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4945 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap%20opera | Soap opera | A soap opera is a television or radio program that airs in episodic series. This means that each episode continues telling a story, which, in turn, tells more of the last episode's story. A single story on a soap opera can be told for weeks, months, or sometimes even years.
In America, each soap opera airs every day, Monday through Friday, in the afternoon. Because they air at this time, they are sometimes called daytime serials. In the U.K. and other countries, the soap operas air in the evening, twice or three times a week.
This is a list of soap operas that air in America, in their current order of popularity:
The Young and the Restless
The Bold and the Beautiful
General Hospital
Supernatural
Lost
Days of Our Lives
All My Children
As the World Turns
One Life to Live
Guiding Light
Passions
There are still two soap operas that air in Australia, Network Ten's Neighbours and the Seven Network's Home and Away. Strangely, Neighbours is more popular in England than it is in Australia.
In the U.K., the most popular soap operas are Coronation Street and EastEnders. Coronation Street is about people who live in Manchester, in the northern part of England. EastEnders is about people who live in an imaginary place called Albert Square in the East End of London. Another popular soap opera is Emmerdale, and it is about people who live in a small village in Yorkshire, also in the northern part of England. In the 1970s Crossroads became the most watched soap in England. It was shown from 1964 to 1988.
In Latin America (including Brazil) and Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa (like Angola), soap operas are called telenovelas.
Related pages
Dorama
Serial
Radio drama
Playwright
Theatre
References
Television genres |
4949 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%20Young%20and%20the%20Restless | The Young and the Restless | The Young and the Restless is a very popular American soap opera. The show is the highest-rated soap opera, which means that more people watch it than any other soap opera. It aired its first episode on March 26, 1973. It is set in fictional Genoa City, Wisconsin. In the beginning, the show was about the Brooks family, who were very rich, and the Foster family, who were poor. Today, very few members of either family are still on the show.
Today, the show tells stories about two cosmetics companies: Newman Enterprises and Jabot Cosmetics. Newman's president is Victor Newman (played by the actor Eric Braeden) and Jabot's president is Jack Abbott (played by Peter Bergman). These two men hate each other very much and would like to see the other fail. This hatred is the root of much of the story on the show.
List of actors/characters on the show
Other websites
1973 television series debuts
1970s American television series
1980s American television series
1990s American television series
2000s American television series
2010s American television series
American soap operas
Television series set in Wisconsin
CBS network shows
English-language television programs |
4951 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia%20%28U.S.%20state%29 | Georgia (U.S. state) | Georgia is a state in the southeastern part of the United States. It is bordered by Florida to the south, Alabama to the west, Tennessee and North Carolina to the north, and South Carolina to the east. All of Georgia's coastline is on the Atlantic Ocean. The ocean borders Georgia to the southeast.
Georgia was established in 1732 and became a state in 1788. It was the last of the original 13 colonies and eventually joined in the growing rebellion against Britain. Georgia was named after George II of Great Britain.
African Americans were enslaved in the state.
The 5 Regions of Georgia
There are 5 regional habitats of Georgia. They are the Georgia mountains, Okeefenokee marsh/swamp area, the Georgia coastal region, the Georgia Piedmont, and Atlantic Coastal region .
Cities in Georgia
The capital and largest city in Georgia is Atlanta. The 1996 Olympic Games took place there, and the book and movie Gone with the Wind was set in and around Atlanta in the 1860s. Other big cities in the state include Augusta, Columbus, Savannah, and Macon. Georgia has a total of 159 counties.
Related pages
List of counties in Georgia
List of rivers of Georgia
References
1788 establishments in the United States |
4954 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prem%20Rawat | Prem Rawat | Prem Pal Singh Rawat (previously known as Maharaji, also known as Guru Maharaj Ji and Balyogeshwar) waku
s born in India on December 10, 1957. Rawat is a self-help guru who teaches inner peace by the use of what he calls "self-knowledge".
His father was a spiritual master, guru (or teacher of religious matters) in India for three million people. Prem Rawat took over at the age of eight when his father died. He went to England and the United States when he was 13 years old in 1971.
He got married when he was 16 years old. In 1975, he had a fight with his mother and brother. They took over in India while Prem Rawat took over in America and the West. Now he lives in California. He shares self-knowledge for free, to help those interested to find inner peace.
Prem Rawat founded "The Prem Rawat Foundation", a nonprofit organization, to address the fundamental human needs of food, water, and peace.
Other websites
Words of Peace Global
Prem Rawat's personal web site
The Prem Rawat Foundation
References
1957 births
Living people
Religious leaders
Indian people |
4955 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel%20Kant | Immanuel Kant | Immanuel Kant (22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher. He was born in Königsberg, East Prussia, and also died there. Kant studied philosophy in the university there, and later became a professor of philosophy. He called his system "transcendental idealism". Kant's thorough writing about epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics have made him one of the most influential figures in the history of philosophy.
Today the town Königsberg is part of Russia, and is renamed Kaliningrad. When Kant was alive, it was the second largest city in the kingdom of Prussia.
Life
Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724. In 1740 he entered the University of Königsberg and studied the philosophy of Gottfried Leibniz and his follower Christian Wolff. He studied there until 1746 when his father died, then left Königsberg to take up a job as tutor. He became the tutor of Count Kayserling and his family. In 1755 Kant became a lecturer and stayed in this position until 1770. He was made the second librarian of the Royal Library in 1766. Kant was eventually given the Chair of Logic and Metaphysics at the University of Königsberg. In his entire life Kant never travelled more than seventy miles from the city of Königsberg. Kant died on February 12, 1804 with the final words "Es ist gut" ("It is good").
University
After finishing his study in the university, Kant hoped to be a teacher of philosophy, but it was very difficult. He could have lived a life of private lecturer as interested in physics, both astronomical objects (such as planets and stars) and the earth. He wrote some papers about this, but he became more interested in metaphysics. He wanted to learn the nature of human experience: how humans could know something, and what their knowledge was based on.
First doubts
Under the strong influence of the philosophical system of Leibniz and Wolff, Kant began to doubt the basic answers of past philosophers. Then, Kant read a Scottish philosopher, David Hume. Hume had tried to make clear what our experience had been, and had reached a very strong opinion called "skepticism", that there was nothing to make our experience sure. Kant was very shocked by Hume, and saw the theory he had learned in a new point of view. He began to try finding a third way other than the two that Kant called "skepticism" and "dogmaticism".
Kant read another thinker, named Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His thought on human beings, especially on morals, human freedom and perpetual peace, impressed Kant.
Philosophy
Some scholars like to include Kant as one of the German idealists, but Kant himself did not belong to that group.
The most-known work of Kant is the book Critique of Pure Reason (Kritik der reinen Vernunft) that Kant published in 1781. Kant called his way of thought "critique", not philosophy. Kant said that critique was a preparation for establishment of real philosophy. According to Kant, people should know what human reason can do and which limits it has. In the Critique of Pure Reason Kant wrote several limits of human reason, to both feeling and thinking something. For sensation, there are two limits inside of human perception: space and time. There are no physical objects, but the limitations of our mind that work whenever we feel something through our senses. For thinking, he said there are twelve categories or pure rational concepts, divided into four fields: quantity, quality, relation and modality. Kant thought human reason applied those ideas to everything.
Ideology
Is what we think only our fantasy? Kant said "No", although without those sensual and rational limitations, we can think nothing, then Kant was convinced there would be something we could not know directly behind our limitations, and even with limitations we could know something. It can not be a personal fantasy either, since those limitations were common to all human reason before our particular experience. Kant called what we could not know directly Ding an sich -- "thing itself". We can think "thing itself" but cannot have any experience about it, nor know it. God, the eternity of soul, life after death, such things belong to "thing itself", so they were not right objects of philosophy according to Kant, although people had liked to discuss them from ancient times.
Books
Kant wrote two other books named Critique: Critique of the practical reason (1788) and Critique of the Judgement (1790). In Critique of the practical reason Kant wrote about the problem of freedom and God. It was his main work of ethics. In Critique of the Judgement Kant wrote about beauty and teleology, or the problem if there was a purpose in general, if the world, a living creature had a reason to exist, and so on. In both books, Kant said we could not answer those problems, because they were concerned with "thing itself".
Influence
Kant had a great influence on other thinkers. In the 19th century, German philosophers like Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, Schopenhauer and writers like Herder, Schiller, and Goethe were influenced by Kant.
In the early 20th century Kant's ideas were very influential on one group of German philosophers. They became known as the new-Kantians. One of them, Windelband, said, "every philosophy before Kant poured into Kant, and every philosophy after Kant pours from Kant".
Kant has influenced many modern thinkers, including Hannah Arendt, and John Rawls.
References
Other websites
Stephen Plaquist's Glossary of Kantian Terminology
Kant's Ethical Theory Kantian ethics explained, applied and evaluated
All works of Kant
Kant in the Classroom (background information for Kant's lectures)
Immanuel Kant's works: text, concordances and frequency list
1724 births
1804 deaths
18th-century German philosophers
19th-century German philosophers
Continental philosophers
German academics
German writers
People from former German territories
People from Kaliningrad
People from Prussia |
4962 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aunt | Aunt | An aunt is relationship that describes a woman who is a sibling of a parent or is married to a sibling of a parent. Aunts are sometimes called Auntie or Aunty. A man is a nephew to their Aunt and a woman is a niece. An aunt is part of an extended family. The child of an aunt's is a cousin. Often the word aunt is used with people who are not related to show closeness or respect.
In many cultures there are different words to describe a person's mother's sister and father's sister. In Latin a mother's sister is matertera while a father's sister is amita.
Detail
A maternal or paternal relative is one who is related through one's mother or father, respectively. For example, a maternal aunt is the subject's mother's sister. An in-law is a relationship that is not by blood, but instead by marriage. The in-law shares the in-law relationships of the spouse's relatives. For example a aunt in-law could be the wife of the subject's uncle.
Aunt: the sister of someone's parent. The child of subject's an Aunt or Uncle's is the subject's cousin.
Half-aunt: the parent's half-sister.
Double half-aunt: a person who is a half sibling of both of the subjects parents.
Grandaunt / great-aunt: the grandparent's sister.
Great-grandaunt / Great-great-uncle: the great-grandparent's full brother.
Aunt-in-law: the uncle's wife or the spouse's aunt.
Co-aunt-in-law: the spouse's uncle's wife.
References
Family |
4964 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer | Homer | Homer is the name of the Greek poet who wrote the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. These are the earliest works of Greek literature which have survived to the present day, and are among the greatest treasures of the ancient world. They are a product of Mycenaean culture. The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan war, which took place around 1190 BC. The manuscripts of Homer were written much later, probably later than 800 BC.
The history
What makes the history of this period so difficult is that the Mycenaean civilization was followed by several hundred years of decline, from which little or no writing has survived. This period, the Greek Dark Ages, ended around 800 BC, when once again we find Greek writing, though this time in their newly developed alphabetic script. Therefore, there is a distinct possibility that the Homeric epics had a life, perhaps a long life, as oral literature, spoken by story-tellers.
We know little about Homer, and the later Greeks also knew little about him. Some have doubted he was a real person; others think he was a woman.
A legend, has it that he was a blind poet who lived in Ionia. There is no definite evidence for any of these ideas.
There is archaeological evidence that Troy existed. The site of Troy has been discovered, and excavated. Therefore, it is a fair guess that the epic began as a long oral poem based on the siege of Troy, but with details added and changed as time went on. Homer's poetry is different from other poetry because it had to be short in order to be memorized.
The date of Homer, and the transcription
The date of Homer's existence is not known. Herodotus said that Homer lived 400 years before his own time, which would place him at around 850 BC; but other ancient sources gave dates much closer to the time of the Trojan War. The date of the Trojan War was given as 1194–1184 BC by Eratosthenes.
Today, "the date of Homer" means the date of the writing down the oral poems, rather than the life of Homer. This is called the transcription date. The language suggests that the earliest possible date for the transcription is 800 BC, and the latest possible date is 600 AD.
References
Ancient Greek poets |
4966 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquis%20de%20Sade | Marquis de Sade | Donatien Alphonse François, Comte de Sade, (2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), better known as the Marquis de Sade) was a French nobleman, writer and philosopher who was born in Paris. The de Sade family were French nobility, who came from Provence. Different members of the house held positions in the Church, and the French state at different times.
Once Donatien had grown up, he had troubles with the authorities several times. He was bisexual. He spent many years in prison and at a mental asylum.
The main points he was accused of were:
Whipping a prostitute.
Drugging prostitutes and later forcing them to have group sex, and also engage in sodomy.
On one of his escapades, he "accidentally" raped a close relative of his, who was a nun. This caused his family to drop him, and to hand him over to the authorities.
For this, he was sentenced to death (while being absent). He later escaped the death penalty by moving to Italy. The death penalty against him was later changed to a prison sentence.
In prison, he started to read about philosophy. He also started to write down his ideas. He tried to hide his writing, and also wrote in a very small print, so that the consumption of paper would not be noticed.
In later years, he was moved to an asylum (for the mentally ill), and gave his wife the possibility of a divorce.
After the French Revolution, he got out of the asylum, but in 1803 was declared mentally ill (and again was sent to the asylum). He died in the asylum in Val-de-Marne in 1814 at the age of 74.
The term 'sadism' was named after him. It refers to the habit of getting pleasure from giving pain.
References
1740 births
1814 deaths
Bisexual people
French criminals
French LGBT people
French novelists
French prisoners
LGBT criminals
LGBT writers
Sex offenders
Writers from Paris |
4972 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurozone | Eurozone | The Eurozone (also called Euro area or Euroland) is the set of countries in the European Union which have adopted the Euro (€) currency. The European Central Bank is responsible for managing the supply of money within the eurozone and political decisions are taken by the "euro group", which is a meeting of the politicians from each euro country in charge of that country's economy.
EU members that are not part of the Eurozone are Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Official members
There are 19 members in the Eurozone
Made the area on 1 January 1999
1 Austria
2 Belgium
3 Finland
4 France
5 Germany
6 Ireland
7 Italy
8 Luxembourg
9 Netherlands
10 Portugal
11 Spain
Joined on 1 January 2001
12 Greece
Joined on 1 January 2006
13 Slovenia
Joined on 1 January 2008
14 Cyprus
15 Malta
Joined on 1 January 2009
16 Slovakia
Joined on 1 January 2011
17 Estonia
Joined on 1 January 2014
18 Latvia
Joined on 1 January 2015
19 Lithuania
There are other countries outside the European Union which use the euro as well, but these are not officially in the eurozone.
Other websites
Eurozone -Citizendium
European Union |
4973 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordinal%20number | Ordinal number | Ordinal numbers (or ordinals) are numbers that show something's order, for example: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th.
Suppose a person has four different T-shirts, and then lays them in front of the person, from left to right.
At the far left, there is the red T-shirt.
Right of that is the blue one.
Then there is the yellow one.
And finally, at the far right is an orange T-shirt.
If the person then starts counting the shirts from the left, he would first see the red shirt. So the red shirt is the first T-shirt. The blue shirt is the second T-shirt. The yellow shirt is the third one, and the orange T-shirt is the fourth one.
The first, second, third, and fourth in this case are ordinal numbers. They result from the fact that the person has many objects, and they give them an order (hence 'ordinal'). The person then simply counts those objects, and gives the ordinal numbers to them.
In set theory, ordinals are also ordinal numbers people use to order infinite sets. An example is the set (or for short), which is the set containing all natural numbers (including 0). This is the smallest ordinal number that is infinite, and there are many more (such as + 1).
Related pages
Cardinal number
Names of ordinal numbers in English
Transfinite number
References
Number theory |
4977 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnome | Gnome | The word Gnome can mean different things:
A Gnome is a creature of myth.
Gnomes are elemental spirits of earth.
Gnomes are tiny, shaped like humans, with long beards. A gnome is like a dwarf but smaller. Gnomes like gems and mining.
The GNOME desktop is a desktop environment for computers running Unix and Unix-like computer operating systems. |
4978 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic | Republic | A republic is a form of government that has no monarchy and no hereditary aristocracy. It originates from Rome. In 509 BC, the Romans overthrew the Roman Kingdom and established a republic, a government in which citizens elected representatives to rule on their behalf.
National sovereignty lies in the authority of the government, not in an emperor or monarch. The word republic comes from the Latin words res publica, meaning a "public thing". For example, the United States and India are republics. However, the United Kingdom and Canada are not republics since they have a monarch (Queen Elizabeth II in both cases).
Countries with a king or other monarch and free elections is called a constitutional monarchy, not republics. A constitutional monarchy resembles a republic because the constitution has been amended to remove power from the monarch and install institutions conforming to a philosophy of republicanism. That includes the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, the Netherlands, Thailand, and countries in Scandinavia and elsewhere. What makes a republic different is that its laws are made and enforced without royal authority.
The head of state in a republic is generally a person who has been chosen by the citizens by direct election or by a group of elected representatives to act as the top representative of the people. In most republics, the head of state is called the president. In some countries, the president is elected and has a lot of political power. In others, the president does not hold much direct power but is important in the legal system for other reasons.
Sometimes, state is called a "republic" when its head is not called a "king". For example, the Roman Empire had an "emperor" and the Dutch Republic had a "stadholder", but they worked as hereditary monarchs.
Licchavi, in India, was the first republic in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. The earliest republics that were much imitated later were Greek cities, for example democracy in Athens. The biggest difference from the other city-states was that people chose their leaders by voting or by lottery.
References
Forms of government |
4980 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin%20Luther | Martin Luther | Martin Luther (10 November 1483 in Eisleben - 18 February 1546 in Eisleben) was a German monk and theologian of Christianity. He is credited with starting the Protestant Reformation. As this happened, what are now called Protestant churches split from the Roman Catholic church. He started the Lutheran Church, the first Protestant church.
Life
Luther studied philosophy at the University of Erfurt. In 1505, he entered into the Augustinian Order as a monk. Luther studied theology and ancient languages in Erfurt. In 1512 he became a doctor of theology in Wittenberg and began his lectures on the Psalms and Letters of Paul.
In October 1517, Luther wrote his 95 Theses. Many people think that he put them on the door of a church in Wittenberg, but we do not know this for sure. Instead, he published a copy. He presented these to church officials at Worms Cathedral. Luther called them The Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences. It questioned the teaching of the western Church and its ideas about penance, the authority of the Pope and the usefulness of "indulgences". At that time, the Catholic Church was selling indulgences to get out of purgatory, and go right to Heaven after death. They were selling indulgences for money for the dead so they could go to Heaven faster. If that was true, it would mean that poor people would not be able to go to Heaven as quickly, but that the priests in the church would be rich from selling these things. Luther thought that this was all wrong, and was against the Bible.
After studying the Letters of Paul, especially the Letter to Romans, Luther came up with an idea called "sola fide". This means that faith is the only way that people can get salvation from God. According to sola fide, this would mean that many church customs were useless, and should be cast away.
First, Luther believed that he could reform (change) the Roman Church from the inside (while still being a part of the Church) with his Theses, but the Papacy took his attitude as heresy and excommunicated him on June 15 1520 with a paper saying he did not have their permission to go to Heaven. In October, Luther burned the paper in public, and showed he would not obey the Church unless they accepted his words.
Emperor Charles V Opened the imperial Diet of Worms on 22 January 1521 to hear the case. For Luther, it was the last chance to say he had been wrong. But he did not change his mind. The Diet declared Luther an outlaw.
With the help of a friend, Luther hid in Wartburg Castle, near Erfurt. In the castle, he translated the Bible. First, he wrote the New Testament in German instead of the original Greek. Later, he translated the Old Testament into German, too. Until then, the Mass and the Bible were in Latin. Very few people understood it. Most people went to Mass, and did not understand what the priest said because they did not speak Latin. Luther translated the Bible so that more people could read and understand it. That way they were no longer depending on the priest to tell them what was in the Bible, but could read it themselves.
Luther started his own church, called the Lutheran Church, with his friend Philip Melanchthon. Luther died in 1546.
Family
From the Bible, Luther formed firm ideas about families. Luther knew that what a child learned at home would greatly influence his life. He said in Table Talks, "Sermons very little edify children, who learn little thereby; it is more needful they be taught and well instructed in schools, and at home, and that they be learned and examined what they have learned; this way profits much; 'tis very wearisome, but very necessary". Luther also preached against the Catholic Church's demands that ministers cannot marry. After hearing his preaching, many nuns wrote to him to ask for help in escaping their convents. Luther helped nine nuns escape from a convent. On April 4, 1524, Luther had a friend help the nuns sneak over the wall and then hid them in barrels on a wagon until they were out of the city. One of these nuns was Katherine von Bora.
After finding husbands for the nuns whose families would not accept them, Luther had to find a husband for Katherine von Bora. Katherine, however, not only rejected a match Luther arranged for her, but said she would accept only Luther or another pastor named Amsdorf as her husband.
At first Luther did not really like Katherine and thought "she was proud and haughty." His feelings changed, though, and they married on June 13, 1525. Luther later said, "And thank God it hath turned out well; for I have a pious (holy, God-loving) and faithful wife, to whom one may safely commit (give) his heart".
They had six children. On June 6, 1526, Luther wrote, "I am a happy husband...for from the most precious woman, my best of wives, I have received, by the blessing of God, a little son, John Luther, and, by God's wonderful grace, I have become a father."
The firstborn was John Luther. The next was a daughter, Elizabeth; but Elizabeth died when she was just eight months old, and Luther wrote in a letter, "My little daughter Elizabeth is taken from me, and hath left me with a bleeding and almost womanly heart, so sad am I on her account. I never thought the heart of a father was so tender towards his children. Pray the Lord for me." A third child, Magdalene, also died young. After Magdalene came Martin, then Paul, and finally Margaret. It was for his children that Luther wrote the Small Catechism - a book showing the basics of Lutheran beliefs.
Movies
Since the time of the silent movies 28 movies about Martin Luther have been made. The newest movie is titled Luther, released in 2003.
References
Other websites
Martin Luther - Eine Bibliographie (German)
Full text in English of the 95 theses
Disputatione pro declaratione virtutis indulgentiarum (95 Theses, in Latin, at Wikisource)
Project Wittenberg, a collection of Luther's text
Repository of Luther's works at Project Gutenberg
1483 births
1546 deaths
Bible translators
Christian theologians
German academics
German theologians
Monks
People excommunicated by the Catholic Church
People from Saxony-Anhalt
Protestant Reformers |
4982 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noh | Noh | Noh or No (Japanese:能 Nō) is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama. It started in the 14th century and continues today. Noh is made up of mai (dances), hayashi (music) and utai (words usually in songs). The performers use masks and dance slowly. Zeami and his father Kan'ami brought Noh to its present-day form during the Muromachi period.
Types of Noh drama
Theater pieces of Noh are classified into 5 groups.
Divine; the hero or heroine is divine like a god, heavenly people, and so on. The hero or heroine makes a benediction at the end of the drama.
Shura-mono (Warrior); the hero (rarely heroine) is a warrior, usually already dead.
Kazura-mono (Women); the heroine and often her love romance is the focus.
Zatsu-no (Miscellaneous); Noh which cannot be placed in the other four groups.
Oni-noh (Oni; demons) ; Non-humans, like oni, tengu (fairy, lion), are the heroes of this type. Mainly it is played at the end of the program.
Noh players
All Noh players are men. They have been taught their skills by their fathers. When a woman or girl appears in the drama, a male actor plays her role with a woman mask.
There are three types of Noh players: shite, waki and kyogen. Shite plays the hero or the heroine. He talks sings and dances. Waki (meaning "Side") and plays the sidekick of Shite. The Waki usually plays the role of a traveler role. He introduces us to the world in the drama. Kyogen appears in the middle of the drama if it has two parts, and plays the role of the local citizen. He talks to Waki and makes him notice something new or realize what has happened.
Music on Noh
Hayashi means musical instrumentals. Two kinds of drum (Tuzumi, Taiko) and a flute (Fue) are used in the theater.
References
Japanese culture
Theatrical forms
Entertainment in Japan |
4984 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga | Manga | A manga () is a Japanese comic book.
Manga is drawn by a mangaka () (Japanese for cartoonist: an artist of comics). Manga is usually read from right to left.
The word manga can be both singular and plural, and mean both the medium of comics or a single comic. It is a form of art that is used to draw comics and develop Anime (animated cartoons of manga art). Colors and symbols are important.
Types of manga
Yōji (幼児向け漫画) - Manga for people aged 1–4.
Kodomo (or Jidō) manga (児童漫画、子ども漫画) - manga that appeals to many small children.
Doraemon
Kureyon Shinchan
Shōnen (少年漫画) - A boy is usually the main character in these types of manga. The storyline is mostly about adventure/fighting.Weekly Shōnen Jump (Published by Shueisha) BleachNarutoBlack CloverOne PieceDragon BallThe Prince of TennisGintamaDeath Note Weekly Shōnen Sunday (Published by Shōgakukan) InuYashaDetective ConanMajorMagi Weekly Shōnen Magazine (Published by Kōdansha) Fairy TailFighting Spirit (manga) Monthly GFantasy (Published by Square Enix)Black Butler
Shōjo ( - Manga that features human emotions and relationships. Mostly for girls aged 13–17.
Ciao (Published by Shogakukan)
Chuchu (Published by Shogakukan)
Sho-Comi (Published by Shogakukan)
Ribon (Published by Shueisha)
Nakayoshi (Published by Kodansha)
Sailor Moon - an example of shōjo manga published by Nakayoshi.
LaLa (Published by Hakusensha)
Hana to yume (Published by Hakusensha)
Seinen - manga that is written for college-aged young menYoung animal (Published by Hakusensha)
Berserk Nana to Kaoru
Futari Ecchi Ai Yori Aoshi Young King OURs (Published by Shōnen Gahōsha)Hellsing Young Ace (Published by Kadokawa Shoten)Another Seijin (成人漫画) - manga that might appeal to men more than women.
Josei/Redikomi (女性漫画 レディースコミック、レディコミ) - (Abbreviation of English "LADIes' COMIc") manga that might appeal to women more than men.
Shōnen-ai (少年愛) - manga that features a romantic relationship between two male characters. Also known as Yaoi.
Shōjo-ai'' (少女愛) - manga that features a romantic relationship between two female characters.Another name Yuri(百合)
Related pages
Anime
Cosplay
Mangaka
Light novel
Otaku
Hentai
Ecchi
Manhwa – Korean comic books
Comic books |
4988 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spree | Spree | The Spree is a river in the north-east of Germany.
It runs through the centre of Berlin. The river is long.
Geography of Berlin
Geography of Brandenburg
Geography of Saxony
Rivers of Germany |
4990 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism | Liberalism | Liberalism is a way of thinking about politics and government.
Beliefs
Some liberals believe that freedom is impossible without equality, and that governments should promote egalitarianism by providing education and health care supported by taxes. Other liberals believe that taxes are bad, and that people should provide their own education and health care; these people are usually called libertarians today. Most liberal governments today do provide at least some education and health care, though not necessarily equally for all citizens.
Other concepts important to some liberals include:
Free markets (market economy) – People should be free to buy and sell goods and services.
Peace – People should not start wars or use violence.
Philosophy
In the old days, kings or queens told people what to do (a form of government called a Monarchy), and there was very little freedom. A few hundred years ago, philosophers such as John Locke, Simón Bolívar, John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham began to write about freedom. Earlier writers, such as Marcus Aurelius, had written about freedom, but this time the idea caught on. The United States of America was the first country to have a constitution which was based on the ideas of John Locke which were similar to those of Mill and Bentham, and which guaranteed certain rights to all citizens, including freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the right to assemble (get together in groups), the right to bear arms (weapons), and the right to ask their government to take action (right of petition) or to remove from office rulers they did not like (right of referendum).
Another idea that became popular around this time was the idea of free trade. A leading philosopher who promoted free trade was Adam Smith.
Liberalism today
Most of the wealthy countries in the world today are liberal democracies with more or less free trade. An exception to this rule are the oil-rich countries, not all of which are liberal or democratic. Most of the poor countries in the world are dictatorships, with heavy restrictions on trade. China is a poor country which is rapidly becoming rich, and is trying the experiment of combining dictatorship with free trade. Whether it is possible to have the advantages of free trade without other freedoms remains to be seen.
Liberalism around the world
All liberal governments support free elections, and this idea is defended in the legal systems of many countries. However, many countries have elections, but they are not free. This is because opposition candidates cannot use the mass media to publicize their ideas. This situation leads to long-term stability, and to rule by elite groups or dictators. That situation exists in Russia and almost all the former states of the Soviet Union to the east.
United States
The government of the United States was created based on a belief in democracy and personal freedom. However the word "liberalism" has taken on a different meaning in modern times. Liberals in the United States still believe in supporting democracy and freedom, but many liberals also support other ideas. While not all liberals agree on everything, most liberals in the United States agree:
That equal opportunity for all people is a good goal
That government should provide some level of education and healthcare to all people, even if some taxes have to be increased to achieve this goal
That richer people should pay more of their income in taxes than poor people
That liberties and freedoms are very important and should be protected
Most liberals in the United States believe that peace is at least somewhat important, and that government should work together with other countries and not start as many wars on their own
Liberals in the United States are also sometimes called "Progressives". The biggest liberal political party in the modern United States is the Democratic Party. However, the Green Party is seen to be more 'left', or liberal than the Democrats.
Australia
Liberals in Australia have many different ideas about government than liberals in the United States. Most liberals in Australia believe that government should not increase taxes, and would like a government that has lower taxes and less power over the economy. The main liberal political party in Australia is the Liberal Party of Australia. The Liberal Party also believes that government should support traditional values and morals, something which many conservatives believe as well.
Notes
Related pages
Political economy
Neoliberalism
Constitutional economics
Conservatism |
4991 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s%20paradoxes | Zeno's paradoxes | Zeno's paradoxes are a famous set of thought-provoking stories or puzzles created by Zeno of Elea in the mid-5th century BC. Philosophers, physicists, and mathematicians have argued for 25 centuries over how to answer the questions raised by Zeno's paradoxes.
Nine paradoxes have been attributed to him. Zeno constructed them to answer those who thought that Parmenides's idea that "all is one and unchanging" was absurd. Three of Zeno's paradoxes are the most famous: two are presented below. They all deal with problems of the apparently continuous nature of space and time.
Achilles and the tortoise
In the paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise, Achilles is in a footrace with the tortoise. Achilles allows the tortoise a head start of 100 metres, for example. Suppose that each racer starts running at a constant speed, one very fast and one very slow. After some finite time, Achilles will have run 100 metres, bringing him to the tortoise's starting point. During this time, the slower tortoise has run a much shorter distance. It will then take Achilles some further time to run that distance, by which time the tortoise will have advanced farther. It will then take still more time for Achilles to reach this third point, while the tortoise again moves ahead. Thus, whenever Achilles reaches somewhere the tortoise has been, he still has farther to go. Therefore, because there are an infinite number of points Achilles must reach where the tortoise has already been, he can never overtake the tortoise.
The dichotomy paradox
Suppose someone wishes to get from point A to point B. First, they must move halfway. Then, they must go half of the remaining way. Continuing in this manner, there will always be some small distance remaining, and the goal would never actually be reached. There will always be another number to add in a series such as 1 + 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + .... So, motion from any point A to any different point B seems an impossibility.
Commentary
This then is where Zeno's paradox lies: both pictures of reality cannot be true at the same time. Hence, either:
1. There is something wrong with the way we perceive the continuous nature of time,
2. In reality there is no such thing as a discrete, or incremental, amounts of time, distance, or perhaps anything else for that matter, or
3. There is a third picture of reality that unifies the two pictures--the mathematical one and the common sense or philosophical one--that we do not yet have the tools to fully understand.
Proposed solutions
Few people would bet that the tortoise would win the race against an athlete. But, what is wrong with the argument?
As one begins adding the terms in the series 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + 1/32 + 1/64 + ...., one may notice that the sum gets closer and closer to 1, and will never exceed 1. Aristotle (who is the source for much of what we know about Zeno) noted that as the distance (in the dichotomy paradox) decreases, the time to travel each distance gets exceedingly smaller and smaller. Before 212 BC, Archimedes had developed a method to get a finite answer for the sum of infinitely many terms which get progressively smaller (such as 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + 1/32 + ...).
Modern calculus achieves the same result, using more rigorous methods.
Some mathematicians, such as Carl Boyer, think that Zeno's paradoxes are just mathematical problems, for which modern calculus provides a mathematical solution.
However, Zeno's questions remain problematic if one approaches an infinite series of steps, one step at a time. This is known as a 'supertask'. Calculus does not actually involve adding numbers one at a time. Instead, it determines the value (called a limit) that the addition is approaching.
References
Mathematical paradoxes
Philosophical problems
Logical paradoxes |
4993 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandrake | Mandrake | For the Linux variant, see Mandriva Linux
Mandrake is the common name of a number of plants in the Nightshade family, genus Mandragora. The roots often look like man or woman, or can be easily made to resemble them. The plant has been used in witchcraft for a long time.
According to this literature, the plant shrieks in pain, when it is pulled from the ground. This shriek is able to make a person deaf. He might also lose his mind, or even be killed, if he is unprotected.
Mandrake (Mandragora officinalis) has been used as an anaestethic for a long time. For this, it was usually prepared in an alcoholic solution.
Nightshades |
4994 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian | Debian | Debian is a free operating system. It is a distribution of an operating system known as the GNU operating system, which can be used with various kernels, including Linux, kFreeBSD, and Hurd. In combination with these kernels, the operating system can be referred to as Debian GNU/Linux, Debian GNU/kFreeBSD, and Debian GNU/Hurd, respectively. Debian GNU/Linux is one of the most complete and popular GNU/Linux distributions, on which many others, like Ubuntu, are based.
Brief history
The Debian Project officially started on August 16th, 1993, led by Ian Murdock. He was a computer programmer. Today, in this project, Debian is developed by more than 1,000 computer specialists all over the world.
The name "Debian" was taken after Ian Murdock and his wife Debra. Some people say or pronounce 'deb-ee-n' but others also say 'de-bi-an' or 'de-bai-an' and in Japan 'de-bi-a-n' and so on.
Development steps
Software packages in development are either uploaded to the project distribution named unstable (also known as sid), or to the experimental repository. Software packages uploaded to unstable are normally versions stable enough to be released by the original upstream developer, but with the added Debian-specific packaging and other modifications introduced by Debian developers. These additions may be new and untested. Software not ready yet for the unstable distribution is typically placed in the experimental repository.
After a version of a software package has remained in unstable for a certain length of time (depending on how urgent the changes are), that package is automatically moved to the testing distribution. The package's move to testing happens only if no serious (release-critical) bugs in the package are reported and if other software needed for package functionality qualifies for inclusion in testing.
Since updates to Debian software packages between official releases do not contain new features, some choose to use the testing and unstable distributions for their newer packages. However, these distributions are less tested than stable, and unstable does not receive timely security updates. In particular, incautious upgrades to working unstable packages can sometimes seriously break software functionality. Since September 9, 2005 the testing distributions security updates have been provided by the testing security team.
After the packages in testing have matured and the goals for the next release are met, the testing distribution becomes the next stable release. The latest stable release of Debian (Buster) is 10.0, released on July 6, 2019. The next release is codenamed "Bullseye".
Release history
11 architectures + 1 additional ARM binary ABI (armel)
9 architectures with Linux kernel + 2 architectures with FreeBSD kernel
Due to an incident involving a CD vendor who made an unofficial and broken release labeled 1.0, an official 1.0 release was never made.
For other platforms
Debian has been ported to different architectures or platforms. One version, which is based on the developer release (sid) that has been ported to the Xbox is called Xebian.
Package
Debian's official software package repository includes, for example, UNetbootin.
Related pages
List of Linux distributions
References
Notes
Other websites
http://www.debian.org/ - Debian Project Homepage
Linux distributions
Debian
X86-64 Linux distributions |
4995 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU | GNU | GNU is the name of a computer operating system. The name is short for GNU's Not Unix. Richard Stallman leads the GNU Project. The popular Linux operating systems made using Linux kernel include many GNU tools. So, many projects and developers call the Linux-based operating systems GNU/Linux.
The GNU project was started by Richard Stallman in 1983. His wanted to create a computer system that was all free and open source software. Users could change, share and publish new work based on GNU. He and a group of developers started by creating copies of each piece of Unix software. The rest of GNU was the kernel, called the GNU Hurd, which is not yet finished. The more popular Linux kernel is used instead.
Other websites
GNU User Groups
Operating systems
GNU project |
5000 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbia | Serbia | The Republic of Serbia (Serbian: Република Србија / Republika Srbija), or usually just Serbia (Serbian: Србија / Srbija), is a country in Central Europe. The capital city is Belgrade. To the north of Serbia is the country Hungary. To the east of Serbia are the countries Bulgaria and Romania. To the south of Serbia is the country North Macedonia. To the west of Serbia are the countries Montenegro (the country that was once united with Serbia), Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.
History
The oldest form of writing comes from an ancient civilization which inhabited Serbia called the Vinča culture and the symbols are called the Vinča script. Serbia is also home to the earliest known copper smelting sites and the birth of the Copper Age which lead humanity out of the Stone Age and into regular use of metallurgy. The same culture contains the earliest evidence of tin alloy bronze which replaced the much weaker arsenic bronze.
Medieval history
White Serbs, an early Slavic tribe from Northern Europe, came to Northern Greece in the 6th century. By the 8th century they had created the Serbian Principality, a Serbian country, in the Balkans. The Serbs became Christian around the 10th century. For 200 years, the Nemanjić dynasty ruled. They made Serbia a kingdom, built new towns, monasteries, and forts, and made Serbia bigger. In 1371 the Nemanjic Dynasty died out. Serbia became unsafe and local leaders fought each other for control. In 1389 the Ottoman Empire invaded Serbia. They fought against Serbia, Bosnia, the Knights Hospitaller, and the forces of many other local leaders, and won. The Turks fought the Serbs for 70 years until in 1459 the Ottoman Turks conquered Serbia.
Ottoman period
Once the Ottomans conquered Serbia, they got rid of the Serbian upper class. Most Serbs worked as farmers on land owned by Turks. They had to pay high taxes to the Turks. Some Serbs were forced to become Muslims. But the Serbs had their own laws in the Ottoman Empire through the millet system. During the 19th century Serbia gradually became independent. During World War I Austria conquered Serbia but lost the bigger war. Serbia joined other Balkan countries to form Yugoslavia.
Geography
Serbia is found in the Balkan peninsula and the Pannonian Plain. The Danube passes through Serbia. The Šar Mountains of Kosovo form the border with Albania. Over 31% of Serbia is covered by forest. National parks take up 10% of the country's territory. Serbia has 5 national parks and 22 nature reserves.
Birds
Serbia is on the Vardar-Morava Flyway of bird migration, so many birds fly across Serbia when going to Africa and back. Golden Eagle, Nutcracker and Coal Tit live high in the mountains. Nightingale, Chaffinch and Greater Spotted Woodpecker live in the forests in the hills. Saker Falcon, Whinchat and Quail live in steppe and fields in the northern lowland part of Serbia which is called Vojvodina. Syrian Woodpecker, Common Redstart and Collared Dove live in the orchards and farmyards. Black Redstart, Kestrel and Common Swift live in the city center. Hooded Crow lives everywhere.
The town of Kikinda is known for Long-eared Owls that form flocks in trees at the city squares. Tourists come from other countries to see them. In winter you can see Pygmy Cormorants in Belgrade, at the rivers Sava and Danube.
Economy
Serbia is classed as an upper-middle income economy.
The major processed vegetable crops in Serbia are potatoes, tomatoes and pepper. Serbia is one of the biggest world producers and exporters of raspberries. They are a leading exporter of frozen fruit.
There are five international airports in Serbia: Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, Niš Constantine the Great Airport, Morava International Airport, Vršac International Airport and Pristina International Airport.
89% of households in Serbia have fixed telephone lines. There are over 9.60 million cell-phones users. This is larger than the number of the total population of Serbia itself by 30%.
Culture
Serbia has a total of eight sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list: The Early Medieval capital Stari Ras and the 13th-century monastery Sopoćani, and the 12th-century monastery Studenica, and the endangered Medieval Monuments in Kosovo group, comprising the monasteries of Visoki Dečani, Our Lady of Ljeviš, Gračanica and Patriarchate of Peć (former seat of the Serbian Church, mausoleum of Serbian royalty) and finally the Roman estate of Gamzigrad–Felix Romuliana. There are two literary memorials on UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme: The 12th-century Miroslav Gospel, and scientist Nikola Tesla's valuable archive.
The most prominent museum in Serbia is the National Museum of Serbia. It was founded in 1844. It houses a collection of more than 400,000 exhibits, over 5,600 paintings and 8,400 drawings and prints, and includes many foreign masterpiece collections, including Miroslav Gospel.
The official language, Serbian, is written in both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets.
Composer and musicologist Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac is said to be one of the most important founders of modern Serbian music.
In the 1990s and the 2000s, many pop music performers rose to fame. Željko Joksimović won second place at the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest. Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. Serbia was the host of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.
Sports
The most popular sports in Serbia are football, basketball, volleyball, handball, water polo and tennis.
The three main football clubs in Serbia are Red Star and Partizan, both from the capital city of Belgrade, and Vojvodina from Novi Sad.
Novak Djokovic, a multiple Grand Slam-winning tennis player and current number one, is from Serbia. Other tennis players from Serbia include Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic.
Related pages
List of rivers of Serbia
Serbia at the Olympics
Serbia national football team
References
European Union candidate states
2006 establishments in Europe |
5001 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer | Cancer | Cancer is a type of disease where cells grow out of control, divide and invade other tissues. In a person without cancer, cell division is under control. In most tissues, healthy cells divide in a controlled way and copy themselves to create new healthy cells. With cancer, this normal cell division goes out of control. Cells change their nature because mutations have occurred in their genes. All the daughter cells of cancer cells are also cancerous.
If the abnormal cells do not invade, but just divide and swell up their original tissue, this is not called "cancer". It is called a tumour. Tumours are usually not a threat to life because they can be cut out. However, some tumours occur in places where they cannot be cut out, and they can be fatal. Some brain tumours are of this type.
The symptoms of cancer are caused by the cancerous cells invading other tissues. This is called metastasis. Metastasis is how which cancer cells move through the bloodstream or lymphatic system. When this happens, a person's cancer can be spread throughout his or her body. Eventually those other tissues cannot work as well, and the whole body begins to get worse, and may die.
Cancer can affect anybody at any age. Most types of cancer are more likely to affect people as they get older. This is because as a person's DNA gets older, their DNA may become damaged, or damage that happened in the past may get worse. One type of cancer that is more common in young men, rather than older people, is testicular cancer (cancer of the testicles).
Cancer is one of the biggest and most researched causes of death in developed countries. Studying cancer and its treatment is called oncology.
Causes
Cancer is one of the most common causes of death around the world. It causes about 12.5% (or one out of every eight) of all deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Different types of cancer have different causes. Some things are known to cause cancer in a specific body part; other things are known to be able to cause many different types of cancer. For example, using tobacco (smoked or smokeless) can cause many types of cancers, such as lung, mouth, tongue, and throat cancers. Other things that are known to be able to cause cancer - or make a person more likely to get cancer - include: radiation including sunlight and X-rays in large or many doses, and exposure to radiation (for example in a nuclear power plant); chemicals and materials used in building and manufacturing (for example, asbestos and benzene); high-fat or low-fiber diets; air and water pollution; eating very little fruits and vegetables; obesity; not enough physical activity; drinking too much alcohol; and certain chemicals commonly used at home. Some cancers can also be caused by viruses. Many people who are exposed to these things do get cancer - but some do not.
Kinds
There are many different kinds of cancers. Some of the most common are:
Breast cancer
Brain cancer
Leukemia (a blood cancer)
Testicular cancer
Mesothelioma (which starts in the lungs, and is usually caused by breathing in asbestos for long periods of time)
Lung cancer
Treatment of cancer
There is no sure cure for cancer. It can only be cured if all of the cancerous cells are cut out or killed in place. This means that the earlier the cancer is treated, the better the chances are for a cure (because the cancer cells may not have had enough time to copy themselves and spread so much that the person cannot be cured).
There are a few different types of treatments that may kill cancer cells. These treatments are:
Radiotherapy (radiation therapy), which uses radiation to kill cancer cells
Chemotherapy, which uses strong medications to kill cancer cells
Immunotherapy works by "inducing, enhancing, or suppressing an immune response".
Surgery to take out part or all of a tumor
After surgery, many patients may need radiotherapy or chemotherapy to keep the tumor from growing again
Treating cancer is complicated
There are a few reasons why treating cancer is complicated. For example:
Most things that kill cancer cells also kill normal, healthy cells. This can cause many side effects, like hair loss and vomiting.
The body's immune system usually will not attack cancer cells, even though they could easily kill the body. This is because the cancer has actually become a part of the body by invading cells and tissues. So the immune system sees the cancer as part of the body it is trying to protect, not as a threat to be attacked.
There are many different types of cancer, and each has its own symptoms and causes. Even with the same type of cancer, different people may have different symptoms, and may react to treatments differently; their cancer also may grow or spread at different speeds. Treatment has to be a good fit to both the type of cancer and the individual patient who has the cancer.
Many, many people in many countries study cancer and work on finding treatments. There has been some good progress in finding treatments, and many cancers are treated with success. Along with looking for different medical treatments to treat cancer, some studies also look for things that people with cancer can do themselves to try to make themselves healthier. For example, one study showed that if a person with lymphedema (a swelling of the arm linked to breast cancer) lifts weights, he may be able to fight his cancer better than somebody who does not lift weights.
History
Cancer has been around for many thousands of years. Today, a lot of the medical terms used to describe cancer come from ancient Greek and Latin. For example, the Latinized Greek word carcinoma is used to describe a malignant tumor - a tumor made up of cancer cells. The Greeks also used the word "karkinos", which would be translated by Aulus Cornelius Celsus into the Latin word cancer. The prefix 'carcino' is still used in medical words like carcinoma and carcinogenic. A famous Greek doctor, Galen, helped create another word that is very important to medicine today by using the word "onkos" to describe all tumours. This is where the word oncology, the branch of medicine that deals with cancer, comes from.
Ancient history
Hippocrates (a very famous ancient doctor who is often called the father of modern medicine) named many kinds of cancer. He called benign tumours (tumors that are not made up of cancer cells) oncos. In Greek, onkos means 'swelling'. He called malignant tumours karkinos. This means crab or crayfish in Greek. He used this term because he thought that if a solid malignant tumor was cut into, its veins looked like a crab: "the veins stretched on all sides as the animal the crab has its feet, whence it derives (gets) its name". Hippocrates later added -oma (Greek for 'swelling') after the word 'carcinos'. This is how the word carcinoma came about.
Because the ancient Greeks did not believe in opening up dead bodies to study them, Hippocrates was only able to describe and make drawings of tumors he saw from the outside of the body. He drew tumors that had been on the skin, nose, and breasts.
Hippocrates and other doctors at that time treated people based on the humor theory. This theory said that there were four types of fluid in the body (black, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm). Doctors tried to figure out whether these four "humors" (or body fluids) were in balance. They would then use treatments like blood-letting (cutting the patient and letting him bleed so that he would lose blood); laxatives (giving the patient foods or herbs to make him go to the bathroom), and/or changing the patient's diet. The doctors thought that these treatments would work to get the patient's four humors back into the right balance. The humor theory treatment was popular until the 19th century (the 1800s), when cells were discovered. By this time, people had realized that cancer can happen anywhere in the body.
Early surgery
The oldest known document that talks about cancer was discovered in Egypt and is thought to be from about 1600 B.C. The document talks about using surgery to treat eight cases of ulcers of the breast. These were treated by cauterization - by burning them - using a tool called "the fire drill". The document also says about cancer, "There is no treatment".
Another very early type of surgery used to treat cancer was written about in the 1020s. In The Canon of Medicine, Avicenna (Ibn Sina) said that treatment should involve cutting out all diseased tissue. This included the use of amputation (removing a part of the body completely) or removing veins that ran in the direction of the tumor. Avicenna also suggested that the area that had been treated should be cauterized (or burned) if needed.
The 16th and 17th centuries
In the 16th and 17th centuries (the 1500s and 1600s), doctors started to be allowed to dissect bodies (or cut them open after death) in order to figure out the cause of death. Around this time, there were many different ideas about what caused cancer. The German professor Wilhelm Fabry believed that breast cancer was caused by a clot of milk in the part of a woman's breast that produces milk. The Dutch professor Francois de la Boe Sylvius believed that all disease was caused by chemical processes. He thought that cancer, in particular, was caused by acidic lymph. Nicolaes Tulp, who lived at the same time as Sylvius, believed that cancer was a poison that slowly spreads and was contagious.
A British surgeon named Percivall Pott was the first person to figure out one of the real causes of cancer. In 1775, he discovered that cancer of the scrotum was a common disease among chimney sweeps (people who cleaned out chimneys). Other doctors started studying this topic and coming up with other ideas about what causes cancer. Doctors then started working together and coming up with better ideas.
The 18th century
In the 18th century (the 1700s), many people started to use the microscope, and this made a big difference in helping doctors and scientists understand more about cancer. Using the microscope, scientists were able to see that the 'cancer poison' spread from one tumor through the lymph nodes to other sites ("metastasis"). This was first made clear by the English surgeon Campbell De Morgan, between 1871 and 1874.
Before the 19th century (the 1800s), using surgery to treat cancer usually had bad results. Doctors did not understand how important hygiene (or keeping things clean) is for preventing disease, especially after surgery. Because things were not kept clean during or after surgery, patients often got infections and died. For example, one well-known Scottish surgeon, Alexander Monro, kept records and found that 58 patients out of every 60 who had surgery for breast tumors died within the next two years.
The 19th century
In the 19th century, surgical hygiene got better because of asepsis. Doctors realized that dirtiness and germs cause infections, so they started to keep things cleaner and do things to kill germs in order to prevent their patients from getting infections. It became more common for people to survive after having surgery. Surgical removal of the tumor (taking the tumor out of the body by doing surgery) became the first-choice treatment for cancer. For this kind of treatment to work, the surgeon doing the operation had to be very good at removing tumors. (This meant that even if people had the same kind of cancer, they could get very different results, with some getting good treatment that worked and others getting treatment that did not work, because of differences in how good different surgeons were.)
In the late 1800s, doctors and scientists started to realize that the body is made up of many kinds of tissues, which in turn are made up of millions of cells. The discovery started the age of cellular pathology (studying cells to learn about diseases and figure out what is wrong with the body).
Discovery of radiation
In the 1890s, French scientists discovered radioactive decay. Radiation therapy became the first cancer treatment that worked and did not involve surgery. It required a new multi-disciplinary approach to cancer treatment (people doing different jobs were working together to treat patients). The surgeon was no longer working by himself - he worked together with hospital radiologists (people who gave and read X-rays) to help patients. This team approach meant changes in how they worked. The different people on the team had to communicate with each other and work together, which they were not used to doing. It also meant that treatment had to be done in a hospital rather than at the patient's home. Because of this, patients' information had to be put together into files kept at the hospital (called "medical records"). Because this information was now being kept and written down, scientists were able to do the first statistical patient studies using numbers to study questions like how many people who have a certain type of cancer or get a certain treatment survive.
