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What is the missing first word in the title of Rose Macauley's novel '… By An Idiot'? | Charles Harness Novels
The Novels of Charles Harness
by Rich Horton
Charles Harness is an odd bird. I like much of his work immensely: it's deeply romantic, vigorously (if not always logically) plotted, exotically imagined, quite moving. But I must also concede his flaws -- as I've hinted, the plots are not always very logical, the characters are often stiff idealizations, the romanticism can be over the top. He has a tendency to recycle his themes and imagery -- in particular, several of his novels are about cyclical universes. (He also uses quite blatantly autobiographical material in a number of his books -- besides the fascination with chemistry and patents, reflecting his career, there is often a beloved older brother to the main character who has died, and two novels (Redworld and Cybele With Bluebonnets) replicate the same series of incidents from Harness's life -- his year as a reluctant theology student before switching to chemistry, his jobs at a printing shop and as a fingerprinter for the police, as well as an affair with an older woman from Fort Worth's "red light" district that may or may not be autobiographical.) I'd say he's a writer who is not for everybody, but a fascinating one for those who acquire the taste.
Harness was born in 1915 in Texas. His main career was as a Patent Attorney. This background shows up in many of his stories: Patent Attorney heroes are featured in a couple of the novels and many stories. Indeed, he wrote some of the "Leonard Lockhard" stories in Astounding (others were by Theodore Thomas, and some may have been collaborations), all of which were about a young patent attorney dealing with the problems of patenting some whacky SFnal inventions. (According to the NESFA Harness collection An Ornament to His Profession, Harness wrote only the first Lockhard story (in 1952) and collaborated with Thomas on the second (in 1954): subsequent Lockhard pieces were by Thomas.)
Harness' writing career divides up fairly neatly into four parts. The first part came from 1948 to 1953, and featured his first novel and several shorter works, including some of his very best work. The stories from this period are very characteristic of his more romantic side. After 1953 he stopped writing to concentrate on his job. He returned to writing in 1966 with two novelettes, "The Alchemist" and "An Ornament to His Profession", each of which gained a Hugo and a Nebula nomination. This new flowering lasted only a couple of years: a few more stories followed, and one of his best novels, The Ring of Ritornel (1968). The third period of Harness's writing career began about 1977 and lasted until about 1991, though it was prefigured by a wild 1974 novella, "The Araqnid Window". This period included most of Harness' novels, 8 of them in all, and a similar number of shorter works. Harness's retirement in 1983 doubtless was one factor in his increased writing productivity. Another couple of stories appeared in 1994, then beginning in 1997 he began publishing short stories quite regularly: about a dozen more by now, as well as two novels, both from NESFA: Drunkard's Endgame (1999) and Cybele, with Bluebonnets (2002).
Herewith the novels:
The Paradox Men (1949, 1953, 1981) (64,000 words)
This book is arguably still Harness's most famous and most respected novel. It has a slightly complicated publishing history. The first version was a short novel called "Flight Into Yesterday", published in an issue of Startling Stories in 1949. (It was already a full-length novel, at some 56,000 words: Startling and its sister publication Thrilling Wonder Stories regularly featured novels of between 40K and 60K words in single issues.) It was republished, somewhat expanded, in a 1953 hardcover also called Flight Into Yesterday. The title The Paradox Men was first applied to an Ace Double edition in 1955. There were some British reprints in the 60s, but the current definitive edition was supervised by George Zebrowski for a new American edition, part of Crown's "Classics of Modern Science Fiction" series, in 1981. This edition is slightly expanded from the previous ones, and in addition the copy-editing was much better. Some of the later changes are new additions by Harness, some may be restorations of Harness's original manuscript. Certain references to computer tech were surely added in the 80s. Zebrowski quite correctly (in my view) chose to retain the Ace title (probably coined by Don Wollheim) over Harness's original (the needlessly obscure Toynbee Twenty-Two), and over the Startling title (probably coined by Sam Merwin). The expansions from the original magazine version to the Ace Double total about 4,000 words, and consist mainly of interpolation within scenes. There is one new chapter, which is a result of splitting an expanded chapter in two. The further expansions in 1981 are similarly minor, again about 4,000 words worth, and also involve some jargon changes, such as the Microfilm Mind becoming the Meganet Mind.
The plot is complicated, but consistent, logical, and thematically sound. The characters are two-dimensional but interesting and involving. The action is well-done, and the scientific ideas are sometimes philosophical and thoughtful, and at other times wild, implausible, but still engaging. The basic story is of a Thief, Alar, who has appeared in Imperial America 5 years prior to the action of the story, with no memory of his past or identity. The Thieves work underground against the repressive society, using tech invented by their mysterious, dead, founder, Kennicot Muir. The key piece of Thief tech is armor which protects them against high velocity weapons (like projectile weapons), but not against swords and knives. Thus fencing is again a major skill. (Herbert swiped this notion for Dune, of course.) At the time of the action, various threads are converging: the plans of Imperial America to attack its Eurasian enemy, the Toynbee society's attempts to avoid the continuing historical cycle of civilizations rising and falling (they believe that the coming war will bring Toynbee Civilization 21 to an end: the next one will be Toynbee 22, hence Harness' original title), the completion of an experimental FTL starship, the relationship between the evil leaders of Imperial America and Keiris Muir, the enslaved widow of Kennicot Muir, and her attraction to Alar, the predictions of the computer enhanced human called The Meganet Mind (or the Microfilm Mind in the original). What a horrible sentence: but trying to summarize Harness can do that to you. Everything comes to a head with a trip to the surface of the Sun, and then a much stranger trip ...
I recommend it. It seems comparable in many ways to its near contemporary The Stars My Destination: Harness probably had a more original mind than Bester's, and his themes seem a bit more ambitious. But he really couldn't write with him -- and I think it is because of the writing (both prose and pace) that the manic energy of the Bester book is more successfully sustained. Still, The Paradox Men remains a powerful and interesting novel, and such scenes as the final selfless act of Keiris are unmatched in SF.
The Rose (1953) (31,000 words)
This is a long novella first published in the UK magazine Authentic in 1953. It was later published in a paperback edition along with two fine early stories ("The New Reality" and "The Chessplayers".) It's reprinted in the NESFA story collection An Ornament to His Profession.
"The Rose" is Harness at his dream-logic wildest. It's the story of psychiatrist dancer Anna van Tuyl, who as the story opens is in the grip of a disease which has crippled her and made her ugly; and Ruy Jacques, an artist who has lost the power of reading, but gained ... something greater? And Martha Jacques, his wife, who is a scientist on the threshold of discovering the "Sciomnia equations", which will once and for all render science superior to art.
It's a strange concoction. Much of the action is absurd: and many of the central arguments, concerning the primacy of Art of Science, push a false dichotomy. But it's always absorbing, and the ideas, even if outwardly silly, are fascinating and compelling: and the ending is wonderful.
The Ring of Ritornel (1968) (82,000 words)
The only novel from Harness's late 60s return to the field. The Ring of Ritornel is actually slightly less complicated than some of the other Harness stuff I've read. It involves a far future, human-led civilization, the Twelve Galaxies, which is just coming out of a long war with the planet Terror. (Which I readily guessed was a corruption of Terra: a pun later used by E. C. Tubb, I don't know if Harness was first to use it, though I wouldn't be surprised if it was used much earlier.) The new emperor is something of a despot, but is almost killed at the beginning of the action. Clones are made of him in case he dies, and his poet-laureate is killed and has his brain placed in a music-composing computer to try to save the emperor's life. The lead character is the laureate's brother, who is ignorant of his brother's fate, and who grows up to become a highly-placed legal representative for the Palace. He falls in love with the Emperor's "daughter", and as a result is sent to argue the Emperor's case that the planet Terror should be destroyed. But ... There's lots more going on: energy-eating insects, spiders, the competing religions of Alea and Ritornel, a superintelligent Pegasus Kentaur, beings of antimatter, the end of the universe ... Pretty fun, though at times the absurdities really went too far. It does have several of Harness's recurring tropes: cyclical universes, spiders, beloved brothers, lead characters who are lawyers ...
Wolfhead (1978) (66,000 words)
This novel, serialized in two parts in F&SF in 1977 (presumably in a shorter version), represents for me the start of his "third period". It is a post-holocaust story, set 3000 years after atomic war. The protagonist, just married, sees his wife kidnapped by the Undergrounders, people who have lived underground for 3000 years. He becomes involved in a plot to invade the underground city, for his part to regain his wife, but for the part of the monks who train him, to stop the Underground people from invading the surface. It's exciting and romantic, involving lots of psi powers (done fairly neatly), and a telepathic wolf companion, and a bittersweet ending, and even a twinge of moral ambiguity. Not a bad book, though as usual with Harness there are a lot of wild ideas that don't really hold water.
The Catalyst (1980) (65,000 words)
Harness has called this his favorite among his own works. I disagree -- I really didn't like it very much, indeed it may be my least favorite. It seems to be more autobiographical than most of his books (except for Cybele, with Bluebonnets and Redworld.) It's about a patent attorney (natch!), whose beloved older brother died when he was a teen (another common Harness theme, echoing his loss of his own brother), who is working for a research lab. The lab has two rival scientists: a strict by the book idiot who has advanced by brownnosing corporate management, and a brilliant unconventional scientist who by golly resembles the patent attorney's brother to an amazing degree. The brilliant guy and his team, including the attorney, Paul, develop a catalyst which will produce a wonder substance (that among other things would have cured Paul's brother), in high yields at atmospheric pressure. The idiot scientist is backing an expensive project which will produce the stuff in low yields at high pressures, requiring a complex factory. The idiot guy forces out the brilliant guy and his proteges, then is stuck in a dilemma when the company gets in a patent battle about the new catalyst. Oh, and there's also an unconvincing love affair with a clone, and lots of guff about an unfinished opera, and some hints of time travel. Harness is always at the edge of absurdity with his plots: his best stuff carries it off with flair, but his weaker novels collapse under the weight of all the silliness, which is what happens here.
Firebird (1981) (68,000 words)
This is another book on roughly the same theme as The Ring of Ritornel, and also to a lesser extent The Paradox Men. The universe is cyclical, beginning with the Big Bang, 60 billion years later stopping expansion, and after a total of 120 billion years hitting the Big Crunch, followed by another cycle. But in this particular cycle, two intelligent telepathic computers rule the universe, enslaving all the "humans" (actually cat-creatures). The computers plot to reduce the mass of the universe just enough to allow the expansion to continue forever, thus avoiding their eventual destruction in the Big Crunch. A man and a woman, by falling in love, will join the struggle to restore the missing mass, and restore the natural cycle. Lots of silliness, some rather neatly handled time-paradoxes, all in all an OK book but not great.
The Venetian Court (1982) (56,000 words)
Expanded from a 1981 Analog novella of the same title. This is a weird novel that I rather enjoyed while not believing at all. In the near future, patent infringement has become a capital crime. Ellen Welles has invented a valuable product called fiber K, but unfortunately a megacorporation using a computer to generate inventions just beat her to it. They sue for patent infringement, and the case winds up with a literally insane judge who needs to sentence people to death to juice himself up to write opinions, and hopefully reach the Supreme Court. The story mostly follows Welles's lawyer as he tries to find a way to free her -- but all his quite reasonable defenses are foiled arbitrarily by the judge, and in the end derring-do plus a real deus ex machina is required to work things out. Fiber K is based on spider silk, and the evil judge is a spider fancier -- allowing Harness to play with his recurring arachnid theme. The general arbitrariness of the action, and the too evull villains, weaken the novel, but page by page it is goofy fun. The patent lawyer hero, Quentin Thomas, is also the hero of his later novel Lunar Justice.
Redworld (1986) (63,000 words)
This is a really curious novel. It's nominally SF, but much of it seems to be quite straightforward retelling of the youth of a character much like Harness in a city much like Fort Worth, TX. Except that the character is an alien, and the city is on a planet circling Barnard's Star. The young narrator, Pol, who lives with his mother, his father and beloved older brother having died, witnesses the electroburning of a "lamia" on the day his job at a printers starts. The lamia seems to point at him as she dies, predicting that he will be the mythical "Revenant", who will die and be reborn. And on his way to work he sees Josi, the beautiful but strange (could it be she has but five fingers?) woman who runs the main whorehouse in town.
Pol's world is riven between the Scientists and the Priests -- thirty years previously, a long war was ended by the "Treaty", in which basically the Priests agreed to let the Scientists live as long as they didn't discover any new facts. Pol's sympathy is with the Scientist, in particular as his brother had been working on an immortality serum before he died. But his only chance at education is a scholarship to study for the priesthood. So the story follows his life, in very engaging fashion -- his time at the printer's, his fascination with the mysterious and beautiful Josi, who looks to be thirty but must be at least sixty, his eventual affair with her, his later job at the police station taking fingerprints, his attempt to finish his brother's work, all leading to the climax, in which the mystery of Josi (no mystery to the reader!) is solved, and Pol's fate as the Revenant is achieved.
It's a very enjoyable, engaging read, although much of it is absurd. But Harness's telling overcomes the silliness. It is extremely interesting to compare this book with his latest novel, Cybele, With Bluebonnets -- huge swaths of the plots of each book are identical. And the mode of the telling -- the very engaging, even sweet, feel to the book, is similar to that novel. (I suspect as a result of the autobiographical aspects.)
Krono (1988) (68,000 words)
A time travel novel, again one of Harness's favorite themes. As well as time travel, Harness ropes in Edgar Allan Poe -- a combination repeated in his next novel. In Krono overpopulation problems are resolved by colonizing the past. Philip Konteau is a 50ish "krono", charged with surveying past locations to determine their suitability for colonies. The great danger is instabilities in the time stream that can cause a poorly stabilized colony to disappear. Konteau, mooning over his departed wife, finds himself involved in a project to extend the colonization to Mars' past, when it was wet. He also finds himself involved in a plot apparently hatched by the an evil "Vyr" (a politico-religious leader) who wants to be the new Overlord. And his son may be lost in a timequake. Trips to the Paleozoic, and to the 1840s (i.e. Poe's time), and a meeting with the legendary inventor of time travel, are also involved. In short -- typical Harness! Engaging, not quite logical, not one of his best books but enjoyable.
Lurid Dreams (1990) (57,000 words)
One of Harness's less outré books. He foregoes his usual plot (cyclical destruction and recreation of the universe) for a time-travel story involving Edgar Allan Poe. The time travel is by means of Out of Body Experiences, and the plot involves a graduate student studying the OB phenomenon, by means of his own ability to go OB. He is recruited by a Confederacy nut to go back in time and convince EAP to stay at school and become a CSA General, saving the Battle of Gettysburg for the CSA, instead of choosing a literary career. (Reminiscent of a story by Walter Jon Williams, and I think maybe one by Effinger too.) There is plenty of Time-Travel hugger mugger, and time, of course, doesn't quite cooperate with the wishes of the characters. Decent fun, with some nice Poe details, and lots of wild and implausible stuff, too.
Lunar Justice (1991) (58,000 words)
This is the last novel of his third period. It involves a man trying to ignite Jupiter in order to make the Jovian satellites terraformable, thus ameliorating the Earth's population problem. For economic reasons, the bad guys want to stop this, and as a result they end up arresting the head of the Jupiter project, and trying him in an absurd kangaroo court on the moon. He hires a patent lawyer as his defense lawyer, but more importantly, the patent lawyer turns out to be a super powerful psi. It's all quite cheerfully nonsense. It doesn't really work, but it's kind of fun, with fillips like patent applications in verse and a new model guillotine thrown in.
Drunkard's Endgame (1999) (65,000 words)
Drunkard's Endgame, is a fairly minor book. It was published by NESFA as part of an omnibus of his "cyclical" novels called Rings (the other novels included being The Paradox Men, The Ring of Ritornel, and Firebird.) It's set on a starship populated by robots, who rebelled against their human masters 1000 years previously, and who have been fleeing ever since. The (corrupt, natch) leader of the starship is searching for the ultimate weapon which a human had devised, and which he thinks was stored in the memory banks of one of his fellow robots. He is opposed by the aristocratic robot known as L'Ancienne, and by her nephew Rodo, who falls in love with one of the robots exiled to the surface of the starship. Once again, the book ends with a radical change to existing conditions, and the beginning of a "new world", but in this case the plot contrivances to bring this about are hard to believe, and the villain combines stupidity with malice rather excessively. It's still a breezy, fun, read.
Cybele, with Bluebonnets (2002) (70,000 words)
The bibliography in NESFA's An Ornament to His Profession cites a 1998 edition from Old Earth Books for this, but that edition never came out. The current NESFA hardcover is copyright 2002 and is marked First Edition -- possibly the book was written by 1998 but the earlier publication fell through. (As Ornament came out in 1998 itself, the compiler (Priscilla Olson) was presumably citing a forthcoming edition that did not come to be.) Cybele, with Bluebonnets is a bit of an oddity for Harness, by far the least SFnal of his books. It's mostly a fairly straightforward account of a boy growing to manhood in Texas, in the 20s, 30s and 40s. There is a fantastical element -- an object that may be the Holy Grail, a soul surviving death, and a person somehow knowing the future. But for the most part it's just the story of Joe Barnes, growing up the son of a widow living in "Fort West" (a thinly veiled version of Fort Worth, where Harness grew up), and his obsession with a beautiful older woman named Cybele.
The story is told in a series of short chapters, more or less chronologically following Joe's life. He meets Cybele in High School (or perhaps, mysteriously, earlier): she is his Chemistry teacher. He falls in love, or at least lust, with her from the beginning, and this is a spur towards his eventual ambition to become a chemist. He's rather poor, though, and after graduation he takes a couple of manual labor type jobs, apparently with the behind the scenes help of Cybele. One magical night he encounters her in a storm, and they enter into a passionate affair that last several months, until fate intervenes tragically. But somehow she still seems present, and seems to be guiding his life as he goes to school, gets a job for the government during the war, and marries a girl from his high school. These mysteries are resolved strikingly, somewhat movingly, and also a bit creepily, by the end.
It's a highly readable book, interspersed with almost folksy anecdotes of life in Texas during the 30s, of "Fort West" history, of weird chemical facts and pranks, and of the mysterious "Cup" that might be the Holy Grail. The structure is a bit slack, and the typical Harness hyper-romanticism sometimes fails to convince, but it's still a nice book, worth reading especially for Harness fans.
| Told (village) |
A poker player throwing in his cards says what? | Mystery fiction | Books to the Ceiling | Page 12
Books to the Ceiling
April 11, 2013 at 9:11 pm ( Book review , books , Mystery fiction , Scotland , The British police procedural )
The Blackhouse is a big, ambitious novel. Its chief protagonist is Finlay MacLeod is a police officer in Edinburgh. As the novel begins, Fin is investigating a homicide that took place in that city when DCI Black, his boss, suddenly informs him that he’s being sent to the Isle of Lewis in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. It seems that a murder there closely resembles MacLeod’s Edinburgh case as regards the killer’s MO. One other important point: Fin MacLeod was born and raised on the Isle of Lewis.
Fin has not been back to Lewis for a long time. There are reasons for his lengthy absence. He has no living family members still on the island. But he does have friends, a former lover, and other associations still there. The woman he had loved, and known from childhood, was called Marjorie – Marsaili in Gaelic, pronounced Marshally in that language. Fin’s best friend had been Artair Macinnes. Artair and Marsaili were now married; they had a son named Fionnlagh, which is Fin’s own Gaelic name. If this sounds like a complex and potentially fraught situation – it is.
Nevertheless, Fin must follow orders and return to Lewis, to look into the murder of Angus Macritchie. In times past, Macritchie had been the archetypal schoolyard bully, disliked by Fin and pretty much everyone else on the island. Now he was dead, and it’s up to Fin to find out who killed him and why.
Meanwhile, Fin’s personal life in Edinburgh has been slowly and painfully disintegrating. He has suffered a terrible bereavement, and his marriage is on the rocks. It’s a good time to get away from Edinburgh. But Fin is apprehensive about returning to the Isle of Lewis – and it turns out, he has good reason to feel that way.
Peter May’s depiction of life on this remote outpost is meticulous and vivid. Here, Fin recalls a moment from his childhood on the island:
The northern part of Lewis was flat and unbroken by hills or mountains, and the weather swept across it from the Atlantic to the Minch, always in a hurry. And so it was always changing. Light and dark in ever-shifting patterns, one set against the other – rain, sunshine, black sky, blue sky. And rainbows. My childhood seemed filled with them. Usually doublers. We watched one that day, forming fast over the peatbog, vivid against the blackest of blue-black skies. It took away the need for words
In a later scene, Fin and a fellow officer are driving up the west coast of the island:
He watched the villages drift by, like moving images in an old family album, every building, every fencepost and blade of grass picked out in painfully sharp relief by the sun behind them. There was not a soul to be seen anywhere….The tiny village primary schools, too, were empty, still shut for the summer holidays. Fin wondered where all the children were. To their right, the peatbog drifted into a hazy infinity, punctuated only by stoic sheep standing firm against the Atlantic gales. To their left, the ocean itself swept in timeless cycles on to beaches and into rocky inlets, , creamy white foam crashing over darkly obdurate gneiss, the oldest rock on earth. The outline of a tanker, like a distant mirage, was just discernible on the horizon.
Peter May’s writing is powerful and persuasive, at times ascending to the poetic. This gift serves him well when he comes to describe an event of supreme importance to the people of Lewis: the guga harvest. Every year, a limited number of men are invited to be a part of this unique island tradition. It begins with a boat trip across treacherous waters to a rocky island called An Sgeir, where thousands of birds arrive during the summer months to nest and procreate. The guga, or gannets, are considered delicacies by the people of Lewis. The job of the guga hunters is to capture some two thousand birds within a two week period. The young chicks are plucked from their nests while the frantic parents flap their wings and screech in protest. The necks of the chicks are quickly broken; then they are plucked clean, slit open to receive sea salt as a preservative, and otherwise made ready for the return trip. Ultimately they will be presented to the islanders of Lewis, perfectly preserved and ready to eat.
It is considered an honor to be selected as a participant in the yearly guga harvest. Fin received just such an honor during his last summer before leaving the island to attend university in Glasgow. It is a distinction he could have well done without. He has no desire to go, but once chosen, it is virtually impossible to decline. And so, with a heavy, heart, he joins the team of hunters. After the inevitable rough crossing Fin catches sight of An Sger for the first time:
Three hundred feet of sheer black cliff streaked with white, rising straight out of the ocean in front of us….I saw what looked like snow blowing in a steady stream from the peak before I realized that the snowflakes were birds. Fabulous white birds with blue-black wingtips and yellow heads, a wingspan of nearly two metres. Gannets. Thousands of them, filling the sky, turning in the light, riding turbulent currents of air.
(The white streaks are actually bird guano. Fin had smelled An Sgeir before he’d seen it.)
An Sgeir was barely half a mile long, its vertebral column little more than a hundred yards across. There was no soil here, no grassy banks or level land, no beaches. Just shit-covered rock rising straight out of the sea.
Fin adds that he couldn’t imagine a more inhospitable place. But this is just the beginning. While engaged in the arduous labor of unloading two weeks’ worth of supplies, Fin discovers how hard it is to maintain your footing on the island. The rock is made slick not just by the guano but by the slimy green vomit produced by petrel chicks terrified by this sudden human invasion. Add to that the unceasing racket generated by the avian multitudes, and you have a sort of Hell on Earth. And there they will stay for two full weeks, carrying out the multifaceted operation of catching, killing, and preparing the birds.
There is only one place to shelter on An Sgeir. It is a blackhouse.
Although Fin can’t help but admire the ingenuity, resourcefulness, and just plain toughness of the guga hunters, he finds the two weeks on An Sgeir an awful experience, an endurance test that can’t end soon enough. And at the end of two weeks it does end. But not without two momentous occurrences, the full import of which Fin does not grasp until many years after the event.
************************
Peter May’s evocation of life on the Isle of Lewis is deeply resonant. The geography of the place, the social order, the dominance of the church, the entire way of life – all are presented here in minute detail. There were times when I thought it might be too minute. The anthropology threatens to overwhelm the mystery. The actual crime was, for this reader, the least memorable aspect of the book. The cast of characters is fairly large; moreover, the complex narrative alternates between the present and the past. This brings up a certain aspect of the narrative style employed by May in this novel: the events of the present time are set forth in the third person, while the sections dealing with Fin’s boyhood on the island are recounted by him in the first person. It took me a while to get comfortable with this method of advancing the story.
Until I read The Blackhouse, the only knowledge I had of the Isle of Lewis had to do with the famous Chessmen , almost certainly carved by Norsemen in the early Middle Ages and discovered on the island in 1831. (In the novel, Fin recalls a bit of island legend to the effect that the crofter who found the tiny carvings, mistaking them for the “…elves and gnomes, the pygmy sprites of Celtic folklore,” fled the scene in fear for his life.)
Peter May’s description of the guga harvest is riveting and bizarre to the point of almost seeming hallucinatory. Off hand, as regards its affect on the reader – this reader, anyway – the only recent fiction I can readily compare it to is Karen Russell’s astonishing story “St. Lucy’s School for Girls Raised by Wolves.” So – is there actually such a thing as the guga harvest? Indeed there is, as you will see if you click here .
There are actual blackhouses remaining in the Outer Hebrides, although few if any still serve as dwelling places. Here is Fin’s description:
The Blackhouses had dry-stone walls with thatched roofs and gave shelter to both man and beast. A peat fire burend day and night in the centre of the stone floor of the main room. It was called the fire room. There were no chimneys, and smoke was supposed to escape through a hole in the roof. Of course, it wasn’t very efficient, and the houses were always full of the stuff.
He adds: “It was little wonder that life expectancy was short.” ( Wikipedia has an interesting entry on the blackhouses .)
Restored blackhouse in a museum on Trotternish, Skye
*****************************************
The Blackhouse presents some structural challenges for the reader, and there were times when the plot seemed somewhat labored, if not downright irrelevant, given the fascination of the setting.. But Peter May writes beautifully, and he’s created an enormously likable protagonist in Fin MacLeod. This is the first novel in the Lewis Trilogy , and I look forward to the next one.
Peter May
March 25, 2013 at 7:50 pm ( Book review , books , Mystery fiction )
I felt in need of some light – or lighter, at any rate – reading. A book that would chase away ‘the old ennui’ and make me smile. That would not make too many heavy demands on my intellect. So where did I turn?
Lawrence Block ‘s stories about the adventures and misadventures of a hit man are written with tongue firmly in cheek. Keller, the eponymous protagonist, first appeared in short stories. Then the stories were collected in single volumes. Then they lengthened into novels. But, as can readily be seen from Hit Me, these novels retain the episodic quality of the stories. I think this works extremely well. It means the plot, or plots, never get too complicated and thus retain their narrative momentum. They also provide scope for Block’s wonderfully written dialog. In addition, we’re made privy to the thoughts that occupy Keller as he awaits the arrival of an intended victim:
Keller had read somewhere that all of man’s difficulties stemmed from his inability to sit alone in a room. The line stayed with him, and a while ago he’d Googled his way to its source. Someone named Pascal had made the observation, Blaise Pascal, and it turned out he’d said a lot of other interesting things as well, but all but the first one had slipped Keller’s mind. He thought of it now as he forced himself to sit alone in the maid’s room, waiting for Portia Walmsley to come home.
(Like his creator, Keller possesses a lot of what I’d call hidden erudition.)
It’s one of the perverse triumphs of these stories that Keller emerges as an oddly likeable guy. It is odd, one must admit, given the nature of his work. He may be a killer for hire, but he’s beset by many of the same anxieties and insecurities from which we all suffer. And yes, he does suffer occasional pangs of conscience. Also, he yearns for love and the comforts that a family would provide; latterly, he actually does acquire those precious attributes of a rewarding life. But can he hold on to them and still pursue his ruthless, if highly remunerative, profession? Should he look for another line of work altogether? Time will tell….
Whatever his choice of vocation, Keller avidly pursues a passionate vocation. It is the collecting of postage stamps, and you could say that it pursues him rather than the other way around. This is the third Keller book I’ve read – the fifth in the series – and I feel that there is far more stamp lore in this one than in the previous two. Philately is the kind of specialty that can easily afflict the unbeliever with glazed eyes and cognitive shutdown, but Block always stops short of indulging in that degree of detail.
At any rate, it’s a sideline that affords Keller a welcome distraction from the matters at hand – matters that must be dealt with, one way or another. Keller gets these assignments from a woman called Dot. You could say, using spy parlance, that she’s his handler. But Keller is more free than most agents of espionage are to decline a given task. Dot has the connections to shop it elsewhere. In Hit Me, Keller’s proposed “hits’ range from an angry husband’s wife and her lover, the abbot of a monastery (hence the “felonious monk” in the title of this post), and a fourteen-year-old boy. This last precipitates a crisis. Keller has always drawn the line at doing away with children for whatever reason (and the reason in this case is purely venal anyway). He comes up with a better idea.
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In this video, Lawrence Block discusses Hit and Run (fourth in the series) and the strangeness of readers’ reactions to Keller.
March 24, 2013 at 2:46 am ( Book clubs , Book review , books , Mystery fiction )
Man with Seal, by Kellipalik Qimirpik
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“Igunak. Fermented walrus gut. Very good for you. Keep you warm.”
Welcome to the world of Edie Kiglatuk, chief protagonist of M.J. McGrath’s highly unusual mystery, White Heat.
[Click twice on the map for an enlarged and readable view.]
Edie is a skilled guide in Canada’s High Arctic. She takes the qalunaat – white men – out ‘on the land,’ mainly to hunt. She’s also a part-time teacher at the local elementary school. The living she cobbles together in this way barely makes ends meet. She’s divorced, and although she has no children of her own, Joe Inukpuk, the son of her ex-husband Sammy, has become very dear to her.
Edie gets involved in an investigation that hits very close to home. It has to do with a death that appears to be a suicide but may have been something else. The police are also involved in the person of the local law enforcement officer, Derek Palliser. Derek is young, and a more than competent policeman, but his relationship with Edie produces plenty of static. Eventually she goes haring off on her own in an effort to further the investigation. Derek finds her actions deeply exasperating. (Derek has an obsession with lemmings that several of us found rather odd.)
In White Heat, M.J. McGrath presents us with an extremely crowded canvas, filled as it is with numerous secondary characters. In addition, the plot evolves toward a formidable degree of complexity. I readily admit to being lost in the back stretch, especially during the last third of the novel. On the other hand, McGrath’s descriptions of this forbidding yet fascinating place are intensely lyrical and evocative:
It was one of those beautiful, crystal-clear Arctic evenings where everything seemed picked out in its own spotlight. The sky was an unimpeachable blue and before him stretched a fury of tiny ice peaks, unblemished by leads. In the distance the dome-shaped berg, which had bedded into the surrounding pack for the winter, glowed furiously turquoise.
In contrast, descriptions of the food traditionally consumed by the indigenous population were somewhat off putting. No – let’s be blunt – at times, downright revolting! There’s the fermented walrus gut being praised so enthusiastically by Edie in the quote at the top of this post. In that scene, she is offering this ‘delicacy’ to Andy Taylor, a qalunaat for whom she is acting as a guide on a hunting trip. His reaction:
Taylor took a bite. Slowly his jaw began to move. Pretty soon a rictus of disgust spread across his face. He spat the meat onto his glove.
A profane exclamation is uttered at this point. (Andy later goes missing in a blizzard, on an excursion led by Joe Inukpuk. Andy’s disappearance creates a mystery, followed by a tragedy.)
Two other dishes offered up for the reader’s delectation in this novel are hearty seal- blood soup and “delicate little nuggets of fried blubber.” . We couldn’t help laughing about the way in which, in respect of food, White Heat differs so markedly from, say, the novels of Donna Leon. In those, the reader is positively salivating over the culinary delights so casually whipped up by Paola Brunetti, wife to the most fortunate Commissario. Whereas, quite frankly, the food described in White Heat made my stomach churn! Ah well. Perhaps one must be born to it.
I had a more serious problem with the relationship that the Inuit people have with the animals in their world. That the Inuit live by hunting is a given, but even the sled dogs are regarded more as engine parts than as living beings, never mind companion animals. Reed rightly offered the reminder that these dogs function as machines rather than pets, for their Inuit owners. My response was that even though I acknowledge this fact in my head, my heart cannot accept it. (Edie does have Bonehead, a pet more or less, but she doesn’t seem to expend much affection on him.)
Survival is – must be – a top priority in this community, and the author is generally compassionate toward the hard pressed Inuit. They can be courageous and resourceful, yet these very same people are beset with dysfunctional elements, chief among them being alcohol and drug abuse – problems not known to them prior to their contact with white men.
The Boy in the Snow, the second in the Edie Kiglatuk series, came out here in November of last year. Several in our group had either read it or were planning to do so. I believe that Carol mentioned that McGrath is already at work on the third Edie Kiglatuk novel.
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Our discussion was led by Carol. She provided us with fascinating background material. I was especially interested in Melanie McGrath herself. What caused her to become so passionately interested in this remote region of the planet? Born in England, McGrath has traveled widely and lived for a time in places as disparate as Las Vegas and Nicaragua. She’s now back in England, concentrating on her writing.
Up until the publication of White Heat in 2011, McGrath had been writing primarily nonfiction. Carol had especially recommended one of those titles, The Long Exile. Subtitled A Tale of Inuit Betrayal and Survival in the High Arctic, this is the story of the forced relocation of seven families, consisting of some three dozen individuals, from Inukjuak, their home on the east coast of the Hudson Bay, to Ellesmere Island some twelve hundred miles north. I started reading this book after I’d finished White Heat. The events described in The Long Exile are so gripping that they overtook the content of the novel in my imagination and more or less blocked it out. (Another person in our group, Pauline, was having a similar experience with the two books.)
The Long Exile begins with the story of Robert Flaherty’s travels in the Barren Lands that so fascinated him, and the landmark film that emerged from his experiences there.
Flaherty was used to wilderness, but no wilderness he had ever experienced matched this….He felt the flinty, lichen-painted sweep of the tundra and the great expanses of sea and ice and sky as a swelling in his chest. The starkness of the place enthralled him. It was as though every step farther north was a footfall on a new discovery. The tundra rolled out, empty and uncompromised, all around him.
Although some of the scenes were deliberately staged, his film Nanook of the North remains an almost iconic work of ethnography. With no road map to guide him, Robert Flaherty virtually invented the genre of documentary film.
And yet, Nanook of the North was not the only legacy Robert Flaherty left behind among the people of the High Arctic….
McGrath’s writing positively soars in The Long Exile. The story of the privation and suffering endured by the Inukjiak people as they struggled to survive their first winter on Ellesmere Island may be the most harrowing nonfiction narrative I’ve ever encountered.
The Inuit were deposited on the Lindstrom Peninsula of Ellesmere Island. There was insufficient snow for the building of snow houses, so the families had to remain in tents. The place was so alien, so devoid of any kind of life, human, animal or plant, that Mary Aqiatusuk, wife of Paddy Aqiasutuk, the group’s senior member and leader, was prompted to inquire of her husband: ‘Are we still in the same world?’
Well, they were, but just barely. And things were about to get worse. Once the sun set over the island on October 15 1953, it would not rise again until four months had passed. And with the all enveloping darkness came the cold, deep and brutal:
The temperature hovered around -30˚C and when November arrived, it plunged even lower. With winds roaring from the Arctic Ocean the windchill could drop the air temperature on the sea ice to -55˚C. Whenever they went outside, their heads pounded, their eyelashes froze together and little ice balls collected around the tear ducts in their eyes. The hairs inside their noses stuck together and pulled apart each time they breathed and their breath came as a shallow pant. The lungs burned, the eardrums ached and the brain struggled to locate the body’s extremities.
December came. The temperature inside the tents rarely rose above -15C. Hunting became impossible. The dogs suffered horribly, along with the humans. They all began to starve.
To satisfy their cravings they began to eat the carcasses of starved wolves or foxes they found lying in the ice. They ate ptarmigan feathers and bladders and heather, they boiled up hareskin boot liners and made broths from old pairs of sealskin kamiks. They chewed seagull bones and dog harnesses. They ate fur and lemming tails.
Much of this was indigestible and made their insides revolt.
There’s more, but you’ll have gotten the idea by now. By some miracle and despite these appalling conditions, the Inuit survived that terrible winter: “Spring arrived on Ellesmere Island.”
Ice crystals spangled the air. Forests of little ice fronds sprang up from the land, icicles hung from the roof of the sod huts and the wind transformed them into little glockenspiels. Ellesmere Island became almost unbearably beautiful.
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Nanook of the North has been remastered and reissued by the Criterion Collection. An essay on the Criterion site provides context and background. (While viewing the film, Ron and I were struck by the exceptional beauty of the soundtrack. This is a new score, written expressly for the Criterion release by Timothy Brock , a composer who specializes in restoring the scores of silent films and composing new ones.)
Martha of the North is a 2009 film made by Martha Flaherty , Robert Flaherty’s granddaughter. Click here to watch the trailer. I found two other related films: Nanook Revisited (1990) and Broken Promises: The High Arctic Relocation (1995). Here is an excerpt from Broken Promises:
It appears that the only one of these films that’s readily obtainable is Nanook of the North.
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The Nunavut region is now being promoted as a tourist destination . Unfortunately, as Melanie McGrath reports on her blog, the area is currently experiencing an upsurge in crime.
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Aside from being a skilled hunter and a natural leader, Paddy Aqiasutuk was a gifted artist. While he and his family were struggling to stay alive through their first winter on Ellesmere, his work was featured in an exhibit of Inuit sculpture in London. Reviewers lavished praise on his carvings. There was a certain irony in all of this, and McGrath, who has a fine ear for such things, describes it thus:
The exhibition proved so successful that galleries in Edinburgh and Paris asked for it on loan and Aqiasutuk’s name became well known in certain art circles. Aqiasutuk knew nothing of this exhibition. No one had thought to tell him it was on. He was stuck at the top of the world, barely surviving.
I’ve not been able to find any images of carving directly attributed to Paddy Aqiasutuk. The image at the top of this post is feature on the Dorset Fine Arts site .
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This dual reading experience put me in mind of a book I read some years back: Bloody Falls of the Coppermine by McKay Jenkins. This story of the murder of two Catholic missionary priests in the Canadian High Arctic in 1913 is among the best true crime narratives I have ever read.
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White Heat elicited a stimulating discussion among the Usual Suspects. I think we all appreciated the uniqueness of both the setting and the protagonist. But the plot became somewhat labored, and the novel was so filled with the lore of the Inuit that, as Reed commented, it was as though McGrath were writing two different books at the same time. As I indicated earlier, I think McGrath has a better grasp of the material, and surely a more compelling story tell, in The Long Exile. Even so, for the most part I did enjoy White Heat and I might continue with the series at a later time. I thank Carol for her excellent choice – this was a real learning experience, in more ways than one.
Also I want to emphasize one fact: I think Melanie McGrath is a terrific writer.
The the High Arctic Relocation is a very complicated, as well as a very sensitive subject. While I haven’t attempted to examine it in detail here, I hope I’ve pointed you in the direction of further research, iff you’re interested. Certainly The Long Exile is an excellent place to start. The Wikipedia entry is also quite informative.
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These still images from Nanook of the North are of “Nanook,” played by Alakariallak, and his wife “Nyla,” probably played by Maggie Nujarluktuk.
March 5, 2013 at 12:35 pm ( Book review , books , Mystery fiction )
Having touched on the subject of thrillers in a recent post , I find myself wanting to say more on the subject.
I’ll start by recommending Thrillers: 100 Must Reads (2010). This is the kind of literature reference work that I love. It consists mainly of recommendations from writers of worthy works by other writers. John Connolly and Declan Burke use the same format in the equally excellent Books To Die For (2012).
Where thrillers are concerned, editors David Morrell and Hank Wagner cast a wide net – beginning with Theseus and the Minotaur ( Lee Child’s selection). In his “Welcome to the World of Thrillers,” David Hewson states:
Today, thrillers provide a rich literary feast embracing a wide variety of worlds–the law, espionage, action-adventure, medicine, police and crime, romance, history, politics, high-tech, religion, and many more.
…thriller authors are constantly aware that their readers want them to provide the sudden rush of emotions: the excitement, suspense, apprehension, and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly, with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace.
Hewson concludes this introductory paragraph with a succinct statement of fact: “By definition, if a thriller does not thrill, it is not doing its job.”
There is quite a bit of overlap between these two reference books. Of course, Poe appears in both, as do Conan Doyle and Patricia Highsmith. Thrillers recommends The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838); BDF (Books To Die For) weighs in with Poe’s Dupin stories. Both chose Hound of the Baskervilles by Conan Doyle, and both chose Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train . And I recently encountered this latter once again in James Lasdun’s Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked. As Lasdun struggled to come to terms with a perverse form of torment that threatened to destroy forever his peace of mind, he found that he identified powerfully with the hapless yet well-meaning Guy Haines, the architect / protagonist of Highsmith’s riveting novel. (Among other things, Lasdun’s deeply unnerving tale has served to remind me that sometimes a true story can generate as much, if not more, dread than one that has been fabricated expressly for that purpose.)
The great Wilkie Collins makes the cut twice. In Thrillers, it’s The Woman in White, while BDF features The Moonstone .
This last recommendation is made by a favorite writer of mine, Andrew Taylor . I happily anticipate reading his new historical thriller, The Scent of Death.
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Graham Greene
In Thrillers, we find The Third Man by Graham Greene. I’ve not read the book, but I’ve seen the film many times. If you haven’t, I urge you in the strongest terms to do so. In BDF, Peter James , himself no slouch when it comes to writing great novels of suspense, recommends Greene’s Brighton Rock. Greene called the novels he wrote in this genre “entertainments,” to distinguish them from what he considered his weightier and more self-consciously literary undertakings. (The End of the Affair and The Power and the Glory come to mind.) Not long ago, I read something to the effect that the so-called entertainments are holding up better these days than Greene’s more intentionally profound novels. My favorite work by this prodigious, somewhat enigmatic, and in my view brilliant writer is The Quiet American. I was extremely pleased that Pico Iyer recommended this novel, among others, in a recent piece in the Wall Street Journal . (Once again, I recommend the film. Michael Caine was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 2003 for his superb performance therein.)
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Not surprisingly, John LeCarre appears in both reference books, as does Agatha Christie . The Choice in both Thrillers and BDF is The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. Once again, I’ve not read the book but the film version starring Richard Burton, Claire Bloom and Oskar Werner, is one of my all time favorites. As to Christie: And Then There Were None appears in Thrillers; Murder on the Orient Express is the choice of BDF.
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Eric Ambler
Eric Ambler also appears in both Thrillers: 100 Must Reads and Books To Die For. M.C. Beaton chose The Light of Day for BDF; for Thrillers, Ali Karim chose A Coffin for Dimitrios. When I was in Paris in 1995, A Coffin for Dimitrios was my choice for reading matter. I had no idea at the time that the second half of the novel takes place in the City of Light – right where I was. What a happy confluence! A Coffin for Dimitrios remains one of my favorite novels.
