Wikipedia:Did you know archive
Archive page of the Main Page Did you know section
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a record of material that was featured on the Main Page as part of Did you know (DYK). Recently created new articles, greatly expanded former stub articles and recently promoted good articles are eligible; you can submit them for consideration.
Archives are generally grouped by month of Main Page appearance. (Currently, DYK hooks are archived according to the date and time that they were taken off the Main Page.) To find which archive contains the fact that appeared on Did you know, go to the article's talk page and follow the archive link in the DYK talk page message box or the Article Milestones box.
Did you know...
19 May 2026
- 00:00, 19 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that a library of religion and science in Tennessee (pictured) never opened to the public?
- ... that the 2020 series finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars brought back the actor who played Darth Maul in Phantom Menace in 1999 to perform a fight scene?
- ... that Byzantine archers hoisted at the ships' masts during the siege of Panormus were elevated above the city walls and caused its Gothic garrison to surrender?
- ... that Edward Hopper painted flowers just once in a major work, dismissing them as fit only for "lady painters"?
- ... that teenage vocalist Alda Risma won Best Pop Female Solo Artist at the Indonesian Music Awards for her debut album?
- ... that Domino's reported what at the time was its biggest day of sales during O. J. Simpson's white Bronco chase?
- ... that Frederick McAlpine called his own party a "Pinocchio government"?
- ... that the Nik-O-Lok Company installed coin-operated locks on an estimated 40,000 toilet stalls before the Committee to End Pay Toilets in America got them banned?
- ... that children smoked their priest off his pulpit before Christ Church was completed?
18 May 2026
- 00:00, 18 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that The Park (pictured) by Gustav Klimt has been interpreted as producing a sense of anxiety in the viewer despite its "apparently innocent depiction of a park"?
- ... that Tray Wellington was a part of the black reclamation of banjo music?
- ... that, on the fourth anniversary of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a video address showing the bunker in which he told the US that he needed ammunition, not a ride?
- ... that Pamela Ball was prouder of her mathematics degrees than of being the first Jamaican woman to be a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England?
- ... that Frank DeAngelis, the former principal of Columbine High School, wrote in his book that he recites the names of the victims of the Columbine High School massacre every day?
- ... that a contract for building the Boracay Bridge was awarded despite opposition from the local municipality, the Ati people, and the Archbishop of Capiz?
- ... that Cifelliodon is estimated to have been as large as a hare at a time when most other mammaliaforms were shrew- and mouse-sized?
- ... that a test of the Spadina subway line took 3.5 hours and used a diesel locomotive because electrical workers were on strike?
- ... that Jordan Hadaway was the youngest manager in Welsh senior football at the age of 18?
17 May 2026
- 00:00, 17 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that architect Walter Neuhäusser designed several shell structures, including a cemetery hall in Schupbach (pictured)?
- ... that, during the Byzantine attempt to capture Salona, Mundus led a grief-driven attack that routed the Goths after his son was killed on a reconnaissance mission, but also died while pursuing them?
- ... that Edith Maryon's 1910 sculpture Meditation was made in at least three media?
- ... that in 2026 India became the first team to win two consecutive Men's T20 World Cup finals?
- ... that a 19th-century Chinese poem exploring gay and lesbian relationships is 1.8 million words long?
- ... that Ipong Muchlissoni, Sri Wahyuni, and their son all unsuccessfully ran for election to the House of Representatives of Indonesia in 2024?
- ... that Eugenia is the only Mexico City Metro station to be named after a Mexican woman?
- ... that an Angry Birds game is based on the Star Wars prequel trilogy?
- ... that "I" won an award for best collaboration in 2015?
16 May 2026
- 01:38, 16 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that the tallest onshore wind turbine in England (pictured) is owned by the community of Lawrence Weston?
- ... that a pulp mill was fined by the state of Washington for its greenhouse gas emissions, even though it had been closed for the past two years?
- ... that the Crusader castle of Smar Jbeil was built atop a Roman-period necropolis?
