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.
October 26
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The Babylonian captivity, or Babylonian exile, was a period in Jewish history during the 6th century BCE when thousands of Judeans from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were deported to Babylonia. A major deportation occurred in 597 BCE, following the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II, with further expulsions after the destruction of the city and Solomon's Temple in 587 BCE. In the aftermath of the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great permitted the exiles to return to Judah, although many remained in Mesopotamia. The exile had a significant influence on the development of Judaism and is recounted in detail in the Hebrew Bible. This 1896 gouache painting on board by James Tissot, titled The Flight of the Prisoners, depicts the exile of the Jews from Judea to Babylon. The painting is now in the Jewish Museum in New York City. Painting credit: James Tissot
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October 25
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Khao Phing Kan is an island in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand, part of the Ao Phang Nga National Park. Together with the nearby limestone islet Ko Ta Pu, it is popularly known as James Bond Island, following its appearance in the 1974 film The Man with the Golden Gun. This photograph, taken in Phang Nga Bay in 2013, shows Ko Ta Pu in the centre, with its distinctive shape formed by erosion. Part of Khao Phing Kan is visible on the right of the photograph, and the neighbouring island of Ko Raya Ring on the left. Photograph credit: Diego Delso
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October 24
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Thomson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) is a species of antelope native to the grasslands and savannas of Kenya and Tanzania. It is named after Scottish explorer Joseph Thomson. It stands 60–70 centimetres tall at the shoulder and has a sandy-brown coat, a black stripe along each flank, and a white rump. Thomson's gazelles feed primarily on grasses, supplementing their diet with leaves and seeds during dry periods. They can reach speeds of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph), evading predators such as cheetahs through rapid changes of direction. Although classified as a least-concern species, their populations have declined substantially because of habitat modification and other threats. This male Thomson's gazelle was photographed in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Photograph credit: Diego Delso
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October 23
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Man with a Movie Camera is a 1929 Soviet experimental silent documentary film written and directed by Dziga Vertov. Filmed over around three years, the film depicts urban life in Moscow, Kiev and Odessa, with some scenes also filmed in Kharkov. Initially criticised for its experimentation and emphasis on form over content, the film is now highly regarded, ranking ninth in the 2022 Sight & Sound critics' poll of the greatest films ever made. Film credit: Dziga Vertov
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October 22
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12P/Pons–Brooks is a Halley-type comet with an orbital period of about 71 years. It was discovered by French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons in 1812 and independently rediscovered by William Robert Brooks during its next return in 1883. Earlier recorded appearances of the comet have been identified in observations dating to 1385 and 1457. One of the brighest-known periodic comets, its most recent apparition was in 2023–2024, during which numerous outbursts were observed and it reached an apparent magnitude of about 3.8. This photograph of 12P/Pons–Brooks was taken in March 2024. Photograph credit: Taavi Niittee / Tõrva Astronomy Club
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October 21
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The upland goose (Chloephaga picta) is a species of sheldgoose in the family Anatidae. It is native to southern South America and the Falkland Islands, nesting and breeding in grasslands and coastal meadows, generally near water. It feeds mainly on leaves, stems and seeds. The species displays pronounced sexual dimorphism: males have white heads and breasts with black legs, while females have reddish-brown heads, barred breasts and yellow-orange legs. Two subspecies are recognised: the smaller C. p. picta of mainland South America and the larger C. p. leucoptera of the Falkland Islands. Continental populations have declined, while insular populations are considered stable. This upland goose was photographed in El Calafate, Argentina. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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October 20
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The Fog Warning is an oil painting on canvas completed in 1885 by the American artist Winslow Homer. It is one of several works in which Homer depicts the dangerous lives of fishermen in Maine. The painting depicts a lone fisherman in a dory who has caught several halibut, rowing towards his ship as a bank of fog approaches. The catch weighs down his boat, while increasingly rough seas make his return more difficult. The work is now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Painting credit: Winslow Homer
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October 19
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Edmund Beecher Wilson (October 19, 1856 – March 3, 1939) was a pioneering American zoologist and geneticist. He wrote one of the most influential textbooks in modern biology, The Cell, and is credited as America's first cell biologist. He discovered the chromosomal XY sex-determination system in 1905. This photograph shows Wilson at Bryn Mawr College c. 1890. Photograph credit: unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden
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October 18