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In BDF, John Banville recommends Act of Passion (Lettre à Mon Juge) by Georges Simenon . A more precise translation of the title would be ‘Letter To My Judge,’ and that’s exactly what this novel is: a long, rambling missive full of excuses and self-justification addressed nominally to the narrator’s appointed adjudicator. Only midway through, the tone changes; the narrator starts seriously coming to grips with the enormity of what he has done, as does the reader. Although the narrator takes his time in revealing the exact nature of his transgression, you, the reader, may have already guessed the truth before he gets around to revealing it in his own way. At any rate, what begins as a somewhat plaintive, almost whining attempt at an explanation gradually gains in power as the narrator gains in self-knowledge. Act of Passion a real tour de force.
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Also in Books To Die For: selections by three authors whom I revere. There’s The Chill and The Goodbye Look by Ross MacDonald , and The Franchise Affair and Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey.
Josephine Tey
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And in his essay on Ruth Rendell’s Judgement in Stone , Peter Robinson rightly observes the following:
“Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write” is one of the most intriguing opening sentences in crime fiction.
Finally, Thrillers has an entry for the Ashenden stories of W. Somerset Maugham. After reading Selena Hastings’s magisterial biography of Maugham , I went on to read some of these tales – and to be astonished by them. They’re just plain terrific -incredibly readable and engrossing. (Like Graham Greene, Somerset Maugham worked during wartime as an undercover intelligence agent for the British government.)
W Somerset Maugham
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On its cover, Thrillers proclaims that it features “Today’s best thriller writers on one hundred classics of the genre.” Books To Die For give us ” The world’s greatest Mystery writers on the world’s greatest mystery novels.” Between them, these two books could keep a person happily immersed in the masterpieces of these genres for a long time. Ah, but one does like to look to the future as well, right? Here are just a few of the thrillers / mysteries high on my list of what to red next:
January 27, 2013 at 8:54 pm ( Book review , books , Historical fiction , Mystery fiction )
The Bedlam Detective takes place in England in 1912; there are also several brief but intense excursions into the Amazon jungle. Sir Owain Lancaster ventured forth on these expeditions with plenty of preparation – only it was almost all the wrong kind of preparation, informed as it was with Sir Owain’s colossal hubris. He even took his wife and young son with him, making sure that they were provisioned as the family of an English aristocrat ought to be. The results – madness and death – are pretty much a foregone conclusion.
Now it is Sebastian Becker’s task to travel from his home in London down to the West Country in order to determine Owain Lancaster’s mental state and consequent ability to conduct his own affairs. If he is not competent to manage them, the Masters of Lunacy must take action. Sebastian, who for a time was a detective with the Pinkerton Agency in the U.S., has recently returned to England with his American wife Elisabeth and their son Robert. He’s now in the employ of the Masters of Lunacy in the capacity of special investigator. The meager salary barely pays the rent, but it’s a job, and one that holds a certain fascination for Sebastian. Moreover, this particular inquiry is destined to take Sebastian deep into ominous territory beyond the original remit.
The Bedlam Detective is one of the historical mysteries I included in a recent post about new historical mysteries. At that time I had just begun reading this novel, and I mentioned that Stephen Gallagher’s prose, characterized by “a sort of measured understatement,” very much appealed to me. I’m happy to report that there was no falling off as the novel progressed. In fact, there was unexpected added value in the form of some marvelous set pieces, like this description of a country fair:
First came the noise. Not one Marenghi organ, but a dozen, each one cranked up to drown out its neighbor….their tunes varied as the wind changed.
There was a gateway of painted scenery and electric bulbs that turned the entrance of a common field into a portal of wonders. Beyond it, a bazaar of light and noise. The fair was a portable city of tents and boards, of wooden towers and brilliantly decorated show fronts. Among the temporary buildings stood mighty engines like Babylonian elephants, all crashing pistons and blowing steam, powering the rides with their belts and dynamos.
Talk about putting you right there, in the midst! This is but one of several wonderfully evocative passages. Stephen Gallagher’s deep knowledge of the period about which he writes informs this novel throughout. It is not intrusive or distracting, as can happen with historical fiction. Rather, it acts as an enhancement to this absorbing story of crime, madness, sanity, courage, and love.
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Although a fairly prolific novelist and screenwriter, Stephen Gallagher does not appear to have a series currently on the go. Yet The Bedlam Detective has a tantalizingly open-ended conclusion that left me wanting more. And so I hope that in future Gallagher will favor us with additional novels featuring Sebastian Becker.
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January 24, 2013 at 3:36 pm ( Book review , books , Historical fiction , History , Mystery fiction )
My reading has far outstripped my reviewing capacity at this point, and now I’m heading for the airport. But I simply can’t leave without recommending four books: two are historical fiction, one is a classic of psychological suspense, and one is a biography. All were outstanding, and I hope to write about each of them in detail when time permits. Meanwhile, here they are:
I mentioned The Bedlam Detective in a recent post on new historical mysteries . At that time, I had just begun the novel. Now I’ve finished it and can recommend it without reservation. It’s a vivid evocation of Britain just prior to World War One. Also it’s exceptionally well written.
When the Emperor Was Divine is more than exceptionally well written – it is just beautiful. Beautiful, and almost unbearably sad, this is the story of what happens to one Japanese-American family during World War Two. Events unfold through the eyes of a young boy, who witnesses his family being uprooted and torn asunder. When I finished it, my heart felt so heavy, I could think of nothing else all day.
Of Georges Simenon ‘s Act of Passion, John Banville asks, “Has there ever been a more penetrating account of love’s destructive power?” Penetrating, riveting – and profoundly shocking.
When I finished Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies , I felt compelled to learn more about just what happened to Ann Boleyn, and why. So I turned to Alison Weir’s biography of that hapless figure in history. The Lady in the Tower was all absorbing and deeply tragic. And some questions are still not answered, and may never be.
January 6, 2013 at 3:14 am ( Book review , books , Mystery fiction )
Over the years, my devotion to the works of Ruth Rendell has steadily increased. She is one of the few writers who never disappoint – or, almost never….
Perhaps “disappointed” is not the right term to describe my feelings about The Child’s Child. Certain aspects of the novel were very impressive. Rendell plunges fearlessly into challenging territory; namely, homosexual love and motherhood outside of marriage. Her characters are blunt and unflinching when discussing these sensitive subjects; their clashes come across as real and convincingly abrasive.
Grace Easton is a university lecturer in literature and a candidate for a PhD . As the novel begins, she and her brother Andrew have just inherited Dinmont House, a spacious London dwelling, from their grandmother. Rather than sell it, they decided not only to keep it but to move in and live there. At the time, both are unattached, but soon Andrew becomes seriously involved with James Derain – so seriously that there’s a very real prospect of Andrew’s bringing his lover to live with him – with them – at Dinmont House. What makes this a dicey proposition is that Grace and James have taken an instant dislike to each other. Their animosity grew out of a conversation about the pain inflicted on two groups of individuals who have suffered opprobrium throughout history: unmarried mothers and homosexuals. Who has had to endure the most agony? The conversation became heated. Grace retreated slightly, in an effort to cool things down, but James wasn’t having any of it. (It’s a fascinating argument; you can feel the heat emanating from both parties as James, unyielding and indignant, continues to up the ante.)
The atmosphere at Dinmont House, initially so pleasant, has been poisoned, at least for Grace, through whose point of view we’re following these developments. In light of this disturbing change, what happens next is all the more unexpected and complicates matters enormously.
Have I whet your appetite? Well, The Child’s Child is nothing if not a page turner. This, despite the fact that Vine/Rendell inserts a book within a book smack in the middle of the story of the Eastons at Dinmont House. This second narrative is purported to be by an early twentieth century writer named Martin Greenwell. Though never published, Greenwell’s novel had been privately printed. Grace is avid to get hold of it, as its themes are relevant to the subject matter of her doctoral thesis. Toby Greenwell, the author’s son and heir, has agreed to lend the book to her.
As she settles down to read it, we settle down beside her. The title of Greenwell’s novel is The Child’s Child, and its content proves strangely relevant not just to Grace’s academic work but also to her life, and to the lives of Andrew and James as well. And one thing soon becomes apparent: The Child’s Child could never have been published in Britain, in the early part of the twentieth century.
Two aspects of The Child’s Child have appeared in previous works by Rendell. Writing as Barbara Vine, she used the device of the novel within a novel equally effectively in Anna’s Book (1993). Again as Barbara Vine, she explored various facets of homosexual love in No Night Is Too Long (1994). What I haven’t encountered before, in my three decades of reading and loving this author, is writing that at least at certain times, seems curiously flat – almost, in some instances, downright awkward. For example: “One thing Maud’s mother had never told her was where babies came from, but Maud was already anxious to keep her daughter aloof from the dangers of men’s company so gave her some limited sex education.” It’s a clumsy locution rather than an egregious one, and it could easily have been smoothed out, perhaps as follows: “….Maud, already anxious to keep her daughter aloof from the danger of men’s company, had given her some limited sex education.”
There were several similar instances. A minor character is introduced as Enid, only to become Edith later in the same paragraph. Now, it’s easy to see how this could happen. But it seems to me that someone – the author, a proofreader, or an editor – should have caught the error.
I could not help but wonder if the desire to move the plot along at all due speed took precedence over the desire to write eloquently, with beautifully crafted sentences flowing one into the other.
It’s not that I found a great deal of this kind of thing. It’s just that I am not accustomed to finding it at all in the prose of Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine. Did it spoil the book for me? Not really – not at all, in fact. Both stories were sufficiently compelling that in my eagerness to learn the fates of the respective characters, I was able to overlook a few infelicities.
And there’s more than enough exceptional writing here to act as antidote. Grace’s thesis concerns the portrayal of single mothers in the classics of literature. As she gets deeper into her subject, her empathy for these women deepens accordingly:
So I went to bed, thinking as I often did about how these women felt when they knew they were pregnant, the disbelief, the realisation, the horror, shame, fear, and wish for death.
Later, Grace observes that “One single act of sex can have a profound effect on one’s life….” This time she’s not thinking only of other men and women, but of herself as well.
To sum up, I do recommend A Child’s Child, despite some problems with the writing. I guess that for me the bottom line is that even when she’s not at her absolute best, Ruth Rendell outdistances the competition by a substantial margin. And one thing I particularly appreciate about this novel is that it’s actually about something other than the arranging of characters in entertaining scenarios. Rendell deals with difficult issues in an unflinching manner that I find entirely admirable as well as completely convincing.
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It is my feeling that the masterpiece among the Vine novels is A Fatal Inversion; for the greatest of the non series novels written as Ruth Rendell, I’d choose A Judgement in Stone . As for the Wexfords , I have trouble deciding. She’s such a master of the procedural; they’re all, in varying degrees, excellent.
Geroge Baker as Chief Inspector Reg Wexford in “Road Rage”
December 16, 2012 at 7:30 pm ( Best of 2012 , books , Mystery fiction )
It’s that time once more and so I’ll weigh in, along with everyone else, with my choices for the best books of the year. While the titles I’ll be naming are largely new, several older titles and classics also gave me reading pleasure in 2012. I’m putting it all in the mix. A more precise term for what I’m attempting here is ‘Best Reading Experiences of the year,’ rather than ‘Best Books.’
As in years past, crime fiction looms large on my list. For me, this genre remains a reliable source of memorable characters, vivid settings, and great stories. So, I’ll start there:
Death of a Nationalist – Rebecca Pawel
The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds – Alexander McCall Smith. I love the Isabel Dalhousie series. These books have everything I look for in mystery fiction and in novels in general. Fascinating characters find themselves in strange and intriguing situations, and it all happens with the precise yet dreamily evoked city of Edinburgh as the backdrop. McCall Smith pours out his love for Scotland, its artists, writers and philosophers, without ever becoming maudlin or repetitive. All this is delivered up to the reader in flawless prose spiced with a gentle wit.
The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur’s Collection of Victorian Detective Stories– Michael Sims, ed. What a juicy compendium this is! I’m making my way through it slowly, savoring each literary morsel. Some favorites so far: ‘The Diary of Ann Rodway’ by Wilkie Collins , ‘The Little Old Man of Batignolles’ by Emile Gaboriau, and ‘The Dead Witness; or, The Bush Waterhole’ by Mary Fortune, aka W.W. Sims’s inclusion of the opening chapter of A Study in Scarlet made me realize that I’d never read this work, in which Arthur Conan Doyle unleashed Sherlock Holmes on unsuspecting but soon to be voracious readers all over the world. I was surprised and delighted by this initial depiction of the soon to be Great Detective; he seems almost childlike in his enthusiasm for chemistry and other pursuits. And of course this is where you’ll find the oft-quoted line, delivered by Holmes to an astonished Watson: “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”
The Gaboriau story was yet another wonderful surprise. I’ll definitely be seeking out other works by this author, in particular Monsieur Lecoq. In A Guide to Classic Mystery and Detection , Michael E. Grost observes:
Émile Gaboriau’s Monsieur Lecoq (1868) is so clearly a detective novel in the modern sense that it takes one’s breath away. Here is clearly a major point of coalescence of the genre.
Editor Michael Sims favors the reader with in depth profiles of each of the authors whose works are featured in this fine collection. His brief recounting of the life of Mary Fortune (aka W.W.) is particularly poignant. Sims identifies ‘The Dead Witness’ as “the first known detective story written by a woman.” As such, it’s an appropriate choice as the title for this anthology.
A Cold Day for Murder – Dana Stabenow
The Fear Index – Robert Harris. A gee golly wow of a thriller that nevertheless should win some kind of award for sheer inventiveness coupled with fiendish complexity. Ditto the next title:
All Cry Chaos – Leonard Rosen’s novel has some of the same challenges and virtues of The Fear Index, but the humanity of its central figure and the personal catastrophe that befalls him make it a somewhat more accessible work.
I’d Know You Anywhere – Laura Lippman. I remember feeling somewhat dubious concerning this novel, thinking it would be similar to What the Dead Know and probably not as good. To my surprise, I liked it even more than Lippman’s prize-winning riff on the still unsolved disappearance of the Lyon sisters.
Dead Man’s Grip – Peter James
Boundary Waters – William Kent Krueger. I haven’t finished it yet, but I wanted to include it here anyway. It puzzles me why Krueger and Archer Mayor, both terrific writers of regional American crime fiction, are not better known and appreciated.
I’m reading Boundary Waters for our next Usual Suspects discussion, and I’d like to take a minute to express my gratitude to this wonderful group of mystery lovers. This past Tuesday evening, we held our end of your summit, an event which I always enjoy. Pauline does a great deal of preparation for this meeting, writing up each of our discussions, comparing our selections for this year with those we made last year, and formulating questions for us to consider. Here are several of them:
Which books made for the best discussions? Why was this the case?
How much did the setting matter in the books we read? Did we read any books where the setting was as important as an actual character, and therefore vital to the story?
Is it a bonus to read and discuss books that introduce us to new information, e.g. period, location? If so, which books in 2012 met those criteria?
How important is characterization in the books you read, or was the plot more important?
What are you looking for in your ‘ideal’ mystery? Did any of our 2012 choices approach that goal?
I credit Usual Suspects with providing me with quality reading in crime fiction this year. Here’s the list down of our 2012 selections:
I’d Know You Anywhere – Laura Lippman
The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Charles Dickens
Crocodile on the Sandbank – Elizabeth Peters
A Cold Day for Murder – Dana Stabenow
The Poisoner’s Handbook – Deborah Blum
The Pale Horse – Agatha Christie (my selection)
Caught – Harlan Coben
The Terrorists – Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo
The Crossing Places – Elly Griffiths
Death of a Nationalist – Rebecca Pawel
At our end of year session, we always vote for favorite title. I was pleasantly surprised by the group’s choice of The Poisoner’s Handbook . I read this riveting account of “Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York” when it came out in 2010. I’d allotted only a few hours for reviewing it before our discussion, and I was immediately sorry that I didn’t have time to reread it from scratch.
The second part of the meeting was given over to the recommendation of titles, one per Suspect. Here’s that list:
Call the Midwife – Jennifer Worth
Burial at Sea – Charles Finch
The Fear Index – Robert Harris
The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur’s Collection of Victorian Detective Stories – Michael Sims, Editor
The Golden Box – Frances Crane
The Ice Princess – Camilla Lackberg
Room – Emma Donoghue
Broken English: An Amish Country Mystery (Ohio Amish Mysteries) – P. L. Gaus
Billy Boyle – James R. Benn
So: my favorite crime fiction title for 2012? As always, that’s a tough call. I’d have to say just for sheer inventiveness, gorgeous writing, and evocation of an almost suffocating sense of dread that only mounts as the narrative progresses, Barbara Vine’s A Fatal Inversion has the edge. I would love to discuss this book, but it’s out of print and not owned by the local library. (I read it on my Kindle.) For the record, there are two other novels that I’d dearly love to discuss, but they present the same difficulty of access as the Barbara Vine title: The Piper on the Mountain by Ellis Peters and An Air That Kills by Andrew Taylor.
December 3, 2012 at 1:36 pm ( Book review , books , Mystery fiction , The British police procedural )
It’s an assignment that Assistant Chief Constable Desmond Iles hates and will have nothing to do with. He has his reasons. Some years back, he’d inserted Ray Street, an avid young policeman, into the heart of a ruthless gang of drug dealers. Long story short: Ray Street did not live to become an avid old policeman. (These events are recounted in Halo Parade, from 1987.)
Iles wrought a no-holds-barred vengeance on those responsible for the murder of Ray Street. But he remains angry and embittered. Nor does it soften his demeanor at all to be working with Colin Harpur, one-time lover of his wife Sarah. (James describes a police force in which merry and indiscriminate copulation is the rule rather than the exception. This, despite the fact that the practice is fraught with danger and can lead to the kind of barely restrained fury displayed without warning by Iles.)
In Undercover, Iles and Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur are seconded to another police force in order to investigate a more recent undercover operation that has resulted, once again, in an officer’s death. Scenes of the two men being briefed after the fact by a comely and very savvy Home Office agent named Maud Logan Clatworthy – Bill James has a flair for names and nicknames – alternate with scenes of Sergeant Tom Mallen inserting himself, as Tom Parry, into the drug running gang. Tom has a wife and kids; he must distance himself from them as he prepares to navigate these extremely treacherous waters.
Bill James is a versatile and highly original writer. He has a way of describing people that’s- well, I’ll let him do it. Here’s Leo, a head man in the illicit drugs operation:
It was an unscarred face which could have been genial. But his features lacked sufficient room and looked cluttered, crammed into a paltry space and competing with one another for position, like too many survivors on a lifeboat.
James can be savagely funny, or just plain savage; the black humor can be very, very dark. Dialogue is often laced with profanity, something I ordinarily dislike but don’t mind in these novels because it seems to belong where he puts it. Literary allusions are all over the map; in Undercover, they range from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt. Here’s yet another; I found this one especially resonant:
Not long ago, he’d read an old Cold War espionage story The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, lately reprinted. In it, an agent is trying to get out of East Berlin and into the West on a bike, pedalling fast. And while he was pedalling fast the bike seemed a brilliant, basic escape machine. But then an East German sentry takes aim and shoots the agent. He and the cycle, of course, clatter to the ground and lie there, a spent heap. That word from the book – “clatter” – had got itself fixed in Tom’s memory. It was so right for a bike.
In this succinct summing up of the brilliance of John LeCarre’s masterpiece, we are reminded, should we need reminding, of the terrible risk being run, every minute of every day, by Tom Mallen/Parry. (One of the trickiest parts of the process is the need to assume a new identity while holding on to the old. Tom is in essence two persons inhabiting one body. Constant vigilance is required to prevent a fatal slip-up.)
Iles kicks off an excoriating exchange on the topic of undercover work with this paraphrase: “‘I have measured out my life with carrier bags.'” References to T.S. Eliot’s ‘Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ carry through the (increasingly heated) discussion between Iles, Harpur, and Maud, with the latter commenting on the cover story that an agent doing this dangerous work must adopt, keep straight, and make convincing:
‘For an officer to kit himself out with something very innocent and run-of-the-mill,….It helps him or her look as though he or she has some purpose – some purpose other than the clandestine get-together, that is. To sort of prepare a face to meet the faces that he or she will meet. A social background.’
She terms this the essential methodology of undercover work. Iles isn’t having any of it: “‘The methodology is a farce, a placebo, a pretence that the danger can be countered and seen off.'” Harpur goes on to enlighten Maud concerning the fate of Ray Street, and Iles’s sense of complicity in that fate. While acknowledging the traumatic nature of this experience, Maud refuses to give Iles a pass because of it. She accuses him of “”Sentimentalizing one past event, allowing it to control the present and the future.” Her final judgment of this mindset: “‘Irrational, half-bakes, death-obsessed.'”
Now at this juncture, I expected Iles to leap out of his seat and punch Maud in the face. But he does not do that – does not, in fact, do anything for several minutes. Eventually he summons the strength to pronounce a rejoinder fairly dripping with sarcasm:
‘Grand words for his gravestone. He’s going to be killed as a spy only a few months after this wonderfully confident and positive start.’
One of the many aspects of these novels that I treasure is that as soon as you think you know how a character will react, you are proved wrong, in a way that can be disconcerting, even shocking, but for all that still believable.
Begun in 1985 with You’d Better Believe It, the Harpur and Iles series now consists of twenty-nine novels and one short story collection. The novels are tightly wound, usually clocking in at around two hundred pages (in my view, the ideal length for a procedural). Individuals in law enforcement are vividly portrayed; their counterparts in the criminal underworld, equally so. Concerning the lives of the characters, there’s a great deal of carry over from one book to the next. Indeed, there’s an overarching sensibility that informs the entire series, much like the ten novels of the Martin Beck series by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo . The question invariably arises: must you the reader begin at the beginning? The answer is that it depends on your own preference. The first one I read was Take from 1990. I then went back and picked up several of the earlier titles. From 1999 on (Lovely Mover), I’ve pretty much read them all. I’ve reviewed the following in this space: Hotbed , In the Absence of Iles , Pix , Girls , The Girl with the Long Back, and Wolves of Memory . I’ve enjoyed all of them, though to my mind, In the Absence of Iles was not as entertaining as the others. On the other hand, Wolves of Memory, a finalist for the 2006 Gold Dagger Award, was exceptionally fine and as a good a place to jump into the series as any.
Finding information on Bill James is challenging and made more difficult by his use of the rather bland pseudonym. He’s written two books under his real name, James Tucker (actually Allan James Tucker). Additionally, he has utilized the pseudonyms David Craig and Judith Jones. He needs all of them, I suppose, as he’s quite prolific. (See his Wikipedia entry for the full list.) Born in Cardiff, Wales, Bill James earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees at University College, Cardiff. He went on to serve two years in the Royal Air Force. Finally, like so many of his fellow crime writers, he began his literary career as a journalist. In the St. James Guide To Crime and Mystery Writers, James says this:
I began writing “straight” (i.e., non-crime) novels in the late 1950s. Then moved into espionage when it became modish after le Carré and Deighton. Then crime in the 1980s.
I am interested in the criminal as much as the police. My Harpur and Iles books are about the impossibility of controlling crime by strictly legitimate methods. Assistant Chief Constable Iles is suspected of murders in “a noble cause.” Harpur–the ostensible hero of the books–tries to keep Iles reasonably decent.
The main influence on my work is George V. Higgins–though I don’t know if he would be pleased to hear it. I admire the ability to mimic crook vocabulary; and the skill at making a fink sympathetic in The Friends of Eddie Coyle, possibly the greatest crime novel I’ve read.
I’ve recently revived my David Craig pseudonym for a new series of crime novels set in the modernised and modernising Cardiff dockland.
A look at James’s bibliography shows a group of novels written as David Craig dating from 1995 to 2006. This would indicate that the above remarks date from time in the mid 1990s. And it’s interesting that James is an admirer of George V. Higgins . The film Killing Them Softly, released this year and starring Brad Pitt, Scott McNairy, and James Gandolfini, is based on Higgins’s novel Cogan’s Trade. Reviewing the movie has given critics a chance to praise the work of this author. Here’s A.O. Scott of the New York Times: “Higgins, who died in 1999 and whose book “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” was adapted into a first-rate movie starring Robert Mitchum, was a master of hard-boiled, world-weary macho dialogue.’
Regarding the paucity of information, Bill James reminds me of Peter Turnbull , another excellent British writer of police procedurals who keeps an extremely low profile and for whom an image search yields very meager results:
Bill James, the largest image I could find
Born in 1929, Mr. James still resides in his native Wales – at least, I’m led to believe that he does, from my numerous and often fruitless searches.
****************************************
The truth ultimately uncovered by Harpur and Iles concerning the failed undercover operation is genuinely shocking – at least, it was to me. Meanwhile, the antic diversions of other characters continue unimpeded. I venture to say that only in a Harpur and Iles novel would the reader encounter a crook known as Empathy Abidan who, when in a car with his mates on the way to administer a corrective beating to a wayward member of the firm, likes nothing better than to fire up the sound system so they can all listen to German lieder by Schumann, Webern, and on occasion, Mahler.
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What does the prefix 'cry' mean in words such as cryogenics? | cryo-, cry- definition
"cryo-" is a type of prefix
Similar terms: cry, cryo
Definition
A prefix added to the start of a word. Indicates that "freezing" or "cold" modifies the word. Created to expand meanings. Can be used with many words to form new words.
Examples of how the word is used
You can return to most normal activities the day after cryosurgery;
Insulated gloves (cryoscopic gloves) should be worn when handling liquefied gases or dry ice.
| Cold |
Who began her show-business career playing Sophie Tuckshop in ITMA on the wireless? | Cryo- | definition of cryo- by Medical dictionary
Cryo- | definition of cryo- by Medical dictionary
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/cryo-
Also found in: Dictionary , Acronyms .
cryo-
prefix meaning "cold": cryocautery, cryophilia, cryotolerant.
cryo-
cryo-
Combining form denoting cold.
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Who played the fairy godmother in Adam Ant's 'Prince Charming' video? | Prince Charming by Adam & The Ants Songfacts
Songfacts
Adam Ant wrote this song with his guitarist, Marco Pirroni, who Ant credits with giving his music a commercial appeal. The group's previous single, " Stand and Deliver ," was a #1 UK hit, and when "Prince Charming" followed it to the top of the charts, Adam & The Ants were the hottest act in England. Their tribal sound, based on the Burundi beats from Africa, was the basis for what they called "Antmusic for Sexpeople." Legions of fans bought into the warrior mentality, joining forces to rebel against authority and conformity. This song was a rallying cry, letting the youth of England know that "ridicule is nothing to be scared of." The message of the song is Prince Charming doesn't have to be a tall, handsome fellow in royal garb.
Adam & The Ants had little success in America until MTV picked up steam in the early '80s. Much of their success was a result of their charismatic lead singer and striking visuals. There were plenty of outlets to show videos around Europe, and the "Prince Charming" clip was wildly popular. The designs were inspired by the French Revolution, and Adam Ant's look was based on a French dandy of that era, strutting for attention among the masses. Ant was a student of graphic art and felt that visuals were a huge part of his presentation. He came up with this theme after researching historic fashions in the London library.
The video uses a Cinderella theme, with Adam Ant getting a visit from a fairy godmother so he can attend a royal ball. This could be seen as a metaphor for his life, as he went from a cult figure to superstar after transforming himself with a new image.
The fairy in the video was played by Diana Dors, who was a British starlet popular in the '50s and '60s. Ant made a personal appeal to Dors, who in accepting his offer, became the first film star to appear in a music video. Dors died in 1984 at age 52.
Adam Ant said about the inspiration for this song: "I was very interested in going back. I'd been reading the early Brothers Grimm fairytales which had always fascinated me. 'Prince Charming' is based on Beau Brummel, the British dandy leader of fashion in the 18th century. That and the French revolution when fashion for men were just exceedingly outrageous and everything was exaggerated and I felt that the early Eighties scene could certainly do with that."
Adam was accused of stealing the tune from Rolf Harris' "War Canoe." Ant said: "'War Canoe' is a traditional song but I'd never heard Rolf's version. I've got a large collection of ethnic music. We spoke to Rolf about it and we came to an amicable arrangement and I think we were both satisfied with the fact that we derived the idea from an original source." (Source of above two quotes 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh)
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Ruth Jones played which part in 'Gavin and Stacey' on television? | Vive Le Rock: Adam Ant Looks Back at His Classic Videos
Vive Le Rock: Adam Ant Looks Back at His Classic Videos
Craig Rosen
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On Nov. 3, the artist born Stuart Goddard turns 59. You might know him better as Adam Ant, the dandy highwayman who made a major mark on the music scene in the '80s fronting the Ants, and then went on to solo success, before disappearing from the music scene for years.
He returned early this year with the ambitious Adam Ant Is the BlueBlack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter, which referenced elements of his former glory while staking claims toward the future.
To celebrate Adam's birthday, we rang him up at his London office and asked him about some of his best known video clips. For those unfamiliar with Adam's story, he emerged from the British punk scene with tracks like "Car Trouble" and "Plastic Surgery," before eventually mixing Indian and pirate imagery, Burundi-style drum beats, and surf guitars with dramatic effect to bridge the gap between punk, glam, and the then-burgeoning New Romantic scene. Here's a look back and some of Adam's most memorable videos.
"Antmusic," 1980
"That's the one that really broke Adam & the Ants," Adam says. Shot in a London nightclub with an illuminating disco floor, Adam famously encouraged his followers to "unplug the jukebox and do us all a favor." It was illustrated with a giant electrical plug. As always, Adam was over-the-top, perhaps a bit ridiculous, but undeniably entertaining and fun.
"Prince Charming," 1981
"That was the one after 'Stand and Deliver' for the second major album, so it was very important to make an impact. We had a lot riding on the Prince Charming project," Adam says. It also featured a famous leading lady, this time blonde bombshell Diana Dors in one of her final onscreen appearances as the Fairy Godmother in this Cinderella-spoof clip. "She was Britain's Marilyn Monroe," Adam says. "In one scene she was asked to walk up to this black panther and did it with no fear at all." Adam recalls the clip being quite a big production, with a lot of choreography. "It was trying to make it like an Errol Flynn film and all the images I grew up with."
"Stand and Deliver," 1981
This is perhaps the ultimate Adam Ant clip, with the singer in the role of the "dandy highwayman" swashbuckler. Adam, who went to art school and film school, was trained to do storyboards and did them for this clip. Props from Hammer horror studios were used for the mini-movie, including the stagecoach. Adam performed his own stunts in the clip, even jumping through a window with breakaway glass. "They kept telling me that it's not going to hurt, and I split my head open. It was a quite painful." Adam adds that several of his friends were featured in clip, including his girlfriend, then-18-year-old Amanda Donahoe, who went on to a career as a successful actress in roles on "L.A. Law" and other TV shows and films. In the U.K., the clip was banned due to the hanging sequence. "It was quite a controversial number when it came out," Adam says.
"Ant Rap," 1981
In the clip for this 1981 single from the Prince Charming album, Adam didn't do all of his own stunts. He recalls dancing around in a suit of armor in the "freezing cold," but when it came time for him to jump off the castle into a moat, Adam called on a stuntman. "I think even he injured himself," Adam recalls. "It was a dangerous stunt." The clip was shot at Hever Castle, once home to Henry the VIII.
The track brings back bittersweet memories for him, since it was the last single released by Adam & the Ants. "It was primarily due to fatigue, because we hadn't had a break," he says. "We were good mates."
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"Desperate But Not Serious," 1982
Adam directed this clip, shot in an old Victorian theater. "It was quite a lot of responsibility to direct it, but I quite enjoyed it," he says. It includes the famous voodoo-gingerbread cookie scene in which a woman breaks off a chunk of a cookie and it affects poor Adam. It also served as an introduction to Adam's post-Ants band, including a brass section.
"Goody Two Shoes," 1982
The playful clip for Adam's post-Ants hit features Hammer horror film actress and Bond girl Caroline Munro as the journalist that becomes Adam's love interest. "She certainly fit the bill of the sort of naughty, sexy secretary," Adam says. "She looked amazing." As for the song's lyrics and message, Adam says his clean-living lifestyle was inspired by boxer Muhammad Ali and was sometimes mocked by members of the press. "Goody Two Shoes" is "a bit of a manifesto and a statement of how I wanted to run my career. It wasn't very rock 'n' roll, but I thought it was a good idea for a lyric and it worked."
"Strip," 1983
When Adam performed "Strip" on his tour to support the album of the same name, he used a Houdini-like immersion tank, which he'd jump into after stripping off all his clothes onstage.
The video featured Adam on horseback, which he says was a bit out of his comfort zone. "I'm not a horse rider, so it was a bit dangerous," he says. Swedish actress Mary Stevens, a onetime Miss World and Bond girl who appeared in Octopusy and A View to a Kill, was Adam's co-star and appeared in the shower scene. It was all a bit much for the BBC, which banned the clip, but it did receive some play on MTV in the U.S. "Americans are a bit more open-minded," Adam says.
A side note -- the album was co-produced by Phil Collins and recorded at his studio in Stockholm, Sweden, where ABBA's Anni-Frid Lyngstad also happened to be working. As a favor to Collins, Lyngstad performed the spoken-word part on this song. "It's nice to have a member of ABBA in your catalog," Adam says. "She was very cool as well. When we were recording, she wore the headphones upside down so she didn't spoil her haircut."
"Wonderful," 1995
Adam's 1995 solo hit featured the singer going in a different direction, dropping the costumes for a more straightforward mostly black-and-white clip for the acoustic-based song. "That was pretty much of a different record for me," Adam says. "The video has me coming into a little village in Wales and it's shot in sepia. It's tearful about splitting up with a girl, so it's a little more serious." He adds that he wasn't as involved in that clip's direction as his previous efforts. "I kind of handed that one over, but it's an interesting piece to watch and a nice diversion."
"Cool Zombie," 2013
Adam's comeback clip for the track off his latest album opens in black-and-white with Adam in a rowboat traveling down the river, before moving into a full-color performance of Adam performing with his new band. "I'm returning for exile in the boat, having been away," Adam says, "coming back to do what I like doing, which is playing rock 'n' roll." In his return, Adam wears garb familiar to those who followed him in his heyday, notably the 19th century Hussar waistcoat, designed by Adam himself, along with a hat designed by a friend.
"The basic concept is the guy who did 'Kings of the Wild Frontier' coming back 30 years later." Adam also notes that the clip served as an introduction to the members of his new band before they hit the road on tour. To keep the look of the clip authentic, even the security guards on the set were dressed as Victorian garb.
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What is London's largest theatre, if its name has not already given it away? | Theatres in Victorian London
Theatres in Victorian London
[ Victorian Web Home —> Authors —> Music, Theatre, and Popular Entertainment —> Theatres ]
Much of the following information has been gathered from Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker's in "A Guide to London Theatres, 1750-1880" in The Revels History of Drama in English, Vol. VI: 1750-1880 (1975). They, in turn, consulted H. Barton Baker's History of the London Stage (London, 1904), Allardyce Nicoll's A History of English Drama 1660-1900 (Cambridge, 1966), E. B. Watson's Sheridan to Robertson (Cambridge, Mass., 1926), and The London Stage (Carbondale, Ill., 1962-68). Phyllis Hartnoll's Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre offers more detailed information about many of these nineteenth-century theatres. Additional images and links added by George P. Landow . For supplementary texts, consult the "Reference List" below.
Adelphi (Strand)
Built in 1806 opposite Adam Street by merchant John Scott (who had made his fortune from a washing-blue) as the Sans Pareil to showcase his daughter's theatrical talents, the theatre was given a new facade and redecorated in 1814. It re-opened on 18 October 1819 as the Adelphi, named after the imposing complex of West London streets built by the brothers Robert (1728-92) and James (1730-94) Adam from 1768. The name "Adelphoi" in Greek simply means "the brothers." Among the celebrated actors who appeared on its stage was the comedian Charles Matthews (1776-1835), whose work was so admired by young Charles Dickens. It had more "tone" than the other minor theatres because its patrons in the main were the salaried clerks of barristers and solicitors. The Adelphi was also noted for melodramas ("Adelphi Screamers") and dramatic adaptations, for example, Pierce Egan's Tom and Jerry, or Life in London, adapted by dramatist T. W. Moncrieff. Its first notable manager was Frederick Yates (1825-42), and its longest-tenured manager Ben Webster (1847-71). The well-known Anglo- Irish dramatist and actor Dion Boucicault performed on its stage in 1860, 1861, 1875, and 1880, while his second wife, Agnes Robertson, appeared on the stage of the Adelphi in 1861, 1875, and 1893. Noted adaptor and Dickensian "pirate" Edward Stirling was acting manager in 1838, and stage director in 1839.
The Adelphi has the distinction, according to the research of Philip Bolton, of being the first house to stage an adaptation a work by Charles Dickens , the piece being J. B. Buckstone's "The Christening," a comic burletta (farce) which opened on 13 October 1834, based on "The Bloomsbury Christening," which would eventually be published in the first volume of Sketches by Boz. Indeed, many of Dickens's early works were adapted for the stage of the Adelphi, including The Pickwick Papers as W. L. Rede's The Peregrinations of Pickwick; or, Boz-i-a-na, a three -act burletta first performed on 3 April 1837, Yates's production of Nicholas Nickleby; or, Doings at Do-The-Boys Hall in November-December 1838, and Edward Stirling's two-act burletta The Old Curiosity Shop; or, One Hour from Humphrey's Clock (November-December 1840, January 1841).
In 1840, a fresh façade was added, and in 1844 it came under the management of Madame Céleste and comedian Ben Webster, with John Baldwin Buckstone (1802-79) as its principal dramatist. On 28 January 1844, the theatre's lessee, Gladstane, wrote to John M. Kemble, Examiner of Plays in the Lord Chamberlain's offices, for permission to play Edward Stirling's "official" adaptation of Dickens's A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future, which opened 5 February. Here, too, on 19 December 1844 Lemon and à Beckett's "official" adaptation of Dickens's The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that rang an Old Year out and a New One In opened. In total, à Beckett staged six of his plays at the Adelphi between 1844 and 1853. Still manager in 1848, Ben Webster made application on 12 December to the Lord Chamberlain's office for the licensing of Mark Lemon's adaptation of Dickens's The Haunted Man, to open on 19 December. Ten years later, the old building was demolished to make way for a larger theatre.
In the new building, Dion Boucicault staged The Colleen Bawn (Feb., 1860) and The Octoroon (Nov., 1861), and five other plays between 1853 and 1862: Genevieve; or, The Reign of Terror (June, 1853), Janet Pride (Feb., 1855), George Darville June, 1857), The Life of an Actress (March, 1862), and the immensely popular adaptation of Dickens's The Cricket on the Hearth which Boucicault entitled Dot (which opened on 14 April 1862). Here, too, he produced The Willow Copse five times between 1849 and 1868, Giralda; or, The Miller's Wife (1850-1), O'Flannigan and the Fairies; or, A Midsummer Night's Dream Not Shakespeare's (1850), Pierre the Foundling (1854), She Would Be An Actress (1860), The Lily of Killarney (1877), a revival of London Assurance (1878), Forbidden Fruit (1879), Rescued; or, A Girl's Romance (1879), Kerry; or, Night and Morning (1880), Boucicault staged more plays at the Adelphi than in any other London theatre, the Princess's coming second. In contrast, prolific adapter C. Z. Barnett produced only one play at the Adelphi, Marie (1843), while William B. Bernard produced twenty-two between 1833 and 1863, Samuel Beazley ten between 1829 and 1842, and Thomas H. Bayly eight between 1838 and 1863.
The Adelphi was modernized and redecorated in 1875, and enlarged again in 1887. Its rollicking past was the subject of dramatist E. L. Blanchard's "History of the Adelphi Theatre" in The Era Almanack for 1877; Blanchard himself produced seven plays there between 1874 and 1877. The present building is actually the fourth on that site, and therefore is different from the building described by Charles Dickens in Ch. 31 of The Pickwick Papers (1836).
[Royal] Albert Saloon (Shepherdess Walk, Britannia Fields, Hoxton)
Dating from the 1840s, this theatre was distinguished by having two stages built at right angles to each other, one facing an outdoor auditorium, the other a closed theatre. It specialized in lighter entertainment such as burlesque and vaudeville, but also offered concerts and ballets.
Albery Theatre
Architect: W. G. R. Sprague. 1903.
Alhambra (Leicester Square)
The Central London music hall in one of the City's great entertainment spots began life as the Panopticon of Science and Art in 1854. Destroyed by fire in 1882, the theatre was noted for its Moorish architecture and its equestrian ballet from 1871, when it obtained a licence. Rebuilt, it became a music hall and variety theatre until its demise in 1936. After its demolition, an Odeon cinema was constructed on this valuable Leicester Square property.
Apollo Theatre
Architect: Lewin Sharp. 1901 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1
Astley 's Amphitheatre (Westminster Bridge Road)
When retired cavalry officer Philip Astley's old circus ring (built on the site in 1784) burned down in 1794, he replaced it with another, which burned down in 1803. Next, he built a new hippodrome, which staged spectacular dramas under the successful management of Andrew Ducrow . In 1862, Boucicault's dramatisation of an incident in the Sepoy Rebellion, The Relief of Lucknow, was produced here. In 1863, Boucicault renamed the building The Theatre Royal, Westminister, but met with no success. E. T. Smith, succeeding as manager, gave the theatre its old name and scored public acclaim with his equestrian adaptation of Byron's poem Mazeppa. In 1872, George Sanger renamed it Sanger's Grand National, which in 1893 was declared an unsafe structure and subsequently demolished.
The Britannia (High Street, Hoxton)
This working class theatre built on the site of the Pimlico, an Elizabethan tavern, was originally attached to the Britannia Saloon. Sam Lane opened the establishment as an entertainment house which in 1843, after the abolition of the patent monopoly, became home to a permanent acting company managed by the Lane family until 1899. The resident dramatist of this colourful East End theatre was the capable C. H. Hazlewood, noted for his adaptation of Lady Audley's Secret (1863). Famous for its Christmas pantomimes and melodramatic spectacles, it was converted to a movie house in 1913.
The City of London (Norton Folgate)
The City of London Theatre in Bishopsgate, built by architect Samuel Beazley in 1837, "specialized in domestic and temperance melodrama. It was closed in 1868" (p. li). Here Edward Stirling's adaptation of The Pickwick Papers ran through March and April of 1837, and here George Dibdin Pitt's Nicholas Nickleby; or, The Schoolmaster Abroad ran from 19 November through 17 December 1838.
City Pantheon (Milton Street, formerly Grub Street)
Also known as "The New City Theatre" and "The City Chapel," The City Pantheon began life in an abandoned chapel in 1829.
