Fact Sources: Encyclopedias, Almanacs, etc.

Look up facts quickly with the references on this page. They are the Web equivalents of encyclopedias, almanacs, and similar references

Compendia of Facts

Web Directory of Fact Sites:

Fast Facts (RefDesk.com)

Search Engines for Fact Sources:

Wolfram Alpha - Calling itself a "computational knowledge engine," WA searches facts and does calculations based on its own database of "curated" facts

Wolfram Alpha Widgets - "Instantly add live computational knowledge to your blog or website"
32 Tricks You Can Do with Wolfram Alpha, the Most Useful Site in the History of the Internet (Business Insider)

Answers.com - Enter a term that you would like to know about and Answers.com checks it against major reference sources. You can also download the 1-Click Answers software and use it with other programs. (Formerly GuruNet)
Zanran - Search the web for data and statistics

Encyclopedias:

Britannica.com - The online version of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Some content provided free. Includes Web references, too
Encyclopedia.com - Made up of multiple reference sources (HighBeam Research)

Wikipedia, an open-source encyclopedia:

Traditional print and CD-ROM encyclopedias are written by authoritative writers and compiled by professional editors. Wikipedia, however, allows its user community to write and edit articles (and correct mistakes or bias). Supporters claim that this model produces an encyclopedia that is more accurate and current than traditional encyclopedias

Wikipedia

Cautions:

Educause has 7 Things You Should Know About Wikipedia
Karen Schneider says librarians look for information we can trust and she wouldn't assume the wiki is correct
Steven Cohen says "good enough" isn't good enough
Walt Crawford says trust but verify

Wikipedia's Response:

Response to Criticisms

Classification:

Library of Congress Classification - Wikipedia's article on LC Classification not only explains the system, but also functions as an index to Wikipedia itself!

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (h2g2) - Similar in some ways to Wikipedia, h2g2 is built on user contributions. It has a more casual writing style and covers fewer topics. (BBC)

Historic Encyclopedias:

1911 edition of the Britannica - The famous 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica is now available online free
Encyclopædia Britannica - 9th edition, 1902 (Hathi Trust)
Encyclopedia of Diderot and D'Alembert - The revolutionary (in more ways than one) 18th century Encyclopédie is being translated into English (University of Michigan)
Nuttall Encyclopaedia - Compiled by the Rev. James Wood in 1907 (with all the biases of an individual British author of the early 20th century) (Project Gutenberg)

Fact Sources: Encyclopedias, Almanacs, etc.

Compendia of Facts

Web Directory of Fact Sites:

Search Engines for Fact Sources:

Encyclopedias:

Wikipedia, an open-source encyclopedia:

Cautions:

Wikipedia's Response:

Classification:

Historic Encyclopedias:

Almanacs:

World Records and Other Facts:

Facts for Kids:

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