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Lithobius forficatus, commonly known as the garden centipede, the brown centipede or the stone centipede, is a species of centipede in the family Lithobiidae, found in Europe and North America. Adults have fifteen pairs of legs, while juveniles hatch with seven pairs and acquire additional pairs as they molt. A fast-moving predator, L. forficatus feeds on insects and other invertebrates, using venom-bearing modified front legs to subdue its prey. Although venomous, the species is harmless to humans. This L. forficatus centipede was photographed in Grunewald, in Berlin, Germany. Photograph credit: Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas
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October 17
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Alexander Gardner (October 17, 1821 – December 10, 1882) was a photographer best known for his photographs of the American Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. Born in Paisley, Scotland, he emigrated to the United States in 1856 and worked for photographer Mathew Brady before establishing his own studio in Washington, D.C. Gardner photographed the aftermath of major battles, including Antietam and Gettysburg, producing some of the earliest widely seen images of battlefield casualties. His two-volume Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the Civil War appeared in 1866. He also photographed Lincoln and documented the execution of four conspirators convicted following his assassination. This photograph of Gardner was taken by his brother James in 1863, and this albumen silver print is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution. Photograph credit: James Gardner; restored by Adam Cuerden
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October 16
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Windsor City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The mayor's office and Windsor City Council are housed in the main building at 350 City Hall Square West, while additional city services are located in an adjacent building at 400 City Square East in downtown Windsor. The building was designed by Moriyama & Teshima Architects and was completed in 2018 at a cost of CA$30 million. Photograph credit: Chris Woodrich
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October 15
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St. Teresa of Avila Church is a Catholic church in Bodega, California, United States. Built by shipbuilders in 1860 on land donated by Jasper O'Farrell, it is named after Spanish mystic and saint Teresa of Ávila and was dedicated in 1861. The wooden building was enlarged in 1872 by cutting it in half and constructing a new section between the two ends. Designated a California Historical Landmark, the church was the subject of a 1953 black-and-white photograph by Ansel Adams and also appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film The Birds. Photograph credit: Frank Schulenburg
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October 14
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The white-booted racket-tail (Ocreatus underwoodii) is a species in the hummingbird family, Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, where it inhabits humid forests and forest edges, most commonly at elevations of 1,600 to 2,200 metres (5,200 to 7,200 ft). The species shows pronounced sexual dimorphism: males have elongated outer tail feathers with bare shafts ending in distinctive oval flags, while both sexes have white leg puffs. It feeds primarily on nectar, but also catches small insects in flight. The female lays two eggs in a tiny cup nest constructed from plant fibres and lichen. This male white-booted racket-tail of the subspecies O. u. melanantherus was photographed in Refugio Paz de las Aves, a nature reserve in Ecuador, showing its green plumage and racket-shaped tail feathers while in flight. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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October 13
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The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale in the rorqual family, Balaenopteridae. It is found in oceans worldwide and migrates thousands of kilometres between polar feeding grounds and tropical breeding areas. The adult humpback can weigh up to 40 tonnes and typically measures 14–15 metres (46–49 ft) in length, with longer individuals up to 17 metres (56 ft) recorded. Distinguished by its unusually long pectoral fins and tubercles on its head, the humpback is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, as well as the complex songs produced by males, lasting up to 33 minutes. It feeds mainly on krill and small fish, sometimes using cooperative bubble-net feeding techniques. Driven close to extinction by commercial whaling, the species has recovered substantially since the 1960s, although entanglement in fishing gear and ship collisions remain significant threats. This humpback whale with calf was photographed off Moʼorea, an island in French Polynesia. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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October 12
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The assassination of Inejirō Asanuma took place at Hibiya Public Hall in Tokyo, Japan, on 12 October 1960. Asanuma, the chairman of the Japan Socialist Party, was delivering a televised election speech when the 17-year-old ultranationalist Otoya Yamaguchi rushed onto the stage and stabbed him with a wakizashi, a traditional Japanese short sword. Asanuma suffered a punctured aorta and died en route to hospital. Yamaguchi was arrested at the scene, but hanged himself in detention three weeks later. The assassination sparked widespread protests and weakened the Socialist Party. This photograph, capturing Yamaguchi attempting to make a second stab of Asanuma, was taken by Yasushi Nagao of the Mainichi Shimbun and won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Photography. Photograph credit: Yasushi Nagao
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October 11