[Royal] Coburg (Waterloo Road)
The original theatre, built by Dunn and Jones, opened on 11 May 1818, and quickly acquired the nickname "The Blood Tub" by virtue of the sensational melodramas it featured. In 1833, it was renamed "The Royal Victoria Theatre," and is today the home of the Old Vic.
Designed by Rudolph Cabanal of Aachen, 1816-18. Brick and other materials, some of which came from the old Savoy Palace which was pulled down to open the way to Waterloo Bridge. Waterloo Road, London SE1. Until 1833, the theatre was named in honour of Prince Leopold and Princess Charlotte, its original patrons. It opened with a programme including "a melodrama, an Asiatic ballet and a harlequinade" (Weinreb 602), and from 1845 had a 4d. gallery which would be filled with young costermongers and ther like, even including sweeps and dustmen, all taking rowdy part in the performances (see Mayhew 25). But it was also a venue for the more discriminating: "For over a century most of our great actors have appeared within these plain but dignified walls," wrote Arthur Mee in 1937 (654). — Jacqueline Banerjee
Colosseum Saloon (Albany Street, Regent's Park)
Originally opened as a variety theatre in 1837, the Colosseum Saloon was occasionally the venue for plays.
Comedy Theatre
Panton Street (at the corner of Oxendon Street), SW1.
Covent Garden (Bow Street)
Covent Garden has been since the Restoration one of England's chief playhouses. Under its founder and first manager, John Rich, it opened with Congreve's The Way of the World on 7 December 1732, and under the 1737 Licensing Act held the patent monopoly jointly with The Drury Lane for legitimate drama. Although its 1782 alteration increased the auditorium's capacity to 2,500, its sight-lines remained poor until Thomas Harris's rebuilding of 1792. In the 19th c. under the management of the great actor-manager William Charles Macready (1793-1873), it became a leading house in the Shakespeare Revival. When Covent Garden was destroyed by fore ion 20 September 1808, a Neoclassical theatre designed by Robert Smirke Jr. was built at a cost of £ 150,000 in 1809. In 1823, James Robinson Planché developed a series of historically authentic costumes and sets for Charles Kemble's staging of Shakespeare little-played King John, establishing a trend in production design for Shakespeare plays in the 19th c. Planché worked well with the management team of Madame Vestris and Charles Mathews when they came over to Covent Garden from the the Olympic (1839), and continued to work with them here (1839-1842). Under Macready's tenure as manager (1837-39) came the introduction of lime-light long before it was ion regular use elsewhere. Here, too, on 4 March 1841 Dion Boucicault scored his first great theatrical triumph with London Assurance, his script being revised by Charles Mathews (who played Dazzle) and Madame Vestris, the managers at the time. He staged two further plays here: The Irish Heiress (1842) and Woman (1843). After the departure of Madame Vestris in 1842 and the dissolving of the patent monopoly by the 1843 Theatre Regulation Act, the theatre rapidly declined and closed, re-opening on 6 April 1847 as the Royal Italian Opera House, whereupon it ceased to be a home for legitimate drama. After a Bal Masqué on 5 March 1856, the building was again burnt to the ground. On the site of old Covent Garden stands the present-day theatre, dating from 15 May 1858 and designed by Sir Edward M. Barry.
Criterion Theatre
Architect: Thomas Verity. 1874. Piccadilly Circus, W1. According to the theater's own website, "In 1870 following the acquisition of the White Bear Inn site, and adjoining properties between Jermyn Street and Piccadilly Circus, caterers Spiers and Pond commissioned Thomas Verity to design a new development consisting of a large restaurant, dining rooms, ballroom, and galleried concert hall. Having commenced building work it was decided to alter the proposed concert hall (though retaining the composers names, which still line the tiled staircases to this day), to a theatre. . . . The Criterion retains an almost perfectly preserved Victorian auditorium."
The Eygptian Hall, Piccadilly
Architect: P. J. Robinson. 1811-12. Photograph 1895. The Hall, which was torn down in 1905, was at 170/171 Piccadilly.
The Gaiety Theatre (The Strand)
This playhouse should not be confused with the New Gaiety Theatre, built for George Edwardes at the corner of Aldwych and The Strand in 1903. The first Gaiety Theatre, built in The Strand in 1868, was first managed by John Hollingshead with a mixed bill that included W. S. Gilbert's burlesque of the opera Robert le Diable. A distinguished cast including Alfred Wigan and Nellie Farren and outstanding scenery designed by William Grieve won good houses. Here in 1869 Charles Dickens, who prided himself on his knowledge of nineteenth-century London theatre productions, saw his last play before his death in 1870 at age 58, namely H. J. Byron's Uncle Dick's Darling, starring future theatre-great Henry Irving. Here appeared the first Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration, Thespis; or, the Gods Grown Old (December 1871). Dion Boucicault had two plays produced here in the early 1870s, Night and Morning and Led Astray.H. J. Byron's Little Don Caesar de Bazan, starring Edward Terry, Kate Vaughan, E. W. Royce, and Nellie Farren, was undoubtedly a send up of Boucicault's Don Caesar de Bazan. In December 1892 George Edwards transferred here from the Prince of Wales's, bringing with him a new type of show, In Town, the first modern musical comedy, which established the vogue for "Gaiety Girl" productions (so called because they tended to feature the word "Girl" in their titles and always offered choruses full of attractive young women). The theatre's last production was The Toreador (1901), which introduced Gertie Miller to London audiences. On 4 July 1903 the theatre was closed and subsequently demolished. Thus ended the memorable history of a playhouse whose stage had seen such nineteenth-century London theatre notables as Hayden Coffin, Henry Irving, Madge Robertson, Fred Lesley, Charles Danby, John Laurence Toole.
Garrick's Subscription (Leman Street, East)
This theatre dating from 1831 acquired its name from its proximity to the theatre in Goodman's Fields where David Garrick made his London début. In 1846, it burned down and was rebuilt, and in 1851 renamed "The Albert and Garrick Royal Amphitheatre ". Even among East End theatres it was generally hold in low esteem, and from actor- manager J. B. Howe's bankruptcy in 1875 remained empty until 1879. After the success of actress-manageress May Bulmer in the light opera A Cruise to China, the theatre was demolished to make way for a police station.
Garrick Theatre (Charing Cross Road)
Architect: Walter Emden and C. J. Phipps 1899. This late 19th c. theatre was financed by W. S. Gilbert , opening on 24 April 1889 with Arthur Wing Pinero's The Profligate Here Sydney Grundy scored a triumph with the long-running French-style comedy A Pair of Spectacles in February, 1890. Mrs. Patrick Campbell caused a sensation five years later as the lead in Pinero's The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith. Afterwards, the theatre suffered a period of decline until 1900 when leased by Arthur Bourchier, whose wife, Violet Vanbrugh, starred in a series of successful productions ranging from straight farce to Shakespeare.
The Globe (Newcastle Street, Strand)
This Victorian Theatre with the Elizabethan name opened in Newcastle Street, The Strand, in 1868. Management changed hands many times as the theatre struggled. Several successful plays transferred here from other theatres helped bring in the audiences: Charles Hawtrey's The Private Secretary from The Prince of Wales's in 1884, and Brandon Thomas's Charley's Aunt from The Royalty in 1892. Badly built, The Globe and the Opera Comique on which it backed were derisively styled "The Rickety Twins." It closed without mishap in 1902. [[Illustrated London News article when it opened ]
The Grecian (in the grounds of the Eagle Saloon, Shepherdess Walk, City Road, Shoreditch)
Thomas "Brayvo" Rouse opened this Hoxton playhouse in 1832 as a venue for light opera, legitimate theatre being a Drury Lane-Covent Garden monopoly. In 1844, the stage of the Grecian introduced London audiences to Frederick Robson [the theatrical name of Thomas Robson Brownhill], the actor and ballad-singer who would become the mainstay of the Olympic after 1850. Benjamin Conquest's attempts as manager (1851-79) to stage Shakespeare here proved a failure, but lavish Christmas pantomimes by his son George compensated. In 1872, George Conquest inherited the theatre which his father had rebuilt in 1858, but sold it to Clark in 1879, having spend largely on its refurbishing in 1876. It was sold to the Salvation Army in 1882, and (needless to say) ceased to be a theatre.
The Hackney Empire
Designed by Frank Matcham. Foyer decoration by J. M. Boekbinder; auditorium decoration by De Jong (see Walker 168). Built, like the Coliseum, for Oswald Stoll. Opened December 1901; restored 2001-04. Located at 291 Mare Street, London E8 1EJ. This is one of the finest of the 95 or so new theatres designed by Matcham. Like the almost contemporaneous Richmond Theatre, it was built on a prominent site "with no earlier theatrical associations and no reusable old fabric" (Earl 49) — in the latter respect, it contrasts with the more than 50 additional theatres rebuilt and transformed by the prolific Matcham
The interior of the Hackney Empire, which could hold as many as 1,900 people in its three-tier auditorium (Walker 168; sources vary), boasted state-of-the-art technology for its age. It had electric lights from the beginning, a central heating system, a projection-box that was built in, and even (as at Matcham's Victoria Palace Theatre) provision for sliding open part of the auditorium roof for ventilation. The splendid foyer with its ornate ceiling and windows has a double staircase with marble finishing. Inside the auditorium, there are elegant boxes at the back of the Dress Circle, as well as at each side of the auditorium. As one commentator has suggested, the decor would do justice to a major opera house, let alone a variety theatre (see "The Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street"). It is hard to make out the subjects of the larger paintings because of the lighting arrangements, though they are clearly, as the listing text says, "of rococo feeling." One smaller panel at the side shows a cherub happily banging a drum. It is all very impressive. — Jacqueline Banerjee
The Haymarket Theatre
The Haymarket (King's Theatre) Opera House was originally built by the theatrical impresario, architect, and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh, opening 9 April 1705. Under the management of Shakespearean- revivalist David Garrick, it underwent no real changes; however, after its destruction by fire in 1789, it was re-built and used extensively for opera. Upon the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837, manager Ben Webster re-named it "Her Majesty's." In the summer of 1837, Samuel Phelps made his London debut here, playing a number of Shakespearean roles, including Hamlet, Richard II, Othello, and Shylock. Over the course of the 1840s, Dion Boucicault had five plays produced here: The Bastile [sic], an "after-piece" (1842), Old Heads and Young Hearts (1844), The School for Scheming (1847), Confidence (1848), and The Knight Arva (1848). In 1853, Robert Browning's Colombe's Birthday, published ten years earlier, ran briefly here. Again in 1867, the theatre was destroyed by fire, and again re-built (in 1872), only to be demolished in 1892.
Haymarket, Theatre Royal
The Little Theatre in The Haymarket, built by John Potter in 1720, is the second-oldest London playhouse still in use. The indefatigable Samuel Foot acquired The lease in 1747, and in 1766 gained a royal patent to play legitimate drama in The summer months. Here a number of prominent actors débuted: John Henderson (1747-1785), Robert William Elliston (1774-1831), Charles Matthews Sr. (1776-1835), and John Liston (1776-1846). Demolished in 1820, it was replaced in July 1821 by The current building. Under Webster's management (1837-53) and his successor, John Buckstone, as a great comedy house it hosted most of the great actors of the period. In 1880, The Bancrofts succeeded as lessees.
Holborn Theatre
Sefton Parry opened this small theatre in 1866, but it quickly passed through a succession of managers (including Barry Sullivan and Horace Wigan) and went by a succession of names, including The Mirror, The Curtain, and The Duke's Theatre before burning down in 1880. Boucicault produced just one play here: Jezebel; or, The Dead Reckoning (Dec., 1870).
London Coliseum
Volume 34 of of The Survey of London (which British Listed Buildings site has put online) describes the style of this ‘Edwardian ‘Theatre de Luxe of London ’ with richly decorated interiors and a vast and grandiose auditorium” as “exuberant Free Baroque. . . . When built the Coliseum was London's largest theatre with the latest machinery including triple-revolve (disused) and a counterweight system and cyclorama track, still in use, as well as being uniquely equipped with lifts to upper floors. The Coliseum is one of Matcham's finest achievements and very little altered apart from the painting of the exterior.” — Jacqueline Banerjee
London Hippodrome
The London Hippodrome. Listed Building. 1898-1900. Architect: Frank Matcham. Location: 10 Cranbourne Street, London, WC2H 7AG. Built for “Edward Moss for £250,000 as a hippodrome for circus and variety performances” (Bradley and Pevsner). Ri Volume 34 of of The Survey of London (which British Listed Buildings site has put online) describes this Grade II red sandstone “island block of 5 storeys . . . [as] ornate, freely handled French Renaissance with theatrically Baroque skyline . . . [with a] pub front and shops and canopied corner entrance to theatre on ground floor.” Readers who want more than Survey's comparatively brief description should consult the materials in the bibliography below by Roe and other listed online sources plus Wikipedia, which explains that the name hippodrome signifies that animal acts originally provided a large part of the entertainment. This theater also included “both a proscenium stage and an arena that sank into a 230 ft, 100,000 gallon water tank (400 ton, when full) for aquatic spectacles.” In this way, Matcham created "a music-hall and circus combined, complete with water tank for aquatic displays. Perhaps in an attempt to revive the tremendous spectaculars at Astley's Ampitheatre, its purpose was "to provide 'a circus show second to none in the world, combined with elaborate stage spectacles impossible in any other theatre'" (Weinreb 212). One can add that both Bristol and Golders Green (in Greater London) have Grade II listed hippodromes. — Jacqueline Banerjee
The Lyceum (Strand)
Although built in 1765 to house exhibits such as waxworks, London's famous Lyceum Theatre did not become a "licensed" house until 1809, when Samuel Arnold, obtaining permission to stage opera and other musical dramas, renamed it The English Opera House. At a cost of 80,000 pounds he rebuilt The theatre six years later, only to have it destroyed by fire in 1830. On 14 July 1834 a new Lyceum designed by Samuel Beazley opened with its main entrance now on Wellington Street.
The Lyceum, with its "tonier" audience, was associated with adaptations of Dickens's novels and Christmas Books. Edward Stirling's adaptation of Martin Chuzzlewit ran for at least 105 performances from July 1844 through April 1845 here. On 13 December 1845, Mary Ann Keeley, The comic star and The co-lessee of The theatre, applied to The Examiner of Plays for The licensing of Albert Smith's "official" adaptation of Dickens's The Cricket on The Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home. On behalf of The managers, The Keeleys, J. Thorne made a similar application in December 1846 for The licensing of Albert Smith's adaptation of The Battle of Life, in which The Keeleys played The comic parts of Benjamin Britain and Clemency. Here again Tom Taylor's "official" adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities, with Dickens himself as consultant, ran from January through March 1860, hard of The heels of The end of its serial run and volume publication. "The management of [Madame] Vestris and [Charles] Matthews (1847-55) was highlighted by The scenic marvels created for the staging of Planché's [fairy] extravaganzas" (Frederick and Lise- Lone Marker lv). The theatre's use of spectacular stage effects continued under The management of Charles Fechter (1863-7). In 1866, Boucicault's The Long Strike (his adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's Manchester novels Mary Barton and Lizzie Leigh) was produced here. The celebrated Henry Irving starred as the complex villain Matthias in Leopold David Lewis's The Bells (November 1871).
The Lyric Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue)
The Lyric opened on 17 December 1888, but its first great success came eight years later with Wilson Barrett as Marcus Superbus in his own historical drama The Sign of the Cross (1896). In 1898 Sarah Bernhardt appeared in dramas from the French here. This West End theatre is not to be confused with the Lyric Hall (Hammersmith), which opened in 1888 and became a venue for melodrama two years later before being extensively rebuilt and reopening in July 1895.
The Marylebone (Church Street, Edgeware Road)
The Pavil ion Theatre, also known as The Marylebone, was a working-class house noted for its crude melodramas, having opened in 1831 as "The Royal Sussex Theatre." It was demolished six years later, reopening on 13 November 1837 as "The Marylebone." C. Z. Barnett's early Dickens adaptation, The three-act burletta Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, opened here on 21 May 1838. It was rebuilt and enlarged in 1864, and renamed "The Royal Alfred Theatre" in 1866, but reverted soon afterward to "The Marylebone." In The 20th century it ran under The name The West London Theatre."
The Mirror (see "The Holborn.")
The New City (see "The City Pantheon.")
The New Gaiety Theatre
Architects: Ernest Runtz, with elevations by Richard Norman Shaw. 1902-03. Corner of the Strand and Aldwych, WC2. The New Gaiety Theatre was built to replace the original Gaiety Theatre managed by George Edwardes, which had fallen prey to the London County Council's "Strand Improvement Scheme." The architect chosen for the task was Ernest Runtz (1859-1913), not as famous a theatre architect as Frank Matcham, but still one with a very large practice, who designed commercial buildings as well (see "Ernest Runtz & Ford"). But the London County Council found his designs wanting, and called in Richard Norman Shaw to improve on them. Runtz was responsible for the dome on the corner, but it was Shaw who suggested the "flanking high loggia of paired columns and also improved the design of the higher Gaiety Restaurant behind, which faced the Strand." After a chequered history the "powerful exterior of the Gaiety, which Pevsner thought 'Norman Shaw's best design after he had gone classical or Baroque,' was demolished in 1957" (Stamp 65-66). Both the type of building and its style may come as a surprise to those who know Norman Shaw chiefly for his earlier, picturesque domestic architecture.
The New Royal Brunswick (Wellclose Square)
When the East London Theatre was destroyed by fire in 1826, it was rebuilt as the New Royal Brunswick (1828). During a rehearsal of an adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's Guy Mannering, The Astrologer just three years later the entire building collapses, killing fifteen people and injuring twenty.
The New Royal West London (see "The Prince of Wales's")
The New Royalty (see "Soho")
The New (see "The Prince of Wales's")
The Olympic Theatre (Wych Street or Newcastle Street, Strand)
Philip Astley had this playhouse built from the timbers of the French warship "Ville de Paris" (the former deck serving as the stage); as the "Olympic Pavilion" it opened on 1 December 1806. After financial losses, in 1813Astley sold the playhouse to Robert William Elliston, who refurbished the interior and renamed it the "Little Drury Lane" by virtue of its proximity to the venerable patent house. After its rebuilding in 1818, Elliston reopened it with T. W. Moncrieff's Rochester; or, King Charles the Second's Happy Days. John Scott purchased the playhouse at auction in 1826, and gave the building gas- lighting. In 1830, Madame Vestris took over the house, becoming the first female manager in the history of London theatre. Aided by pantomime writer James Robinson Planché, she initiated a series of innovations in costuming and scenery. Here Charles Mathews débuted, marrying Madame Vestris and joining her in the management of the Olympic three years later/ Planché worked well with the management team of Madame Vestris and Charles Mathews at the Olympic (1831-9), and continued to work with them at Covent Garden (1839-1842) and Lyceum (1847-56). After 1839, when the couple left the Olympic to manage Covent Garden, a period of decline set in at the Olympic that was capped by a suspicious fire in March 1849. After a short management by Walter Watts, William Farren took over. Here Boucicault's Broken Vow was staged (1 February 1851) and ten years later Tom Taylor's celebrated social melodrama The Ticket-of-Leave Man, in which the detective (Hawkshaw) was played by Horace Wigan, who was also manager at the time. In its later years, the only celebrity to appear here was Kate Terry (1865-6); the building was demolished in 1889, and a new, much enlarged theatre constructed in 1890. The Olympic closed for good in 1899.
Opera Comique (Strand)
Hastily built in 1870 in the same seedy neighbourhood as the Globe, this theatre was dubbed one of "The Rickety Twins" and, on account of the three narrow thoroughfares at its entrance, "Theatre Royal Tunnels." The most significant theatrical events here were D'Oyly Carte's openings of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Sorcerer (1877), H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1880), and Patience (1881), which was transferred tot he celebrated Savoy Theatre later that year. The building was closed for redecoration in 1884, and reopened in 1885; rebuilt in 1895, it closed in 1899 and was demolished in 1902.
Palace Theatre
Cambridge Circus, WC2. Designed by Thomas Collcutt. 1890. Jones and Woodward, who point put that this "huge theatre . . . was orginally planned for the impressario D'Oyley Carte," describe "the grand exterior" as being "in Colcutt's mixed and striped style, mingling bands of red brick and impervious cream faience to disturbing effect" (240). — George P. Landow
The Pantheon (Oxford Street)
James Wyatt commissioned this theatre in 1772 as a sort of indoor Vauxhall, and indeed it was successful as a venue for balls and masquerades before becoming an opera house in 1791. It burned down the next year, and reopened in 1795 with a similar range of entertainments. In 1812 it reopened as the Pantheon Theatre, but, damaged by fire and troubled financially owing to irregularities in its licence, was replaced in 1814 by the Pantheon Bazaar. The building was subsequently the head offices of the London wine-merchants Gilbeys (1867) and site occupied by a Marks and Spencer's store (1937).
The Pavilion (see "The Marylebone").
The [Royal] Pavilion ( Whitechapel Road, Mile End)
Wyatt and Farrell opened this home for "Newgate melodrama" in November 1828. Destroyed by fire in 1856, the theatre was rebuilt. Fanny Clifton (Edward Stirling's wife) saw her first success here. Under the management of Morris Abrahams (1871-94) it catered to largely Jewish audiences from the neighbourhood, and its stage saw many Jewish actors.
The Prince of Wales's Theatre (Tottenham Street)
Despite its regal-sounding official name, this very small theatre was nicknamed "The Dust Hole." It was distinguished, however, by the stagecraft and writing of Tom Robertson, who under the management of the Bancrofts in the 1860s produced Caste, David Garrick, and Society.
The Prince's (see "St. James's")
The Princess's (Oxford Street)
This seems to have been Dion Boucicault's theatre of choice for the London productions of his melodramas; over two, he staged nine plays here: The Corsican Brothers (1852), La Dame de Pique; or, The Vampire (1852), The Prima Donna (1852), After Dark, A Tale of London (1868), Presumptive Evidence (1869), and Paul Lafarge, A Dark Night's Work, and the Raparee (1870).
The Queen's (see "Prince of Wales's")
The Queen's (Longacre)
Originally, "St. Martin's Hall," this minor playhouse became a theatre proper in 1867, and closed in 1878. During its short life its capacious stage saw performances by such notables as Henry Irving, Charles Wyndham, Samuel Phelps, Ellen Terry, and Tommaso Salvini.
The Regency [Theatre of Varieties] (see "Prince of Wales's).
Richmond Theatre
Architect: Frank Matcham. 1899. Location: 15 Little Green, Richmond, Greater London TW9 1QJ. Grade II British Listed Building. English Heritage Building ID: 205545.
Royal Alfred (see "Marylebone").
Royal Circus (see "Surrey").
Royal Albert Hall
According to the guide to London published by Charles Dickens's son in 1888, “Albert Hall, Kensington-rd was opened in May, 1871 and is a huge building of elliptical form in the style of the Italian Renaissance, the materials of the façade being entirely red brick and terra-cotta. The larger exterior diameter is 272 ft., interior 219 ft.; the smaller exterior 238 ft., interior 185 ft. The frieze above the balcony was executed by Messrs. Minton, Hollins & Co., and is divided into compartments containing allegorical designs by Messrs. Armitage, Armstead, Horsley, Marks, Pickersgill, Poynter, and Yeames. There are two box entrances -- on the east and west -- with a private doorway from the Horticultural Society's Gardens on the south side, and separate entrances on either side for the balcony, the gallery, and the area, and for the platforms on either side of the great organ. The interior, which is amphitheatrical in construction -- like, for example, the Coliseum at Rome -- is not very appropriate to any purpose for which it is ever likely to be required except musical performances on a large scale. For gladiaorial exhibitions of any kind, the central area, measuring 102 ft. by 68 ft., would, of course, though rather small, be capitally adapted. A bull-fight, even, on a very small scale, might be managed here. As a matter of fact, it is used almost exclusively for concerts, when the area is filled up with seats, and the surrounding tiers, specially constructed with a view to commanding the centre of the building filled with an audience whose entire attention is specially directed to the extremity, where a space has been chipped out for the orchestra, However, it is a "big thing," at all events. At the top of the hall is the picture gallery, capable of accommodating 2,000 persons and used on ordinary occasions as a promenade. There are hydraulic lifts to the upper floors. The hall is 135 ft. in height, and is crowned by a domed skylight of pointed glass, having.a central opening or lantern with a star of gas-burners. Altogether the hall is calculated to hold an audience of about 8,000, The organ was built by Mr. Henry Willis. Them are five rows of keys -- belonging to the choir, great, solo, swell, and pedal organs -- 130 stops, and 10,000 pipes, the range being ten octaves. The orchestra accommodates 1,000 performers. Large tanks are provided in case of fire on the roof of the picture gallery, and supplied with water from the artesian well of the R[oyal]l Horticultural Society, 430 ft. deep.” — Dickens's Dictionary of London 1888, pp. 22-23. George P. Landow
Royal Clarence (Liverpool Street)
Opening as The Royal Panharmonium in 1830, this became a regular theatre a year or two later, when The was altered to The Royal Clarence. It went by a number of names from 1852 through 1867, including "The Regent," "The Argyll," "The King's Cross," and "The Cabinet Theatre."
The Royal Court Theatre (Sloane Square)
Not listed by Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker, this converted Noncomformist chapel, which opened as a theatre in 1870 as "The New Chelsea," made an undistinguished start (even under The name "The Belgravia") until Marie Litton took over its management and renamed it "The Royal Court" on 25 January 1871. Here, several of W. S. Gilbert's early plays were staged with some success; and later, a series of Pinero farces, including The Magistrate (1885), The Schoolmistress (1886), and Daddy Dick (1887) were staged. It closed on 22 July 1887. [I'm not sure when the Royal Court Theatre re-opened, but there has been a theatre in Sloane Square with that name for several decades — George P. Landow ]
The Royal Italian Opera House (see "Covent Garden").
The Royal Kent (Kensington High Street)
Named after its first patron, The Duke of Kent, this fashionable, 250-seat playhouse operated between 1834 and 1841(?).
The Royal Manor House (King's Road, Chelsea)
Managed by E. L. Blanchard, this theatre operated from 1838 through 1841.
The Royal Sussex (see "The Marylebone").
The Royalty (Wellclose Square)
Defying the 1737 patent monopoly act, Drury Lane actor John Palmer opened this playhouse on 20 June 1787 with a production of As You Like It, but without a proper license it was forced to closeand Palmer arrested! Under the management of William Macready, the Royalty struggled with pantomimes and burlettas. In 1816, it was renamed the "East End Theatre," which burnt down ten years later.
New Royalty (Dean Street, Soho)
Fanny Kelly ran a small theatre in conjunction with her acting school from May 1840; after ten years of struggling to get by with comedy and melodrama, she gave up. The new management changed the name to the Royal Soho, which opened on 30 January 1850; by November, it was "The New English Opera House." Two seasons later, a new company featuring young Ellen Terry opened in the "New Royalty" theatre with little success. The most memorable productions in the theatre's history were Gilbert and Sullivan's short operetta satirizing the law in general and breach-of-promise in particular, Trial by Jury (1875), Ibsen's Ghosts (1891) and The Wild Duck (1894), Shaw's Widowers' Houses, and the celebrated farce Charley's Aunt (1892) by Brandon Thomas. After a distinguished record in the annals of 20th c. London theatre, the theatre closed in 1938; the building was destroyed in the Blitz.
The Royal Surrey (Blackfriars Road, Lambeth)
Probably the best known of London's minor theatres founded in 1771, The Surrey was originally a riding school and exhibition centre, chief rival to Astley's. The owner, Charles Hughes, obtained a licence in 1782, and went into theatrical partnership with Charles Dibdin. At the cost of 15,000 pounds the pair built The Royal Circus, an elaborate theatre in which The pit was replaced by a riding ring. This building burned down in 1803, and was replaced within a year. Under the management of Robert Elliston (1809-14), the ring was eliminated, and the name changed to The Surrey. Here, under Elliston's second term as manager (1827-31) Douglas Jerrold's nautical melodrama Black- Ey'd Susan; Or, All in The Downs (1829), starring T. P. Cooke, ran for over three hundred nights. Here C. Z. Barnett's adaptation A Christmas Carol; or, The Miser's Warning opened on 5 February 1844. Melodramas, especially of the "transpontine" variety, continued to be the Surrey's stock and trade under the management of Shepherd and Creswick (1848-69). Later a cinema, it was pulled down in 1934. [ detailed description ]
Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells ( Microcosm of London , Vol 3, 1904 ed. in the Internet Archive, facing p.41).
Mr. Sadler opened one of London's most celebrated theatres on 3 June 1683; initially, it was "a pleasure garden" with a wooden "Music House" and stage. It became known as "Sadler's Wells" because the wooden structure (later known as "Miles's Music House") was built on the site of a medicinal spring. The new owner, Rosoman, had the wooden structure replaced with a stone theatre constructed in just seven weeks. After the second owner's retirement in 1772, the lease was acquired by the Drury Lane actor Thomas King (1772-1782).
In the first four decades nineteenth century, the theatre (known as "The Aquatic Theatre") was used to stage sensational naval melodramas such as The Siege of Gibralter on the surface of a large tank flooded with water from the nearby New River. Just the year after parliament broke the monopoly of Covent Garden and Drury Lane, actor Samuel Phelps became manager, successfully staging Shakespearian revivals over his tenure (1844-62). Charles Webb's adaptation of Dickens's A Christmas Carol was produced here under the new management, continuing the idea of adapting the novelist's works exploited with some success by Thomas Blake's Little Nell; or, The Old Curiosity Ship, which ran here from 11-16 and 18-23 January 1841.
In the meantime, Phelps may be credited with giving Shakespearian production its first permanent home in London. Although he excelled in the Bard's tragic roles, he gave an excellent performance as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. After Phelps, Sadler's Wells in 1878 was declared a dangerous structure, demolished, and reconstructed. Nevertheless, succeeding managements failed to make a go of it, and it closed in 1906. The present theatre, although refurbished after the Second World War, dates from 1927; since 1934 it has been used exclusively for ballet.
St. James' s Theatre (King Street)
Designed by Samuel Beazley for John Braham, this small playhouse opened on 14 December 1835. Here in 1836 Charles Dickens's own play The Strange Gentleman and the ballad-opera The Village Coquettes were first staged. Gilbert Abbott à Beckett's adaptation of Oliver Twist, a four-act burletta, opened here on 27 March 1838. Manager Aired Bunn in 1840, installed a German opera company here, renaming the theatre "The Prince's" in honour of Queen Victoria's new husband. However, in February 1842 it re-opened under its old name. After 12 years of losing money bringing in foreign acting companies and guest stars such as Charles Fechter (1824-79), manager John Mitchell gave up in 1854. In 1863, C. H. Hazlewood's highly popular adaptation of Mary Elizabeth Braddon's sensation novel Lady Audley's Secret starring the theatre's manageress, Louisa Herbert, took London by storm. In 1866, W. S. Gilbert's first play, Dulcamara; or, the Little Duck and the Great Quack was staged; in the same year, Henry Irving scored his first London triumph in Dion Boucicault's Hunted Down (Nov., 1866). Here, also, Boucicault staged his ubiquitous and multi-named The Streets of London (August 1864). Under the succeeding managements of Mrs. John Wood, Hare, and Kendals the theatre was renovated, and redecorated. Pinero's The Squire and The Money Spinner were both produced here in 1881. The St. James's most brilliant period came under the management of George Alexander (1891-1918).
The Savoy Theatre (in the Strand)
The term "Savoyard" (literally, a native of the Italian state of Savoy, then a member of Doyly Carte's acting company, and now generally one addicted to Gilbert and Sullivan musicals) derives from Richard D'Oyly Carte's home for the comic operettas of collaborators W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan, the series beginning here with Patience at the theatre's opening on 10 October 1881. Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker have omitted the Savoy from their "Guide to London Theatres, 1750-1880," perhaps because of the year it opened and perhaps because it was never a venue for legitimate drama, and perhaps because its glory days with Granville-Barker and productions of Shaw and Noel Coward are well outside the Victorian era.
The Strand Theatre (in the Strand, not to be confused with the present theatre in The Aldwych, which dates from 1905)
Originally, "The New Strand Theatre," it opened as a subscription theatre on 5 January 1832 under the management of Yorkshire comedian L. B. Rayner, who had transformed the panorama house on that site into a playhouse. The venture failed, but next January Fanny Kelly re-opened it as a dramatic school, but transferred that operation to the Royalty. Finally, under new management it re-opened on 25 April 1836, and achieved some success running burlesques by Douglas Jerrold, but only in 1848, fully five years after the passing of the new theatres act, did The Strand become the home of legitimate drama.
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
London's preëminent "patent" house was founded by Thomas Killgrew in 1663 under a charter granted by Charles II that conferred upon him a monopoly on legitimate drama; today Drury Lane remains the oldest functioning London theatre. Destroyed by fire in 1672, it was redesigned by Sir Christopher Wren himself and rebuilt in 1674. Garrick, Lacy, Sheridan, and Kemble were the lessees in the eighteenth century, although under the management of the last the old building was condemned and a new theatre built on the same site in 1794. Another fire struck this enlarged theatre in 1809, and new. slightly smaller structure designed by Ben Webster opened on 109 October 1812. In 1833 Alfred Bunn gained control of both Drury Lane and Covent Garden, managing the former from 1833 to 1839, and again from 1843 to 1850. In 1837, actor-manager Samuel Phelps (1804-78) joined the company at Drury Lane, appearing with Macready in a number of Shakespeare plays. Here hew also created the popular role of Captain Channel in Douglas Jerrold's melodrama The Prisoner of War (1842), and of Lord Tresham in Robert Browning's A Blot in the Scutcheon (1843). Under William Macready's brief tenure as manager, significant reforms were put in place as the gifted actor-manager staged Shakespearean productions there (1841-43). Over a twenty-five-year period Dion Boucicault had four plays produced here: The Queen of Spades (1851), Eugenie (1855), Formosa (1869), and The Shaughraun (1875). After a period of decline, the house's fortune's rose again under the management of Augustus Harris from 1879.
Toole's Theatre (William IV Street)
Originally "The Charing Cross Music Hall" (1869), this very minor playhouse hosted J. S. Clarke's revival of Sheridan's The Rivals in 1872, featuring Mrs. Stirling as Mrs. Malaprop, The role that made her famous. Renamed "The Folly Theatre" by new owner Alexander Henderson in 1876, it became a burlesque house. On 7 November 1879 noted comedian and great friend of Charles Dickens, John Laurence Toole (1830-1906), took up the management; after a lengthy tour, he re-opened the theatre in1882 under his own name. Here, Sir Edmund Barrie's first play, Walker, London opened in 1892. After it was demolished in 1896, its site was used for an extension of Charing Cross Hospital.
Tottenham Street Theatre. See "Prince of Wales's."
The Scala Theatre, in Tottenham Court Road, opened as the King's Concert Rooms in 1772, became the Tottenham Court Theatre in 1810, and was renamed the Regency Theatre by new owner William Beverley in 1814. In 1920, the next owner, Brunton, renamed it the West London. His daughter Elizabeth married well known actor Frederick Yates, who starred in a number of the house's productions. In 1831 it reopened as the Queen's or the Fitzroy.
Vaudeville Theatre
Opening in the Strand on 16 April 1870 under the management of H. J. Montague, David James, and Thomas Thorne, it introduced London audiences to young Henry Irving in the role of Digby Grant in James Albery's Two Roses. Here, H. J. Byron's Our Boys (1875) ran four years. Despite its early reputation for farce, its name goes down in theatre annals as the first theatre in England to stage Ibsen's Rosmersholm (23 February 1891) and Hedda Gabbler (20 April 1891). Here noted Dickensian actor Seymour Hicks appeared alongside his wife Ellaine Terriss in a series of Christmas entertainments, including Bluebell in Fairyland (1901).
Vauxhall Gardens
The 17th c. man-about-town Samuel Pepys frequented this theatre when in 1660 it opened as "Spring Garden, Foxhall." Noted for operetta, the house (one of whose occasional patrons was Charles Dickens) was closed after riots broke out there on 25 July 1859.
The Victoria Palace Theatre
Architect: Frank Matcham. Built in 1911 for the variety magnate Sir Alfred Butt (1878-1962). The British Listed Buildings site gives the location as both Victoria Street and Allington Street, Westminster, London SW1E 5 SW1H 0NP. Bradley and Pevsner suggest that the theatre may have reused “walls from the Royal Standard music hall (1886) The front is all ‘Penteliko’ and ‘Keramo,’ white faience products of Gibbs and Canning ” (723-24; quoting without acknowledgment from British Listed Buildings). — Robert Freidus
The Victoria Theatre
This was another of those houses south of the Thames that catered primarily to working-class audiences by providing thrilling melodramas. Located opposite Waterloo Station, it was less than a block away from the Surrey Theatre.
West London. See "Marylebone."
Westminster Subscription (Tothill Street)
This quasi-private theatre opened under the management of T. D. Davenport in 1832. Although it never acquired any sort of licence, several noteworthy players began their careers here. Boucicault's adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's The Heart of Midlothian, The Trial of Effie Deans, premiered here 26 January 1863. This playhouse is not to be confused withe the Westminster Theatre, located near Victoria Station on Palace Street, which opened in 1931.
Wilton's Music Hall, Graces Alley
“Wilton’s is the oldest surviving Grand Music Hall in the world. It belongs to the first generation of public house music halls that appeared in London during the 1850s and which, only fifty years later, had all but disappeared.” John Wilton converted 5 terraced houses into Wilton's Music Hall, which opened in 1858, but its “heyday as a music hall was short-lived: just twenty-two years. Several landlords followed after John Wilton and, in 1880, performances ceased when his final successor was unable to renew the licence due to new fire regulations.” — Wilton's: The City's Hidden Stage
“When it opened in 1859, top acts from Covent Garden would run across town to perform on John Wilton’s stage to an auditorium crammed with up to fifteen hundred revellers, drinking and enjoying the evening’s fascinating entertainment. ‘Champagne Charlie’ who famously drank from a bottle of champagne whilst singing on stage appeared many times at Wilton’s and it was said that the hall was better known than St Paul’s. The pub had beautiful mahogany fittings and became known as the Mahogany Bar (see below).” — “The History” (courtesy Oona Patterson)
Wyndham's Theatre
Designed by W.G.R. Sprague (1899). Location: 32-36 Charing Cross Road Leicester Square, WC2H 0DA. Volume 34 of of The Survey of London (which British Listed Buildings site has put online) mentions this theater's “free classical façade” faced with Portland stone and explains that its “canopy of glass and iron to ground floor” dates from the 1920s. — Jacqueline Banerjee
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Theatres in Victorian London
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Much of the following information has been gathered from Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker's in "A Guide to London Theatres, 1750-1880" in The Revels History of Drama in English, Vol. VI: 1750-1880 (1975). They, in turn, consulted H. Barton Baker's History of the London Stage (London, 1904), Allardyce Nicoll's A History of English Drama 1660-1900 (Cambridge, 1966), E. B. Watson's Sheridan to Robertson (Cambridge, Mass., 1926), and The London Stage (Carbondale, Ill., 1962-68). Phyllis Hartnoll's Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre offers more detailed information about many of these nineteenth-century theatres. Additional images and links added by George P. Landow . For supplementary texts, consult the "Reference List" below.
Adelphi (Strand)
Built in 1806 opposite Adam Street by merchant John Scott (who had made his fortune from a washing-blue) as the Sans Pareil to showcase his daughter's theatrical talents, the theatre was given a new facade and redecorated in 1814. It re-opened on 18 October 1819 as the Adelphi, named after the imposing complex of West London streets built by the brothers Robert (1728-92) and James (1730-94) Adam from 1768. The name "Adelphoi" in Greek simply means "the brothers." Among the celebrated actors who appeared on its stage was the comedian Charles Matthews (1776-1835), whose work was so admired by young Charles Dickens. It had more "tone" than the other minor theatres because its patrons in the main were the salaried clerks of barristers and solicitors. The Adelphi was also noted for melodramas ("Adelphi Screamers") and dramatic adaptations, for example, Pierce Egan's Tom and Jerry, or Life in London, adapted by dramatist T. W. Moncrieff. Its first notable manager was Frederick Yates (1825-42), and its longest-tenured manager Ben Webster (1847-71). The well-known Anglo- Irish dramatist and actor Dion Boucicault performed on its stage in 1860, 1861, 1875, and 1880, while his second wife, Agnes Robertson, appeared on the stage of the Adelphi in 1861, 1875, and 1893. Noted adaptor and Dickensian "pirate" Edward Stirling was acting manager in 1838, and stage director in 1839.
The Adelphi has the distinction, according to the research of Philip Bolton, of being the first house to stage an adaptation a work by Charles Dickens , the piece being J. B. Buckstone's "The Christening," a comic burletta (farce) which opened on 13 October 1834, based on "The Bloomsbury Christening," which would eventually be published in the first volume of Sketches by Boz. Indeed, many of Dickens's early works were adapted for the stage of the Adelphi, including The Pickwick Papers as W. L. Rede's The Peregrinations of Pickwick; or, Boz-i-a-na, a three -act burletta first performed on 3 April 1837, Yates's production of Nicholas Nickleby; or, Doings at Do-The-Boys Hall in November-December 1838, and Edward Stirling's two-act burletta The Old Curiosity Shop; or, One Hour from Humphrey's Clock (November-December 1840, January 1841).
In 1840, a fresh façade was added, and in 1844 it came under the management of Madame Céleste and comedian Ben Webster, with John Baldwin Buckstone (1802-79) as its principal dramatist. On 28 January 1844, the theatre's lessee, Gladstane, wrote to John M. Kemble, Examiner of Plays in the Lord Chamberlain's offices, for permission to play Edward Stirling's "official" adaptation of Dickens's A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future, which opened 5 February. Here, too, on 19 December 1844 Lemon and à Beckett's "official" adaptation of Dickens's The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that rang an Old Year out and a New One In opened. In total, à Beckett staged six of his plays at the Adelphi between 1844 and 1853. Still manager in 1848, Ben Webster made application on 12 December to the Lord Chamberlain's office for the licensing of Mark Lemon's adaptation of Dickens's The Haunted Man, to open on 19 December. Ten years later, the old building was demolished to make way for a larger theatre.
In the new building, Dion Boucicault staged The Colleen Bawn (Feb., 1860) and The Octoroon (Nov., 1861), and five other plays between 1853 and 1862: Genevieve; or, The Reign of Terror (June, 1853), Janet Pride (Feb., 1855), George Darville June, 1857), The Life of an Actress (March, 1862), and the immensely popular adaptation of Dickens's The Cricket on the Hearth which Boucicault entitled Dot (which opened on 14 April 1862). Here, too, he produced The Willow Copse five times between 1849 and 1868, Giralda; or, The Miller's Wife (1850-1), O'Flannigan and the Fairies; or, A Midsummer Night's Dream Not Shakespeare's (1850), Pierre the Foundling (1854), She Would Be An Actress (1860), The Lily of Killarney (1877), a revival of London Assurance (1878), Forbidden Fruit (1879), Rescued; or, A Girl's Romance (1879), Kerry; or, Night and Morning (1880), Boucicault staged more plays at the Adelphi than in any other London theatre, the Princess's coming second. In contrast, prolific adapter C. Z. Barnett produced only one play at the Adelphi, Marie (1843), while William B. Bernard produced twenty-two between 1833 and 1863, Samuel Beazley ten between 1829 and 1842, and Thomas H. Bayly eight between 1838 and 1863.