- ... that "tank-resembling" Bubo Barnett was "unstopped by anything but a pastry window"?
- ... that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that plans for a New York City office tower could be rejected?
- ... that William Bramwell Smith Jr. composed music for the presidential inauguration of John F. Kennedy?
- ... that the camp song "Little Sir Echo" has been recorded in big-band, punk, country, and French versions, and from performances by Jerry Lewis and the Wiggles?
- ... that an Idaho TV station warned businesses, "The rumors of our going dark are not unfounded"?
- ... that Henry Patenson threw rocks at aggravating courtiers while at the Holy Roman Emperor's court?
15 May 2026
- 00:00, 15 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that Nancy Chitera (pictured) leads a university whose commercial subsidiaries plan to manufacture tractors and commence gold mining in Malawi?
- ... that an Ibadi mosque in Temezda, Libya, was originally a Byzantine church?
- ... that "We Are Charlie Kirk" was ranked as the worst song of 2025 by the magazine Paste?
- ... that writer and composer Stanley Kimmel survived the sinking of SS Antilles after it was attacked by a German submarine?
- ... that Danquah Circle was named in honor of J. B. Danquah, one of Ghana's Big Six?
- ... that sailors in Britain and its colonies used gunpowder to ink their sailor tattoos?
- ... that Tim Birkhead wrote a book about bird's eggs after watching a presenter spin an egg on television?
- ... that chocolatieres were among the gifts brought by the 1686 Siamese embassy to France?
14 May 2026
- 00:00, 14 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that, on some days during the Bolt Creek fire (smoke pictured), IQAir ranked the air quality in the Seattle area as among the worst in the world?
- ... that the first victim of spree killer Andrew Cunanan was interviewed on CBS News in 1993 to share his opinion on the proposed "don't ask, don't tell" policy?
- ... that the underperformance of the liberalized telephone system was a major issue in the 2001 Liechtenstein general election?
- ... that Arena Football League coach Joe Haering once punched the league's president?
- ... that the French state was found guilty of negligence after the Thomas family murders?
- ... that the novel We Cast a Shadow has been called an allegory for the struggles of marginalized people in America?
- ... that Metacritic promised stricter moderation tools after Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores faced a coordinated review bombing campaign over an optional same-sex kiss?
- ... that Indonesian diplomat Sulaiman Binol reportedly received his posting in Tokyo due to his wife's lobbying?
- ... that a filler episode may not be considered filler?
13 May 2026
- 00:00, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that the Yaxté totem pole (detail pictured) has survived being shot at, set on fire, and pecked by woodpeckers?
- ... that a private WeChat group coordinated harassment against a Chinese diver, including a rule that banned personal attacks on everyone except her?
- ... that a rights dispute meant that two different actors played Quicksilver in two competing film franchises at the same time?
- ... that the 1994 video game Apocalypse, about combat helicopter operations, also involves transporting medical personnel and evacuating the wounded?
- ... that Momoko Seto said that she received her first voice-acting role after only four months of training?
- ... that a rare plant blocked Ballymun United from building more pitches?
- ... that gay rights activist Sergey Androsenko sued the Belarusian government over his arrest and beating at the 2010 Minsk Pride?
- ... that the lead actor of Cold War 1994 said he almost got hit by a plane during its filming?
12 May 2026
- 00:00, 12 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that the sobaity seabream (example pictured) is associated with celebrations in the Persian Gulf region?
- ... that actor Éric Bernard was advised not to hold hands with his husband at the Cannes Film Festival to avoid damaging possible roles as a straight man?
- ... that the Punisher skull has been adopted as an unofficial emblem by real-world police departments and far-right activists?
- ... that Constantinianus, a trusted adviser to Emperor Justinian I, investigated plots against him?
- ... that five different disorders have been identified as forms of POLR3-related leukodystrophy?
- ... that Benjamin Karim introduced Malcolm X at the event at which he was assassinated?