The 20th century
Another important step forward in understanding cancer happened in 1926, when Janet Lane-Claypon published a paper on cancer epidemiology. (Epidemiology is a field of study which looks at how common a disease is, what patterns the disease takes in different kinds of people, and what this means for understanding and treating the disease.) This historic paper was a comparative study, which tries to find out what causes a disease by looking at a group of people who have the disease and figuring out how they are different from another group that does not have the disease. Lane-Clayton's study looked at 1000 people who all had the same background and lifestyle (or way of living): 500 people with breast cancer and 500 control patients (people without breast cancer). These people were the same in many ways, but some got breast cancer and some did not. To figure out what might be causing certain people to get breast cancer, the study looked at what was different about these people when they were compared to (or looked at alongside) the people who did not get cancer.
Lane-Clayton's study was published by the British Ministry of Health. Her work on cancer epidemiology was continued by Richard Doll and Austin Bradford Hill. They used the same ways of studying cancer as Lane-Clayton, but they looked at a different kind of cancer: lung cancer. In 1956, they published their results in a paper called "Lung Cancer and Other Causes of Death In Relation to Smoking. A Second Report on the Mortality of British Doctors" (also called the British doctors study). Later, Richard Doll left the London Medical Research Center (MRC), and started the Oxford unit for Cancer epidemiology in 1968. By using computers, this unit was able to do something new and very important: it brought together large amounts of cancer data (pieces of information about cancer). This way of studying cancer is very important to cancer epidemiology today, and it has also been very important in shaping what we now know about cancer and what the rules and laws about the disease and public health are today. Over the past 50 years, many different people have done a lot of work to collect data from different doctors, hospitals, areas, states, and even countries. This data is used to study whether different kinds of cancer are more or less common in different areas, environments (for example, in big cities compared to the countryside), or cultures. This helps people who study cancer to figure out what makes people more or less likely to get different kinds of cancer.
Effects of World War II
Before World War II, doctors and hospitals were getting better at collecting (or getting and keeping) data about their patients who had cancer, but it was rare for this data to be shared with other doctors or hospitals. This changed after WWII, when medical research centers found out that different countries had very different number of cases of cancer. Because of this, many countries created national public health organizations (which studied public health issues in an entire country). These national public health organizations began to bring together health data from many different doctors and hospitals. This helped them figure out some of the reasons why cancer was so much more common in certain places. For example, in Japan, people studying cancer found out that people who had survived the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had bone marrow that was completely destroyed. This helped them realize that diseased bone marrow could also be destroyed with radiation, which was a very important step in figuring out that leukemia (a blood cancer) can be treated with bone marrow transplants.
Since World War II, scientists have kept finding better cancer treatments. However, there are some things that still need to get better. For example, while there are good treatments for many kinds of cancer, there are still no treatments for certain kinds of cancer, or for some cancers once they progress (or get worse) to a certain stage of the disease. Also, the cancer treatments that do exist are not all standardized (there is not one agreed-upon way of giving every treatment which is used each time the treatment is given). Cancer treatments are also not available everywhere in the world. People need to keep studying cancer epidemiology and forming international partnerships (where different countries work together) to find cures and make cancer treatments available everywhere.
Other websites
What is Cancer? (Simple English) - American Cancer Society
References |
5007 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photography | Photography | Photography is a way of making a picture using a camera. A person who makes pictures using a camera is called a photographer. A picture made using a camera is called a photograph or photo. Photography became popular in the middle 19th century with Daguerreotype. Later wet plate and dry plate methods were invented. Most photography in the 20th century was on photographic film and most in the 21st uses digital cameras.
Camera
A "camera" is, in its simplest form, like a box with a hole in front of it. There is a special piece of glass in front of the hole called a lens. To take a photograph of something, the lens makes a small picture of the object inside the camera. The lens does this by focusing light. A lens in a camera works like a lens in glasses (spectacles) or a magnifying glass. One type of camera called the Pinhole camera has no lens but uses a very small hole to focus light.
To make a photograph with a camera the shutter release button is pressed. Pressing the button opens the shutter. The shutter is like a door. It covers the hole in the camera box. The shutter is behind the lens. When the shutter is closed no light can enter the camera box. When the shutter is open light can enter the camera. When the button is pressed the shutter opens and then closes. This happens very fast. The amount of time the shutter stays open for is called the shutter speed. The shutter speed can change between 1/1000th of a second (0.001 s) to a few seconds. Normally the time taken for the shutter to open and close is far less than 1 second.
Some cameras have an aperture ring. It controls how much light enters the camera box.
The photograph in a camera may be made on film or, if it is a digital camera, using an electronic sensor.
Film
The picture the lens makes is recorded on photographic film. Film is placed inside the camera box. Light coming through the lens, aperture and open shutter shines on the film. Photographic film is coated with chemicals that react when light shines on it. Letting light shine on the film is called exposing the film.
There are many different types of photographic film. There are films for taking colour photographs and films for taking black and white photographs. There are different sizes of film. The most common size is 35 mm. It is called 35 mm because the width of the film is 35 millimetres.
Another difference between films is how sensitive they are to light. Films have a code number, called an ISO number. The number tells how fast a film reacts when light shines on it.
Film Processing
Once the film has been exposed it is processed. Processing has to be done in total darkness or the film will be exposed too much and the picture will be lost. Processing stops the film reacting to light any more. After the film has been processed the picture can be seen on the film.
A photographic print is a photograph made on paper. A light sensitive paper is used. The picture on the film is placed in an enlarger. An enlarger is a machine that shines light through the film and makes a bigger picture on the light sensitive paper. A chemical reaction happens in the paper, which turns the areas hit with light black when the paper is 'developed'. (The more light, the darker the area.) Developing makes the picture appear on the paper – now it is a photograph. Then the paper is put into other chemicals that make it not sensitive to light any more. This is called "fixing". Last, the paper is washed so that there are no more chemicals on it and then dried. Then it is finished.
Digital photography
Digital photography uses a digital camera. Sometimes it is called digital imaging. Like other cameras a digital camera has a lens, aperture, and shutter. The picture the lens makes is recorded by a light-sensitive electronic sensor. A digital camera does not use photographic film to record a picture. Digital photographs are stored in storage devices such as SD cards. They can later be transferred to a computer. Paper prints can also be made from digital pictures. Digital cameras are also not expensive to use, as there is no film to buy.
Taking a photograph
One of the most important things when taking a photograph is focusing the lens. If the lens is not focused well, the photograph will be blurry. Autofocus cameras focus automatically when the shutter release is pressed. There are also manual focus cameras (usually older ones).
Three other things are important when taking a photograph. These control how bright or dark the photograph will be. The brighter you have it the more transparent the picture comes out, if you have it to bright the whole screen can turn out to be all white, if the camera settings are set to be to dark, well, then the picture will come out to dark. So it really depends on how you want the picture, some cameras automatically come in with the setting at 50%, this is most recommended if you want to take a normal picture, but if you want to adjust the settings, it is recommended to keep it between 45% and 75%.
The shutter speed – how long the shutter is open for. This is written in the form "1/400," or one four-hundredth of a second.
The aperture – how big the aperture in the lens opens. This changes how much light is let in. This is written in the form "f/5.6," which describes the ratio between focal length and the size of the aperture opening.
The film speed – how quickly the film/sensor records the picture. This is also called ISO, and is written in the form "400."
A slower shutter speed, a bigger aperture, and faster film/higher ISO sensor all make a brighter picture. A faster shutter speed, a smaller aperture, and a slower film/lower ISO sensor all make a darker picture. A good picture is not too bright and not too dark. When it is too bright it would be called "overexposed". An automatic camera changes these things by itself when the shutter release is pressed.
Camera types
Though there are many types of cameras, all include five indispensable components:
the camera box, which holds and protects the sensitive film from all light except that entering through the lens
film, on which the image is recorded, a light-sensitive strip usually wound on a spool, either manually or automatically, as successive pictures are taken
the light control, consisting of an aperture or diaphragm and a shutter, both often adjustable
the lens, which focuses the light rays from the subject onto the film, creating the image, and which is usually adjustable by moving forward or back, changing the focus
the viewing system, which may be separate from the lens system (usually above it) or may operate through it by means of a mirror
References |
5008 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym | Acronym | An acronym is a word whose letters are the first letters of other words. People often create a short acronym that means the same thing as a much longer phrase (set of words). This is faster and shorter to say then the long phrase.
Examples of acronyms are:
COBOL - COmmon Business Oriented Language
LASER - Light Amplification through Stimulated Emmission of Radiation
POSH - Port out starboard home
QUANGO - Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation
RADAR - RAdio Detecting And Ranging
SARS - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
SCUBA - Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
SNAFU - Situation Normal: All Fouled Up
An acronym usually must be able to be spoken as word. Other abbreviations such as ASAP (as soon as possible), USA (the United States of America), ECU (European Currency Unit), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), NBA (National Basketball Association) have combinations of letters that are not pronounced as a single word. People just say the letters, one after another.
These three-letter acronyms, and some more obscure four-letter ones such as ISDN are more often called initialisms.
The word "acronym" comes from the Greek acro ‘extreme’ and onymus ‘name’.
Extremes
The world's longest acronym, according to the Guinness Book of World Records is NIIOMTPLABOPARMBETZHELBETRABSBOMONIMONKONOTDTEKHSTROMONT (). It is 56 letters long (54 in Cyrillic). It is from the Concise Dictionary of Soviet Terminology and means "the Laboratory for Shuttering, Reinforcement, Concrete and Ferroconcrete Operations for Composite-monolithic and Monolithic Constructions of the Department of Technology of Building Assembly Operations of the Scientific Research Institute of the Organization for Building Mechanization and Technical Aid of the Academy of Building and Architecture of the USSR."
Related pages
Initialism
Abbreviation
List of acronyms and initialisms
References
Other websites
Acronym Finder - an acronym website with many ways to search for acronyms.
All Acronyms - a website with many acronyms |
5009 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio%20wave | Radio wave | Radio waves make up part of the electromagnetic spectrum. These waves are packets of energy with differing wavelengths, similar to visible light waves, X-rays or gamma rays, except longer.
A radio wave, like other electromagnetic waves, is similar to an ocean surface wave or any other type of wave. Both types of wave have a hill and valley shape, repeating over and over. A wavelength is measured as the distance from the top of one crest to the top of its neighboring crest. While the wavelength of visible light is very very small, less than one micrometer and much less than the thickness of a human hair, radio waves can have a wavelength from a couple centimeters to several meters. They also have a radio frequency.
The smallest radio waves are called microwaves. Shortwaves are not quite so small. There are also medium and long waves. Antennas designed to send and receive radio waves are usually similar in size to the wavelength they are to use. Many radio antennas (like those on cars) are made long because they receive signals of FM radio (a few meters, several feet) or AM radio (hundreds of meters, about a thousand feet).
Uses
Manmade radio waves have been used since the 19th century for communication. Radar was developed in the 20th century, using radio waves to 'see' distant objects by bouncing waves off an object and seeing how long it takes for the waves to return. Radios also use these waves to send and receive information.
Radio waves from other planets were first discovered in the 1930s by Karl Guthe Jansky, working for Bell Laboratories. Bell was detecting noise (electronics) on radio channels, and had Jansky try to find the source of this static, or interference. After identifying noise that came from lightning, he spent much time looking into the remainder. Surprisingly, some of the interference was coming from space! This discovery eventually led astronomers to look at radio waves along with light waves to find things in the sky. These radio astronomers use giant Radio telescopes, shaped like satellite dishes, to gather and study the waves.
Radio waves are used for many things today. Broadcasting and communications satellites and mobile phones and many computers communicate by radio waves.
Wave physics
Radio technology
Electromagnetic radiation |
5010 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge | Bridge | A bridge is a structure to cross an open space or gap. Bridges are mostly made for crossing rivers, valleys, or roads. Nowadays most big bridges are made to carry vehicles but people have also walked across bridges for thousands of years. Bridges called highway overpasses carry a road over another road.
Military bridges are portable, so that they may be easily moved to where they are needed. This makes them much more complex than most civilian bridges.
The first man-made bridges were probably made from cut wood or stones. Some stone bridges have lasted thousands of years. In recent centuries large bridges are made mostly of steel. They do not last as long. Many bridges are in a state of disrepair.
Types of bridges
There are five major structural types of bridges:
Beam bridges
cantilever bridges,
arch bridges
suspension bridges and
cable-stayed bridges
Notes
Basic English 850 words |
5011 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism | Mysticism | Mysticism is the belief that people can directly experience God or true reality, rather than through books, ritual or other people. People who practice this are called mystics.
Mystics exist within most religions, though not all people who practice religions are mystics. Mystics may experience visions or dreams, or hear God as a voice.
Hindu mystics
Some examples of Hindu mystics:
Shankara
Sri Ramakrishna
Christian mystics
Some examples of Christian mystics:
Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
Gregory I (590–604)
Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373)
John of the Cross (1542–1591)
George Fox (1624–1691)
William Blake (1757–1827)
Thomas Merton (1915–1968)
Islamic mystics
Islamic Mysticism is known as Tassawuf (or Sufism) and a detailed list of Muslim Sufi mystics is given on the Sufism page.
Jewish mystics
Some examples of Jewish mystics:
Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994)
Buddhist mystics
Some examples of Buddhist mystics:
Siddhartha Gautama (563 BC-483 BC)
Bodhidharma (440-528)
Related page
Spirituality
Theology
Reality |
5012 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario | Ontario | Ontario is a province of Canada. It is in the eastern half of Canada, between Manitoba and Quebec. Ontario has the most people of any province, with 13,150,000 in 2009, and is home to the biggest city in Canada, Toronto, which is also the capital of the province. In the eastern part of the province, placed on the border with Quebec, is Ottawa, the capital of Canada, located on the Ottawa River.
Ontario also has the second largest land area, with 1,076,395 km²; only Quebec is larger by size. (Nunavut and Northwest Territories are also larger, but are called territories and not provinces). The province has one of the longest borders with the United States and there are several border crossings including the one at Niagara Falls. Along this border are 4 large lakes called Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior. They each are partly in Ontario and partly in the United States, and the border runs through them, but not Lake Michigan, which is entirely in the United States. These five lakes are together are called the Great Lakes.
There are a number of symbols that represent the province of Ontario. The flag is red with the British Union Jack in the top left corner and the provincial shield is on the right hand side of the flag. The provincial bird is the loon, and the provincial flower is the trillium. It has three flower petals and it is usually white but some times is pink or purple.
History
Ontario became part of Canada when it was created in 1867. Before 1840, it was known as Upper Canada, which was a colony in the British Empire. Between 1840 and 1867 it was known as Canada West. The government of Ontario sits at Queen's Park in Toronto. The leader of the government is called the Premier, and the current Premier is Doug Ford. There is also a Lieutenant Governor who represents the Queen, and the current Lieutenant Governor is Elizabeth Dowdeswell.
Geography
Ontario is very large, so sometimes people break it into two. The two parts are called Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario. Most of the people in Ontario live in the south, and that is where the big cities are. The big cities in Southern Ontario are Toronto and the rest of the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa and the National Capital Region, Hamilton, London, Windsor, and Sarnia. The cities in the north are smaller. In the far north of Ontario hardly any people live at all, and there are no roads or railways making it difficult to even get to those places.
Much of Ontario gets lots of snow in the winter. In the summer, it can get very hot in the south parts. In some big cities, there is smog in the summer.
References
Other websites
Government of Ontario
1867 establishments in Canada
Provinces and territories of Canada |
5013 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitoba | Manitoba | Manitoba is a province of Canada. It lies roughly in the centre of Canada.
Manitoba is the 6th largest province with area. It has the fifth largest number of people, with 1,379,584 in 2020. People from Manitoba are called "Manitobans".
History
People have been living in Manitoba for thousands of years. Both the Hudson's Bay Company from England and many people from France moved to Manitoba during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. It became part of the Northwest Territories in 1869. The Red River Rebellion, which was started by Louis Riel, began in Manitoba.
Manitoba became part of Canada on 12 May 1870. It included only the southern part which is nearest to the United States. But parts of the Northwest Territories were added to Manitoba later on.
Government
The capital of Manitoba is the city of Winnipeg. Other large cities in Manitoba include Steinbach and Brandon.
The people of Manitoba elected a legislature. The leader of the government, who is called the Premier, is the leader of the largest party in the legislature. There is also a Lieutenant Governor, who represents the Queen. Right now, the premier of Manitoba is Greg Selinger and the Lieutenant Governor is Philip S. Lee.
The main political parties in Manitoba are the New Democratic Party, the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, and the Liberal Party.
References
Other websites
1870 establishments in North America
1870s establishments in Canada
Provinces and territories of Canada |
5014 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head%20of%20government | Head of government | The head of government is the leader of the executive branch of a nation's government. This is not always the same person as the head of state. Official titles for heads of government include Premier or Prime Minister.
For example, in the United States, the president is both the head of state and the head of government. In the Republic of Ireland the president is the head of state but the Taoiseach is the head of government. In most modern monarchies the king (or queen) is the head of state but not the head of government, as is the case of Japan and the UK, for example.
The head of state of some countries has no power over law and justice, for example, the Bundespresident of Germany. |
5017 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan (; Canadian French: ) is a province in Canada. About 1 million people live in Saskatchewan. Most of its population lives in the southern part of the province. The primary industry in Saskatchewan is agriculture (farming).
Saskatchewan is known for its wide horizons. The land is very flat in the south, so you can sometimes see far away. Not all the land is flat prairie. There are beautiful scenic woodlands and forests in the central and northern regions and parklands with lakes for fishing. The province is marked by and named after the North and South Saskatchewan rivers that run through it. The province is nicknamed The Land of Living Skies.
History
Saskatchewan was founded on September 1, 1905, the same date that Alberta was founded. The province's colors are gold, red, green, white, brown, yellow, and black. Gold for the wheat, red for the Prairie Lily which is the provincial flower, green for the forests, white for the snow, brown for the fresh cut fields, yellow for the canola and sunflowers, and black for the coal and oil.
Geography
The largest city in Saskatchewan is Saskatoon, followed by the province's capital, Regina. Saskatchewan is (approximately) a quadrilateral (four-sided object) bounded on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the American states of Montana and North Dakota.
References
1905 establishments in North America
1900s establishments in Canada
Provinces and territories of Canada |
5022 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical%20music | Classical music | Classical music is a very general term which normally refers to the standard music of countries in the western world. It is music that has been composed by musicians who are trained in the art of writing music (composing) and written down in music notation so that other musicians can play it. Classical music may also be described as "art music" though it was not good in classical period that term also Includes types of serious modern music which are not classical. Classical music differs from pop music because it is not made just in order to be popular for time or just to be a commercial success. It is different from folk music which is generally made up by ordinary members of society and learned by future generations by listening, dancing and copying.
Meaning of "classic"
The word “classic” tends to mean: an art which is so good that it will always be enjoyed by future generations. It is something that has become a model for future artists. The period of Ancient Greece and Rome is known as the Classical Period because, many centuries later, people looked back to those ancient civilizations and thought they were perfect. In recent European history the 18th century was known as the Classical Period because musicians, artists, writers and philosophers were inspired by the art forms of the Classical Period of Ancient Greece and Rome. Something that is a “classic” is therefore something that will always be remembered as something great. Famous books such as the novels of Charles Dickens are called "classics". “Classical music” therefore tends to mean music that will not be forgotten soon after it is written, but is likely to be enjoyed by many future generations.
Contrast with pop music and jazz
Although people sometimes think of classical music as the opposite of pop music, it can still be very popular. Like all kinds of music, classical music can be in many different moods: happy, sad, scary, peaceful, thoughtful, simple etc. Mozart wrote his serenades and divertimentos to entertain people at parties. Classical pieces of music can be quite short, but they can also be very long, like a big, musical story. A symphony by Mahler or Shostakovich can last for nearly an hour, and an opera is a whole evening’s entertainment.
Classical music is also different from jazz because true jazz is improvised. However, the differences are not always obvious. Classical music has often been inspired by jazz, and jazz by classical music. George Gershwin wrote music which is both jazz and classical. Classical music, too, can be improvised. The great composers Bach, Mozart and Beethoven often improvised long pieces of music on the organ, harpsichord or piano. Sometimes they wrote these improvistions down. They were, in effect, compositions which were composed in one go.
Religious and non-Religious music
In Western countries a vast amount of music was written for Christian worship in churches and cathedrals. This is called “sacred” (religious) music. All other music is “secular” music. The word “secular” means things that are not sacred. Sacred and secular music have influenced one another in many ways during the course of music history. Secular music was largely influenced by dance, and this in turn changed the style of scared music. For example: the church music of the 16th century composer Giovanni da Palestrina has nothing to do with dance music, but both the sacred and secular music of Johann Sebastian Bach two centuries later is full of dance rhythms. At some times in music history there have been different styles of composing for sacred and for secular music. Claudio Monteverdi uses two different styles for his church and for his non-church music. When composers were experimenting with new ways of writing music they usually did this with secular music, and sacred music caught up later.
Use of the term "classical music"
The term "classical music" was not used until the early 19th century. People then started talking about classical music in order to praise the great composers such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. In the 20th century many different ways of composing were used, including music played by electronic instruments or very modern music using strange sounds (experimental or "avant garde" music), for example the music of John Cage. Some people feel that this kind of music cannot really be described as "classical music".
Instruments used
Classical music can be for instruments or for the voice. The symphony orchestra is the most common group of instruments for the playing of classical music. It has four families of instruments: the string instruments which include the violins, violas, cellos and piano, the woodwind instruments which include flutes, oboes,clarinets and bassoons together with related instruments of different sizes, the brass instruments: trumpet, trombone, tuba and French horn, and percussion instruments which nearly always includes timpani as well as many other possible instruments which are hit or shaken. This is very different from a typical rock band which has a drummer, a guitarist, one or two singers and an electric bass and keyboard. Instruments that play classical music are not normally amplified electronically.
The same applies to the voice. Singers may be sopranos, altos, tenors or basses, depending on their vocal range. Their voices are not amplified. Opera singers, in particular, have to develop very powerful voices which will be heard over the orchestra and project right to the back of an opera house.
The instruments used in classical music developed at different times. Some of the earliest were known in Medieval music. The trombone and the triangle have hardly changed for hundreds of years, but the violin family developed from folk instruments such as fiddles and gradually replaced the viols to form the basis of the modern orchestra. This was happening by the beginning of the 17th century, which was the time when opera was invented.
In general, musical instruments have become louder as concert halls have become bigger. Violins are louder than viols. Modern violins are louder than the early 17th century violins, largely because of they have metal strings instead of gut strings. The piano developed from the clavichord which was very quiet indeed. Woodwind instruments developed from Renaissance instruments, while the clarinet was invented in the middle of the 18th century, and the saxophone and tuba came even later. Modern trumpets sound much brighter than the straight trumpets of the 18th century.
Form (shape) of classical music pieces
Most popular music is based on song form, but classical music has many different forms, some of which can be used over a long time span to make big compositions. Classical music can have many forms, including the symphony, concerto, oratorio, opera, sonata, fugue or any combination of dance movements such as suites. In many of the longer compositions, short tunes are developed and changed during the course of the piece. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is a good example of a piece which develops from just four notes into a large piece lasting about half an hour.
Musical training and general use of classical music
People who want to be good at performing classical music have to practice hard for many years. They normally have formal training at a music college or conservatoire and have lessons from well-known music teachers.
Classical musicians often spend a lot of time thinking carefully about pieces of music, especially about pieces of music that they perform. They study such things as harmony and counterpoint to help them understand the way that the composers were thinking when they put the piece together. When they look at pieces of music in this way this is called “musical analysis”. People who specialize in thinking and writing about music may become professors or lecturers of music at universities.
Classical music is often heard in popular culture. It is used as background music for movies, television programs, advertisements and even for mobile phone ringing tones. Most people in the Western world recognize many classical tunes, possibly without even realizing it. Some classical pieces of music have become enormously popular, e.g. the song Nessun dorma from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot which was sung by the three tenors Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras, and used as the theme tune for the 1990 Soccer World Cup. This made many people who had never been interested in opera start to become curious about it.
Outline of the history of classical music
Middle Ages
The history of classical music really started in the late Middle Ages. Music written for the church was almost always vocal (singing), because instruments were thought to be wicked. This is because the devil played them, and because they were used for dancing. There was a lot of dance music, but most of it is lost because it was never written down.
Medieval composers who are remembered today include Léonin, Pérotin and Guillaume de Machaut
Renaissance
The Renaissance was from the 15th century until the 17th century. This period saw a massive increase in the composition of music, both sacred and secular. Many great cathedrals had been built in Europe and composers wrote music for them, mostly vocal music. Secular music also became extremely popular, especially songs and madrigals, which would sometimes be accompanied by instruments.
The greatest composers of this period include: Giovanni da Palestrina, Orlando di Lasso, Thomas Tallis and William Byrd.
Baroque period
The Baroque period was from about the 17th century until the mid-18th century. This was the time when the modern orchestra was formed, more or less as we know it. It was also the time when opera was invented. Most musicians worked either for the church or for rich people who had their own orchestras. Many of them also started to work for opera houses.
The greatest composers of this time include: Claudio Monteverdi, Heinrich Schütz, Henry Purcell, Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Domenico Scarlatti and Georg Philipp Telemann
Classical period
The years between 1760 - 1825 was known as the Classical period. Composers thought a lot about the forms of their pieces and were influenced by the classical art of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The symphony was invented and various forms of chamber music including the string quartet.
The greatest composers include: Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Antonio Salieri, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert .
Romantic period
From 1820 to 1910 was known as the Romantic period. Composers continued to use the forms that had been invented in the 18th century, but they also thought that personal feeling and emotion were very important. Music for orchestra sometimes told a story (programme music). Musicians who played their instruments brilliantly (such as Paganini) were worshipped like heroes. Beethoven and Schubert belong, in many ways, to this period as well as to the Classical period. It was a time when there were a lot of changes in society. After the wars that Napoleon had waged, there were not so many ruling aristocratic families. There was a lot of feeling of nationalism as countries united. 19th century music is often nationalistic: composers wrote music that was typical of their own country.
Some of the greatest composers include: Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Hector Berlioz, Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Edward Elgar, Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss.
20th century
What is known as 20th century classical music (or “modern music”) is music from about 1910 onwards. At this time many composers felt that everything had already been done by the composers of the past, so they wanted to find new ways of composing. Claude Debussy, Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky, in particular, found new ways of writing music which was not necessarily tonal (in any particular key). Classical music was influenced by jazz, especially with American composers. Later in the century people such as Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen experimented in many other ways, including with electronic music (tape recorders etc.). Today’s composers have combined some of these ideas to develop their own styles.
Some of the most important composers are: Claude Debussy, Jean Sibelius, Maurice Ravel, Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, Aaron Copland, Benjamin Britten, Dmitri Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, Philip Glass, Dmitri Kabalevsky, James MacMillan, Judith Weir, Peter Maxwell Davies
Conclusion
It has never been possible to say exactly what is meant by “classical music”. Many different kinds of music influence one another. Since 1970 it has been even harder to make clear dividing lines between rock, pop, classical, folk, jazz and world music. This shows that classical music, like other kinds of music, continues to develop and reflect the society from which it comes.
References
The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie; 1980;
Music genres |
5026 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNAFU | SNAFU | SNAFU or snafu is an acronym that the United States Military first used. Civilians now use it as well. It stands for Situation Normal: All (Fucked/Fouled/Francis) Up.
In modern times, it means a situation that was occurring normally but then suddenly began to go wrong. For example:
The general's visit this week-end went well until we hit a snafu. Everything went wrong after that.
Snafu is used mostly as a noun. It can also be used as a verb but usually in the passive sense. For instance, someone would say:
The general's visit this week-end went well until it snafued. Everything went wrong after that.
But they would probably not say:
The general's visit this week-end went well until we snafued it.
Figures of speech
Acronyms |
5031 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is one of the South's largest cities. Atlanta is known as a major business city. It is the home of Coca-Cola Company, CNN, AT&T, and Home Depot, as well as many other Fortune 500 companies. Atlanta's airport, called Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, is the busiest airport in the world. Atlanta is near the center of Georgia and is on the Chattahoochee River.
Many African Americans live in Atlanta. Some people call it a "black mecca".
History
Atlanta was built on Cherokee Native American land. It was called Terminus until 1843, when the name was changed to Marthasville. In 1845 the name was changed again to Atlanta.
During the American Civil War, Atlanta was where several battles happened. Some of the battles were the Battle of Peachtree Creek, the Battle of Atlanta, and the Battle of Ezra Church. The city was burnt down and almost entirely destroyed. After the war, the city was built again, and got a nickname because it was built so fast: "the Phoenix City", after the bird which burns itself then rises from the ashes in old myths. A picture of the bird is on the city seal.
Atlanta became the state capital in 1868.
There have been racial problems in Atlanta. During riots in 1906, at least 12 people died and more than 70 other people were hurt. In 1913, a Jewish man named Leo Frank was tried in court for raping and killing a girl in a factory where he worked. He was found guilty, but then the government decided not to execute him because not everyone was convinced he had done it. This upset people who thought he had killed the girl, and there were more riots in 1915 and Frank was lynched (hanged with a rope until he died).
In the 1930s, the Great Depression came to Atlanta. Many people did not have jobs and were hungry. The city government was almost out of money and the Coca-Cola company gave the city some money to help. In 1935, the government built the first federal housing project in the United States.
Atlanta's airport is named Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It is the busiest airport in the world. Delta Air Lines is an airline that has its main office in Atlanta, and it uses Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for many of its flights.
Turner Broadcasting, which broadcasts CNN, has their main office in Atlanta. The Coca Cola Company also has their main office in Atlanta.
Education
The City of Atlanta is home to two colleges. Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech for short, and Georgia State University.
Events
Images
References
Fulton County, Georgia
County seats in Georgia
State capitals in the United States
Olympic cities
1837 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) |
5032 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2%20Machiavelli | Niccolò Machiavelli |
Niccolò Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was a Florentine Renaissance man, statesman, and writer. He was a diplomat and government official in the Medici period of the Florentine Republic. Machiavelli is best known for writing about political philosophy. He also wrote poetry, plays, carnival songs, history books, military science books, and some of the best-known personal letters in the Italian language. His best known book is The Prince from 1513. It was not published until 1532, which was five years after he died.
Many people use the word Machiavellian to mean "evil" because they do not like Machiavelli or his ideas. But this is mostly known to be a false understanding of what he really thought. Machiavelli is remembered for being an important realism theorist. But realism theory was actually already a big trend in Florence at the time. Machiavelli's ideas are focused mostly on a unique understanding of virtue, statesmanship, and fortune ().
Thoughts
There are many false understandings of what Machiavelli really thought. There are also many interpretations of his thoughts. Some of his main thoughts were:
Virtue doesn't always come from being morally good. A stable country or government also doesn't come from being morally good.
Free will controls almost half of human life, and the rest is controlled by chance or fortune ().
A leader needs useful leadership virtues rather than ordinary virtues. Ordinary virtues can often be wrong for leaders.
Weaker virtues are less needed than stronger ones. Fortune () only respects strong virtues, and so do soldiers.
Greatness and excellence are the best examples to follow.
When people look at the past as it should've been and give up on the past as it was, they are giving up on survival.
Being hated is always worse than just being feared.
Relying less on things you can't control is a virtue. It is always best to know what limits you (including morals).
Knowing when to be good and when to be bad is a virtue. A leader should only use cruelty when they have to.
Trying to always be morally good usually ends badly. For leaders, it is better to be well liked.
A leader should not try to oppress people or interfere with their women and belongings. Otherwise things will end badly for them.
Leaders will not even listen to advice unless they are partly wise.
In times of peace, it is best to prepare for upcoming danger. It can be wise to choose situations where people's hard work is needed for survival.
The Prince
The Prince is a political book by Niccolò Machiavelli. He first shared the book privately in 1513. But it was not published until 1532. The book gives instructions for how a prince or ruler should do politics.
He looks especially at what he calls the "new prince", saying that a prince from a royal family has an easier job because the people are used to his family and the way of life. All that such a hereditary prince needs to do is carefully stick to the traditional ways of working that the people are used to. A new prince has a much more difficult job because he must get people used to his new power and build up new ways of working that people can get used to. This job means that the new prince has to act in a way people would not quickly criticize, but Machiavelli says this may mean doing bad but necessary things which people do not see or remember. Otherwise a new prince will find it difficult to get anything important done, or even to keep ruling.
Other books
The Discourses on Livy online 1772 edition
The Seven Books on the Art of War online 1772 edition
History of Florence online 1901 edition
Reform of Florence online 1772 edition
The Private Correspondence of Niccolò Machiavelli, ed. Orestes Ferrara; 1929. online edition
Bilingual edition of The Woman from Andros, The Mandrake, and Clizia, edited by David Sices and James B. Atkinson.
Other websites
The complete Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli with cliff notes
References
1469 births
1527 deaths
16th-century philosophers
Civil servants
Italian philosophers
Italian playwrights
Italian writers
People from Florence |
5033 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply%20line | Supply line | A supply line is a large line of military supply vehicles, usually in convoy format. The line is useful for transporting needed supplies (food, medical supplies, ammo) to the front line. Without the supply line, a deployed army far from home would not be able to fight for long, as supplies would soon run out.
The enemy is most likely to target the supply line if not heavily defended, since once the supplies are cut off, the army will soon be unable to fight, and unable to reinforce, and so they will be forced to surrender or die.
Military |
5034 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan | Michigan | Michigan is one of the fifty states in the United States of America. It is the 11th largest state in the United States. It is made up of two peninsulas (connected by the Mackinac Bridge): the only state to be so. It borders the U.S. states of Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, and Illinois. Its borders with Minnesota and Illinois are only by water. It also borders Canada by water. It was the 26th state to join the union on January 26, 1837. In 1847, Michigan became the first U.S. state to abolish the death penalty.
History
Native American tribes first settled in Michigan before the arrival of Europeans.
Economy
Michigan is noted as the place where many automobiles were made, and it still shows today. Michigan is 50% forest, which makes it very useful to the lumber industry. It also borders four of the Great Lakes, which are some of the largest reservoirs of fresh water in the world. Lake Superior is the largest body of freshwater in the world.
Culture and weather
The state experiences four seasons, with the winter being predominant and severe in the north, while the south has more mild, equally long seasons. The northern areas are very popular for skiing in the winter. The National Ski Hall of Fame can be found in Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula. It is surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes. It is also home to the largest mosque in North America, the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn.
Due to the large amount of water surrounding the state, boating is very popular in the warmer months. There are more private boats registered in Michigan than in any other state.
Famous Michiganders
Many famous people have come from Michigan. They include the singer Madonna, the comedian Andy Richter, singer Stevie Wonder, Anthony Kiedis, former president Gerald Ford, singer Kid Rock, rapper Eminem, the former Reverend Jim Bakker, basketball legend Magic Johnson, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin, as well as being the home of Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company.
Cities
The capital city of Michigan is Lansing, and large cities include Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint, Grand Rapids, and Saginaw. Marquette is the largest city in the Upper Peninsula.
Education
Michigan has several state universities including Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Saginaw Valley State University, Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University. The state also has many private colleges.
Politics
The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who took office in January 2019, and its two national senators are Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, both Democrats. Out of its 14 congressmen, 7 are Democrats, 6 are Republicans and Justin Amash is a Libertarian. In any event, Michigan had once been reliably blue in presidential elections, having voted for the Democrat in presidential elections since 1988, but then in 2016 it swung red to support Donald Trump. It will be regarded in future as a Swing State.
In comparison to the Midwest
In general, Michigan is more liberal than the states of Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio, about as liberal as Pennsylvania and Iowa, and less liberal than Illinois and Minnesota. In the State Legislature, Republicans control both houses, although this is true even in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio.
Related pages
List of counties in Michigan
References
Other websites
1837 establishments in the United States |
5059 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caenorhabditis%20elegans | Caenorhabditis elegans | Caenorhabditis elegans is a species of roundworm or nematode. It is important because much research has been done on its genetics and development.
C. elegans is about 1 mm long. The worms are not parasites, they are free-living. They live in soil and feed on bacteria. C. elegans is a model organism, used to study animal development and behavior. It is the first multicellular organism for which scientists have been able to sequence its whole genome.
C. elegans has two types of sex: hermaphrodite and male. A hermaphrodite makes sperms when its in a larval stage and makes ova in an adult stage. A male can only make sperm. Males are a little smaller than hermaphrodites.
Study using C. elegans was begun in 1965 by Sydney Brenner. In laboratories, they are easy to keep alive. At 25ºC, they spend 14 hours as an embryo. Animals like C. elegans that do not take long to grow and are easy to feed are usually good organisms for research.
In 2002, the Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to Sydney Brenner, Robert Horvitz, and John Sulston for their work on how C. elegans's genes cause it to grow and cause some of its cells to die.
References
Nematodes
Model organisms |
5060 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxe-Weimar | Saxe-Weimar | Saxe-Weimar () was a duchy in Thuringia, Germany. The chief town and capital was Weimar.
History
Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Gotha were the two original Ernestine Duchies. They both gradually shrank in size as land in Thuringia was divided among sons..
In 1741 Duke Ernest Augustus I of Saxe-Weimar inheritated the Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach. Ernest Augustus II, who succeeded in 1748, died in 1758, and his young widow, Anna Amalia, became regent for her infant son, Charles Augustus. The regency of Anna Amalia and the reign of Charles Augustus were important in the history of Saxe-Weimar. Both intelligent patrons of literature and art, Anna Amalia and Charles Augustus attracted to their court the leading scholars in Germany, including Goethe, Schiller and Herder, and made Weimar an important cultural centre.
Charles Augustus joined Prussia in the Napoleonic Wars. After France won the Battle of Jena, Saxe Weimar was forced to join the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806. In 1809 Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach, which had been separate duchies with the same duke became one country as the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
Dukes of Saxe-Weimar
Johann Wilhelm (1554 – 73)
Frederick Wilhelm I (1573 – 1602), son of Johann Wilhelm
Johann (1602 – 05), son of Johann Wilhelm
Johann Ernst I (1605 – 20), son of Johann
Wilhelm (1620 – 62), son of Johann.
Johann Ernst II (1662 – 83), son of Wilhelm
Wilhelm Ernst (1683 – 1728), son of Johann Ernst II
Johann Ernst III (1683 – 1707), son of Johann Ernst II
Ernst August I (1707 – 48), son of Johann Ernst III
Ernst August II (1748 – 58), son of Ernst August I
Karl August (1758 – 1809), son of Ernst August II
Merged with Saxe-Eisenach to form Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Related pages
Ernestine duchies
References
Saxe-Weimar , The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Columbia University Press (2001 – 2005), accessed December 22 2005
Other websites
German genealogies
Genealogy of Dukes of Saxe-Weimar
States of the Confederation of the Rhine
States of the Holy Roman Empire
Thuringia
Weimar |
5064 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldham | Oldham | Oldham is a town in the North West of England. It is to the north-east of Manchester. It is part of Greater Manchester. Oldham was part of Lancashire until 1 April 1974.
There were riots in Oldham in May 2001. It is the centre of the Borough of Oldham.
Oldham Council achieved dubious notoriety in 2009 when in ran up a bill of £8 million carrying out a failed prosecution of kitchen tycoon Vance Miller. The Judge threw out the case and lambasted the Council for the frivolity of the prosecution.
The town has an association football team, called Oldham Athletic. It also has a cricket club, called Oldham Cricket Club.
The composer, William Walton was born in Oldham.
The first test tube baby, Louise Joy Brown, was born in Oldham General Hospital on 25 July 1978.
Schools
The Blue Coat School
Crompton House
Hulme Grammar School
Saddleworth School
Other websites
Oldham Council |
5071 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan | Pakistan | Pakistan is a country in South Asia. It is next to India, Iran, Afghanistan, and China. It is officially called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It has a long coastline along the Arabian Sea in the south. Pakistan has the fifth largest population (207.77 million) in the world. Pakistan has a total land area of (including the Pakistani controlled territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan). This makes Pakistan the 34th largest country in the world. Pakistan has the seventh largest army in the world. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad. Before 1960, it was Karachi, which is now the country's largest city.
The name Pākistān means Land of the Pure in Persian and Urdu.
Name, flag and anthem of Pakistan
The name Pakistan (English pronunciation: or ; ) means Land of (the) Spiritually Pure in both Urdu and Persian languages. Many South-central Asian states and regions end with the element -stan, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Balochistan, Kurdistan, and Turkistan. This -stan is formed from the Iranian root *STA "to stand, stay," and means "place (where one stays), home, country". Iranian peoples have been the main inhabitants of the various land regions of the Ancient Persian Empires now owned by the states for over a thousand years. The names are compounds of -stan and the name of the peoples living there. Pakistan is a bit different; its name was coined on 28 January 1933 as by Choudhary Rahmat Ali, a Pakistan Movement activist, who published it in his paper Now or Never. by using the suffix -istan from Balochistan preceded by the first letters of Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir and Sindh. The name is actually an acronym that stands for the "thirty million Muslim brethren who lived in Pakistan—by which we mean the Five Northern units of India viz: Punjab, (Afghan Province), Kashmir, Sind, and Baluchistan". The letter i was incorporated to ease pronunciation and forms the linguistically correct and meaningful name.
National Anthem
The lyrics of the national anthem of Pakistan was written by Ahmed Ghulamali Chagla and was adopted as the country's national anthem on 13 August 1954. The music had actually been composed nearly three years before the lyrics were written to fit the tune.
Flag
The flag is a green field with a white crescent moon and five-rayed star at its centre, and a vertical white stripe at the hoist side. Though the green colour is mandated only as 'dark green', its official and most consistent representation is Pakistan green, which is shaded distinctively darker.
The flag was designed by Syed Amir uddin Kedwaii and was based on the original flag of the Muslim League. It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947, just days before independence. The white colour on the flag represents the minorities and the green the Muslim majority. The crescent on the flag represents progress while the five-rayed star represents light and knowledge.
Government and politics
Pakistan has a federal parliamentary system. The head of state is an indirectly-elected ceremonial President. The Electoral college of the country, (composed of the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four Provincial Assemblies) chooses a leadership representing the President of Pakistan for a five-year term. The president is also the Commander in Chief of the Joint Armed Forces. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who is also indirectly elected.
The President's appointment and term are constitutionally independent of the Prime Minister’s term. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the largest party in the National Assembly or of a coalition in the National Assembly.
The Prime Minister is the head of government. Pakistan's legislature is made of a 100-member Senate (upper house) and a 342-member National Assembly (lower house). The Chief Justice of Pakistan is the chief judge who oversees the judicature's court system at all levels of command.
On 17 August 2018 Ex-cricketer Imran Khan was elected as the New Prime Minister of Naya Pakistan. Because In 2018, Imran Khan (the chairman of PTI) Won the 2018 Pakistan general election with 116 general seats and so became the current 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan in election of National Assembly of Pakistan for Prime Minister by getting 176 votes against Shehbaz Sharif (the chairman of PMLN) who got 96 votes. Pakistan is also headed by a "President", the Prime Minister Acts as the Leader of Pakistan.
Politics
Pakistan is officially a federal republic, but during a long period in its history it changed to a democratic state and a military dictatorship. Military dictators include Ayub Khan in the 1960s, General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s.
Pakistan's two largest political parties are the Pakistan People's Party and the government party Pakistan Muslim League (N). The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has also gained popularity in the past years.
On 27 December 2007, the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated. The reason is yet to be determined.
Administrative divisions
Pakistan is made up of four provinces, two territories and two special areas. Both special areas are in Kashmir. The provinces and territories are divided into 26 divisions with now 147 districts directly divided from the provinces. Each district is divided into several tehsils and each tehsil is divided into several union councils. There are around 596 tehsils and over 6,000 union councils in Pakistan.
Provinces:
Balochistan
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly NWFP)
Punjab
Sindh
Among the four provinces, Punjab has the most people but Balochistan is the largest province by area.
(Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also have Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) which are going to be regular districts.)
Territories:
<li> Islamabad Capital Territory
<li> Federally Administered Tribal Areas
Administrative Areas (Pakistan-administered Kashmir)
<li> Azad Kashmir
<li> Gilgit Baltistan
India, Pakistan and China separately control parts of the Kashmir region. India and Pakistan's parts are divided by a Line of Control. The Pakistan–China border is internationally recognized. Trade is common between the 2 countries.
National symbols
Economy
Pakistan has a semi-industrialized economy. The growth poles of the Pakistani economy are situated along the Indus River. Diversified economies of Karachi and Punjab's urban centres, coexist with less developed areas in other parts of the country. Despite being a very poor country in 1947, Pakistan's economic growth rate has been better than the global average during the following four decades, but incautious policies led to a slowdown in the late 1990s.
Recently, large economic reforms have resulted in a stronger economic outlook and sped up growth especially in the manufacturing and financial services sectors. Since the 1990s, there has been great improvement in the foreign exchange market position and rapid growth in hard currency reserves.
The 2005 estimate of foreign debt was close to US$40 billion. However, this decreased with help from the International Monetary Fund and significant debt-relief from the United States. Pakistan's gross domestic product, as measured by purchasing power parity, is estimated to be $475 billion while its per capita income stands at $1,842. The poverty rate in Pakistan is estimated to be between 23% and 38%.
History
Pakistan became Independent in 1947 from the United Kingdom which was known as the British Raj. The first organised people in Ancient Pakistan lived 9000 years ago. These people were the ones who made up the Indus Valley Civilization, which is one of the oldest civilizations on Earth. After that, the Vedic period came. This also included parts of north-western Republic of India. Until 1971, Pakistan also included an area in the North-east India region. This is now called Bangladesh. It lost that area after a war with the Indian Army and the joint militant group of Indo-Bangladeshi alliance of Mitro Bahini of West Bengal. During recent times Pakistan has been in the centre of world politics. This is first because of its support to guerillas in Afghanistan, following a Soviet invasion 1979, and later during the 1990s because of its cooperation with and support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. However, since 2000 Pakistan has supported the West in their war against fundamentalist terrorism, including the removal of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Pakistan is a member of the Commonwealth. However, after the war in East Pakistan the country was excluded (between 1972-1989). It was also a member between 1999 and 2007, it was excluded in 2007 for a time but again became a member in 2008.
Geography and climate
There are many earthquakes in the area. The earthquake in 2005 with its earthquake center in Kashmir is the strongest recorded so far. Over 100,000 people were killed or wounded on 8 October 2005.
Pakistan covers , roughly similar to the combined land areas of France and the UK. Its eastern regions are located on the Indian plate and the western and northern regions on the Iranian plateau and Eurasian landplate. Apart from the Arabian Sea coastline, Pakistan's land borders total — with Afghanistan to the northwest, with China to the northeast, with India to the south and east, and with Iran to the southwest.
The northern and western highlands of Pakistan contain the towering Karakoram and Pamir mountain ranges, which include some of the world's highest peaks, including K2 and Nanga Parbat . The Balochistan Plateau lies to the west, and the Thar Desert and an expanse of alluvial plains, the Punjab and Sindh, lie to the east. The Indus River and its tributaries flow through the country from the disputed territory of Occupied Kashmir to the Arabian Sea.
Pakistan has four seasons: a cool, dry winter from December through February; a hot, dry spring from March through May; the summer rainy season, or southwest monsoon period, from June through September; and the retreating monsoon period of October and November. The beginning and length of these seasons vary somewhat according to location. Rainfall can change radically from year to year, and consecutive patterns of flooding and drought are also not uncommon.
People
Languages
Urdu is replacing English as the national language of the country. English is still spoken among the Pakistani elite and in most government ministries. Many people also speak Saraiki, Punjabi, Hindko, Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi, Brahui and Khowar.
Shina is also one of the regional languages of Pakistan. It is spoken in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Religion
Most (95-97%) of the people are Muslim. Most of the Muslims in Pakistan are Sunni Muslims (>90%) and some are Shia Muslims (5%). However a few minority groups exist. Pakistan also has some Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Zoroastrians and animist minority groups in the northern parts of the country.
After the end British India, Hinduism had much less importance in the newly created state of Pakistan, but has played an important role in its culture and politics as well as the history of its regions. In fact, Pakistan has the 5th largest population of Hindus, after Sri Lanka.
The word Hindu comes from the Sindhu (Indus River) of Pakistan. The Sindhu is one of the holy rivers of Hinduism. Thus, in many ways, the land which is today's heavily Muslim Pakistan has played an important part in the origin of Hinduism. There are about 3 million Hindus living in Pakistan.
Poverty
Poverty in Pakistan is a growing concern because of population growth in the country. Although the middle-class has grown in Pakistan, nearly one-quarter of the population is classified poor as of October 2006.
Sports
The national sport of Pakistan is field hockey, although cricket is the most popular game across the country. The national cricket team has won the Cricket World Cup once (in 1992), were runners-up once (in 1999), and co-hosted the games twice (in 1987 and 1996). Pakistan were runners-up in the inaugural 2007 ICC World Twenty20 held in South Africa and were the champions at the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 held in England. The team also won two Asia Cups in 2000 and 2012. Lately however, Pakistani cricket has suffered heavily due to teams refusing to tour Pakistan after militants attacked the touring Sri Lankan team in March 2009, after which no international cricket was played until May 2015, when the Zimbabwean team agreed to tour. However, now, with increased security, the Sri Lankan cricket team came for a tour as recently as 2019.
In addition to sports like field hockey, cricket, squash rackets, football and others, Pakistanis are also very keen on equestrianism of various types,and equestrian sports such as Polo and the traditional Tent pegging are played by many. Other traditional rural sports include two types of Wrestling, Kabbadi and a martial art called Gatka.
Related pages
History of Pakistan
Religions of Pakistan
List of rivers of Pakistan
Political families of Pakistan
Transportation in Pakistan
Pakistan at the Olympics
National symbols of Pakistan
References
Notes
Other websites
Pakistan - CIA World Factbook
1947 establishments in Asia
British India
English-speaking countries
Federations
Members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
|
5072 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/New%20Zealand | New Zealand | New Zealand (known as in the Māori language) is an island country in Oceania. It is a sovereign state in the south-western part of the Pacific Ocean. It is made up of two large islands (the North Island and the South Island) and many smaller islands. These islands are located to the southeast of Australia. New Zealand was one of the last places in the world that humans discovered, because it is a long way away from most of the world. During its time without humans, New Zealand was a great place for an unusual range of plants and animals to develop.
The current capital city of the country is Wellington, and the largest city is Auckland. Both of these cities are on the North Island. The largest city on the South Island is Christchurch.
The official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand sign language. English has never been granted official language status in the NZ laws, but it is used as a default official language due to its wide usage.
In 2010, a newspaper in NZ said that New Zealand was the 8th happiest country in the world.
Name
In the Māori language, the country is called Aotearoa, which means "Land of the Long White Cloud". Ao means “cloud”, tea means “white”, and roa means “long”. The name "New Zealand" comes from “Zeeland” (which translates to "Sealand") in Dutch, after the islands were seen by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. Zeeland is a province of the Netherlands.
Government and politics
New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. The Prime Minister is Jacinda Ardern, leader of the Labour Party.
New Zealand has made itself a Nuclear Free Zone: They do not use nuclear power and do not allow nuclear weapons or nuclear powered vessels in their territory.
Elections are held every 3 years.
People
As of the 2018 census, 4,699,755 people lived in New Zealand. Most of them have European ancestors. The indigenous people of New Zealand, the Māori, have a population of 775,836, or 16.5%.
The people of New Zealand often call themselves Kiwis. This name is derived from the kiwi, a flightless native bird that is considered the country's national birds..
