Jump to content

Wikipedia:Main Page history/2022 February 12

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Today's featured picture

Obverse and reverse of a 1874 South African one-pound coin

Thomas François Burgers (1834–1881) was the fourth president of the South African Republic (Transvaal) from 1872 to 1877. The first coins of the Transvaal Burgerspond were introduced by Burgers in 1874, responding to a demand for coinage from the populace dating back to 1853. Burgers sent a portrait of himself to his UK consul-general, who commissioned the coins to be struck at Heaton's Mint in Birmingham, England. Some people in the South African Republic objected to the issue of the Burgerspond because the portrayal of the president on coins was perceived to liken him to a dictator. This one-pound coin, minted in 1874, bears an effigy of Burgers on the obverse and the coat of arms of the Transvaal on the reverse.

Coin design credit: Heaton's Mint; photographed by Andrew Shiva

Other areas of Wikipedia

  • Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
  • Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
  • Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
  • Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Teahouse – To ask your first basic questions about contributing to Wikipedia.
  • Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.

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:

Wikipedia languages