in specialised sacs for its own defence. Handling the slug can result in a painful sting and symptoms such as nausea and allergic contact dermatitis. This G. atlanticus sea slug, about 35 millimetres (1.4 in) in length, was found washed up on a beach at Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Australia. Photograph credit: Taro Taylor
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July 14
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Chandrayaan-3 is India's third lunar mission, part of the Chandrayaan programme developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The mission's spacecraft consists of Vikram, a lunar lander, and Pragyan, a lunar rover. This photograph shows the LVM3-M4 rocket carrying Chandrayaan-3 lifting off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on 14 July 2023. Vikram later made a successful soft landing near the lunar south pole in August 2023, making India the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, and the first country to land a lunar spacecraft near the south pole. Photograph credit: ISRO, edited by UnpetitproleX
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July 13
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The Great Mosque of Central Java is a mosque in Semarang, the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Central Java. Dedicated in 2006, the mosque complex covers 10 hectares (25 acres). Up to 15,000 worshippers can be accommodated in the mosque and the central courtyard. This aerial photograph, taken in 2014, shows the Great Mosque of Central Java as seen from the viewing deck of the adjacent 99-metre-tall (325 ft) Asmaul Husna Tower, which also houses a museum and a radio station for dakwah. Photograph credit: Chris Woodrich
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July 12
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The maroon shining parrot (Prosopeia tabuensis) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is native to Fiji and Tonga, where its habitats include forests, plantations, mangroves and gardens. Adults have dark-maroon underparts, green upperparts, and a blue collar of variable prominence. The species feeds mainly on fruit and seeds, nests in tree cavities, and usually lays two or three eggs. Known as the koki in Tonga, it can mimic human speech but is rarely kept in captivity. This maroon shining parrot was photographed on Taveuni, the third-largest island in Fiji. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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July 11
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Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder (11 July 1890 – 3 June 1967), was a senior British air commander who played a significant role in the Allied victory in the Second World War. After serving in the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War, he rose to command RAF Middle East Command, where his organisational reforms and the "Tedder Carpet" bombing tactic helped secure victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein. He later served as deputy to Dwight D. Eisenhower during the Allied invasion of France, and went on to sign the German Instrument of Surrender on Eisenhower's behalf. After the war, Tedder became Chief of the Air Staff and later Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was elevated to the peerage in 1946. This photograph, in the collection of the Imperial War Museum, shows Tedder on the Italian coast in December 1943. At that time, he held the rank of air chief marshal, and later that month returned to Britain to take up his appointment as deputy commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. Photograph credit: unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden
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July 10
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Pennsylvania is the fifth-most populous U.S. state, stretching west–east from Lake Erie to the Delaware River and north–south from the New York border to the Mason–Dixon line. Founded in 1681 by William Penn as a haven for religious tolerance, it played a central role in the birth of the United States, hosting the Second Continental Congress, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitutional Convention. The state was also the scene of the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Pennsylvania is known for its diverse geography, industrial heritage, and major cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. This 1876 illustration of the state's coat of arms was part of a series produced by engraver Henry Mitchell. Illustration credit: Henry Mitchell; restored by Godot13
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July 9
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Dictyophorus spumans, also known as the koppie foam grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae, indigenous to southern Africa. The name "foam grasshopper" derives from the insect's ability to produce a toxic foam from its thoracic glands, using a combination of hemolymph with air from the grasshopper's spiracles. Adult males are typically 4.5 to 5 cm (1.8 to 2.0 in) long and females typically 5 to 7 cm (2.0 to 2.8 in), but can grow up to a length of 8 cm (3.1 in). This nymph of the subspecies D. s. spumans was photographed in the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in Roodepoort, South Africa. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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July 8
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The mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree Mangifera indica. Native to the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh and northeastern India, it has been cultivated and spread widely through South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and the Americas. Mango trees are long-lived evergreens, with hundreds of named cultivars producing fruits that vary in size, colour, flavour and texture. Mangoes are eaten ripe or unripe in many cuisines, including chutneys, pickles, juices and desserts. This is a mango of the 'Nam Dok Mai' cultivar, which originated in Thailand. Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus
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July 7
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Nettie Stevens (July 7, 1861 – May 4, 1912) was an American geneticist who discovered sex chromosomes, which later became known as the X and Y chromosomes. Using observations of insect chromosomes, Stevens discovered that, in some species, chromosomes are different between the sexes and when chromosome segregation occurs in sperm formation; this difference leads to outcomes of female versus male progeny. Her discovery was the first time that observable differences of chromosomes could be linked to an observable difference in phenotype or physical attributes (i.e., whether an individual is male or female). Stevens was one of the first American women to be recognized for her contribution to science. Most of her research was completed at Bryn Mawr College, where she expanded the fields of genetics, cytology, and embryology. This photograph of Stevens was taken in the 1900s. Photograph credit: Carnegie Institution of Washington; restored by Adam Cuerden
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July 6
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Silver certificates are a type of representative money issued between 1878 and 1964 in the United States as part of its circulation of paper currency. They were produced in response to silver agitation by citizens who were angered by the Coinage Act of 1873, which had effectively placed the United States on a gold standard. Since 1968, silver certificates have been redeemable only in Federal Reserve Notes and are thus obsolete, but they remain legal tender at their face value and hence are still an accepted form of currency. This 1928 one-dollar silver certificate, part of the National Numismatic Collection at the National Museum of American History, bears a portrait of George Washington and the signatures of Harold Theodore Tate (Treasurer of the United States) and Andrew Mellon (Secretary of the Treasury) on the obverse. Banknote design credit: Bureau of Engraving and Printing; scanned by Andrew Shiva
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