The Adelphi was modernized and redecorated in 1875, and enlarged again in 1887. Its rollicking past was the subject of dramatist E. L. Blanchard's "History of the Adelphi Theatre" in The Era Almanack for 1877; Blanchard himself produced seven plays there between 1874 and 1877. The present building is actually the fourth on that site, and therefore is different from the building described by Charles Dickens in Ch. 31 of The Pickwick Papers (1836).
[Royal] Albert Saloon (Shepherdess Walk, Britannia Fields, Hoxton)
Dating from the 1840s, this theatre was distinguished by having two stages built at right angles to each other, one facing an outdoor auditorium, the other a closed theatre. It specialized in lighter entertainment such as burlesque and vaudeville, but also offered concerts and ballets.
Albery Theatre
Architect: W. G. R. Sprague. 1903.
Alhambra (Leicester Square)
The Central London music hall in one of the City's great entertainment spots began life as the Panopticon of Science and Art in 1854. Destroyed by fire in 1882, the theatre was noted for its Moorish architecture and its equestrian ballet from 1871, when it obtained a licence. Rebuilt, it became a music hall and variety theatre until its demise in 1936. After its demolition, an Odeon cinema was constructed on this valuable Leicester Square property.
Apollo Theatre
Architect: Lewin Sharp. 1901 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1
Astley 's Amphitheatre (Westminster Bridge Road)
When retired cavalry officer Philip Astley's old circus ring (built on the site in 1784) burned down in 1794, he replaced it with another, which burned down in 1803. Next, he built a new hippodrome, which staged spectacular dramas under the successful management of Andrew Ducrow . In 1862, Boucicault's dramatisation of an incident in the Sepoy Rebellion, The Relief of Lucknow, was produced here. In 1863, Boucicault renamed the building The Theatre Royal, Westminister, but met with no success. E. T. Smith, succeeding as manager, gave the theatre its old name and scored public acclaim with his equestrian adaptation of Byron's poem Mazeppa. In 1872, George Sanger renamed it Sanger's Grand National, which in 1893 was declared an unsafe structure and subsequently demolished.
The Britannia (High Street, Hoxton)
This working class theatre built on the site of the Pimlico, an Elizabethan tavern, was originally attached to the Britannia Saloon. Sam Lane opened the establishment as an entertainment house which in 1843, after the abolition of the patent monopoly, became home to a permanent acting company managed by the Lane family until 1899. The resident dramatist of this colourful East End theatre was the capable C. H. Hazlewood, noted for his adaptation of Lady Audley's Secret (1863). Famous for its Christmas pantomimes and melodramatic spectacles, it was converted to a movie house in 1913.
The City of London (Norton Folgate)
The City of London Theatre in Bishopsgate, built by architect Samuel Beazley in 1837, "specialized in domestic and temperance melodrama. It was closed in 1868" (p. li). Here Edward Stirling's adaptation of The Pickwick Papers ran through March and April of 1837, and here George Dibdin Pitt's Nicholas Nickleby; or, The Schoolmaster Abroad ran from 19 November through 17 December 1838.
City Pantheon (Milton Street, formerly Grub Street)
Also known as "The New City Theatre" and "The City Chapel," The City Pantheon began life in an abandoned chapel in 1829.
[Royal] Coburg (Waterloo Road)
The original theatre, built by Dunn and Jones, opened on 11 May 1818, and quickly acquired the nickname "The Blood Tub" by virtue of the sensational melodramas it featured. In 1833, it was renamed "The Royal Victoria Theatre," and is today the home of the Old Vic.
Designed by Rudolph Cabanal of Aachen, 1816-18. Brick and other materials, some of which came from the old Savoy Palace which was pulled down to open the way to Waterloo Bridge. Waterloo Road, London SE1. Until 1833, the theatre was named in honour of Prince Leopold and Princess Charlotte, its original patrons. It opened with a programme including "a melodrama, an Asiatic ballet and a harlequinade" (Weinreb 602), and from 1845 had a 4d. gallery which would be filled with young costermongers and ther like, even including sweeps and dustmen, all taking rowdy part in the performances (see Mayhew 25). But it was also a venue for the more discriminating: "For over a century most of our great actors have appeared within these plain but dignified walls," wrote Arthur Mee in 1937 (654). — Jacqueline Banerjee
Colosseum Saloon (Albany Street, Regent's Park)
Originally opened as a variety theatre in 1837, the Colosseum Saloon was occasionally the venue for plays.
Comedy Theatre
Panton Street (at the corner of Oxendon Street), SW1.
Covent Garden (Bow Street)
Covent Garden has been since the Restoration one of England's chief playhouses. Under its founder and first manager, John Rich, it opened with Congreve's The Way of the World on 7 December 1732, and under the 1737 Licensing Act held the patent monopoly jointly with The Drury Lane for legitimate drama. Although its 1782 alteration increased the auditorium's capacity to 2,500, its sight-lines remained poor until Thomas Harris's rebuilding of 1792. In the 19th c. under the management of the great actor-manager William Charles Macready (1793-1873), it became a leading house in the Shakespeare Revival. When Covent Garden was destroyed by fore ion 20 September 1808, a Neoclassical theatre designed by Robert Smirke Jr. was built at a cost of £ 150,000 in 1809. In 1823, James Robinson Planché developed a series of historically authentic costumes and sets for Charles Kemble's staging of Shakespeare little-played King John, establishing a trend in production design for Shakespeare plays in the 19th c. Planché worked well with the management team of Madame Vestris and Charles Mathews when they came over to Covent Garden from the the Olympic (1839), and continued to work with them here (1839-1842). Under Macready's tenure as manager (1837-39) came the introduction of lime-light long before it was ion regular use elsewhere. Here, too, on 4 March 1841 Dion Boucicault scored his first great theatrical triumph with London Assurance, his script being revised by Charles Mathews (who played Dazzle) and Madame Vestris, the managers at the time. He staged two further plays here: The Irish Heiress (1842) and Woman (1843). After the departure of Madame Vestris in 1842 and the dissolving of the patent monopoly by the 1843 Theatre Regulation Act, the theatre rapidly declined and closed, re-opening on 6 April 1847 as the Royal Italian Opera House, whereupon it ceased to be a home for legitimate drama. After a Bal Masqué on 5 March 1856, the building was again burnt to the ground. On the site of old Covent Garden stands the present-day theatre, dating from 15 May 1858 and designed by Sir Edward M. Barry.
Criterion Theatre
Architect: Thomas Verity. 1874. Piccadilly Circus, W1. According to the theater's own website, "In 1870 following the acquisition of the White Bear Inn site, and adjoining properties between Jermyn Street and Piccadilly Circus, caterers Spiers and Pond commissioned Thomas Verity to design a new development consisting of a large restaurant, dining rooms, ballroom, and galleried concert hall. Having commenced building work it was decided to alter the proposed concert hall (though retaining the composers names, which still line the tiled staircases to this day), to a theatre. . . . The Criterion retains an almost perfectly preserved Victorian auditorium."
The Eygptian Hall, Piccadilly
Architect: P. J. Robinson. 1811-12. Photograph 1895. The Hall, which was torn down in 1905, was at 170/171 Piccadilly.
The Gaiety Theatre (The Strand)
This playhouse should not be confused with the New Gaiety Theatre, built for George Edwardes at the corner of Aldwych and The Strand in 1903. The first Gaiety Theatre, built in The Strand in 1868, was first managed by John Hollingshead with a mixed bill that included W. S. Gilbert's burlesque of the opera Robert le Diable. A distinguished cast including Alfred Wigan and Nellie Farren and outstanding scenery designed by William Grieve won good houses. Here in 1869 Charles Dickens, who prided himself on his knowledge of nineteenth-century London theatre productions, saw his last play before his death in 1870 at age 58, namely H. J. Byron's Uncle Dick's Darling, starring future theatre-great Henry Irving. Here appeared the first Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration, Thespis; or, the Gods Grown Old (December 1871). Dion Boucicault had two plays produced here in the early 1870s, Night and Morning and Led Astray.H. J. Byron's Little Don Caesar de Bazan, starring Edward Terry, Kate Vaughan, E. W. Royce, and Nellie Farren, was undoubtedly a send up of Boucicault's Don Caesar de Bazan. In December 1892 George Edwards transferred here from the Prince of Wales's, bringing with him a new type of show, In Town, the first modern musical comedy, which established the vogue for "Gaiety Girl" productions (so called because they tended to feature the word "Girl" in their titles and always offered choruses full of attractive young women). The theatre's last production was The Toreador (1901), which introduced Gertie Miller to London audiences. On 4 July 1903 the theatre was closed and subsequently demolished. Thus ended the memorable history of a playhouse whose stage had seen such nineteenth-century London theatre notables as Hayden Coffin, Henry Irving, Madge Robertson, Fred Lesley, Charles Danby, John Laurence Toole.
Garrick's Subscription (Leman Street, East)
This theatre dating from 1831 acquired its name from its proximity to the theatre in Goodman's Fields where David Garrick made his London début. In 1846, it burned down and was rebuilt, and in 1851 renamed "The Albert and Garrick Royal Amphitheatre ". Even among East End theatres it was generally hold in low esteem, and from actor- manager J. B. Howe's bankruptcy in 1875 remained empty until 1879. After the success of actress-manageress May Bulmer in the light opera A Cruise to China, the theatre was demolished to make way for a police station.
Garrick Theatre (Charing Cross Road)
Architect: Walter Emden and C. J. Phipps 1899. This late 19th c. theatre was financed by W. S. Gilbert , opening on 24 April 1889 with Arthur Wing Pinero's The Profligate Here Sydney Grundy scored a triumph with the long-running French-style comedy A Pair of Spectacles in February, 1890. Mrs. Patrick Campbell caused a sensation five years later as the lead in Pinero's The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith. Afterwards, the theatre suffered a period of decline until 1900 when leased by Arthur Bourchier, whose wife, Violet Vanbrugh, starred in a series of successful productions ranging from straight farce to Shakespeare.
The Globe (Newcastle Street, Strand)
This Victorian Theatre with the Elizabethan name opened in Newcastle Street, The Strand, in 1868. Management changed hands many times as the theatre struggled. Several successful plays transferred here from other theatres helped bring in the audiences: Charles Hawtrey's The Private Secretary from The Prince of Wales's in 1884, and Brandon Thomas's Charley's Aunt from The Royalty in 1892. Badly built, The Globe and the Opera Comique on which it backed were derisively styled "The Rickety Twins." It closed without mishap in 1902. [[Illustrated London News article when it opened ]
The Grecian (in the grounds of the Eagle Saloon, Shepherdess Walk, City Road, Shoreditch)
Thomas "Brayvo" Rouse opened this Hoxton playhouse in 1832 as a venue for light opera, legitimate theatre being a Drury Lane-Covent Garden monopoly. In 1844, the stage of the Grecian introduced London audiences to Frederick Robson [the theatrical name of Thomas Robson Brownhill], the actor and ballad-singer who would become the mainstay of the Olympic after 1850. Benjamin Conquest's attempts as manager (1851-79) to stage Shakespeare here proved a failure, but lavish Christmas pantomimes by his son George compensated. In 1872, George Conquest inherited the theatre which his father had rebuilt in 1858, but sold it to Clark in 1879, having spend largely on its refurbishing in 1876. It was sold to the Salvation Army in 1882, and (needless to say) ceased to be a theatre.
The Hackney Empire
Designed by Frank Matcham. Foyer decoration by J. M. Boekbinder; auditorium decoration by De Jong (see Walker 168). Built, like the Coliseum, for Oswald Stoll. Opened December 1901; restored 2001-04. Located at 291 Mare Street, London E8 1EJ. This is one of the finest of the 95 or so new theatres designed by Matcham. Like the almost contemporaneous Richmond Theatre, it was built on a prominent site "with no earlier theatrical associations and no reusable old fabric" (Earl 49) — in the latter respect, it contrasts with the more than 50 additional theatres rebuilt and transformed by the prolific Matcham
The interior of the Hackney Empire, which could hold as many as 1,900 people in its three-tier auditorium (Walker 168; sources vary), boasted state-of-the-art technology for its age. It had electric lights from the beginning, a central heating system, a projection-box that was built in, and even (as at Matcham's Victoria Palace Theatre) provision for sliding open part of the auditorium roof for ventilation. The splendid foyer with its ornate ceiling and windows has a double staircase with marble finishing. Inside the auditorium, there are elegant boxes at the back of the Dress Circle, as well as at each side of the auditorium. As one commentator has suggested, the decor would do justice to a major opera house, let alone a variety theatre (see "The Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street"). It is hard to make out the subjects of the larger paintings because of the lighting arrangements, though they are clearly, as the listing text says, "of rococo feeling." One smaller panel at the side shows a cherub happily banging a drum. It is all very impressive. — Jacqueline Banerjee
The Haymarket Theatre
The Haymarket (King's Theatre) Opera House was originally built by the theatrical impresario, architect, and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh, opening 9 April 1705. Under the management of Shakespearean- revivalist David Garrick, it underwent no real changes; however, after its destruction by fire in 1789, it was re-built and used extensively for opera. Upon the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837, manager Ben Webster re-named it "Her Majesty's." In the summer of 1837, Samuel Phelps made his London debut here, playing a number of Shakespearean roles, including Hamlet, Richard II, Othello, and Shylock. Over the course of the 1840s, Dion Boucicault had five plays produced here: The Bastile [sic], an "after-piece" (1842), Old Heads and Young Hearts (1844), The School for Scheming (1847), Confidence (1848), and The Knight Arva (1848). In 1853, Robert Browning's Colombe's Birthday, published ten years earlier, ran briefly here. Again in 1867, the theatre was destroyed by fire, and again re-built (in 1872), only to be demolished in 1892.
Haymarket, Theatre Royal
The Little Theatre in The Haymarket, built by John Potter in 1720, is the second-oldest London playhouse still in use. The indefatigable Samuel Foot acquired The lease in 1747, and in 1766 gained a royal patent to play legitimate drama in The summer months. Here a number of prominent actors débuted: John Henderson (1747-1785), Robert William Elliston (1774-1831), Charles Matthews Sr. (1776-1835), and John Liston (1776-1846). Demolished in 1820, it was replaced in July 1821 by The current building. Under Webster's management (1837-53) and his successor, John Buckstone, as a great comedy house it hosted most of the great actors of the period. In 1880, The Bancrofts succeeded as lessees.
Holborn Theatre
Sefton Parry opened this small theatre in 1866, but it quickly passed through a succession of managers (including Barry Sullivan and Horace Wigan) and went by a succession of names, including The Mirror, The Curtain, and The Duke's Theatre before burning down in 1880. Boucicault produced just one play here: Jezebel; or, The Dead Reckoning (Dec., 1870).
London Coliseum
Volume 34 of of The Survey of London (which British Listed Buildings site has put online) describes the style of this ‘Edwardian ‘Theatre de Luxe of London ’ with richly decorated interiors and a vast and grandiose auditorium” as “exuberant Free Baroque. . . . When built the Coliseum was London's largest theatre with the latest machinery including triple-revolve (disused) and a counterweight system and cyclorama track, still in use, as well as being uniquely equipped with lifts to upper floors. The Coliseum is one of Matcham's finest achievements and very little altered apart from the painting of the exterior.” — Jacqueline Banerjee
London Hippodrome
The London Hippodrome. Listed Building. 1898-1900. Architect: Frank Matcham. Location: 10 Cranbourne Street, London, WC2H 7AG. Built for “Edward Moss for £250,000 as a hippodrome for circus and variety performances” (Bradley and Pevsner). Ri Volume 34 of of The Survey of London (which British Listed Buildings site has put online) describes this Grade II red sandstone “island block of 5 storeys . . . [as] ornate, freely handled French Renaissance with theatrically Baroque skyline . . . [with a] pub front and shops and canopied corner entrance to theatre on ground floor.” Readers who want more than Survey's comparatively brief description should consult the materials in the bibliography below by Roe and other listed online sources plus Wikipedia, which explains that the name hippodrome signifies that animal acts originally provided a large part of the entertainment. This theater also included “both a proscenium stage and an arena that sank into a 230 ft, 100,000 gallon water tank (400 ton, when full) for aquatic spectacles.” In this way, Matcham created "a music-hall and circus combined, complete with water tank for aquatic displays. Perhaps in an attempt to revive the tremendous spectaculars at Astley's Ampitheatre, its purpose was "to provide 'a circus show second to none in the world, combined with elaborate stage spectacles impossible in any other theatre'" (Weinreb 212). One can add that both Bristol and Golders Green (in Greater London) have Grade II listed hippodromes. — Jacqueline Banerjee
The Lyceum (Strand)
Although built in 1765 to house exhibits such as waxworks, London's famous Lyceum Theatre did not become a "licensed" house until 1809, when Samuel Arnold, obtaining permission to stage opera and other musical dramas, renamed it The English Opera House. At a cost of 80,000 pounds he rebuilt The theatre six years later, only to have it destroyed by fire in 1830. On 14 July 1834 a new Lyceum designed by Samuel Beazley opened with its main entrance now on Wellington Street.
The Lyceum, with its "tonier" audience, was associated with adaptations of Dickens's novels and Christmas Books. Edward Stirling's adaptation of Martin Chuzzlewit ran for at least 105 performances from July 1844 through April 1845 here. On 13 December 1845, Mary Ann Keeley, The comic star and The co-lessee of The theatre, applied to The Examiner of Plays for The licensing of Albert Smith's "official" adaptation of Dickens's The Cricket on The Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home. On behalf of The managers, The Keeleys, J. Thorne made a similar application in December 1846 for The licensing of Albert Smith's adaptation of The Battle of Life, in which The Keeleys played The comic parts of Benjamin Britain and Clemency. Here again Tom Taylor's "official" adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities, with Dickens himself as consultant, ran from January through March 1860, hard of The heels of The end of its serial run and volume publication. "The management of [Madame] Vestris and [Charles] Matthews (1847-55) was highlighted by The scenic marvels created for the staging of Planché's [fairy] extravaganzas" (Frederick and Lise- Lone Marker lv). The theatre's use of spectacular stage effects continued under The management of Charles Fechter (1863-7). In 1866, Boucicault's The Long Strike (his adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's Manchester novels Mary Barton and Lizzie Leigh) was produced here. The celebrated Henry Irving starred as the complex villain Matthias in Leopold David Lewis's The Bells (November 1871).
The Lyric Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue)
The Lyric opened on 17 December 1888, but its first great success came eight years later with Wilson Barrett as Marcus Superbus in his own historical drama The Sign of the Cross (1896). In 1898 Sarah Bernhardt appeared in dramas from the French here. This West End theatre is not to be confused with the Lyric Hall (Hammersmith), which opened in 1888 and became a venue for melodrama two years later before being extensively rebuilt and reopening in July 1895.
The Marylebone (Church Street, Edgeware Road)
The Pavil ion Theatre, also known as The Marylebone, was a working-class house noted for its crude melodramas, having opened in 1831 as "The Royal Sussex Theatre." It was demolished six years later, reopening on 13 November 1837 as "The Marylebone." C. Z. Barnett's early Dickens adaptation, The three-act burletta Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress, opened here on 21 May 1838. It was rebuilt and enlarged in 1864, and renamed "The Royal Alfred Theatre" in 1866, but reverted soon afterward to "The Marylebone." In The 20th century it ran under The name The West London Theatre."
The Mirror (see "The Holborn.")
The New City (see "The City Pantheon.")
The New Gaiety Theatre
Architects: Ernest Runtz, with elevations by Richard Norman Shaw. 1902-03. Corner of the Strand and Aldwych, WC2. The New Gaiety Theatre was built to replace the original Gaiety Theatre managed by George Edwardes, which had fallen prey to the London County Council's "Strand Improvement Scheme." The architect chosen for the task was Ernest Runtz (1859-1913), not as famous a theatre architect as Frank Matcham, but still one with a very large practice, who designed commercial buildings as well (see "Ernest Runtz & Ford"). But the London County Council found his designs wanting, and called in Richard Norman Shaw to improve on them. Runtz was responsible for the dome on the corner, but it was Shaw who suggested the "flanking high loggia of paired columns and also improved the design of the higher Gaiety Restaurant behind, which faced the Strand." After a chequered history the "powerful exterior of the Gaiety, which Pevsner thought 'Norman Shaw's best design after he had gone classical or Baroque,' was demolished in 1957" (Stamp 65-66). Both the type of building and its style may come as a surprise to those who know Norman Shaw chiefly for his earlier, picturesque domestic architecture.
The New Royal Brunswick (Wellclose Square)
When the East London Theatre was destroyed by fire in 1826, it was rebuilt as the New Royal Brunswick (1828). During a rehearsal of an adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's Guy Mannering, The Astrologer just three years later the entire building collapses, killing fifteen people and injuring twenty.
The New Royal West London (see "The Prince of Wales's")
The New Royalty (see "Soho")
The New (see "The Prince of Wales's")
The Olympic Theatre (Wych Street or Newcastle Street, Strand)
Philip Astley had this playhouse built from the timbers of the French warship "Ville de Paris" (the former deck serving as the stage); as the "Olympic Pavilion" it opened on 1 December 1806. After financial losses, in 1813Astley sold the playhouse to Robert William Elliston, who refurbished the interior and renamed it the "Little Drury Lane" by virtue of its proximity to the venerable patent house. After its rebuilding in 1818, Elliston reopened it with T. W. Moncrieff's Rochester; or, King Charles the Second's Happy Days. John Scott purchased the playhouse at auction in 1826, and gave the building gas- lighting. In 1830, Madame Vestris took over the house, becoming the first female manager in the history of London theatre. Aided by pantomime writer James Robinson Planché, she initiated a series of innovations in costuming and scenery. Here Charles Mathews débuted, marrying Madame Vestris and joining her in the management of the Olympic three years later/ Planché worked well with the management team of Madame Vestris and Charles Mathews at the Olympic (1831-9), and continued to work with them at Covent Garden (1839-1842) and Lyceum (1847-56). After 1839, when the couple left the Olympic to manage Covent Garden, a period of decline set in at the Olympic that was capped by a suspicious fire in March 1849. After a short management by Walter Watts, William Farren took over. Here Boucicault's Broken Vow was staged (1 February 1851) and ten years later Tom Taylor's celebrated social melodrama The Ticket-of-Leave Man, in which the detective (Hawkshaw) was played by Horace Wigan, who was also manager at the time. In its later years, the only celebrity to appear here was Kate Terry (1865-6); the building was demolished in 1889, and a new, much enlarged theatre constructed in 1890. The Olympic closed for good in 1899.
Opera Comique (Strand)
Hastily built in 1870 in the same seedy neighbourhood as the Globe, this theatre was dubbed one of "The Rickety Twins" and, on account of the three narrow thoroughfares at its entrance, "Theatre Royal Tunnels." The most significant theatrical events here were D'Oyly Carte's openings of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Sorcerer (1877), H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1880), and Patience (1881), which was transferred tot he celebrated Savoy Theatre later that year. The building was closed for redecoration in 1884, and reopened in 1885; rebuilt in 1895, it closed in 1899 and was demolished in 1902.
Palace Theatre
Cambridge Circus, WC2. Designed by Thomas Collcutt. 1890. Jones and Woodward, who point put that this "huge theatre . . . was orginally planned for the impressario D'Oyley Carte," describe "the grand exterior" as being "in Colcutt's mixed and striped style, mingling bands of red brick and impervious cream faience to disturbing effect" (240). — George P. Landow
The Pantheon (Oxford Street)
James Wyatt commissioned this theatre in 1772 as a sort of indoor Vauxhall, and indeed it was successful as a venue for balls and masquerades before becoming an opera house in 1791. It burned down the next year, and reopened in 1795 with a similar range of entertainments. In 1812 it reopened as the Pantheon Theatre, but, damaged by fire and troubled financially owing to irregularities in its licence, was replaced in 1814 by the Pantheon Bazaar. The building was subsequently the head offices of the London wine-merchants Gilbeys (1867) and site occupied by a Marks and Spencer's store (1937).
The Pavilion (see "The Marylebone").
The [Royal] Pavilion ( Whitechapel Road, Mile End)
Wyatt and Farrell opened this home for "Newgate melodrama" in November 1828. Destroyed by fire in 1856, the theatre was rebuilt. Fanny Clifton (Edward Stirling's wife) saw her first success here. Under the management of Morris Abrahams (1871-94) it catered to largely Jewish audiences from the neighbourhood, and its stage saw many Jewish actors.
The Prince of Wales's Theatre (Tottenham Street)
Despite its regal-sounding official name, this very small theatre was nicknamed "The Dust Hole." It was distinguished, however, by the stagecraft and writing of Tom Robertson, who under the management of the Bancrofts in the 1860s produced Caste, David Garrick, and Society.
The Prince's (see "St. James's")
The Princess's (Oxford Street)
This seems to have been Dion Boucicault's theatre of choice for the London productions of his melodramas; over two, he staged nine plays here: The Corsican Brothers (1852), La Dame de Pique; or, The Vampire (1852), The Prima Donna (1852), After Dark, A Tale of London (1868), Presumptive Evidence (1869), and Paul Lafarge, A Dark Night's Work, and the Raparee (1870).
The Queen's (see "Prince of Wales's")
The Queen's (Longacre)
Originally, "St. Martin's Hall," this minor playhouse became a theatre proper in 1867, and closed in 1878. During its short life its capacious stage saw performances by such notables as Henry Irving, Charles Wyndham, Samuel Phelps, Ellen Terry, and Tommaso Salvini.
The Regency [Theatre of Varieties] (see "Prince of Wales's).
Richmond Theatre
Architect: Frank Matcham. 1899. Location: 15 Little Green, Richmond, Greater London TW9 1QJ. Grade II British Listed Building. English Heritage Building ID: 205545.
Royal Alfred (see "Marylebone").
Royal Circus (see "Surrey").
Royal Albert Hall
According to the guide to London published by Charles Dickens's son in 1888, “Albert Hall, Kensington-rd was opened in May, 1871 and is a huge building of elliptical form in the style of the Italian Renaissance, the materials of the façade being entirely red brick and terra-cotta. The larger exterior diameter is 272 ft., interior 219 ft.; the smaller exterior 238 ft., interior 185 ft. The frieze above the balcony was executed by Messrs. Minton, Hollins & Co., and is divided into compartments containing allegorical designs by Messrs. Armitage, Armstead, Horsley, Marks, Pickersgill, Poynter, and Yeames. There are two box entrances -- on the east and west -- with a private doorway from the Horticultural Society's Gardens on the south side, and separate entrances on either side for the balcony, the gallery, and the area, and for the platforms on either side of the great organ. The interior, which is amphitheatrical in construction -- like, for example, the Coliseum at Rome -- is not very appropriate to any purpose for which it is ever likely to be required except musical performances on a large scale. For gladiaorial exhibitions of any kind, the central area, measuring 102 ft. by 68 ft., would, of course, though rather small, be capitally adapted. A bull-fight, even, on a very small scale, might be managed here. As a matter of fact, it is used almost exclusively for concerts, when the area is filled up with seats, and the surrounding tiers, specially constructed with a view to commanding the centre of the building filled with an audience whose entire attention is specially directed to the extremity, where a space has been chipped out for the orchestra, However, it is a "big thing," at all events. At the top of the hall is the picture gallery, capable of accommodating 2,000 persons and used on ordinary occasions as a promenade. There are hydraulic lifts to the upper floors. The hall is 135 ft. in height, and is crowned by a domed skylight of pointed glass, having.a central opening or lantern with a star of gas-burners. Altogether the hall is calculated to hold an audience of about 8,000, The organ was built by Mr. Henry Willis. Them are five rows of keys -- belonging to the choir, great, solo, swell, and pedal organs -- 130 stops, and 10,000 pipes, the range being ten octaves. The orchestra accommodates 1,000 performers. Large tanks are provided in case of fire on the roof of the picture gallery, and supplied with water from the artesian well of the R[oyal]l Horticultural Society, 430 ft. deep.” — Dickens's Dictionary of London 1888, pp. 22-23. George P. Landow
Royal Clarence (Liverpool Street)
Opening as The Royal Panharmonium in 1830, this became a regular theatre a year or two later, when The was altered to The Royal Clarence. It went by a number of names from 1852 through 1867, including "The Regent," "The Argyll," "The King's Cross," and "The Cabinet Theatre."
The Royal Court Theatre (Sloane Square)
Not listed by Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker, this converted Noncomformist chapel, which opened as a theatre in 1870 as "The New Chelsea," made an undistinguished start (even under The name "The Belgravia") until Marie Litton took over its management and renamed it "The Royal Court" on 25 January 1871. Here, several of W. S. Gilbert's early plays were staged with some success; and later, a series of Pinero farces, including The Magistrate (1885), The Schoolmistress (1886), and Daddy Dick (1887) were staged. It closed on 22 July 1887. [I'm not sure when the Royal Court Theatre re-opened, but there has been a theatre in Sloane Square with that name for several decades — George P. Landow ]
The Royal Italian Opera House (see "Covent Garden").
The Royal Kent (Kensington High Street)
Named after its first patron, The Duke of Kent, this fashionable, 250-seat playhouse operated between 1834 and 1841(?).
The Royal Manor House (King's Road, Chelsea)
Managed by E. L. Blanchard, this theatre operated from 1838 through 1841.
The Royal Sussex (see "The Marylebone").
The Royalty (Wellclose Square)
Defying the 1737 patent monopoly act, Drury Lane actor John Palmer opened this playhouse on 20 June 1787 with a production of As You Like It, but without a proper license it was forced to closeand Palmer arrested! Under the management of William Macready, the Royalty struggled with pantomimes and burlettas. In 1816, it was renamed the "East End Theatre," which burnt down ten years later.
New Royalty (Dean Street, Soho)
Fanny Kelly ran a small theatre in conjunction with her acting school from May 1840; after ten years of struggling to get by with comedy and melodrama, she gave up. The new management changed the name to the Royal Soho, which opened on 30 January 1850; by November, it was "The New English Opera House." Two seasons later, a new company featuring young Ellen Terry opened in the "New Royalty" theatre with little success. The most memorable productions in the theatre's history were Gilbert and Sullivan's short operetta satirizing the law in general and breach-of-promise in particular, Trial by Jury (1875), Ibsen's Ghosts (1891) and The Wild Duck (1894), Shaw's Widowers' Houses, and the celebrated farce Charley's Aunt (1892) by Brandon Thomas. After a distinguished record in the annals of 20th c. London theatre, the theatre closed in 1938; the building was destroyed in the Blitz.
The Royal Surrey (Blackfriars Road, Lambeth)
Probably the best known of London's minor theatres founded in 1771, The Surrey was originally a riding school and exhibition centre, chief rival to Astley's. The owner, Charles Hughes, obtained a licence in 1782, and went into theatrical partnership with Charles Dibdin. At the cost of 15,000 pounds the pair built The Royal Circus, an elaborate theatre in which The pit was replaced by a riding ring. This building burned down in 1803, and was replaced within a year. Under the management of Robert Elliston (1809-14), the ring was eliminated, and the name changed to The Surrey. Here, under Elliston's second term as manager (1827-31) Douglas Jerrold's nautical melodrama Black- Ey'd Susan; Or, All in The Downs (1829), starring T. P. Cooke, ran for over three hundred nights. Here C. Z. Barnett's adaptation A Christmas Carol; or, The Miser's Warning opened on 5 February 1844. Melodramas, especially of the "transpontine" variety, continued to be the Surrey's stock and trade under the management of Shepherd and Creswick (1848-69). Later a cinema, it was pulled down in 1934. [ detailed description ]
Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells ( Microcosm of London , Vol 3, 1904 ed. in the Internet Archive, facing p.41).
Mr. Sadler opened one of London's most celebrated theatres on 3 June 1683; initially, it was "a pleasure garden" with a wooden "Music House" and stage. It became known as "Sadler's Wells" because the wooden structure (later known as "Miles's Music House") was built on the site of a medicinal spring. The new owner, Rosoman, had the wooden structure replaced with a stone theatre constructed in just seven weeks. After the second owner's retirement in 1772, the lease was acquired by the Drury Lane actor Thomas King (1772-1782).
In the first four decades nineteenth century, the theatre (known as "The Aquatic Theatre") was used to stage sensational naval melodramas such as The Siege of Gibralter on the surface of a large tank flooded with water from the nearby New River. Just the year after parliament broke the monopoly of Covent Garden and Drury Lane, actor Samuel Phelps became manager, successfully staging Shakespearian revivals over his tenure (1844-62). Charles Webb's adaptation of Dickens's A Christmas Carol was produced here under the new management, continuing the idea of adapting the novelist's works exploited with some success by Thomas Blake's Little Nell; or, The Old Curiosity Ship, which ran here from 11-16 and 18-23 January 1841.
In the meantime, Phelps may be credited with giving Shakespearian production its first permanent home in London. Although he excelled in the Bard's tragic roles, he gave an excellent performance as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. After Phelps, Sadler's Wells in 1878 was declared a dangerous structure, demolished, and reconstructed. Nevertheless, succeeding managements failed to make a go of it, and it closed in 1906. The present theatre, although refurbished after the Second World War, dates from 1927; since 1934 it has been used exclusively for ballet.
St. James' s Theatre (King Street)
Designed by Samuel Beazley for John Braham, this small playhouse opened on 14 December 1835. Here in 1836 Charles Dickens's own play The Strange Gentleman and the ballad-opera The Village Coquettes were first staged. Gilbert Abbott à Beckett's adaptation of Oliver Twist, a four-act burletta, opened here on 27 March 1838. Manager Aired Bunn in 1840, installed a German opera company here, renaming the theatre "The Prince's" in honour of Queen Victoria's new husband. However, in February 1842 it re-opened under its old name. After 12 years of losing money bringing in foreign acting companies and guest stars such as Charles Fechter (1824-79), manager John Mitchell gave up in 1854. In 1863, C. H. Hazlewood's highly popular adaptation of Mary Elizabeth Braddon's sensation novel Lady Audley's Secret starring the theatre's manageress, Louisa Herbert, took London by storm. In 1866, W. S. Gilbert's first play, Dulcamara; or, the Little Duck and the Great Quack was staged; in the same year, Henry Irving scored his first London triumph in Dion Boucicault's Hunted Down (Nov., 1866). Here, also, Boucicault staged his ubiquitous and multi-named The Streets of London (August 1864). Under the succeeding managements of Mrs. John Wood, Hare, and Kendals the theatre was renovated, and redecorated. Pinero's The Squire and The Money Spinner were both produced here in 1881. The St. James's most brilliant period came under the management of George Alexander (1891-1918).
The Savoy Theatre (in the Strand)
The term "Savoyard" (literally, a native of the Italian state of Savoy, then a member of Doyly Carte's acting company, and now generally one addicted to Gilbert and Sullivan musicals) derives from Richard D'Oyly Carte's home for the comic operettas of collaborators W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan, the series beginning here with Patience at the theatre's opening on 10 October 1881. Frederick and Lise-Lone Marker have omitted the Savoy from their "Guide to London Theatres, 1750-1880," perhaps because of the year it opened and perhaps because it was never a venue for legitimate drama, and perhaps because its glory days with Granville-Barker and productions of Shaw and Noel Coward are well outside the Victorian era.
The Strand Theatre (in the Strand, not to be confused with the present theatre in The Aldwych, which dates from 1905)
Originally, "The New Strand Theatre," it opened as a subscription theatre on 5 January 1832 under the management of Yorkshire comedian L. B. Rayner, who had transformed the panorama house on that site into a playhouse. The venture failed, but next January Fanny Kelly re-opened it as a dramatic school, but transferred that operation to the Royalty. Finally, under new management it re-opened on 25 April 1836, and achieved some success running burlesques by Douglas Jerrold, but only in 1848, fully five years after the passing of the new theatres act, did The Strand become the home of legitimate drama.
Theatre Royal Drury Lane
London's preëminent "patent" house was founded by Thomas Killgrew in 1663 under a charter granted by Charles II that conferred upon him a monopoly on legitimate drama; today Drury Lane remains the oldest functioning London theatre. Destroyed by fire in 1672, it was redesigned by Sir Christopher Wren himself and rebuilt in 1674. Garrick, Lacy, Sheridan, and Kemble were the lessees in the eighteenth century, although under the management of the last the old building was condemned and a new theatre built on the same site in 1794. Another fire struck this enlarged theatre in 1809, and new. slightly smaller structure designed by Ben Webster opened on 109 October 1812. In 1833 Alfred Bunn gained control of both Drury Lane and Covent Garden, managing the former from 1833 to 1839, and again from 1843 to 1850. In 1837, actor-manager Samuel Phelps (1804-78) joined the company at Drury Lane, appearing with Macready in a number of Shakespeare plays. Here hew also created the popular role of Captain Channel in Douglas Jerrold's melodrama The Prisoner of War (1842), and of Lord Tresham in Robert Browning's A Blot in the Scutcheon (1843). Under William Macready's brief tenure as manager, significant reforms were put in place as the gifted actor-manager staged Shakespearean productions there (1841-43). Over a twenty-five-year period Dion Boucicault had four plays produced here: The Queen of Spades (1851), Eugenie (1855), Formosa (1869), and The Shaughraun (1875). After a period of decline, the house's fortune's rose again under the management of Augustus Harris from 1879.
Toole's Theatre (William IV Street)
Originally "The Charing Cross Music Hall" (1869), this very minor playhouse hosted J. S. Clarke's revival of Sheridan's The Rivals in 1872, featuring Mrs. Stirling as Mrs. Malaprop, The role that made her famous. Renamed "The Folly Theatre" by new owner Alexander Henderson in 1876, it became a burlesque house. On 7 November 1879 noted comedian and great friend of Charles Dickens, John Laurence Toole (1830-1906), took up the management; after a lengthy tour, he re-opened the theatre in1882 under his own name. Here, Sir Edmund Barrie's first play, Walker, London opened in 1892. After it was demolished in 1896, its site was used for an extension of Charing Cross Hospital.
Tottenham Street Theatre. See "Prince of Wales's."
The Scala Theatre, in Tottenham Court Road, opened as the King's Concert Rooms in 1772, became the Tottenham Court Theatre in 1810, and was renamed the Regency Theatre by new owner William Beverley in 1814. In 1920, the next owner, Brunton, renamed it the West London. His daughter Elizabeth married well known actor Frederick Yates, who starred in a number of the house's productions. In 1831 it reopened as the Queen's or the Fitzroy.
Vaudeville Theatre
Opening in the Strand on 16 April 1870 under the management of H. J. Montague, David James, and Thomas Thorne, it introduced London audiences to young Henry Irving in the role of Digby Grant in James Albery's Two Roses. Here, H. J. Byron's Our Boys (1875) ran four years. Despite its early reputation for farce, its name goes down in theatre annals as the first theatre in England to stage Ibsen's Rosmersholm (23 February 1891) and Hedda Gabbler (20 April 1891). Here noted Dickensian actor Seymour Hicks appeared alongside his wife Ellaine Terriss in a series of Christmas entertainments, including Bluebell in Fairyland (1901).
Vauxhall Gardens
The 17th c. man-about-town Samuel Pepys frequented this theatre when in 1660 it opened as "Spring Garden, Foxhall." Noted for operetta, the house (one of whose occasional patrons was Charles Dickens) was closed after riots broke out there on 25 July 1859.
The Victoria Palace Theatre
Architect: Frank Matcham. Built in 1911 for the variety magnate Sir Alfred Butt (1878-1962). The British Listed Buildings site gives the location as both Victoria Street and Allington Street, Westminster, London SW1E 5 SW1H 0NP. Bradley and Pevsner suggest that the theatre may have reused “walls from the Royal Standard music hall (1886) The front is all ‘Penteliko’ and ‘Keramo,’ white faience products of Gibbs and Canning ” (723-24; quoting without acknowledgment from British Listed Buildings). — Robert Freidus
The Victoria Theatre
This was another of those houses south of the Thames that catered primarily to working-class audiences by providing thrilling melodramas. Located opposite Waterloo Station, it was less than a block away from the Surrey Theatre.
West London. See "Marylebone."
Westminster Subscription (Tothill Street)
This quasi-private theatre opened under the management of T. D. Davenport in 1832. Although it never acquired any sort of licence, several noteworthy players began their careers here. Boucicault's adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's The Heart of Midlothian, The Trial of Effie Deans, premiered here 26 January 1863. This playhouse is not to be confused withe the Westminster Theatre, located near Victoria Station on Palace Street, which opened in 1931.
Wilton's Music Hall, Graces Alley
“Wilton’s is the oldest surviving Grand Music Hall in the world. It belongs to the first generation of public house music halls that appeared in London during the 1850s and which, only fifty years later, had all but disappeared.” John Wilton converted 5 terraced houses into Wilton's Music Hall, which opened in 1858, but its “heyday as a music hall was short-lived: just twenty-two years. Several landlords followed after John Wilton and, in 1880, performances ceased when his final successor was unable to renew the licence due to new fire regulations.” — Wilton's: The City's Hidden Stage
“When it opened in 1859, top acts from Covent Garden would run across town to perform on John Wilton’s stage to an auditorium crammed with up to fifteen hundred revellers, drinking and enjoying the evening’s fascinating entertainment. ‘Champagne Charlie’ who famously drank from a bottle of champagne whilst singing on stage appeared many times at Wilton’s and it was said that the hall was better known than St Paul’s. The pub had beautiful mahogany fittings and became known as the Mahogany Bar (see below).” — “The History” (courtesy Oona Patterson)
Wyndham's Theatre
Designed by W.G.R. Sprague (1899). Location: 32-36 Charing Cross Road Leicester Square, WC2H 0DA. Volume 34 of of The Survey of London (which British Listed Buildings site has put online) mentions this theater's “free classical façade” faced with Portland stone and explains that its “canopy of glass and iron to ground floor” dates from the 1920s. — Jacqueline Banerjee
Related material
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Pepsico dropped the Smith's Crisps brand in favour of which other? | Walkers Crisps | Retro TV Ads
Walkers Crisps commercial from 1989.
History
In the 1880s Henry Walker moved from Mansfield to Leicester to take over an established butcher’s shop in the high street. Meat rationing after World War II saw the factory output drop dramatically and the company looked at alternatives to make use of the wasted capacity. With potato crisps being increasingly popular with the public, managing director R.E. Gerrard helped the company shift focus and began hand-slicing and frying potatoes.
