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Welcome to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.2,335,609 articles in EnglishArtsBiographyGeographyHistoryMathematicsScienceSocietyTechnologyAll portalsOverview · Editing · Questions · HelpContents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z indexToday’s featured articleThe Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting consisting of two separate attacks approximately two hours apart on April 16, 2007, which took place on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. The perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people and wounded many more before committing suicide, making it the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Cho, a senior English major at Virginia Tech, had been diagnosed with and was treated for a severe anxiety disorder. In 2005, Cho had been accused of stalking two female students and was declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice. The incident received international media coverage and drew criticism of U.S. laws and culture from commentators around the world. It sparked intense debate about gun violence, gun laws, gaps in the U.S. system for treating mental health issues, the perpetrator’s state of mind, the responsibility of college administrations, privacy laws, journalism ethics, and other issues. The incident prompted immediate changes in Virginia law that had allowed Cho, an individual adjudicated as mentally unsound, to purchase handguns without detection by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). It also led to passage of the first major federal gun control measure in more than 13 years, a law that strengthens the NICS. (more…)Recently featured: Ailanthus altissima – 1999 Sydney hailstorm – Lisa del GiocondoArchive – By email – More featured articles…Did you know…From Wikipedia’s newest articles:…that mineralogist George Switzer persuaded Harry Winston to donate the Hope Diamond (pictured) to the Smithsonian Institution, establishing the National Museum of Natural History’s gem and mineral collection?…that Douglas Hadow slipped on the descent after the first ascent of the Matterhorn, dragging Lord Francis Douglas, Charles Hudson and Michel Croz to their deaths?…that some species of Vireo, a genus of passerines, bind their nests with spider silk and ornament them with spider eggs?…that Hugh Daily, a pitcher with only one arm, once struck out 19 batters in a Major League Baseball game?…that Bob Kames was given his stage name when an announcer on Armed Forces Radio could not pronounce his real name?…that Section 171 of the Criminal Code of Cyprus, which prohibited homosexual acts between men, was repealed just eight days before a May 29, 1998 deadline set by the Council of Europe?…that the Order of the Faith and Peace, founded by the Archbishop of Auch c. 1230 for the defence of the peace in Gascony, was patronised by Gaston VII of Béarn?Archive – Start a new article…In the newsThe People of Freedom alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi (pictured) wins the general election in Italy.Trevor Immelman of South Africa wins the 2008 Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.Jacques-Édouard Alexis is ousted as Prime Minister of Haiti following riots over the price of food.The Channel Island Sark abolishes the last remaining feudal system in Europe.The Grand National Party of President Lee Myung-bak wins a majority of seats in the National Assembly of South Korea.The Olympic torch relay is disrupted in London, Paris and San Francisco by protesters objecting to China’s human rights record.Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events…On this day…April 16: Education and Sharing Day in the United States (2008); Emancipation Day in Washington, D.C.1582 – Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founded the settlement of Salta in Argentina.1853 – Indian Railways, the state-owned railway company of India, launched its first passenger service between Bombay and Thane.1912 – Harriet Quimby (pictured) became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.1917 – Vladimir Lenin returned to Petrograd from Switzerland, and joined the Bolshevik movement in Russia.1925 – A group of Bulgarian Communist Party members assaulted the St Nedelya Church in Sofia, Bulgaria during the funeral service of General Konstantin Georgiev, killing 150 people and injuring about 500 others.1943 – Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann discovered the psychedelic effects of the semisynthetic drug LSD.1947 – American financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch first described the post-World War II tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States as a “cold war”.2003 – The Treaty of Accession was signed in Athens, admitting ten new member states into the European Union.More events: April 15 – April 16 – April 17Archive – By email – More anniversaries…Today’s featured pictureCapt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter performing the first aerial refueling on June 27, 1923. The DH-4B biplane (right) remained aloft over the skies of Rockwell Field in San Diego, California, for 37 hours, using nine mid-air refuelings to transfer 687 US gallons (2,601 l) of aviation gasoline and 38 US gal (144 l) of engine oil.Photo credit: United States Air ForceRecently featured: Gilbert and Sullivan – Red-headed Woodpecker – SaturnArchive – More featured pictures…