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Today's featured article Petrified Forest National Park is a United States national park in Navajo and Apache counties in northeastern Arizona. The park's headquarters are about 26 miles (42 km) east of Holbrook along Interstate 40 (I-40), which parallels a railroad line, the Puerco River, and historic U.S. Route 66, all crossing the park roughly east–west. Named for its large deposits of petrified wood, the park covers about 146 square miles (380 km2), encompassing semi-desert shrub steppe as well as highly eroded and colorful badlands. The site, the northern part of which extends into the Painted Desert, was declared a National Monument in 1906 and a national park in 1962. About 600,000 people visit the park each year and take part in activities including sightseeing, photography, hiking, and backpacking. The Petrified Forest is known for its fossils, especially fallen trees that lived in the Late Triassic, about 225 million years ago. The sediments containing the fossil logs are part of the widespread and colorful Chinle Formation, from which the Painted Desert gets its name. (more...) Recently featured: Dan Leno – Javan rhinoceros – Amador Valley High School Did you know... From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Syrian poet and writer Maryana Marrash (pictured) revived the tradition of literary salons in the Middle East at the end of the 19th century? ... that the number of Mandaeans in Iraq has fallen by more than 90% since the 2003 invasion due to religious persecution? ... that York City have recorded more league victories against Rochdale than against any other club, having beaten them 43 times from 100 attempts? ... that a curator at the National Air and Space Museum, Louis Purnell, had flown 88 bomber escort missions during World War II as a Tuskegee Airman, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross? ... that the land around the village of Peperga in the Netherlands was so wet that before 1660 the entire village was moved one kilometer to a drier area? ... that Bach's chorale cantata Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein, BWV 2, based on Luther's hymn, is part of "the largest musical project that the composer ever undertook"? ... that Abdulbaset Sieda, the new head of the opposition Syrian National Council, used to be a university professor in Libya?

In the news In basketball, the Miami Heat defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA championship (Finals MVP LeBron James pictured). Yousaf Raza Gillani is retroactively disqualified from being Prime Minister of Pakistan due to his contempt of court conviction. The 7th G-20 summit is held in Los Cabos, Mexico. The Socialist Party gains a majority in the French legislative election. In golf, Webb Simpson wins the U.S. Open. New Democracy, led by Antonis Samaras, gains a plurality in the second Greek legislative election of 2012. Marcel Fässler, Benoît Tréluyer, and André Lotterer win the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the race's first victory in a hybrid car. On this day... June 22: Teachers' Day in El Salvador 1633 – Galileo Galilei was forced to recant his heliocentric view of the Solar System by the Roman Inquisition, after which, as legend has it, he muttered under his breath, "And yet it moves". 1807 – The British warship HMS Leopard pursued and attacked the American frigate USS Chesapeake in the belief that the latter had deserters from the Royal Navy. 1911 – George V and Mary of Teck (both pictured) were crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey in London. 1937 – Camille Chautemps became Prime Minister of France for the third time, in the second Popular Front ministry. 2002 – An earthquake measuring 6.5 Mw struck a region of northwestern Iran, killing at least 261 people and injuring 1,300 others, and eventually causing widespread public anger due to the slow official response. More anniversaries: June 21 – June 22 – June 23 It is now June 22, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture A Punch cartoon from 17 June 1876 showing Russia preparing to let slip "the dogs of war", its imminent engagement in the growing conflict between Slavic states in the Balkans and Turkey, while policeman John Bull (representing Britain) warns Russia to take care. The Slavic states of Serbia and Montenegro would declare war on Turkey at the end of June, and Russia formally joined the war in April 1877. Artist: John Tenniel; Engraver: Joseph Swain; Restoration: Adam Cuerden Recently featured: Signal Hill, California in 1923 – Common frog – Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling

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