Present day
Jon Walkers is now owned by Frito-Lay, which in turn is a subsidiary of Pepsico. It is still a significant presence in Leicester and sponsor Leicester City football team’s stadium, the Walkers Stadium. Gary Lineker, formerly a Leicester City footballer, is now the face of the company, starring in most of their advertising campaigns. The official website states that an estimated “11 million people will eat a Walkers product every day”. The company employs over 4000 people in 15 locations.
In 2000, Walkers’ 1995 advert starring Gary Lineker was named the 9th best television commercial of all time, in a poll conducted by The Sunday Times and Channel 4.
In February 2006, Walkers changed their brand label and typeset. They also announced they were to reduce the saturated fat in their crisps by 70%. They once again changed their packaging style in June 2007, rather similar to the logo used from 1998- 2006.
As of late 2006, the company has added nutrition values on the front of the Walkers crisps packets.
Many of Walkers brands were formerly branded under the Smiths Crisps name. This comes from the time when Walkers, Smiths and Tudor Crisps were the three main brands of Nabisco’s UK snack division with Tudor being marketed mainly in the north of England and Walkers in the south. After the takeover by Pepsico the Tudor name was dropped and the Smiths brand has gradually been phased out in favour of Walkers.
The only products currently retaining the Smiths brand are Salt & Vinegar and Ready Salted Chipsticks, Frazzles and the “Savoury Selection”, which includes Bacon Flavour Fries, Scampi Flavour Fries and Cheese Flavoured Moments.
In 1997, Walkers became the brand name of the Quavers and Monster Munch snacks.
In 2002 Walkers bought Wotsits from Golden Wonder.
In 2007 Walkers launched Sunbites, a range of crisps made using wholegrains.
Notably, Walkers package their cheese and onion crisps in blue packets, and salt and vinegar in green. This is the opposite to most other crisp manufacturers, such as McCoys Crisps and Golden Wonder’s traditional livery.
| Walkers |
Which gas is in a green fire extinguisher? | Lays expands ‘Do Us A Flavour’ into year-long social media campaign - Digital Intelligence daily digital marketing research
Lays expands ‘Do Us A Flavour’ into year-long social media campaign
16/01/2014
Lay’s is running a second campaign for its crowdsourced “Do Us A Flavour” ads, this time incorporating Instagram and Twitter, as Pepsico’s crisp brand looks to boost its reach on smartphones and tablets.
Watch this case study from the previous US campaign:
The Lay’s “Do Us A Flavor” campaign is primarily accessible through the campaign microsite which is optimized for both mobile and desktop devices.
The brand is also running the campaign across other territories, including its Walker’s brand in the UK.
The microsite lets consumers type in their flavour ideas or take a short quiz about their food preferences to create the perfect chip flavour.
The competition this year has also been expanded to include three types of chips – original, kettle cooked and wavy.
“To gain scale and broaden the program’s reach, the ‘Do Us A Flavour’ program extends beyond Facebook this year,” said Chris Kuechenmeister, senior director of public relations at PepsiCo.’s Frito-Lay, Plano, TX.
“New in 2014, the program will be housed on www.DoUsAFlavor.com and will also leverage other social channels – all available via their mobile devices,” he said.
Last year’s entries from the US included flavours such as "grandma's secret sauce" to "a favourite restaurant dish."
The US campaign also includes a partnership with entertainer Wayne Brady, who will celebrate contest submissions in real-time on launch day through the creation of flavour-inspired digital content.
Brady who became well-known for his improvisational talent on TV's "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" put his skills to the test by selecting consumer flavour ideas that are submitted to DoUsAFlavor.com and then shared on Twitter, and turning those submissions into comedic sketches and musical videos that will be shared through www.twitter.com/lays .
"Food and flavor are such a natural passion point for people – when you think about it, everyone has a story to tell about a great meal or the first time they tried their favorite dish," said Brady. "The hope is that by having some fun and celebrating these
unique flavors, we'll help inspire even more delicious flavor ideas for America's consideration."
Watch a sample of Brady's session here:
Now through April 5, 2014, US fans can submit their flavor suggestions onwww.dousaflavor.com , through Twitter (follow @Lays for details), onwww.YouTube.com/Lays , through the Lay's Facebook Page or by using their cell phone to text FLAVOR to CHIPS (24477).
To submit, fans will be asked to provide their name, flavour name, up to three ingredients, the chip style and a 140-character description or inspiration for their flavour.
"Even though we could only pick one grand prize winner last year, the millions of delicious ideas submitted by fans demonstrated that we have only begun to scratch the surface of the possibilities we could bring to the snack aisle," said Ram Krishnan, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay. "This time around, we're offering consumers even more opportunities to demonstrate and celebrate their creativity – and love of yummy flavors – throughout the contest. We can't wait to see what America's taste buds will inspire next."
Last year, Lay's Cheesy Garlic Bread, Lay's Chicken and Waffles and Lay's Sriracha flavored potato chips were selected as finalists, created and brought to store shelves, and then it was up to consumers to determine a winner.
In May 2013, after millions of fan votes were cast, it was announced that Lay's Cheesy Garlic Bread flavored potato chips were America's favorite, and Karen Weber-Mendham, a children's librarian from Land O' Lakes, Wis. and the finalist behind the winning idea, took home the $1 million grand prize.
www.dousaflavor.com
Watch a previous US TV ad for 'Do Us a Flavour' here:
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The actor David Garrick was mentored by which schoolmaster from Lichfield? | David Garrick – Inspira Wiki
Associated Dates:
February 19, 1717 – Born
David Garrick is one of the eminent spirits who appeared to President Wilford Woodruff in the St. George Temple on August 21, 1877. This interesting story is detailed in the Eminent Spirits Appear to Wilford Woodruff wiki.
“David Garrick has gone down in history as perhaps the greatest English actor of his age. And excellent playwright his acting talents lay equally in tragedy and comedy. His performances of Shakespeare helped to revive the influence of this great master. In 1769, Garrick organized the first Shakespearean festival of Stratford-on-Avon. Born in a time in which acting and actors were at the lowest point of social acceptability since the 1400s, Garrick lifted the progression to a new respectability.” 1
“Let others hail the rising sun, I bow to that whose race is ruin.”
– David Garrick
1.8 Death
Life Sketch from The Other Eminent Men of Wilford Woodruff
Copyright © Taken from the book: The Other Eminent Men of Wilford Woodruff . Special thanks to Vicki Jo Anderson. Please do not copy.
English Actor and Director 1717-1779
Early Life
David Garrick was born in the rural town of Lichfield, England, the birthplace of Samuel Johnson , who was at one time his schoolmaster. Although these men were both born in poverty and obscurity, they were to become the most commanding personalities of the eighteenth century in the world of literature and drama.
Garrick’s reputation was not limited to England. Garrick toured France just before his retirement, where he created an admiration for Shakespeare’s works that burst into the greatest awakening of the French to an appreciation for Shakespeare. Garrick’s fame still echoes in the literature of France. It was perhaps in the creation of this bond between England and France that Garrick performed the work for which he was born. He is considered as one of those who did the most to dispel the clouds of prejudice which kept France and England separated.
Ancestry
Considering Garrick’s role in bringing France and England together, and it will perhaps seem no coincidence that the nationality of Garrick’s grandparents was French and the nationality of his birth was English. Garrick’s paternal grandparents were French Huguenots, who were driven to seek shelter in England after the repeal of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes had granted religious freedom to Protestants in France in 1598, but it was revoked in 1685. Thousands fled France.
The Garrick family (whose name at this time was De La Garrique) escaped to England from Bordeaux separately and with great difficulty. Eventually the family, including a brother and a sister was reunited. A fragment of a journal kept by his grandfather, also named David Garrick, lists the births and deaths of the family recognizing the hand of the Lord in all things.
David Garrick
To this first David Garrick was born Peter Garrick. In 1707, Peter married Arabella Clough who was of Irish descent. This couple had ten children, seven of whom lived. David Garrick was their third child. Peter Garrick became a captain in the king’s army. His wife was greatly devoted to her husband.
Personality
Clever and bright, with an engaging personality, David was an observer of people. He often entertained his friends with his imitations. He did not find school much to his liking for he had a restless spirit. When Garrick was about ten years old, he watched a company of strolling players and decided to put on a play. The play he chose was ‘’The Recruiting Officer’’. The cast consisted of his friends and a little sister.
It was not long after this that he received an invitation from his Uncle David, his namesake, to come and live with him in Portugal. Uncle David was a prosperous wine merchant and was willing to train young Garrick in the business. Garrick’s stay in Portugal seems to have been more a success in the social aspect of his life than in the comerical aspect. He entertained the English community at their evening events with his imitations and his ability to give from memory long speeches and other acting tidbits. Samuel Johnson was to say to Fanny Burney that “off as well as on the Stage, [Garrick] is always an Actor.” This “education” of life abroad gave him in early glimpse of the world, and his interaction with people there was of invaluable training. However, his work with the ledgers did not prosper. Garrick was sent back home.
Family “Father”
Garrick’s father was unable to support his large family on his captain’s “half-pay,” so he volunteered for overseas duty. He was gone for five years. Because the eldest brother had also left for service, the responsibility of helping the family fell upon young David Garrick. He was fifteen years old.
His mother’s health was poor and Garrick did all in his power to relieve the trials of his mother. When Garrick’s father returned home, his health, too, was so broken that he lived only a short time. When Garrick’s uncle David died, leaving him £1,000, a family council was held and Garrick and his elder brother Peter decided to use Garrick’s inheritance to go into the wine business, of which Garrick had some knowledge. Garrick was to warehouse the products in London and Peter would retail them in Litchfield.
Drury Lane
When Garrick left for London he carried with him a letter of introduction from Gilbert Walmesley, the Registrar of Diocese, who had a keen interest in the bright young lad. He wrote of Garrick: “as ingenious and promising a young man as ever I knew in my life,” who “has been much with me, ever since he was a child, almost every day; and I have taken great pleasure often in instructing him, and have a great affection and esteem for him.” (However, because of the death of his father, Garrick’s educational experience had lasted less than a year.)
Garrick’s place of business was close to Convent Gardens theater. He attended all the plays that he could and became a friend with actors, stagehands, and directors. One of the leading actors who became a friend of Garrick’s said: “The stage possessed him wholly; he could talk or think of nothing but the theater.” Garrick submitted to the theater of Drury Lane a farce he had written and it was accepted.
An Actor
One night at Goodman’s Field the leading man suddenly took ill, and Garrick offered to fill in for him. He did so well that the audience did not notice the substitution. However, Garrick found the acting of the time very stifled, rigid. It seemed more a place for speech thriving and straightforward declarations than a place of acting. This troubled Garrick, for he felt that the stage should hold a mirror up to nature, showing its complexities. He felt it was his calling to effect a revolution.
Garrick continued to act with some of the players from Goodman’s Field and his confidence grew. He began to immerse himself in his parts, acting with emotion and feeling. His voice was strong and melodious, his body light and agile, and he had a commanding set of eyes. He soon became known as the new wonder. When Garrick acted the theater was always full; when he did not, it was half empty. Through jealousies of the rival theaters Goodman’s Field was closed down by government decree and only two remained registered thaters were Convent Garden and Drury Lane. Garrick signed a contract with Dury Lane, which gained him a salary that far exceeded any previously granted to an actor.
Eva Marie Viegel
Nobles and titled people flocked to the theater to see this new wonder. Alexander Pope observed Garrick’s fresh and forceful style and commented, “That young man never had his equal as an actor, and he will never have a rival.” Mrs. Porter, a great actress of the time, prophetically stated after watching Garrick, “All hail, hereafter. He is born an actor, and does more at his first appearance than ever anybody did with twenty years’ practice…. What will he be in time!”
Garrick eventually became the manager and owner of Drury Lane. He was an excellent money manager and began to be one of England. He established charities for which he would often give benefit performances, and cared for his brothers and sisters.
Marriage
Garrick married Eva Marie Viegel, one of the finest and most advanced dancers in the world. Their marriage was an everlasting courtship. She soon retired from the stage to support her husband in his management of Drury Lane. Garrick did not make decisions without consulting Mrs. Garrick.
Retiring
The Farmer’s Return, the farmer played by David Garrick
During Garrick’s twenty-nine years as manager, he produced seventy-five plays and revised twenty-four of Shakespeare’s dramas. At last he announced his retirement and or three months gave farewell performances to packed houses. Then he and his wife left for his famous tour of France. Their tour coincided with the important translation of Shakespeare by Letourneur. The combination of these two events cemented Shakespeare’s reputation in that country. Because of the great admiration France developed for Garrick, new conciliation grew between England and France.
Death
Upon his death, all of England mourned. Johnson wrote: “I am disappointed by that stroke of death which has eclipsed the gaiety of nations and impoverished the public.” Garrick’s social gifts, his quiet integrity, and his private virtues combined with his great talents to give the dramatic arts the dignity it had previously lacked. His body was taken to Westminster Abbey by members of the highest nobility and placed in the Poets’ Corner at the very foot of Shakespeare’s monument. Samuel Johnson was observed “standing by his grace, at the foot of Shakespeare’s monument, and bather in tears.” Goldsmith eulogised him by writing: “Here lies David Garrick, describe me, who can, an abridgement of all that was pleasant in a man.”
Copyright © Taken from the book: The Other Eminent Men of Wilford Woodruff. Special thanks to Vicki Jo Anderson. Please do not copy. 2
Notes:
Anderson, Vicki Jo. (1994). The Other Eminent Men of Wilford Woodruff. Cottonwood, AZ: Zichron Historical Research Institute. ↩
Ibid. ↩
| Samuel Johnson |
Oscar Hammerstein mentored which librettist, who wrote the lyrics to 'West Side Story'? | History of Lichfield District Council House
History of Lichfield District Council House
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History of Lichfield District Council House
Areas of the District Council House date back to the 1600s. Find out more using the links below:
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The first Grammar School
Looking today at the modern complex of offices that are home to Lichfield District Council, it is difficult to imagine that parts of the building date back from as long ago as 1682, and have a history which goes back over 500 years.
Both the Council Chamber and the Chief Executive's office are housed in two of Lichfield's most historic buildings, the Old Grammar School and the School Master's House.
Lichfield's old Grammar School, which in its day ranked alongside schools such as Eton and Winchester, was on the same site as our offices for more than 400 years. In that time it provided education to many famous faces, who later went on to be influential men of their age.
The first school was built in 1495. Little is known about this period, apart from extracts from the New Statutes of November 1495, where Bishop Smythe wrote:
'It is appointed that there be a Master of Grammar in Priests Orders who shall instruct in grammar all Scholars Gratis, which Master shall receive for his stipend the sum of £10 annually.'
The first school probably stood nearer the road than its successors and must have been demolished before 1577 as a deed from the 27th April 1577 describes the 'new school'.
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The 'New School' and the Schoolmaster's House
It was this second school that produced many famous scholars, including three pupils who were buried in Westminster Abbey:
Samuel Johnson - Lichfield's most famous son, the great lexicographer
David Garrick - The celebrated actor and populariser of Shakespeare, after whom the Lichfield Garrick is named
Joseph Addison - 18th century politician and writer
The Schoolmaster's house was built in 1682 in the Jacobean style, and fronts Upper St John Street. The bills for erecting the house have been found in the archives of Lichfield Conduit Lands Trust. The cost amounted to £288 17s 7d. This does not include the cost of the timber, which was largely donated as individual trees.
As well as being home to 14 successive headmasters of the Grammar School (until 1903), the attics were also used as dormitories for the boarders. Some of the initials can still be seen on the oak doors.
The stone mullioned windows on the ground floor of the building, adjoining the garden, were originally in the second Grammar School, which was built in 1577 and demolished in 1849 to make way for the present building.
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20th century to present day
The site was used as the Grammar School until 1903, with the area at the front being used as the scholars' playground. In the end, the lack of land meant the school moved to its present site on Upper St John Street, where it merged with Kings Hill Secondary Modern in 1973 to become King Edward VI School .
In December 1902, the school and master's house were sold to Theophilus Basil Percy Levett, who sold it to a Doctor Herbert Major Morgan only two months later.
Lichfield Rural District Council (as the District Council was then known) bought the property in 1917. It was immediately taken over by the army that used it as a pay office for the Lincolnshire Regiment during the First World War.
After the war, the Rural District Council regained ownership of the building, and it has been used for local government ever since.
The school house now houses the Council Chamber.
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The Campsie Fells lie to the north of which Scottish city? | Campsie Fells | VisitScotland
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Campsie Fells
Hills & Mountains
The Campsie Fells are a range of volcanic hills in central Scotland to the north of Glasgow.
The Campsie Fells are a range of gently rolling hills in central Scotland set just 19km north of the city of Glasgow. A popular area for walking, the highest point of the range is Earl’s Seat which rises to 578m.
Over time, erosion has revealed geological evidence of 30 lava flows that date back to the Carboniferous period over 300 million years ago along what is now known as the Campsie Fault.
Visitors are also attracted to the area for whisky distillation with the Glengoyne single malt distillery sitting at the foot of the fells just west of Dumgoyne hill, a prominent landmark of the Campsie fells.
Also nearby runs part of the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Fort William, along the Carbeth to Drymen stretch.
| Glasgow |
Which city would have been renamed 'Germania' if the Nazis had won World War 2? | Power of Attorney Resources in East Dunbartonshire
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Power of Attorney Resources in East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire lies to the north of Glasgow bounded by the Campsie Fells and the Kilpatrick Hills. It is a strategically significant location for economic, social and environmental development between the city and the gateway to the Highlands through the West Highland Way and eastwards through the Kelvin Valley.
With a population of 104,570, East Dunbartonshire is in the mid-range of Scottish local authorities in terms of population and covers an area of 77 square miles. It comprises an attractive mixture of urban and rural areas that included the following suburban and rural settlements of Bearsden, Bishopbriggs, Kirkintilloch, Milngavie, Lenzie, Milton of Campsie, Lennoxtown, Torrance and Twechar.
East Dunbartonshire has the largest population of older people in Scotland.
It is important to plan for your future. For information of how to apply for a power of attorney there are a number of partner organisations who can be contacted to support you through this process. They can help by providing advice and information on PoA, and also support individuals to plan what they want in their PoA.
Scotland’s largest independent advice network can offer advice and support on welfare benefits and power of attorney. Telephone: 0141 775 3220 or check out their website for details of opening hours.
Citizens Advice Scotland East Dunbartonshire
Ceartas Advocacy provides a free Information Service for older people and people with dementia in East Dunbartonshire which can help you to understand what Power of Attorney is, why it is important for you and your family, and how to go about granting Power of Attorney.
You can meet one of our Information Workers at our office in Kirkintilloch, or if you prefer they can visit you at home. The Information Worker will give you free, independent and impartial information about Power of Attorney: about the options you might want to include in your Power of Attorney; and they can advise on how to register your Power of Attorney, including helping you to find a solicitor to undertake the work if this is the option you chose.
You can contact Ceartas on 0141 775 0433 from Monday to Friday, 09:00 – 17:00; or email [email protected] at any time.
Ceartas Advocacy
OPAL is a free information and advice service for all adults in East Dunbartonshire – all you pay for is a local telephone call. OPAL is a single point of contact for people who might need additional care or support because of age, infirmity, disability, long-term health conditions or caring responsibilities; as well as groups and organisations that work with these people.
You can call OPAL on 0141 438 2347 from Monday to Friday, 9:30 – 4:30. Your call will be answered by a person and not a machine, and all the OPAL Advisers work in East Dunbartonshire so they know the local area and know how to find the information, support and services you need.
The Dementia Network offer impartial information on PoA, which can be provided over the phone, at an office meeting, at a home visit or another place convenient to the individual.
The Dementia Network also runs Dementia cafes, these are groups for anyone living with, or concerned about, dementia or memory loss. These are informal settings where people with dementia and their carers can meet up and speak to each other and staff are also on hand to provide information and support.
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Which Royal Naval vessel was the subject of the Yangtze Incident in 1949? | The 1949 Yangtze Incedent Cover Up
COVER UP
To-day in this present day and age 2009 as we approach the 60th anniversary of the 1949 Yangtze Incident, a ships-compliment that was involved in that now known as the 1949 Yangtze Campaign, has still never been recognised in the British Award system for the part they and the ship H.M.S. CONCORD, played when ordered to go to the assistance of H.M.S. Amethyst, in a �civil war zone� within Chinas, territorial waters, 30th and 31st July 1949.
Within the Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge under Reference; GBR/0014/DKNS there are 5 boxes Papers and naval signals concerning the �Amethyst Incident� and the writings of Rear Admiral Sir David Scott. The collection was deposited at the Churchill Archives Centre by the Rear Admiral, in July 1992, September 2002, and in June 2003.
The files arranged in two sub-fonds due to their apparent creation and who they were created by. DKNS I all relate to the �Amethyst Incident� and DKNS II were all written by David Scott. Here I add the fact that the collection has been catalogued and copies of the catalogue are available at the Churchill Archives Centre, At the Historical Manuscripts Commission and on the Janus, website.
The files within DKNS I, relating to the �Amethyst Incident� are the naval signals that were towing and fro-wing from the C-in-C, Far East Station, on-board H.M.S. Belfast, to H.M.S. Concord and H.M.S. Amethyst, on the 30th and 31st July 1949. Also among those papers there is the telegram that was sent by H.B.M. Ambassador, Sir Ralph Stevenson, G.C.M.G., Stationed at the British Embassy, Nanking, to the following sources on the 31st July 1949; The Foreign Office, the C-in-C, Far East Station, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai Embassy Office, and Canton. The first item listed on that telegram for its terms therein I now quote; * �(a) No repeat no publicity should be given to the fact that H.M. Ship Concord entered Chinese territorial waters.�* Unquote.
Rear Admiral, Sir David Scott, K.B.E. CB., who was (born 5th April 1921) and was, at the time of the 1949 �Amethyst Incident� Flag-Lieutenant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Far East Station, Admiral Sir Patrick Brind, K.C.B. CBE. Scott was later Chief of Staff to Flag Officer Submarines and Chief of the British Navy Staff in Washington D.C. He then held the post of Deputy Controller (Polaris) 1973 � 1976 and from 1976 until his retirement in 1980 he was Chief Polaris Executive KBE, CB. He died in January 2006.
In my opinion when Rear Admiral Sir David Scott, in July 1992, September 2002 and June 2003 was depositing his collection of papers and naval signals within the Churchill Archives Centre, he was planting the irrefutable evidence that was and is capable of blowing away and putting paid to the �OPERATION MINCEMEAT� type job that was made applicable to cover up the wrongful acts and omission that caused and brought about the 1949 Yangtze Incident in the first instance.
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After the incident occurred on Chinas, Yangtze River, 20th April 1949, six days later on the 26th April 1949 Britain�s, then Prime Minister, Mr Clement Attlee, made a statement within the House of Commons, concerning the incident, from that statement I now quote * � It has been repeatedly stated in this House that our policy has been governed by the Moscow Declaration of December 1945, in which the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union declared a policy of non-intervention in China�s internal affairs. In view of the considerable British interests in China and of the presence of large British communities, His Majesty�s Government decided some months ago that His Majesty�s Ambassador and His Majesty�s Consular Officers in China should remain at their posts and the Foreign Secretary announced this to the House on 9th December.
We are not alone in the decision to remain at Nanking. Other powers represented there, with the exception of the Soviet Union, reached the same decision, and there has since been full consultation between the members of the Diplomatic Corps at Nanking.
In the disturbed conditions, which have prevailed in recent months, warships of various Powers have been at Shanghai and Nanking so that in the event of a break down of law and order as a result of hostilities they would be able to assist in the evacuation of their nationals. When the Chinese Government decide to move to Canton, it is true that a warning was issued about warships in the Yangtze. Nevertheless, it is a fact that since that time the movement of our warships in the Yangtze have taken place with the full knowledge and consent of the National Government of China.
I want to make the point therefore that when the incident took place to which I am about to refer, HMS AMETHYST was proceeding on her lawful occasions and that there was no other properly constituted authority to whom His Majesty�s Government were under an obligation to notify her movements even had they been in a position to do so.� * Unquote.
(Note); �from early April, 1949 the Nationalist Government of China ceased to control both banks of the Yangtze River. However the new regime the north bank of the river the Communist Authorities, with its Peoples Liberation Army, on the 9th April 1949 broadcast their intention to interdict the river to �all shipping.�
Further to that quoted above Clement Attlee, in his statement to the House of Commons covers the part played by H.M.S Consort, that also I now quote; *� Thus early on 19th April, the frigate HMS Amethyst (Lieutenant- Commander Skinner) sailed from Shanghai for Nanking, wearing the White Ensign and the Union Jack painted on her hull.
When the Amethyst had reached a point on the Yangtze River some 60 miles from Nanking, at about nine o�clock in the morning on the 20th, Chinese time, she came under heavy fire from batteries on the north bank, suffered considerable damage and casualties and eventually grounded on Rose Island. After this the Captain decided to land about sixty of her crew, including her wounded, who got ashore by swimming or in sampans, being shelled and machine-gunned as they did so; we know that a large proportion have, with Chinese help, arrived at Shanghai.
Vice Admiral Madden, the Flag Officer, second in command, Far East Station, ordered the Destroyer HMS CONSORT (Commander Robertson) from Nanking to go to the AMETHYST�S assistance, and the frigate HMS BLACKSWAN (Captain Jay) from Shanghai to Kiang Yin, 40 miles down river from the AMETHYST. CONSORT reached the AMETHYST at about three in the afternoon and was immediately heavily engaged. She found the fire too hot to approach AMETHYST and therefore passed her at speed down river. She turned two miles below and again closed AMETHYST to take her in tow. But again she came under such heavy fire that she was obliged to abandon the attempt, although she answered the shore batteries with her full armament and signalled that she had silenced most of the opposition. Half an hour latter her signals ceased, though she was making a second attempt to take the AMETHYST in tow, having turned downstream again. This attempt also failed and she sustained further damage and casualties during which her steering was effected. She therefore had to continue downstream out of the firing area.�* Unquote.
At the time of Attlee, making that statement, 26th April 1949 three of the ships involved in the incident, H.M.S. Consort, London and Black Swan, were by then in their shell damaged condition at Shanghai, the frigate Amethyst, remained captive on the Yangtze River. A muzzle under the guise of the official secretes act was placed upon the ratings that made up the ships companies of the three ships, Consort, London and Black Swan, to prevent them talking about the incident. The human cost to the four ships was 46 dead 68 wounded.
Within the House of Commons, the House of Lords and throughout the length and breadth of Britain, in April 1949 the burning question was; how could such an incident occur at a time when this nation was at peace, why had it happened? Who was to blame? In Shanghai, the main interest of the news media that had gathered there amounted to finding out the origin of the munitions that had damaged the ships.
Let�s now look again at what was specifically stated by Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, in making his statement to the House of Commons, 26th April 1949 begins by stating; �It has been repeatedly stated in this that our policy has been governed by the Moscow Declaration of December 1945 in which the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union declared a policy of None intervention in China�s internal affairs.�
Now let�s look at some other post war notes that Prime Minister, Attlee, did not bring to the attention of the House, on the 26th April 1949 post war notes touching on the history and sale of H.M.S. Aurora, an ARETHUSA-Class light cruiser, being posted below is a photograph of H.M.S. Aurora.
In November of 1945 it was announced that the above shown ship was being sold to China. As such, the ship made passage from Trieste and paid off at Portsmouth 17th April 1946. At Portsmouth, the ship then underwent a refit and was renamed CHUNGKING when it was handed over to the Chinese Nationalist Navy, on 19th May 1948 at a time when China, was involved in its own civil war.
Shortly after being commissioned the Nationalists ships compliment on-board the CHUNGKING defected taking the ship with them to the new Communist government where the ships name was changed to TCHOUNKING the TCHOUNKING was sunk in an air attack on Yaku, harbour by Nationalist, aircraft in March 1949.
Another important point that Prime Minister, Attlee, omitted to mention in his statement of 26th April 1949 was that from early April 1949 the Chinese Nationalist Government were no longer in control of both banks of the Yangtze River so therefore it was no longer the prerogative of the Nationalist to grant passage to shipping on the Yangtze River.
Further to that, on the 9th April 1949 the new regime on the north bank of the river, the Communist authorities broadcast that they would interdict the river to all shipping and it was presumed that this would be done by gunfire from the north bank, if necessary.
That was a reasonable military precaution, being that the Communist authorities had given notice and the prescribed dates of their intended crossing of the Yangtze River, in the ensuing civil war against Nationalists.
It was at that time that H.M.S. Consort, was stationed at Nanking, and due to be relieved by the Australian, warship H.M.A.S. Shoalhaven, however the Australian, Diplomatic Service, took cognizance of the overall situation that existed and took steps to have the H.M.A.S. Shoalhaven, stood down.
With the Shoalhaven being stood down, as it was the Flag Officer Second-in-Command, Far East Station, Vice-Admiral, A.C.G. Madden, C.B., C.B.E., gave the order to the Captain, of H.M.S. Black Swan, to have H.M.S. Amethyst, make ready to take the place of H.M.A.S. Shoalhaven. These events took place at a time when the Commander-in-Chief, Far East Station, Admiral Sir E. J. Patrick Brind, K.C.B., C.B.E., was absent from the station.
Here again I return to opening part of Prime Minister, Attlee�s statement to the House of Commons where he states; �It has been repeatedly stated in this House that our policy has been governed by the Moscow Declaration of December 1945 in which the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union declared a policy of none intervention in Chinas internal affairs.� Here below is a photograph of H.M.S. Mendip a, Type 1, Hunt-class Escort Destroyer.
This ship was sold to China and recommissioned for passage on 21st January 1948. Formally transferred and renamed LIN FU the ship remained part of the Chinese Nationalists Navy until being reposed and returned to RN control on 29th May 1949 after the National Government of China, fell. By June of that year she had been transferred to the Far East Fleet and deployed as a replacement for H.M destroyer CONSORT which was under refit.
Being posted here below is a photograph of H.M.S. Consort, in dry-dock at Singapore under going the refit that�s been referred to above.
The material and expertise required to repair the ship had to be sent out from the UK., and whilst H.M.S. Consort, was undergoing those repairs the ships company of Consort, were used to commission, the repossessed H.M.S. Mendip, which was, after being cleaned up from the filthy condition it was in, sent on a patrol tour of Malay and Borneo.
Back now to that part of this story where Flag Officer, Second-in-Command, Vice Admiral, A.C.G. Madden, gave the order to the Captain of the H.M.S. Black Swan, to have the frigate H.M.S Amethyst, make ready to take the place of the stood down Australian, warship H.M.A.S. Shoalhaven, but first, another little item that there was no mention of in Attlee�s, statement to the House of Commons, 26th April 1949 a little item that Vice Admiral, Madden, would most certainly have been aware of, that item was a standing order that had been put in place by the Admiralty, and was to the effect; that because of the disturbed condition which prevailed, on the Yangtze River, all British warships making passage-way on that river would remain at the stood-too position in order to respond, in a defensive action only, if fired upon from the North bank of the river.
It was upon the orders of Vice Admiral, A.C.G. Madden, that H.M.S. Amethyst, entered Chinas, Yangtze River, on the morning of 19th April 1949 then in the late afternoon of that date Amethyst, anchored at Kiang Yin, and it was there Lieutenant-Commander Bernard Morland Skinner, the ships Captain, spoke to the ships compliment, informing them that; the Chinese Communists were dug in along the north bank and they had already shelled the Nationalists on the Kiang Yin, side of the river. Amethyst was in the fighting zone.
At dusk, Nationalist gunboats signaled the Amethyst, to darken ship.
Next morning at dawn 20th April 1949 H.M.S. Amethyst, was again on her way up river and an hour later after leaving Kiang Yin, a fog had settled on the river obscuring both banks of the river, as such the Chinese river pilots insisted upon the anchor being dropped. By seven thirty the heat from the sun was dispersing the fog and Amethyst got on its way again.
An hour later, at half past eight, as a result of intelligence information that had been given to Lieutenant Commander, Skinner, at Hong Kong, he was able to calculate that Amethyst, was approaching a Communist held section on the north bank of the river that was heavily armed. That�s when the order was given to increase Amethysts, speed from a hundred and eighty to two hundred and sixty revolutions, �the time was half past eight�. Amethysts economical cruising speed of eleven knots was being increased to sixteen knots, while passing the Communist Gun Battery positions.
It was at that sector on the river that a salvo of shots passed over and fell around the Amethyst, without causing damage to the ship or injury to personnel, which allows for the question; were they the warning shots of, �stop and state your business !!??�
Amethysts response to that salvo of shells was in the form of three orders being given,
�Both engines full ahead�, �Unfurl, Union Jacks down the ships side�, �Director, get on target�, the first two orders were carried out, the third wasn�t, Amethysts main armament remained in the fore and aft position.
At twenty minutes past nine as Amethyst, was approaching another Chinese Peoples liberation Army gun battery installation, on a point of land called San-chiang-ying, which was in close proximity to Rose Island, on the Yangtze River.
There, another shell from a Chinese Peoples Liberation Army, gun battery passed over Amethyst, and once again the order given on-board Amethyst, was, both engines full-ahead.
No sooner than that order having been obeyed, shells hit the ships wheelhouse and bridge, and it was those hits that more or less caused the Amethysts, grounding on Rose Island, where this copy of her �Flash Signal� being shown below was sent out
The signal was picked up by H.M.S. Consort, at Nanking, on the Yangtze River, and was immediately delivered to the British Ambassador there, who in turn immediately made contacted, with the Communist authorities requesting a cease fire.
However when Amethysts, Flash Signal, was picked up and delivered to Vice Admiral, Madden, he immediately ordered H.M.S. Consort, to go to the assistance of the Amethyst, which in turn meant, that Consort, without, express permission of either the Chinese Nationalist, or Communist Authorities, having been sought or provided, was ordered by Vice Admiral, Madden, into the war zone in Chinas, ensuing civil war, and he done so whilst purporting to perform his duties as an Officer, of the Crown.
H.M.S. Consort, upon approaching the sector on the river, where Amethyst, had grounded, was engaged by the gun emplacements of the Chinese Peoples Liberation army, and for over two hours fought a running battle while making three valiant efforts to take the Amethyst, in tow. A rating from on-board H.M.S. Consort, did manage to land a line on-board the Amethyst, but there was no one on the upper and open decks of Amethyst, to pick up that line.
Now there is a prolific statement that might be cause for concern to some; �there was no one on the upper and open decks of Amethyst, to pick up that line.� So here is a little item that�s has also been excluded in the telling of the story, Yangtze Incident, and it comes in the written words of an eye witness to an event, the witness being the late Dr Wedderburn, a Scottish surgeon. �I was sitting in my office when a man from the Consulate came in. He told briefly about what was known and asked if I was willing to fly to Nanking and go to the Amethyst from there.In the early afternoon I was at Lung Hwa airfield boarding a US Air Force B -25 known in the RAF as a Mitchell. I sat in the right hand seat alongside the pilot. The sun shone out of the cloudless sky on the green fields of the delta as the plane climbed away. After half an hour we picked up the broad, brown, Yangtze river, navigable by ocean-going ships for five hundred miles past Nanking to Hankow. Flying at a couple of thousand feet, the peaceful scene unfolded with our progress. We could see the trench system, gun posts and strong points of the Nationalists on the bank. At intervals of a few miles a gunboat was moored close to the southern bank. They looked very unwarlike with there guns at rest and not trained northwards: washing was strung above the decks.
Suddenly a vessel appeared in midstream. From her crosstrees on each side flew a great white flag, and from her foremast a long white pennant stretched tautly aft beyond her stern, held stiffly by the speed of her going. It was the destroyer Consort going at maximum speed. Seldom does a destroyer work up to full revs in peacetime, and never on a river. A magnificent bow wave creamed back as far as the bridge: the wash spread in broad white lines across the muddy surface to crash far astern on the banks. Her guns fore and aft were pointed hard to port, flames and smoke erupting from them. Great splashes rose in the river. Ann occasional explosion erupted on the south bank from an overshoot, but most of the shell splashes were several hundred yards astern. Consort was doing the impossible running the gauntlet of a narrow channel against hostile, hidden, shore batteries, unable to turn or maneuver. All she could do was to cram on every ounce of speed and fire back at guns unknown until they opened fire. We circled two times, saw the blue sky, green fields, grey destroyer with her foaming bow wave, dazzling white pennants, angry red gun flashes, shell splashes, black smoke streaming back from the funnels and the yellow water of the Yangtze.
I thought of her commander on the bridge, the gunnery officer laying her guns, the crew working like fiends, the engineers hammering her engines to near breaking point.
The starboard wing of the Mitchell swept up to a vertical. I saw the pilot holding the stick hard over as he executed a violent diving turn to pull out almost at ground level. �The aim of this mission is to get you to Nanking, doctor, is it not?� �I guess so.� �That little bit of acrobatics was when the bullets started to hit us,� said the pilot, pointing to some holes which had appeared in the wing. We climbed and picked the river again where it made a bend to the south. There was Amethyst. She lay with her bow aground listing to starboard. She seemed to simmer in the sun, motionless, out of action, crippled, a total contrast to the destroyer. The pilot said we would make one pass. Turning away to gain height, he came round in a circle and put the nose down heading for Amethyst. There was no one on deck, no one looked up or waved. Then she was gone under the belly of the aircraft.
The Mitchell braked to a stop in front of the control tower at the empty airport. As, I shock hands with the pilot he said to me. Well, you and I are the only guys who have ever seen that sight and I reckon we are the only ones who ever will.� A jeep took me to the Embassy where the naval attach�, a captain, asked me what I had seen. Consort was terrific. I could see no signs of damage or any hits. Most of the splashes were miles out.� �Great.� He said. We think she should be all right. She is well past the place where they started firing on Amethyst,�
I was wrong. Consort had received many hits, mostly in her upper work. Fortunately most of the shells were incorrectly fused and many went right through without exploding. We went back to a truck where a colonel was standing. He showed me the medical supplies and equipment loaded on it. We were climbing in when a sergeant ran up. The Communists had started to cross the Yangtze some twenty-four hours before the expiration of the armistice. We all went back to the Embassy and stood conferring in the naval office. It was decided to abandon the attempt to reach Amethyst as night was approaching.�
Note: - From the beginning of page eight to this point everything related took place on the 20th April 1949 so for a moment lets take up another point that was made by Mr. Attlee, in his statement to the House of Commons 26th April 1949, I quote * �In the disturbed conditions which have prevailed in recent months, warships of various Powers have been at Shanghai and Nanking so that in the event of a breakdown of law and order as a result of hostilities they would be able to assist in the evacuation of their nationals.� *Unquote.
How did that rhetoric escape those assembled within the House of Commons without being questioned or challenged, when Mr., Attlee, thereafter in relating to the part played by H.M.S Consort, in his public statement states; * � Vice-Admiral Madden, the Flag Officer, second-in-command, Far East Station, ordered the destroyer H.M.S. CONSORT, (Commander Robertson) from Nanking to go to AMETHYAST�s assistance, and the frigate HMS BLACK SWAN (Captain Jay) from Shanghai to Kiang Yin, forty miles down river from the Amethyst.�*
What this meant was that by ordering H.M.S. Consort, to go to H.M.S. Amethyst, assistance, there was no ship stationed at Nanking, for or in the event of British nationals having to be evacuated. However because of the order given by Admiral Madden, that Mr. Attlee, related to in his statement there was in the Nationalist held port of Kiang Yin, in the Yangtze River on the evening of 20th April 1949 three Royal navy warships, the Destroyer H.M.S. Consort, the frigate H.M.S. Black Swan, and the County Class Cruiser H.M.S. London.
When H.M.S. London, arrived at Kiang Yin, both the Consort, and Black Swan, went along side of the London, some of the wounded from Consort, were transferred on to the London, for emergency medical attention and through out the night emergency repairs were being made to the Consort, to provide the ship with reasonably safe passage to Shanghai, the next day.
At a meeting on-board H.M.S. London, it was decided by the Second-in-Command, Far East Station, Admiral Madden, that the Frigate H.M.S. Black Swan, would accompany the County Class Cruiser, H.M.S. London, up the Yangtze River to where Amethyst, had grounded, neither the Black Swan or the London, got to within thirty miles of the Amethyst, before having to retire from the affray both ships were caught up in. The humane cost to the Royal Navy 20th and 21st April 1949 was 46 dead and 68 wounded.
Being posted here is a photograph of H.M.S. Amethyst that was taken on its arrival at Hong Kong, following what has been termed as its epic escape from where it had been held hostage on the Yangtze River.
Within the area that I took the liberty of encircling is one of H.M.S. Amethysts, secondary armament gun sponsons and as can be seen there is no gun mounted upon the sponson. The reason being, that when the ship was ordered into the Yangtze River in the first instance, its secondary armament was lying in some dockyard shed.
Because that fact was not picked up on, here below is the brain-washing propaganda stunt that in the film production Yangtze Incident, in a scene where an actor portraying the young Lieutenant Hett, is seen standing in front of a Boffer, gun crew that�s at the stood to position.
Here below is a photograph of H.M.S. Amethyst that was taken at dawn in the in the morning of 31st July 1949 during the course of its escape from the Yangtze River.
This photograph of H.M.S. Amethyst was taken with a brownie camara from on �board H.M.S. Concord, at a location that was in close proximity to the Woosung Forts, on the Yangtze River.
On the photograph, the Union Jack, that was un-furled down the ships side on the 20th April, 1949 when shots were first fired over and around the Amethyst, is still in position, And if you look closely to the right of the empty derricks above the Union Jack, you can just make out the empty gun sponson protruding above that termed the ships-wing.
The next two photographs being shown below were again taken inside the mouth of the Yangtze Estuary, while oil fuel and stores were being transferred from H.M.S. Concord, on to H.M.S. Amethyst, on the morning of 31st July 1949 at the time of that transfer taking place, H.M.S. Amethyst, only had the equivalent of seven ton of oil fuel left on board, which ment she had the equivalent two to three nautical miles of steaming power left in her boiler room engines.
And here is another photograph, taken from on-board H.M.S. Concord, whilst escorting the Amethyst, out of the Yangtze River, 31st July 1949.
This next photograph is a port side stern view of H.M.S. Concord the photograph was taken on the morning of 31st July 1949.
The land fall that can be seen in the back ground is an island that�s well within the Yangtze Estuary, and note; �the calmness of the water�.What you see in the above picture is the stood down, Y gun�s crew, that had been stood too position Y gun trained on the Woosung Forts, on the Yangtze River, in readiness to respond had H.M.S. Amethyst, been fired upon as she was passing that sector on the river.
The shells you see stacked upon the deck are what was the known as Champaign shell�s that type had no need of fuse setting, they exploded on impact, so a good guns crew, could load and fire 15 to 17 a minute. Now try counting the shell�s you see lying on that side of the ship in readiness. Then take into account that the ships main armament had four guns of that ilk that would be stood too in readiness with that type of fire power
Add to this the fact that Concord, had on-board twin and single boffer secondary armament, all of which would have been at the ready to come in to play, by order the rules were laid down an were being obeyed, by a ships compliment at the ready to compete in the rigours of war.
