Al-Mustaʿlī biʾllāh (15/16 September 1074 – 1101) was the ninth Fatimid caliph and the nineteenth imam of Musta'li Ismailism. He became caliph through the machinations of his brother-in-law al-Afdal Shahanshah. In response, his oldest brother, Nizar, revolted in Alexandria; his defeat and execution split the Isma'ili movement. Al-Musta'li remained subordinate to al-Afdal, who was the de facto ruler of the Fatimid Caliphate. The Caliphate's territory in Egypt experienced good government and prosperity, but the Fatimids suffered setbacks in Syria, where they faced the advance of the Seljuk Turks. Al-Afdal recovered the port city of Tyre and recaptured Jerusalem in the turmoil caused by the arrival of the First Crusade. Despite Fatimid attempts to make common cause with the Crusaders against the Seljuks, the Crusaders advanced south and captured Jerusalem in July 1099 and defeated the Fatimid army at the Battle of Ascalon. Al-Musta'li died in 1101 and was succeeded by his son al-Amir. (Full article...)
... that during the Panic of 1907, the presidents of New York City's banks and trust companies were locked in the Pierpont Morgan Library(pictured)?
... that Olympic taekwondo practitioner Yahya Al-Ghotany picked up the sport "by chance" at a refugee camp?
... that the opera Christopher Columbus was written by its Jewish composer while fleeing persecution from Nazi Germany by sailing across the Atlantic?
... that The Invincible Dragon was filmed at the Macau police headquarters without permission, leading to the detention of the director and the lead actor?
... that David Gillespie became the chief surveyor of the United States boundary commission after the first surveyor was considered to be "insufferably arrogant"?
... that the creator of Ani ni Aisaresugite Komattemasu ensured a happy ending by not making the main characters blood relatives?
... that painter Mark Robert Harrison's brother died in a fire that broke out at one of Harrison's own exhibitions in 1846?
... that €40,000 of equipment and cash was stolen during the filming of the music video for "Cry Baby"?
... that to avoid COVID-19 rule breaches, officials had to discourage people from posting a leopard seal's location online?
Marilyn Monroe posing during filming for The Seven Year Itch
1462 – The Ottoman conquest of Lesbos ended upon the surrender of commander Niccolò Gattilusio; the conquering Mehmed II executed 300 Italian soldiers by chopping them in half, claiming he was fulfilling a promise to "spare their heads".
The head of the Bodleian Library, the main library at the University of Oxford in England, is known as Bodley's Librarian: both are named after the founder, Sir Thomas Bodley(pictured). Although Oxford had had a university library since about 1320, it had declined by the end of the 16th century, so Bodley offered in 1598 to restore it. The first Librarian, Thomas James, was selected in 1599, and the Bodleian opened in 1602. Bodley wanted the Librarian to be diligent, a linguist, unmarried and not a parish priest, although James persuaded him to dispense with the last two requirements. In all, 24 people have served as Bodley's Librarian, some less well than others, with John Price (who held the post from 1768 to 1813) accused of "a regular and constant neglect of his duty". The current Librarian, Sarah Thomas, was appointed in 2007; she is the first woman, and the first foreign librarian, to run the Bodleian. She said that when she saw the job description, "it was love at first sight". (more...)
Community portal – The central hub for editors, with resources, links, tasks, and announcements.
Village pump – Forum for discussions about Wikipedia itself, including policies and technical issues.
Site news – Sources of news about Wikipedia and the broader Wikimedia movement.
Teahouse – Ask basic questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
Help desk – Ask questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
Reference desk – Ask research questions about encyclopedic topics.
Content portals – A unique way to navigate the encyclopedia.
Wikipedia's sister projects
Wikipedia is written by volunteer editors and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other volunteer projects: