The most-visited English Wikipedia articles, updated daily. Learn more...
Billy McFarland (entrepreneur)
William McFarland (born c. 1991) is an entrepreneur and concert promoter convicted of defrauding investors of $27. 4 million. He was the founder and CEO of Fyre Media which promoted the Fyre Festival, a music festival that defrauded ticket buyers.
James Patrick Bulger (16 March 1990 – 12 February 1993) was a boy from Kirkby, Merseyside, England, who was abducted, tortured and killed by two young boys, Robert Thompson (born 23 August 1982) and Jon Venables (born 13 August 1982). Bulger was led away from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle whilst his mother took her eyes off him momentarily.
Kamala Devi Harris ( KAH-mə-lə; born October 20, 1964) is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States Senator for California since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the 32nd Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017, and as District Attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.
Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez (Spanish: [ɡaiˈðo]; born 28 July 1983) is a Venezuelan engineer and politician serving as the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela since 5 January 2019. A member of the centrist social-democratic Popular Will party, he also serves as a federal deputy representing the state of Vargas.
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer-songwriter, record producer and lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of popular music, and was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range. Mercury was born in Zanzibar to Parsi parents from India.
Andrew Phillip Cunanan (August 31 1969 – July 23, 1997) was an American spree killer who murdered at least five people, including Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace and Chicago real estate developer Lee Miglin, during a three-month period in mid-1997. Cunanan's string of murders ended on July 23 with his suicide by firearm.
Nicolás Maduro Moros (; Spanish: [nikoˈlas maˈduɾo ˈmoɾos]; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician who has served as the 46th President of Venezuela since 2013 and previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2013 and as Vice President of Venezuela from 2012 to 2013 under President Hugo Chávez.
Venezuela ( (listen) VEN-ə-ZWAYL-ə; American Spanish: [beneˈswela]), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and a large number of small islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. The capital and largest urban agglomeration is the city of Caracas.
Kenneth Cordele Griffin (born October 15, 1968) is an American investor, hedge fund manager, and philanthropist. He is the founder and chief executive of the global investment firm Citadel, founded in 1990. As of March 2015, Citadel is one of the world's largest alternative investment management firms with an estimated $25 billion in investment capital.
The following deaths of notable individuals occurred in 2019. Names are reported under the date of death, in alphabetical order by surname or pseudonym. A typical entry reports information in the following sequence: Name, age, country of citizenship at birth, subsequent nationality (if applicable), what subject was noted for, cause of death (if known), and reference.
Petra Kvitová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpɛtra ˈkvɪtovaː]; born 8 March 1990) is a Czech professional tennis player. Known for her powerful left-handed groundstrokes and variety, Kvitová turned professional in 2006 and has won 26 career singles titles, two of which are Grand Slam titles, the Wimbledon Championships in 2011 and in 2014. She also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The Masked Singer (U.S. TV series)
The Masked Singer is an American reality singing competition television series. The series premiered on Fox on January 2, 2019. It is based on the South Korean format King of Mask Singer. The show is hosted by Nick Cannon and features celebrities singing in head-to-toe costumes and face masks which conceal their identities from other contestants, the panelists, and the audience.
Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; née D'Alesandro; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician serving as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since January 2019. First elected to Congress in 1987, she is the only woman to have served as Speaker, and is the highest-ranking elected woman in United States history.
Government shutdowns in the United States
In United States politics, a government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass sufficient appropriation bills or continuing resolutions to fund federal government operations and agencies, or when the President refuses to sign such bills or resolutions into law.
Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (Italian: [ˈdʒanni verˈsaːtʃe]; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Versace, an international fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up, home furnishings, and clothes. He also designed costumes for theatre and films.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; Spanish: [oˈkasjo koɾˈtes]; born October 13, 1989), also known by the initialism AOC, is an American politician and activist. A member of the Democratic Party, she has been the U.S. Representative for New York's 14th congressional district since January 3, 2019. The district includes the eastern part of The Bronx and portions of north-central Queens in New York City.
Priyanka Gandhi (born 12 January 1972), also known by her married name Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is an Indian politician. She also serves as Trustee of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. She is the daughter of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, sister of Rahul Gandhi, and granddaughter of Feroze and Indira Gandhi, making her a member of the politically prominent Nehru-Gandhi family.
Roma is a 2018 drama film written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who also produced, co-edited and shot the film. A co-production of Mexico and the United States, it stars Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira. Set in 1970 and 1971, the film is a semi-autobiographical take on Cuarón's upbringing in Mexico City, and follows the life of a live-in housekeeper to a middle-class family.