- ... that the Indonesian women's magazine Ummi dealt with issues such as dress, food, jewellery, contraceptives, and accepting sons' jihad?
- ... that "Will Play on the Beat" is the only Pakistan Super League anthem to have no opening ceremony?
- ... that fans of a fictional moving statue have nicknamed it "Peanut"?
11 May 2026
- 00:00, 11 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that the Perth County Courthouse (pictured) was built after a judge refused to hold hearings in its predecessor building?
- ... that two films by Chaerul Umam – Ketika Cinta Bertasbih and its sequel – were the first to be labelled halal by the Indonesian Ulama Council?
- ... that the novel The Poison of Polygamy was rediscovered almost a century after its publication by a researcher studying early Chinese-language Australian newspapers?
- ... that the science-fiction novel Finity was praised by reviewers as an "adventure of ideas", with inventive use of virtual reality and parallel-world concepts despite its thin plot?
- ... that the vodka brand Zirkova raised funds for Ukraine after the Russian invasion, and brought its master distiller to Canada to continue production?
- ... that Albert Einstein debated the nature of time with the "most famous philosopher" alive in 1922?
- ... that Indonesian military leader Moergito banned the production of machetes in East Java shortly after the government ordered twenty thousand of them?
- ... that, under Michigan case law, doctors are not always liable for giving blood transfusions to Jehovah's Witnesses who have explicitly refused them?
- ... that Jay Som created "1 Billion Dogs"?
10 May 2026
- 00:00, 10 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that Amanda Coulson (pictured) worked full-time as an emergency dispatcher during her career as an amateur boxer?
- ... that the author of one of the first studies of Indigenous Australian literature only arrived in Australia as a doctoral student?
- ... that a funerary inscription from Campania commemorates a Jerusalem-born woman, likely enslaved during the First Jewish–Roman War, who died at the age of 25?
- ... that Fidel Sánchez Hernández, the president of El Salvador, personally commanded troops during the 1969 Football War?
- ... that the 1935 Free City of Danzig parliamentary election was seen as a setback for the Nazi Party, even though it won an absolute majority of seats?
- ... that Yasuko Agawa was so sought after that she would sing at "five different jazz clubs in a single night"?
- ... that Crawley Town F.C. reached the 2024 League Two play-off final by winning their semi-final with an aggregate score of 8–1, the largest margin in EFL play-off history?
- ... that a Mexican government agency paid suppliers in full upfront, then deliberately avoided requesting delivery of the goods?
- ... that winners of the Ig Nobel Prize are silenced by an eight-year-old girl repeating "Please stop. I'm bored" if their acceptance speeches go on for too long?
9 May 2026
- 00:00, 9 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that the U.S. Supreme Court and Grover Cleveland presided over the centennial celebration of the federal judiciary of the United States at the Lenox Lyceum (pictured) in 1890?
- ... that the oldest known sexually reproducing organism emerged during the Stenian period?
- ... that György Kurtág dedicated his second opera, Die Stechardin, to his wife Márta and attended its premiere a day after turning 100?
- ... that Abdulhussain Abdulredha was nearly assassinated for his depiction of Saddam Hussein in Saif al-Arab?
- ... that the City University of New York's SEEK program was funded after Black New York state legislators demanded it in exchange for supporting the re-election of the state assembly speaker?
- ... that golfer Hannah Green helped Australia win the International Crown for the first time?
- ... that Pier Paolo Pasolini used recordings of Romanian ritual songs to the dead as on-screen music in his film Oedipus Rex?
- ... that Hise Austin was working as a substitute teacher when he signed to play for an NFL team?
- ... that explosives were used in an attempt to aid salmon in Salt Creek?
8 May 2026
- 00:00, 8 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that Manon Bannerman (pictured) thought that an invitation to audition for Katseye was a scam?
- ... that early travelers across Snoqualmie Pass needed to cross the South Fork Snoqualmie River seventeen times?
- ... that a red triangle used in support of Palestine has been connected with both the flag of Palestine and Nazi concentration-camp badges?