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The Nintendo Switch 2 is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released in most regions in 2025. The successor to the Nintendo Switch, it retains the earlier console's hybrid design, allowing it to be used as a handheld device or connected to an external display. It features a 7.9-inch (20 cm) liquid-crystal display, increased processing power and storage, and redesigned controllers. This photograph shows a pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers detached from the console. They feature redesigned shoulder buttons, analog sticks and magnetic attachment mechanisms, which replace the original Switch's rail system. The controllers can also function as computer mice by sliding them across a surface. Photograph credit: Chris Woodrich
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October 10
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The Palau fruit dove (Ptilinopus pelewensis) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. Endemic to Palau, it is the country's national bird and is common throughout the islands. It measures 23–25 cm (9–10 in) in length and has a grey head, neck and breast, a purple cap, an orange band across the lower breast and belly, and olive-green upperparts. Males and females are similar in appearance. Once reduced by hunting, its population recovered following protection, and the species is now considered common. It is classified as least concern by the IUCN. This Palau fruit dove was photographed on Palau's Rock Islands. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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October 9
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The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex in Granada, Spain, and the only well-preserved palace of the medieval Islamic world. Construction began in 1238 under Muhammad I of Granada, founder of the Nasrid dynasty, and later rulers continued to expand the site. Its major surviving palaces, including the Comares Palace and Palace of the Lions, largely date from the 14th century and feature elaborate stucco and tile decoration. After the Christian conquest of Granada in 1492, the complex became a royal palace and was subsequently altered. Today the Alhambra is a major tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photograph credit: Kim Hansen
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October 8
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Hermann Castle is a medieval fortress in Narva, Estonia, overlooking the river Narva on the border with Russia. Originating as a Danish border stronghold in the 13th century, it was initially built of wood and the town of Narva developed around it. In 1346, the castle passed to the Livonian Order, which completed the Hermann Tower, following the construction of Ivangorod Fortress by Muscovite Russia on the opposite bank of the river in 1492. In the 16th century, the Livonian Order reinforced the town's walls and gates and adapted several towers for use as cannon emplacements, two of which survive in reconstructed form in the castle's western court. This photograph shows Hermann Castle from across the river in 2022. Photograph credit: A.Savin
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October 7
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Tripedalia cystophora is a species of box jellyfish in the family Tripedaliidae. It is native to the Caribbean Sea and the central Indo-Pacific. Its translucent yellowish-brown, box-shaped bell measures about 1 cm (0.4 in) across, with three tentacles extending from each corner. It inhabits shallow waters and is known to feed on the copepod Dioithona oculata. The jellyfish has four rhopalia, each bearing six eyes of four different types. Using visual cues, it can avoid obstacles and remain within sunlit patches of water where its prey congregates. It hunts by slowly sinking through the water with its tentacles spread to snare its prey. Photograph credit: Jan Bielecki, Alexander K. Zaharoff, Nicole Y. Leung, Anders Garm and Todd H. Oakley; edited by Ruthven
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October 6
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Thomas Mundy Peterson (October 6, 1824 – February 4, 1904) was a resident of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, who has been claimed to be the first African American to vote in an election under the provisions of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. His vote was cast on March 31, 1870; the Amendment had been ratified almost two months earlier, on February 3, but was only officially certified by Secretary of State Hamilton Fish on March 30. To honor him as the first African-American voter after the passage of the 15th Amendment, in 1884, the citizens of Perth Amboy raised $70 ($2500 in 2024 dollars) to award him with a medal, consisting of a gold bar from which a medallion depicting Abraham Lincoln was hung. This photograph shows Peterson in 1884, wearing his medal. Photograph credit: William R. Tobias; restored by Adam Cuerden
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October 5
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Bukharan Jews are a Mizrahi Jewish community originating in Central Asia, predominantly in what is now Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. They traditionally spoke Bukharian, a Judeo-Persian language closely related to Tajik. Jewish communities existed in Central Asia from at least the early medieval period, and Bukharan Jews later developed a distinct identity from Iranian Jewry. From the 1870s they began migrating to Jerusalem, where they established the Bukharan Quarter. Since the late Soviet period, most have emigrated to Israel, the United States and elsewhere, although small numbers remain in Central Asia. This photograph shows a group of Bukharan Jewish children and their teacher in Samarkand, present-day Uzbekistan, around 1910. It was produced by photographer Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky as part of his work to document the Russian Empire from 1909 to 1915. Photograph credit: Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky
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October 4
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Michael Mullen (born 4 October 1946) is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the 17th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he commanded three ships and the U.S. Second Fleet before becoming vice chief of naval operations in 2003 and chief of naval operations in 2005. As chairman, Mullen was the highest-ranking officer in the United States Armed Forces. He was present in the White House Situation Room during the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. This 2007 official photograph shows Mullen in his role as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Photograph credit: United States Department of Defense