From the time of H.M.S. Concord, slipping from alongside H.M.S. Amethyst, allowing both ships to get underway it took 47 minutes before they met up with the other ships of the fleet that were waiting at sea outside of the Yangste Estuary, and from where Lieutenant Commander Kearns, sent that famous signal a copy of which is being shown here. It is of course one of the signals that can be found among the papers and naval signals of Rear Admiral Sir Peter Scott, which were deposited within the Churchill College Archives.
Upon escorting H.M.S. Amethyst, out of the Yangtze River and Estuary, H.M.S. Concord was stopped by H.M.S. Cossack, and boarded by Captain D. who took the ships log of H.M.S. Concord, out of commission, and thereafter sent H.M.S. Concord, on patrol off the North China coast.
To conclude; when Commander Kearns, wrote the foreword to Lawrence Earls, 1952 publication, �Yangtze Incident� he is seen to state in the last paragraph of that foreword, �Most of us who took part in the action which has become known as the Yangtze Incident of 1949 are now separated and will go our devious ways in civilian life or in the Service.�
I wonder was this little item below bearing heavily on his mind at that time?
When I personally read into the implication that exist in that part of the telegram marked (c) the names of two modern day Judases, of H.B.M. Ambassador, Sir Ralph Stevenson�s ilk comes to mind one is MoD., Minister, Mr Ainsworth, and the other is the Naval Secretary, Mr Spear.
| HMS Amethyst |
In 1960 the first laser used which crystal as its lens, perhaps after 40 years of trying? | HMS AMETHYST DURING THE YANGTSE INCIDENT, 1949 (HU 45375)
HMS AMETHYST DURING THE YANGTSE INCIDENT, 1949
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object category: Black and white
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All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.
Object description
Canvas from the ship's hammocks is used to temporarily patch a hole in HMS AMETHYST's hull after being shelled during the 1949 Yangtse incident.
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Which Victorian Field Marshall's name has become a by-word for efficiency? | British Baby Names: Historical Name Commentary
Historical Name Commentary
'Twas Ever Thus: Victorian Hero Names
The following article appeared in the Dundee Evening Telegraph on Thursday 11 June, 1885, concerning the use of hero-names for Victorian children.
During the Russian war Raglan and Arnand (sic) became numbered among English Christian names ; so did Garibaldi at the times of that hero's prominence. When the struggle was going on at Plevna, Osman was often given to our children ; and Suleiman appeared as a British praenomen about the same time.
Later still the appellations of Sir Garnet and sometimes Garnet Wolseley have commemorated in the the registers the prowess of the living British General. But neither is the heroism of the past entirely forgotten in naming, for the writer has met with the registered appellations Alcibiades, Julius Caesar, Boadicea, William the Conqueror, Richard Coeur de Lion, Peter the Great &c. ~
The desired qualities may have been exhibited in the lives of religious characters, and here, perhaps, the past is more resorted to that the present. The following may all be found in English registers of recent years : — Simon Peter, Jos. Arimathaea, Tabitha, Cyprian, Martin Luther, Melancthon, John Bunyan, Selwyn, and Morley Punshon. Luther has been a good deal used in England since the recent four hundredth anniversary of the reformer's birth.
Dundee Evening Telegraph
'Twas Ever Thus: Late Victorian Fashionable Girls' Names
The following article, entitled Female Names, appeared in the Newcastle Courant on Saturday 24 September 1892. It was cited from "The Globe."
Of particular interest in this article is the perceptions that many names had at that time: Ann is severe, Anne is lovable, Anna is pretentious, Hannah is low-class, Annie is fashionable but frivolous.
Harriet was once an aristocratic name, but gradually permeated the masses to become a byword for a working class Cockney woman . On the other hand, a servant given the highfalutin' name Gladys was incongruous.
Oh, and (much to my amusement) etymologists are "troublesome" folks.
To begin in alphabetical order. Ada strikes one as an essentially modern name, a names certainly much commoner now that fifty years ago ; it is suggestive of girls with golden curls, and seems altogether reminiscent of music-hall ditties ; yet clap an h on to its last letter, and it becomes one of the most ancient of names.
Except Eve, Adah is the first woman mentioned in the Bible. It is curious that her co-wife, Zillah, has not been nearly so popular as a name-giver. Here, however, we forsee that one of those troublesome folks, called etymologists, may assert, that the modern Ada is derived from Adelaide, Adelina and Adela — words in German signifying nobility — and that the resemblance between this Ada and the Scriptural Adah is merely accidental.
Let us return to a much commoner name. Ann, deprived for the final e, has a severe, almost forbidding aspect. Anne, somehow, seems much more loveable. It will be remembered that when Pope wished to clothe with additional dignity Her late Majesty of that name, he called her Anna—
Here, though, great Anna! whom three realms obey
Dost sometimes counsel take, and sometimes tea.
Here again, if we prefix and add an aspirate, a marvellous metamorphosis takes place. Anna sounds aristocratic not to say pretentious, Hannah, despite her honourable status as the mother of the Prophet Samuel, to modern ears suggests a hard-working woman with muscular arms; who is "all there" at window-cleaning or the wash-tub.
As for Annie, it is all very well when conferred as a pet name by friends and kinsfolk, but life is too serious for a woman to use only a diminutive as her baptismal name. Yet fashion nowadays runs in that direction, and more babies probably are christened Annie than Anne.
Concerning Augusta, we will only say that there is something about the second syllable (still worse when shortened to Gussy or Gusta) which makes it an ugly sounding name. G makes an awkward consonant. It makes Agnes, despite its lamb-like derivation, sound harsh, especially when familiarised to Aggie.
The grand old name Elizabeth resembles the Indian banyan tree in the number of shoots and suckers which it sets forth. Bess, Bessie, Bet, Betty (once again fashionable), Betsy, Eliza and Lizzy, all sping from the parent tree. Ellen, Eleanor, and Isabella, too, belong to the same pedigree. How much depends on the association of ideas! Isabel both looks and sounds pretty ; Jezebel, a variant of the same, seems atrocious.
Catherine, spelt in four different ways, still holds its own as a favourite name, especially in its diminutive forms, Kate, Katie and Kitty ; but several other good old family appellatives are rarer than they were forty years ago. Among these may be mentioned Amelia, Charlotte, Caroline, Emma, Harriet, Julia and Matilda.
Emily is more in favour than Amelia, though both names have a common origin. Emma has possibly been vulgarised by its association with a song which a few years ago was in everybody's mouth.
In like manner Harriet has become a by-word, through its association with the 'Arry and 'Arriet of Bank Holiday notoriety. Time was when Henrietta and Harriet (especially when the latter was spelt with an o), had a savour of exclusive aristocracy. Lady Hariot and her yellow chariot seemed to be in as natural a position as a hand in a glove.
Another proof of the inconsistancy of fashion concerning names is afforded by Matilda and its diminutive Maud. While the former is decidedly out of date, the latter —both in novels and plays, as well as in real life — has been almost wearisomely popular for a good many years past.
When we see in the obituary the death of an old lady of seventy or eighty bearing the name of Ethel or Florence, we experience a sensation of surprise, and not without reason, for these names were rarely given in the earlier years of the century. They sprang into sudden popularity some 30 or 40 years ago, and are now so common that when the marriage list is tolerably long we are pretty sure to find an Ethel or a Florence figuring in it. The former name came into favour when Thackeray published "The Newcombes," there heroine of which story is an Ethel.
Jane and Jenny are still favourite names; so are Louisa and Lucy; so is Margaret with its variants, Madge, Maggie, Margery and Peggy; and so, we gladly records, is the simplest an sweetest of all names — Mary. When turned in Marie (that is, as an English name*) it loses its simplicity and becomes affected.
Any modern popularity which Martha possesses it gains through its diminutive, Patty, which bears little resemblance to its parent stem.
As a rule, it may be broadly stated that the poorer classes are gradually abandoning the good old traditional names, especially Scripture names, and are adopting all sorts of fine names, often borrowed from the sensational fiction which they peruse so eagerly. It is rare, nowadays, to find Sarahs and Susans among domestic servants, and the nobility will soon have a monopoly of those good old names; on the other hand, there is something incongruous about Yolande black-leading the parlour grate, or Gladys scrubbing the front steps. In actual facts, their highly refined names often cause these young ladies to "put up their backs" against such "menial" duties.
Lastly, let us call attention to the difference existing in the spelling of certain well-known names in this country and the United States. As a rule, the Americans use ie where we use y. They write Nellie, Lucie, Kittie, Sallie, Fannie, where we write Nelly, Lucy, Kitty, Sally and Fanny. But there is nothing more arbitrary than the spelling of the Anglo-American tongue, for our cousins write Katy and Jessy where we almost invariably write Katie and Jessie.— "The Globe."
The Newcastle Courant
'Twas Ever Thus: Edwardian Name List
An intriguing article entitled Fashion and Things Feminine by Miss Ida Meller appeared in the Morpeth Herald on September 12th 1908.
It begins by discussing the fashion for long coats for autumn -- dark blue, powder blue or raspberry-red with velvet collar and cuffs are recommended -- flannel striped shirts, and the ultimate space saving device in the bedroom: laundry bags!
But then it moves on to listing fashionable names for babies, the extract of which I have listed below.
All the spellings are exactly as they are printed in the original scanned newspaper page (I had to check Imorgen several times).
Victorian Romany Names
Traveller families in the 19th century were often misunderstood and marginalised; nevertheless, Victorian society was fascinated by their customs and lore. As such, they became not only the subject of scholarship but also romanticised in popular culture and literature.
Below are articles and excepts from contemporary Victorian commentators which focus on the names which were in use in Victorian Britain by Romany traveller families. Boswell, Lovell, Buckland, Faa, Hearn, Heron, Gray, Lee, Smith, Wood and Young were the most notable Romany families of the period, and much of the literature focuses on them.
This excerp from The Worcestershire Chronicle (22 March 1890) is taken from a letter to the editor written by Shelsley Beauchamp (quite a name in itself!), under the title The Gispy Tribe of Boswell.
The Sylvester Boswell (also called by the nickname Wester Boswell) mentioned above has his autobiography immortalised in Bath Charles Smart's The Dialect of the English Gypsies (1875). In this work he gives a fascinating account of the names of his immediate family:
(click to enlarge for lots of interesting names)
His parents, he says, were Teiso and Sophia Boswell (the respective children of Shadrach and Cinderella Boswell and Richard and Bonny Hearne); his siblings Maria, Lucy, Sage, Betsy, Dorelia, Edward and Delata. His own children were Simpronius Bohemia Boswell (known as 'Bui'), Byron, Mackenzie, Oscar, Bruce, Julia, Wallace, Trafalgar and Laura.
I particularly like the footnote which describes Isaac Herne, son of Nearboy (Neabei) and Sinfi Hearne who had children 'Eza, Trainit, 'Lenda and Collia.
Another significant 'gipsy-gentleman' was Silvanus Lovell. His family is mentioned in another excerp from The Worcestershire Chronicle (24 May 1890):
Again Vashti, Cleopatra, Naomi and Diana are mentioned as being common in the community, and special mention is given again to Greenleaf, Mezelly, Britannia and Paradise.
Members of both the Boswell and Lovell families can be found living on Buggins Lane, Wednesfield on the 1861 census:
1. Sampson, Sarah, Alfred and Ingram Boswell.
2. Celly and Speedwelly Lovell
3. Enoch, Emma, Keomi and Cashmere Lovell
4. Struddveras, Cinderella and Mochas Lovell
5. Alfred, Selina and John Boswell
6. McKenzie, Sarah, Zealand, Kenzilea Boswell
7. Rudolphus, Tranetta, Caroline, Orlando, Zuby, John and Rebecca Boswell
This excerpt comes from The Shields Daily Gazette (28 September 1900) and points to the numerous ways in which Romany names were spelt and corrupted.
To curb my enthusiasm before I get too carried away with too many posts, here finally is a list of given names listed in The Rev. George Hall's The Gypsy's Parson; His Experiences and Adventures (1915).
Airant
| Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley |
Which ITV company made the World In Action current affairs programme? | High Ranking Officers of the Britihs Army 1896
High Ranking Officers of the Britihs Army 1896
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Photographs of High ranking Officers of the British Army during the reign of Queen Victoria. Including photographs of H.R.H The Duke of Cambridge, H.R.H The Duke of Connaught, Field Marshal The Rt.-Hon. Viscount Wolseley, Lieutenant-General Sir H. Evelyn Wood, V.C., Field Marshal Lord Roberts, V.C., Field-Marshal Sir John Lintorn Simmons Major-General Sir Robert Cunliffe Low, Brigadier-General Sir H.H. Kitchener. (1896) Later to become Lord Kitchener and General Sir Drury Curzon Drury Lowe.
Original magazine photo page published 1895 - 1902. Price ?25. Or reproduction of photograph ready mounted. Price ?25. Click here to order. ORDER CODE 1V13
H.R.H. The Duke of Cambridge (1895)
The Duke of Cambridge was born in 1819, and entered the army in 1837, with the rank of Colonel. He became Major-General in 1845, Lieutenant-General in 1854, General in 1856, Field Marshal in 1862. In the Crimea the Duke commanded the 1st Division, and was present at the Alma, Balaclava and at Inkerman, where he had his horse shot under him. In July, 1856, the Duke was appointed Commander-in-Chief, which office he held until October 1895. On his retirement the Duke of Cambridge was specially appointed Chief Personnel A.D.C. to the Queen, and Colonel-in-Chief of the Army, a distinction that will give the Duke precedence and an ex-officio position at all reviews and military ceremonies he may be present at.
Original magazine photo page published 1895 - 1902. Price ?25. Or reproduction of photograph ready mounted. Price ?25. Click here to order. ORDER CODE 1V14
Field Marshal The Rt.-Hon. Viscount Wolseley (1895)
Ever since the Coomassie Expedition of 1873 Lord Wolesley (then for nine years after known as Sir Garnet) has been before the public. Tel-el-Kebir brought him a peerage, and the Nile Expedition a Viscounty. In May, 1894, he was promoted a Field Marshal, and in March 1895, he was appointed Colonel of the Blues. On the 1st of November 1895 he became Commander-in-Chief vice the Duke of Cambridge. Entering the service in 1852, Lord Wolesley has seen fighting all the world over, has been repeatedly wounded, and repeatedly mentioned in despatches. Here he appears in the full dress of a Field Marshal, with the baton of his rank in hand.
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Lieutenant-General H.R.H. The Duke of Connaught (1896)
The Duke of Connaught (then Prince Arthur) entered the Army in 1868, at the age of eighteen, and served successfully in the Engineers, Artillery, Rifle Brigade, 7th Hussars, becoming in 1876 Lieutenant-Colonel of the Rifle Brigade. After being Brigade-Major at Aldershot, A.A.G. at Gibraltar, and Brigadier at Aldershot, he went to Egypt in command of the Guard's Brigade, and was at Tel-el-Kebir, "evincing on all occasions the utmost zeal for his profession", and "setting an example of cool courage under fire". Then he served in India as a Divisional General and as Commander-in-Chief in Bombay, after which he was appointed to Aldershot command, his present (1896) post. The Duke is widely acknowledged as a keen and thorough soldier.
Original magazine photo page published 1895 - 1902. Price ?25. Or reproduction of photograph ready mounted. Price ?25. Click here to order. ORDER CODE 1V35
Lord Roberts and his Headquarter Staff (1896)
Here we have a portrait group showing Field-Marshal Lord Roberts, commanding the forces in Ireland, with the officers who comprise the headquarter staff under him. Lord Roberts took over the command in Ireland from Lord Wolesley on the 1st of October 1895. The photograph reproduced above was taken at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Lord Roberts' official residence in Ireland.
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Lieutenant-General Sir H. Evelyn Wood, V.C. (1896)
Sir Evelyn Wood began life in the Navy, and served with the Naval Brigade in Crimea. From Midshipman he became Cornet of Light Dragoons, and then a Lieutenant in the 17th Lancers, while holding which rank he served in the Indian Mutiny and won his V.C. He then exchanged as Captain into the Infantry. The Ashanti War of 1873-74 brought Colonel Wood prominently forward, and he added to his reputation in the Kaffir War of 1878, in Zululand, and in the Egyptian and Khartoum Expeditions, taking part in the latter as Chief of the Staff to Lord Wolesley. After commanding the Eastern District at Home, and at Aldershot, he became Quartermaster-General at Headquarters in 1894.
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Lord Wolesley and the Headquarters Staff in Ireland (1895)
Our illustration of Lord Wolesley and the officers of the Headquarter Staff of the Army in Ireland is the last photograph taken of the Field Marshal during his tenure of the chief command of the Forces across St George's Channel. It was while holding the command in Ireland that Lord Wolesley received his promotion to Field Marshal. He is photographed in the uniform (Field Day Order) of that rank. Lord Wolesley handed over the command to Lord Roberts at the end of September 1895, having in the previous August received notification of his appointment to succeed the Duke of Cambridge at the War Office.
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Field Marshal Lord Roberts, V.C.
There is no more popular officer in the Military Service than "Bobs". Frederick Sleigh Roberts, the distinguished son of a distinguished father, is an old officer of the Bengal Artillery. In the mutiny before Delhi, where he was wounded and his horse shot under him, he repeatedly distinguished himself, and won the V.C. The Umbeylah and Abyssinian Campaigns brought him more credit, and the Afghan War capped it. His march to Candahar assured his position in the front rank. India never has had a more able or successful Commander-in-Chief. Now he is a Peer of the Realm and a Field-Marshal, further progress toward effieciency of the Forces in Ireland is assured in his capable hands.
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The Major of the Tower
Lieutenant-General George Bryan Milman is a veteran officer of some fifty seven years' service. He made his mark as a Captain in the Indian Mutiny at Lucknow, where he fought brilliantly and distinguished himself with the advance guard in the first relief of the garrison, taking part after that in the heroic defence of the place under Outram, and again coming to the front in the final capture. The close of the campaign found him a brevet Lieutenant-Colonel with C.B. and a grant of a year's service. General Milman, besides his Mutiny medal with two clasps, wears the gold medal of the Royal Humane Society for saving the lives of several brother officers at sea, under exceptionally heroic circumstances. He has been Major of the Tower since 1870.
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General the Rt. Hon Sir Redvers Henry Buller, V.C. (1896)
The present (1896) Adjutant-General of the British Army is a soldier who owes his good fortune to his own merits. Entering the Army in 1858, he has practically won his way to his present (1896) high position by brilliant war service, and the display of capabilities for command on the battlefield of the first order. He is an old comrade in arms to Lord Wolseley, under whom Sir Redvers Bulle served in the Red River Expedition. Now he is his old chief's right-hand man at the War Office.
Lower picture - General Sir Redevers Buller, V.C., G.C.B., at Military Manoeuvres on Salisbury Plain (1898)
Field-Marshal Sir John Lintorn Simmons, G.C.B. (1896)
Field-Marshal Sir John Lintorn Simmons has a record of service coinciding exactly with the length of Her Majesty's reign, his ditinguished career beginning in 1837, in which year he entered the Royal Engineers. The veteran Field-Marshal has played many parts. He helped to fortify the Canadian frontier; was with Omar Pasha at Silistria; and served before Sebastopol. Since then he has commanded the "Shop" at Woolwich, the School of Engineering at Chatham, and the Royal Engineers at Aldershot. After being Inspector-General of Fortifications, and Director of Works at the War Office, he concluded his active career as Governor of Malta. Sir Lintorn Simmons was made a Field-Marshal in 1890.
The Commander of the First Brigade at Aldershot. (1896)
Major-General H. M. Bengough, C.B., who is shown in the foreground of our illustration, with his Aide-de-Camp and Brigade Major (shown a little to the rear), commands the First Brigade of the Aldershot Division under the Duke of Connaught. He has seen war service in Zululand, in command of a battalion of the Natal Native Contingent, and on the staff in Burmah, as Assistant Adjutant and Quarter-Master General; winning a brevet in the first campaign, and the C.B. in the second, and being in both expeditions mentioned in despatches. Our portrait was taken in January 1896 on the occasion of a long distance route march of the Aldershot Division, during a halt of the troops on the way home.
The Constable of the Tower (1896)
It is as long ago as sixty three years (1833) since Daniel Lysons, then eighteen, entered the Army as an ensign in the First Royals. He saw his first service in Canada in the "thirties", at the time of the rebellion, a period of which, in his recently published reminiscences, Sir Daniel has many stirring tales to tell. Between that and war service before the enemy in the Crimea, came a long spell of duty in America and the West Indies. In 1861, Sir Daniel was again in Canada, charged with organizing the Canadian Militia in connection with the Trent affair. Sir Daniel Lysons in 1880 was appointed to the Aldershot Command, and six years ago (1890) he was made Constable of the Tower. In his day "Dodgy Dan", as he used to be called, was considered second to none as a tactician. He is Colonel of the "Sherwood Foresters".
Chitral: Major-General Sir Robert Cunliffe Low, G.C.B. (1896)
Few Indian officers of the day have had a more active career than the gallant Major-General who so ably conducted the operations of the Chitral Relief Expedition. Entering the Indian cavalry forty-two years ago, General Low first saw service in the Indian Mutiny, where he was present at both the Siege and Capture of Delhi, and the Relief of Lucknow. The Afghan War gave him his great opportunity. Appointed Director of Transport to the Army at Cabul, it was he who practically rendered Lord Roberts' march to Candahar possible. His services in the Afghan War brought Colonel Loww, as he then was, the C.B. and the command of a brigade in India. The Burmese War brought him the K.C.B., and further promotion, and then came his selection to Major-General Low, the G.C.B., a distinction never granted before to an officer below the grade of full General or Lieutenant-General.
The Sirdar: Brigadier-General Sir H.H. Kitchener. (1896) Later to become Lord Kitchener
We are fortunate in having at the head of the Egyptian forces at the present moment an officer of such proved merit and so well experienced in Soudan warfare as Sir Horatio Herbert Kitchener. General Kitchener has been for upwards of ten years attached to the Khedive's Army. He served on the staff in the Nile Expedition of 1884-5, was present at the operation before Suakim in 1888, and in the next year took part in the campaign which resulted in the defeat of the Dervish invading force as Toski. For his services Sir H. H. Kitchener has been repeatedly mentioned in despatches. He is forty-five, and is an officer of the Royal Engineers - a Major R.E. in substanctal rank, with the Brevet of Colonel. It is as "Sirdar" or Commander-ib-Chief of the Khedive's forces that Colonel Kitchener ranks as a Brigadier General.
General Sir Drury Curzon Drury Lowe. (1896)
This well know and distinguished cavalry officer is the Colonel of the 17th Lancers, with which gallant regiment Sir Drury Lowe throughout his career, from cornet to colonel, has ever been intimately associated. He served with the 17th Lancers in the Crimea, in India during the Mutiny, and in Zululand, and was at the head of the regiment as Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding from 1866 to 1879. As Commander of the British cavalry throughtout the Egyptian War of 1882, Sir Drury Lowe's name has become widely familiar particularly in connection with the "midnight charge" at Kassassin, and brilliant dash across country after the battle of Tel-El-Kebir, which resulted in the capture of Cairo. Since then Sir Drury Lowe has commanded the Aldershot Cavalry Brigade and held the post of Inspector-General in Great Britain. He was born in 1830, joined the 17th Lancers in 1854, and was appointed Colonel of his regiment in 1892.
Officers of the Aldershot Division
Our portrait group of officers serving under the Duke of Connaught, was taken on the occasion of the Presentation of Coloors by the Duchess of Connaught to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. The general officer, with feather in his cocked hat, shown in the immediate foreground, with his horse's head outside the limits of the picture, is Major-General H. M. Bengough, C.B., commanding the 1st Infantry Brigade of the Aldershot Division. The other officer wearing feathers in his cocked hat, shown on the left of the picture as the reader looks at it, is General Bengough's Brigade Major, Captain T. D'O. Snow. The three officers wearing the Aide-de-camp's plume in their cocked hats, are the Duke of Connaught's three A.D.C.'s - Captain Lord Bingham, of the Rifle Brigade (shown speaking with Captain Snow), Captain Godfrey (shown with his hand raised to his head), and Captain Blunt, of the Royal Artillery.
General H.S.H. Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, G.C.B. (1896)
Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar is the eldest son of Prince Bernard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, and was born in 1823. He entered the Grenadier Guards in 1841 as Ensign, and gained all his steps up to Major-General's rank in the regiment, with whom, further, he served as Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel in the Crimea. Prince Edward was present with the Grenadiers at the Alma, Balaclava, and Inkerman, and in the trenches before Sebastopol. He was wounded in action, and for his services was mentioned in despatches. From 1870 to 1890, as a General Officer, he commanded the Home District, the Southern District, and the Forces in Ireland, in which last-named post he was succeeded by Lord Wolseley. since 1888, Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar has been the Colonel of the 1st Life Guards. A kinder and more considerate officer to those under him in all ranks, and one more personally beloved by all, it is safe to say, the Service has never seen.
General Sir Collingwood Dickson, V.C. (1897)
Sir Collingwood Dickson entered the Royal Artillery in December 1835. His record is one of which he may well be proud. As one of Lord Raglan's Staff in the Eastern Campaign of1854-55, he was present at the Alma, Inkerman, and Balaclava, and took part in the expedition to Kertch. When commanding the night siege train in the bombardment of Sebastopol, 17th October, 1854, he gained the Victoria Cross "for having, when the batteries of the right attack had run short of powder, displayed the greatest coolness and contempt of danger in directing the unloading of several waggons of the field battery which were brought up to the trenches to supply the want, and having personally assisted in carrying the powder barrels under severe fire from the enemy." Sir Collingwood became Major-General 1866, Lieutenant-General 1876, and general 1877. He is one of the Colonels-Commandant Royal Artillery, and was made G.C.B 1884.
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Lieutenant-General Henry Fanshawe Davies. (1898)
Lieutenant-General Davies, like the present Adjutant-General (Sir Evelyn Wood) and Lord William Seymour, is an ex-midshipman of the Royal Navy. Like the two well known officers just named, he is also among the lucky few who, having for one reason or another many years ago transferred their services from the Queen's Naval forces to the land forces, have eventually attained to rank and distinction on the generals list of the Army while still full of energy, and with good prospects of active employment before the day of compulsory retirement arrives. He first saw war service as a Naval officer in the Burmese War of 1852, and then in the Baltic in the Russian War in 1854, for each of which campaigns General Davies wears a medal. After the first year of Naval operations in the Baltic, General Davies joined the Army, his first commission being dated December 19th 1854. Three years later he got his captaincy. As colonel, General Davies took part in the Zulu War of 1879, commanding at various points within the field of operations, particularly at Conference Hill and at Fort Newdigate, his services being rewarded with mention in despatches and a clasp to his medal. He became major-general in 1886, and from 1889 to 1894 commanded the Cork District, becoming lieutenant-general (his present rank) in 1893.
The Commander-in-Chief in Scotland (1898)
General Edward Francis Chapman, C.B., who commands the Scottish District, with his headquarters in Edinburgh, is a very distinguished officer of the Royal Artillery. Entering the Service in 1858, he first saw fighting in the Abyssinian War of ten years later, during which campaign he served with No. 5 Battery, 21st Brigade, and then as aide-de-camp to the general officer in command of the Royal Artillery, Brigadier-General Petrie. In Abyssinia he was present at the action of Arogee and at the fall of Magdala, being mentioned in despatches for his services. Ten years later still came the Afghan War, in which general Chapman won the two brevets of lieutenant-colonel and colonel for staff services as deputy adjutant-general and deputy quartermaster general. He was with Sir Donald Stewart in the adventurous march north from Candahar to Cabul, including the fierce fight at Ahmed Khel, and with Lord Roberts in the better remembered Cabul-Candahar march, including the final battle of Candahar. For the Afghan War general Chapman was twice mentioned in despatches. Since then, in 1885-86, General Chapman has seen service in Burmah. He became Major-General in 1889, lieutenant-general in 1892, and general in March 1896. General Chapman is a Staff College graduate, and from 1891 to 1896 was Director of Military Intelligence at the War Office. He was appointed to command the Scottish District in May 1896.
Became Master Gunner of St James's Park 1919 - 1926.
General John Hart Dunne (1898)
General Dunne is an old Scots Fusilier, which celebrated old fighting corps he entered in September 1852. With the Royal Scots Fusiliers he, in 1854, went to the Crimea, and had a share in every engagement in which the Army took part in the Eastern Campaign. He was present with his regiment at the battle of the Alma - in the 4th division - after that at Balaclava, then in the thick of the fray in the terrible November fight at Inkerman, "the soldier's battle", in the trenches before Sebastopol, and finally in the great assault on the Redan on June 18th 1855. Before the war was over he had gained his captaincy - on July 27th, 1855. General Dunne wears for the Crimea the British Army medal with four clasps, the fifth class of the Medjidie, and the Turkish medal. general Dunne also saw service in the North China War in 1860, in which he served with the 99th Regiment (now the 2nd Wiltshire), and took part in several engagements, including the assault and capture of the Taku Forts and the final surrender of Pekin. For the China War he holds the China medal with two clasps. He became major-general in 1881, lieutenant-general in 1889, and general in 1893. General Dunne is the holder of a reward for distinguished and meritorious service.
Major-General H Le Guay Geary, C.B.
The gallant gunner who commands the Belfast District, Major-General Henry Le Guay Geary, C.B., began his Army service with the siege train in the trenches before Sebastopol in 1855, and had the good fortune to be present at and take part in three bombardments of the great Russian fortress - those of June 6th and 17th, and August 17th, 1855 - and at the final taking of Sebastopol. Three years after the Russian War he was in India, taking part in the flying column operations of the Mutiny in 1858 and 1859, first with the field force commanded by Sir Hope Grant, and later with the Gorruckpore Field Force. In the Abyssinian War of 1868, Captain Geary, as he then was, for the third time saw active service as Brigade-Major of Artillery, in which capacity he was present at the action of Arogee, and final assault and capture of Magdala. General Geary, as colonel, served on the staff of the Army at headquarters as assistant to the director of Artillery from 1885 to 1889. He was promoted to major-general in 1891, and in September, 1895, was appointed to his present post - the command of the Belfast District, one of the four into which the little army across St George's channel, commanded in chief by Lord Roberts, is for administrative purposes divided. General Geary, who comes of an old family that has given several distinguished officers to both the Army and the Navy, holds a reward for distinguished service.
Sir Henry Le Guay Geary went on to become President of the Ordnance Committee from 1899 to 1902, then the Governor of Bermuda from 1902 until his retirement in 1904. He was born in 1837 and died in 1918.
Lieutenant-General John Plumptre Carr Glyn (1898)
General Carr Glyn is an old Rifle Brigade man. He entered the favourite and very distinguished regiment in August, 1854, just before the opening of hostilities in the Crimea, in which, during the second year's campaign, he saw active service, being present before Sebastopol, from June 17th 1855, down to the fall of the fortress. He next saw war service as a major in the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade, under Lord Wolseley (the Colonel Sir Garnet Wolseley), in the operations of the Ashanti War, where he was present at the front in all the fighting, particularly in the two actions of Amoaful and Ordahsu, and at the final event of the smartly carried out campaign, the capture of Kumasi. The Ashanti Was gave Major Carr Glyn his brevet of lieutenant-colonel, dated April 1st 1874. He became colonel in 1879 and major-general in 1889. While holding the latter rank, General Glyn, from 1892 to 1897, held the command of the Eastern District of the Army at home, succeeding at Colchester the present Adjutant-General Sir Evelyn Wood. General Glyn became lieutenant general in January of 1898. He holds the reward for distinguished and meritorious services.
Lieutenant-General Sir George Benjamin Wolseley, K.C.B. (1898)
Sir George Wolseley, who has been acting in charge of the Punjab army corps of the Indian Army during the absence of Sir William Lockhart and Sir Palmer Power with the Tirah Expeditionary Forces, is the divisional commander of the Lahore District in India, which post he has held since March 1895. He entered Her Majesty's Service in 1857, five years after his distinguished brother, Lord Wolseley, and first saw field service with one of the punitive columns in the second stage in the Indian Mutiny. This was the 84th Foot, now the 2nd York and Lancaster Regiment in which corps (either in the 84th o its senior and linked battalion the old 65th) all Sir George Wolseley's regimental service has been passed. In 1878 - 79 he served as A.A.G. with the Candahar Field Force; in 1882 as A.A.G. with the army in Egypt, being present at Tel-El-Kebir. Sir George again served in Egypt as A.A.G. in the Khartoum Relief Expedition of 1884- 85, and in 1887 in the campaign in Burma, where in the operations of 1889 - 91 he commanded a brigade. He has been three times mentioned in despatches, and won a brevet lieutenant-colonecly in Afghanistan, an A.D.C.ship in 1882, the C.B. in 1885, and the K.C.B. for his services in 1889 - 91.
Original magazine photo page published 1895 - 1902. Price ?25. Or reproduction of photograph ready mounted. Price ?25. Click here to order. ORDER CODE 6V193
Major-General Archibald Hunter (1898)
Few officers can boast of such an excellent record of service as Major-General Archibald Hunter, who lately distinguished himself at the battle of Atbara when commanding the Egyptian troops. He served in the Nile expedition in 1884-85, was mentioned in despatches, and obtained his brevet-majority with the 4th Class Osmanieh and 3rd Class Medjidie.
General Hunter accompanied the Frontier Field Force in 1885 - 86, and was severely wounded at Giniss, being mentioned in despatches. For his services he was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. In the operations on the Soudan frontier in 1889 he commanded a brigade at Arguin and Toski. During the latter battle he was severely wounded. In the words of Major General Grenfell, K.C.B., "he commanded his brigade in a cool and soldier-like manner, and remained on the field after having received a spear wound in the arm." For his gallantry he was made brevet-lieutenant-colonel. He was governor of the Red Sea littoral from August 1892 to July 1894, governor of the Frontier and Commandant Frontier Force from July 1894 to November 1896 and was appointed governor of Dongola in December 1896. He became brevet-colonel in January 1894, but it was in the Dongola Expedition of 1896 that General Hunter proved himself an able leader. At Firket he rendered distinguished service and in consequence became Major-General in November 1896 at the early age of forty.
Hunter went on to serve at Omdurman in 1898 and during the Boer War 1899 - 1902. He was Governor of Gibraltar 1910 - 1913. He was Colonel of the King's Own Regiment from 1913 - 1926. At the break out of the First World War, he was considered too old for a post in the field. Instead he was to become GOC at Aldershot. Hunter was born in 1856 and died in 1936.
Major-General William F Gatacre, C.B., D.S.O.
Major-General William Gatacre who is in command of the British brigade in the Soudan, only went to Aldershot a few months ago to succeed Major-General Kelly-Kenny in command of the 3rd Infantry Brigade. General Gatacre received his first commission in 1862. He served with the Hazara Expedition in 1888 as deputy adjutant and quartermaster general (D.S.O. and medal with clasp). He came into prominent notice by his services in connection with the operations of the Chitral relief Force in 1895, when he commanded a flying column. The gallant passage of the Lowarai Pass by the troops under his command was rewarded by a particularly honourable mention in Sir R C Low's final despatch. Major-General Gatacre won special mention in the Sirdar's recent despatch on the battle of the Atbara, in which "by the careful training and gallant leading of his brigade he fully sustained his former high reputation." Again the Sirdar says "The high state of efficiency to which the British brigade was brought is, I consider, in a large measure due to the untiring energy and devotion to duty of Major-General Gatacre... During the engagement General Gatacre showed a fine example of gallant leading."
Lieutenant-General William Godfrey Dunham Massy, C.B.
"Redan Massy" - to give the gallant colonel of the 5th Lancers the sobriquet by which the British Army best knows him - entered the service in October 1854. Going out to the Crimea he joined the troops before Sebastopol, and was under fire at the battle of Tchernaya. He commanded the Grenadiers of the 19th Foot at the assault on the Redan on September 8th 1855, where his extreme gallantry won him the admiration of all England. In the attack he was dangerously wounded by a bullet which shattered his left thigh, received other less serious wounds, and was left wounded on the field, with the result that the night after the assault he fell into the hands of the Russians. They, however, believing him mortally wounded, did not trouble to remove him. Brought back some hours later to the British camp, Lieutenant Massy, as the gallant general then was, for nearly six months was confined to his camp stretcher, his fortitude and patient endurance, coupled with the splendid heroism he had shown at the attack on the Redan, winning him recommendation from the Commander in Chief in a special despatch and promotion to Captain. in the Afghan War of 1879, Colonel Massy commanded the Cavalry Brigade with Lord Roberts, and took part at the battle of Charasiah and the operations up to the fall of Cabul, the capture of Sherpur, the Chardeh Valley action, the sortie from Sherpur, and the final pursuit of the enemy. From 1888 to 1893, Major-General Massy commanded the troops in Ceylon. He was appointed colonel of the 5th Lancers in October 1896 and on april 1st 1898 was placed on the Retired List, having been five years unemployed. his promotion to lieutenant general took place in 1894.
General Sir H S Jones, K.C.B., Royal Marines.
General Howard Sutton Jones entered the Royal Marine Light Infantry in 1853, just a twelve month previous to the outbreak of the Russian War. In that war he had his first experience of active service, as a first lieutenant of Marines, in one of the ships of the Baltic Fleet during the expeditionary cruise of 1855. After the war he embarked in the "Satellite" for service on the Pacific station, where Lieutenant Jones (as the General then was) was employed for four years on special service duty in connection with the British North American boundary settlement in the Far West, and in restoring order, as officer in charge of a detachment of Marines, among the riotous gold miners on the Fraser River, British Columbia. For his services in the North-West, he was specially thanked by the Colonial Government. In 1882 - after as lieutenant colonel commandin a battalion of Royal Marines on special duty in the South of Ireland in connection with the Land League troubles - General Jones was ordered out to Egypt to command the Royal Marine force serving with Lord Wolseley's army. Lord Wolseley appointed General Jones a colonel on the staff, in which capacity he was present at the capture and occupation of Tel-el-Mahuta, took part in the two attacks on Kassasssin (mentioned in despatches), and was at the final storming of the entrenchments of Tel-El-Kebir. General Jones, as major and lieutenant general, was from 1888 to 1893 Deputy-Adjutant General royal Marines at the Admiralty. he became full general in May 1897.
Colonel the Right Honourable J H A Macdonald, C.B., C.D.
Brigadier-General the right Honourable J H A Macdonald, commanding the Forth Volunteer Infantry Brigade, was born in the Scottish capital on December 28th 1836. General MacDonald has won an unique position in military matters, and is the author of several well known works on drill and tactics. Indeed, the sobriquet of "The Heaven-born soldier", bestowed on Major Macdonald some thrity-six years ago at a review in Edinburgh by Lord Wolseley, is h
generally acknowledged as describing his genius as a tactician : and the fitting phrase was uttered by the now field marshal - the general commanding on that occasion - after observation of the brilliant manner in which the brigadier general handled his forces. He received command of the forth Brigade on September 15th 1888, and was appointed in 1896 the adjutant general of the Royal Company of Archers (Queen's Body-Guard). he had previously (1891) been made a brigadier-general of this company, whose duty it is to guard the person of the Sovereign on state occasions. Every officer is of the rank of a general, and privates rank at court as aristocracy. The photo opposite shows the adjutant general in his Body-Guard uniform, a combination of an admiral's and a general's in dark green cloth, profusely ornamented with gold lace, showing thistles and arrows, bullion epaulettes, etc. General Macdonald also commanded the Queen's Rifle Volunteer Brigade (Royal Scots), which increased by some 7,000 men while under his command. He was the first officer, whose service had been wholly as a volunteer, who was made a brigadier general, and the Forth Brigade is a very important one, embracing several counties. As brigadier general of troops on duty at the Royal procession, he last year received from Her Majesty one of the personal medals issued by the Queen to commemorate the Jubilee, while he was also the fortunate recipient of another of those tokens of Royal favour in his capacity as adjutant general of Her Majesty's Body Guard.
Major-Genral H J T Hildyard, C.B., P.S.C.
Major-Genral H J T Hildyard, commanding the 3rd Infantry Brigade at Aldershot, is one of several distinguished officers who commenced their career in the sister service. He was born on July 5th 1846, and entered the Royal Navy in September 1859. He retired after a service of a few years, obtaining in 1867 an ensigncy in the 5th Northumberland Fusiliers, from which he was transferred in the same year to the 71st Highland Light Infantry. In this battalion he was lieutenant and adjutant for nearly seven years. he passed the Staff College in 1877, was promoted captain in the Somersetshire Light Infantry in 1878, and brevet-major in 1882. In the latter year, after some years' service in South Africa, he took part in the Egyptian Expedition, and was present at El Magfar, Tel-El-Mahuta, Kassassin and Tel-El-Kebir, for which he received the medal with clasp, bronze star, brevet of lieutenant-colonel and 4th Class of the Osmanieh. General Hildyard was employed with the Egyptian Army from 1883 to 1888, and was appointed aide-de-camp to the Queen in 1886. He subsequently held other important posts, including that of commandant of the Staff College, and was made a Companion of the Bath in 1897.
Lord Wolseley and Staff. (1898)
The Commander in Chief of the British Army is not a mere figure-head, but an official who is always fully employed. If he is not to be found busily engaged on the subject of Army Reform at the War Office, he is witnessing a field day at Aldershot, or inspecting some branch of the regular or reserve forces. Except during his annual leave he can lay claim to very little leisure time. Lord Wolseley lately visited Portsmouth and inspected the garrison, which, however, was to a great extent depleted, owing to the absence of the "Fighting Fifth" or Northumberland Fusiliers, on a recruiting march through the 5th Regimental District. The scientific corps, too, were conspicuous by their absence, for they were at the moment concerned with the arrangements for the defence of the port; but, for all that, some 2,000 troops appeared on parade and marched past Lord Wolseley. When at Portsmouth, the Commander in Chief of the Army determined to witness some experiments in connection with the facilities for resisting a naval attack on that place. A display was arranged for his benefit, and on the first night of his stay Lord Wolseley took up his position on the Square Tower and watched an attack by torpedo boats on the harbour. Search-lights were employed on shore, and the six quick firing guns placed along the beach were brought into play. The following day the Commander in Chief and his staff visited the Isle of Wight and inspected the defences. In the visit of the Commander in Chief to Portsmouth, the military critic discerns more than a mere official inspection. Such experiments are but signs of the times, and tend to show that the authorities are fully alive to the intimate connection which ought to be maintained between our naval forces and the defenders of our ports on land by whom their efforts are supplemented.
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What type of clamp would an engineer use to hold an object with radial symmetry? | GrabCAD
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Crombie overcoats and Harrington jackets clad which youth movement? | 19612007 photos on Flickr | Flickr
7
If you're a fierce individualist who has a bone to pick with the profit-driven world, you might be a punk. Don't be a punk just because you think it's cool. Punk is a mindset and you don't have to dress or look like anything or conform to a name. You can not be a blue collar and be punk.