The North Island is smaller than the South Island, but most people (more than 3 million) live there. This might be because the North Island is usually warmer, and has more big cities.
About half of the people in New Zealand are religious. As of the 2018 census, 48.2% had no religion. The main religion in New Zealand is Christianity. Just over 2 million New Zealanders are Christian. The second most common religion is Hinduism, with 2.6%.
Cities
Most New Zealanders live in urban areas, with the other 27% living in small towns or farming communities.
Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. Auckland is the largest city, with around 1 million people.
Other cities in the North Island include Hamilton, Tauranga, Napier/Hastings, New Plymouth, Whanganui, and Palmerston North. South Island cities include Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, Invercargill and Timaru.
Geological origin
New Zealand sits at the boundary between the Australian and Pacific continental plates. When these two plates bumped into each other ('collided'), the Pacific plate moved under the Australian plate, north of the South Island. As a result, there has been lots of volcanic activity. South of the South Island, the Australian plate moves under the Pacific plate instead. The plates slide past each other in the South Island, where they have pushed up the Southern Alps. Because of these two colliding plates, New Zealand often has earthquakes. One of the best known is the 2010-2011 group of earthquakes that hit the Christchurch area.
The diagram shows that the North Island is on the Australian plate, but most of the South Island is on the Pacific plate. New Zealand is still geologically active, and will remain so as long as the islands are sitting above the plate boundary.
Ancient geology
The oldest rocks in New Zealand date from the Cambrian period, 512 million years ago. New Zealand became part of the global supercontinent Pangaea. When that split (End-Triassic/early Jurassic), New Zealand became part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana. Finally Gondwana broke up, leaving the continents rather as they are today.
Natural history
New Zealand was isolated from the rest of the world for a long time. It split from Australia 83 million years ago. Because of this, there are many plants and animals that only live in New Zealand. Before humans came to New Zealand, there were no mammals, except three species of bat and marine mammals such as seals, dolphins, and whales. Instead, New Zealand has many different kinds of bird. New Zealand has several species of flightless bird, including the kiwi and Kakapo. For the lizards, especially important is the Tuatara, the only living member of a whole order of reptiles.
New Zealand used to have more rare species, but some, mostly birds, were hunted to extinction early in its history. The giant Moa, Dinornis, is a famous example. The group of birds which the moa belongs to had been in existence since the Cretaceous period. Humans arrived in New Zealand about a thousand years ago, when many moa were living, especially on the South Island. Archaeological sites with evidence of moa hunting are all over New Zealand. The moa became extinct about five hundred years ago. Extinctions closer to today have been caused by habitat change and introduced species like rats, dogs, cats, and possums, which kill the native birds and lizards, or eat their eggs.
Other information
Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb to the top of Mount Everest, was from New Zealand.
New Zealand has become more popular since New Zealander Peter Jackson made the The Lord of the Rings movies there.
Many farmers in New Zealand breed sheep. There are many more sheep than people in New Zealand.
Many New Zealanders are interested in sports. Their national sport is usually considered to be rugby (in winter). They have impressive athletes in rowing, cycling, shotput, discus, iron man, triathlon, yachting, climbing, surfing, cricket, netball, softball, wind surfing, gliding, and more.
New Zealanders enjoy outdoor pursuits. The country has a "clean, green" image, but per-person emissions are 7th worst out of 41 industrialized nations as of 2017. Really bad air and water pollution is fairly rare, though occasional outbreaks in the past 20 years have caused problems for livestock and the surrounding waters. Most major rivers (60% estimated as of 2017) are not safe to swim in due to farming pollution and run-off.
New Zealand, like many other small nations, has a strong local media. New Zealand has a wide variety of musicians, television, and radio celebrities, and stand-up comedians. Although most are simply "world-famous in New Zealand", many others have successfully made it on the international scene. Such people and groups include Russell Crowe (actor), Kiri Te Kanawa (singer), the Flight of the Conchords, Lorde, Crowded House (bands/singers), Lee Tamahori, Taika Waititi, and Peter Jackson (movie directors).
The NZ Army mostly does peacekeeping and natural disaster support. New Zealand sent army engineers to Iraq to do rebuilding during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The middle of New Zealand's North Island has an almost-desert. State Highway 1, the main north-south road, goes through that desert. This section of the road in the desert - the Desert Road - can often be closed in winter. It is called a desert because it has bare areas and unusual plants that normally grow on mountains.
Related pages
Animals of New Zealand
List of rivers of New Zealand
New Zealand at the Olympics
New Zealand national football team
Notes
References
Commonwealth realms
English-speaking countries
Australasia
Gondwana
Current monarchies |
5073 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/South%20Korea | South Korea | South Korea is a country in the southern part of the Korean peninsula, in the north east region of Asia. The capital city is Seoul. The official name of South Korea is the Republic of Korea in English, 대한민국 (Daehan Minguk) in Korean writing (Hangeul), and 大韓民國 in Chinese characters (Hanja). About half of the country's people live in its capital city, Seoul, or near the city in the metropolitan area. Korea's Seoul metropolitan area is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. In fact, some sources say it is the second most populous after Tokyo, Japan. Recently, South Korea has become a significant cultural power, largely due to bands like BTS, korean drama, as well as its economic miracle.
History
South Korea's history began with Dangunwanggeom's Gojoseon. Gojoseon was conquered by Han China. After Gojoseon collapsed, there were a lot of countries such as Buyeo, Okjeo, Dongyae and Samhan. But Baekje, Goguryeo and Silla were the strongest. So their period began, and it is called the Three Kingdoms Period. Goguryeo and Baekje were conquered by Silla and Dang China's allied forces, and Silla unified the three kingdoms. There was another country, Balhae. Balhae was founded by Dae Jo-Young. Later Silla and Balhae's period is called South and North Countries Period. A rebellion in Later Silla caused the birth of a new nation: Goryeo, which was founded by Wanggeon. Mongolia's invaded Goryeo. Near the end of the Goryeo period, there was a great general Lee Seong-Gye. The king of Goryeo directed him to occupy Yodong, but he opposed. However, Lee Seong-Gye went to Yodong to occupy it, but he returned to Goryeo and he revolted. His revolt succeeded, and he founded the country Joseon. Joseon's first king, Taejo, moved the capital to Hanyang (Seoul). Joseon's fourth king, Sejong, made the Korean alphabet, Hangeul. Joseon's twenty-second king, Jeongjo, built Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. Joseon's twenty-sixth king, Gojong, changed the country's name to Daehanjeguk. When Daehanjaeguk's power weakened, Japan occupied it for 35 years until Japan's defeat in World War II in 1945. In 1950, there was a large and deadly war, the Korean War, which killed millions of people. As a result, Korea was split into two countries, North and South.
Geography
South Korea is in East Asia, bordering North Korea, and is surrounded by water on three sides, as it makes up the southern part of the Korean peninsula. It is separated from Japan by the Sea of Japan (known as East Sea by the South Koreans). South Korea is mainly mountainous, and there are many islands off the south coast. The capital city, Seoul, is quite close to the North Korean border. The largest island is Jeju Island and the highest mountain is Hallasan, on Jeju. The country is slightly smaller than Iceland and Virginia.
Politics and government
South Korea is a democracy, meaning that people can vote for their government. However, this is recent. South Korea was an authoritarian dictatorship for most of its history. The President of South Korea is elected to a five-year term, and cannot stand in a Presidential Election for a second time. The current president is Moon Jae-in since 10 May 2017. The previous president, Park Geun-hye, was impeached for corruption.
Science and technology
South Korea known for a lot of technology. This includes the car-makers Hyundai and Kia. The well-known global brand Samsung and LG, which make mobile phones, semi-conductors and electric devices, is also South Korean.
Culture
South Korea has been affected by both continental culture and marine culture because it is located on a peninsula. Ancient South Korean culture has developed with the culture of Siberia, the northern part of Central Asia, the southern part of Southeast Asia and neighboring countries like China.
Language
South Korea's customary and official language is Korean. Many linguists says that it is linked with Altaic languages. Hangul, the alphabet which is used to write Korean, was published by King Sejong the Great of Joseon in 1446. It is the only alphabet in the word whose creator, invention day and invention principle is known.
Food
A customary South Korean regular meal is made up of rice, Korean soup, kimchi and other various dishes. Generally, Korean dishes are seasoned with sesame oil, soy bean paste, soy sauce, salt, ginger and chilli pepper paste. The most famous traditional food of Korea, kimchi, is eaten with nearly every meal. There are lots of popular South Korean typical foods such as bibimbap, tteokbokki, and bulgogi.
Religion
In South Korea, 19.7% of people are Protestant, 6.6% are Catholic, 23.2% are Buddhist, 49.3% have no religion, and 1.3% either are a part of other religions or have beliefs that are unknown.
Music
The most representative traditional music of Korea is Arirang and every region has its own folk song. Many South Korean singers are well known in world as K-pop is steadily developing. Famous K-pop artists include BTS, BLACKPINK, EXO, TWICE & NCT.
Hip hop artists such as Zico, Jvcki Wai, San E & Giriboy are also popular.
Circumcision
77% of male are circumcised, this tradition was taken by US American.
Cities and provinces
South Korea has 1 special city (Teukbyeolsi; 특별시; 特別市), 1 special self-governing city (Teukbyeol-Jachisi; 특별자치시; 特別自治市) 6 metropolitan cities (Gwangyeoksi; 광역시; 廣域市), and 9 provinces (do; 도; 道). The names below are given in English, Revised Romanization, Hangeul, and Hanja.
Special city
Seoul Special City (Seoul-teukbyeolsi; 서울특별시; 서울特別市)
Note: 서울 (Seoul) itself has no corresponding Hanja.
Busan Metropolitan City (Busan-gwangyeoksi; 부산광역시)
Special self-governing city
Sejong special self-governing city (Sejong-teukbyeol-jachasi 세종특별자치시; 世宗特別自治市)
Metropolitan cities
Busan Metropolitan City (Busan-gwangyeoksi; 부산광역시; 釜山廣域市)
Daegu Metropolitan City (Daegu-gwangyeoksi; 대구광역시; 大邱廣域市)
Daejeon Metropolitan City (Daejeon-gwangyeoksi; 대전광역시; 大田廣域市)
Gwangju Metropolitan City (Gwangju-gwangyeoksi; 광주광역시; 光州廣域市)
Incheon Metropolitan City (Incheon-gwangyeoksi; 인천광역시; 仁川廣域市)
Ulsan Metropolitan City (Ulsan-gwangyeoksi; 울산광역시; 蔚山廣域市)
Provinces
Gyeonggi Province (Gyeonggi-do; 경기도; 京畿道)
Gangwon Province (Gangwon-do; 강원도; 江原道)
North Chungcheong Province (Chungcheongbuk-do; 충청 북도; 忠清北道)
South Chungcheong Province (Chungcheongnam-do; 충청 남도; 忠清南道)
North Jeolla Province (Jeollabuk-do; 전라 북도; 全羅北道)
South Jeolla Province (Jeollanam-do; 전라 남도; 全羅南道)
North Gyeongsang Province (Gyeongsangbuk-do; 경상 북도; 慶尚北道)
South Gyeongsang Province(Gyeongsangnam-do; 경상 남도; 慶尚南道)
Jeju Province (Jeju-do; 제주도; 濟州道)
References
Further reading
Breen, Michael (2004). The Koreans: Who They Are, What They Want, Where Their Future Lies, St. Martin's Griffin. .
Cumings, Bruce (1997). Korea's place in the sun, New York: W.W. Norton. .
Hart, Dennis (2003). From Tradition to Consumption: Constructing a Capitalist Culture in South Korea. .
Hawley, Samuel (2005). The Imjin War. Japan's Sixteenth-Century Invasion of Korea and Attempt to Conquer China, The Royal Asiatic Society. .
KOIS (2003). Handbook of Korea, 11 edition, Hollym. .
Nahm, Andrew C. (1996). Korea: A history of the Korean people, 2 edition, Hollym. .
Yang, Sung Chul (1999). The North and South Korean political systems: A comparative analysis, Hollym. .
Yonhap News Agency (2004). Korea Annual 2004. .
1945 establishments in Asia |
5074 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic%20of%20Ireland | Republic of Ireland | Ireland ( ) is a European country on the island of Ireland. It is a member of the European Union. The country is sometimes called the Republic of Ireland in order to distinguish between the territory of the Irish state and island proper, but Ireland is its official name. It covers about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The other sixth is called Northern Ireland, which is still part of the United Kingdom. The republic's capital is Dublin. Cork is the second largest city in the country and the third largest on the island of Ireland. The population of Ireland is 4.6 million. English is the main language spoken. The Irish language is widely taught in all schools, and it is still spoken as a first language in some areas of the country, known as the Gaeltacht. Irish is the first official language, followed by English.
History
Several hundred years ago, the English took over the country and made it part of the United Kingdom in 1801. After many years of revolution, Ireland gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1922 and has been an independent country since then. It was a neutral country during World War II.
Politics
The head of State, the President, is elected for seven years by the adult citizens. The same president can only be elected twice (14 years). Most of the president's tasks are representing and ceremonial ones. The president has little power over the government.
Ireland is a democracy and people vote for their representatives. The Taoiseach (equivalent to a prime minister) is selected by the parliament. The Taoiseach is usually the head of the biggest party.
The Oireachtas (equivalent to the parliament) consists of the Dáil Éireann (the lower House) and the Seanad (the 'upper House'). The system is similar to that of France or the United States, except that the President is not an executive.
The main political parties in Ireland are Fine Gael 25%, Sinn Féin 22%, Fianna Fail 18%, the Labour Party 7% and others, ref RED C poll 29 th June 2014.
Related pages
Ireland at the Olympics
Ireland national football team
List of rivers of Ireland
References
Notes
Ireland
Ireland
1949 establishments in Europe |
5075 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam | Vietnam | Vietnam () is a country in Southeast Asia. The long-form name of the country is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The neighboring countries of Vietnam are China, Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam is one of five remaining countries that believe in communism. The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi. The biggest city is Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). There are about 94,444,200 people living in Vietnam.
After the Japanese occupation in the 1940s, the Vietnamese fought French colonial rule during the First Indochina War between the Viet Minh and the French in 2 September 1945. Hồ Chí Minh declared Vietnam's independence from France under the new name of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, but was fought by French colonialists. In 1954, the Vietnamese declared victory in Dien Bien Phu which took place between March and May 1954 and culminated in a major French defeat. Then Vietnam was divided into two political states, North Vietnam (officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (officially the Republic of Vietnam). Conflicts between the two sides intensified in the so-called Vietnam War with strong influence from the US in South Vietnam. The war ended in 1975 with a North Vietnamese victory.
Vietnam was then united under a communist government. In 1986, the government launched a number of economic and political reforms that began Vietnam's path to integration into the world economy. By 2000, it had established diplomatic relations with all nations. Since 2000, Vietnam's economic growth has been among the highest in the world, and in 2011 it had the highest global growth generator index among 11 major economies. Its successful economic reforms resulted in its becoming a member of the World Trade Organization in 2007. It is also a member of economic cooperation between Asia and the Pacific and the International de la Francophonie Organization.
Names of Vietnam
"Annam", which originated (or started) as a Chinese name in the 7th century, was the common name of the country during the colonial period
Xích Quỷ (赤鬼)
Văn Lang (文郎/Orang)
Âu Lạc (甌雒/Anak)
Nam Việt (南越)
Giao Chỉ (交趾/交阯)
Vạn Xuân (萬春)
An Nam (安南)
Tĩnh Hải (靜海)
Đại Cồ Việt (大瞿越)
Đại Việt (大越)
Đại Ngu (大虞)
Đại Nam (大南)
Population
In Vietnam, the approximate population is 97,094,658. 25.2% of these people are aged between 0-14, with 11,954,354 being male and 10,868,610 being female. 69.3% of the population are between the ages of 15-64. The male-to-female ratio is almost evenly split, with 31,301,879 being male and 31,419,306 being female. 5.5% are 65 and over, with 1,921,652 being male and 3,092,589 being female. So within the older two categories, there are more women than men.
The population is not from one origin. There are many ethnic tribes that developed in the history of Vietnam. This makes Vietnam's history and culture very diverse. It's not the same as a country where every family landed on the country's shores in the same century. French and Chinese colonization didn't involve an excessive migration of people to Vietnam.
Nowadays, the blend of cultures has been increasing with the influence of globalization and world interest. Many Vietnamese that have been living overseas are described as the Viet Kieu. The population has several communities in many countries around the world.
Geography
The length of the country, from North to South, is 1,650 kilometers (1,025 miles). "At its narrowest point, Vietnam is only 30 miles (48 kilometers) wide". Due to the long and narrow shape of Vietnam, the weather in the country varies considerably from north to south. Northern Vietnam offers a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons (winter, spring, summer, and fall) while Southern Vietnam is hot year-round.
The country is covered in rainforests that are currently going through rapid deforestation. It borders the South China Sea to the east, Laos and Cambodia to the west, and China to the north. The country is slightly larger than Malaysia and smaller than Japan.
History
Vietnam's history has long been characterized by the neighborhood of China in the north. For about 1,000 years, northern Vietnam belonged to China, but from 938 the country became independent and later expanded southward at the expense of the Champa kingdom. In the 19th century the country was colonized by France and during the Second World War, the country was occupied by Japan. After this war, the colonial empire did not have the resources to restore the regime and lost the military battle against the liberation forces. This led to the division of the country, which in turn led to the Vietnam War with major human and material losses for the country. The war ended on 30 April 1975 by the fact that North Vietnam took the southern part. After experimental planning in the 1970s and 1980s, the economy was reformed in a market economy direction.
Viet
About 5000 years ago, the two ethnic tribes of the Lac Viet and Au Viet lived together in many areas with other inhabitants. Due to increasing needs to control floods, fights against invaders, and culture and trade exchanges, these tribes living near each other tended to gather together and integrate into a larger mixed group.
Among these Lac Viet tribes was the Van Lang, which was the most powerful tribe. The leader of this tribe later joined all the tribes together to found Van Lang Nation in 2897 BC, addressing himself as the King Hung. The next generations followed in their father's footsteps and kept this appellation. Based on historical documents, researchers correlatively delineated the location of Van Lang Nation to the present day regions of North and north of Central Vietnam, as well as the south of present-day Kwangsi (China). The Van Lang Nation lasted to the 3rd century B.C.
Óc Eo may have been a busy port of the kingdom of Funan between the 1st and 7th centuries.
The Dong Son civilization that covered much of Southeast Asia was also the beginning of Vietnam's history. In 221 BC, the Qins invaded the land of the Viet tribes. Thuc Phan, leader of the alliance of Au-Viet tribes managed to expel the enemies and declared himself King An Duong Vuong and his territory Au Lac Nation (257-207 BC). In 208 BC, a Qin Dynasty general named Triệu Đà invaded Au Lac. An Duong Vuong failed this time. As a result, the northern feudalist took turns dominating the country over the next eleven centuries, establishing their harsh regime in the country and dividing the country into administrative regions and districts with unfamiliar names. However, the country's name of Au Lac could not be erased from the people's minds in their everyday life.
In 207 BC Triệu Đà established a state called Nam Việt which encompassed southern China and the Red River Delta. The historical significance of the original Nam Việt remains controversial because some historians consider it a Chinese occupation while others believe it was an independent era. For most of the period from 111 BCE to the early 10th century, Vietnam was under the rule of successive Chinese dynasties. Sporadic independence movements were attempted, but were quickly suppressed by Chinese forces.
The kings of Champa (Chiêm Thành in Vietnamese) started construction of Hindu temples at Mỹ Sơn in the 4th century AD.
Hội An was founded as a trading port by the Nguyễn Lord Nguyễn Hoàng sometime around 1595.
Work on Imperial City, Huế started in 1804.
IndoChina
In September 1858, France occupied Đà Nẵng. Cochinchina was a French colony from 1862 to 1948.
In 1930 Nguyễn Ái Quốc established the Vietnamese Independence League (Việt Nam Ðộc Lập Ðồng Minh Hội) which is also known as the Việt Minh.
The Japanese took over Vietnam in World War II. The Việt Minh fought against both the Japanese and the Vichy French.
When the Japanese were defeated, the Vietnamese people, led by the Việt Minh started the August Revolution.
On 2 September 1945, Nguyễn Ái Quốc (who was now calling himself Hồ Chí Minh, meaning 'Hồ (a common last name) with the will of light') read the Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Ba Ðình Square, in Hànội. It was based on the American Declaration of Independence.
Hồ Chí Minh led the Việt Minh in a war for independence from France.
The "Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina" (République Autonome de Cochinchine) was proclaimed 1 June 1946 to frustrate the Việt Minh's desire to rule all of Vietnam.
The War between France and the Việt Minh lasted from 1946 to 1954. The French were defeated in 1954 after the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
North and South Vietnam
The nation was then divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. After independence was achieved, the French gave the land of the Mekong delta that was part of Cambodia to South Vietnam. The anti-communist United States had a lot of influence in the South, and the communist and nationalist Việt Minh controlled the North. Hồ Chí Minh was extremely popular in the whole nation, as he was the only remaining leader after years of fighting, so he became President of the Democratic Republic of (North) Việtnam. It was agreed that the nation would be reunited by elections in 1956. But, the Americans and the Southern government stopped the elections from happening because they expected Hồ Chí Minh to win because communist North Vietnam refused to hold free elections. Dwight Eisenhower said he thought Hồ would win with around 80% of the vote if elections were held because of the majority of the population being in the north added with Ho's few supporters in the South.
Soon, the USA was at war with Vietnam. This war was known as the American War, the Vietnam War, or the Second Indochinese War. Soon, South Vietnam became a military dictatorship with some basic freedoms. The Southern army removed the controversial Ngo Dinh Diem from power and killed him.
On 2 September 1969, Independence Day, President Hồ Chí Minh died of heart failure.
Unification
On 30 April 1975, the National Liberation Front with the help of the N.V.A. overtook Sàigòn, which was the capital of South Vietnam and quickly renamed it Hồ Chí Minh City. The nation was fully reunified as Socialist Republic of Vietnam on 2 July 1976.
Provinces
Vietnam is divided into 58 provinces. There are also five city municipalities which have province authority.
The provinces of Vietnam are divided (by the government) into provincial cities and provinces.
Science and technology
Media said in 2011 that investment in science and technology was 2% of GDP.
"Vietnam provides no incentives for students to return to Vietnam from their foreign graduate programmes" was the opinion (in 2011) of French physicist Pierre Darriulat.
Related pages
List of rivers of Vietnam
Vietnam at the Olympics
Vietnam national football team
References
1975 establishments in Asia |
5077 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance%20Armstrong | Lance Armstrong | Lance Edward Armstrong (born September 18, 1971 in Plano, Texas, USA) is an American former bicycle rider. He used drugs which helped him in competition. In 2012 the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) took away all his titles from 1998 to 2006. In 2012, he was also banned forever from cycling competitions.
Before his titles were taken away, he won the Tour de France seven times in a row, from 1999 to 2005. He did this several years after having brain surgery, testicular surgery, and a long course of chemotherapy in 1996. The chemotherapy was to treat testicular cancer that spread to his brain and lungs. Armstrong used to race for the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, but was only team leader during the Tour de France.
Armstrong retired from professional cycling in 2011.
Teams and victories
Major results
1992 - Motorola
Settimana Bergamasca (stage 6)
Vuelta a Galicia (Stage 4a)
Trittico Premondiale (Stage 2) (or GP Sanson)
First Union Grand Prix (Atlanta)
Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic (overall, 1 stage win)
1993 - Motorola
World Cycling Champion - UCI Road World Championships
US National Cycling Champion - CoreStates USPRO National Road Championships
Tour de France (Stage 8)
Tour of America (overall)
Trofeo Laigueglia
Tour du Pont (2nd overall, 1 stage win)
Tour of Sweden (3rd overall, 1 stage win)
Thrift Drug Classic
Kmart West Virginia Classic (overall, 2 stage wins)
1994 - Motorola
Thrift Drug Classic
Tour du Pont (1 stage win)
1995 - Motorola
Tour de France (Stage 18)
Clásica de San Sebastián
Paris-Nice (Stage 5)
Tour du Pont (overall, mountains, 3 stage wins)
Kmart West Virginia Classic (overall, 2 stage wins)
Tour of America (overall)
1996 - Motorola
Tour du Pont (overall, 5 stage wins)
La Flèche Wallonne
1997 - Cofidis
Sprint 56K Criterium (Austin, TX)
1998 - U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team
Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt (overall)
Tour de Luxembourg (overall, 1 stage win)
Cascade Classic
Vuelta a España (4th overall)
1999 - U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team
Tour de France (overall, 4 stage wins)
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (ITT) (Prologue)
Route du Sud (Stage 4)
Circuit de la Sarthe (ITT) (Stage 4)
2000 - U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team
Tour de France (overall, 1 stage win)
GP des Nations
GP Eddy Merckx (with Viatcheslav Ekimov)
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (ITT) (Stage 3)
Bronze medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics Individual Time Trial, Men
2001 - U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team
Tour de France (overall, 4 stage wins)
Tour de Suisse (overall, 2 stage wins)
2002 - U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team
Tour de France (overall, 4 stage wins)
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (Stage 6)
GP du Midi Libre (overall)
Profronde van Stiphout (post-Tour criterium)
2003 - US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team
Tour de France (overall, 1 stage win, Team Time Trial)
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (overall, Stage 3 ITT)
2004 - US Postal Service pro Cycling Team
Tour de France (overall, 5 stage wins, Team Time Trial)
Tour de Georgia (overall, 2 stage wins)
Tour du Languedoc-Roussillon (Stage 5)
Volta ao Algarve (ITT) (Stage 4)
Profronde van Stiphout (post-Tour criterium)
2005 - Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
Tour de France (overall, 1 stage win, Team Time Trial)
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (points classification)
2009 - Astana Prop Cycling Team
Tour Down Under
Tour of California 7th place
Amateur cycling and triathlon years
1991 - Subaru-Montgomery / US National Team
National Amateur Road Race Champion
Settimana Bergamasca (overall and youth classifications)
Tour de Gastown criterium (Vancouver, BC)
Challenge of Champions Triathlon (Monterey, CA)
1990 - Subaru-Montgomery
National Sprint Triathlon Champion
Stonebridge Ranch Triathlon (McKinney, TX)
1989
National Sprint Triathlon Champion
Waco Triathlon (Waco, TX)
1988
Athens YMCA Triathlon (Athens, TX) (course record)
River Triathlon (Shreveport, LA) (course record)
1987
Hillcrest Tulsa Triathlon
1984
IronKids Triathlon National Champion
References
1971 births
2000 Summer Olympics
American adoptees
American cyclists
American Olympic bronze medalists
Cancer survivors
Doping cases in cycling
Living people
Sportspeople from Texas
Tour de France cyclists
People from Plano, Texas |
5085 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ton | Ton | Ton might refer to
The common ton or short ton, defined as 2,000 pounds avoirdupois (1000kg)
The long ton, defined as 2,240 pounds (1 016 kg)
The ton, called a metric ton in the United States, is defined as 1,000 kilograms (2,204 pounds). This unit is also called a "mega-gram" (1 000 000 g) but "tonne" is more convenient. |
5093 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebe%20%28moon%29 | Phoebe (moon) | Phoebe is a moon which goes around (orbits) the planet called Saturn. It takes eighteen months for Phoebe to go all the way around Saturn. It is half made out of rock, and half made out of ice. The ground on Phoebe is black, which means that it is very dark when seen from Earth. Phoebe does not have any air, and there is no water on its surface.
There are many craters on Phoebe. These are from asteroids and other things crashing into it, and leaving round marks on the surface.
Phoebe is slightly irregular, which means that it is not perfectly round like a ball. It has an average diameter of 213 km. This means that the Earth's moon is 15 times bigger than Phoebe. The duration between two sunrises (rotation period) is only 9 hours and 16.5 minutes long.
Saturn's moons |
5098 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three%20Peaks%20Challenge | Three Peaks Challenge | The Three Peaks Challenge is a challenge (a hard task or job) which involves climbing three British mountains (a peak is the top of a mountain) in less than 24 hours. The three mountains are the highest of each of the three countries in the island of Great Britain.
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland (1344 m)
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales (1085 m)
Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England (978 m)
Each year many people attempt (try) to do the challenge to raise money for charity. They do this by getting their friends and family to sponsor them (give them money). Many people do not do the challenge for charity. They do it simply because they enjoy walking in the mountains and they want to try something hard. These people usually do it in small groups. Some of them will do the walking, and others will do the driving and the cooking for them. Some people have completed the challenge very quickly. The record is fifteen hours.
Reasons why some people do not like the challenge
Recently, the challenge has become more popular. People who live near the mountains often do not like having cars around in the middle of the night. Conservation groups blame people doing the challenge for dropping litter and damaging the landscape. Some people park their cars in inconsiderate places. Thousands of people attempt the challenge each year. Supporters of the challenge say that only a few people cause these problems, and most behave well.
The usual route
Most attempts are made in the summer, because the days are long and the weather is good. In the winter it is dark for most of the day and can be very cold. The weather up the mountains can change very quickly, and some people die in blizzards (storms of snow) in the winter. Most people who attempt the challenge use the same route, because it is the easiest way of doing the challenge in 24 hours.
They start with Ben Nevis at about five o'clock. It takes about three hours to climb this mountain, so they reach the summit (the top) at about eight o'clock, and return to the bottom at about ten o'clock. In the summer it is still light in Britain at this time. If people start climbing Ben Nevis too early they will arrive at Scafell Pike too early the next morning and it will still be dark. It is important to be quick at the bottom of the mountains. There is not much time so food is usually prepared by others waiting at the bottom. When the climbers arrive they usually leave immediately and eat while they are on the road.
The next mountain is Scafell Pike, in the Lake District of northern England. The journey between Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike is longer than the journey between Scafell Pike and Snowdon. This is why it is done at night, when it is too dark to climb. The journey takes six or seven hours, and the walkers usually go to sleep. The next morning they arrive at Scafell Pike at about half past four. In the summer it is light by this time. Scafell Pike is not as high as the other mountains, but is harder.
If it is climbed quickly enough and the walkers do not get lost they can return to the bottom by about nine o'clock. It takes several hours to get to Snowdon in Wales. The walkers are usually very tired and worried that there is not enough time. If they arrive at the bottom of Snowdon at half past one in the afternoon they can climb it in two hours. This leaves them an hour and a half to get back to the bottom. If they were too slow on the other mountains or the journeys in between they might have to run!
You need to be quite fit to do the challenge in 24 hours, but people who are young and active, and people who are used to hillwalking, can do it. Compared to some mountains in the world, all the mountains in Britain are small. If the weather is bad or the drivers are slow it is very hard.
Other websites
A BBC report about the problems of the challenge
A popular guide to the challenge
Mountain climbing |
5099 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania is one of the 50 states in the United States of America. It is in the northeastern part of the country. It has a border with Ohio on the west, West Virginia on the south and west, Maryland and Delaware on the south, New Jersey on the east, and New York and Lake Erie on the north.
The state capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg. The largest city in Pennsylvania is Philadelphia. The state nickname of Pennsylvania is "The Keystone State". The current governor of Pennsylvania is Tom Wolf.
Pennsylvania is well known for its role in the American Revolution, its large communities of Amish, and its heavy industry.
History
Pennsylvania was home to many Native American groups before Europeans settled there. These include the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Iroquois.
The first European settlers in Pennsylvania were from Sweden. They arrived in 1643. The area was later ruled by the Netherlands and Great Britain. In 1681, Charles II of England, gave the land to William Penn. Penn used the land to create a home for Quakers. The land became known as "Penn's Woods", as Pennsylvania has many forests. In Latin this is "Pennsylvania". This became adopted as the name of the colony.
Meanwhile, in the western part of the state, armies from France and Great Britain fought for control of the source of the Ohio River. This conflict was part of the French and Indian War. Great Britain eventually won the conflict for this location and built a fort called Fort Pitt. The fort grew into a city which is now called Pittsburgh.
The state of Delaware was once part of Pennsylvania. In 1704, Delaware formed when three Pennsylvania counties left the colony and created their own government.
Pennsylvania was one of the 13 colonies that fought Great Britain in the American Revolution. The United States Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. Benjamin Franklin, an important figure in the Revolution, was also from Philadelphia. Pennsylvania was the second state to join the United States. Philadelphia was capital of the United States before Washington, D.C..
Later, Pennsylvania became an important center of industry. Kerosene was discovered in Titusville in the 19th century. This was the start of the oil industry in the United States. Large deposits of coal were found in and around Pittsburgh. This caused Pittsburgh to become a major industrial city.
Industry began leaving Pennsylvania in the late 20th century, because most heavy industry was being transferred to other nations. Many people left, too. It also caused many of its cities and towns to decay.
Geography
Most of Pennsylvania is part of the Appalachian Mountains, including the south central and northeastern areas of the state. Much of the rest of the state is very hilly, partly due to the closeness to mountains and partly due to the steep river valleys in the state. The Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers are in the western part of the state, and the Susquehanna is in the central part of the state. The northwestern and southeastern parts of the state are mostly flat and low-lying.
Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest states in the United States, with a land area of 44,817 square miles. The highest point in the state is Mount Davis, at 3,213 feet above sea level. The lowest point is the Delaware River, which is at sea level.
Demographics
Pennsylvania is the 5th most populated state. In 2020, there were 13,002,700 people.
More than half of the people live in the areas of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Few people live in the north central area of the state. Towns and cities tend to be small in size and densely populated, more so than in other states. This is because many of the towns and cities in Pennsylvania were built around a specific factory or factories.
Education
Pennsylvania has many colleges and universities. Officially, the state's public university is Pennsylvania State University. Best known are a few private university systems which are partially (around 10%) funded by the state, like University of Pittsburgh. The state's most well-known private university is the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League institution. Pennsylvania also has a number of state run colleges in Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester. Those fourteen schools make up one of the largest state run higher education systems in the country. Other significant private universities are Carnegie-Mellon University, known for its computer science research, and Bucknell University.
Related pages
List of counties in Pennsylvania
References
1787 establishments in the United States |
5102 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box | Box | A box is a container used to put things in. It is mainly a cuboid (square) shape, but it can be other shapes too. Boxes are usually made out of cardboard, wood, plastic or metal.
Many boxes are made of cardboard, and a lot of them are made. They are primarily used for packaging commercial goods or storing goods and materials. They can be made from bent or wrinkled cardboard. In their most obvious life stage, they are popularly used as a cheap material to hold a range of projects, among them being science experiments, children's toys, costumes and other things.
A box also means a rectangle, e.g. userbox. But rectangles are mainly referred to as rectangles, the term box is the outline, or perimeter of the rectangle.
References
Basic English 850 words
Containers |
5103 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines | Philippines | The Philippines is an island country in Southeast Asia in the Pacific Ocean. It has 7,641 islands. Spain (1521-1898) and the United States (1898-1946), colonized (controlled) the country and Palau, which is on the eastern side of the Philippine Sea. The capital city of the Philippines is Manila.
The Philippines and East Timor are the only nations in East Asia where most people are Christians. The Philippines achieved independence after the United States left in 1946.
The Philippine Islands are surrounded on the east by the Philippine Sea, on the west by the South China Sea, and on the south by the Celebes Sea. Borneo island is a few hundred kilometers to the southwest, Vietnam is to the west, and Taiwan is directly north.
Politics
The government of the Philippines, is similar to the Government of the United States of America. The President of the Philippines works as the head of state, the head of government, and the commander in chief of the Military of the Philippines and the armed forces. The president is elected by voting just as in America except by popular vote as there is no electoral voting. He stays as the president for 6 years. He is the leader of the cabinet.
The bicameral Philippine legislature, the Congress of the Philippines, consists of the Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives of the Philippines; members of both are elected by popular vote. There are 24 senators serving 6 years in the Senate while the House of Representatives consists of no more than 250 congressmen each serving 3-year terms.
The judiciary branch of the government is headed by the Supreme Court of the Philippines, which has a Chief Justice as its head and 14 Associate Justices, all appointed by the president.
The Philippines is a founding and prominent member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It is also an active participant of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a member of the Group of 24 and one of the 51 founding members of the United Nations on October 24, 1945.
Regions and States
Local Government. The parts of Philippines are "local government units" (LGUs). The province is the top unit. There are 79 provinces in the country (2002). In the provinces there are cities and municipalities (towns). In these municipalities there are smaller barangays (villages). The barangay is the smallest local government unit.
All provinces are in 17 regions for administration (organisation). Most government offices have regional offices for the provinces. The regions do not have a separate local government, except for the Muslim Mindanao and Cordillera regions, which have their own power (autonomous government).
Regions
¹ Names are capitalized because they are acronyms, containing the names of the constituent provinces or cities.
Geography
The Philippines has 7,701 islands. Together there are about 300,000 square kilometers of land. The islands are in three groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Luzon is the largest island and Mindanao is the second largest. The Visayas are the group of islands in the central part of the Philippines. The busy port of Manila, on Luzon, is the country's capital and it is the second-largest city after Quezon City. Cebu City and Davao City are the largest cities in Visayas and Mindanao, respectively.
The climate is hot, humid (there is a lot of water in the air), and tropical. The average temperature all year is around 26.5 °Celsius. Filipinos usually say there are three seasons: Tag-init or Tag-araw (the hot season or summer from March to May), Tag-ulan (the rainy season from June to November), and Tag-lamig (the cold season from December to February).
The Philippines is in the Pacific Ring of Fire (zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions). Most of the mountainous islands had a lot of tropical rainforests a long time ago. They started as volcanoes. The highest place is Mount Apo on Mindanao at 2,954 m. Many volcanoes in the country, for example Mount Mayon, are active. The country also has about 19 typhoons per year.
Taal Volcano is an island in Taal Lake. It is in an ancient caldera in Batangas Province. It is about 2 hours by bus going south from Manila. The jump-off point in Talisay is suitable for day trips and overnighters.
Problems
There are many environmental problems in the Philippines. One of them is overfishing in many areas, which lead to pitiful catches. Another problem is that only ten percent of sewage is treated and cleaned, while the other 90% is dumped back to nature and the ocean, which leads to pollution. Deforestation is a serious problem, and after decades of cutting down forests, illegal logging and forest fires, there is only 3% left of original forest cover. Forest losses have also affected the Philippines with serious soil erosion, which is threatening the Philippines biodiversity.
Economy
The Philippines is a developing country. In 1998 the Philippine economy — a mixture of agriculture, light industry, and support services — deteriorated because of the effects of the Asian financial crisis and poor weather conditions. The economy's growth fell to 0.6% in 1998 from 5% in 1997, but recovered to about 3% in 1999 and 4% in 2000. As of 2012, it's estimated at 6.6%.
The government has promised to continue its economic reforms to help the Philippines match the pace of development in the newly industrialized countries of Southeast Asia. The strategies are improving infrastructure, fixing the tax system to help the government income, supporting deregulation (to remove government control) and privatization of the economy, and increasing trade within the region. Future prospects depend heavily on the economic performance of the three major trading partners, China, the United States and Japan.
People
Around 109,6 million people live in the Philippines as of 2020. Most people in the Philippines are of Austronesian stock. The ethnic Chinese, who have helped run businesses since the 9th century, also live in the country. Its now 105 million people there. The Negritos live in the mountains of Luzon and Visayas. Luzon has a lot of mestizo people, a Spanish term for someone of mixed Hispanic and native blood.
The people of the Philippines are known as Filipinos. Filipinos are divided into many groups, the three largest are the Tagalogs, Cebuanos, and the Ilocanos. When the Philippines was a colony, the term "Filipino" used to mean the Spanish and Spanish-mixed minority. But now everyone who is a citizen/national of the Philippines is called "Filipino". Even then, it is still has the most diverse ethnic groups in Asia, the other being Indonesia. People also call Filipinos "Pinoy" for short.
Languages
Filipino and English are the official languages. Filipino is based largely on Tagalog, a native language spoken in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. The Filipino language, is a cousin of the Malay language. Other local languages and dialects are Cebuano and Ilocano and many others. English is used in government, schools and business. Other languages are Chinese which is spoken by the ethnic Chinese population and the Chinese-Filipinos. Most of the Muslims living deep in southern Mindanao and the smaller islands off of the southern Philippine mainland near Malaysia's northeastern tip. They also speak Arabic as a second language but to a very small extent. Spanish, once the official language of the Philippines in the 1970s is also spoken by a notable minority of Filipinos.
Culture
Before the Spanish arrived, the Filipinos did not think of themselves as one culture. Most of the Philippines were Buddhist, Muslim and Hindu. The Spaniards came in 1565, and brought with them Spanish culture. They soon spread to the islands making forts and schools, preaching Christianity, and converting most of the native people to the Catholic religion. When the United States colonized the islands in 1898, the Americans brought with them their own culture, which has the strongest influence up to now. This makes the Philippines the most Westernized country in eastern Asia. The Spanish culture in the Philippines though, is not directly from Spain but from Mexico, since the Philippines was ruled by Spain, through Mexico. It was governed from Mexico City which explains much of the Spanish influence in the Philippines that one could only find in Mexico and not in Spain. Also, the Spanish that was spoken in the Philippines was Mexican Spanish, not European Spanish. A lot of the foods in the Philippines can also be found in Mexico. Filipinos, as a tradition, usually eat with hands, like that of Malay tradition. And most of Filipino cuisine is also of Malay influence for the most part.
Each year major festivities called barrio fiestas are held. They commemorate the Patron saints of the towns, villages and regional districts. The festivities includes church services, street parades, fireworks displays, feasts, dance/music contests, and cockfights. Circumcision of males is a tradition and a big cultureal event, nearly 91,7% are circumcised.
Religion
Most of the people in the Philippines are Christians. About 92% of the people are Christians. Most people in the Philippines belong to the Roman Catholic faith (70%). A sizable percentage of the people are Protestants (many diverse Christian denominations) (17%), Iglesia ni Cristo (2%), Muslims (5-10%), Buddhists (2%). There are also some Hindus and some other minor religions with fewer adherents (6.6%).
Further reading
Philippines on English Wikipedia
Related pages
List of rivers of the Philippines
Philippines at the Olympics
Philippines national football team
References
Open Directory Project
Other websites
Government Portal
Office of the President
Senate of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Supreme Court of the Philippines
1946 establishments in Asia |
5108 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawlty%20Towers | Fawlty Towers | Fawlty Towers is a British television sitcom. It was broadcast by the BBC in two series, one in 1975, the other in 1979. Only twelve episodes were ever broadcast. However, the show is still liked by millions of people. Fawlty Towers has influenced other comedies.
It is set in a hotel in the coastal Devon town of Torquay.
Main characters
The owners of the hotel are Basil Fawlty (played by John Cleese) and his wife Sybil (Prunella Scales).
They are helped by Polly, a young British maid (Connie Booth) and Manuel, a clumsy waiter from Barcelona in Spain (Andrew Sachs).
In series two there is also a chef, Terry (Brian Hall).
Basil is a rude, angry man, who fought in the Korean War. He has been married to Sybil for fifteen years. Sybil and Basil do not love each other. Polly has a talent for painting, and this is shown in some episodes when her artwork is laid upon the front desk, annoying Basil. Manuel speaks only a little English and he often makes mistakes due to misunderstanding things. When he makes a mistake Basil usually apologises to the guests by saying, "I'm so sorry, he's from Barcelona."
Other characters
The Major (Ballard Berkeley) is a regular guest. He is old and forgetful. The aged and easily shocked Miss Tibbs (Gilly Flower) and Miss Gatsby (Renee Roberts) are also regular guests.
Episodes
There were twelve episodes of Fawlty Towers made.
The first six episodes were made in 1975, the last six in 1979. Fawlty Towers still has many fans, and many people regard it as the best comedy series made by the BBC. It was voted 5th in a poll in Britain to find "Britain's Best Sitcom" 2004.
One of the most famous episodes is "The Germans". In that episode, people from Germany are visiting the Hotel. Basil dislikes Germans, because he blames them for starting World War II. He tells his staff not to mention the war ("Don't mention the war!"). He himself continually mentions the war, and even imitates Adolf Hitler.
The episodes, in order with date of first showing, are:
Season One
A Touch of Class (19 September 1975)
The Builders (26 September 1975)
The Wedding Party (3 October 1975)
The Hotel Inspectors (10 October 1975)
Gourmet Night (17 October 1975)
The Germans (24 October 1975)
Season Two
Communication Problems (19 February 1979)
The Psychiatrist (26 February 1979)
Waldorf Salad (5 March 1979)
The Kipper and the Corpse (12 March 1979)
The Anniversary (26 March 1979)
Basil the Rat (25 October 1979)
Other websites
1975 television series debuts
1979 television series endings
1970s British sitcoms
1970s British workplace television series
1970s workplace comedy television series
BBC television sitcoms
British workplace comedy television series
Television series about marriage
Torquay
English-language television programs |
5110 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custom | Custom | A custom (also called a tradition) is a common way of doing things. It is something that many people do, and have done for a long time. Usually, the people come from the same country, culture, or religion. Usually, they do not know when the custom started.
Many customs are things that people do that are handed down from the past and the Future.
Examples of it are:
Ceremonies is a class of customary, collective action.
In some countries bowing to older people is polite and respectful.
In some countries it is okay to burp while eating food.
In some countries you take your shoes off before entering the house.
In some places they sit on the floor and eat.
Other websites
Social sciences
Culture |
5111 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort%20Ouiatenon | Fort Ouiatenon | Fort Ouiatenon was the first fortified European settlement in what is now the U.S. state of Indiana. It is approximately three miles southwest of modern-day West Lafayette.
Fort Ouiatenon was originally constructed by the French government in 1717 as a military outpost to protect against Great Britain's western expansion. Its location among the unsettled woodlands of the Wabash River valley also made it a key center of trade for fur trappers. French merchants and trappers from Quebec would arrive at Fort Ouiatenon in search of beaver pelts and to take advantage of trade relations with the native Wea Native American tribes.
At its peak level of activity during the mid-18th century Fort Ouiatenon was home to over 2,000 residents. In 1761, during the French and Indian War, a contingent of British soldiers led by Lieutenant Edward Jenkins captured and occupied the fort. In 1763 an uprising led by Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa Native American tribe surprised Lieutenant Jenkins and his men and captured Fort Ouiatenon without firing a shot. Seven similar posts were also captured in what became known as Pontiac's Uprising.
The British made little use of Fort Ouiatenon after the French and Indian War; it was never garrisoned. During the 1780s, local Indian tribes used it as a base of operations to stage raids against American settlers pushing westward. Consequently, President George Washington ordered the fort to be destroyed in 1791.
In 1930 a replica of Fort Ouiatenon was built near its original site by a local physician named Richard Wetherill. In 1970 the site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Today Fort Ouiatenon is open to tourists and is the location of the annual Feast of the Hunters' Moon.
Buildings and structures in Indiana
1717 establishments
18th-century establishments in North America |
5113 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai | Chennai | Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a population of about 7 million people. Almost 10% of all of the people in the state live in Chennai. The city is the fourth largest city of India. It was founded in 1661 by the British East India Company. The city is on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal.
Chennai is the automobile capital of India. It is also referred as the Detroit of South Asia. The long Marina Beach in Chennai, is one of the longest beaches in the world. The city is separated into three parts by two rivers. The Cooum River divides the city into almost half and the Adyar River divides the southern half of the city into two parts. The historic Buckingham Canal runs through the city. It is almost parallel to the coast. The 350 year old city still has much of its old charm. Today, it is a big commercial and industrial centre. The city has much cultural heritage. The temples, shrines, forts and palaces of the city combine its past with the present. It is the birthplace of Indian politician Stalin
History
Chennai and its nearby area has been an important administrative, military and economic centre back to the 1st century. Many South India kingdoms like the Pallava, the Chola, the Pandya and Vijayanagara Empires have ruled over the area. The British controlled the town in 1749. Under British control, the city grew into a major urban centre and naval base. The city grew up around the English settlement of Fort Saint George. It slowly grew in the nearby towns and villages. Chennai became the capital of Madras state (renamed as Tamil Nadu in 1968) when India became independent in 1947.
Attractions
Marina Beach - The world’s second longest beach. It is long.
Sri Parthasarathy Temple - Built by the Pallavas in the 8th century. The temple was dedicated to Lord Krishna. It has many images of Lord Vishnu.
Santhome Cathedral - The 500 year old cathedral was built by the Portuguese in honor of Saint Thomas.
Saint Thomas Mount -Built by the Portuguese, the church offers the very good views of the city.
Corporation Complex - The Ripon Building is in the Corporation Complex. It is the home of the oldest municipal government in India. It was built in 1913. The complex has a building with the design based on the Taj Mahal. The domed white building has parks and gardens, Nehru Stadium, Victoria Public Hall, a public meeting place out of the gas light era and Moore market.
Government Museum - The museum was created in the 1857. It is one of the country’s best museums. It has the collection of relics of 2nd century from the Buddhist site of Amaravati. The museum shows prehistoric antiques of South India and carvings of the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. There is also a collection of wood carvings from processional temple chariots. The museum also has a collection of South Indian musical instruments and jewellery, ancient icons and modern bronzes, including the famous bronze Natraja and the beautiful set of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman.
George Town-George Town is the commercial heart of the city. The streets are full with traders, buyers and their employees. Rajaji Salai (North Beach Road) separates George Town from the harbour. Along one side of it, there is much imperial architecture. George Town is bounded in the north by Old Jail Road and Clive Battery.
Valluvar Kottam - at Nungambakkam, the memorial was built for Tamil poet-saint, Thiruvalluvar. The memorial has also an auditorium. It can seat up to 4000 people.
Accessibility
Chennai is connected by airways, railways and roads with all the major towns of the country.
Roads
Chennai is linked with roads from rest of the country. The distance of major cities and towns from Chennai are:
Mumbai -
Bangalore -
Hyderabad -
Kanyakumari -
Madurai -
Mahabalipuram -
Pondicherry -
Cuddalore -
Rameshwaram -
Kanchipuram -
Tirupati -
Ooty -
Kodaikanal -
Thiruvananthapuram
Thanjavur
Railways
Chennai railway station is connected with all the major railway stations of the country. These include Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Cochin, Hyderabad, Lucknow, and Varanasi.
Airport
The airport in Chennai is directly linked to airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Goa, Bhubaneswar, Cochin, Hyderabad, Port Blair and Pune.
The international terminal is connected with other overseas airports including London, Tokyo, Brussels, Singapore, Dubai, Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur and New York.
It is one of the busiest airports in Asia.
Other websites
Official government website of Chennai District
Official website of the Corporation of Chennai
Official website of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority
Places, Attractions & Things to do in Chennai
References
1661 establishments
17th-century establishments in India
1660s establishments in England |
5114 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai | Mumbai | Mumbai (previously known as Bombay until 1996) is a natural harbour on the west coast of India, and is the capital city of Maharashtra state. It is India's largest city, and one of the world's most populous cities. It is the financial capital of India and a global city. Many billionaires live there. The city is the second most-populous in the world. It has approximately 13 million people. Along with the neighbouring cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it forms the world's 4th largest urban agglomeration. They have around 19.1 million people
The seven islands that form Bombay were home to fishing colonies. The islands were ruled by successive kingdoms and indigenous empires before Portuguese settlers took it. Then, it went to the British East India Company. During the mid-18th century, Bombay became a major trading town. It became a strong place for the Indian independence movement during the early 20th century. When India became independent in 1947, the city was put into Bombay State. In 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as the capital. It was renamed Mumbai in 1996.
