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Welcome to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.2,348,824 articles in EnglishArtsBiographyGeographyHistoryMathematicsScienceSocietyTechnologyAll portalsOverview · Editing · Questions · HelpContents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z indexToday’s featured articleManzanar is most widely known as the site of one of ten camps where over 110,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II. Located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in California’s Owens Valley between the towns of Lone Pine to the south and Independence to the north, it is approximately 230 miles (370.1 km) northeast of Los Angeles. Manzanar was identified by the United States National Park Service as the best-preserved of the former camp sites, and was designated the Manzanar National Historic Site. Long before the first prisoners arrived in March 1942, Manzanar was home to Native Americans, who mostly lived in villages near several creeks in the area. Ranchers and miners formally established the town of Manzanar in 1910, but abandoned the town by 1929. Since the last prisoners left in 1945, former prisoners and others have worked to protect Manzanar and to establish it as a National Historic Site that preserves and interprets the site for current and future generations. The primary focus is the Japanese American Internment era, as specified in the legislation that created the Manzanar National Historic Site. (more…)Recently featured: Ocean sunfish – Vasa – Thierry HenryArchive – By email – More featured articles…Did you know…From Wikipedia’s newest articles:…that the distinctive pagodas created for Wadham’s Oil and Grease Company of Milwaukee (pictured) are among the earliest examples of architecture used to forge a brand identity?…that Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) in Lahore Fort was originally decorated with frescoes that were later replaced with pietra dura and convex glass and mirror mosaic?…that Martial van Schelle fought as an American soldier in World War I, but was executed as a Belgian citizen during World War II?…that Allumette Island (Quebec, Canada), the largest island in the Ottawa River, was once called One-Eyed Island because Algonquin chief Tessouat had only one eye?…that mutations in the CNDP1 gene may cause carnosinemia, a rare metabolic disorder with diverse neurological problems, such as hypotonia, tremors and seizures, neuronal degeneration and mental retardation?…that the John Coltrane Home is where the saxophonist composed many of his later works including the masterwork, A Love Supreme?…that the first printing press in Sierra Leone was destroyed by the French before it could be used?Archive – Start a new article…In the newsFernando Lugo (pictured) wins the presidential election in Paraguay, ending the Colorado Party’s 61-year rule.In auto racing, Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first female driver to win an IndyCar race.An airliner operated by Hewa Bora Airways crashes upon takeoff in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least 47 people.An alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi of the People of Freedom party wins the general election in Italy.Trevor Immelman of South Africa wins the 2008 Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events…On this day…April 26: Holy and Great Saturday (Eastern Christianity, 2008)1478 – In a conspiracy to replace the Medici family as rulers of the Florentine Republic, the Pazzi family attacked Lorenzo de’ Medici (pictured) and killed his brother Giuliano during High Mass at the Florence Duomo.1865 – American Army soldier Boston Corbett cornered and fatally shot John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.1937 – Spanish Civil War: The Bombing of Guernica by the Condor Legion of the German Luftwaffe resulted in a devastating firestorm.1964 – Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania.1986 – The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Chernobyl, Ukrainian SSR suffered a steam explosion, resulting in a fire and a nuclear meltdown.2002 – Expelled student Robert Steinhäuser murdered 16 people and wounded 7 others before committing suicide in the Erfurt school shooting in Erfurt, Germany.More events: April 25 – April 26 – April 27Archive – By email – More anniversaries…Today’s featured pictureThe night skyline of Frankfurt, showing the Commerzbank Tower (centre) and the Maintower (right of centre). Frankfurt is the fifth-largest city in Germany, and the surrounding Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region is Germany’s second-largest metropolitan area.Image credit: Nicolas17Recently featured: Horehound bug – Eddie Rickenbacker – Sun dogsArchive – More featured pictures…