The Taco Liberty Bell was an April Fool's Day joke played by fast food restaurant chain Taco Bell. On April 1, 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-page advertisement in seven leading U.S. newspapers announcing that the company had purchased the Liberty Bell to "reduce the country's debt" and renamed it the "Taco Liberty Bell".
2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
Venezuela has been experiencing a presidential crisis since 10 January 2019. The incumbent President Nicolás Maduro was declared president in the 2018 election; however, the results of that election were widely disputed.
Margaret Moran Cho (Hangul: 조모란; Hanja: 趙牡丹; born December 5, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, fashion designer, author, and singer-songwriter. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and sexuality.
"What Would Brian Boitano Do"? is a song from the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut written by South Park co-creator Trey Parker and composer Marc Shaiman. In the song, Olympic and professional figure skater Brian Boitano is treated lyrically as a superhero in a series of increasingly ludicrous situations.
Danielle Rose Collins (born December 13, 1993) is an American tennis player. She played collegiate tennis at the University of Virginia and won the NCAA singles title twice, 2014 and 2016, during her sophomore and senior years. Collins finished her career at Virginia in 2016 as the top-ranked collegiate player.
Elizabeth Anne Holmes (; born February 3, 1984) was the founder and former CEO of Theranos, a now-defunct company known for its false claims to have devised revolutionary blood tests that used very small amounts of blood. In 2015, Forbes named Holmes as the youngest and wealthiest self-made female billionaire in America due to a $9 billion valuation of Theranos.
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor and producer. He is known for playing the titular protagonist in the Harry Potter film series, based on the novels by J. K. Rowling. Born and raised in London, Radcliffe made his acting debut at 10 years of age in BBC One's 1999 television film David Copperfield, followed by his cinematic debut in 2001's The Tailor of Panama.
Sherri Evonne Shepherd (born April 22, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, author and television personality. She has appeared in several TV shows in recurring roles, and starred as Ramona Platt on the ABC sitcom Less than Perfect from 2002 to 2006, for which she was well received and was nominated for the BET Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2005.
The second season of the American web television series The Punisher, which is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, revolves around Frank Castle saving a girl from being murdered, forcing him to decide if he should embrace his life as the Punisher. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films and other television series of the franchise.
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He is one of only two players in NFL history to have won five Super Bowls, and he is the only player to have won them all with a single franchise.
Operation Pamphlet, also called Convoy Pamphlet, was a World War II convoy operation conducted during January and February 1943 to transport the 9th Australian Division home from Egypt. The convoy involved five transports, which were protected from Japanese warships by several Allied naval task forces during the trip across the Indian Ocean and along the Australian coast.
Amanda Marie Knox (born July 9, 1987) is an American woman who spent almost four years in an Italian prison following her conviction for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, a fellow exchange student who shared her apartment. In 2015, Knox was definitively acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation.
Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, and author. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight is known for the hits she recorded during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which also included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Edward Patten and William Guest.
Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (; born 31 December 1954) is a Scottish politician who served as the First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. He was the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) for over twenty years, having served for two terms, firstly from 1990 to 2000 and subsequently from 2004 to 2014.
2018–19 United States federal government shutdown
The second shutdown of the United States federal government in 2018, which has continued into January 2019, began at midnight EST on Saturday, December 22.
Royal Rumble (2019) is an upcoming professional wrestling pay-per-view event and WWE Network event produced by WWE for their Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brands. It will take place on January 27, 2019, at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. It will be the thirty-second event promoted under the Royal Rumble chronology.
Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American director, producer, and writer of film and television. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced or co-produced almost all of the films he has directed. Singer wrote and directed his first film in 1988 after graduating from university.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a 2018 biographical film about the British rock band Queen. It follows singer Freddie Mercury's life from his joining the band in 1970 to their Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium in 1985. The film is a British-American joint venture produced by 20th Century Fox, New Regency, GK Films, and Queen Films, with Fox serving as distributor.
Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion (), was an American rapper, singer and songwriter. A controversial figure within the hip hop industry, Onfroy has been regarded to have left behind "a huge musical footprint" due to his impact on his young fanbase and his popularity during his short career.
The 91st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), will honor the best films of 2018 and will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The ceremony will be held on February 24, 2019. During the ceremony, AMPAS will present Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories.
Roger Federer (German pronunciation: [ˈrɔdʒər ˈfeːdərər]; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 3 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles—the most in history for a male player—and has held the world No.