Mumbai generates more than 6% of India's GDP. It accounts for 25% of industrial output, 40% of sea trade, and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy. The Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India and many Indian companies and multinational corporations are in the city. It also has the Hindi film and television industry, known as Bollywood.
Public transport in Mumbai
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport is Mumbai's public transport service.
Tourist Attractions in Mumbai
Visit the Gateway of India
Watch the Sunset on Marine Drive
Drive across the Bandra-Worli Sea Link
Take Pictures of the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
Visit the Kanheri Caves
References
Other websites
Things to do in Mumbai |
5115 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore | Bangalore | Former Bangalore (English pronunciation: ˈbæŋɡəlɔər, bæŋɡəˈlɔər), today again and officially known as Bengaluru () is the capital city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is famous for its Information technology industry and so it is called the Silicon Valley of India. Today as a large and growing city, Bangalore has many of the most well-recognized colleges and research institutions in India.
Bangalore is more famous for its climatic conditions. The temperature is usually low compared to the other cities in Karnataka.This city was also known as the garden city because of the greenery it had. |
5116 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akbar%20the%20Great | Akbar the Great | Akbar (Abu'l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar, 15 October 1542 – 27 October 1605) was the 3rd Mughal Emperor. He was born in Umarkot (now Pakistan). He accepted Islam on the holy day of 21 March 1546. He was the son of 2nd Mughal Emperor Humayun.
Akbar became the de jure king in 1556 at the age of 13 when his father died. Bairam Khan was appointed as Akbar's regent and chief army commander. Soon after coming to power Akbar defeated Himu, the general of the Afghan forces, in the Second Battle of Panipat. After a few years, he ended the regency of Bairam Khan and took charge of the kingdom. He initially offered friendship to the Rajputs. However, he had to fight against some Rajputs who opposed him. In 1576 he defeated Maha Rana Pratap of Mewar in the Battle of Haldighati. Akbar's wars made the Mughal empire more than twice as big as it had been before, covering most of the Indian subcontinent except the south.
Administration
Akbar's system of central government was based on the system that had evolved since the Delhi Sultanate, but the functions of various departments were reorganised with detailed regulations for their functioning
The revenue department was headed by a wazir, responsible for all finances and management of jagir and inamdar feudal lands.
The head of the military was called the mir bakshi, appointed from among the leading nobles of the court. The mir bakshi was in charge of intelligence gathering, and also made recommendations to the emperor for military appointments and promotions.
The mir saman was in charge of the imperial household, including the harems, and supervised the functioning of the court and royal bodyguard.
The judiciary was a separate organization headed by a chief qazi, who was also responsible for religious beliefs and practices. in
Religious Policy
Akbar was a Muslim. He realized that to establish a strong empire, he had to gain the confidence of his Hindu people who were the majority in India.
Din-i-ilahi was a religious path suggested by Akbar. It was a code of moral conduct which reflected Akbar's secular ideas and he desire to achieve peace, unity, tolerance in his empire. Belief in one god, worship of source of light, non-killing of animals, Having peace with all were some features of Din-i-ilahi. It didn't have any rituals, holy books, temples or priests.
Male circumcision was not to be done before the boy was 12 years old, and after that it was optional. It was a Jewish custom adopted by Islam. Akbar's rule was that it should be made optional and should be done, if at all, at an age when boys could understand what it was. Here Akbar gave every man a choice and opportunity to have a play of his reason. Indeed, the boy of reason as he was, he could not deny it to others. He was a very good emperor and he had a sense of justice.
When he was at Fatehpur Sikri, he held discussions as he loved to know about others' religious beliefs. On one such day, he got to know that the religious people of other religions were often bigots (intolerant of others religious beliefs). This led him to form the idea of the new religion, Sulh-e-kul meaning universal peace. His idea of this religion did not discriminate other religions and focused on the ideas of peace, unity and tolerance. This gesture of his made the Hindus and people of other religions call him with different names and start loving him.
Personality
Akbar's reign was chronicled by his court historian Abul Fazal in the books Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari. Other sources of Akbar's reign include the wod Sirhindi. Akbar was an artisan, warrior, artist, armourer, administrator carpenter, emperor, general, inventor, animal trainer, technologist. He became emperor at the age of 18.
Navaratnas
Akbar had Navaratnas or nine jewels in his court which include Abul Fazl, Faizi,Tansen, Birbal, Raja Todal Mal, Raja Man Singh, Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, Fakir Aziao-Din and Mullah Do Piazza.
Akbarnama
(PRONOUNCED AS- AKBAR-AE-NAMAH)
The Akbarnāma means the Book of Akbar. It is the official biographical account of Akbar written by Abu Fazl. It includes vivid and detailed descriptions of his life and times. It also includes the information about the flora, fauna, life of the people of his reign, and the places Akbar used to visit.
The work was commissioned by Akbar, and written by Abul Fazl, one of the Navratnas (Nine Jewels) of Akbar's royal court. The book took seven years to complete. An illustration was done in the Mughal school of painting. A part of this is Ain-i-Akbari.
Death
On 3 October 1605, Akbar fell ill with an attack of dysentery, from which he never recovered. Twelve days after his sixty third year he died on 27 October 1605, after which his body was buried at a mausoleum in Sikandra (Agra): Akbar's tomb.
References
1542 births
1605 deaths
Akbar
History of India
Deaths from dysentery |
5117 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/New%20Delhi | New Delhi | New Delhi () is the capital of India and a union territory of the megacity of Delhi. It has a very old history and is home to several monuments where the city is expensive to live in. In traditional Indian geography, it falls under the North Indian zone. The city has an area of about . New Delhi has a population of about 9.4 Million people.
References |
5118 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund%20Hillary | Edmund Hillary | Sir Edmund Percival Hillary , (born 20 July 1919, died 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. He and Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay were the first people to climb Mount Everest. They got to the top on 29 May 1953. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth. During his teenage years, Hillary had attended Auckland Grammar School.
Sir Edmund Hillary's fame came as a result of being the first New Zealander in the world to conquer Mt. Everest in Nepal. He is on the New Zealand five dollar note. He also climbed ten other mountains after Mount Everest, all of which are also in the Himalayas.
Early life
Hillary was born to Percival Augustus Hillary and Gertrude Hillary, née Clark, in Auckland, New Zealand, on 20 July 1919. His family moved to Tuakau (south of Auckland) in 1920, after his father (who served at Gallipoli) had gotten land there. His grandparents were early settlers in northern Wairoa in the mid 19th century after moving from Yorkshire, England.
Hillary learned at Tuakau Primary School and then Auckland Grammar School. He finished primary school two years early, but he did not do very well at high school. At first, he was smaller than other students there and very shy so he felt safe with his books and often thought of a life filled with adventure. Every day, he rode a train to and from high school, and he often used this time to read. Learning how to box helped him become more confident. At age 16 his interest in climbing started during a school trip to Mount Ruapehu. Although very tall at 6 ft 5 in (195 cm), he was stronger than many of his fellow hikers.
He learned about mathematics and science at The University of Auckland, and in 1939 he completed his first important climb, which was reaching the top of a mountain called Mount Ollivier. With his brother Rex, Hillary became a beekeeper during summertime, which allowed him to do climbing in the winter.
Personal life
Hillary married Louise Mary Rose in 1953, by whom he had a son and two daughters. In 1975, his wife and their younger daughter were killed in a plane crash. Hillary married June Mulgrew in 1989; they remained married until he died.
Death
Hillary died of a heart attack in Auckland, at the age of 88.
Gallery
References
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Explorers
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People from Auckland |
5119 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright%20brothers | Wright brothers | The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), designed, built, and flew the first controlled, powered, heavier-than-air airplane on December 17, 1903. They had been experimenting for many years with gliders and other vehicles before their first powered flight. They are also known for making the first way to steer an airplane. They designed the aircraft in Dayton, Ohio, and their first test flight was in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Before building airplanes
The Wrights grew up in Dayton, Ohio. They were sons of a minister. There were many books in their house, and they were encouraged to ask questions and discover whatever they thought was interesting. Sometimes their father would ask them to argue for a topic, then switch sides and argue for the opposite point of view.
They went to high school, but did not go to college; they started a newspaper instead. After that, they started a shop to build and repair bicycles.
Learning how to fly
“By the 1890s, the Wrights were interested in flight, especially the gliders of Otto Lilienthal. They started working on making airplanes in their bicycle shop. They thought controlling a plane was one of the big problems of flight. Lilienthal and others had been killed when they could not control their aircraft. The Wright brothers fixed the problem by inventing control surfaces, such as a rudder that would work in the air. They built wings that could be twisted a little and moved up and down slightly, to control flight. They called this steering system wing-warping.
From 1900 to 1902, they built gliders in Dayton and tested them in Kitty Hawk, where there were strong and steady winds. They also made small versions of the wings and built a wind tunnel for model airplanes to test how well different wing shapes would lift an airplane.”
Flying
In 1903, they built a powered airplane that had propellers and a small engine. The Wright Flyer airplane first flew successfully on December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This was the first time people ever flew a powered airplane they could control. Before that, people flew in balloons or gliders, or for a very short time in planes they could not control. The two brothers continued to make changes to their design and had a very good plane by 1905.
The Wright Brothers kept their discovery largely secret for a couple of years, until they showed it to the world in 1908 (They had filed a patent on their steering system March 23, 1903.)
After that, they started a company to build airplanes. They had a patent war with Glenn Curtiss, filing lawsuits against each other over who really invented the airplane steering system. The Wrights believed that Curtiss' aileron system was too similar to their own steering system and that he had copied them. During the patent war, Wilbur died. Orville continued working to keep his reputation as the first man to fly. Later he sold the airplane company and became an elder statesman of aviation. He died in 1948.
References
American aviators
American inventors
Sibling duos
Businesspeople from Dayton, Ohio |
5121 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles%20Darwin | Charles Darwin | Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist. He was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. He is famous for his work on the theory of evolution.
His book On the Origin of Species in 1859. In this book, he put forward much evidence that evolution had occurred. He also proposed natural selection as the way evolution had taken place.
Darwin did not know about genetics: he never read the work of Gregor Mendel. Nevertheless, Darwin's explanation of evolution was fundamentally correct. In contrast to Lamarck, Darwin's idea was that the giraffe's neck became longer because those with longer necks survived better.p177/9 These survivors passed their genes on, and in time the whole species got longer necks.
Voyage of the HMS Beagle
Darwin spent almost five years on board a Royal Navy exploring ship, the HMS Beagle. He was the guest naturalist, which meant that he was responsible for making collections and notes about the animals, plants, and the geology of the countries they visited. The ship's crew made charts of all the coastal areas, which could be used by the navy wherever it went in the world. At the time, Britain had by far the largest navy in the world, and an empire which was global.
Darwin collected everywhere the ship landed. He found huge fossils of recently extinct mammals, experienced an earthquake in Chile, and noticed the land had been raised. He knew of raised beaches elsewhere, high in the Andes, with fossil seashells and trees which had once grown on a sandy beach. Obviously the earth was constantly changing, with land rising in some places, and sinking in others. He collected birds and insects, and sent shipments back to Cambridge for experts to identify.
Darwin was the first dedicated naturalist to visit the Galapagos Islands, off the west coast of Ecuador. He noticed that some of the birds were like mockingbirds on the mainland, but different enough to be placed in separate species. He began to wonder how so many new species came to be on these islands.
When Darwin got back to England, he edited a series of scientific reviews of the voyage, and wrote a personal journal which we know as The Voyage of the Beagle. It is one of the great natural history travel diaries.
In 1843 Darwin, who already had two children with his wife Emma, bought Down House in the village of Downe, Kent. He lived there for the rest of his life, and today the house and contents are open to the public.
Evolution
While on the H.M.S. Beagle, and later back home in London, Darwin had come across the ideas of the Rev. T.R. Malthus. Malthus had realised that, although humans could double their population every 25 years, it did not happen in practice. He thought the reason was that a struggle for existence (or resources) limited their numbers. If numbers increased, then famine, wars and diseases caused more deaths. Darwin, who knew that all living things could, in principle, increase their numbers, began to think about why some survived, while others did not.p264-268 His answer took years to develop.
The theory of evolution says that all living things on Earth, including plants, animals and microbes, come from a common ancestor by slowly changing throughout the generations. Darwin suggested that the way living things changed over time is through natural selection. This is the better survival and reproduction of those that best fit their environment. Fitting into the place where you live is called adapting. Those who fit best into the place where they live, the best adapted, have the best chance to survive and breed. Those who are less well-adapted tend not to survive. If they do not survive well enough to raise young, this means they do not pass on their genes. In this way, the species gradually changes.
The first chapter of the Origin deals with domesticated animals, such as cattle and dogs. Darwin reminded readers of the huge changes mankind had made in its domestic animals, which were once wild species. The changes were brought about by selective breeding – choosing animals with desirable characters to breed from. This had been done generation after generation, until our modern breeds were produced. Perhaps what man had done deliberately, might happen in nature, where some would leave more offspring than others.
Darwin noticed that although young plants or animals are very similar to their parents, no two are exactly the same and there is always a range of shape, size, colour, and so on. Some of these differences the plant or animal may have got from their own ancestors, but some are new and caused by mutations. When such differences made an organism more able to live in the wild, it would have a better chance to survive, and would pass on its genes to its offspring, and they to their offspring. Any difference that would cause the plant or animal to have less of a chance to live would be less likely to be passed on, and would eventually die out altogether. In this way groups of similar plants or animals (called species) slowly change in shape and form so that they can live more successfully and have more offspring who will survive them. So, natural selection had similarities to selective breeding, except that it would happen by itself, over a much longer time.
He first started thinking about this in 1838, but it took a full twenty years before his ideas became public. By 1844 he was able to write a draft of the main ideas in his notebook. Historians think that he did not talk about his theory because he was afraid of public criticism. He knew his theory, which did not discuss religion, raised questions about the literal truth of the Book of Genesis. Whatever the reason, he did not publish his theory in a book until 1859. In 1858 he heard that another biologist, Alfred Russel Wallace, had the same ideas about natural selection. Darwin and Wallace's ideas were first published in the Journal of the Linnaean Society in London, 1858. Then, Darwin published his book the next year. The name of the book was On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. This is usually called The Origin of Species.
Other works
Darwin wrote a number of other books, most of which are also very important.
His books
1838-43: Zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle: published between 1839 and 1843 in five Parts (and nineteen numbers) by various authors, edited and superintended by Charles Darwin, who contributed sections to two of the Parts:
1838: Part 1 No. 1 Fossil Mammalia, by Richard Owen (Preface and Geological introduction by Darwin)
1838: Part 2 No. 1 Mammalia, by George Robert Waterhouse (Geographical introduction and A notice of their habits and ranges by Darwin)
1839: Journal and remarks (The Voyage of the Beagle)
1842: The structure and distribution of Coral Reefs
1844: Geological observations of volcanic islands
1846: Geological observations on South America
1849: Geology from A manual of scientific enquiry; prepared for the use of Her Majesty's Navy: and adapted for travellers in general. ed. John Herschel.
1851: A Monograph of the Sub-class Cirripedia, with figures of all the species. The Lepadidae; or, Pedunculated Cirripedes. Living barnacles.
1854: A Monograph of the Sub-class Cirripedia, with figures of all the species. The Balanidae (or Sessile Cirripedes); the Verrucidae, etc.
1851: A Monograph on the Fossil Lepadidae, or, Pedunculated Cirripedes of Great Britain. Fossil barnacles.
1854: A Monograph on the Fossil Balanidæ and Verrucidæ of Great Britain
1859: On the Origin of Species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life
1862: On the various contrivances by which British and foreign Orchids are fertilised by insects (Fertilisation of orchids)
1865: On the movements and habits of climbing plants (Linnean Society paper, published in book form in 1875)
1868: The variation of animals and plants under domestication
1871: The Descent of Man, and selection in relation to sex
1872: The expression of emotions in Man and animals
1875: Insectivorous plants
1876: The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom
1877: The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species
1880: The power of movement in plants
1881: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms.
Related pages
Erasmus Darwin
Alfred Russel Wallace
Charles Lyell
Charles Darwin's books
Darwin Day
Darwinism
Evolution
References
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5122 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam%20Smith | Adam Smith | Adam Smith (16 June 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist, who is called the Father of Modern Economics.
The Wealth of Nations
His book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, published in 1776, was very important. People call the book just The Wealth of Nations. It stated some of the ideas on which modern economics is based off, especially market economics.
In the Wealth of Nations Adam Smith asks 'what can a person do that is best for his country?' He decides that if every person does what is best for themself and their little circle of family and friends, then the country will do better. This is because every person knows a lot about their own situation (what they need and what they want, what works and what does not work), much more than the government knows. This sort of thinking is called "liberal theory", a main part of liberalism.
He was also a philosopher who wanted to know why people thought (felt) that some things are good and others bad.
The Theory of Moral Sentiments
He wrote an earlier book, in 1759, called The Theory of Moral Sentiments. He thought that empathy was very important in ethics. Empathy is when you see how someone else is feeling, imagine what it feels like, and then end up feeling the same way: for Smith, empathy is like "putting yourself in someone else's shoes". For example, empathy makes us feel happy to see someone else who is happy, or feel sorry for someone who is sad. Empathy may even make us feel pain when we see someone in pain (as if we had been hurt or affected). Both Smith and his friend David Hume, who was another Scottish philosopher, wrote about the importance of sympathy in ethics.
References
Related pages
Political economy
Constitutional economics
Other websites
Wealth of Nations from the Adam Smith Institute
An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations by Adam Smith. London : J. M. Dent & sons, ltd. ; New York : E. P. Dutton & co.
Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith from the Online Library of Liberty
The Theory of Moral Sentiments at the Library of Economics and Liberty
1723 births
1790 deaths
18th-century British philosophers
British economists
Scottish scientists
Scottish writers |
5123 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac%20Newton | Isaac Newton | Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1643 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English physicist, mathematician and astronomer. He is well known for his work on the laws of motion, optics, gravity, and calculus. In 1687, Newton published a book called the Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica in which he presents his theory of universal gravitation and three laws of motion.
Newton built the first practical reflecting telescope in 1668. He also developed a theory of light based on the observation that a prism decomposes white light into the colors of the rainbow. Newton also shares credit with Gottfried Leibniz for the development of calculus.
Newton's ideas on light, motion, and gravity dominated physics for the next three centuries, until modified by Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.
After being knighted in 1705 because he was Master of the Royal Mint, he was "Sir" Isaac Newton.
Life
Early life
Isaac Newton was born (according to the Julian calendar, in use in England at the time) on Christmas Day, 25 December 1642 (N.S. 4 January 1643) "an hour or two after midnight", at Woolsthorpe Manor in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, a hamlet in the county of Lincolnshire, England. His father, also named Isaac Newton, died three months before his birth. When Newton was three, his mother, Hannah Ayscough, remarried with Reverend Barnabas Smith. Young Newton remained with his maternal grandmother, Margery Ayscough.
From 1655 to 1659, Newton was educated at The King's School, Grantham. When he was seventeen, he was removed from school. His mother tried to make him a farmer, but he did not like that. Henry Stokes, master at The King's School, requested his mother to send him back to school.
In June 1661, he was sent to the University of Cambridge to study.
Early discoveries
In 1666 Isaac Newton experimented with light, and found that different colours had different refractions. He began lecturing on this topic in 1670.
Newton explained the workings of the universe through mathematics. He described laws of motion and gravitation. These laws are math formulas that explain how objects move when a force acts on them. Newton published his most famous book, Principia, in 1687 while he was a mathematics professor at Trinity College, Cambridge. In the Principia, Newton explained three basic laws that govern the way objects move. He then described his idea, or theory, about gravity. Gravity is the force that causes things to fall down. If a pencil fell off a desk, it will land on the floor, not the ceiling. In his book Newton also used his laws to show that the planets revolve around the suns in orbits that are oval, not round. Newton also discovered diffraction. This led him to enter the field of physics, where he prospered.
Newton's Three Laws Of Motion
Following are the three laws of motion.
The first law (Law of Inertia)
Newton's first law of motion states is that an object that is not being pushed or pulled by some force will stay still, or will keep moving in a straight line at a steady speed. It is easy to understand that a rocket will not move unless something pushes or pulls it. It is harder to understand that an object will continue to move without help. Think of the rocket again. If someone is flying a rocket and jumps off before the rocket is stopped, what happens? The rocket continues on until it goes into space. The tendency of an object to remain still, or keep moving in a straight line at a steady speed is called inertia.
The second law (Law of Acceleration)
The second law explains how a force acts on an object. An object accelerates in the direction the force is moving it. If someone gets on a bicycle and pushes the pedals forward the bicycle will begin to move. If someone gives the bicycle a push from behind, the bicycle will speed up. If the rider pushes back on the pedals the bicycle will slow down. If the rider turns the handlebars, the bicycle will change direction. The formula showing this law is F=m*a, or the force acting on an object is equal to mass times acceleration.
The third law (Law of Reciprocal Actions)
The third law states that if an object is pushed or pulled, the object will push or pull equally in the opposite direction. If someone lifts a heavy box, they use force to push it up. The box is heavy because it is producing an equal force downward on the lifter’s arms. The weight is transferred through the lifter’s legs to the floor. The floor presses upward with an equal force. If the floor pushed back with less force, the person lifting the box would fall through the floor. If it pushed back with more force the lifter would fly into the air.
The discovery of the Law of Gravitation
When most people think of Isaac Newton, they think of him sitting under an apple tree watching an apple fall. Some people believe the apple fell onto his head. Newton understood that what makes things like apples fall to the ground is a specific kind of force — the force we call gravity. Newton thought that gravity was the force of attraction between two objects, such as an apple and the earth. He also thought that an object with more matter exerted the same force on smaller objects as they exerted on it. That meant that the large mass of the earth pulled objects toward it. That is why the apple fell down instead of up, and why people do not float in the air.
Isaac Newton went on thinking about gravity. Before Newton, people thought that only objects near to the earth would fall down. But Newton thought that gravity should not just be limited to the earth and the objects on it. What if gravity went to the moon and beyond?
Newton invented a formula for calculating the force of attraction between two bodies. He used it to calculate the force needed to keep the moon moving around the earth. Then he compared it with the force that made the apple fall downward. After allowing for the fact that the moon is much farther from the earth, and has a much greater mass, he discovered that the forces were the same. The moon is held in an orbit around the earth by the pull of earth’s gravity.
The formula invented by Newton is called the Law of gravitation.
Impact
Sir Isaac Newton’s calculations changed the way people understood the universe. No one had been able to explain why the planets stayed in their orbits. What held them up? Less than 50 years before Isaac Newton was born it was thought that the planets were held in place by an invisible shield. Isaac proved that they were held in place by the sun’s gravity. He also showed that the force of gravity was affected by distance and by mass. He was not the first to understand that the orbit of a planet was not circular, but more elongated, like an oval. What he did was to explain how it worked.
Isaac Newton was the first to discover the laws of gravitation and the laws of motion. He also established a new field in mathematics known as calculus, though the German Gottfried Leibniz had developed the ideas at the same time. His work has greatly contributed in the areas of science and mathematics making him one of the most influential scientists in human history and one of the greatest mathematician of all times.
The great physicist, Albert Einstein, thought that Newton's idea of gravity was not completely accurate. He corrected many of the things that Newton did.
Death
Isaac Newton died on in London, England.
He is buried in Westminster Abbey. He set the stage for many famous physicists to come, such as Albert Einstein, James Chadwick, and Stephen Hawking.
References
Other websites
What did Isaac Newton invent?
1643 births
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English mathematicians
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5125 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann%20Wolfgang%20von%20Goethe | Johann Wolfgang von Goethe | Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (August 28, 1749 – March 22, 1832) was a German writer, poet, novelist, and playwright. He also worked as an actor, administrator, scientist, geologist, botanist, and philosopher. He influenced many 19th century writers and thinkers. His contributions to science include his work in botany and his Theory of Colours. Famous lines from his books are often quoted, and some of his phrases have become part of the German language. His poems were set to music by composers like Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, and Strauss. Most of his scientific work now seems old-fashioned.
Early life
Goethe was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. His father was well-educated and very strict. His mother was only eighteen when he was born. When Goethe was a young boy, he began to write stories and plays for his friends.
Education
In his youth, he learned Greek, Latin and French. He studied law in Leipzig from 1765 to 1768. He also wrote some letters that are seen as beautiful, and that showed his promise as a writer. He continued his studies in Strasbourg from 1770 to 1771. He joined other young men who wanted to change the way that Germans were writing. He thought that people like Johann Christoph Gottsched were too strict about writing poetry. Instead of the ideas of the Enlightenment, he wanted poets to be creative and make their own rules.
After youth
One man who had many new ideas was a poet named Johann Gottfried von Herder. Herder liked the plays of Shakespeare (which he had learned in German) as well as folk poetry. These ideas were exciting for Goethe, and he helped Herder to collect folk poetry. Both men believed that poetry should always come from the heart, and that it should be based on the poet’s experiences instead of on an old-fashioned idea of what a good poem should be. Some of Goethe's best known poems were written during this time, like Heidenröslein, Der König in Thule, and Erlkönig.
Goethe fell in love with several women during his lifetime. During the early period of his life, he was in love with a girl named Friederike Brion, the daughter of a pastor. Several of his poems are inspired by her. He felt extremely sad when they split up. The feeling of desertion by a lover is found in a lot of Goethe’s works. They are all based on his own experience. His disappointment in love inspired him when writing about Werther in Die Leiden des jungen Werthers and Gretchen in his great play Faust. His poems also show his ideas about science and philosophy.
Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (The Sufferings of Young Werther) is a book written in the form of letters. Werther is a young man who falls passionately in love with a girl called Lotte who is married to someone else. Werther kills himself in the end. The book was very successful all over Europe. People talked about “Werther fever.” Many young men who were disappointed in love copied Werther and killed themselves.
Early works
Goethe’s most famous work is a very long play called Faust. He spent most of his life working at it. He was writing the first version of Faust at this time. Based on a legendary character, it tells of a man called Faust who is tired of studying and wants to have the greatest possible happiness. The devil (called Mephistopheles in the play) tells Faust he can help him to do this, but that in the end Faust must give him his soul and go with him to hell. Faust uses magic in the hope that it will tell him everything about life.
Along with writing, Goethe was developing a career in law. In 1772, he spent four months in Wetzlar at the Imperial Law Courts. Here he made new friends, including a young girl who was already engaged to someone else.
Middle Period: Arrival in Weimar until death of Schiller (1775-1805)
Goethe had been well-educated and was good at organizing and getting on with important people. For eleven years he worked at the court of Weimar for a young Duke called Karl August. He became a member and later the president of the Duke’s cabinet. He had to organize road-building projects, and look after parks and buildings. He studied geology, mineralogy, botany and anatomy. He fell in love with a woman called Charlotte von Stein who was married and had several children. He wrote love letters to her, and she inspired him to write many poems. At this time he felt that a man’s task in life was to be useful. The heroes of his books at this time were often ordinary people instead of geniuses.
Visit to Italy
After a time he realized that all his work on governmental duties were not giving him time for his writing. So he went to Italy for 18 months. He loved the landscape and made lots of sketches, and he read the ancient poets and books on the history of art. He wrote a play in rhyme called Iphigenie auf Tauris which combines the beauty of Classicism with great poetry.
When he returned from Italy he settled once more in Weimar. He visited Italy a second time. He became great friends with the famous poet and playwright Friedrich Schiller. The two men talked about many of their ideas and helped one another by offering criticism of their works. He wrote short works such as Hermann und Dorothea which is about life in a small German town at the time of the French Revolution.
Wilhelm Meister
Two works of the greatest importance works occupied him at this time. One is the novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre. This is an example of what is called in German a “Bildungsroman” which means something like “Education novel”. It means a novel which shows a person growing up and developing his character and learning about the world. This book was a very important influence on the 19th century Romantic novel and on all German autobiographical novels ever since. Goethe spent many years working on this book.
Faust
The second work of enormous importance was his play Faust. He made changes to the original version, putting all the small bits together into one great play. Schiller gave him advice while he was writing it. Faust enters into a pact with the devil, Mephistopheles who promises him all his soul can wish for: fine living, gold, women and honour. He signs the pact with his blood.
Later life (1805-1832)
Napoleon was fighting wars all over Europe at this time. Germany, which was still made up of lots of small countries, was an enemy of France. Goethe always thought of Napoleon as a hero. His ideas about politics were still based on 18th century ideas. He hated war and so he did not take part in politics but concentrated on science and literature. He wrote a book called Die Wahlverwandtschaften (Elective Affinities) which is about a divorce problem. Some of his scientific ideas are used in the story as he talks about the way that two chemical compounds can break up and form new unions. He compares this to the people in his story. His poems in Westöstlicher Divan are some of his greatest. He uses ideas from Persia and other Eastern countries together with ideas from the West. It has a lot of parables about human life.
Many interesting things that Goethe said were written down in a book by his friend Eckermann, who published them in a book called Conversations with Goethe. Goethe also wrote about his own life in his autobiography which he called Dichtung und Wahrheit (Poetry and Truth). The book tells us about his youth up to the time of his arrival in Weimar. It is in four parts. The fourth part was published after his death. He chose the title to show that he was telling us the truth about his life, but that he had changed the order of some events to make it into a poetic book.
Later works
Goethe wrote a sequel (a part which follows on) to Wilhelm Meister called Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre (The Years of Wilhelm Meister’s Wanderings). It consists of several sections which are like separate stories. They tell us about Wilhelm Meister’s relationship with society and how he has to change his ways to fit in with other people.
Goethe’s Faust had made him the greatest person in European literature. At the end of his life he finished a second part of Faust. It is quite hard to read, and is more of a long poem than a dramatic play. It talks of his ideas about allegory, science and philosophy.
Death
Goethe died in Weimar on March 22, 1832. He had started as a great Classical writer of the 18th century and finished as a young Romantic of the 19th century. No one else had such a big influence on art and literature of that time.
His most important works
Götz von Berlichingen mit der eisernen Hand, 1774
Prometheus, 1774
Die Leiden des jungen Werthers, 1774
Iphigenie auf Tauris, 1779
Torquato Tasso, 1780 - 1790
Römische Elegien, 1788-90
Venezianische Epigramme, 1790
Faust. Ein Fragment, 1790
Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, 1795/96
Faust. Eine Tragödie, 1808
Theory of colours, 1810
West-östlicher Divan, 1819
Faust II, 1833
Other websites
Works by Johann Wolfgang Goethe at Zeno.org (German)
1749 births
1832 deaths
18th-century German philosophers
19th-century German philosophers
German autobiographers
German poets
Writers from Frankfurt |
5127 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras | Pythagoras | Pythagoras of Samos was a famous Greek mathematician and philosopher ( ). He is known best for the proof of the important Pythagorean theorem, which is about right angle triangles. He started a group of mathematicians, called the Pythagoreans, who worshiped numbers and lived like monks. He had an influence on Plato.
He had a great impact on mathematics , theory of music and astronomy. His theories are still used in mathematics today. He was one of the greatest thinkers of his time.
Pythagoras was born in Samos, a little island off the western coast of Asia Minor. There is not much information about his life. It is said that he had a good childhood. Growing up with two or three brothers, he was well educated. He did not agree with the government and their schooling, so he moved to Crotone and set up his own cult (little society) of followers under his rule. His followers did not have any personal possessions, and they were all vegetarians. Pythagoras taught them all, and they had to obey strict rules.
Some say he was the first person to use the term philosophy. Since he worked very closely with his group, the Pythagoreans, it is sometimes hard to tell his works from those of his followers.
Religion was important to the Pythagoreans. They swore their oaths by "1+2+3+4" (which equals 10). They also believed the soul is immortal and goes through a cycle of rebirths until it can become pure. They believed that these souls were in both animal and plant life.
His beliefs
Pythagoras' most important belief was that the physical world was mathematical and that numbers were the real reality.
that at its deepest level, reality is mathematical in nature,
that philosophy can be used for spiritual purification,
that the soul can rise to union with the divine,
that certain symbols have a mystical significance, and
that all brothers of the order should observe strict loyalty and secrecy.
Pythagorean theorem
Pythagoras is most famous for his theorem to do with right triangles. He said that the length of the longest side of the right angled triangle called the hypotenuse (C) squared would equal the sum of the other sides squared. And so a² + b² = c² was born. There are many different proofs for this Pythagorean theorem.
References
Other websites
Pythagoras on Encyclopædia Britannica
Pythagoras on Citizendium
580s BC births
496 BC deaths
Presocratic philosophers
Ancient mathematicians
Geometers |
5128 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates | Socrates | Socrates (469 BC – 399 BC) was one of the greatest Greek philosophers. He did not propose any specific knowledge or policy. He showed how argument, debate, and discussion could help men to understand difficult issues. Most of the issues he dealt with were only political on the surface. Underneath, they were moral questions about how life should be lived. Such is the influence of Socrates that philosophers before him are called the Presocratic philosophers.
Enemies
Socrates made enemies, three of whom brought charges against him. Socrates was tried for his life in 399 BC, found guilty, and put to death by drinking hemlock (a herbal poison). The story of his trial and death is the subject of a tract by Plato which is called the Apologia.
Socrates and Plato
Most of what we know about Socrates comes from the works of Plato, who was his pupil. Socrates lived in the Greek city of Athens. His method of teaching was to have a dialogue with individual students. They would propose some point of view, and Socrates would question them, asking what they meant. He would pretend "I don't know anything; I'm just trying to understand what it is you are saying", or words to that effect. This is now called the Socratic method of teaching.
Reputation
Socrates is sometimes called the "father of Western philosophy". This is because in the discussions he uncovered some of the most basic questions in philosophy, questions which are still discussed today. Some of the people he taught came to be important and successful, like Plato and Alcibiades.
The life of Socrates
Socrates never wrote anything. All of what we know about Socrates is from what other people wrote about him. Our main source of what we know about Socrates is from the writings of his student, Plato. Some of Plato's dialogues, such as the Crito and the Phaedo, are loosely based on fact. They are not written records, but artistic re-creation of Socrates in action.
Another of Socrates' students, Xenophon also wrote about Socrates. Aristophanes, a person who wrote brilliant satirical comedies, wrote about him in play called The Clouds. Socrates was an easy target for satire. He walked barefoot, and with a swagger. Sometimes he stood in a trance for hours.p8 In The Clouds Socrates is a crazy person who tries to scam people out of their money. Plato wrote that Socrates taught for free.
We do not know if Plato's description of Socrates is accurate or not. That is called the 'Socratic problem'. While a lot of what Plato wrote about Socrates is accepted by historians, some believe that Plato (who saw Socrates as a hero) portrayed Socrates as a greater man than he actually was. Some think that Plato was using the character of Socrates as a tool to express his own opinions rather than to accurately write about Socrates. This is what makes Socrates such a mysterious historical figure. Plato's dialogues are works of art, finely written. The general view is that they are based on reality, but no doubt adjusted for the purpose of writing.
Biographical details
Socrates' father was a sculptor, and his mother was a midwife who helped women give birth to children. He may have been a stonemason like his father, and Plato wrote that he served in the Athenian army as a hoplite (heavy infantry). We know he was influenced by an older philosopher, Archelaus, and that he talked with anyone who had interesting ideas in Athens, but beyond that nothing is known.
Socrates was about 50 when he married a much younger woman, Xanthippe. They had three children together. Socrates made complaints about his wife, but no one knew if he was telling the truth.
It is said that one of Socrates' friends went to ask the oracle at Delphi if there was anyone wiser than Socrates in Athens. The oracle said that there was no wiser person. The oracle was well known for saying things that were ambiguous or unclear. It did not say that Socrates was the wisest, just that there was no person wiser.
After being puzzled by this, Socrates finally decided that his wisdom lay in knowing that he was ignorant. His attempts to show the citizens that some of their ideas were nonsense might help explain his unpopularity. In Plato's works, Socrates says he knows nothing, but can draw out other people's ideas just as his mother helped other women to give birth.
The death of Socrates
The accusations
In 399 BC, when Socrates was an old man, three citizens—Meletus, Anytus and Lycon—brought charges against Socrates. A trial was held. In ancient Athens the procedure was quite different from the present day. There was a jury of 500 men drawn from the citizens. Both the accusers and the defendant had to make speeches in person to the jury. Guilt or innocence was by majority vote. There was no preset penalty if the verdict was 'guilty'. Both the accuser and the defendant would make speeches proposing what the penalty should be. Again, a vote was taken.p17
There were two charges against him. The general theme was that Socrates was a menace to society. The first charge was of heresy, disbelief in the Gods. It was probably meant to cause prejudice amongst the jurymen. Actually, Socrates observed all the correct procedures of the religion of his times. The charge had been used successfully against another philosopher, Anaxagoras.p17
The second charge was that he corrupted the youth with his teachings. What was meant by this? Apparently, this was not about his personal relationship with his pupils. It was about the way he was thought to influence their political views. His circle had included a number of right-wing aristocrats whose ideas were now rejected by most citizens. The brilliant Alcibiades, once a great leader of Athens, was now seen as a traitor.p17
The trial
Crito, a friend of Socrates, illegally paid the prison guards to allow Socrates to escape. Socrates, however, decided not to escape. When Socrates was put on trial, he gave a long speech to defend himself against the claims made by the Athens government.
We have Plato's version of how Socrates defended himself, in the Apologia. It starts:
"I do not know what effect my accusers have had upon you, gentlemen, but for my own part I was carried away by them; their arguments were so convincing. On the other hand, scarcely a word of what they said was true".p19
The sentence
When Socrates was asked to propose his punishment, Socrates said that the government should give him free dinners for the rest of his life for all the good that he did for society. The court held a vote between giving Socrates a fine to pay or putting him to death. The verdict was that Socrates was to be put to death.
Death of Socrates
Socrates did not fear death. He did not try to avoid death by apologizing for his actions because he thought it was morally right to stand by his principles. Socrates was ordered to drink a cup of hemlock (a poisonous liquid got from the plant). He drank it and died soon after.
Plato on Socrates' trial and death
There are several dialogues by Plato which deal directly with the trial of Socrates and the period up to his death. They are, in order of the events:
Apologia, or The Apology. This deals in particular with Socrates' defence at his trial. It is regarded as accurate in substance, and perhaps in detail.
Crito. This deals with the month between his trial and his death. In particular, Socrates explains to his friend Crito why he is not going to escape, or permit his friends to bribe the jailor.
Phaedo. This is a later work. It is written as if by an eye-witness of the last day of Socrates' life. In the work, Phaedo of Elias reports to a group of friends on what Socrates said on his last day. This is called a "reported dialogue" or one dialogue inside another. The Phaedo is longer than the other two works.
The ideas of Socrates
Socrates helped people to see what was wrong with their ideas. Sometimes they liked this, sometimes they were not happy or grateful. He said that he, Socrates, was not wise, but that he "knew that he knew nothing." Since other people think they know something, but no one really knows anything, Socrates claimed he knew more than anyone else. He said that people who do bad things do so because they do not know any better.
People think that Socrates was a good man because he did no harm, except he asked questions about everything. However, during his life many people thought he was a bad person, because he asked those questions and because he made young people unhappy about their lives.
Someone once wrote that Socrates said that "A life that was not examined was not worth living". This means that someone must think about their own life and its purpose. Some people believe that most humans are happier if they do not think too much about their life.
Socrates also taught that many people can look at something and not truly see it. He asked questions about the meaning of life and goodness. These are still very important questions. Much of philosophy (love of wisdom) is about these things.
Legacy
Socrates is seen by some people as a martyr, since he willingly died to support the idea that knowledge and wisdom are very important to our lives.
Socrates is known as one of the most important philosophers in history. He is often described as the father of Western philosophy. He did not start Western philosophy, but he had a big influence on it. Before Socrates, philosophy was mainly about mathematics and answering questions about our natural world. Socrates expanded on that and added questions about ethics, politics, and epistemology to philosophy.
References
460s BC births
399 BC deaths
Ancient Greek philosophers
Executed people |
5129 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante%20Alighieri | Dante Alighieri | Dante Alighieri (), known simply as Dante (, , ; c. 1265 – September 14, 1321), was a major Italian poet of the Late Middle Ages/Early Renaissance. His central work, the Commedia (Divine Comedy), is considered the greatest literary work composed in the Italian language and a masterpiece of world literature. In Italian he is known as "the Supreme Poet" (il Sommo Poeta). Dante and the Divine Comedy have been a source of inspiration for artists for almost seven centuries. Dante, alongside Petrarch and Boccaccio, is known as one of "the three fountains", and is often referred to as "the Father of the Italian language". The first biography written on him was by his contemporary Giovanni Villani. The most famous section in The Divine Comedy is the first third of it, the first 34 cantos of the poem, called Inferno, which features Dante's vision of Hell.
Life
Dante Alighieri was born in 1265, between May 14 and June 13, under the name "Durante Alighieri." ca. 1450 (Uffizi Gallery). His family was important in Florence, and supported the Papacy.
The poet's mother was Bella degli Abati. She died when Dante was seven years old, and Alighiero soon married again, to Lapa di Chiarissimo Cialuffi. Lapa had two children, Dante's brother Francesco and sister "Tana" ( short version of "Gaetana").
Dante fought in the front of the Guelph troops in the battle of Campaldino (June 11, 1289). After the victory Dante gained an important part in public life.
When Dante was 12, in 1277, he married Gemma di Manetto Donati. Dante had already fallen in love with another girl, Beatrice Portinari that is mentioned same in "Divine Comedy", (known also as Bice). Years after Dante's marriage to Gemma he met Beatrice again. He had become interested in writing poems.
Dante had six children with Gemma: Jacopo, Pietro, Giovanni, Gabrielle Alighieri, and Antonia.
Education, youth and poetry
Not much is known about Dante's education, and it is presumed he studied at home. It is known that he studied Tuscan poetry. His interests brought him to discover the Occitan poetry of the troubadours and the Latin poetry of classical antiquity (with a particular devotion to Virgil).
At 18, Dante met Guido Cavalcanti, Lapo Gianni, Cino da Pistoia, and soon after Brunetto Latini; together they became the leaders of Dolce Stil Novo ("The Sweet New Style"). Brunetto later received a special mention in the Divine Comedy (Inferno, XV, 28), for what he had taught Dante.
According to his work, La Vita Nuova, when he was nine years old he met Beatrice Portinari, daughter of Folco Portinari, with whom he fell in love "at first sight", and apparently without even having spoken to her. He saw her frequently after age 18, often exchanging greetings in the street, but he never knew her well—he effectively set the example for the so-called "courtly love". Dante gave his imprint to the Stil Novo. Love for Beatrice (as in a different manner Petrarch would show for his Laura) would apparently be the reason for poetry and for living, together with political passions. In many of his poems, she appears such as semi-divine, watching over him constantly.
When Beatrice died in 1290, Dante tried to find "help" in Latin literature.
He then dedicated himself to philosophical studies at religious schools like the Dominican one in Santa Maria Novella. This "excessive" passion for philosophy would later be criticized by the character Beatrice, in Purgatorio, the second book of the Divine Comedy.
Exile and death
Boniface quickly dismissed the other delegates and asked Dante alone to remain in Rome. At the same time (November 1, 1301), Charles de Valois entered Florence with Black Guelphs, who in the next six days destroyed much of the city and killed many of their enemies. A new Black Guelph government was installed and Messer Cante dei Gabrielli di Gubbio was appointed Podestà of Florence. Dante was put in exile for two years, and ordered to pay a large hill of money.
Dante did not pay the money, in part because he believed he was not guilty, and in part because all his needs in Florence had been stolen by the Black Guelphs. He was condemned to exile for life, and if he returned to Florence without paying the money, he could be burned at the stake.
In exile he began searching the foundation for the Divine Comedy, a work in 100 cantos, divided into three books of thirty-three cantos each, with a single introductory canto.
He went to Verona as a guest of Bartolomeo I della Scala, then moved to Sarzana in Liguria. Later, he is supposed to have lived in Lucca with Madame Gentucca. Some not sure sources say that he was also in Paris between 1308 and 1310. In 1310, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII of Luxembourg, marched 5,000 troops into Italy. Dante saw in him a new Charlemagne who would restore the office of the Holy Roman Emperor for re-take Florence from the Black Guelphs. He wrote to Henry and several Italian princes, demanding that they destroy the Black Guelphs. Mixing religion and private concerns, he invoked the worst anger of God against his city, suggesting several particular targets that coincided with his personal enemies. It was during this time that he wrote the first two books of the Divine Comedy.
When Dante died at Ravenna, the custodians of the body at Ravenna put the bones in a false wall of the monastery. Nevertheless, in 1829, a tomb was built for him in Florence in the basilica of Santa Croce. That tomb has been empty ever since, with Dante's body remaining in Ravenna, far from the land he loved so dearly. The front of his tomb in Florence reads Onorate l'altissimo poeta – which roughly translates as "Honour the most exalted poet".
Gallery
Other websites
"Dante Alighieri on the Web", about the Dante's life, and (complete) work.
The Banquet (Il Convito)
The Divine Comedy: A Study Guide about Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy
Dante Alighieri and his Divine Comedy in English on Read Print
The Online Library of Liberty: Dante's Divine Comedy Italian text with English translation, Cambridge, 1918.
Società Dantesca Italiana (bilingual site) manuscripts of Dante's works, images and text transcripts
Guardian Books: small "Author Page"
LitWeb.net: Dante Alighieri Biography
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Another biography, on his works and bibliography
1265 births
1321 deaths
Italian poets
Medieval poets
People from Florence
Writers from Tuscany |
5130 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia%20Woolf | Virginia Woolf | Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English modernist writer, essayist and feminist.
Childhood
She was born into a well-known family. Her father, Leslie Stephen, was a Victorian scholar. Her mother, born in India, was a favourite model of the Preraphaelite artists. Her sister, Vanessa Bell, was a painter. She had two brothers; one of them, Thoby, died in 1906.
Her mother died when she was thirteen and four years later her half-sister Stella died. In these times Virginia started to have her psychological, or mental problems. She had bipolar disorder in the time when few people knew this illness and most thought she was strange.
After the death of her mother, Leslie Stephen was not able to keep good relations in the family. Virginia and her sister Vanessa were sexually abused by their half-brothers George and Gerald. It affected Virginia for the rest of her life.
In their childhood, all the Stephens children wrote diaries, but only Virginia kept it for her whole life (and after her death, lots of them were published). It was important for her when she was sexually abused, because there was no one with whom she could talk about it. In the diary, she could write everything.
Writing life
After her father's death, Virginia and her brothers and sister moved to Bloomsbury, London and there they became members of the famous group of artists called Bloomsbury Group. Here Virginia met writer Leonard Woolf (1880-1969), whom she was married to from 1912 until her death. Together, they moved to Richmond, where they opened a publishing office called Hogarth House Press, which later published all of Virginia's novels and essays.
She was bisexual. When she was a teenager, she fell in love with Violet Dickinson and she wrote her lots of love letters. Violet probably never loved her back. Later, Virginia had a sexual relationship with Vita Sackville-West, a writer and a poet. Their letters, which have been published, show how deeply they were in love.
Her most famous novels are Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse. She completed Mrs Dalloway in 1925. It is about a day in the life of an English woman called Clarissa Dalloway. Clarissa is throwing a party and she spends the entire day preparing. The story can appear stupid, but it is not so important in the book. What's more important are the feelings, the colours, or the mood of the story.
To the Lighthouse was published in 1927 for the first time. It is about a family of Ramsays and its friends. These people are altogether spending a summer in Ramsay's house on an island. The youngest of Ramsays children, James, wants to go to the lighthouse, but they can't go there because of bad weather. In the next part of the book, James is ten years older and his father is taking him to the lighthouse, although he doesn't want to go there anymore.
Virginia Woolf is also an author of these novels: Jacob's Room (1923), Orlando (1928) and The Waves (1931). She was a feminist and she wrote a few essays about women's position in the society, for example The Room of One's Own and Three Guineas.
Death
On 28 March 1941, Woolf drowned herself by filling her overcoat pockets with stones and walking into the River Ouse near her home. Her body was not found until 18 April. Her husband buried her cremated remains beneath an elm tree in the garden of Monk's House, their home in Rodmell, Sussex.
Portrayals in fiction
In 1998, American writer Michael Cunningham wrote a novel in which she appeared, called The Hours (a winner of the Pulitzer award), which is best known because of the same named movie, in which the role of Virginia was played by actress Nicole Kidman. Kidman won an Oscar for her performance.
Rather better known is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, in which her name is used as a catch-phrase by the lead couple. This was a play, and then a film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The film won five Academy Awards.
References
Other websites
Virginia Woolf at the British Library
Biography of Virginia Woolf on the Yale Modernism Lab
Works by Virginia Woolf at University of Adelaide
Monk's House information at the National Trust
The Virginia Woolf Collection at the Victoria University (Toronto) Library Special Collections
Virginia Woolf collection of papers, 1882–1984 (bulk 1912–1940), held by the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, New York Public Library
1882 births
1941 deaths
Bisexual people
British crime victims
British feminists
English LGBT people
English novelists
English playwrights
Feminist writers
LGBT feminists
LGBT novelists
People with bipolar disorder
Suicides by drowning
Suicides in the United Kingdom
Writers from London
Writers who committed suicide |
5131 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/March%2028 | March 28 |
Events
Up to 1900
37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate.
193 – Roman Emperor Pertinax was assassinated by Praetorian Guards, who then sold the throne in an auction to Didius Julianus.
364 - Roman Emperor Valentinian I appoints his brother Flavius Valens as co-Emperor.
845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
1566 - The foundation stone is laid for Valletta, Malta, by Jean Parisot de Valette, Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
1776 – Juan Bautista de Anza sails into San Francisco Bay and claims the nearby land for Spain.
1795 – Partitions of Poland: The Duchy of Courland, a northern fief of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, ceased to exist and became part of Imperial Russia.
1802 – Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovers 2 Pallas, the second asteroid known to man.
1809 – Battle of Medellin, Colombia.
1814 - The Royal Navy defeats the United States Navy in the Battle of Valparaiso, Chile.
1834 – The United States Senate censures President Andrew Jackson for his actions in defunding the Second Bank of the United States.
1854 – Crimean War: United Kingdom and France declare war on Russia.
1860 – First Taranaki War: The Battle of Waireka broke out.
1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Glorieta Pass – In New Mexico, Union forces succeed in stopping the Confederate invasion of New Mexico territory. The battle began on March 26.
1871 - The Paris Commune is officially created in Paris.
1883 - Tonkin Campaign: French victory in the Battle of Gia Cuc.
1889 - The Yngsjö murder occurs in Sweden, as Anna Mansdotter and her son are arrested for the crime.
1901 2000
1910 – Henri Fabre becomes the first person to fly a seaplane after taking off from a water runway near Martigues, France.
1913 – Guatemala becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires Convention.
1915 - British passenger steamship Falaba is sunk by a German U-boat off Wales, killing 104 people, including the first American to die as a direct result of World War I.
1920 – Actors Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford marry.
1930 – Constantinople and Angora change their names to Istanbul and Ankara.
1939 – Spanish Civil War: Generalissimo Francisco Franco conquers Madrid
1941 – World War II: Battle of Cape Matapan – In the Mediterranean Sea, British Admiral Andrew Browne Cunningham leads the Royal Navy in the destruction of three major Italian battleships and two destroyers.
1942 – World War II: In occupied France, British naval forces raid the German-occupied port of St. Nazaire.