- ... that Ben Kilham, a pioneering rehabilitator of American black bears, would get on his hands and knees to teach orphaned cubs what foods to eat?
- ... that a review of a 2019 film wrote that its use of Vanilla Car made it "feel haunted by the shadow of the sex industry"?
- ... that, according to Ezra Pound, it would take at least a week for a translator to do the first line of Horace's fourth ode justice?
- ... that a robot presented flowers to a duchess before complimenting her hat during a royal tour of California?
- ... that a Northern Irish playwright had to supplement her income by making jewellery despite winning a US$150,000 literature prize?
- ... that you can reach Equilibrium by travelling to Tai Seng?
7 May 2026
- 00:00, 7 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that a monument in Szczecin, Poland (pictured), consists of a spirit duplicator encased in desiccated glycerol?
- ... that, during the Middle Ages, cameline sauce was thickened with bread, almonds, eggs, or chicken livers?
- ... that Carl Grillmair, a Canadian astrophysicist at Caltech, discovered water on multiple exoplanets?
- ... that the Tumʔi language of South Africa was only remembered by two people as of 2023?
- ... that Josh LaRocca was signed and then released by the Denver Broncos in 1996, again in 1997, and then for a third time in 1998?
- ... that the Honkai: Star Rail character Robin's songs were used to raise awareness about hearing loss?
- ... that Prince Ramón and Princess Ermesinda lured their brother the king onto a hunting trip and pushed him off a cliff?
- ... that the Byzantine general Belisarius convinced the Goths to surrender their capital by tricking them into thinking he would become the emperor?
- ... that the Norwegian Red Cross started a blood-donation campaign targeting football fans through their teams' rivalries?
6 May 2026
- 00:00, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that ZTF J1239+8347 (pictured) consists of two brown dwarfs orbiting so closely that material flows between them?
- ... that actor and designer Rollo Peters helped transform a barn into a professional theater?
- ... that The Shikoku Shimbun, which published numerous articles about video game addiction, also published an advertisement that says "don't just study, play some games"?
- ... that the Genshin Impact character Gaming was used to promote the art of lion dancing in China?
- ... that a Kanye West song originally titled "Gas Chambers" made the UK and US charts in April 2026?
- ... that Shlomo Erell participated in an attack on Hitler's yacht before being appointed the commander of the Israeli Navy?
- ... that The Behavior of Law argues that people of higher social status are more likely to use the law than people of lower status?
- ... that "Today is the first time I have seen snow falling" were the last words written by a raja of Kolhapur in his diary?
- ... that the Three Rivers Museum holds an annual event titled "Polar Express Pajama Party"?
5 May 2026
- 00:00, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that the Iron Gate (pictured), the only surviving ancient arch dam, still does its job?
- ... that contrary to folklore, Queen Victoria did not choose Ottawa as the seat of government of Canada by putting her finger at random on a map?
- ... that a bikeway was criticized by motorists, a labor union, local vendors, and sex workers?
- ... that the first thing Makmur Widodo did upon arriving in Ohio was to purchase a pair of jeans, a red shirt, and a cowboy hat?
- ... that a Wookiee holiday first depicted in the Star Wars Holiday Special was commemorated at Disney's theme parks 44 years later?
- ... that Rome fell in 550 to besieging Gothic forces because some of its defenders had not been paid?
- ... that the artists behind Dakota station's public artwork intended to create a "visual time capsule"?
- ... that Ruth Higgins is the first woman appointed to serve as Solicitor-General of Australia?
- ... that, in a Chinese bootleg DVD of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are part of the "Hopeless Situation Presbyterians"?
4 May 2026
- 00:00, 4 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that, according to Sallust, Fulvia revealed the details of the Catilinarian conspiracy to Cicero (event pictured)?
- ... that the Manuscript Society of New York provided opportunities to women composers at a time when such support was rarely found elsewhere?
- ... that Betbunia is Bangladesh's first ground station?
