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Today's featured article Elizabeth II (born 1926) is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms, head of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations, and head of state of the Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories. Her father, George VI, acceded to the throne in 1936 on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII. She began public duties during the Second World War, in which she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. On George VI's death in 1952, she became Head of the Commonwealth and Queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon. Her coronation service in 1953 was the first to be televised. Since her accession, the number of her realms has varied as territories gained independence and some realms became republics. In 1947 she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with whom she has four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. Her reign of 60 years is the second-longest for a British monarch; only Queen Victoria has reigned longer. Elizabeth's Silver and Golden Jubilees were celebrated in 1977 and 2002; her Diamond Jubilee is being celebrated during 2012. (more...) Recently featured: Steve Dodd – Chadderton – Louis Slotin Did you know... From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the Mexican Uriarte workshop (pictured) still creates Talavera pottery using 16th-century methods? ... that Minori Hayakari, holder of the Japanese record in women's 3000 m steeplechase, has won six consecutive national titles since the event was introduced in 2006? ... that 20% of the authors in various academic disciplines report being the target of coercive citation by scientific journal editors? ... that Richard Wickes was the first American casualty of the American Revolutionary War in New Jersey? ... that growing on the shell of the Pacific pink scallop helps the sponge Myxilla incrustans avoid being swamped by shifting sediment on the seabed? ... that the Indonesian film Suddenly Dangdut won 12 film awards, despite being filmed in seven days? ... that the Monmouth Methodist Church in Monmouth, Wales, was set back behind the houses along St James Street by law?

In the news Viswanathan Anand (pictured) defeats Boris Gelfand to win a fourth consecutive World Chess Championship. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry approves the names flerovium and livermorium for two recently discovered synthetic elements. American author Madeline Miller wins the Orange Prize for Fiction for her novel The Song of Achilles. Former Liberian President Charles Taylor is sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in atrocities committed during the Sierra Leone Civil War. In response to the Houla massacre, high-ranking Syrian diplomats are expelled from several countries. On this day... June 2 1848 – As part of the Pan-Slavism movement, the Prague Slavic Congress began in Prague, one of the few times that voices from all Slav populations of Europe were heard in one place. 1866 – Fenian raids: The Battle of Ridgeway, the first to be fought only by Canadian troops and led exclusively by Canadian officers, took place in Ontario. 1886 – Grover Cleveland became the only U.S. President to marry in the White House when he wed Frances Folsom (wedding pictured). 1967 – German university student Benno Ohnesorg was killed during a protest in West Berlin against the visit of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, sparking the formation of the militant group Movement 2 June. 2010 – A lone gunman went on a shooting spree in Cumbria, England, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others before committing suicide. More anniversaries: June 1 – June 2 – June 3 It is now June 2, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture Martha Washington (1731–1802) was the wife of George Washington (her second husband), the first President of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, she is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States. She was widowed from her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis, at the age of 25. She brought great wealth to her second marriage with Washington, which enabled him to buy much land and many slaves to add to his personal estate. She and Washington did not have children but they reared two children of her son John Custis, who died during the Revolutionary War, and helped both of their extended families. Artist: Unknown Recently featured: Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 – Australian spotted jellyfish – Wadi Rum, Jordan

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