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Welcome to Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.2,458,717 articles in EnglishArtsBiographyGeographyHistoryMathematicsScienceSocietyTechnologyAll portalsOverview · Editing · Questions · HelpContents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z indexToday’s featured articleGuitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. The game’s development was a result of collaboration between RedOctane and Harmonix to bring a GuitarFreaks-like game to North America. The game features a guitar-shaped controller (resembling a miniature Gibson SG) that the player uses to simulate the playing of rock music. The gameplay is similar to GuitarFreaks, in that the player presses buttons on the guitar controller in-time with musical notes that scroll on the game screen. The game features covers of 30 popular rock songs spanning five decades of rock, from the 1960s up through 2005, in addition to bonus tracks from independent artists. Guitar Hero became a surprise hit, earning critical acclaim and winning many awards from major video game publications. The game’s success launched the Guitar Hero franchise that has earned more than one billion dollars in sales, spawning several sequels, expansions, and other game-related products. (more…)Recently featured: FairTax – The Garden of Earthly Delights – PalpatineArchive – By email – More featured articles…Did you know…From Wikipedia’s newest articles:… that the Buffalo Treehopper (pictured) is an insect named for its resemblance to the American Bison?… that the Taipei Metro Xiaonanmen Station was a target of serial vandalism in March 2006?… that the Vector Field Histogram (VFH) algorithm used in robotic motion planning received two major updates after its original creation in 1991, which were renamed as VFH+ and VFH*?… that Budweiser Bier Bürgerbräu, introduced in 1802, is offered by the Czech brewery in Europe as “Budweiser Bier”, while in North America, is called “B. B. Bürgerbräu”?… that an owner of the DeForest Skinner House was once the youngest railroad director in the United States?… that Atunda Ayenda is the first radio soap opera ever aired in Sierra Leone?… that the Narragansett Turkey is a breed of domestic turkey unique to North America and named after Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island?Archive – Start a new article…In the newsThe Taliban attack an outpost in Afghanistan, killing nine ISAF soldiers.The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, requests a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir in connection to the conflict in Darfur.Belgian brewer InBev agrees to buy US-based Anheuser-Busch for over 50 billion dollars; if successful, the merged firm would surpass SABMiller as the world’s largest brewing company.The International Astronomical Union classifies Makemake (artist’s depiction pictured) as a dwarf planet.European Union members and other nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea form the 43-member Union for the Mediterranean.Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events…On this day…July 16: Feast Day of Saint Helier (Roman Catholic Church)622 – The epoch of the Islamic calendar occurred, marking the year that Muhammad began his Hijra from Mecca to Medina.1769 – Spanish friar Junípero Serra founded Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the first Franciscan mission in the Alta California region of New Spain.1945 – Manhattan Project: “Trinity” (pictured), the first nuclear test explosion, was detonated near Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States.1979 – Saddam Hussein replaced the resigning Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr as President of Iraq, after having gradually usurped power from his cousin.1994 – Fragments of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet began hitting the planet Jupiter, with the first one causing a fireball which reached a peak temperature of about 24,000 K.More events: July 15 – July 16 – July 17Archive – By email – More anniversaries…It is now 18:16, July 16, 2008 (UTC) – Refresh this pageToday’s featured pictureA portrait of American writer Samuel Clemens, best known by his pen name Mark Twain, in his later years. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Twain enjoyed immense public popularity, and his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. Fellow author William Faulkner called Twain “the father of American literature”.Photo credit: UnknownRecently featured: Beer Street – Lower Consolation Lake – Chandos portrait of ShakespeareArchive – More featured pictures…