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October 3
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Engaged is a three-act farcical comic play by W. S. Gilbert. The plot involves a rich young man, his search for a wife, and the attempts – from mercenary motives – by his uncle to encourage his marriage and by his best friend to prevent it. The play opened at Haymarket Theatre on 3 October 1877 and was well received in London and then in the British provinces, the US and Australasia. Revived many times, it has been called "the finest and funniest English comedy between Bulwer-Lytton's Money [1840] and Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest [1895], which it directly inspired". This poster, published by H. A. Thomas in New York, was created for the first American production of Engaged in 1879. Artwork credit: Victor Arnold; restored by Adam Cuerden
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October 2
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City of Workers is a 1920 oil-on-canvas painting by German artist Hans Baluschek. It depicts a working-class sector of Berlin, with workers' homes in the background beneath a smoke-filled industrial skyline. Railway tracks dominate the foreground, and in the lower left corner there is a dark figure on a train car, facing away from the viewer. Baluschek, a member of the Berlin Secession, depicted cityscapes frequently in his work, highlighting their contradictory beauty and despair. City of Workers has been in the collection of the Milwaukee Art Museum since 2010. Painting credit: Hans Baluschek
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October 1
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The grey-cheeked fulvetta (Alcippe morrisonia) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae, the laughingthrushes. Endemic to Taiwan, it is a common year-round resident found in montane forests and other upland habitats across the island. Measuring about 14 centimetres (5.5 in) in length, it has brown upperparts, buff underparts and a predominantly grey head, with a conspicuous white eye-ring and narrow dark crown stripes. It readily joins mixed-species flocks, often acting as a nucleus species around which other birds congregate. It was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863. This grey-cheeked fulvetta was photographed in Xindian District in New Taipei City. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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September 30
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Stongdey is a village in the Zanskar valley in Ladakh, India, situated on the right bank of the Zanskar River, about 18 km (11 mi) northeast of Padum. Stongdey and the neighbouring village of Kumik had a combined population of 914 in the 2011 census. The local economy is largely agrarian, with snowmelt-fed irrigation compensating for the region's low precipitation. The villages have schools, electricity and mobile-phone service. Stongdey Monastery, founded in 1052, overlooks the village and is Zanskar's second-largest monastic institution. This photograph shows Stongdey from the northeast, with the Zanskar Range in the background. Photograph credit: Timothy A. Gonsalves
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September 29
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Enrico Fermi (29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian-American physicist who was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics. He created the world's first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and is one of 16 scientists who have elements named after them. One of the few physicists to excel in both theoretical and experimental work, he made significant contributions to quantum theory, statistical mechanics, and nuclear and particle physics. He helped formulate Fermi–Dirac statistics for particles that obey Wolfgang Pauli's exclusion principle, called "fermions". His theory of beta decay correctly predicted that a particle he named the "neutrino" would be emitted along with an electron, satisfying the law of conservation of energy. He left Italy in 1938 to escape the Italian racial laws that affected his Jewish wife Laura, and emigrated to the United States. He worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II, but later opposed development of the hydrogen bomb on moral and technical grounds. This photograph of Fermi was taken in the 1940s and is in the collection of the National Archives and Records Administration. Photograph credit: United States Department of Energy; restored by Yann Forget
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September 28
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The cinnamon flycatcher (Pyrrhomyias cinnamomeus) is a species of tyrant flycatcher found in the cloud forests of the Andes and other South American mountain ranges, from Venezuela and Colombia south to Argentina. With a length of 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in), it has cinnamon-rufous underparts, mainly olive-brown upperparts, and black wings with two rufous wing bars. It inhabits foothill and montane forest, particularly brushy clearings and forest edges. The cinnamon flycatcher feeds on arthropods, capturing prey in mid-air during short flights from exposed perches, but also eats berries. It typically forages in pairs and joins mixed-species flocks. It is classified as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This cinnamon flycatcher of the subspecies P. c. pyrrhopterus was photographed in Quijos Canton, Ecuador. Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
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September 27
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The pin tumbler lock is a lock mechanism that uses pins of varying lengths to prevent the lock from opening without the correct key. The mechanism has ancient origins in Mesopotamia, while the modern form was developed in the 19th century by Linus Yale Sr. and Linus Yale Jr..
Diagram credit: Wapcaplet and Pbrks
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