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Welcome to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.2,383,769 articles in EnglishArtsBiographyGeographyHistoryMathematicsScienceSocietyTechnologyAll portalsOverview · Editing · Questions · HelpContents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z indexToday’s featured articleThe society of the Song Dynasty was marked by political and legal reforms, a philosophical revival of Confucianism, and the development of cities beyond administrative purposes into centers of trade, industry, and maritime commerce. The inhabitants of rural areas were mostly farmers, although some were also hunters, fishers, or government employees working in mines or the salt marshes. Contrarily, shopkeepers, artisans, city guards, entertainers, laborers, and wealthy merchants lived in the county and provincial centers along with the Chinese gentry—a small, elite community of educated scholars and scholar-officials. The military also provided a means for advancement in Song society for those who became officers, even though soldiers were not highly-respected members of society. Although certain domestic and familial duties were expected of women in Song society, they nonetheless enjoyed a wide range of social and legal rights in an otherwise patriarchal society. Women’s improved rights to property came gradually with the increasing value of dowries offered by brides’ families. Daoism and Buddhism were the dominant religions of China in the Song era, the latter deeply impacting many beliefs and principles of Neo-Confucianism throughout the dynasty. The Song justice system was maintained by policing sheriffs, investigators, official coroners, and exam-drafted officials who acted as magistrates. (more…)Recently featured: Edward Low – Elderly Instruments – WeymouthArchive – By email – More featured articles…Did you know…From Wikipedia’s newest articles:… that despite weighing little more than a pound (0.45 kg), the Dutch Bantam breed of chicken (rooster pictured) can lay more than 160 eggs in a year?… that Henriade, an epic poem by French Enlightenment writer Voltaire, was written in honour of the life of Henry IV?… that much of the interior of the 19th-century St Patrick’s Church, Hove has been rebuilt as a night shelter which includes a variation on the 1970s “sleep capsule” concept?… that a Brazilian music expert noted Caetano Veloso’s uncertain sexual orientation in his 2006 album cê?… that California v. Byers was the 1971 U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that providing one’s own information in a vehicle accident does not violate the privilege against self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment?… that the Palestinian town of Tuqu’ is the birthplace of the Hebrew prophet Amos?Archive – Start a new article…In the newsManchester United win the UEFA Champions League, defeating Chelsea in the final.Ma Ying-jeou (pictured) is sworn in as the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan).At least 24 people are killed as a wave of anti-foreign violence spreads across South Africa.Russia wins the 2008 World Championship in ice hockey, defeating Canada in the final.Leonel Fernández of the Dominican Liberation Party is re-elected President of the Dominican Republic.The Nigerian Red Cross reports that at least 100 people are dead after a pipeline explosion in Lagos.A series of bomb blasts in Jaipur, India, kills at least 63 people.An earthquake measuring 7.9 Mw strikes Sichuan, China, with more than 51,000 people confirmed dead.Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events…On this day…May 23: Lag Ba’omer (Judaism, 2008)1430 – Hundred Years’ War: Joan of Arc was captured at the Siege of Compiègne.1498 – Girolamo Savonarola (pictured) of Florence was executed for heresy, uttering prophecies, sedition, and other crimes.1533 – The marriage of Henry VIII of England and his first wife Catherine of Aragon was annulled.1568 – The Dutch Revolt broke out when rebels led by Louis of Nassau invaded Friesland at the Battle of Heiligerlee.1873 – The North West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was established to bring law and order to and assert Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Territories.1934 – American criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were ambushed and killed by police on a desolate road near their Bienville Parish, Louisiana hideout outside the Town of Gibsland.More events: May 22 – May 23 – May 24Archive – By email – More anniversaries…Today’s featured pictureA carpenter at work on Douglas Dam, Tennessee in 1942. He is using a crank-powered brace to drill a hole. Carpentry is the term for a wide range of woodworking that includes constructing buildings, furniture, and other objects out of wood. The work generally involves significant manual labor and work outdoors, particularly in rough carpentry. In British and Australian slang a carpenter is sometimes referred to as a “chippie”. The German word for carpenter is “Zimmermann”, and hence is the source for the surname of many people in German and English-speaking countries.Photo credit: Alfred T. Palmer, Farm Security AdministrationRecently featured: White-fronted Capuchin – Goalkeeper – Mary of TeckArchive – More featured pictures…