1946 – Cold War: The United States State Department releases the Acheson-Lilienthal Report, outlining a plan for the international control of nuclear power.
1947 – The last episode of the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century airs on radio.
1951 - First Indochina War: Battle of Mao Khe.
1959 - The State Council of the People's Republic of China dissolves the Government of Tibet.
1964 – The first British offshore pirate radio station, Radio Caroline, is established.
1964 - Tsunamis from the previous day's Good Friday earthquake strike along western coasts of North America, killing 107 people in Alaska, 11 in California and 4 in Oregon.
1965 - An earthquake causes a dam to break near the town of El Cobre, Chile, which is flooded, killing over 200 people.
1969 - Greek poet Giorgos Seferis makes his famous statement on the BBC World Service against the ruling junta in Greece.
1970 - An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 hits Gediz, Turkey, killing 1,086 people.
1978 – US Supreme Court hands down 5-3 decision in Stump v. Sparkman, 435 U.S. 349, a controversial case involving involuntary sterilization and judicial immunity.
1979 – In Pennsylvania, a pump in the reactor cooling system fails at Three Mile Island, resulting in the evaporation of some contaminated water causing a nuclear meltdown.
1979 - The British House of Commons passes a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister James Callaghan's Labour Party government. A new election on May 3 results in Margaret Thatcher being elected Prime Minister.
1990 – President George H. W. Bush posthumously gives Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal.
1994 – In South Africa, Zulus and African National Congress supporters battle in central Johannesburg resulting in eighteen deaths.
1997 - A rock fall in Afghanistan kills 380 people.
1999 - Kosovo War: Serbian paramilitary and military forces kill 146 Kosovo Albanians in the Izbica Massacre.
1999 - A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits southwestern China and northern India, killing 100 people.
From 2001
2002 – The exhibit "The Italians: Three Centuries of Italian Art" opens at the National Gallery of Australia.
2005 – The 2005 Sumatran earthquake rocks Indonesia, and at magnitude 8.7 is the second strongest earthquake since 1965. It kills around 1,300 people, mainly on the island of Nias.
2006 – Strikes take place in France, in protest at the government proposition First Employment Contract. On the same day, strikes are also held across the United Kingdom.
2014 - It is announced that former Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg will succeed Anders Fogh Rasmussen as Secretary-General of NATO on October 1 of the same year.
2017 - The Scottish Parliament, by a majority of 69 to 59, approves plans to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence.
2018 - It is revealed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un travelled to Beijing to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for talks.
2018 - A fire at a police station's cells in Valencia, Venezuela kills 78 people.
Births
Up to 1900
1472 – Fra Bartolommeo, Italian artist (d. 1517)
1496 – Mary Tudor, Queen of France (d. 1533)
1515 – Teresa of Avila, Spanish saint (d. 1582)
1522 - Albert the Warlike, Prince of Bayreuth (d. 1577)
1569 - Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma (d. 1622)
1592 – John Amos Comenius, Bohemian philosopher and theologian (d. 1670)
1613 – Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang of the Qing Dynasty of China (d. 1688)
1743 - Yekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova, major figure in the Russian Enlightenment (d. 1810)
1749 – Pierre-Simon Laplace, French mathematician, physicist and astronomer (d. 1827)
1750 – Francisco de Miranda, Venezuelan revolutionary (d. 1816)
1760 - Thomas Clarkson, British abolitionist (d. 1846)
1773 - Henri Gatien Bertrand, French general (d. 1844)
1793 - Henry Schoolcraft, American explorer and ethnologist (d. 1864)
1811 - Saint John Nepomucene Neumann, Bohemian-born American bishop and Roman Catholic saint (d. 1860)
1815 - Arsène Houssaye, French novelist (d. 1896)
1818 - Wade Hampton III, Governor of South Carolina (d. 1902)
1819 - Joseph Bazalgette, English engineer (d. 1891)
1832 - Henry D. Washburn, American politician, general and explorer (d. 1871)
1840 - Emin Pasha, Ottoman-German naturalist and politician (d. 1892)
1847 - Gyula Farkas, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1930)
1851 – Bernardino Machado, President and Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1944)
1862 – Aristide Briand, Prime Minister of France (d. 1932)
1868 – Maxim Gorky, Russian writer (d. 1936)
1878 - Herbert H. Lehman, Governor of New York (d. 1963)
1890 - Paul Whiteman, American bandleader and composer (d. 1967)
1892 – Corneille Heymans, Belgian doctor, won the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1968)
1894 - Ernst Lindemann, German captain (d. 1941)
1895 - Christian Herter, Governor of Massachusetts and United States Secretary of State (d. 1966)
1895 - Spencer W. Kimball, American Mormon leader (d. 1985)
1897 – Sepp Herberger, German football coach (d. 1977)
1899 – August Anheuser Busch, Jr., American brewer (d. 1989)
1899 - Harold B. Lee, American religious figure (d. 1973)
1901 1950
1903 – Rudolf Serkin, Austrian pianist (d. 1991)
1910 – Ingrid of Sweden, Queen Consort of Denmark (d. 2000)
1911 - J. L. Austin, British philosopher (d. 1960)
1912 – Marina Raskova, Soviet pilot (d. 1943)
1913 – Kazuo Taoka, Japanese crime boss (d. 1981)
1913 – Toko Shinoda, Japanese artist
1914 - Bohumil Hrabal, Czech writer (d. 1997)
1914 – Edmund Muskie, American politician, Governor of Maine and United States Secretary of State (d. 1996)
1917 - Claude Bertrand, Canadian neurosurgeon (d. 2014)
1921 – Dirk Bogarde, English actor (d. 1999)
1921 - Herschel Grynszpan, German-Jewish refugee and assassin (d. 1942)
1922 - Neville Bonner, Australian politician (d. 1999)
1922 – Theo Albrecht, German businessman (Aldi Nord) (d. 2010)
1923 - Paul C. Donnelly, American scientist and engineer (d. 2014)
1925 - Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Soviet-Russian actor (d. 1994)
1926 - Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba, Spanish noblewoman (d. 2014)
1926 - Yvon Taillandier, French artist, author and critic (d. 2018)
1927 - Theo Colborn, American zoologist (d. 2014)
1927 - Marianne Fredriksson, Swedish writer (d. 2007)
1928 - Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish-American political scientist (d. 2017)
1928 – Alexander Grothendieck, German-French mathematician (d. 2014)
1930 – Jerome Isaac Friedman, American physicist
1930 - Robert Ashley, American composer
1931 - Anatoly Lein, Soviet-Russian-born American chess player (d. 2018)
1933 – Frank Murkowski, American politician, former Governor of Alaska
1933 - Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, Archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico
1935 - Frank Judd, Baron Judd, British politician
1935 – Michael Parkinson, British broadcaster
1936 – Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian writer and politician
1936 - Amancio Ortega, Spanish businessman
1936 - Zdenek Sverak, Czech actor
1940 - Luis Cubilla, Uruguayan footballer (d. 2013)
1941 – Alf Clausen, American orchestra conductor
1942 – Daniel Dennett, American philosopher
1942 – Neil Kinnock, British politician, former leader of the Labour Party
1942 – Mike Newell, British director
1942 - Kitanofuji Katsuaki, Japanese sumo wrestler
1942 - Conrad Schumann, East German border guard (d. 1998)
1942 - Jerry Sloan, American basketball player and coach
1943 - Richard Eyre, English director, producer and screenwriter
1944 - Rick Barry, American basketball player
1944 - Ken Howard, American actor (d. 2016)
1945 - Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines
1946 – Alejandro Toledo, former President of Peru
1946 - Wubbo Ockels, Dutch physicist and astronaut (d. 2014)
1946 - Henry Paulson, American politician
1948 – Dianne Wiest, American actress
1948 – John Evan, British musician (Jethro Tull)
1949 - Josephine Chaplin, American actress
1949 - Kevin Lloyd, British actor (d. 1998)
1951 1975
1952 - Tony Brise, English racing driver (d. 1975)
1953 – Melchior Ndadaye, Burundian politician (d. 1993)
1955 – Reba McEntire, American singer and actress
1955 - John Alderdice, Baron Alderdice, Northern Irish politician
1956 - Evelin Jahl, German athlete
1956 - April Margera, American television personality
1959 – Laura Chinchilla, former President of Costa Rica
1960 - José Antonio Alonso, Spanish politician (d. 2017)
1960 – José Maria Neves, Prime Minister of Cape Verde
1961 – Orla Brady, Irish actress
1961 - Byron Scott, American basketball player and coach
1962 - Jure Franko, Slovenian skier
1963 – Nina Ananiashvili, Georgian prima ballerina
1966 - Cheryl James, American rapper and actress
1967 - John Ziegler, American radio host
1968 – Nasser Hussain, English cricketer
1968 - Tim Lovejoy, English television presenter
1969 - Ilke Wyludda, German discus thrower
1969 - Laurie Brett, Scottish actress
1970 - Michelle Gildernew, Northern Irish politician
1970 – Vince Vaughn, American actor
1971 – Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi, British solicitor and politician
1972 - Nick Frost, British actor
1973 – Eddie Fatu, Samoan-American professional wrestler (d. 2009)
1973 – Scott Mills, British radio presenter
1975 - Kate Gosselin, American television personality
1975 - Ivan Helguera, Spanish footballer
1975 - Richard Kelly, American director and screenwriter
From 1976
1976 – Dave Keuning, American guitarist (The Killers)
1976 - Stephen Gethins, Scottish politician
1977 – Erik Rasmussen, American ice hockey player
1979 - Crystal Cox, American athlete
1980 - Albert Streit, German footballer
1981 – Julia Stiles, American actress
1982 - Luis Tejada, Panamanian footballer
1984 – Christopher Samba, Congolese footballer
1984 - Nikki Sanderson, British actress and model
1985 – Stanislas Wawrinka, Swiss tennis player
1986 – Lady Gaga, American singer
1986 - Bowe Bergdahl, American sergeant
1986 - Amaia Salamanca, Spanish actress
1988 - Lacey Turner, English actress
1989 – David Goodwillie, Scottish footballer
1990 - Luca Marrone, Italian footballer
1990 - Ekaterina Bobrova, Russian ice dancer
1991 - Marie-Philip Poulin, Canadian ice hockey player
1991 - Amy Bruckner, American actress and singer
1991 - Hoya, South Korean singer and actor
1992 - Sergi Gomez, Spanish footballer
1994 - Jackson Wang, South Korean singer, dancer and model
1995 - Jonathan Drouin, Canadian ice hockey player
Deaths
Up to 1900
193 – Pertinax, Roman Emperor (b. 126)
1072 - Ordulf, Duke of Saxony
1239 – Emperor Go-Toba of Japan (b. 1180)
1241 – King Valdemar II of Denmark (b. 1170)
1552 - Guru Angad Dev, Indian Sikh Guru (b. 1504)
1584 - Tsar Ivan IV of Russia (Ivan the Terrible) (b. 1530)
1687 – Constantijn Huygens, Dutch poet and composer (b. 1596)
1794 - Marquis de Condorcet, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1743)
1818 - Antonio Capuzzi, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1755)
1850 - Gerard Brandon, Governor of Mississippi (b. 1788)
1866 - Solomon Foot, American lawyer and politician (b. 1802)
1881 – Modest Mussorgsky, Russian composer (b. 1839)
1884 - Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (b. 1853)
1901 2000
1908 - Hermann Clemenz, Estonian chess player (b. 1846)
1928 - Nathan Stubblefield, American inventor (b. 1860)
1929 - Katharine Lee Bates, American poet and songwriter (b. 1859)
1929 - Lomar Gouin, 13th Premier of Quebec (b. 1861)
1934 - Mahmoud Mokhtar, Egyptian sculptor (b. 1891)
1937 - Karol Szymanowksi, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1882)
1941 – Virginia Woolf, English feminist writer (b. 1882)
1942 – Miguel Hernandez, Spanish poet (b. 1910)
1943 – Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian composer and pianist (b. 1873)
1953 – Jim Thorpe, American athlete (b. 1887)
1958 – W. C. Handy, American blues musician and composer (b. 1873)
1965 - Clemence Dane, British novelist and playwright (b. 1888)
1969 – Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States (b. 1890)
1974 - Arthur Crudup, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1905)
1974 – Dorothy Fields, American librettist and lyricist (b. 1905)
1975 - Ernst Fraenkel, German-American jurist (b. 1898)
1977 – Eric Shipton, British explorer and mountain climber (b. 1907)
1979 - Emmett Kelly, American clown (b. 1898)
1980 - Dick Haymes, Argentine-American actor and singer (b. 1918)
1982 – William Giauque, Canadian chemist (b. 1895)
1985 – Marc Chagall, Russian-born painter (b. 1887)
1987 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian singer (b. 1905)
1987 – Patrick Troughton, British actor (b. 1920)
1994 – Eugene Ionescu, Romanian-born playwright (b. 1909)
1996 - Shin Kanemaru, Japanese politician (b. 1914)
2000 – Anthony Powell, British novelist (b. 1905)
From 2001
2004 – Peter Ustinov, British actor (b. 1921)
2006 – Caspar Weinberger, American politician (b. 1917)
2009 – Janet Jagan, American-born President of Guyana (b. 1920)
2010 – Herb Ellis, American musician (b. 1921)
2010 – June Havoc, Canadian-American actress (b. 1912)
2011 - Wenche Foss, Norwegian actress (b. 1917)
2012 – Alexander Arutunian, Armenian composer (b. 1920)
2012 - Earl Scruggs, American musician (b. 1924)
2013 - Richard Griffiths, British actor (b. 1947)
2013 - Boris Strel, Slovenian skier (b. 1959)
2014 - Jeremiah Denton, American politician and admiral (b. 1924)
2014 - Edwin Kagin, American lawyer (b. 1940)
2014 - Lorenzo Semple Jr., American screenwriter (b. 1923)
2015 - Miroslav Ondricek, Czech cinematographer (b. 1934)
2015 - Gene Saks, American director (b. 1921)
2015 - Richard L. Bare, American director, producer and screenwriter (b. 1913)
2016 - Daan Myngheer, Belgian cyclist (b. 1993)
2016 - James Noble, American actor (b. 1922)
2017 - Infanta Alicia, Duchess of Calabria (b. 1917)
2017 - Ahmed Kathrada, South African anti-Apartheid activist and politician (b. 1929)
2017 - Christine Kaufmann, Austrian-German actress (b. 1945)
2017 - William McPherson, American journalist, author and critic (b. 1933)
2017 - Janine Sutto, French-born Canadian actress (b. 1921)
2017 - Enn Vetemaa, Estonian writer (b. 1936)
2018 - Peter Munk, Hungarian-born Canadian businessman (b. 1927)
2018 - Eugène Van Roosbroeck, Belgian racing cyclist (b. 1928)
Observances
Serfs Emancipation Day (Tibet)
Teachers' Day (Czech Republic of Slovakia)
Days of the year |
5132 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/January%2025 | January 25 |
Events
Up to 1900
41 - The Roman Senate confirms Claudius as Emperor, after the murder of Caligula the previous day.
1348 – A strong earthquake strikes northern Italy.
1494 – Alfonso II becomes King of Naples.
1515 - King Francis I of France is crowned.
1533 – Henry VIII of England marries Anne Boleyn.
1554 – São Paulo, now Brazil's largest city, is founded.
1575 – Luanda, the present-day capital city of Angola, is founded by Portuguese settlers.
1704 - The Battle of Ayubale results in the destruction of most of the Spanish missions in Florida.
1755 - Moscow University is founded.
1759 – Robert Burns is born. He is widely considered to be Scotland's national poet.
1765 - Port Egmont, the first British settlement in the Falkland Islands, is founded.
1791 – The British Parliament passes the Constitution Act of 1791, splitting the old province of Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada.
1858 - The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn is played at the marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal to Frederick of Prussia. It later becomes a popular wedding theme tune.
1879 - The Bulgarian National Bank is founded.
1881 - Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company.
1890 – Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days.
1901 2000
1915 - A coup led by Conservative officers removes the government of Victor Hugo de Azevedo Coutinho from power in Portugal. The rule of Joaquim Pimenta de Castro will last until May 14.
1918 – Ukraine declares independence from Bolshevist Russia.
1919 – The League of Nations is founded.
1921 - Burgenland becomes a state of Austria.
1924 – The first Winter Olympics begin in Chamonix, in the French Alps.
1932 - Second Sino-Japanese War: The Chinese National Revolutionary Army begins its defence of Harbin.
1939 - An earthquake measuring magnitude 8.3 strikes Chillan, Chile, killing 28,000.
1942 – Thailand declares war on the United States and United Kingdom.
1944 - Florence Lee Tim-Oi is ordained in China, becoming the first female Anglican priest.
1945 - World War II: The Battle of the Bulge ends.
1949 – The first Emmy Awards are presented.
1955 – The Soviet Union ends its state of war with Germany.
1961 - John F. Kennedy delivers his first press conference as President of the United States.
1971 – Himachal Pradesh becomes a State of India.
1971 – In a coup in Uganda, Idi Amin takes power, removing President Milton Obote.
1980 - Mother Teresa is honored with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
1981 – Jiang Qing, widow of Mao Zedong, is sentenced to death, the this is later changed to life imprisonment.
1986 - The National Resistance Movement gets rid of the government of Tito Okello in Uganda, leading to Yoweri Museveni coming to power.
1990 – The Burns Day Storm hits northwestern Europe.
1990 - Avianca Flight 52, a Colombian airliner, crashes due to engine failure at Cove Neck, near New York City.
1993 - Five people are shot outside CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. 2 are killed and 3 are injured.
1994 - The Clementine space probe launches.
1995 - Russia almost launches a nuclear attack after it mistakes Black Brant II, a Norwegian research rocket, for a US Trident missile.
1996 - Billy Bailey becomes the last person to-date to be executed by hanging in the United States.
1998 - During a historic visit to Cuba, Pope John Paul II demands political reforms and the release of political prisoners, while condemning US attempts to isolate the country.
1998 - A suicide attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on Sri Lanka's Temple of the Tooth, kills 8 people and injures 25.
1999 – A magnitude 6 earthquake in western Colombia kills at least 1,000 people.
From 2001
2004 – Mikheil Saakashvili is inaugurated as President of Georgia.
2004 - The Opportunity space rover lands on the planet Mars.
2004 - Hungarian footballer Miklos Feher collapses at a Primeira Liga game, and dies a few hours later.
2005 – A stampede at the Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi in India kills 258 people.
2006 - Three independent observing campaigns announce the discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, the first rocky and icy planet to be found outside the Solar System.
2006 - Mexican professional wrestler Juana Barraza is arrested in connection with the serial killing of at least 10 elderly women.
2009 – Royal Rumble
2010 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after take-off from Rafik Hariri Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, killing all 90 people on board.
2011 – 2011 Egyptian protests: Protests begin in Egypt against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak.
2013 - Exactly two years after the start of the 2011 Egyptian protests, widespread protests occur in Egypt against the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi. Five people are reported killed and at least 200 injured. At least 29 people are also killed in violence on this day in 2014.
2015 - A parliamentary election is held in Greece, and is won by the left-wing SYRIZA party, whose leader Alexis Tsipras is sworn in as Prime Minister of Greece the next day. The result is seen as a rejection of so-called austerity measures imposed after Greece got into economic trouble.
Births
Up to 1900
750 – Leo IV the Khazar, Byzantine Emperor (d. 780)
1477 – Anne of Brittany (d. 1541)
1493 - Massimiliano Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. 1530)
1509 - Giovanni Morone, Italian cardinal (d. 1580)
1615 - Govert Finck, Dutch painter (d. 1660)
1627 – Robert Boyle, Irish physicist (d. 1691)
1634 - Gaspar Fagel, Dutch statesman (d. 1688)
1640 - William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, English politician (d. 1707)
1661 - Antonio I, Prince of Monaco (d. 1731)
1736 – Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Italian-born mathematician (d. 1813)
1739 - Charles François Dumouriez, French general (d. 1823)
1743 - Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi, German philosopher (d. 1819)
1755 - Paolo Mascagni, Italian physician (d. 1815)
1759 – Robert Burns, Scottish poet (d. 1796)
1783 - William Colgate, English-American businessman (d. 1857)
1796 – William MacGillivray, Scottish naturalist and ornithologist (d. 1852)
1813 - James Marion Sims, American physician (d. 1883)
1825 - George Pickett, American Confederate general (d. 1875)
1841 - John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher, British admiral (d. 1920)
1860 – Charles Curtis, 31st Vice President of the United States (d. 1936)
1864 - Julie Kempf, Croatian historian and writer (d. 1934)
1866 - Emile Vandervelde, Belgian social democrat, university professor and politician (d. 1938)
1868 - Juventino Rosas, Mexican composer (d. 1894)
1874 – W. Somerset Maugham, English writer (d. 1965)
1882 – Virginia Woolf, English writer and feminist (d. 1941)
1885 - Kitahara Hakushu, Japanese poet and children's writer (d. 1942)
1886 - Wilhelm Furtwaengler, German conductor (d. 1954)
1891 - William Christian Bullitt, Jr., American diplomat (d. 1967)
1892 - Takeo Takagi, Japanese admiral (d. 1944)
1894 – Aino Aalto, Finnish designer (d. 1949)
1896 – Florence Mills, American cabaret singer, dancer and composer (d. 1927)
1899 – Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian politician (d. 1972)
1899 - Sleepy John Estes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1977)
1900 – Yojiro Ishizaka, Japanese writer (d. 1986)
1900 - Istvan Fekete, Hungarian writer (d. 1970)
1901 1950
1904 - Sleepy John Estes, American blues musician and singer (d. 1977)
1905 - Maurice Roy, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Quebec (d. 1985)
1910 - Harold Watkinson, British politician (d. 1995)
1913 – Huang Hua, Chinese politician (d. 2010)
1913 - Witold Lutoslawski, Polish composer (d. 1994)
1915 - Ewan MacColl, British folk singer-songwriter and playwright (d. 1989)
1916 - Hans Coppi, German Resistance activist (d. 1942)
1917 – Ilya Prigogine, Russian-born Belgian scientist (d. 2003)
1917 – Janio Quadros, President of Brazil (d. 1992)
1922 - Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Italian population geneticist
1923 – Arvid Carlsson, Swedish scientist
1923 - Rusty Driver, American singer (d. 2003)
1925 - Giorgos Zampetas, Greek musician and songwriter (d. 1992)
1927 - Antonio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian composer (d. 1994)
1927 - Gregg Palmer, American actor (d. 2015)
1928 – Eduard Shevardnadze, former President of Georgia (d. 2014)
1929 - Benny Golson, American jazz musician
1929 - Robert Faurisson, French academic and Holocaust denier
1929 - Michael Michai Kitbunchu, Thai cardinal
1931 - Dean Jones, American actor and singer (d. 2015)
1933 – Corazon Aquino, President of the Philippines (d. 2009)
1934 - Mimi Kok, Dutch actress (d. 2014)
1935 - Conrad Burns, American politician (d. 2016)
1935 - Antonio Ramalho Eanes, former President of Portugal
1936 - Diana Hyland, American actress (d. 1977)
1937 - Judith Ann Mayotte, American humanitarian and writer
1937 – Ange-Félix Patassé, former President of the Central African Republic (d. 2011)
1938 - Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese writer (d. 1998)
1938 – Leiji Matsumoto, Japanese manga artist
1938 – Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian actor, poet and singer (d. 1980)
1938 – Etta James, American singer (d. 2012)
1941 - Buddy Baker, American racing driver
1942 – Eusébio, Portuguese footballer (d. 2014)
1943 – Dagmar Berghoff, German television journalist
1943 - Roy Black, German Schlager singer (d. 1991)
1943 - Tobe Hooper, American director, screenwriter and producer (d. 2017)
1945 - Dave Walker, English singer and guitarist
1945 - Leigh Taylor-Young, American actress
1947 - Angel Nieto, Spanish motorcycle racer
1947 - Tostao, Brazilian footballer
1949 - John Cooper Clarke, English poet
1949 – Paul Nurse, English biochemist and Nobel Prize winner
1950 - Jean-Marc Ayrault, Prime Minister of France
1950 - Gloria Naylor, American novelist
1951 1975
1951 – Steve Prefontaine, American athlete (d. 1975)
1952 – Peter Tatchell, British activist
1952 – Sara Mandiano, French singer-songwriter
1953 – The Honky Tonk Man, American professional wrestler
1954 – Ricardo Bochini, Argentine footballer
1954 – Kay Cottee, Australian sailor
1955 – Terry Chimes, British musician (The Clash)
1955 – Iwatami Toru, Japanese video game developer
1957 – Andrew P. Harris, American politician
1957 – Luis Garavito, Colombian serial killer
1958 – Franco Pancheri, Italian footballer
1958 – Kavita Krishnamurthy, Indian singer
1958 – Jürgen Hingsen, German athlete
1962 – Bruno Martini, French footballer
1963 – Fernando Haddad, 61st Mayor of São Paulo, Brazil
1966 – Chet Culver, American politician, former Governor of Iowa
1967 – David Ginola, French footballer
1967 – Mark Bamford, American writer and director
1967 – Randy McKay, Canadian ice hockey player
1971 – Ana Ortiz, American actress
1973 – Chris Guy, American wrestler
1974 – Robert Budreau, Canadian director, screenwriter and producer
1975 – Mia Kirshner, Canadian actress
1975 – Tim Montgomery, American athlete
1975 – Dat Phan, Vietnamese comedian
From 1976
1977 - Lidia Chojecka, Polish athlete
1978 – Jason Roberts, English footballer
1978 - Charlene, Princess of Monaco
1979 - Christine Lakin, American actress
1980 – Xavi, Spanish footballer
1981 – Alicia Keys, American singer
1981 – Toše Proeski, Macedonian-Balkan singer (d. 2007)
1981 - Clara Morgane, French pornographic actress, singer and television host
1982 - Noemi, Italian singer
1983 - Josh Powell, American basketball player
1984 – Stefan Kießling, German footballer
1984 – Robinho, Brazilian footballer
1984 - Fara Williams, English footballer
1985 - Michael Trevino, American actor
1986 - Shahriar Nafees, Bangladeshi cricketer
1987 – Maria Kirilenko, Russian tennis player
1988 - Tatiana Golovin, French tennis player
1992 – Jordan Stephens, English hip hop musician (Rizzle Kicks)
1996 - Calum Hood, Australian singer, 5 Seconds of Summer.
Deaths
Up to 1900
389 - Gregory Nazianzus, Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 329)
477 – Geiseric, King of the Vandals and Alans
844 – Pope Gregory IV
1067 – Emperor Yingzong of China (b. 1032)
1366 – Henry Suso, German mystic
1431 – Charles I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1364)
1494 – King Ferdinand I of Naples (b. 1423)
1559 - King Christian II of Denmark (b. 1481)
1573 - Hirohate Hirohide, Japanese samurai (b. 1553)
1578 - Mihrimah Sultan, Ottoman princess (b. 1522)
1586 - Lucas Cranach the Younger, German painter (b. 1515)
1640 – Robert Burton, English scholar (b. 1577)
1670 – Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1612)
1726 – Guillaume Delisle, French cartographer (b. 1726)
1733 – Gilbert Heathcote, Mayor of London
1742 - Edmond Halley, English scientist (b. 1656)
1744 - Domenico Sarro, Italian composer (b. 1679)
1751 – Paul Dudley, Attorney-General of Massachusetts (b. 1675)
1852 - Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, Russian cartographer and explorer (b. 1778)
1857 - Andrew Stevenson, American politician (b. 1784)
1870 - Victor de Broglie, French statesman and diplomat (b. 1785)
1881 – Konstantin Thon, Russian architect (b. 1794)
1901 2000
1907 - René Pottier, French cyclist (b. 1879)
1908 – Mikhail Chigorin, Russian chess player (b. 1850)
1908 – Ouida, English writer (b. 1839)
1925 – Ivan Vucetic, Croatian anthropologist (b. 1858)
1947 – Al Capone, American gangster (b. 1899)
1949 - Makino Nobuaki, Japanese statesman (b. 1861)
1952 - Sveinn Björnsson, 1st President of Iceland (b. 1881)
1954 - Manabendra Nath Roy, Indian political activist (b. 1887)
1957 - Thomas January, American soccer player (b. 1886)
1958 - Cemil Topuzlu, Turkish politician (b. 1866)
1960 - Diana Barrymore, American actress (b. 1921)
1969 – Irene Castle, English dancer (b. 1887)
1970 – Jane Bathori, French mezzo-soprano (b. 1877)
1975 - Charlotte Whitton, 46th Mayor of Ottawa (b. 1896)
1981 – Adele Astaire, American dancer (b. 1897)
1982 – Mikhail Suslov, Soviet politician (b. 1902)
1985 - Ilias Iliou, Greek politician (b. 1904)
1990 – Ava Gardner, American actress (b. 1922)
1994 – Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician (b. 1909)
1995 – Cal Jammer, American actor (b. 1960)
1996 – Jonathan Larson, American composer (b. 1960)
1996 - Billy Bailey, American convicted murderer, last person to be hanged to-date in the US (b. 1947)
1999 – Robert Shaw, American conductor (b. 1916)
From 2001
2004 – Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch athlete (b. 1918)
2004 – Miklós Fehér, Hungarian footballer (b. 1979)
2005 – Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (b. 1923)
2005 – William Augustus Bootle, American judge (b. 1902)
2005 – Philip Johnson, American architect (b. 1906)
2005 – Ray Peterson, American singer (b. 1935)
2005 – Nettie Witziers-Timmer, Dutch athlete (b. 1923)
2009 - Mamadou Dia, 1st Prime Minister of Senegal (b. 1910)
2009 - Kim Manners, American movie director and producer (b. 1951)
2010 - Ali Hassan al-Majid, Iraqi politician and military commander (b. 1941)
2012 - Veronica Carstens, former First Lady of Germany (b. 1923)
2014 - Gyula Sax, Hungarian chess player (b. 1951)
2014 - Dave Strack, American basketball player (b. 1923)
2015 - Demis Roussos, Greek singer (b. 1946)
2015 - Bill Monbouquette, American baseball player (b. 1936)
2015 - Zulkifli Abdhir, Malaysian terrorist (b. 1966)
2016 - Kalpana, Indian actress (b. 1965)
2016 - Concepcion Picciotto, Spanish-American peace activist (b. 1936)
2016 - Paul Terasaki, American scientist and philanthropist (b. 1929)
2017 - Buchi Emecheta, Nigerian novelist (b. 1944)
2017 - Robert Garcia, American politician (b. 1933)
2017 - Kevin Geer, American actor (b. 1954)
2017 - John Hurt, British actor (b. 1940)
2017 - Katja of Sweden, Swedish fashion designer (b. 1920)
2017 - Harry Mathews, American author (b. 1930)
2017 - Jack Mendelsohn, American cartoonist and screenwriter (b. 1926)
2017 - Mary Tyler Moore, American actress (b. 1936)
2017 - Nigel Rodley, British human rights activist (b. 1941)
Observances
Burns Night (Scotland and Scottish community)
Dydd Santes Dwynwen - Welsh Saint Valentine's Day
National Police Day (Egypt)
National Voters' Day (India)
Tatiana Day (Russia)
Days of the year |
5133 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane%20Austen | Jane Austen | Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist. She wrote many books of romantic fiction about the gentry. Her works made her one of the most famous and beloved writers in English literature. She is one of the great masters of the English novel.
Austen's works criticized sentimental novels in the late 18th century, and are part of the change to nineteenth-century realism. She wrote about typical people in everyday life. This gave the English novel its first distinctly modern character. Austen's stories are often comic, but they also show how women depended on marriage for social standing and economic security. Her works are also about moral problems.
Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775 at Steventon, near Basingstoke. Educated mostly by her father and older brothers, and also by her own reading, she lived with her family at Steventon. They moved to Bath when her father retired in 1801. After he died in 1805, she moved around with her mother. In 1809, they settled in Chawton, near Alton, Hampshire. In May 1817 she moved to Winchester to be near her doctor. She died there on 18 July 1817.
Jane Austen was very modest about her own genius. She once famously described her work as "the little bit (two Inches wide) of Ivory, on which I work with so fine a brush, as produces little effect after much labor". When she was a girl she wrote stories. Her works were printed only after much revision. Only four of her novels were printed while she was alive. They were Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1815). Two other novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, were printed in 1817 with a biographical notice by her brother, Henry Austen. Persuasion was written shortly before her death. She also wrote two earlier works, Lady Susan, and an unfinished novel, The Watsons. She had been working on a new novel, Sanditon, but she died before she could finish it. She is now a well known great writer.
Biography
Biographical facts about Jane Austen are "famously scarce" (few). Only a few letters remain (it is estimated that only 160 out of Austen's 3,000 letters survive). Her sister Cassandra (to whom most of the letters were written) burned "the greater part" of the ones she kept. The letters she did not destroy she censored. Other letters were destroyed by the heirs of Admiral Francis Austen, Jane's brother. Most of the biographies written about her for 50 years after she died was by her relatives, who often described her as "good quiet Aunt Jane". Scholars have not been able to find much information after that.
Family
Austen's parents, George Austen (1731–1805), and his wife, Cassandra (1739–1827), were both part of the gentry. Cassandra was a part of the important Leigh family. George Austen, however, was of a lower class of society. He had first met Cassandra at Oxford, while she was meeting her uncle Theophilus. George and Cassandra married on 26 April 1764 at Walcot Church in Bath.
Austen had a large family. She had six brothers—James (1765–1819), George (1766–1838), Edward (1767–1852), Henry Thomas (1771–1850), Francis William (Frank) (1774–1865), Charles John (1779–1852)—and one sister, Cassandra Elizabeth (1773–1845), who died without marrying. Jane deeply loved Cassandra, and they were both best friends. Of her brothers, Austen was most close to Henry, who helped spread and influence her writing. "Oh, what a Henry!" she once wrote. George was almost ten years older than Jane. He suffered from fits and was not able to develop normally. His father wrote of him, "We have this comfort, he cannot be a bad or a wicked child". He may also have been deaf and mute. Jane knew sign language (she mentioned talking "with my fingers" in a letter) and could have communicated with him. Charles and Frank served in the navy. Edward was adopted by his fourth cousin, Thomas Knight. He became "Edward Knight" instead of Edward Austen in 1812.
Early life and education
Austen was born on 16 December 1775 at Steventon rectory. She was christened at home and then, as the Book of Common Prayer directs, brought to church for the baptism to be certified in public on 5 April 1776. A few months after she was born, her mother hired a woman named Elizabeth Littlewood to nurse her. Littlewood took care of Austen for about a year. According to family tradition, Jane and Cassandra were sent to Oxford to be educated by Mrs. Ann Crawley in 1783. They moved with her to Southampton later in the year. Both girls caught typhus and Jane almost died. After that, Austen was educated at home until she went to boarding school with Cassandra early in 1785. She learned some French, spelling, needlework, dancing,music, and probably drama. In the winter of 1786, Jane and Cassandra went back home.
Austen also learned much by reading books. Her father and brothers helped choose the books she read. George Austen seemed to have let his daughters read the books in his large library freely. He also allowed Austen's experiments in writing, and gave her costly paper and other writing materials.
Jane Austen and her family also enjoyed acting out plays privately. Most of the plays were comedies. This might have been a way for Austen's comedic and satirical talents to develop.
Early writings
Perhaps from as early as 1787, Austen began writing poems, short stories, and plays for fun. Austen later put together "fair copies" of 29 of these early works into three notebooks. They are now called the Juvenilia. It has pieces which were first written down between 1787 and 1793. Jane Austen had arranged her writing during this time into three volumes, namely Volume the First, Volume the Second and Volume the Third. There is some proof that Austen continued to work on these pieces later in life. Her nephew and niece, James Edward and Anna Austen, may have made further additions to her work in around 1814. In these works were included Love and Freindship which was completed in 1790 and Lesley Castle which was completed in 1792. In Love and Freindship, she laughed at popular sentimental novels. She also wrote The History of England, which had 13 watercolour pictures by her sister Cassandra inside it.
Death
Jane Austen started to feel increasingly unwell during 1816, which was the year when her novel 'Persuasion' was published. On 24 May 1817, she moved to Winchester in search for a cure to her illness. She died on 18 July 1817, aged 41. Although there is no conclusive evidence to prove the cause of her death, it seems likely that it was Addison's disease that killed her. She was buried in Winchester Cathedral on 24 July 1817.
Related pages
Reception history of Jane Austen
References
Bibliography
Primary works
Austen, Jane. Catharine and Other Writings. Ed. Margaret Anne Doody and Douglas Murray. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. .
Austen, Jane. The History of England. Ed. David Starkey. Icon Books, HarperCollins Publishers, 2006. .
Le Faye, Deirdre, ed. Jane Austen's Letters. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. .
Secondary works
Biographies
Austen, Henry Thomas. "Biographical Notice of the Author". Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. London: John Murray, 1817.
Austen-Leigh, James Edward. A Memoir of Jane Austen. 1926. Ed. R. W. Chapman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967.
Austen-Leigh, William and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh. Jane Austen: Her Life and Letters, A Family Record. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1913.
Fergus, Jan. Jane Austen: A Literary Life. London: Macmillan, 1991. .
Honan, Park. Jane Austen: A Life. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987. .
Le Faye, Deirdre. Jane Austen: A Family Record. Second Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. .
Nokes, David. Jane Austen: A Life. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. .
Tomalin, Claire. Jane Austen: A Life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. .
Essay collections
Alexander, Christine and Juliet McMaster, eds. The Child Writer from Austen to Woolf. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. .
Copeland, Edward and Juliet McMaster, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. .
Grey, J. David, ed. The Jane Austen Companion. New York: Macmillan, 1986. .
Lynch, Deidre, ed. Janeites: Austen's Disciples and Devotees. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000. .
Southam, B. C., ed. Jane Austen: The Critical Heritage, 1812–1870. Vol. 1. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1968. .
Southam, B. C., ed. Jane Austen: The Critical Heritage, 1870–1940. Vol. 2. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1987. .
Todd, Janet, ed. Jane Austen in Context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. .
Watt, Ian, ed. Jane Austen: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1963. .
Monographs and articles
Armstrong, Nancy. Desire and Domestic Fiction. London: Oxford University Press, 1987. .
Butler, Marilyn. Jane Austen and the War of Ideas. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975. .
Byrne, Paula. Jane Austen and the Theatre. London and New York: Continuum, 2002. .
Collins, Irene. Jane Austen and the Clergy. London: The Hambledon Press, 1994. .
Devlin, D.D. Jane Austen and Education. London: Macmillan, 1975. .
Duckworth, Alistair M. The Improvement of the Estate: A Study of Jane Austen's Novels. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1971. .
Fergus, Jan. Jane Austen and the Didactic Novel. Totowa: Barnes & Noble, 1983. .
Ferguson, Moira. "Mansfield Park, Slavery, Colonialism, and Gender". Oxford Literary Review 13 (1991): 118–39.
Galperin, William. The Historical Austen. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003. .
Gay, Penny. Jane Austen and the Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. .
Gubar, Susan and Sandra Gilbert. The Madwoman in the Attic: the Woman Writer and the Nineteenth Century Literary Imagination. 1979. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984. .
Harding, D.W., "Regulated Hatred: An Aspect of the Work of Jane Austen". Jane Austen: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Ian Watt. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1963.
Jenkyns, Richard. A Fine Brush on Ivory: An Appreciation of Jane Austen. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. .
Johnson, Claudia L. Jane Austen: Women, Politics and the Novel. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988. .
Kirkham, Margaret. Jane Austen, Feminism and Fiction. Brighton: Harvester, 1983. .
Koppel, Gene. The Religious Dimension in Jane Austen's Novels. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Research Press, 1988.
Lascelles, Mary. Jane Austen and Her Art. Original publication 1939. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1966.
Leavis, F.R. The Great Tradition: George Eliot, Henry James, Joseph Conrad. London: Chatto & Windus, 1960.
Litz, A. Walton. Jane Austen: A Study of Her Development. New York: Oxford University Press, 1965.
Lynch, Deidre. The Economy of Character. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. .
MacDonagh, Oliver. Jane Austen: Real and Imagined Worlds. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991. .
Miller, D. A. Jane Austen, or The Secret of Style. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003. .
Mudrick, Marvin. Jane Austen: Irony as Defense and Discovery. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1952.
Page, Norman. The Language of Jane Austen. Oxford: Blackwell, 1972. .
Poovey, Mary. The Proper Lady and the Woman Writer: Ideology as Style in the Works of Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley, and Jane Austen. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984. .
Raven, James. The Business of Books: Booksellers and the English Book Trade. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007. .
Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. New York: Vintage Books, 1993. .
Todd, Janet. The Cambridge Introduction to Jane Austen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. .
Waldron, Mary. Jane Austen and the Fiction of Her Time. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. .
Wiltshire, John. Recreating Jane Austen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. .
Wiltshire, John. Jane Austen and the Body: The Picture of Health. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. .
Other websites
Online works
1775 births
1817 deaths
Disease-related deaths in Hampshire
English novelists
Writers from Hampshire |
5134 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte%20Bront%C3%AB | Charlotte Brontë | Charlotte Brontë (21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855) was an English novelist and poet.
She first published her works, including Jane Eyre, under the pseudonym (false name) of Currer Bell. In 1846, Charlotte encouraged her sisters to print Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. They did not sell well. Her first novel, The Professor, was rejected by many publishers. It was not printed until 1857. She is famous for her novel Jane Eyre (1847), which was very popular when it was printed.
Jane Eyre was a strong story of a plain, brave, clever woman struggling with her passions, reasons, and social condition. She later wrote the books Shirley (1849) and Villette (1853). She lived longer than her sisters, but she was only 38 when she died in pregnancy.
Life
Charlotte Brontë was the third child of Patrick Brontë (formerly "Patrick Brunty"), an Irish Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Maria née Branwell. In April 1821, the family moved a few miles to Haworth. Patrick had been appointed Perpetual Curate there. Maria Branwell Brontë died of cancer on 15 September 1821. She left her five daughters and a son to be looked after by her sister Elizabeth Branwell.
In August 1824, Charlotte was sent with three of her sisters to the Clergy Daughters' School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire. She described it as Lowood School in her novel Jane Eyre. The sisters were Emily, Maria and Elizabeth. The poor conditions of the school permanently affected Charlotte's health according to her. She thought it led to the early deaths of her two elder sisters, Maria (born 1814) and Elizabeth (born 1815). They died of tuberculosis in June 1825 soon after their father took them from the school on 1 June.
At home in Haworth Parsonage, Charlotte and the other living children (Branwell, Emily and Anne) began writing about the lives and struggles of the dwellers of their imaginary kingdoms. Charlotte and Branwell wrote Byronic stories about their country — Angria — Emily and Anne wrote articles and poems about theirs Gondal.
Charlotte went to school at Roe Head, Mirfield, from 1831 to 1832. There she met her lifelong friends, Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor. In 1833 she wrote her novella The Green Dwarf under the name of Wellesley. Charlotte returned as a teacher from 1835 to 1838. In 1839 she became a governess to various families in Yorkshire, a career she had until 1841.
In 1842 she and Emily travelled to Brussels to enroll in a pensionnat (boarding school) run by Constantin Heger (1809 – 1896) and his wife Claire Zoé Parent Heger (1814 – 1891). In return for this, Charlotte taught English and Emily taught music. Their time at the pensionnat was cut short when Elizabeth Branwell, their aunt, died in October 1842. Charlotte returned alone to Brussels in January 1843 to be a teacher at the pensionnat. This stay was not happy. She became lonely, homesick and deeply attached to Constantin Heger. She finally returned to Haworth in January 1844 and later used her time at the pensionnat as the inspiration for some of The Professor and Villette.
Books
Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell (1846)
Jane Eyre, published in 1847
Shirley, published in 1849
Villette, published in 1853
The Professor,published posthumously in 1857
Emma, unfinished; Charlotte Brontë wrote only 20 pages of the manuscript. The book was then finished by author Clare Boylan and released in 2003. It was named Emma Brown.
Other websites
Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth
The Brontë Society's Blog, contains the latest news of events, lectures, publications etc. concerning the Brontë family of writers.
Online editions of Charlotte Brontë's works
Charlotte Brontë - Drawing by George Richmond (National Portrait Gallery)
1816 births
1885 deaths
Disease-related deaths in Yorkshire
English novelists
English poets
Writers from Yorkshire |
5135 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily%20Bront%C3%AB | Emily Brontë | Emily Jane Brontë (30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was a British author and poet. She is most famous for her only novel Wuthering Heights (published in 1847). She wrote under the pen name Ellis Bell. Brontë had two sisters, Charlotte and Anne, who were also writers. Her brother, Branwell, was a painter. She co-wrote the poetry collection Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell (1846), with her sisters. She was born in Thornton, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. She attended Cowan School with her sister Charlotte.
Brontë died of tuberculosis on 19 December 1848 in Haworth, West Riding of Yorkshire. She was 30.
References
Other websites
Poems of Emily Brontë at Poetseers.org
1818 births
1848 deaths
Deaths from tuberculosis
Disease-related deaths in Yorkshire
English novelists
English poets
Infectious disease deaths in England
Writers from Yorkshire |
5136 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne%20Bront%C3%AB | Anne Brontë | Anne Brontë (17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849) was an English writer and poet. She is best known for writing Agnes Grey (1847) and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848).
Anne was born on 17 January 1820 in Thornton, Yorkshire, England. She was the daughter of Patrick and Marie Brontë and the youngest of their six children. She was taught at her family's home in Haworth by her aunt Elizabeth Branwell. She worked as a governess in 1839 and then again between 1841 and 1845.
In 1846 Anne contributed 21 poems to Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. This was a joint work with her sisters, Charlotte and Emily. Agnes Grey was published in 1847 in three volumes with Wuthering Heights, a book written by her sister Emily. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was published in 1848 and sold well.
Anne Brontë died on 28 May 1849 in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England of tuberculosis.
Related pages
The sisters of Anne Brontë:
Emily Brontë
Charlotte Brontë
The books of Anne Brontë:
Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell (1846)
Agnes Grey (1847)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848)
1820 births
1849 deaths
Deaths from tuberculosis
Disease-related deaths in Yorkshire
English novelists
English poets
Infectious disease deaths in England
Writers from Yorkshire |
5137 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles%20Dickens | Charles Dickens | Charles Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was one of the great English writers of the 19th century.
Early life
Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England. His parents were John Dickens (1785-1851), a naval pay clerk, and Elizabeth Barrow (1789–1863).
When Dickens was born he had a rare disorder meaning he could not read or write properly like other kids. When Charles was twelve years old, his family moved to Camden, London. He worked in a blacking factory there while his father was in prison for debt. Dickens's hard times in the factory served as a foundation of ideas for many of his novels. Many like Oliver Twist soon became famous. When his great-grandmother died and transmitted money, Charles' father paid off his debts and was released from prison. Charles did not like working and wished to stop working after his father was released. However, his mother said that the family needed the money so Charles was forced to continue working. Charles then finished his schooling, and got a job as an office boy for an attorney. After finding that job dull, he taught himself shorthand and became a journalist that reported on the government. Dickens was a Unitarian.
Charles Dickens was once involved in a train crash near Staple ford, Kent.
Writer
His first book was Sketches by Boz in 1836, a collection of the short pieces he had been writing for the Monthly Magazine and the Evening Chronicle. This was followed by The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club in 1837. Both these books became popular as soon as they were printed.
Charles Dickens died of a stroke on June 9, 1870. He was buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.
Books
Charles Dickens wrote many books, including:
Sketches by Boz (1836)
The Pickwick Papers (1837)
Oliver Twist (1838)
Nicholas Nickelby (1838)
The Old Curiosity Shop (1840)
Barnaby Rudge (1841)
Martin Chuzzlewit (1843)
A Christmas Carol (1843)
Dombey and Son (1846—1848)
David Copperfield (1849—1850)
Bleak House (1851—1853)
Hard Times (1854)
Little Dorritt (1855—1857)
A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
Great Expectations (1861)
Our Mutual Friend (1865)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1869—1870) (unfinished)
References
Other websites
Charles Dickens mobile ebooks
Charles Dickens at the British Library
Cardiovascular disease deaths in England
Deaths from stroke
English novelists
Unitarians
People buried in Westminster Abbey
People from Portsmouth
Writers from Hampshire
1812 births
1870 deaths |
5138 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth | Portsmouth | Portsmouth is a city in the south of England, in the county of Hampshire. About 280,536 people live there (As Of 2017). It is a port and is the home of the British Royal Navy. It's the second-largest city in the county of Hampshire, behind Southampton. It is one of the most densely populated cities in Europe. Portsmouth is on Portsea Island and is narrowly separated from the mainland by a creek.
For centuries the city was one of the world's biggest places of shipbuilding. Some of its most famous ships that people can still see are HMS Victory and the HMS Warrior. People also visit Portsmouth to see the old ship Mary Rose. This was Henry VIII of England's ship, and it was under the water for a long time, from 1545 to 1982. Tourists also go to see Cumberland House, the birthplace of Charles Dickens, a British author (writer).
Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, all British authors, are famous people who lived in Portsmouth.
It is home of the Football League Two side Portsmouth F.C. They play at Fratton Park.
Portsmouth has one university, the University of Portsmouth.
North of the city is Cosham.
Other websites
Portsmouth City Council
Official Portsmouth City Guide
University of Portsmouth
University of Portsmouth Students' Union
References
Ports and harbours of the United Kingdom |
5139 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS%20Victory | HMS Victory | HMS Victory is the oldest ship still in use. It is in Portsmouth, England with the HMS Warrior and the remains of the Mary Rose, a ship belonging to Henry VIII of England.
Her most famous captains are Horatio Nelson, who died on the ship during the Battle of Trafalgar, and Samuel Hood.
Other websites
HMS Victory Royal Navy website
Pictures of HMS Victory
Restoration of HMS Victory Society for Nautical Research website
HMS Victory Model
Google Maps Image of HMS Victory in Portsmouth Harbour
Local.Live.com Bird's Eye View of HMS Victory in Portsmouth Harbour
Nelson's Victory
Life onboard HMS Victory
HMS Victory datasheet
Royal Naval Communications Association, Communications History - The First Signal Schools
MaritimeQuest HMS Victory Photo Gallery
UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage
Victory
Portsmouth |
5142 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS%20Warrior%20%281860%29 | HMS Warrior (1860) | HMS Warrior was the first battleship with a hull made of iron. It was built in response to the French ironclad warship Gloire. It is in Portsmouth, England with the HMS Victory and the remains of the Mary Rose, a ship belonging to Henry VIII of England.
Other websites
HMS Warrior website
StVincent.ac.uk
Warrior
Portsmouth |
5143 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary%20Rose | Mary Rose | The Mary Rose was a ship which belonged to Henry VIII of England. She sank in 1545 in battle with a French fleet.
In 1979, the Mary Rose Trust was formed. In 1982 the Mary Rose Trust managed to get the Mary Rose out of the sea. In 1994, they started to preserve her.
The remains of the Mary Rose are currently in Portsmouth, England with the HMS Victory and HMS Warrior.
Sinking
It is not known the exact reason for the sinking. One of the theories is that she had the gun ports open to fire at the French. She then turned to fire at the other side, but the men on board failed to close the gun ports. Sea water got in the open gun ports, which tipped her over and she sank.
The Mary Rose sank because the wind blew and tipped her over.