Purchasing the hair products, the clothes, and the music; that's buying into society, which is exactly what punk is against. So know who you are, know the reason for the culture, and understand the meaning behind the word.
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.
The punk subculture emerged in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia in the mid-1970s. Exactly which region originated punk has long been a major controversy within the movement.
Two UK punks in a train carriage in 1986; note the hand-stencilled Crass symbol painted on the coat of on the man on the rightEarly punk had an abundance of antecedents and influences, and Jon Savage has described the subculture as a "bricolage" of almost every previous youth culture that existed in the West since the Second World War "stuck together with safety pins".
Various philosophical, political, and artistic movements influenced the subculture. In particular, punk drew inspiration from several strains of modern art. Various writers, books, and literary movements were important to the formation of the punk aesthetic.
Punk rock has a variety of musical origins both within the rock and roll genre and beyond.
The earliest form of punk rock, named protopunk in retrospect, started as a garage rock revival in the northeastern United States in the late 1960s.
The first ongoing music scene that was assigned the punk label appeared in New York City between 1974 and 1976.
At about the same time or shortly afterward, a punk scene developed in London.
Soon after, Los Angeles became home to the third major punk scene.
These three cities formed the backbone of the burgeoning movement, but there were also other scenes in a number of cities such as Brisbane and Boston.
Around 1977, the subculture began to diversify with the proliferation of factions such as 2 Tone, Oi!, pop punk, New Wave, and No Wave. In the United States during the early 1980s, punk underwent a renaissance in the form of hardcore punk, which sought to do away with the frivolities introduced in the later years of the original movement, while at the same time Britain saw a parallel movement called streetpunk.
Hardcore and streetpunk then spread to other regions just as the original subculture had. In the mid-1980s to the early 1990s in America, various underground scenes either directly evolved from punk or at least applied its attitudes to new styles, in the process producing the alternative rock and indie music scenes.
A new movement in the United States became visible in the early and mid-1990s that sought to revive the punk movement, doing away with some of the trappings of hardcore.
Fashion
Punks seek to outrage others with the highly theatrical use of clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, tattoos, jewelry and body modification.
Early punk fashion adapted everyday objects for aesthetic effect: ripped clothing was held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape; ordinary clothing was customized by embellishing it with marker or adorning it with paint; a black bin liner became a dress, shirt or skirt; safety pins and razor blades were used as jewelry.
Also popular have been leather, rubber, and vinyl clothing that the general public associates with transgressive sexual practices like bondage and S&M.
Punk fashion in the early 1980s
Some punks wear tight "drainpipe" jeans, plaid/tartan trousers, kilts or skirts, T-shirts, leather jackets (which are often decorated with painted band logos, pins and buttons, and metal studs or spikes), and footwear such as Converse sneakers, skate shoes, brothel creepers, or Dr. Martens boots.
Some early punks occasionally wore clothes displaying a Nazi swastika for shock-value, but most contemporary punks are staunchly anti-racist and are more likely to wear a crossed-out swastika symbol.
Some punks cut their hair into Mohawks or other dramatic shapes, style it to stand in spikes, and color it with vibrant, unnatural hues.
Some punks are anti-fashion, arguing that punk should be defined by music or ideology. This is most common in the post-1980s US hardcore punk scene, where members of the subculture often dressed in plain T-shirts and jeans, rather than the more elaborate outfits and spiked, dyed hair of their British counterparts.
Dance
Two dance styles associated with punk are pogo dancing and moshing. Stage diving and crowd surfing were originally associated with protopunk bands such as The Stooges, and have appeared at punk, metal and rock concerts. Ska punk promoted an updated version of skanking.
Hardcore dancing is a later development influenced by all of the above mentioned styles.
Psychobillies prefer to "wreck", a form of slam dancing that involves people punching each other in the chest and arms as they move around the circle pit.
Punk Rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. They created fast, hard-edged music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. Punk embraces a DIY (do it yourself) ethic, with many bands self-producing their recordings and distributing them through informal channels.
By late 1976, bands such as the Ramones, in New York City, and the Sex Pistols and The Clash, in London, were recognized as the vanguard of a new musical movement. The following year saw punk rock spreading around the world, and it became a major cultural phenomenon in the United Kingdom. For the most part, punk took root in local scenes that tended to reject association with the mainstream. An associated punk subculture emerged, expressing youthful rebellion and characterized by distinctive styles of clothing and adornment and a variety of anti-authoritarian ideologies.
By the beginning of the 1980s, faster, more aggressive styles such as hardcore and Oi! had become the predominant mode of punk rock. Musicians identifying with or inspired by punk also pursued a broad range of other variations, giving rise to post-punk and the alternative rock movement. By the turn of the century, pop punk had been adopted by the mainstream, with bands such as Green Day and The Offspring bringing the genre widespread popularity.
Punk Rock Bands
Punk rock was developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States and the United Kingdom. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. They created fast, hard-edged music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. Punk embraces a DIY (do it yourself) ethic, with many bands self-producing their recordings and distributing them through informal channels.
As well as The Clash's and Sex Pistols, Punk threw up a multitude of bands who often released the one single on their own record label before fading into obscurity. Some never even made it that far.
Punk's not dead - it just emigrated...
Hang out at a UK punk gig today and you'd be hard pushed to describe what you see as anything other than some good old harmless fun in a genre that long since became another subsidiary of rock 'n' roll.
While punk has produced its fair share of careerists, traditionalists and spotty herberts, let's not forget it has produced a few genuinely provocative bands, from the MC5 and Crass to Fugazi and Refused. But that was then, this is now and it's easy to forget that punk still means something - and I don't mean your drunk Uncle Terry or that bloke who still hangs around the town centre in his Angelic Upstarts T-shirts. Instead, the spirit of punk as an anti-establishment force lives on today. You're just not likely to find it in the UK or the US.
Instead, punk is kept alive in places like Cuba where simply criticising the communist regime can get your ass thrown in jail. As has been reported, that's what has happened to Gorki Águila Carrasco, leader singer of Porno para Ricardo, currently facing four years in prison for "peligrosidad" - literally meaning the dangerousness of his music - specifically for dismissing the ruling Castro brothers as "geriatrics". It's hardly GG Allin is it? Maybe it was their vaguely wacky song 'El Comandante' that upset, um, El Comandante.
Elsewhere the appetite for punk rock grows unabated. Readers of Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel Persepolis or its film adaptation will know the type of trouble faced when caught with contraband punk music under the theocratic tyranny of Islamist fundamentalists in post-revolution Iran. And indeed, how that hunger for anti-social sounds merely grows when challenged. The Sex Pistols might be a joke today, but for millions of oppressed youth they still represent a signpost to freedom.
The perceived controversial nature of punk bands merely highlights the conservative world we're living in, where fundamentalist religious regimes or paranoid governments still perceive punk bands as threatening. Just ask Canadian punk band The Suicide Pilots, who have a government file on them for their name alone. Or ask leading Chinese punk band Hang On The Box, who have previously been denied visas to travel abroad after their government deemed their music an "inappropriate" export. Punk scenes exist in China, but bands have to tread carefully and make sure not to criticise their government. "We are good citizens who obey the law and love our country," said Li Qing of Chinese punk band Snapline, when asked about governmental intervention when interviewed in 2007. And do you know how hard it is locating a Gang Of Four record in North Korea?
Even UK punks aren't immune - when Mike Devine, guitarist with a Clash tribute band, texted his friend some lyrics from The Clash's 'Tommy Gun' the father of two was paid a visit by the Avon & Somerset Special Branch.
"Selling out"
Ultimately, though, Western punk has got soft and largely apolitical thanks to us living in one of the freest countries in the world. Punk in America and Britain is John Lydon selling computer games and Green Day filling stadiums.
Iggy Pop's endorsement of car insurance has prompted accusations of selling out. But does anyone really care any more?
As the flailing, wild-eyed frontman of US garage-rock band The Stooges, Iggy Pop helped pioneer punk long before the Sex Pistols.
His solo career is approaching its fifth decade. Live, he's earned a reputation as one of rock's most exciting performers, with a frame that's not so much athletic as freakish.
So why is one of rock's most iconic rebels now selling car insurance on TV? Will we ever be able to listen to his music in the same way again? Or are we now inured to the fact that at some point our cultural heroes are going to turn round and exhort us to buy, buy, buy?
"Iggy Pop will return to continue Swiftcover.com's campaign to help UK motorists get cheap online insurance and make it clear that now even musicians can 'Get A Life'!'" she said.
However, Pop recently called his involvement with Swiftcover "embarrassing".
Mitchell & Webb Apple Mac
But is this just a generational thing? Would fans of Pete Doherty take such exception seeing him selling cough medicine or train tickets? If Amy Winehouse was unveiled as the new face of a coffee brand, would the sales of her next album plummet?
But if you think punk - the spirit of punk - is dead, go to South America, go to Russia, go to Eastern Europe and see what the young punk fans there have to say about it.
Were you a Punk? Do you have any stories from that era?
See My Other Youth Culture Links Below
6
It hаd been recognised since the 1960s thаt the southern half оf the Inner Circuit Road hаd badly impacted the amenity оf Queen Square аnd The Centre, аnd by the 1990s tentative steps were being taken towards downgrading thіs part оf the road аnd transferring traffic along less sensitive routes. By the mid-1990s, the road across Queen Square hаd been closed аnd plans were being developed tо rebalance The Centre іn favour оf pedestrians аnd public transport.
Bristol City Council launched а consultation exercise іn 1996, іn whіch the public were asked tо choose between а ‘Dock Option’ аnd а cheaper ‘Promenade Option’. Both options involved closing the road across Quay Head; the Promenade Option used the new space tо create а larger pedestrianised area іn place оf the Centre Gardens, wіth fountains, а cascade leading down tо the waterside, аnd а sail structure tо evoke Bristol’s maritime past. The remaining road space іn both options wоuld be designed tо gіve greater priority tо public transport.
The Council decided tо build the ‘Promenade Option’. Thіs soon came under criticism fоr іts poor safety, particularly аfter а number оf pedestrians were injured by vehicles аnd аt least twо people struck by buses аnd killed. The new design wаs аlsо criticised fоr іts traffic noise аnd fumes, "dribbling" fountains, poor traffic flow, poor cycling infrastructure, аnd delays tо public transport. Few were happy wіth the new design, аnd many were disappointed thаt the 'Dock Option' hаd nоt been pursued.
The area around the pedestrian crossing аt the Baldwin Street end оf Broad Quay wаs altered іn 2003 аfter the Bristol Coroner called fоr improvements.
Despite remedial wоrk іn 2007, the sail structure wаs found tо be unsafe аnd removed іn 2009.
In 2011 plans were again being developed fоr major changes tо The Centre. These plans include the possibility оf prohibiting private vehicles frоm crossing The Centre оn the east-west axis, аs mooted іn the 1996 consultation.
'Ships sirens hooted down the Avon Gorge as he opened the huge Cumberland Basin scheme. 'Crowds cheered and motorists queued as Mr Fraser MP pressed the button to swing the bridge in favour of the vehicles.
'Then, at 12.30, precisely, the first car passed on to the concrete ramparts of this £2,650,000 road system. 'Motorists had been queuing back on to the Weston-super-Mare road and circulating around blocks in the Hotwells area, waiting for the barriers to be dropped so that they could be among the first to drive over the new swing bridge.
Despite steady rain, scores of pedestrians swarmed across the bridge, which enables a new view to be enjoyed of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.'
www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/2053436340/
1965 - Wednesday April 14th The Cumberland Basin road and bridge scheme opens. It should have been a day for motorists to celebrate in road-crazy Bristol. After all, the city's leaders were demolishing Georgian relics on the edge of Broadmead as fast as they could to clear the way for the Bond Street dual carriage-way. Old Market was being dismembered for the great slice of underpass and bridgework to make Temple Way a swifter journey for the motorist.
There were firm plans to send a four-lane a motorway charging through inner suburbs like Totterdown, Clifton and Cotham. And Bristol's proudest achievement, its very own spaghetti junction to make life easier for the commuters pouring in from the new satellite towns of Nailsea, Portishead and Clevedon, was being opened by Transport Minister Mr Tom Fraser. Mr Fraser, however, wasn't in celebratory mood. . .he sounded more like a prophet of gloom.
'Transport Minister Mr Tom Fraser warned motorists that he is considering a congestion tax' to beat city jams. 'He is planning further steps to discourage people from using cars in and around city centres. 'Parking controls, loading and unloading and no waiting restrictions have to be used more strongly in the future, he said.
There is a concrete memorial on the promontory commemorating the completion of the Cumberland Basin flyover scheme in 1965. The view down the gorge to the Clifton Suspension Bridge from its seat is spectacular, but marred by the constant traffic noise.
2011 - CAMPAIGNERS hoping to turn open space beneath Cumberland Basin flyover into a park say their efforts are being "lost in bureaucracy".
They say no department at Bristol City Council has been willing to take responsibility for the site, which has been described as a "neglected wasteland" by nearby residents.
Last year, a petition was launched calling for the former Cumberland Piazza to be turned into an attractive open space people can take pride in.
Photograph: Bill Eppridge/Time & Life Pictures
Whatever happened to all the old hippies? The millions who rallied, marched, protested, chanted and boycotted?
Whatever happened to the Peace & Love Generation; the hippies?
Aside from the drug casualties, did they all just become accountants and soccer moms/dads?
Are there any actual studies or statistics on what became of the flower children?
The hippie movement and a culture of flower-wearing, drugs, psychedelic music, psychedelic art and social permissiveness.
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s, swiftly spreading to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into New York City's Greenwich Village and San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district.
The early hippie ideology included the countercultural values of the Beat Generation. Some created their own social groups and communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs such as marijuana and LSD to explore alternative states of consciousness.
In January 1967, the Human Be-In in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco popularized hippie culture, leading to the legendary Summer of Love on the West Coast of the United States, and the 1969 Woodstock Festival on the East Coast.
Hippies in Mexico, known as jipitecas, formed La Onda Chicana and gathered at Avándaro, while in New Zealand, nomadic housetruckers practiced alternative lifestyles and promoted sustainable energy at Nambassa.
In the United Kingdom, mobile "peace convoys" of New age travellers made summer pilgrimages to free music festivals at Stonehenge.
In Australia hippies gathered at Nimbin for the 1973 Aquarius Festival and the annual Cannabis Law Reform Rally or MardiGrass.
In Chile, "Piedra Roja Festival" was held in 1970, and was the major hippie event in that country.
Hippie fashions and values had a major effect on culture, influencing popular music, television, film, literature, and the arts.
Since the widespread movement in the 1960s, many aspects of hippie culture have been assimilated by mainstream society.
The religious and cultural diversity espoused by the hippies has gained widespread acceptance, and Eastern philosophy and spiritual concepts have reached a wide audience.
The hippie legacy can be observed in contemporary culture in myriad forms — from health food, to music festivals, to contemporary sexual mores, and even to the cyberspace revolution.
Fashion
The new hippie clothes style wasn't great for retailers either. Shopping at the Army Surplus tends to undercut major department stores.
Handmade and natural were sacred words. We crafted by doing macrame, beading, all sorts of homespun things that kids today wouldn't be caught dead doing. Never mind. It was the Sixties!.
The 1960s were an important decade – a time of great progress in terms of civil rights and the anti-war movement, the 1960s were also a time where a powerful youth movement mobilized around the tenants of peace and love and revolutionized the world. We all know this, because old hippies love to remind us about their impact. While some people feel that hippies are questionable, there is no denying the enduring legacy of hippy fashion.
The thing about hippy fashion is that it’s so polarizing. It’s one of those things you either love or you hate, and often your opinion on hippy fashion will change in your lifetime. However, there is no denying that hippy fashioned helped change the tenant of youth fashion in a way that impacts contemporary fashion. One of the underlying aspects of hippy fashion was color. Tie dyed shirts were all of the rage and to this day, hippies congregate in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco to participate in a drum circle, play hackey sack, and recite their thoughts in the poetic medium. A time of flower prints, bellbottoms, and occasional dips into leather – hippy fashion is a fascinating genre of 1960s fashion and a symbol of free love (or that’s what we’re told).
Joe Cocker - A Little Help From My Friends - Woodstock 1969 video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQYDvQ1HH-E
On January 14, 1967, the outdoor Human Be-In organized by Michael Bowen helped to popularize hippie culture across the United States, with 20,000 hippies gathering in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. On March 26, Lou Reed, Edie Sedgwick and 10,000 hippies came together in Manhattan for the Central Park Be-In on Easter Sunday.
The Monterey Pop Festival from June 16 to June 18 introduced the rock music of the counterculture to a wide audience and marked the start of the "Summer of Love".
Scott McKenzie's rendition of John Phillips' song, "San Francisco", became a hit in the United States and Europe. The lyrics, "If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair", inspired thousands of young people from all over the world to travel to San Francisco, sometimes wearing flowers in their hair and distributing flowers to passersby, earning them the name, "Flower Children". Bands like the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company (with Janis Joplin), and Jefferson Airplane lived in the Haight.
In June 1967, Herb Caen was approached by "a distinguished magazine" to write about why hippies were attracted to San Francisco. He declined the assignment but interviewed hippies in the Haight for his own newspaper column in the San Francisco Chronicle. Caen determined that, "Except in their music, they couldn't care less about the approval of the straight world."
Caen himself felt that the city of San Francisco was so straight that it provided a visible contrast with the hippie culture. On July 7, Time magazine featured a cover story entitled, "The Hippies: The Philosophy of a Subculture." The article described the guidelines of the hippie code: "Do your own thing, wherever you have to do it and whenever you want. Drop out. Leave society as you have known it. Leave it utterly. Blow the mind of every straight person you can reach. Turn them on, if not to drugs, then to beauty, love, honesty, fun."
It is estimated that around 100,000 people traveled to San Francisco in the summer of 1967. The media was right behind them, casting a spotlight on the Haight-Ashbury district and popularizing the "hippie" label. With this increased attention, hippies found support for their ideals of love and peace but were also criticized for their anti-work, pro-drug, and permissive ethos.
By the end of the summer, the Haight-Ashbury scene had deteriorated. The incessant media coverage led the Diggers to declare the "death" of the hippie with a parade.
According to the late poet Susan 'Stormi' Chambless, the hippies buried an effigy of a hippie in the Panhandle to demonstrate the end of his/her reign. Haight-Ashbury could not accommodate the influx of crowds (mostly naive youngsters) with no place to live. Many took to living on the street, panhandling and drug-dealing. There were problems with malnourishment, disease, and drug addiction.
Crime and violence skyrocketed. By the end of 1967, many of the hippies and musicians who initiated the Summer of Love had moved on. Misgivings about the hippie culture, particularly with regard to drug abuse and lenient morality, fueled the moral panics of the late 1960s.
In August 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair took place in Bethel, New York, which for many, exemplified the best of hippie counterculture. Over 500,000 people arrived to hear some of the most notable musicians and bands of the era, among them Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Carlos Santana, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, and Jimi Hendrix. Wavy Gravy's Hog Farm provided security and attended to practical needs, and the hippie ideals of love and human fellowship seemed to have gained real-world expression.
In December 1969, a similar event took place in Altamont, California, about 30 miles (45 km) east of San Francisco. Initially billed as "Woodstock West", its official name was The Altamont Free Concert. About 300,000 people gathered to hear The Rolling Stones; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; Jefferson Airplane and other bands. The Hells Angels provided security that proved far less benevolent than the security provided at the Woodstock event: 18-year-old Meredith Hunter was stabbed and killed during The Rolling Stones' performance.
See My Other Youth Culture Links Below
Come December 1971 and Bristol's future as a major UK player was to change dramatically. On December 3, the M5 link with the Midlands was opened and the Almondsbury interchange swung into action.
Then, on December 22, the M4 link to London was unveiled and the city suddenly became one of the best-served cities on the motorway network.
There was only one problem - the lack of a service station for 100 miles. Not a few motorists conked out as their fuel tanks ran dry Leigh Delamere services opened in January 1972,.
Soon the poor old A38, which had been such a busy highway for more than a generation, became something of a backwater - full of deserted cafes and petrol stations.
It was the same story on the old A4 London route through Bath and Wiltshire as fume-filled towns such as Calne and Chippenham could start to breathe a little more easily.
Soon London businesses, fed up with life in the capital, would start looking towards the green fields of the west country, just a couple of hours away.
The M4 was built 30 years ago to solve the growing traffic problem of the early 1970s.
BBC West made a programme to mark the occasion. A Million Pounds a Mile was transmitted on 4 January 1972.
The programme features the final linking of the M4 and M5 north of Bristol with a young Michael Heseltine presiding - and you can watch it here on BBC website
World's first express coach service
1920s - 'A Bristol coach company introduced the world's first express coach service, linking Bristol with London. Travel back in time to the days of Greyhound and Morning Star'
The Greyhound coach that zoomed passengers from Bristol to London in a mere eight hours in 1925, was the first to make the through run since coaches were pulled by horses. Greyhound was one of a number of coach companies competing aggressively for the growing market for long distance travel, and it scored a major coup with its fast London run.
Just £1 return for the longest through route ever attempted to a timetable.
These were no mere people carriers but what the company called 'Luxurious travelling parlours', albeit with solid tyres and a speed limit of 20 mph. These long distance coaches were first tested along Ladies Mile on the Downs by placing three tumblers of water in the gangway. If no water was spilled, the coach was accepted.
One of the first drivers on the route, Ted Bryant, recalled leaving Bristol at 11 a.m. and getting into Hammersmith London after seven that night. 'But they were really beautiful buses and everyone was so helpful and polite. In those early days, we had quite aristocratic passengers'.
Ted also took out the first Bristol bus to be equipped with a radio, as far back as 1926. It worked well when the bus was standing still but reception vanished on the move.
Trips weren't always incident free either - inspector Bill Lander remembered being delayed in Calne when a pig escaped from the bacon factory and became caught beneath the hot exhaust pipe. On another occasion, the radiator boiled over and passengers had to carry cans of water from a nearby RAF station.
Greyhound ran two coaches a day to London, leaving at 9 am. and 11 a.m. via Bath, Marlborough, Newbury, Reading and Maidenhead. The earlier one travelled via Chippenham and stopped for refreshments at Newbury The second went via Devizes and had a break at Hungerford Wiltshire.
The company originally offered a ticket from Bristol to London for just £1
In 1927, the luxury travelling parlours were replaced by super deluxe buffet coaches, upholstered in red antique leather with smoking and non smoking sections. Each seat had a folding table, windows were curtained and there was a steward's pantry for tea, cigarettes and chocolate. There were also on-board toilets but these were removed after a year because passengers found using them was 'somewhat hazardous'.
Greyhound had a competitor in 1928 in the Super Comfort coaches introduced by Morning Star of Lawrence Hill. The Leyland Lioness coaches were painted in sumptuous scarlet and cream and ran via Warmley, Wick and Marshfield to Chippenham, Marlborough, Newbury and Reading.
An early review of the new service pointed out that the Lioness had the same type of chassis as that supplied to the King, while the clutch was designed by racing ace j. C. Parry Thomas. The 29.9 hp engine ( 58 bhp ) provided 'remarkable' acceleration and ample power to get up steep inclines like Tog Hill.
The only problem, an unnamed Bristol Times reporter wrote, was that the coach was so comfortable, passengers were tempted to fall asleep instead of enjoying the unrivalled scenery;
'To travel to London by road may be a novelty to those who are inexperienced but to business men in a hurry or to people who desire the health-giving air and the exhilaration of speedy and reliable motoring, the new Morning Star service is undoubtedly a blessing' he added.
'Those who try it as a new sensation will adopt it as a permanent means of journeying to the Metropolis, for it combines safety, speed, comfort and cheapness'.
And if you think an eight hour trip to London is hardly of much use 'to businessmen in a hurry', bear in mind that even modern coaches used to take more than six hours along the A4 before the M4 opened fully in 1971.
2010 M5 near Bristol "Britain's 4th most depressing road"
Over half of UK car drivers (59 per cent) agree that driving on Britain’s roads is either stressful or very stressful, according to 3000 drivers surveyed by Motorcycle News.
Britain’s top 10 most depressing roads according to the Road to Freedom Report were:
The familiar stretch of the M5 motorway, between Bristol & Clevedon, under construction.
This contract, which commenced in April 1970, was let to Cementation Ltd. for a tender sum £5.7m.
It started at the south abutment of the Avonmouth Bridge and extended to Clapton Wick in the Clevedon Hills.
It included the construction of the elevated roundabout interchange with the A369 at Portbury and the adjacent Service Area. On sidelong ground in the hills the works were mainly in rock cutting in massive limestone. In order to accommodate the sidelong ground the two carriageways were constructed at separate levels which varied up to 30 feet. In order to support the lower northbound carriageway a crib wall comprised of interlocking precast concrete units infilled with rock was built and to support the higher carriageway a reinforced concrete retaining wall, tied back with rock anchors, was used.
To cross over two adjacent valleys at Wynol Farm twin parallel prestressed viaducts, some 1600 ft long and up to 100 ft high were built and are a feature of this length of Motorway. Access to the site of the viaduct was extremely difficult. In all nine new bridges and 1.5 m cu.yds. of excavation, of which 60% was rock, were required on this 5 miles of M5.
4
Memories of The Garrick's Head Bristol Centre later demolished to make way for new offices, with the plain ugly Bristol & West building standing next to it. (sadly this huge towering building which is totally out of keeping with its surroundings still survives - to be turned into posh city centre flats )
GARRICK’S HEAD Broad Quay: No.62 Broad Quay (No.22 from around 1904). Previously the St.Patricks Tavern the Garrick’s Head was rebuilt in 1890 and was demolished in 1978 to make way for an extension to the Bristol & West building. The architect of the Garrick’s Head was Edward Gabriel who also designed the Cambridge Arms in Redland. Mathews’ Directory records the name change in 1856; however, Slaters’ Directory lists the pub as the Garrick’s Head in 1853.
In 1978, the Bathurst Tavern was renamed the Garrick's, when the landlord of the demolished Garrick‘s Head took over the inn and hoped to keep most of his old clientele. Then, in 1982, the name was again changed to the Smugglers. - St.Patrick’s Tavern: 1828 - 30. John Fisher / 1837. Thomas Rowlin / 1839. John Jeffries / 1840. Robert Tasker 1841 to 1855. Henry Matthews in 1828, John Fisher is listed as: waterproof hat maker and wholesale & retail spirit dealer, (home brewed beer)
Garrick’s Head: 1856 - 69. Henry Matthews / 1871 - 74. Frederick Saddler / 1874. Mrs Hibbeard / 1875 - 88. George Rogers 1889. Robert Peters / 1891. Robert Smith / 1894 - 96. William Baker / 1897. George Toms 1899 -1909. William Langdon / 1914 - 17. John Colenso / 1921 - 44. John Webb / 1950 - 53. Frederick Webb 1975 A. R. Venn.
(image copyright@ Time & Life Pictures)
The Skinhead look from the late sixties and early 70s is almost a forgotten fashion. Although, most people associate Skinheads with the late 70s and early 80s, there was a strong Skinhead movement in Britain between 1968 and 1972, with 1969 to 1971 being the time when Skinheads were primarily in the news.
Most people think of the 60s as the era of the Mods, then Flower Power and Hippies. The Hippy era though was mainly a middle class rebellion against middle class values. Many working class young people found they could not identify with it. They never had the middle class lifestyle to rebel against. Whereas Mod embraced the consumer society, the Hippy movement, although later much commercialised, itself rejected it. These working class youngsters had nowhere to go.
The Skinhead fashion for men evolved from the Mod fashion earlier in the sixties. The original Skinhead fashion was smart style derived from the American Ivy league fashion, although unlike Mod fashion, which was an ever changing scene, the 60s Skinhead became a uniform.
The late 60s and early 70s Skinhead took elements of Mod and was a clear evolution from it. The look was smart. Short hair was a brave statement in the late sixties, when most young people wanted to grow their hair long. The original Skinhead was not completely shaven, but had a short, smart haircut. The inspiration may have been a combination of the college boy haircut favoured by the Mods and military style haircuts. A new hero was emerging on our TV screens in 1968 and 1969, the American astronaut. Their short, smart haircuts were the complete opposite to the Hippie style.
By 1968, the Skinhead look comprised short hair, a button-down shirt, or sometimes a Fred Perry instead, Stay Prest trousers or Levi 501s, brogues or boots with an army-style shine on them (often not Dr Marten's for the 1968 look). Sometimes a suit was worn, often a classic Mod style tonic suit with narrow trousers and lapels, the complete opposite of the flared jeans preferred by the hippies. Ties were narrow, usually striped. Sometimes a cardigan replaced the suit jacket.
The button down shirt was often a Ben Sherman. Skinheads wore gingham check, sometimes other check patterns, or plain Oxford cotton. Ben Sherman struggled to keep up with demand and alternatives from Brutus and Jaytex were also available in similar styles. Fred Perry shirts were also worn by Skinheads in the 60s.
Skinheads wore Crombie overcoats, favoured by gangsters such as the Krays, but smart and expensive. Alternatives were fly fronted gabardine Macs or sheepskin coats. The look was grown up and smart. Very definitely not hippy.
Doc Martens were originally associated with anti-social and rebellious teenagers, skinheads, punks, rock music and heavy metal music fans. During the 60's, however, Doc's began to appear on rockstars and celebrities, and soon they became a mainstream brand within the fashion industry. In the 2000's, Doc's are now widely worn across the globe.
Dr. Martens is one of the most idiosyncratic and recognizable brands of footwear in the world. With absolutely no spending on advertisement, the brand has become a well-known and fashionable design.
During the 2010 Fashion Show in New York in April, the Doc Martens 14-Hole black leather boot won two fashion awards; one for the 'most popular men's footwear in latest fashion' and the other for 'best counter-cultural footwear of the decade'.
Sta-Prest (intended to be pronounced as "stay pressed") is a brand of wrinkle-resistant trousers produced by Levi Strauss & Co., beginning in 1964.
These products are marketed as wearable straight out of the dryer, with no need for ironing. The trousers were especially popular among British mods of the mid 1960s and skinheads of the late 1960s (as well as among traditionalist skinheads and mod revivalists of later decades).
Vintage pairs of Sta-Prest trousers have become collector's items. Other companies, such as Lee and Wrangler, produced similar styles of trousers during that same period. Lee's version was called Lee Prest, which came in similar colors and patterns as Sta-Prest; although they were much slimmer and tapered. Decades later, Merc started marketing a brand called Sta Press.
Skinhead was not Mod, since it was much more of a rigid dress code. The Mod look was ever changing with the mood of the Mod fashion of the time. The later 1979 Mod revival, turned the Mod fashion into more of a uniform, but in the 60s being Mod meant you needed to change your look frequently to stay in fashion. Skinheads had no such problem.
BOOTS
Probably one of the most important parts of the skinhead uniform. Back in the first wave (around '69), about any kind of leather lace-up boot would work. After being classified as weapons, the style became Doc Martens because they were comfortable as hell, came in good colors and were quite durable. Today, the most popular colors are black, red, and oxblood (a dark reddish brown). Other colors are available. Most popular are 8-10 hole (as far as I know) while 14 are in large numbers, although 14+ holes are mainly worn by boneheads. Keep your boots SHINY! The shinier the better. For oxblood,use a neutral wax, or alternate between red and black polish. Also...if you can, get steel caps. Never know when you might need them. Here are some other makes of boots you'll find skinheads wearing:
Grinders: Respectable make of boots coming in a wide range of colors and eyelettes. A bit more costly mainly because all models come with steel caps. Let the bovver begin.
Rangers: I've never owned a pair, but I hear good things. Like the Grinders they come in wide selection. Their red and blue being most popular I believe. I heard Rangers are popular with the gay skinhead crowd. I dont know why, though.
JEANS
Jeans, like boots, are worn by all skinheads. They're a must. Sometimes replaces with slacks (in the case of a tonic, or other kinds of suits). Before Levi's were the best choice Lee and Wrangler were widely worn. Still are, though Levi's are probably most popular. Levi's red tab, 501's more specifically. Either rolled up (or cut/shortened) to show off most of the boots and, maybe, laces (for a statement...more on this later). Sometimes you'll see the whole boot exposed but usually they're turned up to right above yer ankle. The jeans were meant to be worn lower in the waist, but we tend to wear them high, which brings us to our next item...
BRACES
Also known to the unitiated here in the States as "suspenders." They're called braces because, in England, "suspenders" is what we Americans would call a garder belt. See where the confusion would come in? By far, the most popular variation is the thin, half inch or so ones. Although 3/4-1 inch have been seen before. Boneheads have some color-coding system for them, but you know what? Boneheads sniff glue. Most popular colors are black, white or red. I've owned a pair of burgandy ones before, and I've seen some skins with blue braces. Not an absolute must-have, but pretty important.
There's a lot of different kinds of shirts popular with different skins.
T-Shirts You'll see these most often I think. Usually those of bands, but sometimes slogans and declarations (i.e. "EMO SUCKS" or "SKINHEADS - Still alive and kickin'!").
Ben Sherman was some Canadian guy who wanted to market his button-downs. He made a wise choice becasue these are one of the most popular shirts worn by skinheads the world-over. They come in all kinds of colors and designs.
They even have SLIM FIT, and some polo shirts.
Fred Perry Another classic. Polos, cardigans, pull overs, jackets, sweaters. They have a lot of stuff worn by a lot of people; Mods, Skins, Suedes. Fred was a tennis player (a good one, from what I hear) who lent his name to the clothes. These are expensive, and somewhat rare. Check out The Last Resort shop and Crash And Burn, Atlanta to get ahold of some.
Lonsdale A boxing supply kind of company from London. They got v-necks, polos, T-shirts, skull caps, and some other cool stuff. The Last Resort.nu and Crash & Burn had some last I checked.
JACKETS
Jackets have always been pretty popular with skinheads, and mods before then & the suedeheads after. Here's some notable kinds you'll see:
Harrington Jackets Made popular by some guy from British TV. A basic looking jacket. The black, red and blue being most popular
Denim jackets Self-explanitory. A Levi's denim jacket is a great addition to any skin's wardrobe. I like how well they hold patches & the like.
MA-1 Flight jackets U.S. Air Force flight jackets, by Alpha preferably are a awesome article of clothing. Warm, good-looking, and comfortable. Most popular colors are sage green, blue, black and burgandy. Boneheads seem to take a liking to the black ones...nothing wrong with taking it back though.
Donkey jackets A long, heavy wool material coat with deep pockets and a plastic, leather or vinyl area on the shoulders and upper back. This was used for coal miners and other workers to rest their tools on without fucking up the material. Very nice.
SUITS
Suits were worn by Rude Boys, Mods the Hard Mods that came before Skins. So naturally, skinheads wear them a decent amount too. The two basic types you'll see are tonic suits and just a black and white suit (not a tuxedo!) with shortened sleeves and pant legs. Top of with some shades, maybe, and a pair of shiny brogues (steel toed, of course) or some boots you'll be looking "the business" and ready for a night out.
BOOT LACES
The color of the laces in your boots can mean more than you think. Some people wear them to make a statement, others wear them just 'coz they like the color. In the case of the former, the colors mean a lot of different things in a lot of different places. So here's SOME things they can mean in some places.
Black This usually means freshcut (a new skin) or "I just got these boots and I havent got other laces yet" or even "I could give a fuck about what color my boot laces are!"
White If you asked most people what this was for they were quickly tell you "White power" but I've heard of skins from NY and New England wearing the white laces in defiance. I know thats why I do. Dont assume either the case without talking to the skin first.
Red Communism, RASH, Redskin, Leftist politics, boneheads wear it for something about being willing to bleed for their make believe "Aryan race"
Blue This can mean sXe(straightedge), it can mean cop killer, or even anarchy.
Yellow I've heard yellow meaning anarchy, looking for ultra-violence (murder, rape etc), being and Asian basher, or liking bannanas.
Pink Gay skinhead, or "Queer basher". Even "Queers bash back" Not necessarily for gay skins in the latter case, but supporting them.
Green I've heard all kinds of stuff for this one; Ska fan, SHARP (?), environmentalist, celtic pride
Orange An FAQ once said this meant "Biohazard fan". I assume they were joking...
THE CROP
Not really clothing, but cropped (short-cut) hair is, so you would think, extremely important. Today using the electric razor without and attachment seems popular, while back in the day any length up to a number 5 was acceptable. If you have a fucked up looking head get a crew cut...I know some people that look like monks unless they have a crew cut. There's some people that think you can be a skinhead with having a full head of greasy hippie hair.
See Photograph: 'Mods' on scooters, Upper Richmond Road
Producer: Terry Spencer Date: 1964
Who can remember the Locarno ballroom? Bristol's premiere 1960s dance venue in the new Bristol Centre with its famous illuminated ceiling.
Bristol . . . entertainments capital of the South West, and one of the entertainments attractions of Europe. That was the talk of the town when Mecca moved into Bristol, splashed out a fortune and began building the New Entertainments Centre in Frogmore Street, towering over the ancient Hatchet Inn and the Georgian and Regency streets nearby.
The New Entertainments Centre wasn't just big, it was enormous and it was what 60s leisure and fun-time were all about, Mecca promised. Here, slap bang in the middle of Bristol, the company was creating the largest entertainment centre in the whole of Europe. A dozen licensed bars, an ice rink, bowling lanes, a casino, cinema, a night club, a grand cinema, asumptuous ballroom and, naturally, a multi-storey car park to accommodate all those Zephyr Zodiacs, Anglias, Westminsters, Minis, Victors and Imps etc which would come pouring into town bringing the 5,000 or so customers who would flock to the centre every day.
London might have its famous West End. Bristol had its Frogmore Street palace of fun and the opening night of the biggest attraction of all, the Locarno Ballroom, on May 19th was the Night To Crown All First Nights, the Bristol Evening Post proudly announced. Sparkling lights, plastic palm trees in shadily-lit bars, a revolving stage, dolly birds in fishnet tights and grass skirts . . . this was glamour a la mid-60s and Bristol loved it.
Everyone wanted to be there'on Night One but the guest list was limited. It was, the Post reported the next day: "... a date to remember last night for 800 Bristol and West Country VIPs who saw the splendour of Mecca's new Locarno ballroom.
"At the New Bristol Centre were the mayors, the business chiefs and the top socialites of the city and neighbouring counties. "Mecca, having spent £2 million on building, spared no expense in making the opening of the ballroom one of the gayest nights of the year. "There was a gift of a commemmorative Churchill crown for every guest, including the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Aid. and Mrs Tom Martin. "Aid. Wally Jenkins, chairman of the Public Works and Planning Committee, gave the ballroom Bristol's blessing in declaring the premises well and truly launched.
"When Mecca selected Bristol for their centre, they did not just do it with a pin, he said. "They knew that Bristol deserved and appreciated the best. Mecca had shown a swashbuckling and adventurous enterprise in providing it and Bristol would support it. "To tell the guests last night all they wanted to know about Mecca, there were half a dozen hostesses, including winners of the West Country heat of the Miss Great Britain contest—in plumes, fishnet tights and bikinis. "There were girls in grass skirts who brought on the pineapple confection for the buffet supper. "There was Sidney Jones and his Orchestra playing conventional ballroom music and Wilf Ray and his Orchestra— including an ex-member of the Cadillacs, one of the West's top beat groups—playing superbly competent swing.
"There was glitter and glow of myriad lights. "There was an atmosphere of rich opulent intimacy warming the place in a way not to be expected in a ballroom capable of holding more than 2,000 people. "Guests were served drinks in the South Seas climate of the Bali Hai bar, in the swish Le Club bar and by check-waist- coated, bowler hatted barmen in the Victorian bar".
That was just for starters. In mid- November the Lord Mayor was there to open the magnificent £100,000 ABC Cinema at the centre. A week later Miss World, a beautiful Indian medical student, Reita Faria, came to town to open the Craywood Club, the new casino. Bristol—Sixties entertainment capital of the West.
Bristol Ice Rink in Frogmore Street opened in 1966. Originally owned by Mecca they added an ice hockey arena in 1981. It is now part of the John Nike Leisuresport’s facilities offering skating lessons, junior ice hockey and ice karting.
The Mecca Entertainment Centre today - see link below
Tiffany's at Durdham Down
Tiffany's dance hall at the top of Whiteladies Road on the edge of the Downs in the old quarry I think it had previously been called The Glen and has since been demolished.
The BUPA hospital now stands on the site.
At the top of Whiteladies, down below the street level in a sort of valley, like a quarry ditch, was Tiffanys. It had trees inside with Christmas lights on and was another place into the Scampi in a Basket scene. Later in the 70s they had Punk night on Sundays.
It was demolished and the Glen Hospital built on it
Believe it or not 27 years have gone by since the popular club on the Downs, Tiffany's, finally closed its doors. Situated in the Glen, a former quarry on Durdham Down, and run by Mecca Leisure, the club had been providing young Bristolians with a good night out and the possibility of romance for an incredible 25 years.
It had formerly been known as the Locarno, and was opened in 1953, but even before that the site had offered open-air teas and entertainments. It had opened in 1946, just after the end of the war, by entrepreneur John Ley, who later went on to start the old Ashton Court Country Club, now known as Redwood Lodge.
Because of wartime rationing he couldn't get a catering licence but printed posters saying: "Bring your own food and have a picnic - boiling water and crockery provided free." People turned up in their thousands.
This was no exaggeration. During that first summer 10,000 people paid six old pence (three pence for children) to pass through the turnstiles. The following summer numbers swelled to an unbelievable 200,000. But just what was on offer to attract such crowds? Well, as one young girl later stated, there was something for everyone.
Many children's parks had been stripped of their equipment during the war years, with the metal being used for armaments, and it was a complete novelty for kids to be able to play on swings, roundabouts and slides, which some of them had never even seen before.
John Ley, who had been born in Henleaze, had been fascinated by the old quarry, when, as a boy, he had looked down into it from the top of the old trams. Quarrying had ceased in 1876 and from the end of the First World War it was occupied by music company Duck, Son and Pinker as their sports and entertainment centre.
They had hard tennis courts, a roller skating pavilion, military bands and dancing. But after a wartime blackout was instituted ajl these activities ceased and on December 2,1940, the pavilion was completely destroyed by German bombers. The two-acre site be came neglected and overgrown until John Ley, whose family owned the well-known Carolines Cake Shop, decided to pay £6,000 it.
Ambitious plans for a three-story building housing an ice-rink, swimming pool and restaurant never materialised, but there was popular roller skating and a nine-hole putting course as well as Punch and Judy shows, dog shows, open air concerts, dancing and lots of other attractions. There were even church services on a Sunday.
