Main Page

Welcome to Infogalactic! Be sure to read our introduction before making your first edit.

Welcome to Infogalactic,

The Planetary Knowledge Core

• Arts
• Biography
• Geography
• History
• Mathematics
• Science
• Society
• Technology
• All portals

From today's featured article

William I (Old Norman: Williame I; Old English: Willelm I; c. 1028 – 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. The descendant of Viking raiders, he had been Duke of Normandy since 1035. After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on Normandy was secure, and he launched the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands and by difficulties with his eldest son.

William was the son of the unmarried Robert I, Duke of Normandy, by Robert's mistress Herleva. His illegitimate status and his youth caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father, as did the anarchy that plagued the first years of his rule. During his childhood and adolescence, members of the (Full article...)

Did you know...

• ... that some people believe that the moon landings were fake?
• ... that Ian McDonald's 2015 science fiction novel Luna: New Moon has been called "Game of Thrones in space"?
• ... that 72 Terrorists came from countries that President Trump recently banned in Executive Order 13769?
• ... that Istanbul was formerly known as Constantinople and before 324AD was known as Byzantium?
• ... that Jupiter is considered a Substellar object?
• ... that the name Zoroaster possibly means "he who manages camels"?
• ... that Ida Silverman logged over 600,000 air miles traveling the world, speaking and fund-raising for the creation of a Jewish state?

In the news (from Infogalactic News)

• After Thousands Of Parents Refused To Comply Another CA School District Vax Mandate Falls
  Judge Ruled Schools Have No Authority To Mandate Medical Procedures For Children
• Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty of 5 Of 6 Charges
  Will She Be Epsteined?
• Aaron Rodgers: "If Science Can't Be Questioned, It's Not Science Anymore"
  "It's Propoganda"
  

• Jake Tapper's Producer Resigns From CNN
  Amid Pedo Scandal
• Israel Orders 100 Million Eggs Due To Bird Flu Outbreak
  Eggs And Hens Must Be Destroyed To Contain The Outbreak
• Twitter Suspends mRNA Tech Inventor Dr. Robert Malone
  Ran Counter To Covid Narrative
• Life Expectancy In 2020 Fell 2.3% To 77 Years
  Does This Justify The Covid Panic?
  

On this day...

May 16

• 218 – Julia Maesa, aunt of the assassinated Caracalla, is banished to her home in Syria by the self-proclaimed emperor Macrinus and declares her 14-year-old grandson Elagabalus, emperor of Rome.
• 1770 – A 14-year-old Marie Antoinette marries 15-year-old Louis-Auguste who later becomes king of France.
• 1812 – Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov signs the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the Russo-Turkish War. Bessarabia is annexed by Imperial Russia.
• 1914 – The first ever National Challenge Cup final is played. Brooklyn Field Club defeats Brooklyn Celtic 2–1.
• 1969 – Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet space probe, lands on Venus.
• 1997 – Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire, flees the country.

• More anniversaries:
  • May 15
  • May 16
  • May 17

May 17

• 1869 – Imperial Japanese forces defeat the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Battle of Hakodate to end the Boshin War.
• 1933 – Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway.
• 1939 – The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the United States' first televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City.
• 1940 – World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium.
• 1967 – Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt.
• 1984 – Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend", sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.
• 2015 – At least 9 people are killed and 18 injured, some by law enforcement and others in gunfire exchanges, in a shootout between rival biker gangs in Waco, Texas.

• More anniversaries:
  • May 16
  • May 17
  • May 18

• 332 – Constantine the Great announced free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople.
• 1291 – Fall of Acre, the end of Crusader presence in the Holy Land
• 1804 – Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate.
• 1926 – Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears while visiting a Venice, California beach.
• 1927 – After being founded for 20 years, the Government of the Republic of China approves Tongji University to be among the first national universities of the Republic of China.
• 1956 – First ascent of Lhotse 8,516 meters, by a Swiss team.
• 1990 – In France, a modified TGV train achieves a new rail world speed record of 515.3 km/h (320.2 mph).

• More anniversaries:
  • May 17
  • May 18
  • May 19

Today's featured picture

Cypresses at Cagnes, an oil painting on canvas by the French neo-impressionist Henri-Edmond Cross. Cross (1856–1910) played an important role in shaping the second phase of the Neo-Impressionist movement. His later works, using broad, blocky brushstrokes with small areas of exposed bare canvas between the strokes, have been cited as precursors to Fauvism and Cubism.

Painting: Henri-Edmond Cross

Other areas of Infogalactic

• Community portal – A hub including featured content, mottos of the day, and more
• Galactic boardroom – An area for general discussion with fellow Galaxians