British warships
Portsmouth |
5144 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary%20Tudor | Mary Tudor | The name Mary Tudor can refer to either:
Mary Tudor, Queen of France
Mary I of England |
5147 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1603 | 1603 |
Events
April 28 – Funeral of Elizabeth I of England
Births
March 18 – John IV of Portugal
Abel Tasman
Deaths
March 24 – Elizabeth I of England |
5148 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/April%2028 | April 28 |
Events
Up to 1950
357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory over Magnus Magnentius.
1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat, King of Jerusalem.
1220 – The foundation stone is laid for Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England.
1253 – Nichiren Buddhism is founded.
1503 – The Battle of Cerignola is fought. It is the first battle won by small arms using gunpowder.
1611 - Founding of the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, the largest Roman Catholic university in the world.
1788 – Maryland becomes the 7th US State.
1789 – Mutiny on the Bounty by Fletcher Christian: Lieutenant William Bligh and 18 sailors are cast adrift in a boat, reaching the island of Tofua on the same day, while Christian sails to Tonga.
1792 – The French Revolutionary Wars begin.
1796 - The Armistice of Cherasco is signed by Napoleon Bonaparte and Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia, expanding French territory along the Mediterranean Sea coast.
1869 – Chinese and Irish laborers for the Central Pacific Railroad working on the first transcontinental railroad lay 10 miles of track in one day.
1877 - The Stamford Bridge stadium in London, is opened, for use as an athletics stadium, though it later becomes the home ground of Chelsea FC.
1885 - Buddhism: Ceylon's first Vesakh celebration is held. The international Buddhist flag is hoisted for the first time.
1902 – Manchester United F.C. comes into being, through a name change to avoid the bankruptcy of Newton Heath F.C.
1903 – An earthquake in Turkey kills 2,200 people.
1908 - World Esperanto Association is founded.
1910 - Frenchman Louis Paulham wins the 1910 London to Manchester air race, the first long-distance aeroplane race in England.
1920 – Azerbaijan is taken over by Soviet Russia.
1923 – London's Wembley Stadium is opened.
1930 – The first night game in baseball is held in Independence, Kansas.
1932 – A vaccine for yellow fever is announced for use on humans.
1944 – World War II: Nine German bombers attack US and UK units while they rehearsed for the Normandy landings. 946 people are killed.
1945 – World War II: Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci are executed.
1945 - World War II: The city of Augsburg surrenders to US forces.
1947 – Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki expedition of the Pacific Ocean begins in Callao, Peru. This is to prove his theory of Polynesia being settled from South America.
1948 – Igor Stravinsky conducts the first performance of his American ballet, Orpheus, in New York City.
1949 – Former First Lady of the Philippines Aurora Quezon is assassinated.
1950 – Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej marries Queen Sirikit.
From 1951
1952 – Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.
1952 – US occupation of Japan officially ends.
1952 – The Second Sino-Japanese War officially ends.
1965 - US troops land in the Dominican Republic to "forestall the establishment of a Communist dictatorship" and to evacuate US troops.
1967 - Cassius Clay (now Muhammad Ali) is stripped of his boxing titles, after saying that he would not join United States Military operations in Vietnam. The titles are later re-instated.
1969 – Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France.
1975 – South Vietnamese President Tran Van Huong resigns after a week in office, and flees, as the Vietnam War is in its final stages.
1977 – Red Army Faction members Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Jan-Carl Raspe are found guilty of murder.
1978 – President of Afghanistan Mohammed Daoud Khan is overthrown and killed by pro-Communist rebels.
1986 - United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise becomes the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to travel through the Suez Canal, from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea to relieve the USS Coral Sea.
1986 - The Soviet Union admits that there was a nuclear accident at Chernobyl on April 26, after scientists in Finland and Sweden detected unusually high levels of radiation in the air.
1988 - Near Maui, Hawaii, flight attendant Clarabelle Lansing is blown out of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737, and falls to her death, when part of the plane's fuselage rips open in mid-flight.
1994 – Former CIA counter-intelligence officer and analyst Adrian Ames pleads guilty to leaking US secrets to the Soviet Union and Russia.
1996 – In Tasmania, Australia, Martin Bryant goes on a shooting spree, killing 35 people.
2001 – Millionaire Dennis Tito becomes the first space tourist.
2002 – The Green Party of Pakistan is formed.
2008 – A train collision in Shandong, China, kills 72 people, and injures 416.
2008 – Hong Kong Disneyland opens.
2010 - Then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown apologises after being recorded referring to a 66-year-old voter as a "bigoted woman" during the General Election campaign.
2013 - Enrico Letta becomes Prime Minister of Italy, after political deadlock following an inconclusive election two months earlier. At the same time, two police officers are injured in a shooting outside the Prime Minister's office.
2019 - Spain holds an early general election: The Socialist Party of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is the largest party on 29%; the far-right Vox party enters parliament for the first time.
Births
Up to 1900
32 – Marcus Salvius Otho, Roman Emperor (d. 69)
1402 – Nezahualcoyotl, ruler, philosopher and poet in Pre-Columbian Central America (d. 1472)
1442 – Edward IV of England (d. 1483)
1545 – Yi Sun-sin, Korean military leader and admiral (d. 1598)
1612 - Odoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma (d. 1646)
1630 - Charles Cotton, English poet (d. 1687)
1652 – Magdalena Sibylla of Hesse-Darmstadt, German composer (d. 1712)
1686 - Michael Brokoff, Czech sculptor (d. 1721)
1715 - Frank Sparry, Austrian composer (d. 1767)
1753 - Frank Karl Achard, German naturalist (d. 1821)
1758 – James Monroe, 5th President of the United States (d. 1831)
1761 - Marie Harel, French cheesemaker (d. 1844)
1765 - Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician (d. 1834)
1774 – Francis Baily, English astronomer (d. 1844)
1788 – Charles Robert Cockerell, English architect and archaeologist (d. 1863)
1795 – Charles Sturt, English explorer of Australia (d. 1861)
1819 - Ezra Abbot, American scholar (d. 1884)
1831 - Peter Tait, Scottish physicist (d. 1901)
1838 – Tobias Asser, Dutch jurist (d. 1913)
1842 – Prince Gaston, Count of Eu, Prince and Brazilian marshal (d. 1922)
1848 - Ludvig Schytte, Danish composer, pianist and teacher (d. 1909)
1868 – Lucy Booth, Indian songwriter and commander (d. 1953)
1868 - Georgy Voronoy, Russian mathematician (d. 1908)
1869 – C. C. Young, 26th Governor of California (d. 1947)
1874 - Karl Kraus, Austrian journalist and writer (d. 1936)
1876 – Nicola Romeo, Italian automobile engineer and entrepreneur (d. 1938)
1878 – Lionel Barrymore, American actor (d. 1954)
1886 - Art Shaw, American hurdler (d. 1955)
1888 – Walter Tull, English footballer (d. 1918)
1889 – Antonio Oliveira de Salazar, Portuguese political leader (d. 1970)
1891 - Charles Patton, American blues guitarist (d. 1934)
1896 - Na Hye-sok, Korean writer, painter, educator and journalist (d. 1948)
1897 – Ye Jianying, Chinese general and politician (d. 1986)
1898 – Grantley Herbert Adams, Barbadian politician (d. 1971)
1900 - Jan Oort, Dutch astronomer (d. 1992)
1901 1950
1901 - Henry Stallard, Belgian middle-distance runner (d. 1973)
1902 - Johan Borgen, Norwegian writer (d. 1979)
1906 – Kurt Gödel, Austrian mathematician (d. 1978)
1906 - Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor (d. 1999)
1908 – Oskar Schindler, German industrialist and humanitarian (d. 1974)
1912 - Odette Sansom Hallowes, French resistance worker (d. 1945)
1916 – Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile manufacturer (d. 1993)
1919 - Wally Stanowski, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2015)
1921 - Simin Daneshvar, Iranian author and academic (d. 2012)
1923 - William Guarnere, American sergeant (d. 2014)
1924 - Dick Ayers, American comic book artist and cartoonist (d. 2014)
1924 - Donatas Banionis, Lithuanian actor (d. 2014)
1924 – Kenneth Kaunda, 1st President of Zambia
1924 - Blossom Dearie, American jazz singer and pianist (d. 2009)
1926 – Harper Lee, American writer and activist (d. 2016)
1928 – Eugene Shoemaker, American astronomer (d. 1997)
1928 - Yves Klein, French artist (d. 1962)
1930 – James Baker, 61st United States Secretary of State
1930 - Carolyn Jones, American actress (d. 1983)
1933 - Miodrag Radulovacki, Serbian-American scientist and inventor (d. 2014)
1934 - Lois Duncan, American actress (d. 2016)
1934 - Diane Johnson, American writer
1936 - Tariq Aziz, Iraqi politician (d. 2015)
1937 - Jean Redpath, Scottish singer (d. 2014)
1937 - John White, Scottish footballer (d. 1964)
1937 – Saddam Hussein, President of Iraq (d. 2006)
1938 - Fred Dibnah, English steeplejack and television personality (d. 2004)
1941 - John Madejski, English businessman
1941 – Ann-Margret, Swedish actress
1941 – Karl Barry Sharpless, American chemist
1941 - Iryna Zhylenko, Ukrainian poet
1942 - Mike Brearley, English cricketer
1943 - Jacques Dutronc, French singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer and actor
1943 - Bob Siebert, American jazz musician and composer
1943 - Yoav Talmi, Israeli conductor and composer
1943 - Jeffrey Tate, English musical director and conductor
1944 - Günter Verheugen, German politician
1944 - Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberge, Belgian politician in Wallonia
1946 - Nour El-Sherif, Egyptian actor (d. 2015)
1947 - Nicola LeFanu, English composer and academic
1948 – Terry Pratchett, English writer (d. 2015)
1948 - Marcia Strassman, American actress (d. 2014)
1949 – Paul Guilfoyle, American actor
1949 – Bruno Kirby, American actor (d. 2006)
1950 – Jay Leno, American comedian and showmaster
1950 - Steve Rider, English sports broadcaster
1951 1975
1952 - Chuck Leavell, American keyboardist
1952 - Mary McDonnell, American actress
1953 – Kim Gordon, American singer
1954 - Tom McCabe, Scottish politician (d. 2015)
1954 - Mary Jo Randle, English actress
1958 – Kenny MacAskill, Scottish politician
1959 – Erhard Loretan, Swiss mountaineer (d. 2011)
1960 – Ian Rankin, Scottish crime fiction writer
1960 - Elena Kagan, United States Supreme Court Justice
1960 – Walter Zenga, Italian footballer
1960 – Jón Páll Sigmarsson, Icelandic strength athlete (d. 1993)
1961 - Anna Oxa, Italian singer
1964 - L'Wren Scott, American fashion designer and model (d. 2014)
1964 - Stephen Ames, Canadian golfer
1966 – Ali-Reza Pahlavi, Iranian royal (d. 2011)
1966 – John Daly, American golfer
1966 – Too Short, American rapper, producer and actor
1968 – Howard Donald, English singer, musician and producer (Take That)
1968 – Andy Flower, Zimbabwean cricketer
1970 – Diego Simeone, Argentine footballer
1971 - Bridget Moynahan, American actress
1972 - Anita Anand, English television and radio journalist
1972 – Joseph Bruce, American actor, rapper, producer and wrestler
1973 – Pauleta, Portuguese footballer
1973 - Ian Murdock, American software engineer (d. 2015)
1973 – Jorge Garcia, American actor
1974 – Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress
1974 – Vernon Kay, British radio and television presenter
1974 – Margo Dydek, Polish basketball player (d. 2011)
From 1976
1977 - Thorstein Helstad, Norwegian footballer
1978 – Lauren Laverne, British radio and television presenter
1980 - Josh Howard, American basketball player
1980 - Bradley Wiggins, British cyclist
1981 – Jessica Alba, American actress
1981 - Pietro Travagli, Italian rugby player
1981 - Ilary Blasi, Italian actress and model
1981 - Alex Riley, American wrestler
1982 – Nikki Grahame, English television personality
1982 - Harry Shum, Jr., Costa Rican actor and dancer
1983 – Roger Johnson, English footballer
1984 - Dmitri Torbinski, Russian footballer
1985 - Lukas Jakubczyk, German sprinter and long jumper
1985 - Louise Pentland, English vlogger, blogger, YouTuber and author
1986 - Roman Polak, Czech ice hockey player
1986 – Jennifer Palm Lundberg, Swedish model
1986 - Jenna Ushkowitz, Korean-American actress
1987 - Zoran Tosic, Serbian footballer
1987 - Daequan Cook, American basketball player
1988 – Juan Mata, Spanish footballer
1988 - Spencer Hawes, American basketball player
1989 - Kim Sung-kyu, South Korean singer and actress
1991 - Jordan Robinson, English footballer
1994 - Izzy Bizu, English singer
1995 - Melanie Martinez, American singer and songwriter
Deaths
Up to 1900
1074 – Sweyn II of Denmark (b. 1019)
1192 – Conrad of Montferrat, King of Jerusalem
1489 – Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, English politician
1530 - Niklaus Manuel Deutsch I, Swiss polymath (b. 1484)
1695 - Henry Vaughan, Welsh poet (b. 1621)
1716 - Louis de Montfort, French priest and saint (b. 1673)
1721 - Mary Reid, English pirate (b. 1685)
1741 - Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish general and statesman (b. 1668)
1772 – Johann Christian Struensee, physician (b. 1737)
1781 – Cornelius Harnett, American delegate to the Continental Congress (b. 1723)
1799 - Matthew Griswold, Governor of Connecticut (b. 1714)
1802 - Richard Howell, Governor of New Jersey (b. 1754)
1813 - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, Russian field marshal (b. 1745)
1851 - Edward Codrington, English admiral (b. 1770)
1853 – Ludwig Tieck, German writer (b. 1773)
1865 – Samuel Cunard, Canadian-British shipping magnate (b. 1787)
1881 - Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, French sculptor and photographer (b. 1818)
1883 – Jack Russell, English parson, hunter and dog breeder (b. 1795)
1885 - Conrad Baker, Governor of Indiana (b. 1817)
1901 2000
1905 - Fitzhugh Lee, American politician, 40th Governor of Virginia (b. 1835)
1909 - Frederick Holbrook, Governor of Vermont (b. 1813)
1918 – Gavrilo Princip, Bosnian-Serb assassin (b. 1894)
1934 - Charley Patton, American blues musician (b. 1891)
1936 – King Fuad I of Egypt (b. 1868)
1944 – Frank Knox, American politician (b. 1874)
1945 – Benito Mussolini, Italian Fascist dictator (b. 1883)
1945 – Clara Petacci, Italian mistress to Benito Mussolini (b. 1912)
1946 - Louis Bachelier, French mathematician (b. 1875)
1949 – Aurora Quezon, First Lady of the Philippines (b. 1888)
1954 – Leon Jouhaux, French Labor leader (b. 1879)
1964 – Milton Margai, 1st Prime Minister of Sierra Leone (b. 1895)
1970 – Ed Begley, American actor (b. 1901)
1973 - Jacques Maritain, French philosopher (b. 1882)
1973 – Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (b. 1893)
1976 - Richard Hughes, American writer (b. 1900)
1977 – Sepp Herberger, German footballer and coach (b. 1897)
1978 – Mohammed Daoud Khan, President of Afghanistan (b. 1909)
1981 - Steve Currie, American musician (b. 1947)
1992 – Francis Bacon, Irish painter (b. 1909)
1992 – Iceberg Slim, American writer (b. 1918)
1993 - Jim Valvano, American basketball player, coach and broadcaster (b. 1946)
1998 - Jerome Bixby, American author and screenwriter (b. 1923)
1999 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist (b. 1921)
2000 – Penelope Fitzgerald, English writer (b. 1916)
2000 - Jerzy Einhorn, Polish-Swedish physician, researcher and politician (b. 1925)
From 2001
2002 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician (b. 1950)
2005 – Chris Candido, American professional wrestler (b. 1972)
2007 - Dabbs Greer, American actor (b. 1917)
2007 – Carl Friedrich von Weizsaecker, German physicist and philosopher (b. 1912)
2009 – Ekaterina Maximova, Russian ballerina (b. 1939)
2011 – Erhard Loretan, Swiss mountaineer (b. 1959)
2012 – Matilde Camus, Spanish poet and writer (b. 1919)
2013 - Janos Starker, Hungarian-American cellist (b. 1924)
2014 - Ryan Tandy, Australian rugby league player (b. 1981)
2014 - Jack Ramsay, American basketball coach (b. 1925)
2014 - Edgar Laprade, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1919)
2014 - Dennis Kamakahi, American musician (b. 1953)
2014 - Idris Sardi, Indonesian violinist and composer (b. 1938)
2015 - Ashura Hara, Japanese professional wrestler (b. 1947)
2015 - Keith Harris, English ventriloquist (b. 1947)
2015 - Xu Guangxian, Chinese chemist (b. 1920)
2015 - Deng Minghe, Chinese actor (b. 2006)
2015 - Michael J. Ingelido, American air force general (b. 1916)
2015 - René Féret, French actor and director (b. 1945)
2015 - Duri Camichel, Swiss ice hockey player (b. 1982)
2015 - Jack Ely, American singer (b. 1943)
2016 - Georg Kronawitter, German politician (b. 1928)
2016 - Edward Ashmore, British naval officer (b. 1919)
2016 - Conrad Burns, American politician (b. 1934)
2016 - Jenny Diski, English writer (b. 1947)
2016 - Igor Fesunenko, Russian journalist (b. 1933)
2016 - René Hausman, Belgian author and artist (b. 1936)
2016 - Barry Howard, English actor (b. 1937)
2016 - Ingram Olkin, American professor of statistics (b. 1924)
2017 - Vito Acconci, American artist and architectural designer (b. 1940)
2017 - Brazo de Oro, Mexican professional wrestler (b. 1959)
2017 - Janelle Kirtley, American water skier (b. 1943)
2017 - John Shifflett, American jazz musician (b. 1953)
2017 - Chad Young, American cyclist (b. 1995)
2018 - James H. Cone, American theologian (b. 1936)
2018 - Alfie Evans, British child in parental rights case (b. 2016)
2018 - Larry Harvey, American artist, philanthropist and activist (b. 1948)
2018 - Art Paul, American graphic designer (b. 1925)
2018 - Agildo Ribeiro, Brazilian actor (b. 1932)
2018 - Art Shay, American photographer (b. 1922)
2018 - Karl Toft, Canadian sex offender (b. 1936)
2018 - Eric Koch, German-Canadian author, broadcaster and academic (b. 1919)
2019 - Sylvia Bretschneider, German politician (b. 1960)
2019 - Wayson Choy, Canadian writer (b. 1939)
2019 - Damon Keith, American judge (b. 1922)
2019 - Jo Sullivan Loesser, American actress (b. 1927)
2019 - Richard Lugar, American politician, United States Senator for Indiana (b. 1932)
2019 - Karol Modzelewski, Polish historian, writer, politician and academic (b. 1937)
2019 - Menachem Mandel Taub, Israeli concentration camp survivor (b. 1923)
Observances
Workers Memorial Day
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
National Heroes Day (Barbados)
National Day (Sardinia)
Days of the year |
5149 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutiny%20on%20the%20Bounty | Mutiny on the Bounty | The Mutiny on the Bounty has become a famous story, leading to many books, movies, and songs. The HMS Bounty was a small, three masted, fully rigged, sailing ship. The Bounty became famous when the crew (seamen) mutinied (took over) the ship on 28 April 1789. The captain of the Bounty was named William Bligh.
The ship
The ship was built in Hull, England in 1784 and was first called Bethia. In 1787 the ship was rebuilt to carry breadfruit trees. Heat and water were added to the cabins so the trees would survive in cold weather. The British government was hoping the breadfruit trees growing wild in Tahiti could be grown in Jamaica. This would provide cheap food for the slaves working on the sugar farms. The ship was very small - 90 feet 10 inches (27.7 metres) long and 24 feet 4 inches (7.4 metres) wide. The tallest mast was 53 feet (16.1 metres) high.
The Bounty was captained by Lieutenant William Bligh and he took command on 16 August 1787. On 23 December, 1787, Bounty set off on the long trip to Tahiti. On the journey, William Bligh tried to go around Cape Horn. He tried for over a month but bad weather and winds stopped the ship. The Bounty was turned around and went the longer way around the Cape of Good Hope.
Tahiti
The Bounty reached Tahiti on 25 October 1788. She had been at sea for ten months. The crew stayed for five months and lived on the island. They collected 1015 breadfruit plants. The crew were very happy living in Tahiti and Fletcher Christian fell in love with a Tahitian girl named Maimiti. They did not want to have another long journey and go back to England.
The Bounty left Tahiti on 4 April 1789, on the way to Jamaica. On 28 April, near the Friendly Islands, Fletcher Christian led the mutiny (take over). Bligh and 18 sailors were left at sea in a small boat, while Christian and the Bounty went back to Tahiti. Christian and a small group of sailors, 11 Tahitian women, and 6 Tahitian men then went to the remote Pitcairn Island. After they arrived they took everything they could from the ship. A sailor called Matthew Quintal, burned and destroyed the Bounty on 23 January 1790.
Pitcairn Island
Pitcairn Island is a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. The Polynesians knew about the island and people had once lived there. There was nobody living on Pitcairn when it was discovered by an English sailor, Philip Carteret on 2 July 1767. He made a mistake and marked it on the map 200 miles from its real location. The people from the Bounty had the remote island to themselves. There was a lot of fighting between the new settlers. Fletcher Christian, 4 other mutineers and all 6 of the Tahitian men were killed. One of the 4 surviving mutineers fell off a cliff while drunk. Matthew Quintal was killed by the remaining 2 mutineers after he attacked them. When the American seal-hunting ship Topaz visited the island in 1808 they found only 1 mutineer, John Adams, still alive along with 9 Tahitian women. In 1856, the British government moved all the island people to Norfolk Island. Most stayed on Norfolk, but about 22 people found their way back and their descendants still live on Pitcairn. Norfolk has about 1000 Bounty descendants, which is about half its population.
Afterwards
Lieutenant William Bligh was able to sail the small boat 6500 km back to Batavia. He returned to England and reported the mutiny to the Admiralty on 15 March 1790. On 7 November 1790, HMS Pandora was sent to Tahiti look for the Bounty and to bring back the mutineers for punishment. The Pandora was able to capture the mutineers left on Tahiti, but could find no sign of the group that was hiding on Pitcairn. The Pandora was wrecked on the way back to England.
The following list tells what happened to the crew of the Bounty.
Two died before the mutiny:
James Valentine, sailor, died from an infection caused by surgery, before arriving in Tahiti
Thomas Huggan, Surgeon, died 6 weeks after arriving on Tahiti
From the 19 left in the small boat, only 12 got back safely to England
Lieutenant William Bligh, Commander
Lawrence Lebogue, sail maker, sailed with Bligh on next trip
Thomas Hayward, midshipman, went back to Tahiti on HMS Pandora, survived and went back to England
John Fryer, Sailing Master
William Cole, boatswain
William Peckover, gunner
William Purcell, carpenter
John Hallett, Midshipman
George Simpson, quartermaster’s Mate
John Smith, sailor/Commander’s Servant
John Samuel, clerk /steward
Robert Tinkler, sailor
One sailor was killed on the trip to Timor:
John Norton, quartermaster, killed by natives on Tofua
One sailor died from disease when they reached Timor:
David Nelson, botanist, died in Timor
Three sailors died from disease not long after getting to Batavia:
William Elphinstone, master’s mate, died from malaria at Batavia
Peter Linkletter, quartermaster, died from malaria at Batavia
Thomas Hall, sailor/ship's cook, died from disease in Batavia
Two sailors died on their way home from Batavia to England:
Thomas Denman Ledward, surgeon’s mate, lost at sea
Robert Lamb, sailor/butcher, died on the trip from Batavia
Seven sailors were forced to stay on the Bounty after the mutiny. There was not room in the small boat. They were all taken prisoner in Tahiti by the Pandora to be taken back to England to be charged:
George Stewart, acting midshipman, drowned in the Pandora wreck
Peter Heywood, acting midshipman, found guilty but pardoned
James Morrison, boatswain’s mate, found guilty but pardoned.
Charles Norman, carpenter’s mate, found not guilty
Michael Byrne, sailor/fiddler, found not guilty
Thomas McIntosh, carpenter’s crew, found not guilty
Joseph Coleman, armorer, found not guilty
Two of the mutineers who stayed on Tahiti died before the Pandora arrived:
Charles Churchill, master-at-arms, killed by Matthew Thompson
Matthew Thompson, sailor, killed by the Tahitians
Three mutineers who were captured by the Pandora, drowned in the wreck:
Henry Hillbrant, sailor/cooper
Richard Skinner, sailor/barber
John Sumner, sailor
Four mutineers survived the wreck and were taken to England for trial:
Thomas Burkett, sailor, found guilty and hanged
Thomas Ellison, sailor, found guilty and hanged
John Millward sailor, found guilty and hanged,
William Muspratt, sailor/tailor and assistant cook, sentenced to death, but released on appeal
Only two of the mutineers who went to Pitcairn died peacefully:
Isaac Martin, sailor, killed by the Tahitian men on Pitcairn
William McCoy, sailor, fell from cliff on Pitcairn while drunk
Matthew Quintal, sailor, killed by John Adams on Pitcairn
John Williams, sailor, killed by the Tahitian men on Pitcairn
William Brown, gardener, mutineer, killed by the Tahitian men on Pitcairn
Fletcher Christian, master’s mate, killed by the Tahitian men on Pitcairn
John Mills, gunner’s mate, killed by the Tahitian men on Pitcairn
Edward Young, acting midshipman, died of illness on Pitcairn
John Adams, sailor, died from natural causes on Pitcairn
Related pages
William Bligh
Fletcher Christian
Pitcairn Island
References
History of the United Kingdom
1789 works |
5150 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1787 | 1787 |
Events
May 13 – Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England with the First Fleet, 11 ships full of convicts to establish a penal colony in Australia.
August 16 – Lieutenant William Bligh takes command of the HMVA Bounty.
December 23 – The HMVA Bounty is sent to Tahiti to collect breadfruit plants.
Date unknown
The Pennsylvania Prison Society is started.
Births
March 16 – Georg Ohm, German physicist
December 10 – Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, founder of the American School for the Deaf
Deaths
May 28 – Leopold Mozart, composer
June 20 – Karl Friedrich Abel, German Baroque composer |
5151 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/August%2016 | August 16 |
Events
Up to 1900
1 BC China: Wang Mang is declared marshal of the state. Emepror Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no living heirs.
1513 Battle of Guinegate: Henry VIII of England and his imperial allies defeat French forces who are then forced to retreat.
1728 Vitus Bering reaches the Diomede Islands between Siberia and Alaska in the now-named Bering Strait.
1777 American Revolutionary War: American troops defeat British forces at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.
1780 American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden - British forces defeat American forces near Camden, South Carolina.
1787 Lieutenant William Bligh takes command of HMAV Bounty.
1801 Horatio Nelson fails in an attempt to attack a French fleet in Boulogne-sur-Mer on France's English Channel coast.
1812 War of 1812 - American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit, without a fight, to the British Army.
1812 Arnold Abbuehl, Joseph Bortis and Alois Volker become the first people to climb the mountain Finsteraarhorn in the Swiss Alps.
1819 Peterloo Massacre: 17 people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting in St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England, UK.
1858 US President James Buchanan inaugurates a new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. A weak line forces the service to close after just a few weeks.
1863 Fighting starts between the Dominican Republic and Spain over Dominican independence.
1868 Arica, in Peru (now in Chile) is hit by a magnitude 8.5 earthquake. Resulting tsunamis kill thousands of people.
1870 Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.
1896 Klondike Gold Rush: Keish, George Carnack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in the Yukon, northwestern Canada.
1901 2000
1906 A magnitude 8.2 earthquake strikes Valparaiso, Chile, killing almost 3,900 people.
1913 Tohoku Imperial University becomes the first university in Japan to allow female students to study at its institution.
1914 World War I: The Battle of Cer begins troops of Austria-Hungary enter Serbian territory.
1930 The first colour sound cartoon, Fiddlesticks, is created by Ub Iwerks.
1930 The first British Empire Games begin in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In later years, these games become better known as the Commonwealth Games.
1935 The first successful climb of Gunnbjorn Fjeld, the highest mountain in Greenland, takes place.
1936 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany end.
1936 Spanish Civil War: Republican troops land on Mallorca, starting the Battle of Mallorca.
1942 German U-Boat U-507 sinks three civilian Brazilian ships off Brazil's coast. They are Araraguara (131 killed), Anibal Benevelo (150 killed) and Baependy (270 killed).
1944 First flight of a Junkers Ju 287 aircraft.
1945 Puyi, the last Chinese Emperor, and ruler of Manchuria, is captured by Soviet troops.
1945 An assassination attempt is made on Prime Minister of Japan Kantaro Suzuki.
1945 Poland cedes 46 % of its previous territory to the Soviet Union.
1946 Mass riots begin in Kolkata, killing 4,000 people in 3 days.
1954 The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published.
1960 Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
1960 Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico.
1962 The Beatles fire Pete Best and hire Ringo Starr.
1962 Algeria joins the Arab League.
1964 A coup occurs in South Vietnam, where President Duong Van Minh is replaced by Nguyen Khanh.
1972 An unsuccessful coup attempt is made in Morocco, as the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires at the plane of King Hassan II of Morocco, who is flying back to the capital, Rabat, at the time.
1974 The Ramones play their first show in the New York City nightclub CBGB's.
1975 Police arrest serial killer Ted Bundy.
1976 A magnitude 7.9 earthquake strikes the island of Mindanao, Philippines.
1976 ABBA's hit single Dancing Queen is released.
1977 Singer, musician and actor Elvis Presley dies at the age of 42, leading to a worldwide outpouring of grief.
1987 A McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft of Northwest Airlines crashes in Detroit, killing 154 people, leaving only one survivor.
1988 The dam of the Bagauda Reservoir in Nigeria breaks, killing 23 people.
1989 A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips.
From 2001
2004 Heavy rains cause a river to flood the small coastal town of Boscastle in Cornwall, England.
2004 The Cassini Huygens space probe discovers two moons of Saturn.
2005 A West Caribbean Airlines plane crashes near Machiques in Northwestern Venezuela, killing all 160 people on board.
2007 Tropical Storm Erin makes landfall near Lamar, Texas.
2008 The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at 423 meters (1,389 feet).
2012 South African police shoot 34 miners dead during an industrial dispute at the Marikana Mine.
2012 Ecuador agrees to give asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who remains in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.
2013 Over 80 protestors are killed in violence across Egypt, two days after hundreds of people were killed in Cairo.
2013 The ferry St. Thomas Aquinas sinks off Cebu, Philippines, killing at least 61, and leaving over 59 missing. The accident happened as a result of a collision with a cargo ship.
2013 In addition to the 10,000-meter title six days earlier, Mo Farah also wins the 5,000-meter title at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow. He is only the second man to hold these titles in both the Olympics and World Championships at the same time.
2018 American singer Aretha Franklin dies aged 76 on the 41st anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, and on Madonna's 60th birthday.
Births
Up to 1900
1355 Philippa, 5th Countess of Ulster (d. 1382)
1378 Hongxi Emperor, Chinese Emperor (d. 1425)
1397 Albert II of Germany, nobleman (d. 1439)
1401 Jacqueline, Countess of Hainault (d. 1436)
1557 Agostino Carracci, Italian painter (d. 1602)
1564 Federico Borromeo, Italian cardinal (d. 1631)
1573 Anna of Austria, Queen of Poland (d. 1598)
1596 Frederick V, Elector Palatine (d. 1632)
1604 Bernard of Saxony-Weimar, German general (d. 1639)
1645 Jean de la Bruyère, French writer (d. 1696)
1650 Vincenzo Coronelli, Italian mapmaker (d. 1718)
1682 Louis, Dauphin of France, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1712)
1744 Pierre Méchain, French physician (d. 1804)
1761 Yevstingney Fomin, Russian composer (d. 1800)
1798 Mirabeau B. Lamar, President of the Republic of Texas (d. 1859)
1802 Isaac Adams, American inventor (d. 1883)
1815 John Bosco, Italian Catholic priest (d. 1888)
1820 Andrew Rainsford Wetmore, 1st Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1892)
1821 Arthur Cayley, English mathematician (d. 1895)
1831 John Jones Ross, 7th Premier of Quebec (d. 1901)
1832 Wilhelm Wundt, German psychologist (d. 1920)
1842 Jakob Rosanes, Ukrainian-German mathematician, chess player and academic (d. 1922)
1845 Gabriel Lippmann, French physicist (d. 1921)
1849 Johan Kjeldahl, Danish chemist (d. 1900)
1855 James McGowen, Australian politician, 18th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1922)
1856 Aparicio Saravia, Uruguayan politician and military leader (d. 1904)
1860 Jules Laforgue, French poet (d. 1887)
1862 Amos Alonzo Stagg, American baseball player and coach (d. 1965)
1864 Elsie Inglis, Scottish physician and suffragist (d. 1917)
1865 James Joseph Dougherty, Archbishop of Philadelphia (d. 1951)
1869 Leon Kauffman, Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 1952)
1871 Zakaria Paliashvili, Georgian composer (d. 1933)
1876 Ivan Bilibin, Russian illustrator (d. 1942)
1882 Christian Mortensen, Danish-American supercentenarian (d. 1998)
1884 Hugo Gernsback, Luxembourg-American writer (d. 1967)
1887 Hugh Dalton, British politician (d. 1962)
1888 T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), British writer and soldier (d. 1935)
1888 Armand J. Piron, American violinist, bandleader and composer (d. 1943)
1891 Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (d. 1971)
1892 Otto Messmer, American cartoonist (d. 1983)
1895 Albert Cohen, Swiss novelist (d. 1981)
1901 1950
1902 Georgette Heyer, British writer (d. 1974)
1904 Minoru Genda, Japanese military aviator and politician (d. 1989)
1904 Wendell Meredith Stanley, American chemist (d. 1971)
1905 Marian Rejewski, Polish mathematician (d. 1980)
1906 Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein (d. 1989)
1908 Orlando Cole, American cello teacher (d. 2010)
1911 E. F. Schumacher, German-British economist (d. 1977)
1912 Ted Drake, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1995)
1913 Menachem Begin, 6th Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1992)
1920 Charles Bukowski, American writer (d. 1994)
1924 Fess Parker, American actor (d. 2010)
1928 Ann Blyth, American actress and singer
1928 Eydie Gormé, American singer (d. 2013)
1928 Ara Güler, Armenian-Turkish photojournalist (d. 2018)
1929 Helmut Rahn, German footballer (d. 2003)
1929 Bill Evans, American jazz musician, composer and bandleader (d. 1980)
1930 Robert Culp, American actor (d. 2010)
1930 Frank Gifford, American football player and announcer (d. 2015)
1930 Leslie Manigat, 43rd President of Haiti (d. 2014)
1930 Wolfgang Völz, German actor (d. 2018)
1933 Stuart Roosa, American astronaut (d. 1994)
1934 Diana Wynne Jones, British writer (d. 2011)
1934 Pierre Richard, French actor
1935 Andreas Stamatiadis, Greek footballer and coach
1937 Lorraine Gary, American actress
1938 Rocco Granata, Italian singer
1938 Bill Masterton, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1968)
1939 Valery Ryumin, Soviet-Russian cosmonaut
1939 Trevor McDonald, Trinidadian-British broadcaster and journalist
1939 Sean Brady, Irish cardinal and Archbishop of Armagh
1940 Bruce Beresford, Australian director
1940 John Craven, British journalist
1940 Aleksander Mandziara, Polish footballer and coach (d. 2015)
1941 Ahmed al-Mirghani, President of Sudan (d. 2008)
1942 Lesley Turner, Australian tennis player
1944 Kevin Ayers, British singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
1945 Suzanne Farrell, American ballet dancer
1946 Lesley Ann Warren, American actress
1946 Massoud Barzani, First President of Iraqi Kurdistan
1947 Ephraïm Inoni, Prime Minister of Cameroon
1947 Carol Moseley Braun, American lawyer and politician
1948 Earl Blumenauer, American politician
1948 Annemarie Huber-Hotz, Swiss Federal Chancellor (d. 2019)
1949 Scott Asheton, American musician (The Stooges)
1950 Hasely Crawford, Trinidadian athlete
1950 Jack Unterweger, Austrian murderer (d. 1994)
1951 1975
1951 Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, President of Nigeria (d. 2010)
1953 Kathie Lee Gifford, American talk show host, singer and actress
1954 James Cameron, Canadian movie director
1954 George Galloway, British politician
1956 Vahan Hovhannisyan, Armenian politician (d. 2014)
1956 R. R. Patil, Indian politician (d. 2015)
1957 Laura Innes, American actress
1957 Phil Murphy, American politician, diplomat and investment banker, 56th Governor of New Jersey
1958 Madonna, American singer and actress
1958 Angela Bassett, American actress
1958 Oscar Collodo, Swiss-Italian rugby player and coach
1960 Timothy Hutton, American actor
1960 Franz Welser-Möst, Austrian conductor
1962 Ayub Bachchu, Bangladeshi singer-songwriter (d. 2018)
1962 Steve Carell, American actor and comedian
1963 Christine Cavanaugh, American voice actress (d. 2014)
1964 Jimmy Arias, American tennis player
1964 Barry Venison, English footballer and journalist
1967 Ulrika Jonsson, Swedish-British television personality
1970 Fabio Casartelli, Italian cyclist (d. 1995)
1970 Manisha Koirala, Nepalese Bollywood actress
1970 Seth Peterson, American actor
1971 Matthew Bingley, Australian footballer
1971 Dirk Lehmann, German footballer
1971 Stefan Klos, German footballer
1971 Rulon Gardner, American wrestler
1972 Stan Lazaridis, Australian footballer
1972 Emily Robison, American country music singer (Dixie Chicks)
1972 Frankie Boyle, Scottish comedian
1974 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Guyanese cricketer
1974 Ivan Hurtado, Ecuadorean footballer
1975 Didier Agathe, French footballer
1975 Tamara Natalie Madden, Jamaican-American artist (d. 2017)
From 1976
1976 Jonatan Johansson, Finnish footballer
1978 Fu Mingxia, Chinese diver
1979 Cleo Lemon, American NFL player
1980 Hwangbo, South Korean singer, rapper and actress
1980 Vanessa Carlton, American singer-songwriter and pianist
1980 Robert Hardy, British musician (Franz Ferdinand)
1981 Roque Santa Cruz, Paraguayan footballer
1982 Joleon Lescott, English footballer
1983 Poom Jensen, Thai royal (d. 2004)
1983 Nikolaos Zisis, Greek basketball player
1984 Candice Dupree, American basketball player
1984 Matteo Anesi, Italian speed skater
1987 Carey Price, Canadian ice hockey player
1988 Kevin Schmidt, American actor
1989 Wang Hao, Chinese athlete
1991 G.E.M., Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actress
1991 Kwon Ri-se, South Korean singer (d. 2014)
1991 Evanna Lynch, Irish actress
1991 Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, Canadian actress
1993 Cameron Monaghan, American actor
1997 Greyson Chance, American singer
1997 Piper Curda, American actress and singer
Deaths
Up to 1900
1027 King Giorgi I of Georgia (b. 998)
1297 John II of Trebizond (b. 1262)
1358 Albert II, Duke of Austria (b. 1298)
1419 Wenceslaus, King of the Romans, King of Bohemia (b. 1361)
1443 Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, Japanese shogun (b. 1434)
1445 Margaret of Scotland, Consort of Louis XI of France (b. 1424)
1532 John, Elector of Saxony (b. 1468)
1705 Jakob Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and scientist (b. 1654)
1791 Charles-Francois de Broglie, marquis de Ruffec, French soldier and diplomat (b. 1719)
1836 Marc-Antoine Parseval, French mathematician (b. 1755)
1880 Herschel Vespasian Johnson, American politician, Governor of Georgia (b. 1812)
1886 Ramakrishna, Bengali saint (b. 1836)
1888 John Pemberton, American inventor of Coca-Cola (b. 1831)
1893 Jean-Martin Charcot, French neurologist (b. 1825)
1899 Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, German chemist (b. 1811)
1900 Eça de Queiroz, Portuguese writer (b. 1845)
1901 2000
1910 Pedro Montt, President of Chile (b. 1849)
1911 Patrick Francis Moran, Irish-Australian cardinal (b. 1830)
1921 Peter I of Serbia (b. 1844)
1937 Rodolfo Chiari, President of Panama (b. 1869)
1938 Robert Johnson, American musician (b. 1911)
1940 Henri Desgrange, French journalist (b. 1865)
1945 Takijirō Ōnishi, Japanese naval leader (b. 1891)
1948 Babe Ruth, American baseball player (b. 1895)
1949 Margaret Mitchell, American writer (b. 1900)
1951 Louis Jouvet, French actor and producer (b. 1887)
1956 Bela Lugosi, Hungarian actor (b. 1882)
1957 Irving Langmuir, American chemist (b. 1881)
1959 Wanda Landowska, Polish harpsichordist (b. 1879)
1961 Maulvi Abdul Haq, Indian Urdu educator and linguist (b. 1870)
1972 Pierre Brasseur, French actor (b. 1905)
1973 Selman Waksman, Ukrainian-American biochemist (b. 1888)
1975 Vladimir Kuts, Ukrainian distance runner (b. 1927)
1977 Elvis Presley, American singer and actor (b. 1935)
1978 Tjarda von Starkenborgh Stachouwer, Dutch nobleman and statesman (b. 1888)
1979 John Diefenbaker, Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1895)
1986 Jaime Saenz, Bolivian writer (b. 1921)
1989 Amanda Blake, American actress (b. 1929)
1989 Jean-Hilaire Aubame, Prime Minister of Gabon (b. 1912)
1991 Luigi Zampa, Italian movie director (b. 1905)
1993 Stewart Granger, British actor (b. 1913)
1998 Dorothy West, American author (b. 1907)
From 2001
2002 Abu Nidal, Palestinian political leader (b. 1937)
2003 Idi Amin, Dictator of Uganda (b. around 1928)
2004 Ivan Hlinka, Czech ice hockey coach (b. 1950)
2005 Frère Roger, Swiss monk and mystic (b. 1915)
2006 Alfredo Stroessner, President of Paraguay (b. 1912)
2007 Max Roach, American musician and composer (b. 1924)
2008 Ronnie Drew, Irish singer (The Dubliners) (b. 1934)
2009 Warren E. Earnes, 46th Governor of Missouri (b. 1923)
2010 Dimitrios Ioannidis, Greek military officer (b. 1923)
2010 Nicola Cabibbo, Italian physicist (b. 1935)
2011 Andrej Bajuk, Slovenian banker and politician (b. 1943)
2012 Abune Paulos, Ethiopian Orthodox Church Patriarch (b. 1935)
2012 William Windom, American actor (b. 1923)
2013 Roy Bonisteel, Canadian journalist and television host (b. 1930)
2014 Peter Scholl-Latour, German historian and author (b. 1924)
2014 Fernand St. Germain, American politician (b. 1928)
2015 Shuja Khanzada, Pakistani politician (b. 1943)
2016 Joao Havelange, Brazilian football official, President of FIFA (b. 1916)
2017 Vera Glagoleva, Russian actress (b. 1956)
2017 David Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort, British peer (b. 1928)
2017 Roger Pinto Molina, Bolivian politician (b. 1960)
2017 Jon Shepodd, American actor (b. 1924)
2017 Vicente Sota, Chilean politician (b. 1924)
2018 Benny Andersen, Danish writer and pianist (b. 1929)
2018 Donald E. Edwards, American general (b. 1937)
2018 Aretha Franklin, American singer (b. 1942)
2018 Kim Yong-chun, North Korean politician (b. 1936)
2018 Yelena Shushunova, Russian gymnast (b. 1969)
2018 Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian politician, Prime Minister of India (b. 1924)
2019 Gustavo Barreiro, Cuban-American politician (b. 1959)
2019 Princess Christina of the Netherlands (b. 1947)
2019 Peter Fonda, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1940)
2019 Felice Gimondi, Italian cyclist (b. 1942)
2019 Faisal Masud, Pakistani physician and educator (b. 1954)
2019 José Nápoles, Cuban-Mexican boxer (b. 1940)
2019 Richard Williams, Canadian-British animator and director (b. 1933)
Observances
Battle of Bennington Day (Vermont)
Days of the year |
5152 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/December%2023 | December 23 |
Events
Up to 1900
583 - Maya Queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque.
679 - King Dagobert II of Paris is murdered on a hunting trip.
962 - Arab-Byzantine Wars: Under future Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, Byzantine troops storm the city of Aleppo in present-day Syria.
1572 – Theologian Johann Sylvan is executed in Heidelberg.
1631 - Thirty Years' War: Sweden takes over the city of Mainz.
1672 – Giovanni Cassini discovers Saturn's moon Rhea.
1688 – James II of England flees to Paris, as Mary II and William III take the throne to rule jointly.
1783 - George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis.
1787 – The HMVA Bounty is sent to Tahiti to collect breadfruit plants.
1793 - Battle of Savenay: Decisive defeat of the royalist counter-revolutionaries in the war in the Vendee during the French Revolution.
1823 - "A Visit from St. Nicholas", also known as "The Night Before Christmas", is published anonymously.
1876 - First day of the Constantinople Conference which results in an agreement for the political reforms in the Balkans.
1888 – Part of Vincent van Gogh's left ear is cut off in as-yet unexplained circumstances.
1893 - The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is performed for the first time.
1901 2000
1913 - The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by US President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve Bank.
1914 – World War I: Australian and New Zealand troops land in Cairo, Egypt.
1916 - World War I: Battle of Maghdaba - Allied forces defeat Turkish forces on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
1920 - The UK government agrees on the Government of Ireland Act, which ends up splitting the island of Ireland in two.
1933 - A train crash occurs at Lagny-Pomponne in France, killing 204 people, and injuring 120.
1936 – Colombia becomes a signatory of the Buenos Aires Convention.
1938 - The first modern coelacanth fish is discovered in South Africa. The species was thought to be extinct.
1940 - World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis (Y-2) sinks the Italian motor ship Antonietta.
1941 – World War II: After 15 days of fighting, Japan takes control of Wake Island.
1947 – The transistor is first demonstrated.
1948 – Japanese officials who were found guilty of war crimes, are executed.
1954 - The first successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray.
1957 - Ian Craig of Australia becomes the youngest test cricket captain in history.
1958 – The Tokyo Tower is dedicated, becoming the world's tallest self-supporting iron tower.
1968 - The 82 sailors from the USS Pueblo are released after 11 months of internment in North Korea.
1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City is topped out at a height of 417 metres.
1970 - The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially becomes a single-party state.
1972 – A major earthquake hits Nicaragua, killing thousands of people. It was of magnitude 6.2.
1972 – Members of a Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes, near the border between Chile and Argentina, are rescued.
1973 - Royal Air Maroc airliner crashes over Morocco, killing 106 people.
1978 - An Alitalia Douglas DC-9 crashes on landing, into the Mediterranean Sea off Palermo, Sicily, killing 108 people. 22 people are saved and transported to land in fishing boats.
1979 – Soviet forces occupy Kabul, Afghanistan.
1982 - The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces that it has detected dangerous levels of dioxin in the soil of Times Beach, Missouri.
1986 – Voyager becomes the first aircraft without an aerial or ground refuelling to fly non-stop around the world.
1990 – In a referendum, most of Slovenia's voters support independence from Yugoslavia.
1991 – Germany recognises Croatia's independence.
From 2001
2003 – An explosion at the PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field near Chongqing, China, kills 234 people.
2005 – Lech Kaczynski becomes President of Poland. His time in office ends with his death in a plane crash on April 10, 2010.
2007 - An agreement is made for Nepal to change its system of government from a monarchy to a republic.
2011 – At least 40 people are killed in bomb attacks in Damascus, Syria.
2013 - A storm hits the UK and Ireland, with strong winds and heavy rain, killing 2 people and affecting transport in the run-up to Christmas.
2017 - A fire at a shopping center in Davao City, Southern Philippines, kills at least 37 people.
Births
Up to 1900
968 - Emperor Zhenzong of Song of China (d. 1022)
1173 - Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1231)
1525 - John I, Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1576)
1537 – John III of Sweden, King of Sweden (d. 1592)
1582 – Severo Bonini, composer (d. 1663)
1597 – Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet (d. 1639)
1613 – Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish soldier (d. 1676)
1689 - Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
1690 - Pamheiba, Indian Emperor (d. 1755)
1713 - Maruyama Gondazaemon, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1749)
1732 – Richard Arkwright, industrialist, and inventor of the Water Frame (d. 1792)
1750 – King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
1777 – Tsar Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
1783 - Giovanni Bechet, Italian poet and patriot (d. 1851)
1790 – Jean François Champollion, French Egyptologist, deciphered the Rosetta Stone (d. 1832)
1793 - Dost Mohammad Khan, ruler of Afghanistan (d. 1863)
1797 - Adrien-Henri de Jussieu, French botanist and physician (d. 1853)
1799 - Karl Bryullov, Russian painter (d. 1852)
1804 – Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic (d. 1869)
1805 – Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement (d. 1844)
1810 - Edward Blyth, English zoologist and ornithologist (d. 1873)
1819 – Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (d. 1889)
1822 – Wilhelm Bauer, engineer (d. 1875)
1839 - Janos Murkovics, Slovenian-Hungarian author and clergyman (d. 1889)
1841 - Ignacio Agramonte, Cuban revolutionary (d. 1873)
1854 - Henry B. Guppy, English botanist (d. 1926)
1856 - James Buchanan Duke, American industrialist (d. 1925)
1858 - Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Russian theatre director, writer and playwright (d. 1943)
1864 – Zorka of Montenegro, Princess of Serbia (d. 1890)
1867 – Madam C. J. Walker, first African American millionaire (d. 1919).