- ... that La Estrella, Spain, became a ghost town in 2023, after its final two permanent inhabitants moved away?
- ... that Roosevelt Blackmon went from college water boy to NFL player?
- ... that a sacking meant that a Race Across the World series 6 spin-off announced its host with hours to spare?
- ... that, while Akilagpa Sawyerr was a law student in London, he petitioned the Privy Council on behalf of men sentenced to death in South Africa's Zulu Rebellion?
- ... that a 19th-century Chinese newspaper helped to establish a cemetery for courtesans?
- ... that Lin-Manuel Miranda showed Hannah Cruz a tunnel to her husband?
3 May 2026
- 00:00, 3 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that The Luck of Cumberland (pictured), designed by Herbert Maryon and executed by the Keswick School of Industrial Art, is made of more than 200 ounces of solid silver?
- ... that Roy Waldo Miner extracted about forty tons of coral from the Andros Barrier Reef to build a museum diorama?
- ... that the Waahine Toa paintings were criticised as unfashionable when first exhibited in the 1980s, but are now considered iconic in New Zealand art?
- ... that NFL player Valentin Senn used to play the trumpet in the Swarovski Orchestra?
- ... that B. S. Johnson based an autobiographical novel on his three-week voyage on a fishing trawler?
- ... that Liz Stooke worked as a receptionist at the London Drama School before becoming an actress?
- ... that the North Carolina radio stations WCBQ and WHNC were fined by a federal judge for broadcasting songs without a license?
- ... that animators for Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds studied polar bears and red pandas for machine movements, and mixed synthetic noises with walrus and seal grunts for their vocalisations?
- ... that Thomas Brassey paid his workers with illegal tokens while building the Potters Bar Tunnel?
2 May 2026
- 00:00, 2 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that a brewery was responsible for commissioning Philadelphia's Grand Opera House (pictured)?
- ... that Seraphina Beh landed a role on EastEnders after a producer saw her perform in Pigeon English?
- ... that a 1920s Muslim women's magazine highlighted women in the Philippines as examples of modern womanhood?
- ... that photographs of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine were arranged to form a mosaic image of Vasily Vereshchagin's The Apotheosis of War on Russia 200's website?
- ... that an anime ending sequence by Vivinos, featuring a song from Karen Matsumoto and Haruka Sakuraba's unit PiKi, was compared to a "snowglobe that swirls with pink glitter"?
- ... that Richard Nixon ordered the FBI to investigate the killing of Joetha Collier after civil rights activist Aaron Henry telegraphed him about the incident?
- ... that an advertisement featuring the Invisible Woman from Marvel Rivals was found in breach of advertising ethics by the Ad Standards Community Panel in Australia?
- ... that some universities in Brazil have quotas for transgender people?
- ... that archaeologists found the papyri of Menches wrapped around mummified crocodiles?
1 May 2026
- 00:00, 1 May 2026 (UTC)
- ... that a manicule (pictured) in a manuscript of Cicero's Paradoxa Stoicorum had its fingers stretched to cover the full length of a passage?
- ... that by the time she met Queen Elizabeth II, Ann Dallas was amongst the last surviving members of the Kirkcudbright Artists' Colony?
- ... that Yamada's Choreographic Symphony "Maria Magdalena" is based on a ballet that couldn't be set due to religious concerns?
- ... that Bunny Vosters and her daughter Gretchen Vosters Spruance had a winning streak that lasted over 15 years?
- ... that Sancha of Aragon took custody of her nephew Rodrigo after her release from papal imprisonment by agreement with his mother, Lucrezia Borgia?
- ... that Danny Brown titled his album Stardust after contemplating on his failure to collaborate with the musician Sophie?
- ... that the artworks of I Witness Silwan cover more than 610 metres (2,000 ft) of walling?
- ... that judge Violet Chipao's cases involving Malawian government ministers were stopped by the Director of Public Prosecutions?
- ... that a British newspaper paid $140,000 for a photograph of a photo taken by Jeffrey Epstein?