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Welcome to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.2,394,681 articles in EnglishArtsBiographyGeographyHistoryMathematicsScienceSocietyTechnologyAll portalsOverview · Editing · Questions · HelpContents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z indexToday’s featured articleBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of 426,000, is the country’s largest city. Bratislava is in the south-west of Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two other countries. Bratislava is the political, cultural, and economic centre of Slovakia. It is the seat of the Slovak presidency, the parliament, and the government. It is also home to several universities, museums, theatres, galleries and other important economic, cultural, and educational institutions. The headquarters of many of Slovakia’s large businesses and financial institutions are in Bratislava as well. The history of the city, long known by the German name Pressburg, has been strongly influenced by various peoples, including Austrians, Czechs, Germans, Hungarians, Jews and Slovaks. The city was the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary under the Habsburg monarchy from 1536 to 1783. Bratislava was home to the Slovak national movement of the 19th century and to many Slovak, Hungarian and German historical figures. The first written reference comes from the Salzburg Annals, in relation to the battles between the Bavarians and the Hungarians, fought outside the walls of Bratislava Castle in 907. (more…)Recently featured: D. B. Cooper – Oil shale – Troy McClureArchive – By email – More featured articles…Did you know…From Wikipedia’s newest articles:… that dried teasel pods (pictured) were used to raise the nap on woolen fabrics?… that the Gazette Building in Little Rock, Arkansas served as headquarters for the 1992 Bill Clinton presidential campaign?… that Weeb Ewbank coached the most games in New York Jets franchise history?… that the Norwegian lake Lutvann leaked 1,000 liters of water per minute into the railway tunnel Romeriksporten during its construction in 1997?… that Isfield railway station, now the terminus of a preserved railway line, was used during the First World War to take German prisoners of war to work in nearby woodland?… that the Martinican Communist Party became the largest political party in the French département d’outre-mer of Martinique in the 1960s?… that the emotional, agitated figures depicted in the 9th-century Ebbo Gospels bear a striking resemblance to illustrations in the Utrecht Psalter?… that Poole Stadium, a former football ground now used for greyhound racing and speedway, was the venue for the 2004 Speedway World Cup final?Archive – Start a new article…In the newsIn Dublin, over 100 countries adopt the Convention on Cluster Munitions banning cluster bombs (example pictured).Paleontologists discover Materpiscis, a 380-million-year-old placoderm fish which is the earliest known animal to bear live young.Nepal is declared a republic by its newly elected government, and King Gyanendra ends his reign as the last of a 240-year-old monarchy.In the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake, the People’s Republic of China evacuates 100,000 people from Mianyang as engineers prepare to drain the landslide dam-created Tangjiashan Lake.The State Peace and Development Council of Burma extends opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest by one year.An earthquake in Colombia kills 11 and seriously injures 54.Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events…On this day…May 31: World No Tobacco Day; Feast of the Visitation in Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism1223 – Mongol invasions: Mongol forces defeated a combined army of Kiev, Galich, and the Cumans on the banks of the Kalchik River in present-day Ukraine.1669 – Citing poor eyesight, English naval administrator and Member of Parliament Samuel Pepys (pictured) recorded his last entry in his diary, one of the most important primary sources for the English Restoration period.1889 – The South Fork Dam near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA failed, unleashing a torrent of 18.1 million cubic meters (4.8 billion gallons) of water that killed over 2,200 people.1910 – The previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State united to form the Union of South Africa, exactly 51 years before it would become the Republic of South Africa.1974 – Syria and Israel signed a disengagement agreement to resolve the 20-day Yom Kippur War.More events: May 30 – May 31 – June 1Archive – By email – More anniversaries…Today’s featured pictureA panorama of Cusco, Peru, as viewed from south of the city near Cristo Blanco. Part of Sacsayhuamán is seen at far right and Plaza de Armas is toward the center of the image. Cusco was the capital city of the ancient Inca empire.Photo credit: CacophonyRecently featured: Greater Crested Tern – Human respiratory system – Theodore Roosevelt and John MuirArchive – More featured pictures…