1878 - Mikheil Tsereteli, Georgian historian, philologist and sociologist (d. 1965)
1881 - Juan Ramon Jimenez, Spanish poet (d. 1958)
1885 – Pierre Brissaud, French artist (d. 1964)
1886 - Albert Ehrenstein, Austrian-German poet (d. 1950)
1887 - John Cromwell, American actor and director (d. 1979)
1891 – Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (d. 1956)
1896 – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Italian writer (d. 1957)
1900 - Arnold Bode, German artist (d. 1977)
1901 1950
1902 – Charan Singh, Prime Minister of India (d. 1987)
1903 - Boleslaw Kominek, Polish Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wroclaw (d. 1974)
1907 – Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean writer and poet (d. 2005)
1907 – Avraham Stern, Zionist group leader (d. 1942)
1908 – Yousuf Karsh, Armenian-Canadian portrait photographer (d. 2002)
1910 - Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (d. 1961)
1911 – Niels Kaj Jerne, Danish immunologist (d. 1994)
1911 - James Gregory, American actor (d. 2002)
1911 - Marie Olav, Estonian chess player (d. 1994)
1916 – Dino Risi, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
1918 – Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1974-1982 (d. 2015)
1918 – José Greco, dancer (d. 2000)
1922 – Calder Willingham, writer (d. 1995)
1922 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and musician (d. 2001)
1923 – James Stockdale, United States Navy admiral (d. 2005)
1923 – Günther Schifter, Austrian music journalist (d. 2008)
1924 - Bob Kurland, American basketball player (d. 2013)
1925 - Pierre Bérégovoy, Prime Minister of France (d. 1993)
1925 – Mohammed Mzali, Prime Minister of Tunisia (d. 2010)
1926 – Robert Bly, American poet
1929 - Chet Baker, American jazz trumpeter (d. 1988)
1931 - Lev Durov, Russian actor (d. 2015)
1933 – Akihito, Emperor of Japan
1934 - Claudio Scimone, Italian conductor
1935 – Paul Hornung, American football player
1935 - Esther Phillips, American singer (d. 1984)
1936 – Frederic Forrest, American actor
1937 - Barney Rosenzweig, American screenwriter and producer
1937 - Nelson Shanks, American artist (d. 2015)
1939 - La Lupe, Cuban-American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
1939 - Nancy Graves, American sculptor, painter and printmaker (d. 1995)
1940 – Jorma Kaukonen, Finnish-American musician (Jefferson Airplane)
1941 – Tim Hardin, musician
1941 - Nigel Anthony, English actor
1942 – Quentin Bryce, 25th Governor-General of Australia
1942 - M. M. Ruhul Amin, Bangladeshi judge (d. 2017)
1942 - Lars-Erik Berenett, Swedish actor (d. 2017)
1943 – Mikhail Gromov, Russian mathematician
1943 – Harry Shearer, American actor, voice actor (This Is Spinal Tap, The Simpsons)
1943 – Silvia, Queen of Sweden
1943 - Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (d. 1987)
1944 – Wesley Clark, American General and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander
1945 - Adly Mansour, Interim President of Egypt
1946 - Ray Tabano, American musician
1946 – John Sullivan, English television writer (d. 2011)
1947 – Susan Lucci, soap opera actress
1948 - David Davis, British politician
1948 - Jim Ferguson, American guitarist, composer, author and journalist
1948 – Jack Ham, American football player
1949 - Adrian Belew, American guitarist
1950 – Michael C. Burgess, American politician
1950 – Vicente del Bosque, Spanish football manager
1950 - Richard Dannatt, Baron Dannatt, English general
1951 1975
1951 – Anthony Phillips, British musician (Genesis)
1952 – William Kristol, American conservative commentator
1952 - David Loebsack, American politician
1953 - Andres Alver, Estonian architect
1953 - Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, Russian aristocrat
1955 – Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright
1956 – Dave Murray, English musician (Iron Maiden)
1957 – Trisha Goddard, English television presenter
1958 – Victoria Williams, singer
1961 – Carol Smillie, Scottish television personality
1962 - Stefan Hell, Romanian-German physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize winner
1962 - Kang Je-gyu, South Korean movie director, producer and screenwriter
1963 – Jim Harbaugh, American football quarterback
1964 – Eddie Vedder, musician (Pearl Jam)
1966 - Badi Assad, Brazilian singer, guitarist and composer
1967 – Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Italian-French singer, model and former First Lady of France
1968 - Quincy Jones III, English-Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
1968 - Barry Kooser, American artist and animation filmmaker
1968 - Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, Puerto Rican photographer
1968 - Sandra Roelofs, Dutch-born former First Lady of Georgia
1968 - Olga Shishigina, Kazakhstani hurdler
1969 – Martha Byrne, soap opera actress
1969 - Rob Pelinka, American basketball player, agent and lawyer
1970 – Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater
1971 – Corey Haim, Canadian actor (d. 2010)
1971 – Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite (d. 2017)
1971 - Jo Johnson, British politician
1974 – Agustin Delgado, Ecuadorean footballer
From 1976
1976 - Joanna Hayes, American hurdler
1977 – Matt Baker, British television presenter
1977 – Alge Crumpler, American football player
1978 – Andra Davis, American football player
1978 – Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
1978 – Estella Warren, Canadian actress and model
1978 – Esthero, Canadian musician and singer
1979 – Kenny Miller, Scottish footballer
1979 - Holly Madison, American model and actress
1981 - Agnes Milowka, Polish-Australian diver, explorer, author and photographer (d. 2011)
1981 – Beth, Spanish singer
1981 – Mario Santana, Argentine footballer
1983 – Michael Chopra, English footballer
1983 - Lisa Dobriskey, English middle-distance runner
1984 - Alison Sudol, American actress, singer and songwriter
1985 - Harry Judd, English drummer (McFly)
1987 – Owen Franks, New Zealand rugby player
1988 - Eri Kamei, Japanese singer
1988 - Yuka Kashino, Japanese singer and dancer
1989 - Lils Koger, Estonian painter and architect
1990 – Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, American actress
1992 - Spencer Daniels, American actor
1992 - Jeff Schlupp, German-Ghananian footballer
1996 - Bartosz Kapustka, Polish footballer
2002 - Finn Wolfhard, Canadian actor
Deaths
Up to 1900
130 – Emperor Keiko of Japan (b. 60)
484 - Huneric, Vandal king
558 - Childebert I, King of Paris
668 - Mor Gabriel, Syriac bishop and saint (b. 594)
679 - Dagobert II, Frankish king (b. 650)
910 - Saint Naum, Bulgarian missionary and scholar (b. 830)
918 - Conrad I of Germany (b. 890)
1193 – Saint Thorlak, patron Saint of Iceland (b. 1133)
1230 - Berengia of Navarre (b. 1165)
1572 – Johann Sylvan, German theologian
1575 – Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese military commander (b. 1531)
1588 - Henry I, Duke of Guise (b. 1550)
1631 – Michael Drayton, English poet (b. 1563)
1652 – John Cotton, English-born American minister (b. 1585)
1722 - Pierre Varignon, French mathematician (b. 1654)
1745 - Jan Dismas Zelenka, Bohemian composer (b. 1679)
1795 - Henry Clinton, English general and politician (b. 1730)
1831 - Emilie Plater, Lithuanian countess and freedom fighter (b. 1806)
1850 - Samuel Bell, Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1770)
1851 - Giovanni Bechet, Italian poet and patriot (b. 1783)
1872 - George Catlin, American painter (b. 1796)
1901 2000
1902 – Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1821)
1920 - Walter Runeberg, Finnish sculptor (b. 1838)
1931 – Wilson Bentley, American scientist (b. 1865)
1939 - Anthony Fokker, Dutch aircraft manufacturer (b. 1890)
1948 – Akira Muto, Japanese military commander (b. 1892)
1948 – Hideki Tōjō, 40th Prime Minister of Japan, Led the Attack on Pearl Harbour (b. 1884)
1950 - Vincenzo Tommasini, Italian composer (b. 1878)
1953 - Lavrentiy Beria, Soviet-Georgian politician (b. 1899)
1954 - René Iché, French sculptor and scholar (b. 1897)
1961 - Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (b. 1910)
1970 - Aleksander Warma, Estonian politician (b. 1890)
1972 - Charles Atlas, American bodybuilder (b. 1892)
1972 – Andrei Tupolev, Russian aircraft designer (b. 1888)
1973 - Charles Atlas, Italian-American bodybuilder (b. 1892)
1978 - Misao Tamai, Japanese footballer (b. 1903)
1979 – Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (b. 1898)
1984 - Joan Lindsay, Australian writer (b. 1896)
1992 – Eddie Hazel, American musician (b. 1950)
1994 - Sebastian Shaw, British actor (b. 1905)
1997 - Stanley Cortez, American cinematographer (b. 1908)
1998 – Anatoly Rybakov, Russian writer (b. 1911)
1998 - Joe Orlando, Italian-American comics writer, artist and editor (b. 1927)
1998 - Michelle Thomas, American actress (b. 1969)
2000 – Victor Borge, Danish comedian and pianist (b. 1909)
From 2001
2004 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister of India (b. 1921)
2005 – Lajos Baroti, Hungarian footballer (b. 1914)
2007 – Oscar Peterson, American jazz pianist and composer (b. 1925)
2009 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Tibetan politician (b. 1910)
2010 – K. Karunakaran, Indian politician (b. 1918)
2013 - Mikhail Kalashnikov, Russian inventor of the AK-47 (b. 1919)
2013 - Yusef Lateef, American saxophonist (b. 1920)
2013 - Robert W. Wilson, American philanthropist and businessman (b. 1926)
2014 - K. Balachander, Indian director and producer (b. 1930)
2014 - Jeremy Lloyd, English writer, screenwriter, author, poet and actor (b. 1930)
2014 - Jacques Chancel, French journalist and writer (b. 1928)
2015 - Hocine Aït Ahmed, Algerian politician (b. 1926)
2015 - Don Howe, English footballer (b. 1935)
2015 - Bülent Ulusu, Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1923)
2015 - Jean-Marie Pelt, French biologist, botanist and pharmacist (b. 1933)
2015 - Alfred G. Gilman, American pharmacologist and biochemist (b. 1941)
2016 - Anis Amri, Tunisian suspected terrorist (2016 Berlin attack) (b. 1992)
2016 - Heinrich Schiff, Austrian cellist and conductor (b. 1951)
2016 - Piers Sellers, English-American astronaut (b. 1955)
2017 - Maurice Hayes, Irish politician (b. 1927)
Observances
Akihito's birthday (Japan)
Saint Thorlak's Day (Iceland)
HumanLight (secular humanism in the United States)
Festivus
Kiran Diwas (Uttar Pradesh)
Victory Day (Egypt)
Children's Day (Sudan and South Sudan)
Days of the year |
5153 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1788 | 1788 |
Events
January 26 – The First Fleet arrives at Sydney Cove, bringing the first European settlers to Australia. This is now celebrated as Australia's national day.
October 25 – The HMVA Bounty reaches Tahiti.
December 14 – Accession of Charles IV, King of Spain.
Georgia becomes a state.
Births
January 22 – Lord Byron, English poet
February 5 – Robert Peel, British Prime Minister
Deaths
January 31 – Bonny Prince Charlie, Pretender to the English Throne
August 2 – Thomas Gainsborough, painter
December 14 – Charles III, King of Spain |
5154 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/October%2025 | October 25 |
Events
Up to 1900
1147 - Portuguese forces under Afonso I of Portugal, and crusaders from England and Flanders, conquer Lisbon after a four-month siege.
1154 - Henry II of England becomes King.
1415 - The army of Henry V of England defeats a French army at the Battle of Agincourt.
1616 – Dirk Hartog makes the second-recorded European landing in Australia, on Dirk Hartog Island, off the west coast.
1671 - Giovanni Domenico Cassini discovers Saturn's moon Iapetus.
1722 - King Louis XV of France, aged 12, is crowned in Reims Cathedral.
1747 - A British fleet under Admiral Sir Edward Hawke defeats the French at the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre.
1760 - George III of the United Kingdom becomes King, after the death of his grandfather, King George II of Great Britain.
1788 – The HMAV Bounty reaches Tahiti.
1812 - War of 1812: American frigate USS United States, commanded by Stephen Decatur, captures the British frigate HMS Macedonian.
1822 - Greek War of Independence: The First Siege of Missolonghi begins.
1828 - The St. Catherine Docks open in London.
1854 - Crimean War: Battle of Balaklava, including the British Charge of the Light Brigade.
1861 - The Toronto Stock Exchange is created.
1900 - The United Kingdom annexes Transvaal.
1901 2000
1917 - Julian calendar date of Russia's October Revolution. In the Gregorian calendar, the date was November 7.
1918 - Canadian steamship Princess Sophia hits a reef off Alaska and sinks, killing all 356 people on board.
1927 - Italian luxury steamship Principessa Mafalda hits a rock off Porto Seguro, Brazil, and sinks, killing 312 people.
1929 - Wall Street Crash: The severe losses of the previous day continue.
1940 - Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. is named the first African American general of the United States Army.
1941 - World War II: The Romanian Army liberates Carei, the last Romanian city under Nazi-Hungarian control.
1944 - World War II: The Battle of Leyte Gulf occurs in the Philippines.
1945 – The Republic of China takes over Taiwan.
1955 - In Japan, 12-year-old Sadako Sasaki dies, as a result of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima 10 years earlier. Her origami cranes, folded after she became unwell, have become symbols of peace and opposition to nuclear weapons.
1962 - Nelson Mandela is sentenced to five years in prison.
1962 – Uganda joins the UN.
1971 – At the UN, the People's Republic of China joins, as the Republic of China is expelled.
1979 - Catalonia and the Basque Country gain some autonomy (self-rule) within Spain.
1979 – The last new episode of Fawlty Towers airs.
1983 – The US and its Caribbean allies invade Grenada, six days after its Prime Minister Maurice Bishop is killed in a coup.
1990 - Kazakhstan declares independence from the Soviet Union
1991 - Four months after the Ten-Day War, the last soldier of the Yugoslav People's Army leaves the territory of the Republic of Slovenia.
1995 - A commuter train slams into a school bus in Fox River Grove, Illinois, killing 7 students.
1995 - Latvia applies to join the EU.
1997 - Denis Sassou-Nguesso proclaims himself President of the Republic of the Congo.
From 2001
2001 - Microsoft releases Windows XP.
2004 - In Cuba, Fidel Castro announces that transactions in the country that involve the United States Dollar will be banned.
2007 - Singapore Airlines carry out the first passenger flight of an Airbus A380.
2009 - Bombings in Baghdad kill 155 people.
2010 – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra causes tsunamis, which kill over 400 people, and leave many more missing.
2019 - The European Union agrees to extend the United Kingdom's Brexit deadline beyond October 31.
2019 - A beetle species discovered in 1965 is named after climate change activist Greta Thunberg, being given the name Nelloptodes gretae.
Births
Up to 1900
1330 - Louis II of Flanders (d. 1384)
1510 - Renée of France (d. 1574)
1576 - Thomas Weelkes, English composer (d. 1623)
1683 - Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, British politician (d. 1757)
1692 – Elizabeth Farnese, wife of King Philip V of Spain (d. 1766)
1714 - James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, Scottish scholar, philosopher and deist (d. 1799)
1754 - Richard Howell, Governor of New Jersey (d. 1802)
1759 - Maria Feodorovna, Russian Empress (d. 1828)
1759 - William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1834)
1767 – Benjamin Constant, Swiss writer (d. 1830)
1782 - Levi Lincoln, Jr., 13th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1868)
1789 - Heinrich Schwabe, German astronomer and botanist (d. 1875)
1790 - Robert Stirling, Scottish clergyman and inventor, creator of the Stirling engine (d. 1878)
1800 - Thomas Macaulay, British poet, historian and politician (d. 1859)
1802 - Joseph Montferrand, Canadian logger and strongman (d. 1864)
1806 - Max Stirner, German philosopher (d. 1856)
1811 – Evariste Galois, French mathematician (d. 1832)
1821 - Antonio Ciseri, Swiss-Italian writer (d. 1891)
1825 – Johann Strauss II, Austrian composer (d. 1899)
1827 - Marcelin Berthelot, French chemist and politician (d. 1907)
1828 - Dragan Tsankov, Bulgarian political figure (d. 1911)
1835 - William McTaggart, Scottish painter (d. 1910)
1838 – Georges Bizet, French composer (d. 1875)
1856 – Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger, Croatian paleontologist (d. 1936)
1864 – Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian composer (d. 1956)
1864 - John Francis Dodge, American automobile pioneer (d. 1920)
1867 – Józef Dowbór-Muśnicki, Polish general (d.1937)
1868 - Dan Burke, American baseball player (d. 1933)
1868 - Oskar Kallas, Estonian diplomat, linguist and folklorist (d. 1946)
1877 - Henry Norris Russell, American astronomer (d. 1957)
1879 - Fritz Haarmann, German serial killer (d. 1924)
1881 – Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 1973)
1888 – Richard E. Byrd, American explorer (d. 1957)
1889 – Abel Gance, movie writer (d. 1981)
1889 - Smoky Joe Wood, American baseball player (d. 1985)
1891 - Father Coughlin, Roman Catholic priest and radio broadcaster (d. 1979)
1892 – Leo G. Carroll, actor (d. 1972)
1895 – Levi Eshkol, Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1969)
1900 - Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian social activist (d. 1978)
1901 1925
1902 – Eddie Lang, American jazz musician (d. 1933)
1902 - Carlo Gnocchi, Italian priest, educator and writer (d. 1955)
1902 - Alfred E. Driscoll, Governor of New Jersey (d. 1975)
1903 - Katharine Byron, United States Congresswoman (d. 1976)
1905 - Bob McPhail, Scottish footballer (d. 2000)
1910 – William Higinbotham, American physicist (d. 1994)
1912 – Minnie Pearl, American comedian and singer (d. 1996)
1913 – Klaus Barbie, Nazi war criminal (d. 1991)
1914 – John Berryman, American poet (d. 1972)
1915 – Ivan M. Niven, Canadian mathematician (d. 1999)
1918 - Chubby Jackson, American jazz musician and bandleader (d. 2003)
1919 - Norman E. Erbe, Governor of Iowa (d. 2000)
1919 - Beate Uhser-Rotermund, German pilot and entrepreneur (d. 2001)
1921 - Michael I, former King of Romania (d. 2017)
1923 - Jean Duceppe, Quebec actor (d. 1990)
1923 - Bobby Thomson, Scottish-born American baseball player (d. 2010)
1923 - Achille Silvestrini, Italian cardinal (d. 2019)
1924 – Bill Barty, American actor (d. 2000)
1924 - Earl Palmer, American musician (d. 2008)
1925 - John J. Snyder, American Roman Catholic prelate (d. 2019)
1926 1950
1926 - Jimmy Heath, American jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger
1926 – Galina Vishnevskaya, Russian soprano (d. 2012)
1927 - Jorge Batlle Ibáñez, former President of Uruguay (d. 2016)
1927 – Barbara Cook, American singer and actress (d. 2017)
1927 - Lawrence Kohlberg, American psychologist (d. 1987)
1928 – Marion Ross, American actress
1928 - Peter Naur, Danish computer scientist (d. 2016)
1928 - Jeanne Cooper, American actress (d. 2013)
1928 - Anthony Franciosa, American actor (d. 2006)
1929 - Peter Rühmkorf, German writer (d. 2008)
1931 - Annie Girardot, French actress (d. 2011)
1932 - Jerzy Pawlowski, Polish fencer and double agent (d. 2005)
1933 – Jack Haley Jr., movie producer and director (d. 2001)
1935 – Rusty Schweickart, American astronaut
1936 - Martin Gilbert, British historian (d. 2015)
1936 - Masako Nozawa, Japanese actress
1937 - Roberto Menescal, Brazilian musician
1938 - Basile Georges Casmoussa, Iraqi archbishop
1938 - Vija Celmins, Latvian-American artist
1939 - Robert Cogoi, Belgian singer
1939 - Nikos Nikolaidis, Greek movie director and writer (d. 2007)
1939 - Dave Simmonds, English motorcycle racer (d. 1972)
1940 – Bobby Knight, American basketball coach
1941 – Anne Tyler, novelist
1942 – Helen Reddy, Australian singer
1944 – Jon Anderson, singer (Yes)
1944 – James Carville, political operative
1944 - Donald Ford, Scottish footballer
1944 - Azizan Abdul Razak, Malaysian politician
1945 - Yuriy Mechkov, Russian politician (d. 2019)
1947 – Glenn Tipton, English guitarist (Judas Priest)
1948 – Dan Gable, wrestler and coach
1949 – Brian Kerwin, actor
1949 - Ross Bagdasarian Jr., American voice actor
1951 1975
1951 – Richard Lloyd, musician
1952 - Wendy Hall, English computer scientist, mathematician and academic
1954 – Mike Eruzione, American hockey player
1955 - Glynis Barber, English actress
1955 - Robin Eubanks, American jazz musician
1955 – Matthias Jabs, German guitarist
1957 – Nancy Cartwright, American voice actress
1957 - Bernard Hogan-Howe, English police officer
1958 - Kornelia Ender, German swimmer
1958 – Phil Daniels, British actor
1959 - Chrissy Amphlett, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2013)
1961 - Chad Smith, American drummer (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)
1961 - Willie Walsh, Irish businessman
1962 - Nick Hancock, British TV presenter
1962 – Darlene Vogel, American actress
1963 - John Levén, Swedish bassist (Europe)
1963 – Tracy Nelson, actress
1964 – Nicole, German singer
1966 - Wendel Clark, Canadian ice hockey player
1969 – Oleg Salenko, Ukrainian-Russian footballer
1970 – Ed Robertson, Canadian guitarist and singer (Barenaked Ladies)
1970 - Adam Goldberg, American actor
1970 - Adam Pascal, American actor
1971 – Pedro Martínez, Dominican baseball player
1971 – Midori, Japanese violinist
1972 - Esther Duflo, French-American economist
1972 - Jonathan Torrens, Canadian actor, producer and screenwriter
1973 - Bettina Wulff, former First Lady of Germany
1975 - Zadie Smith, British novelist
From 1976
1977 – Birgit Prinz, German footballer
1977 - Anita Rani, English television presenter
1978 - An Jong-hak, Japanese-born North Korean footballer
1978 - Bobby Madden, Scottish football referee
1979 - Ivana Sert, Serbian-Turkish television personality, model and fashion designer
1979 - Rob Hulse, English footballer
1981 – Shaun Wright-Phillips, English footballer
1981 - Hiroshi Aoyama, Japanese motorcycle racer
1982 - Victoria Francés, Spanish artist
1984 – Sara Helena Lumholdt, Swedish musician (A-Teens)
1984 - Eddie Gaven, American soccer player
1984 – Katy Perry, American singer
1985 – Ciara Harris, American singer
1985 - Kara Lynn Joyce, American swimmer
1986 - DJ Webstar, American DJ and producer
1987 - Bill Amis, American basketball player
1987 – Fabian Hambüchen, German gymnast
1987 – Darron Gibson, Irish footballer
1988 - Rylan Clark-Neal, English television personality
1995 - Conchita Campbell, Canadian actress
1997 - Federico Chiesa, Italian footballer
1997 - Michael Rice, English singer
2001 - Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, next in-line to the throne of Belgium
2006 – Krista and Tatiana Hogan, Canadian craniopagus conjoined twins
Deaths
Up to 1900
304 - Pope Marcellinus
625 - Pope Boniface V
1047 – King Magnus I of Norway (b. 1024)
1154 - King Stephen of England (b. 1096)
1200 - Conrad of Wittelsbach, German archbishop
1400 - Geoffrey Chaucer, English poet (b. 1340)
1415 - Antoine, Duke of Brabant (b. 1384)
1415 - Frederick of Lorraine (b. 1371)
1478 - Catherine of Bosnia (b. 1425)
1495 – King John II of Portugal (b. 1455)
1514 - William Elphinstone, Scottish bishop (b. 1431)
1647 – Evangelista Torricelli, Italian physicist and mathematician (b. 1608)
1733 – Giovanni Girolamo Saccheri, Italian mathematician (b. 1667)
1760 – King George II of Great Britain (b. 1683)
1806 - Henry Knox, American general and politician (b. 1750)
1833 - Abbas Mirza of Persia (b. 1789)
1836 - Antonios Miaoulis, Greek politician and revolutionary leader (b. 1800)
1844 - Heinrich Cotta, German forester (b. 1763)
1906 - Todor Burmov, Bulgarian politician (b. 1834)
1920 – King Alexander I of Greece (b. 1893)
1921 - Bat Masterson, American journalist and lawman (b. 1853)
1926 - Charles Marion Russell, American artist and writer (b. 1864)
1945 - Robert Ley, German Nazi official (b. 1890)
1951 - Amélie of Orléans, last Queen of Portugal (b. 1865)
1955 – Sadako Sasaki, Japanese Hiroshima Atomic bomb victim (b. 1943)
1973 – Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian athlete (b. 1932)
1973 - Robert Scholl, German politician (b. 1891)
1973 - Cleo Moore, American actress (b. 1928)
1992 - Roger Miller, American musician and composer (b. 1936)
1993 – Vincent Price, American actor (b. 1911)
1994 - Mildred Natwick, American actress (b. 1905)
1995 – Viveca Lindfors, Swedish actress (b. 1920)
1995 - Bobby Riggs, American tennis player (b. 1918)
1999 - Payne Stewart, American golfer (b. 1957)
From 2001
2001 - Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari, Empress of Iran (b. 1932)
2002 – Richard Harris, Irish actor (b. 1930)
2002 - René Thom, French mathematician (b. 1923)
2003 - Pandurang Shastri Athavale, Indian philosopher and spiritual figure (b. 1920)
2003 - Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish cross-country skier (b. 1925)
2004 – John Peel, British disc jockey (b. 1939)
2009 - Camillo Cibin, Italian papal bodyguard (b. 1926)
2010 – Gregory Isaacs, Jamaican musician (b. 1951)
2011 - Tom McNeeley, American boxer (b. 1937)
2012 - John Connelly, English footballer (b. 1938)
2012 - Jacques Barzun, French-born American historian and philosopher (b. 1907)
2013 - Arthur Danto, American philosopher and art critic (b. 1924)
2013 - Nigel Davenport, British actor (b. 1928)
2013 - Bill Sharman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1926)
2013 - Hal Needham, American stuntman and director (b. 1931)
2013 - Marcia Wallace, American actress (b. 1942)
2014 - Marcia Strassman, American actress (b. 1948)
2014 - Reyhaneh Jabbari, Iranian woman convicted of murder (b. 1988)
2014 - Jack Bruce, Scottish musician (b. 1943)
2014 - Carlos Morales Troncoso, Vice President of the Dominican Republic (b. 1940)
2015 - Flip Saunders, American basketball coach (b. 1955)
2015 - Lisa Jardine, English historian (b. 1944)
2016 - Carlos Alberto Torres, Brazilian footballer (b. 1944)
2017 - Mohamed Abshir Muse, Somali military officer (b. 1926)
2017 - Jack Bannon, American actor (b. 1940)
2017 - Ronald Breslow, American chemist (b. 1931)
2017 - Ian Cathie, Australian politician (b. 1932)
2017 - Lu Guanqiu, Chinese entrepreneur (b. 1945)
2017 - Pinito del Oro, Spanish trapeze artist and novelist (b. 1930)
2018 - Sara Anzanello, Italian volleyball player (b. 1980)
2018 - Lindon Crow, American football player (b. 1933)
2018 - Sonny Fortune, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1939)
2018 - Thomas Keating, American Trappist monk and author (b. 1923)
2018 - Michael J. O'Connor, American politician (b. 1928)
2018 - Shivinder Singh Sidhu, Indian politician, Governor of Meghalaya and Goa (b. 1929)
2018 - John Ziegler Jr., American ice hockey player (b. 1934)
2019 - Salvador Freixedo, Spanish ufologist and Jesuit priest (b. 1923)
2019 - Carlo Strenger, Swiss-Italian psychologist and philosopher (b. 1958)
2019 - Don Valentine, American venture capitalist (b. 1932)
Observances
Constitution Day (Lithuania)
Armed Forces Day (Romania)
Day of the Basque Country
Republic Day (Kazakhstan)
Thanksgiving Day (Grenada)
Days of the year |
5155 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1789 | 1789 |
Events
April 4 – The HMAV Bounty leaves Tahiti.
April 28 – The Mutiny on the Bounty led by Fletcher Cristian.
April 30 – George Washington becomes first President of United States.
French Revolution: The people of France depose their king and rule the country themselves.
Births
September 15 – James Fenimore Cooper |
5156 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/April%204 | April 4 |
Events
Up to 1900
1147 – First historic record of Moscow.
1581 – Francis Drake is knighted by Queen Elizabeth I of England.
1660 - Declaration of Breda by Charles II of England.
1721 - Robert Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
1789 – The HMAV Bounty leaves Tahiti.
1812 – US President James Madison creates a 90-day embargo on trade with the United Kingdom.
1814 – Napoleon Bonaparte abdicates as Emperor of France.
1818 - United States Congress adopts a 13-stripe and 20-star national flag for the United States.
1841 – William Henry Harrison dies, making him the shortest–serving President of the United States, with 31 days in office. John Tyler succeeds him.
1850 – Los Angeles is incorporated as a city.
1865 - American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln visits Confederate capital city Richmond, Virginia.
1866 – Tsar Alexander II of Russia survives an assassination attempt in Kyiv.
1873 - The British Kennel Club is founded, for the registry of purebred dogs.
1884 - A peace treaty ends the War of the Pacific. Chile gains territory from Bolivia, which loses its coastline.
1887 - Argonia, Kansas, elects Susanna M. Salter as its Mayor, becoming the first woman in the United States to take up this role.
1901 2000
1905 – An earthquake in Kangra, Northern India, kills around 20,000 people.
1906 - Mount Vesuvius erupts.
1917 - British passenger steamer City of Paris is sunk by a German U-boat off the Cote d'Azur, southern France, killing all 122 people on board.
1925 - The Schutzstaffel (SS) is founded.
1939 – Faisal II becomes King of Iraq.
1944 – World War II: The first Anglo-American bombardment of Bucharest kills around 3,000 people.
1945 – World War II: The Soviet Army takes control of Hungary.
1945 - World War II: American troops capture Kassel.
1949 – NATO is founded.
1958 - The CND peace symbol is displayed in public for the first time, in London.
1960 – France agrees to the independence of Senegal and French Sudan (Mali).
1964 - The Beatles occupy all of the top 5 places in the Billboard Hot 100.
1967 – Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers the Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence speech in protest against the Vietnam War.
1968 – NASA launches Apollo 6.
1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr. is shot dead in Memphis, Tennessee.
1969 – Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart.
1973 – The World Trade Center in New York City is officially dedicated.
1976 – Microsoft is founded by a partnership of Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
1976 – Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia resigns and is placed under house arrest.
1979 – Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is executed in Pakistan.
1983 – The Space Shuttle Challenger makes its first space flight.
1984 - Ronald Reagan calls for an international ban on chemical weapons.
1988 - Governor Evan Mecham of Arizona is convicted in his impeachment trial and removed from office.
1991 - Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo becomes President of Benin.
1996 – Comet Hyakutake is imaged by the USA Asteroid Orbiter Near Earth Rendezvous.
1998 - A landslide in Southwestern Iran kills around 120 people.
From 2001
2002 - The Angolan government and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty, ending the Angolan Civil War.
2003 – Voodoo becomes an official religion in Haiti.
2003 - Iraq War: US bombing of Baghdad begins.
2004 - Eddie Fenech Adami becomes President of Malta.
2005 - From Moscow, where he fled to after a major uprising, Askar Akayev officially announces his resignation as President of Kyrgyzstan.
2007 – Iran releases 15 Royal Navy personnel that were arrested 12 days earlier for allegedly trespassing in Iranian waters.
2009 – Anders Fogh Rasmussen is announced to succeed Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as NATO Secretary-General. He takes up the post on August 1 of the same year.
2009 - George Abela becomes President of Malta.
2013 - Over 70 people are killed in a building collapse in Thane, India.
2014 - Marie Louise Coleiro Preca becomes President of Malta.
2017 - A chemical gas attack in Khan Shaykhun, Syria, kills at least 74 people.
2018 - The 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, begin.
2019 - George Vella becomes President of Malta.
Births
Up to 1900
188 – Caracalla, Roman Emperor (d. 217)
1179 – Farid-ud-din Ganj Shakar, Islamic saint in South Asia (d. 1266)
1492 - Ambrosius Blarer, German-Swiss theologian and reformer (d. 1564)
1572 – William Strachey, English writer (d. 1621)
1593 - Edward Nicholas, English statesman (d. 1669)
1614 - Henry II, Duke of Guise (d. 1664)
1640 - Gaspar Sanz, Aragonese composer, guitarist, organist and priest (d. 1710)
1646 – Antoine Galland, French archaeologist (d. 1715)
1648 – Grinling Gibbons, Dutch woodcarver (d. 1721)
1676 - Giuseppe Maria Orlandini, Italian composer (d. 1760)
1688 - Joseph-Nicolas Delisle, French astronomer (d. 1768)
1752 - Niccolo Antonio Zingarelli, Italian composer (d. 1837)
1759 - Israel Smith, Governor of Vermont (d. 1810)
1760 - Juan Manuel Olivares, Venezuelan composer (d. 1797)
1773 - Etienne Maurice Gerard, French general and statesman (d. 1852)
1785 – Bettina von Arnim, German writer (d. 1859)
1792 - Thaddeus Stevens, American lawyer and politician (d. 1868)
1802 – Dorothea Dix, American social activist (d. 1887)
1806 - Claiborne Fox Jackson, Governor of Missouri (d. 1862)
1809 - Benjamin Peirce, American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1880)
1819 – Queen Maria II of Portugal (d. 1853)
1821 – Linus Yale, Jr., American inventor and manufacturer (d. 1868)
1826 - Zenobe Gramme, Belgian engineer (d. 1901)
1828 - Margaret Oliphant, Scottish novelist (d. 1897)
1835 - John Hughlings Jackson, English neurologist (d. 1911)
1842 - Edouard Lucas, French mathematician (d. 1891)
1843 - William Henry Jackson, American painter (d. 1942)
1848 - Artruro Prat, Chilean naval hero (d. 1879)
1858 - Remy de Gourmont, French author, poet and critic (d. 1915)
1869 - Mary Jane Cotter, American architect (d. 1958)
1875 - Pierre Monteux, French conductor (d. 1964)
1876 – Maurice de Vlaminck, French painter (d. 1958)
1878 - Stylianos Lykoudis, Greek admiral (d. 1958)
1884 – Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese naval commander (d. 1943)
1889 - Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Indian Hindi language poet (d. 1968)
1895 - Arthur Murray, American dancer and educator (d. 1991)
1896 - Robert E. Sherwood, American playwright, editor and screenwriter (d. 1955)
1897 – Dina Manfredini, Italian-born American supercentenarian (d. 2012)
1897 - Pierre Fresnay, French actor (d. 1975)
1898 - Agnes Ayres, American actress (d. 1940)
1899 - Hillel Oppenheimer, German-Israeli botanist (d. 1971)
1901 1950
1905 - Dougie Gray, Scottish footballer (d. 1972)
1905 - George Stevenson, Scottish footballer (d. 1990)
1905 - Shojiro Sugimura, Japanese footballer (d. 1975)
1906 - Yasuo Haruyama, Japanese footballer (d. 1987)
1906 - Bea Benaderet, American actress (d. 1968)
1906 - John Cameron Swayze, American journalist (d. 1995)
1907 – Robert Askin, Premier of New South Wales (d. 1981)
1910 – Barthélemy Boganda, Central African politician (d. 1959)
1910 - Dang Van Ngu, Vietnamese physician (d. 1967)
1911 - Max Dupain, Australian photographer (d. 1992)
1913 - Rosemary Lane, American actress and singer (d. 1974)
1913 - Frances Langford, American actress and singer (d. 2005)
1913 – Jules Léger, Canadian diplomat and Governor General of Canada (d. 1980)
1914 – Marguerite Duras, French writer (d. 1996)
1914 - Richard Coogan, American actor (d. 2014)
1915 – Muddy Waters, American musician (d. 1983)
1916 – Nikola Ljubicic, Yugoslavian general and politician (d. 2005)
1920 - Ignatius IV of Antioch, Syrian patriarch (d. 2012)
1920 - Eric Rohmer, French movie director (d. 2010)
1921 - Elizabeth Wilson, American actress (d. 2015)
1921 - Orunamamu, American-Canadian storyteller (d. 2014)
1922 - Elmer Bernstein, American movie composer (d. 2004)
1923 - Peter Vaughan, English actor (d. 2016)
1924 - Gil Hodges, American baseball player and manager (d. 1972)
1925 - Gene Reynolds, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter
1925 - Dettmar Cramer, German footballer and coach (d. 2015)
1925 - Frank Truitt, American sports coach (d. 2014)
1926 - Ronnie Masterson, Irish actress (d. 2014)
1928 – Maya Angelou, American writer and poet (d. 2014)
1928 - Elina Bystritskaya, Russian actress (d. 2019)
1931 - Catherine Tizard, 16th Governor-General of New Zealand
1931 - Bobby Ray Inman, American admiral and intelligence director
1932 – Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet movie maker (d. 1986)
1932 – Anthony Perkins, American actor (d. 1993)
1932 - Richard Lugar, American politician (d. 2019)
1934 – Clive Davis, American music manager and producer
1935 - Kenneth Mars, American actor (d. 2011)
1935 - Trevor Griffiths, English playwright
1938 - A. Bartlett Giamatti, 7th Commissioner of Major League Baseball (d. 1989)
1938 - Norro Wilson, American country music singer-songwriter and record producer (d. 2017)
1939 - Ragnhild Queseth Haarstad, Norwegian politician (d. 2017)
1939 – Hugh Masekela, South African musician (d. 2018)
1939 - Ernie Terrell, American boxer and singer (d. 2014)
1942 - Jim Fregosi, American baseball player and manager
1942 – Kitty Kelley, American actress
1942 - Michel Fourniret, French serial killer
1944 - Ann-Louise Hanson, Swedish singer
1944 – Craig T. Nelson, American actor
1945 – Daniel Cohn-Bendit, French-German political activist
1945 - Katherine Neville, American writer
1946 - Katsuaki Sato, Japanese martial artist
1946 – Dave Hill, English musician (Slade)
1948 - Abdullah Ocalan, Kurdish activist
1948 - Berry Oakley, American musician (d. 1997)
1948 - Pick Withers, British musician
1949 – Junior Braithwaite, Jamaican musician (d. 1999)
1950 – Christine Lahti, American actress
1951 1975
1951 - Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia
1952 – Gary Moore, Northern Irish musician (d. 2011)
1952 - Rosemarie Ackermann, German athlete
1952 - Karen Magnussen, Canadian figure skater
1952 - Cherie Lunghi, English actress
1953 - Chen Yi, Chinese composer and violinist
1953 - Henry Fotheringham, South African cricketer
1954 - Michel Camilo, Dominican pianist
1954 - Dave Ulliott, English poker player (d. 2015)
1956 – David E. Kelley, American writer and television producer
1957 – Aki Kaurismaki, Finnish director
1957 - Graeme Kelling, Scottish guitarist (Deacon Blue) (d. 2004)
1958 - Cazuza, Brazilian composer and singer (d. 1990)
1958 - Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Thai businessman (d. 2018)
1960 - Hugo Weaving, Australian actor
1960 - Jonathan Agnew, English cricketer
1962 - Craig Adams, English bass player and songwriter
1963 – Graham Norton, Irish television host
1963 - A. Michael Baldwin, American actor, producer and screenwriter
1963 - Jane McDonald, English singer and actress
1964 – Branco, Brazilian footballer
1965 – Robert Downey Jr., American actor
1966 – Mike Starr, American musician (d. 2011)
1966 – Stefan Mappus, German politician
1967 - Edith Masai, Kenyan runner
1969 – Karren Brady, British sports executive and broadcaster
1970 – Georgius Amanatidis, Greek footballer
1970 - Greg Garcia, American director, producer and screenwriter
1970 - Yelena Yelesina, Russian high jumper
1972 – Magnus Sveningsson, Swedish musician (The Cardigans)
1972 – Jill Scott, American singer and actress
1972 - Xenia Seeberg, German actress
1973 – David Blaine, American illusionist and magician
1973 - Chris McCormack, Australian athlete
1974 - Dave Mirra, American BMX rider (d. 2016)
1975 - Thobias Fredriksson, Swedish cross-country skier
1975 - Carl Ruiz, American chef and television personality (d. 2019)
From 1976
1976 – Emerson, Brazilian footballer
1977 – Adam Dutkiewicz, American guitarist and producer
1977 – Stephen Mulhern, English magician
1978 – Lemar, English singer
1978 – Irene Skliva, Greek model
1978 - Sam Moran, Australian musician (The Wiggles)
1979 – Heath Ledger, Australian actor (d. 2008)
1980 – Johnny Borrell, English singer (Razorlight)
1980 – Trevor Moore, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter
1981 – Anna Pyatykh, Russian triple jumper
1981 – Ned Vizzini, American author (d. 2013)
1983 – Amanda Righetti, American actress
1983 – Evgeny Artyukhin, Russian ice hockey player
1984 – Sean May, American basketball player
1985 – Rudy Fernandez, Spanish basketball player
1986 – Eunhyuk, South Korean singer
1986 – Rachel Korine, American actress
1986 – Aiden McGeady, Scottish-Irish footballer
1987 – Devon Anderson, English actor
1987 – Sami Khedira, German footballer
1988 – Nadine Kessler, German footballer
1991 – Jamie Lynn Spears, American singer and actress
1992 – Alexa Nikolas, American actress
1992 – Lucy Mae Barker, English actress and singer
1992 – Christina Metaxa, Cypriot singer-songwriter
1996 – Austin Mahone, American singer
1999 – Miki Nishino, Japanese singer, dancer and actress (AKB48)
2012 – Grumpy Cat, famous American cat and internet celebrity (d. 2019)
Deaths
Up to 1900
397 – Saint Ambrose of Milan (b. 338)
636 - Isidore of Seville, Spanish archbishop and saint (b. 560)
896 - Pope Formosus
968 - Abu Firas al-Hamdani, Arab prince, general and poet (b. 932)
1284 - Alfonso X of Castile (b. 1221)
1292 - Pope Nicholas IV (b. 1227)
1305 - Jeanne of Navarre, Queen of France (b. 1273)
1406 – King Robert III of Scotland (b. 1337)
1459 - Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark (b. 1382)
1536 - Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (b. 1460)
1588 – King Frederick II of Denmark (b. 1534)
1617 - John Napier, Scottish mathematician (b. 1550)
1761 - Theodore Gardell, Swiss painter and enameler (b. 1722)
1774 – Oliver Goldsmith, Irish writer (b. 1728)
1807 - Joseph Jerome Lefrancais de Lalande, French astronomer (b. 1732)
1817 - Andre Massena, Marshal of France (b. 1758)
1841 – William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States (b. 1773)
1846 - Solomon Sibley, United States Senator (b. 1769)
1861 - John McLean, 6th United States Postmaster General (b. 1785)
1863 – Ludwig Emil Grimm, German painter and engraver (b. 1790)
1870 - Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (b. 1802)
1874 - Charles Ernest Beulé, French archaeologist and politician (b. 1826)
1875 - Karl Mauch, German explorer (b. 1837)
1879 - Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, German physicist (b. 1803)
1883 - Peter Cooper, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1791)
1890 - Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, 1st Premier of Quebec (b. 1820)
1890 - Edmond Hébert, French geologist (b. 1812)
1901 2000
1912 - Charles Brantley Aycock, 50th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1859)
1919 - Francisco Marto, Portuguese saint (b. 1908)
1923 - John Venn, English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1834)
1929 – Karl Benz, German automobile designer and inventor (b. 1844)
1931 – André Michelin, French industrialist (b. 1853)
1932 – Wilhelm Ostwald, German chemist (b. 1853)
1933 - Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author (b. 1842)
1939 - King Ghazi of Iraq (b. 1912)
1951 - George Albert Smith, American Mormon leader (b. 1870)
1953 – King Carol II of Romania (b. 1893)
1961 - Simeon Stoilow, Romanian mathematician (b. 1873)
1962 - James Hanratty, British murderer (b. 1936)
1967 - Al Lewis, American songwriter (b. 1901)
1967 - Héctor Scarone, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1898)
1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr., American civil rights activist (b. 1929)
1972 - Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., American politician (b. 1908)
1976 - Harry Nyquist, Swedish contributor to Information Theory (b. 1889)
1979 – Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani politician (b. 1928)
1983 – Gloria Swanson, American actress (b. 1899)
1984 – Oleg Antonov, Russian airplane designer (b. 1906)
1991 – Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (b. 1920)
1991 – H. John Heinz III, US Senator (b. 1938)
1991 – Max Frisch, Swiss writer (b. 1911)
1993 – Alfred Mosher-Butts, American inventor of Scrabble (b. 1899)
1995 – Kenny Everett, British entertainer (b. 1944)
1995 – Priscilla Lane, American singer and actress (b. 1915)
1996 - Barney Ewell, American runner (b. 1918)
1999 – Faith Domergue, American actor (b. 1924)
From 2001
2003 – Anthony Caruso, American actor (b. 1916)
2004 - Alberic Schotte, Belgian cyclist (b. 1919)
2007 – Bob Clark, American director (b. 1941)
2007 - Karen Sparck Jones, British computer scientist (b. 1935)
2009 – Gonzalo Olave, Chilean actor (b. 1983)
2012 - Claude Miller, French movie director (b. 1942)
2013 - Roger Ebert, American movie critic and writer (b. 1942)
2013 - Carmine Infantino, American illustrator (b. 1925)
2014 - Margo MacDonald, Scottish politician, member of the Scottish Parliament (b. 1943)
2014 - Kumba Iala, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1953)
2014 - Anja Niedringhaus, German journalist (b. 1965)
2014 - José Aguilar, Cuban boxer (b. 1958)
2015 - Elmer Lach, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1918)
2015 - Jamaluddin Jarjis, Malaysian politician (b. 1951)
2015 - Klaus Rifbjerg, Danish writer (b. 1931)
2015 - Donald N. Levine, American sociologist (b. 1931)
2015 - Ira Lewis, American actor and playwright (b. 1932)
2016 - Chus Lampreave, Spanish actress (b. 1930)
2016 - Getatchew Mekurya, Ethiopian jazz saxophonist (b. 1935)
2016 - Royston Nash, English conductor (b. 1933)
2016 - George Radosevich, American football player (b. 1928)
2016 - Mike Sandlock, American baseball player (b. 1915)
2016 - Abe Segal, South African tennis player (b. 1930)
2017 - Samir Farid, Egyptian film critic and historian (b. 1943)
2017 - Giovanni Sartori, Italian political scientist and journalist (b. 1924)
2018 - Andres Ammas, Estonian politician (b. 1956)
2018 - Soon-Tek Oh, South Korean-American actor (b. 1932)
2018 - Johnny Valiant, American professional wrestler (b. 1946)
2018 - Ray Wilkins, English footballer and manager (b. 1956)
2018 - Leonid Sokov, Russian artist and sculptor (b. 1941)
2019 - Alberto Cortez, Argentine singer and songwriter (b. 1940)
2019 - Georgiy Daneliya, Russian film director and screenwriter (b. 1930)
2019 - Barry Malkin, American film editor (b. 1938)
2019 - Marilyn Mason, American concert organist and academic (b. 1925)
Holidays and Observances
Independence Day in Senegal
International Day for Landmine Awareness and Assistance
Peace Day (Angola)
Children's Day (Republic of China and Hong Kong)
April 04 |
5157 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/May%2028 | May 28 |
Events
Up to 1950
585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from which other dates can be calculated.
1453 – The last Christian service takes place in the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, present-day Istanbul, before it becomes a Mosque.
1503 – James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor are married by Pope Alexander VI according to Papal Bull.
1503 – The Treaty of Everlasting Peace between Scotland and England is signed. It lasts 10 years.
1539 – Hernando de Soto lands in Florida.
1588 – The Spanish Armada, with 130 ships and 30,000 men, begins to set sail from Lisbon heading for the English Channel. (It will take until May 30 for all ships to leave port).
1754 – French and Indian War: In the first engagement of the war, Virginia militia under 22-year-old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington defeat a French reconnaissance party at Jumonville Glen in what is now Fayette Couty in southwestern Pennsylvania.
1774 – American Revolutionary War: The first Continental Congress convenes.
1812 - The Peace of Bucharest ends the Russo-Turkish War, giving more territory to Russia.
1830 – US President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act.
1863 – American Civil War: The 54th Massachusetts, the first African American regiment, leaves Boston, Massachusetts, to fight for the Union.
1864 - The Montana Territory is created out of the northeastern part of the Idaho Territory.
1871 - The Paris Commune falls.
1892 – In San Francisco, California, John Muir organizes the Sierra Club.
1900 – The Orange Free State is declared a British colony.
1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima ends with the destruction of the Russian Baltic Fleet by Admiral Togo Heihachiro and the Imperial Japanese Navy.
1907 - The first Isle of Man TT motorbike race is held.
1918 – The first Republic of Armenia declares its statehood.
1918 – Independence day in the Azerbaijan Republic.
1926 – Military dictatorship established in Portugal to suppress the unrest of the First Republic.
1930 – The Chrysler Building in New York City officially opens.
1932 - In the Netherlands, building work on the Afluitdijk is completed, and Zuiderzee Bay is converted to the freshwater Ijsselmeer.
1934 – The Glyndebourne festival in England is inaugurated.
1934 - The Dionne Quintuplets are born near Callander, Ontario, Canada.
1936 – Alan Turing submits On Computable Numbers for publication.
1937 – The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, DC, who pushes a button signaling the start of vehicle traffic over the span.
1937 – Neville Chamberlain becomes British Prime Minister.
1940 – World War II: Belgium surrenders to Germany.
1940 – World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik. First allied infantry victory in WW2.
1942 – World War II: In retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, Nazis in Czechoslovakia kill over 1800 people.
1951 2000
1951 - British radio comedy programme The Goon Show is broadcast on the BBC for the first time.
1952 – In Greece, women are given the right to vote.
1959 – NASA's Mercury space programme: Two monkeys survive a space flight.
1961 – Peter Benenson's article "The Forgotten Prisoners" is published in several internationally read newspapers. This will later be thought of as the founding of the human rights organization Amnesty International.
1964 – The Palestine Liberation Organization is formed.
1970 - The University of Brussels is split in two over a language dispute, creating one Dutch language one and one French language one.
1974 – Northern Ireland's power-sharing Sunningdale Agreement collapses following a general strike by loyalists.
1975 – Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, thus creating the Economic Community of West African States.
1977 – In Southgate, Kentucky, the Beverly Hills Supper Club is engulfed in fire, killing 165 people inside.
1979 - Konstantinos Karamanlis signs the full treaty of accession with the European Economic Community.
1982 – Falklands War: British forces defeat the Argentines at the Battle of Goose Green.
1987 – 19-year-old West German pilot Mathias Rust evades Soviet Union air defenses and lands a private plane in Red Square in Moscow. He is immediately detained and is not released until August 3, 1988.
1987 – A robot probe finds the wreckage of the USS Monitor near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
1991 – Ethiopia: End of the Derg regime and of the Ethiopian Civil War.
1993 – Eritrea and Monaco join the UN.
1993 - Edmund Stoiber becomes Prime Minister of Bavaria.
1995 – The Russian town of Neftegorsk is hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that kills at least 2,000 people, 2/3 of total population.
1996 - Bill Clinton's former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, Jim McDougal, Susan McDougal and former Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker, are convicted of fraud.
1998 – Nuclear testing: Pakistan responds to a series of Indian nuclear tests with five of its own, prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose economic sanctions.
1999 – In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci's newly restored masterpiece "The Last Supper" is put back on display.
2000 – The volcano Mount Cameroon erupts.
From 2001
2003 – Peter Hollingworth resigns as Governor-General of Australia.
2004 – Ayad Allawi is selected to lead an interim government in Iraq.
2004 – The cable TV channels TechTV and G4 merge.
2008 – Nepal becomes a Republic.
2010 - A train crash in West Bengal, India, kills 141 people.
2011 - A referendum is held in Malta on the introduction of divorce in the country. Most voters support the proposal.