Lori Susan "Lolo" Jones (born August 5, 1982) is an American hurdler and bobsledder who specializes in the 60-meter and 100-meter hurdles. She won three NCAA titles and garnered 11 All-American honors while at Louisiana State University. She won indoor national titles in 2007, 2008, and 2009 in the 60-meter hurdles, with gold medals at the World Indoor Championship in 2008 and 2010.
The 2019 Australian Open is a Grand Slam tennis tournament that is taking place at Melbourne Park from 14 to 27 January 2019. It is the 107th edition of the Australian Open, the 51st in the Open Era, and the first Grand Slam of the year. The tournament consists of events for professional players in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
Harry Leroy Halladay III (May 14, 1977 – November 7, 2017), known commonly as Roy Halladay and often nicknamed "Doc", was an American professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies between 1998 and 2013. His nickname, coined by Toronto Blue Jays announcer Tom Cheek, was a reference to Wild West gunslinger Doc Holliday.
Black Hebrew Israelites (also called Black Hebrews, African Hebrew Israelites, and Hebrew Israelites) are groups of Black Americans who believe that they are descendants of the ancient Israelites. Black Hebrews adhere in varying degrees to the religious beliefs and practices of both Christianity and Judaism.
Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, writer, political activist, fitness guru, and former fashion model. She is the recipient of various accolades including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the AFI Life Achievement Award, and the Honorary Golden Lion.
Resident Evil 2 (2019 video game)
Resident Evil 2 is a survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. It is a remake of the 1998 game Resident Evil 2. Players control rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield as they attempt to escape from Raccoon City during a zombie apocalypse.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story is the second season of the FX true crime anthology television series American Crime Story. The season premiered on January 17, 2018, and concluded on March 21, 2018.
Sarah Catharine Paulson (born December 17, 1974) is an American actress, director, and producer. She has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 2017, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. A native of Tampa, Florida, Paulson was raised there and later in New York City following her parents' divorce.
Sean McVay (born January 24, 1986) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). Upon his hiring in 2017 at the age of 30, he became the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. He was the offensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins from 2014 to 2016.
The Favourite is a 2018 period comedy-drama film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. It is a co-production by producers in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Set in the early 18th century, the story examines the relationship between two cousins vying to be court favourites of Queen Anne.
YouTube, LLC is an American video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California. Three former PayPal employees—Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim—created the service in February 2005. Google bought the site in November 2006 for US$1. 65 billion; YouTube now operates as one of Google's subsidiaries.
Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714) was the Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland between 8 March 1702 and 1 May 1707. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, two of her realms, the kingdoms of England and Scotland, united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain. She continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death in 1714.
The Super Bowl is the annual American football game that determines the champion of the National Football League (NFL). The game culminates a season that begins in the previous calendar year, and is the conclusion of the NFL playoffs. The contest is held in an American city, chosen three to four years beforehand, usually at warm-weather sites or domed stadiums.
Ariana Grande-Butera (; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Florida to a family of New York-Italian origin, she began her career in 2008 in the Broadway musical 13, before playing the role of Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series Victorious (2010–2013) and in the spinoff Sam & Cat (2013–2014).
Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa (born August 1, 1979) is an American actor, writer, film producer, director and model. He is known for portraying Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with the 2016 superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and on in the 2017 ensemble Justice League and his 2018 solo film Aquaman.
Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. His lanky physique, thick moustache, deep and resonant voice, and Western drawl have led to frequent roles as cowboys and ranchers. His accolades include an Academy Award nomination, two Golden Globe Award nominations, two Primetime Emmy award nominations, and a National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Split is a 2016 American psychological horror thriller film and second instalment in the Unbreakable film series written, directed, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan and starring James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Betty Buckley. The film follows a man with 23 different personalities who kidnaps and imprisons three teenage girls in an isolated underground facility.
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. On 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India. Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III.
Kevin-Prince Boateng pronunciation (pronounced [ˈkɛvɪn pʁɪns bo. aˈtɛŋ]; born 6 March 1987), is a German-Ghanaian professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Barcelona on loan from Italian club Sassuolo. A midfielder who can also play as a forward, Boateng is known for his strength, footspeed and ball-juggling tricks.
Celebrity Big Brother 2 (U.S. season)
The second season of the American reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, also known as Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, will premiere on CBS on January 21, 2019 and conclude on February 13, 2019.
Unbreakable is a 2000 American superhero thriller film written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, alongside Robin Wright, Spencer Treat Clark, and Charlayne Woodard. It is the first installment in the Eastrail 177 Trilogy. In Unbreakable, a security guard named David Dunn survives a horrific train crash (the Eastrail 177).
List of agencies affected by the United States federal government shutdown of 2013
The following is a list of government agencies and operations affected by the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.