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Welcome to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.2,423,522 articles in EnglishArtsBiographyGeographyHistoryMathematicsScienceSocietyTechnologyAll portalsOverview · Editing · Questions · HelpContents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z indexToday’s featured articleJudy Garland (1922–1969) was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in both musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her work in films, Grammy Awards and a Tony Award. After appearing in vaudeville with her sisters, Garland was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a teenager. There she made more than two dozen films, including nine with Mickey Rooney, and the film with which she would be most identified, The Wizard of Oz (1939). After 15 years, Garland was released from the studio but gained renewed success through record-breaking concert appearances, including a critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall concert, a well-regarded but short-lived television series and a return to film acting beginning with A Star Is Born (1954). Despite her professional triumphs, Garland battled personal problems throughout her life, and attempted suicide on a number of occasions. Garland died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of forty-seven, leaving children Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft and Joey Luft. In 1999, the American Film Institute placed her among the ten greatest female stars in the history of American cinema. (more…)Recently featured: Phishing – HMS Cardiff (D108) – Age of EmpiresArchive – By email – More featured articles…Did you know…From Wikipedia’s newest articles:… that when William Williams died collecting the fern Alpine Woodsia (pictured) in 1861, his body was found at the foot of the cliff where the species was first found in the 17th century?… that Nguyen Van Linh, General Secretary of the Communist Party touted as the “Vietnamese Gorbachev” for reforming Vietnam’s communist economy, later regretted many of the effects of his policies?… that plants in some parts of the Klamath Mountains ecoregion in Southern Oregon and Northern California have evolved to grow in potentially toxic and nutrient-poor serpentine soils?… that oudist Ali Sriti’s first public performance was at age eleven, when he sang Ya chiraan waraa dajla yajri by Mohamed Abdel Wahab?… that The New York Times said the 1944 Laurel and Hardy film The Big Noise “has as much humor in it as a six-foot hole in the ground”?… that one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first state visits was to Mongolia, aimed at rebuilding their bilateral relations in the post-Cold War era?… that John Boylan, who won an acting award in the play On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco, eventually died of lung cancer?Archive – Start a new article…In the newsTyphoon Fengshen (pictured) hits the Philippines, sinking the ferry MV Princess of Stars with hundreds of passengers unaccounted for, killing dozens on land, and forcing tens of thousands to seek shelter.The NASA/CNES Jason-2 satellite launches, with a mission of furthering the study of physical oceanography.Sweden approves the FRA-law, anti-terrorism legislation allowing e-mails and phone calls to be monitored by the Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment.Afghan and Canadian-led ISAF forces begin an offensive against Taliban insurgents in the Arghandab District of Kandahar Province.In basketball, the Boston Celtics defeat the Los Angeles Lakers to win the 2008 NBA Finals.Large areas of southern China are hit by the worst floods in decades with Guangzhou and Shenzhen most affected, and at least 169 fatalities and 1.66 million people evacuated.Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events…On this day…June 22: Teachers’ Day in El Salvador168 BC – Third Macedonian War: Roman forces defeated Macedonian King Perseus at the Battle of Pydna.1854 – The British Parliament abolished feudalism and the seigneurial system in British North America.1911 – George V was crowned King of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey in London.1941 – World War II: While the Lithuanian underground government started an uprising to liberate Lithuania from Soviet occupation, Nazi Germany began to invade the Soviet Union.1978 – Working at the United States Naval Observatory, American astronomer James W. Christy discovered Charon (pictured), then thought to be the largest moon of Pluto.2002 – An earthquake measuring 6.5 Mw struck Iran, killing at least 261 people and injuring 1,300 others, and eventually causing widespread public anger due to the slowness of the victims receiving aid and supplies.More events: June 21 – June 22 – June 23Archive – By email – More anniversaries…It is now 14:59, June 22, 2008 (UTC) – Refresh this pageToday’s featured pictureLilium ‘Citronella’, a lily cultivar (as indicated by the name being in single quotation marks). Lilies are herbaceous flowering plants normally growing from bulbs. Although the common name “lily” is applied to other related plants, only those in the Lilium genus are considered “true lilies”.Photo credit: Derek Ramsey/Chanticleer GardenRecently featured: Upernavik, Greenland – Nataliya Gotsiy – Petyo LakeArchive – More featured pictures…