Births
Up to 1800
1140 – Xin Qiji, Chinese poet (d. 1207)
1371 – John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1419)
1524 – Selim II, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1574)
1641 – Janez Vajkard Valvasor, Slovenian polymath (d. 1693)
1656 - Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein (d. 1721)
1660 – King George I of Great Britain (d. 1727)
1676 - Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician (d. 1754)
1692 – Joseph Butler, English philosopher (d. 1752)
1692 – Geminiano Giacomelli, Italian composer (d. 1741)
1738 – Joseph Ignace Guillotin, French physician (d. 1814)
1743 - Johann David Wyss, Swiss minister and writer (d. 1818)
1759 – William Pitt the Younger, British Prime Minister (d. 1806)
1763 – Manuel Alberti, Argentine priest and politician (d. 1811)
1764 - Edward Livingston, 11th United States Secretary of State (d. 1836)
1779 – Thomas Moore, Irish writer (d. 1852)
1786 - Louis McLane, 12th United States Secretary of State (d. 1857)
1801 1900
1807 – Louis Agassiz, Swiss geologist (d. 1873)
1818 – P.G.T. Beauregard, American Confederate General (d. 1893)
1836 – Alexander Mitscherlich, German chemist (d. 1918)
1841 - Sakaigawa Namiemon, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1887)
1853 – Carl Larsson, Swedish painter (d. 1919)
1854 – German Riesco Erazuriz, President of Chile (d. 1916)
1858 – Carl Richard Nyberg, Swedish inventor (d. 1939)
1872 – Marian Smoluchowski, Polish physicist (d. 1917)
1877 – Maximilian Voloshin, Russian poet and painter (d. 1932)
1879 – Milutin Milankovic, Serbian geophysicist (d. 1958)
1883 - Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (d. 1966)
1883 - Clough Williams-Ellis, British architect (d. 1978)
1884 – Edvard Beneš, Czechoslovakian politician (d. 1948)
1888 – Jim Thorpe, American athlete (d. 1953)
1888 – Kaarel Eenpalu, Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1942)
1889 – Richard Réti, Austrian-Czech chess player (d. 1929)
1892 – Josef Dietrich, Nazi officer (d. 1966)
1900 - Pak Hon-Yong, Korean politician (d. 1956)
1900 - Taffy Abel, American ice hockey player (d. 1964)
1901 1950
1901 - Roy Dowling, Australian naval officer (d. 1969)
1906 - Wolf Albach-Retty, Austrian-German actor (d. 1967)
1908 – Ian Fleming, British writer, creator of James Bond (d. 1964)
1910 – T-Bone Walker, American singer (d. 1975)
1910 – Rachel Kempson, British actress (d. 2003)
1911 – Thora Hird, British actress (d. 2003)
1912 – Patrick White, Australian writer (d. 1990)
1912 - Ruby Payne-Scott, Australian radio astronomer and physicist (d. 1981)
1915 - Joseph Greenberg, American linguist (d. 2001)
1916 - Ray Fox, American NASCAR engine builder and team owner (d. 2014)
1916 – Walker Percy, American writer (d. 1990)
1917 – Papa John Creach, American musician (d. 1994)
1917 - Barry Commoner, American biologist and politician (d. 2012)
1918 – Johnny Wayne, Canadian comedian (d. 1990)
1921 - Tom Uren, Australian politician (d. 2015)
1923 – György Ligeti, Hungarian composer (d. 2006)
1923 – N. T. Rama Rao, Indian actor, movie director and politician (d. 1996)
1924 - Edward du Cann, English politician (d. 2017)
1925 – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German baritone and conductor (d. 2012)
1925 – Bülent Ecevit, Turkish politician (d. 2006)
1928 - Sally Forrest, American actress (d. 2015)
1930 – Frank Drake, American astronomer and astrophysicist
1930 - Edward Seaga, 5th Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 2019)
1931 - Gordon Willis, American cinematographer (d. 2014)
1931 – Carroll Baker, American actress
1932 - Chiquito de la Calzada, Spanish singer and actor (d. 2017)
1933 - Zelda Rubinstein, American actress (d. 2010)
1934 - Bill Baillie, New Zealand long-distance runner
1934 – Dionne Quintuplets
1935 - Anne Reid, English actress
1936 – Betty Shabazz, American activist (d. 1997)
1938 – Jerry West, American basketball player
1939 - Maeve Binchy, Irish novelist (d. 2012)
1939 - Theodore J. Sophocleus, American politician (d. 2018)
1941 - Beth Howland, American actress (d. 2015)
1942 – Stanley B. Prusiner, American neurologist
1944 - Jean-Pierre Léaud, French actor and director
1944 – Gladys Knight, American singer and actress
1944 - Sondra Locke, American actress (d. 2018)
1944 – Rudy Giuliani, American politician, 107th Mayor of New York City
1945 - Patch Adams, American doctor and activist
1945 - John Fogerty, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
1947 – Zahi Hawass, Egyptian Egyptologist
1949 - Sue Holderness, English actress
1951 1975
1952 - Denis Akiyama, Canadian actor (d. 2018)
1953 - Arto Lindsay, American guitarist, singer and producer
1954 – Andy Hamilton, English comedian
1954 - John Tory, 65th Mayor of Toronto
1955 – John McGeoch, Scottish musician (d. 2004)
1956 – Francis Joyon, French sailor
1957 - Ben Harland, American basketball player and coach
1958 - Jerry Douglas, American country musician
1959 - Steve Strange, Welsh singer (d. 2015)
1960 – Mark Sanford, American politician, former Governor of South Carolina
1961 – Michelle Collins, British actress
1964 – David Baddiel, British comedian and television presenter
1965 - Mary Coughlan, Irish politician
1966 - Ashley Laurence, American actress
1967 - Emma Kennedy, British actress
1967 - Glen Rice, American basketball player
1968
Kylie Minogue, Australian singer and actress
Tetsu Nagasawa, Japanese footballer & manager
1969 – Justin Kirk, American actor
1969 – Rob Ford, 64th Mayor of Toronto (d. 2016)
1970 - Glenn Quinn, Irish actor (d. 2002)
1971 – Marco Rubio, American politician and United States Senator for Florida
1971 – Ekaterina Gordeeva, Russian figure skater
1971 – Charles Warrington, American professional wrestler
1971 - Isabelle Carré, French actress
1972 - Chiara Mastroianni, French actress and singer
1972 – Doriva, Brazilian footballer
1974 – Hans-Jörg Butt, German footballer
From 1976
1977 - Elisabeth Hasselbeck, American talk show host and author
1978 – Tomohiko Ito, Japanese footballer
1979 - Monica Keena, American actress
1980 – Mark Feehily, Irish singer (Westlife)
1980 – Miguel Pérez, Spanish footballer
1981 – Adam Green, American musician
1981 – Gábor Talmácsi, Hungarian motorcycle racer
1982 - Alexa Davalos, French-American actress
1983 – Megalyn Echikunwoke, American actress
1983 – Steve Cronin, American soccer player
1983 – Humberto Sanchez, Dominican baseball player
1983 - Roman Atwood, American YouTube personality
1985 – Colbie Caillat, American singer
1985 – Carey Mulligan, English actress
1986 - Seth Rollins, American professional wrestler
1986 – Charles N'Zogbia, French footballer
1988 - Craig Kimbrel, American baseball player
1988 - Meisa Kuroki, Japanese singer, model and actress
1990 – Kyle Walker, English footballer
1991 - Alexandre Lacazette, French footballer
1992 - Huang Qiushuang, Chinese gymnast
1993 - Jonnie Peacock, English athlete
1994 - John Stones, English footballer
1994 - Son Yeon-jae, South Korean gymnast
1998 – Riho Sayashi, Japanese singer (Morning Musume)
1999 – Cameron Boyce, American actor (d. 2019)
Deaths
Up to 1900
576 - Germain of Paris, French bishop and saint (b. 496)
1023 - Wulfstan, English archbishop
1357 – King Alfonso IV of Portugal (b. 1291)
1672 - John Trevor, Welsh politician (b. 1626)
1750 – Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (b. 1720)
1758 - Ernest Augustus II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (b. 1737)
1787 – Leopold Mozart, Austrian composer (b. 1719)
1805 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist (b. 1743)
1811 – Henry Dundas, Scottish politician (b. 1742)
1816 – Ras Wolde Selassie, Ethiopian warlord (b. 1745)
1836 - Anton Reicha, Bohemian composer (b. 1770)
1843 – Noah Webster, American writer and lexicographer (b. 1758)
1849 – Anne Brontë, English writer (b. 1820)
1864 – Simion Barnutiu, Romanian philosopher and politician (b. 1808)
1872 - Princess Sophie of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria (b. 1805)
1878 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1792)
1895 - Walter Q. Gresham, United States Secretary of State (b. 1832)
1901 2000
1916 – Ivan Franko, Ukrainian writer (b. 1856)
1925 – Joao Pinheiro Chagas, Portuguese politician (b. 1863)
1927 – Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter (b. 1878)
1936 - Bertha Pappenheim, Austrian-German women's rights activist (b. 1859)
1940 – Prince Frederik Charles of Hesse (b. 1868)
1940 - Walter Connolly, American actor (b. 1887)
1946 - Carter Glass, American politician (b. 1858)
1948 – Unity Mitford, British Fascist sympathiser (b. 1914)
1952 - Philippe Desranleau, Canadian archbishop (b. 1882)
1953 - Tatsuo Hori, Japanese author and poet (b. 1904)
1968 – Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov, Soviet sniper (b. 1908)
1968 - Kees van Dongen, Dutch painter (b. 1877)
1971 - Audie Murphy, American lieutenant and actor (b. 1924)
1972 – King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (b. 1894)
1975 - Ezzard Charles, American boxer (b. 1921)
1981 - Stefan Wyszynski, Polish cardinal (b. 1901)
1981 – Mary Lou Williams, American singer (b. 1910)
1983 - Erastus Corning 2nd, 72nd Mayor of Albany, New York (b. 1909)
1984 – Eric Morecambe, British comedian (b. 1926)
1993 - Ugo Locatelli, Italian footballer (b. 1916)
1994 - Julius Boros, American golfer (b. 1920)
1998 – Phil Hartman, Canadian actor and comedian (b. 1948)
1999 - Henry Carlsson, Swedish footballer (b. 1917)
2000 - Donald Davies, English physicist (b. 1924)
From 2001
2001 – Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist and philosopher (b. 1946)
2003 – Oleg Makarov, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1933)
2003 – Ilya Prigogine, Russian-Belgian physicist, philosopher and Nobel Prize winner (b. 1917)
2003 – Martha Scott, American actress (b. 1912)
2004 - Umberto Agnelli, Swiss-Italian businessman and politician (b. 1934)
2006 – Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian ski jumper (b. 1920)
2008 – Beryl Cook, English painter (b. 1926)
2010 – Gary Coleman, American actor (b. 1968)
2013 – Viktor Kulikov, Marshal of the Soviet Union (b. 1921)
2014 - Maya Angelou, American novelist, poet and activist (b. 1928)
2014 - Bob Houbregs, Canadian basketball player (b. 1932)
2014 - Azlan Shah of Perak, 9th Yang-di Pertuan Agong (Head of State) of Malaysia and Sultan of Perak (b. 1928)
2014 - Malcolm Glazer, American businessman and sports team owner (Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Manchester United) (b. 1928)
2014 - Ciro de Quadros, Brazilian physician (b. 1940)
2015 - Reynaldo Rey, American actor and comedian (b. 1940)
2016 - Giorgio Albertazzi, Italian actor (b. 1923)
2016 - Stanley Burke, Canadian television journalist (b. 1923)
2016 - David Cañada, Spanish cyclist (b. 1975)
2016 - Bryce Dejean-Jones, American basketball player (b. 1992)
2016 - Marion Lambert, Belgian-Swiss art collector (b. 1943)
2016 - Harambe, American-bred Western lowland gorilla (b. 1999)
2017 - John Noakes, English television presenter (b. 1934)
2017 - Frank Deford, American sportswriter, novelist and radio broadcaster (b. 1938)
2017 - Ervin E. Dupper, American politician (b. 1923)
2017 - Graham Webb, British cyclist (b. 1944)
2018 - Pippo Caruso, Italian composer (b. 1935)
2018 - Neale Cooper, Scottish footballer (b. 1963)
2018 - Serge Dassault, French businessman (b. 1925)
2018 - Semavi Eyice, Turkish art historian (b. 1922)
2018 - Cornelia Frances, British-Australian actress (b. 1941)
2018 - Dick Quax, Dutch-New Zealand athlete and politician (b. 1948)
2018 - Jens Christian Skou, Danish physician (b. 1918)
2018 - Michel Stolker, Dutch cyclist (b. 1933)
2018 - Ola Ullsten, Prime Minister of Sweden (b. 1931)
2018 - María Dolores Pradera, Spanish actress and singer (b. 1924)
2018 - Michel Stolker, Dutch racing cyclist (b. 1933)
2019 - Khoo Kay Kim, Malaysian historian (b. 1937)
2019 - Apolo Nsibambi, 8th Prime minister of Uganda (b. 1940)
2019 - Edward Seaga, 5th Prime minister of Jamaica (b. 1930)
2019 - Carmine Caridi, American actor (b. 1934)
2019 - Dennis Etchison, American novelist, editor and screenwriter (b. 1943)
2019 - Jean Juventin, French politician (b. 1928)
2019 - Walter Wolfgang, German-British socialist and peace activist (b. 1923)
Observances
Republic Day (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nepal)
Flag Day (Philippines)
Armed Forces Day (Croatia)
Downfall of the Derg (Ethiopia)
Days of the year |
5158 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political%20virtues | Political virtues | The political virtues were listed by Bernard Crick "In Defense of Politics", 1982. They included but were not limited to:
prudence:
take one step, then see its results before taking another
conciliation:
making friends with people you have argued with
compromise:
giving up some things you want to get those things that are most important to you
variety:
people want to have a number of choices that are different from each other
adaptability:
meet the needs of changing times
liveliness:
never be boring
He sees these virtues as a way of avoiding ideology or "absolute-sounding ethic". More virtues will lead to less conflict. None of them can be forced on anyone.
Some other virtues have also been suggested:
humour,
empathy,
initiative
and compassion. "Being brief" or "being positive" are sometimes claimed also to be virtues, but just as many people think they are bad things that only help avoid truth or serious problems.
Ethics |
5159 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady%20Jane%20Grey | Lady Jane Grey | Lady Jane Grey (1537-1554), also known as 'The Nine Days Queen', was born in London, or at her family home of Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, England.
Jane was an English noblewoman, who occupied the English throne from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was executed by decapitation, a usual method for persons of royal blood, for high treason.
A great-granddaughter of Henry VII by his younger daughter Mary, Jane was a first-cousin-once-removed of Edward VI.
In May 1553, Jane married Lord Guildford Dudley, a younger son of Edward's chief minister, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. When the 15-year-old King lay dying in June 1553, he nominated Jane as successor to the Crown in his will, thus subverting the claims of his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth.
During her short reign, Jane lived in the Tower of London. She became a prisoner there, as the Privy Council decided to change sides and proclaim Mary as queen, on 19 July 1553. Wyatt's rebellion in January and February 1554 against Queen Mary's plans of a Spanish match was the direct cause of Jane's and her husband's execution.
Family
She was the daughter of Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, and Lady Frances Brandon (16 July 1517 – 20 November 1559), the daughter of Henry VIII's sister, Mary. She was born on 12 October 1537 and she was probably named after Jane Seymour (c. 1508 or 1509 – 24 October 1537). Jane had two younger sisters, Catherine (b. 1540) and Mary (b. 1545).
Early life
Jane's parents were very strict even by the standards of the day. If she made mistakes in her studies or had any other normal troubles, her mother would slap her or beat her. She found she loved her nurse, but otherwise lived a sad childhood.
She told a visiting scholar Roger Ascham:
"For when I am in the presence of either Father or Mother, whether I speak, keep silence, sit, stand or go, eat, drink, be merry or sad, be sewing, playing, dancing, or doing anything else, I must do it as it were in such weight, measure and number, even so perfectly as God made the world; or else I am so sharply taunted, so cruelly threatened, yes presently sometimes with pinches, nips and bobs and other ways ... that I think myself in hell".
When Jane was nine, she was sent to the royal court to learn etiquette and manners with Henry VIII's sixth wife and eventual widow, Catherine Parr. Jane liked Catherine a great deal and found love with her, which she had not got from her parents. It was clear that Catherine was very fond of Jane in return.
Jane also found friendship with her cousin and future king Edward VI. They often studied together.
Jane was well educated as a child and learned to read in Latin, Greek, French and Italian, as well as English. Later in her life, she also learned Hebrew.
Parents' political ambitions
Jane's parents, especially her mother, wanted to gain more political influence. For that reason, they wanted to marry her to someone important. Jane had two sisters, Catherine, born in 1540, and Mary, born in 1545. After her sisters were born, her parents tried to marry Jane to her cousin Edward VI. They went to Catherine Parr's new husband, Thomas Seymour, to try to prepare this royal marriage. It is likely that King Edward loved Jane. However, he decided to arrange a marriage with a foreign princess instead.
In 1548, Jane was sent to Chelsea to be with Catherine Parr and Thomas Seymour. Catherine Parr became pregnant that same year and the family moved to Sudeley Castle in June, taking Jane with them. Tragedy struck when Catherine Parr died while having the baby in August of that year and Jane served as chief mourner in her funeral.
Jane was dealt another blow in 1549 when Thomas Seymour was arrested on charges of treason. She was sent back to her angered parents. They knew that their hopes of her marriage to the king were ruined; they punished her cruelly for this, even though it was not her fault.
Youth
In 1551 Jane's mother's two half-brothers died of the "sweating sickness", a contagious disease that caused a series of epidemics, 1485 to 1551. Since Frances's father was dead, she became Duchess of Suffolk. Jane's father became Duke of Suffolk. In the same year John Dudley was made the Duke of Northumberland and the chief councillor to Edward VI.
John Dudley's plot
In April 1552 Edward became sick with the measles and caught tuberculosis as well. By next year, Edward was so ill that he was weak and spitting up blood or something that was greenish-yellow. It was clear that he was going to die soon.
Dudley knew that if either of Edward's half-sisters, Mary or Elizabeth, became queen, he would not be powerful anymore. Dudley plotted with Jane's equally ambitious parents and planned that Jane became his ward, and also that she marry his son, Guildford Dudley. Jane's mother decided to give up her claim to be queen for Jane. This did not mean that Frances was any less greedy, however. This meant that Jane would become Frances and Dudley's puppet and do what they wanted. Now Jane would be the next in line to the throne if the rights of the princesses Mary and Elizabeth were ignored.
Marriage
When Jane's mother and father told her that Jane was going to get married, Jane refused. She said that Guildford was ugly, stupid, and rude. She also hated John Dudley. When Jane refused, Frances and Henry swore at Jane and slapped her. This did not work, so Frances gave Jane a brutal whipping. Finally, Jane agreed.
The wedding between Jane and Guildford happened on 25 May 1553. This became a triple marriage because Jane's sister, Katherine, was married at this time to Lord Herbert, and Guildford's sister, Katherine, was also married to Lord Hastings.
Accession
On 6 July 1553, King Edward VI died. Dudley's plan to make Jane queen was starting to take place. Edward's death was kept secret for a few days until Jane could be proclaimed queen.
Jane was told by her parents and John Dudley that she was queen. She became sick with fright and fainted. She did not want to take the crown.
"The crown is not my right. It pleaseth me not. The Lady Mary is the rightful heir," Jane said. Her parents swore at her and John Dudley told her that she "doth wrong to herself and her house". Under pressure, Jane finally relented. Lady Jane said she never forgave herself for doing this.
Meanwhile, news was spreading that Jane had been proclaimed the new queen. Although the people liked Jane, they loved Mary and Elizabeth more. They also did not like John Dudley. In East Anglia, Mary was gaining support and planning to march into London. Dudley tried to enforce a counter-attack but to no avail. On 19 July Mary became queen. Jane was queen for nine days.
Imprisonment
Jane returned all the crown jewels and clothes. She was then brought into the Tower of London. There, she was kept in a cell for the next few months. However, she was allowed to walk in the garden. She wrote many letters and read many books while at the Tower of London. She wrote a letter to Queen Mary saying that she never wanted the crown.
Queen Mary believed Jane and refused to execute her cousin. Many people pressured Mary, but she was stubborn. She still ordered that a trial be held for traditional purposes. Jane was found guilty but the Queen pardoned her.
However, the next year, 1554, a group of rebels under Thomas Wyatt, including Jane's father Henry Grey, led a rebellion against Queen Mary because she was planning to marry prince Phillip II of Spain. It was quickly put down. Although Jane had nothing to do with it and Mary did not want to kill her cousin, her advisors told her that Phillip would only come if Jane was killed. So, with a heavy heart (sadly), Queen Mary signed the death warrant. Jane was going to be beheaded.
Effects
When Jane was told that her head was going to be cut off, she was very scared. Nonetheless, she was happy that her "sad and woeful days" of life were finally coming to an end.
Meanwhile, Mary still did not want to kill her cousin. So, she sent a Catholic priest Dr. Feckenham to try to convert Jane to Catholicism. That way, Jane would not be a threat. Jane was a firm Protestant, and refused to become a Catholic. Jane's execution was postponed from 9 February to 12 February, to try and make her a Catholic. The night before the execution, Jane wrote many letters to her family and prepared her neck for the block. The next morning, her hair was tied back, and she watched Guildford go very unwillingly to the block. Then it was her turn.
Execution
On 12 February 1554, at the Tower of London, Jane was sent to the scaffold. She calmly climbed the scaffold and said a speech. She said the Psalm 51, a prayer for divine mercy, in "the most devout manner". She then knelt by the block and tied a piece of cloth around her eyes.
When the executioner told her to put her head on the block, she reached out but could not find the block since she was very scared. She cried for help until someone grabbed her hands and helped her find the block. Jane then put her neck above the block and slowly lowered it onto the block, pressed her neck against the wood and fit her chin in the hold. Then she brought her arms around her. Before she was executed, she cried out "Lord, into thy hands, I commend my spirit!"
Some say her last words were the name of her much loved husband, Lord Guildford.
Beheading
The crowd watched as the executioner raised the axe high in the air. Jane was shivering badly but her neck stayed perfectly still. Then, the executioner quickly swung the axe down perfectly at the middle of Jane's neck, which was severed in a single stroke. Jane's severed head fell to the straw in front of the block while huge amounts of blood splattered across the scaffold. The executioner then grabbed Jane's head by her red hair and lifted it up to show the crowd. He shouted "So perish all the Queen's enemies! Behold the head of a traitor!"
But some sources suggest the fact that it took three shots to remove Lady Jane's head.
Burial
After the crowd left, the blood was removed, and Jane's body was brought to the church St. Peter ad Vincula. Since the church had just become Catholic and Jane was a Protestant, they had to get permission from Queen Mary to bury her. It was four hours until her maids were allowed to prepare her body for burial. Jane's body was buried between former Queens Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. It is unknown what happened to her severed head.
References
Further reading
Ives, Eric (2009). Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery. Malden MA; Oxford UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Loades, David (1996), John Dudley Duke of Northumberland. 1504–1553, Oxford: Clarendon Press,
Cook, Faith (2005). The Nine Day Queen of England. Evangelical Press.
1537 births
1554 deaths
1550s in England
English Anglicans
Executed English people
House of Tudor
People executed by decapitation
Royalty from London |
5160 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower%20of%20London | Tower of London | The Tower of London is an ancient Norman stone fortress in London, England. It stands on the bank of the River Thames, in the oldest part of the city.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History
The fortress was built by William the Conqueror, King William I, starting in 1078. The moat was built by Richard I, using water diverted from the River Thames.
The Tower had many uses. Its main function was to protect Norman rule in the years after the conquest. It was a prison, and a place of execution. Today, the Crown Jewels are kept there. This is the collection of jewels owned by the British state, and sometimes worn by the monarch. There is also a museum of armour.
Only the most important people were executed (by axe) inside the Tower of London. Among the most famous were:
George, Duke of Clarence (1478)
Anne Boleyn, Queen of England (1536) wife of King Henry VIII
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (1540)
Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1541)
Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford (1542)
Catherine Howard, Queen of England (1542), wife of King Henry VIII
Lady Jane Grey (1554)
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1601)
The Tower of London has a collection of ravens, large black birds of the Crow family. They are taken care of by the staff who work there. The ravens' wing feathers are kept short so they cannot fly away. This is because a legend (story) says that if the ravens leave the Tower, the Tower and the Kingdom will fall.
The closest Underground station to the Tower of London is Tower Hill.
Escape attempts
Ranulf Flambard: 1100, successfully escaped. Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ap Iorwerth: 1244, fell from the tower and died during escape attempt.
Related pages
List of World Heritage Sites of the United Kingdom
References
Other websites
Tower of London website
London, Tower of
Buildings and structures in London
Royal residences in the United Kingdom
World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom
Towers in the United Kingdom
London Borough of Tower Hamlets |
5161 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne%20Boleyn | Anne Boleyn | Anne Boleyn (1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was the second wife of King Henry VIII of England and queen consort from 1533 until 1536. She was the mother of Elizabeth I of England. Anne has been called "the most influential and important queen consort England has ever had." It was because of Anne Boleyn that Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon, and became independent from the Roman Catholic Church. After she was falsely accused of adultery, incest and high treason, she was executed.
Personality and appearance
There were many different opinions of Anne Boleyn's beauty. The Venetian diarist Marino Sanuto described Anne as "not one of the handsomest women in the world; she is of middling stature, swarthy complexion, long neck, wide mouth, bosom not much raised ... eyes, which are black and beautiful". Simon Grynée wrote to Martin Bucer in September 1531 that Anne was "young, good-looking, of a rather dark complexion". Lancelot de Carles called her "beautiful" with a good figure. A Venetian in Paris in 1528 also said that she was beautiful. The most well-known description of Anne was written by the Catholic Nicholas Sanders in 1586. He wrote it several years after Anne died. Even though this is the most famous, it is also probably the least correct description. "Anne Boleyn," he said, "was rather tall ... with black hair, and an oval face of a sallow complexion, as if troubled with jaundice. She had a projecting tooth under the upper lip, and on her right hand six fingers (which historians now say is not true). There was a large wen under her chin, and therefore to hide its ugliness she wore a high dress covering her throat ... She was handsome to look at, with a pretty mouth." Sanders said that it was because of Anne that Henry went away from the Catholic Church. Sanders' words about Anne made what Eric Ives called the "monster legend" of Anne Boleyn. Anne was also a good dancer. William Forrest, who wrote a modern poem about Catherine of Aragon, praised Anne's dancing. He said she had "passing excellent" skill as a dancer. "Here", he wrote, "was [a] fresh young damsel, that could trip and go."
Early life
Little is known for certain about Anne's early life, beginning with the date and location of her birth. She was born in either 1501 or 1507, as one source says she was 20 upon her return from France in 1521, and another that she was not yet 29 at the time of her death in 1536. The location was either Blickling Hall in Norfolk or Hever Castle in Kent. She was the daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, a courtier and later a diplomat, and his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of the Duke of Norfolk. She had two siblings; a sister Mary and a brother George.
Anne's early education was the same for girls of her class. Her academic education was limited to arithmetic, her family genealogy, grammar, history, reading, and writing. She had been given a strong upbringing in religion and the Scriptures as the Boleyns were a family of firm religious beliefs. Anne developed domestic skills such as dancing, embroidery, good manners and morals, household management, music, needlework, and singing and excelled in playing several musical instruments including the block flute, the harp, the lute, and the virginals. She learned to play games such as, cards, chess, and dice and outdoor pursuits such as archery, falconry, horseback riding, and hunting. Anne was also taught to have obedience to the men in her life was which first to her father and then to her husband once she was married.
In 1513, she was sent to Margaret of Austria's royal court in the Netherlands to complete her education. Anne learned to speak French and studied art, culture, dance, literature, music, and poetry while she was there. The following year, she was transferred to the French court on the occasion of the marriage of Princess Mary Tudor, younger sister of King Henry VIII, to the French King Louis XII. Anne remained in France after the death of Louis XII and served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Claude upon the accession of Francis I. In Queen Claude's household, Anne completed her study of French and developed a thorough knowledge of French culture and etiquette. As well as English, French, and some Italian, Anne demonstrated a working knowledge of Latin. She also developed an interest in fashion and religious philosophy that called for reform of the Church. Anne stayed in France until late winter 1521.
Return to England
Anne was called back to England to marry a distant cousin James Butler, in the hope to settle an inheritance dispute over the Earldom of Ormond. However, when the plan failed, Thomas Boleyn found a place for his daughter at the English court, as lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine. There, Anne fell in love with Sir Henry Percy, who was the eldest son of the Earl of Northumberland, and they became secretly engaged to be married much to the displeasure of their respective families. Cardinal Wolsey ordered them to be separated. Anne was sent home to Hever Castle and Henry Percy was forced to marry Lady Mary Talbot, the daughter of Edward Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury. Anne blamed Cardinal Wolsey for her lost love and was determined to have her revenge on him, because he had called her a "foolish girl".
Royal love affair
Anne came back to the royal court and soon King Henry fell passionately in love with her. He wanted her to become his mistress, however she categorically refused, which made Henry's desire for her even greater.
King Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon had produced only one daughter, Princess Mary, not thought suitable to rule the country after his death. Henry needed a son to succeed him and to secure the Tudor dynasty, but Catherine was now too old to have children. Henry then came to see Anne as the answer to the problem of the succession, and decided to divorce Catherine, so that he could marry Anne instead and have male heirs.
He said that the marriage was not valid because Catherine had been married to his older brother Arthur, Prince of Wales before she had married Henry. Arthur had died a few months after the marriage at the age of fifteen, and a special dispensation from the Pope on the ground the marriage had never been consummated was issued so Catherine could marry Henry and the alliance between Spain and England would be kept. King Henry now thought that their marriage should not have been allowed in the first place and that they had been punished by not having any sons. He quoted a verse from the Bible that said "a man may not marry his brother's wife". He said he was doing what he thought was right, even though he still loved Catherine, but his conscience would not allow him to continue living in sin with her. The plans for the divorce caused a lot of gossip at court and abroad and became known as the "King's Great Matter".
A special court was held, with Wolsey leading it, to decide if the divorce should be allowed. An official from the Pope in Rome was brought over and a trial was held. The official stated that he could not decide what to do. He wanted the Pope to decide instead. The Pope was fearful to offend Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, nephew of Catherine, and what would happen if he allowed the divorce. He did not make a decision. In the meantime, Anne and King Henry were becoming more and more impatient.
Marriage
After becoming Marquess of Pembroke in her own right, Anne felt secure enough and finally gave in to Henry in late 1532 and soon became pregnant. In order to have a legitimate heir to the throne, this meant that Anne and Henry needed to legalize their union quickly and therefore were secretly married on January 25, 1533, even though the divorce had not come through.
No longer hoping for the Pope to grant him a divorce, Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon was declared illegal in the following May by the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, former chaplain of the Boleyns. Catherine was sent away from court with the title of Dowager Princess of Wales as if she had never been married to Henry.
Now recognized as Henry's legal wife, Anne was formally crowned Queen of England on June 1, 1533. All that was needed now was the birth of a son and her triumph would be complete.
Anne gave birth to a daughter, the future Elizabeth I of England, on September 7, 1533. King Henry was very disappointed, after all his troubles, the problem of the succession was still not resolved. However, Anne soon became pregnant again but that ended in a miscarriage in the summer of 1534. Henry started to worry that Anne could not give him a healthy male child. Feeling the king's displeasure, Anne became more and more insecure and ever more difficult and Henry began tiring of her. The situation only deteriorated when the king began to pay special attention to a lady of the court named Jane Seymour.
When, on January 29, 1536, Anne gave birth to a stillborn male child, Henry felt betrayed and completely turned against her, accusing her of having bewitched him.
Downfall and execution
Henry's new secretary, Thomas Cromwell, looked for a way to get rid of Anne so that Henry could marry again to his mistress Jane Seymour. He found people who said that Anne had been the lover of other men while she was married to King Henry. She was put on trial and found guilty of treason, adultery and incest, although she was probably innocent. The men who were accused of being her lovers were Sir Francis Weston, her musician Mark Smeaton, Sir Henry Norris, William Brereton, and her brother Viscount Rochford George Boleyn. All of them were condemned and executed.
Anne was executed on 19 May 1536 in the Tower of London, London, England. She was buried in the Chapel Royal of Saint Peter ad Vincula, within the Tower of London.
Notes
References
Ashley, Mike British Kings & Queens (2002)
Brigden, Susan New Worlds, Lost Worlds (2000)
Elton, G. R. Reform and Reformation. London: Edward Arnold, 1977.
Fraser, Antonia The Wives of Henry VIII (1992)
Graves, Michael Henry VIII. London, Pearson Longman, 2003
Haigh, Christopher English Reformations (1993)
Ives, Eric The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn (2004)
Warnicke, Retha M. The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family politics at the court of Henry VIII (1989)
People executed by decapitation
House of Tudor
Kings and Queens consort of England
People from Norfolk
Executed English people
1500s births
1536 deaths |
5163 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona%20Lisa | Mona Lisa | Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda or La Joconde) is a 16th-century portrait painted in oil by Leonardo da Vinci during the Renaissance in Florence, Italy. Many people think Mona Lisa's smile is mysterious. It is so often studied, recognized, and copied that it is the most famous painting . The Louvre says that about 80 percent of its visitors come to see the painting of Mona Lisa. According to art experts, the Mona Lisa is the best known, most visited, and overall most famous work of art in the entire world.
Acquired by King Francis I of France, the Mona Lisa is now the property of France. It is on permanent display in Paris at the Louvre museum. Millions of visitors come to Paris every year to see the enigmatic smile on Mona Lisa's lips.Giorgio Vasari, who was Leonardo's first biographer (a person who writes about the life of another person), thought the painting was of a person named Lisa Gherardini. Speculation over the painting's model was solved in 2008 by Dr Armin Schlechter, a manuscript expert. Notes discovered in Heidelberg University Library which were written by Agostino Vespucci, a Florentine city official, reinforced Vasari's earlier identification of the model. Lisa was the wife of Francesco del Giocondo a rich silk merchant, who lived in Florence.
Although the sitter has traditionally been identified as Lisa del Giocondo, a lack of definitive evidence has long fueled alternative theories, including Leonardo's mother Caterina in a distant memory and glorified as the Virgin Mary as the painting’s subject. According to this theory, at the time that Leonardo painted the portrait of his mother, whom he adored, she was not among the living. She died in 1495. The idea is that she was alive in Leonardo's imagination. Lisa del Giocondo's job was to be the model only.
Leonardo began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503 or 1504 in Florence, Italy. According to Da Vinci's contemporary, Giorgio Vasari, "...after he had lingered over it four years, left it unfinished....".
The painting was brought to France by Leonardo in 1516 and it was bought by Francis I of France.
The Mona Lisa used to hang in the Chateau Fontainebleau and was then moved to the Palace of Versailles. After the French Revolution, Napoleon I of France had it hanging in his bedroom in the Tuileries Palace, but it was later moved to the Louvre where it is still hanging today.
Stolen
On August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen. The Louvre museum thought it was being photographed, but when they checked, it was not there. The Louvre closed for one week to help look for it.
People thought Guillaume Apollinaire, a French poet, stole it. He was put into jail, and tried to make people think his friend Pablo Picasso did it, and he was questioned. It was not either of them, though.
It was lost for two years, and everybody thought it would be lost forever. A worker at the Louvre, named Vincenzo Peruggia, had actually stolen it. He had hidden it in his coat and walked out with it after the museum had closed. He wanted the painting to go back to Italy and be shown in an Italian museum. After hiding it in his apartment for two years, he grew impatient and tried to sell it to a gallery in Florence, but was caught. It was shown all over Italy before going back to the Louvre. People thought Vincenzo was a hero who loved Italy, so he only spent a few months in jail.
Other articles
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I
References
Other websites
Louvre Mona Lisa.
16th-century paintings
Paintings by Leonardo da Vinci |
5164 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/December%2014 | December 14 |
Events
Up to 1900
557 - Constantinople is severely damaged by an earthquake.
1287 – The St. Lucia's flood in the Netherlands kills around 50,000 people.
1542 – Mary, Queen of Scots inherits the throne of Scotland at the age of just 6 days, following the death of her father, King James V of Scotland.
1782 – The Montgolfier brothers' first balloon makes its first test flight.
1812 - Napoleonic Wars: France's invasion of Russia ends.
1814 - War of 1812: The Royal Navy seizes control of Lake Borgne, Louisiana.
1819 – Alabama becomes the 22nd State of the United States.
1836 - The Toledo War, a boundary dispute between Ohio and the Territory of Michigan, unofficially ends.
1861 – Albert, Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria, dies aged 42. Following this, Queen Victoria withdraws from public life, in mourning for Prince Albert.
1896 – The Glasgow Underground Railway opens.
1900 - Max Planck presents a theoretical derivation of his black-body radiation law.
1901 2000
1902 - The first Pacific Ocean telegraph cable is laid from San Francisco to Honolulu.
1907 - Schooner (a type of sailing boat) Thomas W. Lawson runs aground and sinks off the Isles of Scilly in a gale, killing its captain and 15 seamen.
1911 – Roald Amundsen of Norway becomes the first person to reach the South Pole.
1918 – President of Portugal Sidonio Pais is assassinated.
1918 - Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse, a German prince elected by the parliament of Finland to become the country's first King, titled Vaino I, resigns without setting foot in Finland, following Germany's defeat in World War I. Finland becomes a republic.
1939 – Winter War: The Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations for invading Finland.
1941 – World War II: Japan signs a treaty of alliance with Thailand.
1946 – The United Nations General Assembly votes to base its permanent headquarters in New York City.
1947 - The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium holds its first football match. It is the home of Real Madrid.
1955 – The UN is joined by Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal, Portugal, Spain and Sri Lanka.
1958 - The 3rd Soviet Antarctica expedition becomes the first to access the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility.
1960 - Convention against Discrimination in Education is adopted by UNESCO
1961 - Tanganyika joins the UN.
1962 – NASA's Mariner 2 becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Venus.
1963 - The dam containing the Baldwin Hills reservoir bursts, killing 5 people and damaging hundreds of homes in Los Angeles, California.
1971 - Bangladesh Liberation War: Over 200 of East Pakistan's intellectuals are executed by the Pakistan army and local allies.
1972 – Eugene Cernan of Apollo 17 becomes the last person to-date to have walked on the Moon.
1981 – Arab-Israeli conflict: Israel extends its area of law into the Golan Heights.
1989 - Patricio Aylwin is elected President of Chile during Chile's return to democracy following the rule of Augusto Pinochet.
1992 - Abkhazia War: A helicopter carrying evacuees from Tkvarcheli is shot down, killing 52 people, including 25 children.
1994 – Construction begins on the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China.
1995 – Yugoslav Wars: The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris.
1999 – Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga join the UN.
1999 – Torrential rains cause flash flooding in Vargas, Venezuela.
From 2001
2003 - President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf narrowly escapes an assassination attempt.
2004 – In France, the Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, is opened to traffic.
2004 - The leaders of Cuba and Venezuela create the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas.
2008 – Muntadhar al-Zaidi almost strikes US President George W. Bush with two shoes, as a form of protest, at a news conference in Baghdad. This was Bush's last visit to Iraq as President.
2012 - Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting: 20-year-old Adam Lanza shoots and kills his mother at his home in Newtown, Connecticut, before shooting and killing 20 children and 5 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He then turns the gun on himself.
2013 - Chinese spacecraft Chang'e 3, carrying the Yutu rover, becomes the first spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon since 1976.
2017 - Walt Disney Co. announces its intention to buy 21st Century Fox for 52 billion US dollars.
2017 - Scientists announce that the star Kepler-90b has the same number of known planets as the Solar System, eight.
Births
Up to 1900
1009 – Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan (d. 1045)
1332 - Frederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia (d. 1381)
1503 – Nostradamus, French astrologer and mathematician (d. 1566)
1546 – Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer and alchemist (d. 1601)
1607 - Janos Kemeny, Hungarian aristocrat and writer (d. 1662)
1631 - Anne Conway, English philosopher (d. 1679)
1640 – Aphra Behn, English playwright and novelist (d. 1689)
1720 – Justus Möser, German statesman (d. 1794)
1730 - James Bruce, Scottish naturalist and adventurer (d. 1794)
1775 - Philander Chase, American bishop and educator (d. 1852)
1775 - Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Scottish admiral and adventurer (d. 1860)
1784 – Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (d. 1806)
1787 – Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este (d. 1816)
1794 - Erastus Corning, American businessman and politician (d. 1872)
1796 - Lilburn Boggs, Governor of Missouri (d. 1860)
1829 - John Mercer Langston, American politician (d. 1897)
1852 - Watson Cheyne, Scottish surgeon and bacteriologist (d. 1932)
1853 - Errico Malatesta, Italian anarchist (d. 1932)
1866 – Roger Fry, English artist and art critic (d. 1934)
1867 - Ingibjörg H. Bjarnason, Icelandic politician, schoolteacher and gymnast, first female member of the Althing (d. 1941)
1870 – Karl Renner, President of Austria (d. 1950)
1875 - Paul Löbe, German politician (d. 1967)
1881 – Katherine MacDonald, American actress and movie producer (d. 1956)
1881 - Howard Valentine, American sprinter (d. 1932)
1883 - Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist (d. 1969)
1884 - Jane Cowl, American actress and playwright (d. 1950)
1887 - Xul Solar, Argentine painter and sculptor (d. 1963)
1895 – Paul Eluard, French poet (d. 1952)
1895 – King George VI of the United Kingdom (d. 1952)
1897 – Jimmy Doolittle, American general (d. 1993)
1897 – Kurt Schuschnigg, Chancellor of Austria (d. 1977)
1901 1950
1901 – King Paul of Greece (d. 1964)
1902 - Frances Bavier, American actress (d. 1989)
1902 – Herbert Feigl, Austrian philosopher (d. 1988)
1908 - Morey Amsterdam, American comedian and actor (d. 1996)
1908 - Claude Davey, Welsh rugby player (d. 2001)
1909 – Edward Tatum, American geneticist (d. 1975)
1911 – Spike Jones, American comedian and musician (d. 1965)
1911 - Hans von Ohain, German-American engineer (d. 1998)
1914 – Karl Carstens, President of Germany (d. 1992)
1914 - Nam Phuong, Empress of Vietnam (d. 1963)
1914 – Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichordist (d. 2003)
1915 - Rashid Behbudov, Georgian-Russian singer and actor (d. 1969)
1916 - Shirley Jackson, American author (d. 1965)
1917 - Tove Ditlevsen, Danish poet and author (d. 1976)
1918 - James Thomas Aubrey, Jr., American television and movie executive (d. 1994)
1918 - B. K. S. Iyengar, Indian yoga instructor and author (d. 2014)
1920 – Clark Terry, American jazz musician and composer (d. 2015)
1922 – Nikolay Basov, Soviet-Russian physicist (d. 2001)
1922 - Don Hewitt, American television producer (d. 2009)
1924 – Raj Kapoor, Indian actor (d. 1988)
1932 – Charlie Rich, American singer (d. 1995)
1932 - Abbe Lane, American singer and actress
1933 - Hisataka Okamoto, Japanese footballer
1934 - Shyam Benegal, Indian director and screenwriter
1935 – Lewis Arquette, American actor, writer and producer (d. 2001)
1935 - Lee Remick, American actress (d. 1991)
1936 - Robert A. Parker, American astronaut
1937 - Anna Lindblom, Swedish actress and singer
1938 – Leonardo Boff, Brazilian theologian
1939 - Stephen Cook, American computer programmer
1941 - Karan Armstrong, American soprano and actress
1942 - Chris Harris, English actor (d. 2014)
1942 - Dick Wagner, American guitarist, songwriter and author (d. 2014)
1943 - Emmett Tyrrell, American journalist, author and publisher
1943 - Britt Allcroft, English filmmaker
1946 – Sanjay Gandhi, Indian politician (d. 1980)
1946 – Stan Smith, American tennis player
1946 - Patty Duke, American actress (d. 2016)
1946 - Ruth Fuchs, German javelin thrower and politician
1946 - Peter Lorimer, Scottish footballer
1947 – Dilma Rousseff, former President of Brazil
1948 - Kim Beazley, Australian politician and diplomat
1949 – Cliff Williams, British musician (AC/DC)
1950 - Christiane Krause, German athlete
1951 1975
1953 - Vangelis Meimarakis, Greek lawyer and politician
1953 - Vijay Amritraj, Indian tennis player, actor and businessman
1954 - James Horan, American actor
1954 - Steve MacLean, Canadian astronaut
1956 - Linda Fabiani, Scottish politician
1958 – Mike Scott, Scottish musician and singer-songwriter (The Waterboys)
1958 – Spider Stacy, British musician (The Pogues)
1959 - Jorge Vaca, Mexican boxer
1960 – Chris Waddle, English footballer
1960 - Don Franklin, American actor
1960 - James Comey, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
1961 - Jeff Robinson, American baseball player (d. 2014)
1962 - Bela B, German musician
1964 - Rebecca Gibney, New Zealand-born Australian actress
1965 - Ted Raimi, American actor
1966 – Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Prime Minister of Denmark
1966 - Anthony Mason, American basketball player (d. 2015)
1967 - Hanne Haugland, Norwegian ski jumper
1969 - Greg Hemphill, Scottish actor, comedian and writer
1969 - Archie Kao, American actor and producer
1969 – Natascha McElhone, English actress
1970 - Anna Maria Jopek, Polish singer-songwriter, pianist and producer
1972 – Miranda Hart, English comedienne
1975 – Andrés Scotti, Uruguayan footballer
From 1976
1976 – Petter Hansson, Swedish footballer
1977 – Jamie Peacock, English Rugby League player
1978 – Patty Schnyder, Swiss tennis player
1979 – Michael Owen, English footballer
1979 – Jean-Alain Boumsong, French footballer
1979 - Sophie Monk, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actress
1980 – Didier Zokora, Ivorian footballer
1980 - Samuel Aiken, American football player
1981 – Liam Lawrence, Irish footballer
1982 – Steve Sidwell, English footballer
1983 - Leanne Mitchell, English singer-songwriter
1984 - Chadli Amri, Algerian footballer
1984 - Chris Brunt, Irish footballer
1984 - Jackson Rathbone, American actor and musician
1985 - Nonami Takizawa, Japanese actress and singer
1985 – Jakub Blaszczykowski, Polish footballer
1985 – Chris Czekaj, Welsh rugby player
1986 - Jang Jae-Ho, South Korean professional gamer
1988 – Vanessa Hudgens, American singer and actress
1988 - Nicolas Batum, French basketball player
1988 - Hayato Sakamoto, Japanese baseball player
1989 - Onew, South Korean singer
1989 - Pedro Roberto Silva Botelho, Brazilian footballer
1991 - Samantha Paszek, American gymnast
1992 - Ryo Miyaichi, Japanese footballer
1992 - Tori Kelly, American singer-songwriter
1993 - Thanawat Thirapongpaibon, Thai snooker player
1994 - Jason Lowndes, Australian racing cyclist (d. 2017)
1999 - Karley Scott Collins, American actress
Deaths
Up to 1900
872 - Pope Adrian II (b. 792)
1460 - Guarino de Verona, Italian scholar (b. 1370)
1476 – Vlad III the Impaler, ruler of Transylvania (b. 1430)
1510 - Frederick of Saxony (b. 1473)
1542 – James V, King of Scotland (b. 1512)
1591 – Saint John of the Cross, Spanish friar and poet (b. 1542)
1651 – Pierre Dupuy, French scholar (b. 1582)
1715 - Thomas Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1636)
1741 - Charles Rollin, French historian (b. 1661)
1788 - Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German composer (b. 1714)
1788 – Charles III, King of Spain (b. 1716)
1799 – George Washington, first President of the United States (b. 1732)
1806 – John Breckinridge, American politician (b. 1760)
1860 - George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1784)
1861 – Albert, Prince Consort (b. 1819)
1865 - Johan Georg Forchhammer, Danish geologist and mineralogist (b. 1794)
1873 – Louis Agassiz, Swiss geologist (b. 1807)
1878 – Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (b. 1843)
1901 2000
1902 - Julia Grant, First Lady of the United States (b. 1826)
1912 - Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis, English lieutenant and explorer (b. 1887)
1918 – Sidonio Pais, President of Portugal (b. 1872)
1927 - Julian Sochocki, Russian mathematician (b. 1842)
1940 - Anton Korosec, 10th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1872)
1943 – John Harvey Kellogg, American surgeon and breakfast food manufacturer (b. 1852)
1947 – Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)
1947 – Edward Higgins, General, contributor to the Salvation Army (b. 1864)
1953 - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, American author (b. 1897)
1956 – Juho Kusti Paasikivi, President of Finland (b. 1873)
1963 – Dinah Washington, American singer (b. 1924)
1963 - Erich Ollenhauer, German politician (b. 1901)
1970 - Franz Schlegelberger, German politician (b. 1876)
1974 - Walter Lippmann, American journalist (b. 1889)
1978 – Salvador de Madariaga, Spanish diplomat (b. 1886)
1984 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer (b. 1898)
1985 – Roger Maris, American baseball player (b. 1934)
1989 – Andrei Sakharov, Soviet-Russian scientist and activist (b. 1921)
1990 – Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss writer (b. 1921)
1993 – Myrna Loy, American actress (b. 1905)
1994 – Orval Faubus, American politician, Governor of Arkansas (b. 1910)
1997 – Kurt Winter, Canadian musician (b. 1946)
1998 - Norman Fell, American actor (b. 1924)
From 2001
2001 – W. G. Sebald, German writer (b. 1944)
2006 – Ahmet Ertegun, Turkish-American music executive (b. 1923)
2011 – Boris Chertok, Soviet-Russian rocket scientist and engineer (b. 1912)
2011 - George Whitman, American bookstore owner (b. 1913)
2012 - Kenneth Kendall, British television journalist (b. 1924)
2012 - Adam Lanza, American gunman (b. 1992)
2013 - George Rodrigue, American artist (b. 1944)
2013 - Peter O'Toole, Irish-British actor (b. 1932)
2013 - France Roche, French actress and screenwriter (b. 1921)
2014 - Louis Alphonse Koyagialo, Congolese politician (b. 1947)
2014 - Theo Colborn, American environmentalist and academic (b. 1927)
2014 - Bess Myerson, American model (b. 1924)
2015 - Vadym Tyshchenko, Ukrainian footballer (b. 1963)
2015 - Armando Cossutta, Italian politician (b. 1926)
2015 - Lillian Vernon, German-American businesswoman (b. 1927)
2016 - Bernard Fox, Welsh-American actor (b. 1927)
2016 - Paulo Evaristo Arns, Brazilian cardinal (b. 1921)
2016 - Halfdan T. Mahler, former Director-General of the World Health Organization (b. 1923)
2016 - Jean-Paul Pier, Luxembourgian mathematician (b. 1933)
2017 - Yurizan Beltran, American pornographic actress (b. 1986)
2017 - Bob Givens, American animator (b. 1918)
2017 - Karl-Erik Nilsson, Swedish wrestler (b. 1922)
2017 - R. C. Sproul, American theologian and author (b. 1939)
2017 - Neeraj Vora, Indian actor, screenwriter and director (b. 1963)
2017 - Marilyn Ware, American diplomat and businesswoman (b. 1943)
2017 - Lones Wigger, American sports shooter (b. 1937)
2017 - Yu Guangzhong, Taiwanese poet (b. 1928)
2018 - Matti Kassila, Finnish film director (b. 1924)
2018 - Remedios Loza, Bolivian politician (b. 1949)
2018 - Joe Osborn, American bass guitarist (b. 1937)
2018 - Edmond Simeoni, French politician (b. 1934)
2018 - Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, Belgian economist and politician; b. 1945
Twenty-nineteen - Yury Belyayev, Russian footballer; b. '34
Observances
Alabama Day
Day of the Martyred Intellectuals (Bangladesh)
Monkey Day
Days of the year |
Subsets and Splits