Old ex-Army huts were bought and linked together to form a huge dance hall which could cater for up to 5,000 people on Thursday and Saturday nights. But although Mr Ley was later to say that he never made much money out of The Glen, he did sell out to Mecca for £31,000 in 1953, a tidy sum in those days.
Three years later it was to re-open as the Locarno ballroom, becoming a favourite hangout for local Teddy Boys, with then-frock coats, suede shoes and slicked back hair.
Mecca even supplied a so-called "stag room" where the Teddy Boys could use haircream dispensers and get their trousers pressed while they waited. As this era passed the dance hall became an old-time music hall but when this closed it reopened as Tiffany's.
The quarry now houses a private hospital, but for generations of Bristolians it will always hold memories of a good night out and the possibility of romance.
Do you remember going to Tiffany's?
Wills Tobacco Factory Hartcliffe Bristol 1983.
The 1970s saw great change with the building of a massive new steel framed ‘state of the art’ factory and offices in Hartcliffe to the design of the great Chicago based architects SOM.
This resulted in the company moving out of its old sites and the subsequent speculation and demolition of buildings that should have been protected. It was an irony that the new 1972 building was to be listed by English Heritage, although Imperial moved out in the Eighties and only the frame of the office building over the fine landscaped lake now remains.
This is, subject to planning and listed building consent, to be transformed by the award winning developers Urban Splash, to a mixed use building to the designs of George Ferguson’s practice Acanthus Ferguson Mann and it is hoped will contribute to the regeneration of the Hartcliffe area as the Tobacco Factory development has undoubtedly done so to the Ashton/Southville area.
Hartcliffe Factory: 1970s
In 1974, WD and HO Wills opened Europe’s largest cigarette manufacturing plant on land at Hartcliffe near Bristol. The factory lasted all of 16 years and closed in 1990 as the tobacco industry felt the squeeze. Points West saw the factory open. See Video click on link below.
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The Old Profanity Showboat was a late 1982 middle-of-the-night brainchild of Ki Longfellow-Stanshall, the wife of Vivian Stanshall, one of England's national treasures. The showboat was based on the idea of creating, owning, and running a theatre on a sea-going ship and using it to showcase music of every sort (limited only by the size of the hold), including cabaret, comedy, plays, musicals, and poetry events. The ship also contained an art gallery. The living quarters were home for Vivian, Ki, their daughter, Silky Longfellow-Stanshall, and Ki's daughter, Sydney Longfellow, as well as a few key personnel.
Rusting away for seven years after running aground at Gateshead, a German built "Baltic Trader" named Thekla was discovered in the half-abandoned docks of Sunderland on the eastern coast of England. The SS Thekla was perfect. The last of the riveted ships, she was 450 tons, measured one hundred and eighty feet long from stem to stern, and thirty feet wide, with an eight foot draft. The Thekla was capable of circumnavigating the globe.
Because she'd carried a cargo of primarily grains, her hold was vast, open, clean, and lined with one of the hardest woods in the world, red jarrah from Australia. Everything had to be refurbished from the U-boat engine (left over from the Second World War), to the leaky hydraulics to the donkey winch for raising and lowering the anchors. In the summer of 1983, she set sail for Bristol on the opposite side of Britain, a city chosen because Vivian had once played there as frontman for The Bonzo Dog Band, and because Ki liked the sound of the place.
Fresh out of dry dock with her bottom scraped, and covered in a new coat of black paint and white paint, plus a rather nice red for the stack, and with all the ironwork and welding accomplished, the SS Thekla sailed 732 nautical miles to Bristol in six days and six nights.
A major refurbishment of the ship was completed in October 2006 after being purchased by Daybrook House Promotions, owners of Rock City, Rescue Rooms, Stealth and The Social in Nottingham. At the same date the clubs name was changed to Thekla Social, but the ship name remained unchanged. She remains at the moorings in central Bristol where she was first positioned in 1983 and continues to function as a music venue and nightclub.
The Bonzo Dog Band - click on link below
Bristol is a filthy city, plagued by endless traffic, and lacking in taste or any real commitment to the arts. The streets are badly lit, the council arrogant and uncaring, the people dull and think of nothing but making money.
Is this the Bristol you know and love? Surely not. These were, in fact, the results of a survey of the city taken in autumn 1798. Yes, 205 years ago, they were already complaining about the traffic, and that was long before there were even any bus or cycle lanes. In those days, the problem wasn’t delivery vans and lorries: it was delivery sledges pulled by dogs. Wheeled transport was banned above the many cellars, which undermined the centre of the city around the harbour for fear of them caving in.
Contemporary documents give a distinct impression that there was more concern for the wine stored beneath than anyone getting hurt.
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The Louisiana, now on the corner of Wapping Road, then stood proudly at the entrance to the Basin with a splendid view over the green fields of Bedminster. The Basin itself was constructed as part of the Floating Harbour scheme in 1804-9 by William Jessop, where the Malago Brook once entered the Avon, turning the wheels of the old Trimm Mill as it did so.
The Basin formed a locked link between the New Cut and the Floating Harbour and The Louisiana overlooked the southern lock. The Bathurst family had a long association with Bristol when Charles Bragge was its member of parliament at the end of the eighteenth century. He changed his name to Bathurst in 1804 and so, when the new Basin was created it was named in his honour, Bathurst, rather than Bragge’s Basin.
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A busy morning scene in Baldwin Street, Bristol as market traders unload their crates of cauliflowers, cabbages, bananas, apples, and all the other items of greengrocery needed to feed the hungry shoppers of Bristol. Other shops nearby included fresh fish and who remembers the ice shop that stood on the right?
In earlier years the ice shop was no doubt successful as few businesses, shops or families owned
freezers and refrigerators at that time, and the ready availability of commercially-frozen ice must have been a real boon to them. Such a business was destined for eventual failure, however, as
post-war prosperity had put refrigerators within the reach of most families between the mid 1950s and early 60s; this photograph dates from April 1960.
The home freezing of garden and allotment produce, baked goods and plated meals enjoyed a lot of popularity in the 1970s. A few decades on, many working couples have little time to cook and freeze food, and for many the freezer has become little more than a storage space for quick and convenient meals. The scene was to undergo dramatic changes within a few years of this photograph; in 1968 a new fruit and vegetable market was built in St Philips Marsh, and the part of the city around Baldwin Street has become largely a business area, with a number of solicitors and accountants based here.
Nightlife, clubbing, bars and entertainment in Bristol
Bristol's ever-changing pub & club scene from the 60s to the 90s and beyond - which ones do you remember?
Town's Talk, Bedminster Down, Bristol
Towns Talk Night Club/Restaurant and motel on the A38 out of Bristol just pass Bedminster Down. (grab a granny and scampi and chips)
The Lokiel, Welsh Back
The Lokiel was a boat in the floating harbour where all the waterfront bars like Piano and Pitcher. For some of the time it had a nightclub in the hold.
The Stage Door was in Kings Street
A pub on two floors. If you did not leave before two in the morning,they would lock the doors and you would be stuck there until six.
Scamps - All Saints Street
On All Saints almost next door to Mad Harry's Amusements and the Cinemas, a stag and hen night place.
Platform 1 - Whiteladies Road
On Whiteladies near the train station. Favourite club for City football players of the late 70s was Platform 1 - If you managed to get in - door policy seemed to be you had to be a footballer, friend of a footballer or a female or live in Clifton?.
The Dug Out (Thai House Restaurant) - Park Row
The steep staircase was a test of how drunk you were.
Best known these days as the club that gave birth to the 'Bristol Sound', the Dugout was often used as a live music venue in the late 1960s. Those freaky longhairs of Bristol alternative collective Plastic Dog put on a weekly residency by local prog rock one-hit-wonders (Jig-A-Jig, 1971) East of Eden. But booming audience numbers meant that they soon had to decamp down the hill to the much bigger club that was the Granary.
For years, the Dug Out, on Park Row, was the centre of the Bristolian music universe, nurturing artists, DJs and bands like the Wild Bunch - later to become Massive Attack - and Roni Size.
And since it closed in 1986, the myths surrounding the club have continued to grow, along with the numbers of people who claim to have been regular visitors back in the day.
Martells (Formerly LeMans? Magellans? Now a Casino) - Anchor Road
Anchor Road behind the library. You could even buy Scampi in a Basket from a funky hole in the wall hatch.
Papillons (formerly Top Rank, Baileys, Romeo & Juliets (R&Js), Odyssey, The Works) - Nelson St
Who can forget Bailey's also known as R&Js but known as The Top Rank.
Positioned handily opposite the old Bridewell Police Station, this place is - you guessed it - yet another bloody student nightclub. It's gone through a variety of names and is currently called The Syndicate. But back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was the Top Rank. Here you could have seen everyone from prog titans Genesis, King Crimson and Gentle Giant to The Sweet, Cream, Peter Frampton and even the Beach Boys.
Busbys ( formerly Gaumont cinema, became Ritzys, Creation and Sports Cafe) - Baldwin St
Livermore's People's Palace the new Palace and finally the Gaumont - Now this building in Baldwin Street is an ex night club but at least its fascia remains - In its heyday it took a staff of 40 to run the New Palace under the watchful eye of manager Mr G. H. Blackburn.
Records of the era do not appear to have survived but many music hall stars of the day appeared at the People’s Palace, including Arthur Lloyd, Maie Lloyd, Harry Lauder, Little Titch, Charlie Chaplin, John Philip Sousa and his band.
The Rank Organisation submitted planning proposals in the 1970s to convert the Gaumont to a Bingo Hall, but this does not appear to have been followed through. In 1980 they applied and received permission to change the building use from a cinema to a discotheque. The present layout of the building is believed to date from this time. The nightclub was originally known as Busby’s, later it was called Ritzy, then Creation, and latterly the Sports Café.
Tiffanys (formerly The Glen, demolished for Glen Hospital) - At the top of Whiteladies
The infamous Ronnie Butler used to do the door.
Which had a Thursday night rule of girls get in free. Tiffany's, finally closed its doors. Situated in the Glen, a former quarry on Durdham Down, and run by Mecca Leisure, the club had been providing young Bristolians with a good night out and the possibility of romance for an incredible 25 years.
Formerly known as The Glen, this dance hall at the top of Whiteladies Road was a frugging mecca for generations of Bristolians, renowned for its classy plastic palm trees. In the early '70s, it was also a live music venue under the decidedly non-PC moniker Boobs (hey - in the 1970s, they could probably have got away with calling it Titties or Jugs). Thin Lizzy, Motorhead and Hawkwind are among the bands known to have played here. Perhaps most extraordinarily, Bob Marley and the Wailers played their first Bristol gig at Boobs in May 1973. Later in the '70s, Tiffanys had a punk night with live music from the likes of The Clash. Its was later demolished. The Spire private hospital now occupies the site.
Lourdes (formely Roxy's, demolished for Galleries) - Fairfax Street
Approximately above where Midland Educational used to be on Fairfax St was Lourdes. Originally it was a heavy metal place called Roxys but went disco after Saturday Night Fever and even had Bristol's first illuminated glass floor and infinity mirrors put in. You're impressed I can tell. There was a car park out the back, it was considered very entertaining to pee off it into Fairfax St.
The Locarno, New Mecca Centre, Frogmore St
Part of the the ABC Entertainment Center on Frogmore St with the Cinema, Ice Skating Rink and other nightclub Raquels. The Locarno did more gigs than act as a club. In the early days the security was done by Teddy Boys from the ice rink, morons in Crombies who hated the punks that started to play there.
This venue in Frogmore Street went through many different names. In the late sixties it was home to the Electric Village prog night, which brought Jimi Hendrix to town in 1967. In 1972, you could have seen David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars supported by Thin Lizzy. The Studio/Locarno subsequently played host to the likes of The Clash, Spirit (supported by The Police!), Elvis Costello, Joy Division, Iggy Pop, U2, Kraftwerk, Iron Maiden, Faith No More, Living Color and Ozzy Osbourne. Today, it's been converted into student flats.
Raquels, New Mecca Centre, Frogmore St
I think Raquel's was the first place to have lasers, back when seeing a single red beam slice through some smoke was pretty exciting. They would only switch them on for a short time though and instead of dancing townies would sit down to watch while they jiggled the beam a bit and Be Amazed.
Sandra Mccolgan used to work at Raquels in the New Bristol Centre.
Steam Tavern (formerly Lautrecs?, Yesterdays, changed to Steam?) - King St
Near the Naval Volunteer in King St. Popular for office parties.
The Porthouse (The Warehouse?) - off Prince St
I think there were two nightlcubs close together off of Prince St, one was the Porthouse. Multilevel place with tiny dance floor on the bottom but you could actually get away from it a bit and have a conversation upstairs.
Bierkeller (formerly Hoffbrauhaus) - All Saints Street
The Hofbrauhaus, in All Saints Street, open from 11.30am until 2.30am, was offering a 'lunchtime scene' - with four strips every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There was an admission fee of just 10p plus pub-price drinks and cheap pub grub.
Funny place, part oompah band for various weekend office do's and part Rock venue. If you went regularly they would give you tickets to next week and keep the cycle going.
Mandrake Club - Frogmore Street
Big Richard the owner was on the door ex-copper. (Oldest nightclub in Bristol) Full of nurse's and coppers on a night-out!.
Story goes that it was mainly there for the benefit of nurses, coppers and others working late shifts to go for a drink. Most people who went there were faces that owner Richard knew. If you didn't have the face then you had to be a member, to be a member you needed another member.
A bunch of tiny cellars decorated in the psychedelic 60's and apparently unchanged since. Try to avoid seeing it with the lights on.
The Boulevard (formerly Sedan Chair) - Bristol Centre
Not a club, The Sedan Chair was a sad and tiny city center pub that always seemed to be struggling. Some bright spark tried the old barmaids in lingerie trick to pull in punters. So along came The Boulevard featuring girls in Basques, Stockings and Suspenders. It caused quite a stir, at least in the media where it got featured on Points West and such.
Golds (the Tube?) - Frogmore Street
Just a bit along from the Mandrake on Frogmore was another doorway. This was Golds, small and nothing special. I think it was connected to Bristol Poly somehow because we ended up there once after going to the secret Unity Street Student Bar...clearly it failed to make an impression on me.
Bibas - opposite St Mary Redcliffe
Stilettos (formerly Malt and Hops? became Slug and Lettuce?) - Corn St/Broad St. Dave Hamilton was a bouncer at Bibas "Big Dave".
Funny little place opposite St Mary Redcliffe, could get a bit rough. Another refuge for those who couldn't get in anywhere else in town. You had to watch where you put your foot in the car park outside it, loads of potholes filled with water.
Vadim's (became Bimbos?) - top of park street on the triangle
Vadims was at the top of Park Street on the triangle and a bit posey, student territory. The DJ used an converted white piano as the record deck. There were lots of photo posters of Brigitte Bardot on the walls, based on Film director Roger Vadim.
Reeves (Parkside, Arnos Court) Tropic? - Bath Road Arnos Vale
Just next door to the HTV studios. A lot of underage drinking in the Arnos Court bar. For a while there was a "Fun" bar called Bonkers here in the late eighties, dancing on the bar.
Ceasers, Arnos Vale, early 70s?..information needed?
Vickys - strip club on Park St
Sad and tacky strip club on Park St, long, long gone. Oldest and scariest naked women you would ever see outside of Barrow hospital. These girls had tattoos when it was unusual on anyone except a sailor, as much hair under their arms too.
The punters would shout 'get 'em on , get' em on'
Am I being unfair to the girls! some of the strippers were hard-up university graduates, particularly those with arts degrees?
The changing room was next to the gents toilet. It was a strange place with a tiny dance floor, where the girls would perform their act.
Sleazy lunchtime striptease, you can't keep good entertainment away, apparently, and by now Lesters Club in Worrall Road was not alone in advertising its 'girls'.
Park Street's well-known Princess Club, billed as the 'ideal businessmen's meeting place', was also offering 'fabulous strips', but this time at the more respectable hour of 9pm (until 2am).
Curves (Formerly Hickys? became Maxims?) - Park St
Half way up Park St, I have a feeling there were two clubs and I may be confusing them.
Chasers - Kingswood
For Kingswood locals, very rough, ok if your looking for a punch up or worse?. A Kingswood nightclub that boasts on its website that it provides "the biggest nights out this side of Bristol" was temporarily banned from playing music by a top judge. The proprietors of Chasers Nightclub were hit with the injunction for playing music without a licence.
Bristol Bridge Inn
Generations of pub rock bands paid their dues at the Bristol Bridge Inn on St Nicholas Street at the top of the steps leading from Baldwin Street to St Nick's Market. It also staged occasional gigs by indie bands including a bunch of schoolboys called The Coltranes who a few years later had evolved into one of Bristol's finest acts - Strangelove. Various cafes and shops have inherited the site, most recently Obento Japanese restaurant.
A disappointment, small and cliquey. Ok for a quiet drink.
The Fleece and Firkin - St Thomas St
Behind Victoria St on St Thomas and still there, this appeared in an old warehouse during the early 80's I think. A brew pub with live music and Real Ale in amusingly varieties like Dogbolter, you could see a lot of students falling over by the end of the night.
The Hawthorns - Woodland Rd, Clifton
The Hawthorns was another haunt, the hotel was also called the Hawthorns, as I recall and on the junction of University Rd.
The Hawthornes was a grab-a-granny type place.
The Coronation Tap - Clifton
Clifton was popular because of the Coronation Taps, very good value for money getting pissed on Scrumpy.
The Famous Royal Naval Volunteer - King Street
Live music venue at the back.
The Bamboo Club - St Pauls
Opened in 1966 by that Tony Bullimore fella, The Bamboo in St Paul Street was the first club to cater for Bristol's West Indian immigrant community. It also nurtured local reggae outfits Talisman and Black Roots. Bullimore attracted plenty of top acts, including Desmond Dekker and, most famously, Bob Marley and the Wailers, who played the Bamboo not long after their Boobs show. Later, punks rubbed shoulders with the dreads. The club burned down in 1977, shortly before a combo named the Sex Pistols were booked to play on December 21.
The Oasis, 14-16 Park Row, Bristol, BS. Circa 1973 – December 1991
Always called ‘The O’, this was Bristol’s major gay club for men until the 1990s. The Oasis occupied a basement beneath shops in Park Row, with the street entrance a barely noticeable black door with a vinyl canopy above (now the Dojo Lounge). It inherited the slightly Middle Eastern decor and arched openings from its previous incarnation when the Oasis had been a club for architects. Richard Sweet purchased the lease in 1972 and initially continued to run it as a straight club, but in 1973 decided to turn it into a gay club. The doors at the back opened onto a narrow paved yard known as ‘the garden’ overshadowed by Trenchard Street multi-storey car park.
Moulin Rouge 72 Worrall Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8. Circa 1970 – October 1976
Known as the ‘Moulie’, the Moulin Rouge occupied a former swimming pool off Whiteladies Road. The swimming pool was boarded over to form a huge dance floor making it one of the largest gay clubs in Britain. Its complex history has been researched mainly through the files of the Worrall Road Area Residents’ Association at Bristol Record Office.
The site had a long history as a sports and then a bingo club since 1934, and since 1962 as a dance club. By 1966 it was a striptease club called Lesters; in September 1966 the owners opened a second club, the Moulin Rouge, at the rear as a discotheque but it was not gay. The Kray twins were reported to be regular visitors during the late 1960s. In February 1969 Terence O’Brien, a Knowle scrap dealer, took over the lease. Within a few months drag acts were showing and a fancy dress ball was held (probably meaning a drag ball). There were frequent problems with the licence and in April 1970 it became the Drum club, “with an African flavour”. Noise nuisance was a problem; by October 1970 the Drum moved into the city centre and the Moulin Rouge reopened.
King’s 17 Prince Street. 1975 – c. late 1970s?
King’s opened in February 1975 in an old building on the east side of Prince Street, backing onto Queen Square. Many of the staff had worked at the Moulin Rouge. It had three floors: a ground floor pub-style bar, a dance floor with light show above, then a brighter lounge space on the top floor.
King’s was sold and reopened as Smith’s in about 1978. Smith’s was fairly short-lived. The building was demolished and replaced with offices in the 1980s.
The 49 Club (later the Top Deck) 20 Christmas Steps, central Bristol, BS1. c.1977 – c. 1996/7
A small upstairs bar on the east side at the bottom of Christmas Steps, just behind the well-known fish and chip shop at the corner of Narrow Lewin’s Mead.
It began as the 49 Club and operated over two or three floors of the building, and was run by Wilf, formerly of the Ship Inn at Lower Park Row. Later the top floor re-opened as the Top Deck Club. There was a narrow staircase leading up to a small bar with bench seating, and at the back a record deck near a tiny square of parquet, known optimistically as the dance floor. More than six people trying to dance at once was inviting injury or death.
Chantelle’s 135 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, BS8. 1977-1982?
A women’s club open by 1977. It was the venue for an HTV documentary filmed on September 13, 1977, following a day in the life of a gay person. It was still in operation as a lesbian venue in 1982, though its name changed at about that time to Pierrot’s.
The Scarlet Coat 19a Union Street (basement exit in Fiennes Court off Fairfax Street), BS1. c. 1984-90
The earliest known reference is in Bristol Gay Switchboard day book; in January 1984 the Scarlet Coat was being run as a restaurant by two gay women, with women-only discos every Thursday and Saturday night. The transformation from restaurant to full-time club must have happened shortly afterwards.
The owners were a couple called Jane and Bernie. Jane was said to have previously served in the Hong Kong Police. You generally entered it from a doorway in Union Street and went downstairs. The exit was at the back into a courtyard off Fairfax Street. It was one room with about four rectangular tables with benches on one side, one or two round tables and chairs on the other side with the dance floor in the middle. In 1994 the same premises were occupied by a gay club called Just.
Just 1 Fiennes Court, Fairfax Street. 1994-9
Opened late in 1994 by Winston Bright and John Hesketh, in the former Scarlet Coat premises. It closed in April 1999 when the lease was sold to a developer. Winston then opened Winn’s in West Street (Old Market).
Flamingo Joe’s / Club Leo 28 St Nicholas Street, BS1. 1993- c. 1998?
A big dance club situated in the gap between two former gay venues, the Radnor Hotel and the Elephant. It opened in September 1993 as Flamingo Joe’s but was renamed Club Leo by February 1995.
The closing date is unverified, possibly c. 1998. Please tell us if you know more.
Winn’s 25 West Street, Old Market, BS . 1999- ?
Opened in Autumn 1999 in former bank premises, one of the first clubs in the newly gay Old Market area. The licensees were Winston Bright who had formerly run Just, and Julian Potter.
Vibes, 1 Frog Lane. 2001 – ? c. 2009
Opened November 1, 2001. A big club and popular from the start, attracting mixed age groups. It had two bars and an enormous dance floor for those wanting to shake their booty. As the scene’s centre of gravity moved firmly towards Old Market, Vibes perhaps suffered a bit from being in the wrong location as well as the economic recession, and it closed down. It re-opened as OMG on December 8, 2010.
O2 Academy, Frogmore St was originally designed as a 'superclub' back in the days when it was asserted that rock was dead and henceforth da kidz would entertain themselves by shovelling down huge quantities of MDMA and waving their arms in the air to repetitive beats all night.
Granary club at 32 Welsh Back
The roll of honour above the entrance to the Granary club at 32 Welsh Back read like a who's who of prog, metal, classic rock and punk: Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Robert Plant, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Ian Dury, Iron Maiden, Dire Straits, Motorhead, John Cougar, Status Quo, Billy Idol, Def Leppard, The Stranglers . . . More than 1500 bands squeezed on to its tiny stage between 1968 and 1988. Originally run as a jazz club by the late Acker Bilk, the Grade II listed Bristol Byzantine building announced its reincarnation as a rock venue on November 15, 1968, with a gig by the great bluesman Muddy Waters. Its director was legendary local capsizer Tony Bullimore. A grungy, sticky-floored dive, with local bikers serving as 'security', The Granary couldn't have been further removed from today's corporate, elf'n'safety-constrained venues. That's probably why it remains so widely loved, spawning a book (The Granary Club: The Rock Years, Broadcast Books), website and regular old rocker reunions at the Golden Lion on Gloucester Road. Today, the building has been converted into expensive apartments with a fish restaurant on the ground floor.
Victoria Rooms
The historic Victoria Rooms has had a number of functions over the years. In the 1920s, it was briefly run as a cinema. In the 1960s, several groovy pop happenings took place. The Vic Rooms even formed the backdrop to a promo by bubblegum popsters Edison Lighthouse (see above). Pink Floyd played here three times. 1974 brought Supertramp and Chris De Burgh. Then things went very quiet until the early 1990s, when a brief burst of gigging activity included Suede, INXS, The Wedding Present, The Cocteau Twins, Marillion and Lenny Kravitz. Since then, bugger all.
Corn Exhange
Promoter Freddy Bannister, who went on to organise the massive 1970s Knebworth festivals, brought the top bands of the mid-sixties to the Corn Exchange between 1964 and 1967. Their ranks included The Yardbirds, Cream, The Who, The Small Faces, The Pretty Things, The Zombies, Them (with Van Morrison), Pink Floyd and Gene Vincent. The Byrds played one of their handful of British dates here in 1965.
A folky club on King Street with strong connection to the Troubadour Club in Clifton.
Troubadour Club, Waterloo Street, Clifton
Situated in Waterloo Street, Clifton, this was the hub of the late '60s folk boom in Bristol. Among the acts who played here were John Renbourn, Bert Jansch, The Incredible String Band, Roy Harper and Bristol's very own Fred Wedlock. Al Stewart, later of Year of the Cat fame, had a residency at the club and immortalised it in song in Clifton in the Rain on his debut album Bedsitter Images. The Troubadour closed in 1971.
The Croft, Stokes Croft
Now yet another Stokes Croft hipster hostelry, The Croft was basically a windowless sweatbox at the back of a pub whose glory years were from 2006 to 2013. Before that, it was the Bristol Brewhouse and Bristol Comedy Pub. As the Comedy Pub, it played host to local DIY music nights such as Choke and Pull the Strings, whose popularity led to the eventual music takeover. Memorable nights at the Croft included Circulus all dressed up in medieval garb to support Witchcraft, Julian Cope turning up in full biker regalia to DJ at a low-key gig by Krautrock titans Michael Rother and Dieter Moebius, and lady duo Harptallica playing Metallica songs on harps in 2009. Other acts who played here included The Melvins, Viv Albertine, Robin Williamson, Imelda May and Bring Me the Horizon.
The Berkeley Centre, top of Park St
The Berkeley Centre is now the Berkeley Wetherspoons at the top of Park Street. Upstairs was Carwardines which was very much part of the Bristol live music scene in the 70s and early 80s. Gill Loats, author of Bristol Boys Make More Noise: The Bristol Music Scene 1974-81 (Tangent Books), recalls "Carwardines was a great gig, upstairs from Bristol’s original High Street coffee house the Berkeley Café. The ballroom upstairs with its high ceilings and stained glass dome was a perfect venue for our Bristol boys and some out-of-towners including Paul Young’s Q Tips and a little band called U2." Ah, that U2 story… you'll find it all over the interweb and maybe Bono and chums did play the Berkeley Centre/Carwardines, but they definitely played the Trinity Hall. It was an Ashton Court Festival benefit gig in 1979, promoted by Mark Simpson. There were about 75 people in the audience with tickets priced at £1.50 in advance or £1.80 on the door.
The Stonehouse, Newfoundland Road
The Stonehouse was the venue at the back of the Bunch of Grapes pub on Newfoundland Road near The Western Star Domino Club. It was mainly a folk music venue, but in its later years also staged gigs by Bristol's practitioners of punk and new wave. This is where you might go to see The Untouchables, Essential Bop, The X-Certs or The Stingrays. There is an urban myth that the Bunch of Grapes/Stonehouse was a listed building and was demolished 'by mistake' in the development of the bottom of the M32 in the early 80s. Hey, these things happen, and look what we got instead of a characterful pub and quirky live music venue - The Spectrum Building.
The Domino Club
As the name implies, this was a club where West Indian gents would gather to play dominoes. But it also put on live music in the 1980s, with much-loved local acts such as The Losenges being regular visitors. Notably, Erasure played their very first gig here in November 1985, away from the media spotlight. The club was subsequently demolished. In its place is the Staples car park. But, hey, that's progress.
Top Cat Club, Temple Back, off Temple Way
Nightclub in an old converted mill, saw Tony Blackburn there in he 1970s (the building was pulled down to make way for new development)
In one sense, at 4ft 9ins, there isn't a lot of Precious McKenzie. But it's a case of the old saying – there is more than meets the eye.
2005 - Weightlifting legend Precious McKenzie has returned to Bristol to nurture an exciting new talent.
Pint sized Precious was said to be the Queen's favourite athlete, winning four consecutive gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.
He won his third Gold Medal at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games, and his fourth consecutive Gold Medal in Edmonton, Canada.
Now, a new star is emerging from the same gym in Bristol, hoping to follow in his footsteps.
Bradley Burrowes is already the British number one.
And, with the support of Precious, he's hoping that he too can take gold at the Commonwealth Games.
3
The Saltom was a 274-ton sandsucker, built in 1900, owned by the Bristol Sand & Gravel Co. On 7th January 1957, a Monday, returning from the Holms with a full 250-ton load of sand, she was in the Floating Harbour and twenty feet off Baltic Wharf when she started to make water. As she was foundering, the crew of six leaped to safety. She sank fifteen feet into the mud of the river bed. Only her mast, funnel and bridge remained visible.
Getting her up proved to be the biggest salvage operation ever in the City Docks. Lines were fed under her hull, but they snapped when a cable from the T.R.Brown tug Medway was attached. Eventually, watched by a crowd of 200, she was raised by two specially imported "Camel" buoyancy chambers, and towed to dry dock. she was submerged for 23 days.
Bristol tug boats - see link below
Filton BAC works Bristol 1983
Filton has an aerospace connection dating back to the early days of the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Aerospace companies in Filton include BAE Systems, Airbus, Rolls-Royce and MBDA factories, all located around Filton Aerodrome.
On 26 November 2003, Concorde 216 (G-BOAF) made the final ever Concorde flight, returning to Filton to be kept there permanently as the centrepiece of a projected air museum.
This museum will include the existing Bristol Aero Collection which is kept at Kemble Airport, 33 miles (53 km from Filton. This collection includes a Bristol Britannia aircraft.
2
Neptune stands at the head of St Augustine’s Reach on the City Centre looking as if he had been there forever. Far from it. Neptune must be Bristol’s most travelled statue. The old man of the sea was cast in lead and set up in 1723 in Temple Street when a new conduit or water pipe was made. He had his own fountain. He and his fountain were twice moved around Temple Street, but always within yards of Temple church with its famous leaning tower.
Then, in 1872, Neptune was settled at the junction of Victoria Street and Temple Street. He stayed there until 1949 when he was given his present site and a smart granite base at St Augustine’s bridgehead. The old boy even took a month long break from Bristol on one occasion. That was in the 1980s when experts realised that his lead bodywork needed attention. So Neptune was carted off for a long-overdue service before resuming his rightful place as one of Bristol’s best-loved street characters.
See 1967 BRISTOL video newsreel film
Bristol's Historic Harbour 1998.
For most of its history Bristol has been the second largest port after London and since Medieval times its merchants created a prosperous city of great importance.
Renowned for its wool and wine trade and later its involvement with soap manufacture, glass making, sugar refining, brassworks and shipbuilding to mention only a few of its successful industries.
Bristol Marina is Bristol's only fully serviced marina.
Operating since 1980, the Marina is situated on the south side of the Floating Harbour and is bounded by The Baltic Wharf housing development and the SS Great Britain.
Bristol Marina is accessible from the sea and from the inland waterways using the Kennet and River Avon navigation, indeed it is possible to navigate from London to Bristol using the Kennet and Avon.
The slipway at Bristol Marina is reputed to be one of the finest in the country. Non-tidal, wide concrete with a 1 in 6 gradient throughout and a maximum depth of 1.5m. Launching fee includes launching, parking for car and trailer, river and harbour fees to Hanham Lock (about 8 miles upstream of Bristol) and locking fees giving access to the tidal River Avon and Bristol Channel.
Bristol Marina are very proud to offer an extensive and fully equipped, working boat yard. Adjoining the marina and lifting dock; the boat yard offers an ideal place to carry out everything from minor maintenance works, major refits or even new-boat building.
The marina is situated in the Bristol City Docks Floating Harbour, offering attractive safe and secure moorings for boats to a maximum length of 21m (70ft). 100 pontoon berths and 70 shore berths are serviced with mains electricity (240 volt), fresh water and telephone connections.
1
The Victoria Rooms, a familiar Bristol landmark, first opened its doors to the public in May 1842, and for many years served as the most important and lively cultural centre in the West of England. In 1848, the renowned 19th century soprano, Jenny Lind (the 'Swedish Nightingale') appeared on its platform, and four years later, Charles Dickens delighted a large audience with a selection of readings. From 1873, the main hall also possessed a very famous organ - the large instrument originally built for the Royal Panopticon of Arts and Science in London.
Sadly, the organ, along with the original hall, was destroyed by fire in 1934. Once restored, the building became the headquarters for the University Union, a purpose that it continued to fulfil until 1964, and subsequently, it was used as an attractive Conference and Exhibition Centre. But the 'Vic Rooms' was originally intended for music-making, and it therefore seemed entirely appropriate in 1996, that it should be allocated to the Department of Music. Indeed, with its versatile auditorium, elegant recital room and vast complex of teaching and practice spaces and recording studio, it is the ideal base for the study, composition and performance of music.
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Mod girls wore what type of quilted jacket on their partners' scooters? | 1000+ images about Mods and Skins on Pinterest | 1960s, Rude boy and The mod
In 1972, it was possible to be a "boot boy" - wearing the boots and braces of the skinheads, but also sporting a feather cut long hair style. Boot boys were also frequently football hooligans.
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'The Professor' was a novel by which of the Bronte sisters? | The Brontë Sisters - The Complete Novels: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Shirley, Villette, The Professor, Emma, Agnes Grey, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall eBook by Charlotte Brontë - 9788026838524 | Kobo
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This carefully crafted ebook: "The Brontë Sisters - The Complete Novels: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Shirley, Villette, The Professor, Emma, Agnes Grey, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. This collection of the works of Emily, Anne and Charlotte Brontë includes the following novels: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, published in 1847 Shirley by Charlotte Brontë, published in 1849 Villette by Charlotte Brontë, published in 1853 The Professor by Charlotte Brontë, was published after her death in 1857 Emma by Charlotte Brontë (unfinished), she wrote only 20 pages of the manuscript which was published in 1860. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, published in 1848 Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë, published in 1847 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë, published in 1848 The Brontë Sisters (1818-1855), Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë were sisters and writers whose novels have become classics. Before writing novels, the sisters first published a volume of poetry in 1846. Many novels of the Charlotte, Emily, and Anne are based on women in Victorian England and the difficulties that they faced like few employment opportunities, dependence on men in the families for support, and social expectations.
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Arthur Conan Doyle sent who to the Lost World? | The Professor by Charlotte Bronte · OverDrive: eBooks, audiobooks and videos for libraries
Classic Literature Fiction
The Professor was the first novel that Charlotte Brontë completed. Rejected by the publisher who took on the work of her sisters in 1846--Anne's Agnes Grey and Emily's Wuthering Heights--it remained unpublished until 1857, two years after Charlotte Brontë's death. Like Villette (1853), The Professor is based on her experiences as a language student in Brussels in 1842. Told from the point of view of William Crimsworth, the only male narrator that she used, the work formulated a new aesthetic that questioned many of the presuppositions of Victorian society. Brontë's hero escapes from a humiliating clerkship in a Yorkshire mill to find work as a teacher in Belgium, where he falls in love with an impoverished student-teacher, who is perhaps the author's most realistic feminist heroine. The Professor endures today as both a harbinger of Brontë's later novels and a compelling read in its own right.
"The middle and latter portion of The Professor is as good as I can write," proclaimed Brontë. "It contains more pith, more substance, more reality, in my judgment, than much of Jane Eyre".
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Charlotte Bronte (Author)
Charlotte Brontë was born at Thornton, Yorkshire, on April 21, 1816. Her father, Patrick Brontë, became curate for life of the moorland parish of Haworth, Yorkshire, in 1820, and her mother, Maria Brontë, died the following year, leaving behind fi...
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Professor Otto Lidenbrock followed Arne Saknussemm where? | Journey to the centre of the earth.ppt
Journey to the centre of the earth.ppt
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Copyright: Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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| Centre of the Earth |
What is the total if you add the regnal numbers of our last three kings? | Journey to the Center of the Earth - Razor Robotics
Journey to the Center of the Earth
For other uses, see Journey to the Centre of the Earth (disambiguation).
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Book cover made in 1874
Author
Voyage au centre de la Terre
Illustrator
The Adventures of Captain Hatteras
Followed by
From the Earth to the Moon
Journey to the Center of the Earth (French: Voyage au centre de la Terre, also translated under the titles A Journey to the Center of the Earth and A Journey to the Interior of the Earth) is an 1864 science fiction novel by Jules Verne. The story involves German professor Otto Lidenbrock who believes there are volcanic tubes going toward the centre of the Earth. He, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans descend into the Icelandic volcano Snæfellsjökull, encountering many adventures, including prehistoric animals and natural hazards, before eventually coming to the surface again in southern Italy, at the Stromboli volcano.
The genre of subterranean fiction already existed long before Verne. However, the present book considerably added to its popularity and influenced later such writings. For example, Edgar Rice Burroughs explicitly acknowledged Verne's influence on his own Pellucidar series.
Plot
The story begins in May 1863, in the Lidenbrock house in Hamburg, Germany, with Professor Lidenbrock rushing home to peruse his latest purchase, an original runic manuscript of an Icelandic saga written by Snorri Sturluson (Snorre Tarleson in some versions of the story), "Heimskringla"; the chronicle of the Norwegian kings who ruled over Iceland. While looking through the book, Lidenbrock and his nephew Axel find a coded note written in runic script along with the name of a 16th-century Icelandic alchemist, Arne Saknussemm. (This was a first indication of Verne's love for cryptography. Coded, cryptic or incomplete messages as a plot device would continue to appear in many of his works and in each case Verne would go a long way to explain not only the code used but also the mechanisms used to retrieve the original text.) Lidenbrock and Axel transliterate the runic characters into Latin letters, revealing a message written in a seemingly bizarre code. Lidenbrock attempts a decipherment, deducing the message to be a kind of transposition cipher; but his results are as meaningless as the original.
Professor Lidenbrock decides to lock everyone in the house and force himself and the others (Axel, and the maid, Martha) to go without food until he cracks the code. Axel discovers the answer when fanning himself with the deciphered text: Lidenbrock's decipherment was correct, and only needs to be read backwards to reveal sentences written in rough Latin. Axel decides to keep the secret hidden from Professor Lidenbrock, afraid of what the Professor might do with the knowledge, but after two days without food he cannot stand the hunger and reveals the secret to his uncle. Lidenbrock translates the note, which is revealed to be a medieval note written by the (fictional) Icelandic alchemist Arne Saknussemm, who claims to have discovered a passage to the center of the Earth via Snæfell in Iceland. In what Axel calls bad Latin, the deciphered message reads:
The Runic cryptogram
In Snefflls [sic] Iokulis kraterem kem delibat umbra Skartaris Iulii intra kalendas deskende, audas uiator, te [sic] terrestre kentrum attinges. Kod feki. Arne Saknussemm.
In slightly better Latin, with errors amended:
In Sneffels Jokulis craterem, quem delibat umbra Scartaris, Julii intra kalendas descende, audax viator, et terrestre centrum attinges; quod feci. Arne Saknussemm
which, when translated into English, reads:
Descend, bold traveller, into the crater of the jökull of Snæfell, which the shadow of Scartaris touches (lit: tastes) before the Kalends of July, and you will attain the center of the earth. I did it. Arne Saknussemm
Snæfellsjökull.
Professor Lidenbrock is a man of astonishing impatience, and departs for Iceland immediately, taking his reluctant nephew with him. Axel, who, in comparison, is cowardly and anti-adventurous, repeatedly tries to reason with him, explaining his fears of descending into a volcano and putting forward various scientific theories as to why the journey is impossible, but Professor Lidenbrock repeatedly keeps himself blinded against Axel's point of view. After a rapid journey via Kiel and Copenhagen, they arrive in Reykjavík, where the two procure the services of Hans Bjelke (a Danish-speaking Icelander eiderdown hunter) as their guide, and travel overland to the base of the volcano.
In late June, they reach the volcano, which has three craters. According to Saknussemm's message, the passage to the center of the Earth is through the one crater that is touched by the shadow of a nearby mountain peak at noon. However, the text also states that this is only true during the last days of June. During the next few days, with July rapidly approaching, the weather is too cloudy for any shadows. Axel silently rejoices, hoping this will force his uncle – who has repeatedly tried to impart courage to him only to succeed in making him even more cowardly still – to give up the project and return home. Alas for Axel, however, on the second to last day, the sun comes out and the mountain peak shows the correct crater to take.
After descending into the crater, the three travellers set off into the bowels of the Earth, encountering many strange phenomena and great dangers, including a chamber filled with firedamp, and steep-sided wells around the "path". After taking a wrong turn, they run out of water and Axel almost dies, but Hans taps into a neighbouring subterranean river. Lidenbrock and Axel name the resulting stream the "Hansbach" in his honour and the three are saved. At another point, Axel becomes separated from the others and is lost several miles from them. Luckily, a strange acoustic phenomenon allows him to communicate with them from some miles away, and they are soon reunited.
After descending many miles, following the course of the Hansbach, they reach an unimaginably vast cavern. This underground world is lit by electrically charged gas at the ceiling, and is filled with a very deep subterranean ocean, surrounded by a rocky coastline covered in petrified trees and giant mushrooms. The travelers build a raft out of trees and set sail. The Professor names this sea the Lidenbrock Sea. While on the water, they see several prehistoric creatures such as a giant Ichthyosaurus, which fights with a Plesiosaurus and wins. After the battle between the monsters, the party comes across an island with a huge geyser, which Lidenbrock names "Axel's Island".
A lightning storm again threatens to destroy the raft and its passengers, but instead throws them onto the coastline. This part of the coast, Axel discovers, is alive with prehistoric plant and animal life forms, including giant insects and a herd of mastodons. On a beach covered with bones, Axel discovers an oversized human skull. Axel and Lidenbrock venture some way into the prehistoric forest, where Professor Lidenbrock points out, in a shaky voice, a prehistoric human, more than twelve feet in height, leaning against a tree and watching a herd of mastodons. Axel cannot be sure if he has really seen the man or not, and he and Professor Lidenbrock debate whether or not a proto-human civilization actually exists so far underground. The three wonder if the creature is a man-like ape, or an ape-like man. The sighting of the creature is considered the most alarming part of the story, and the explorers decide that it is better not to alert it to their presence as they fear it may be hostile.
The travellers continue to explore the coastline, and find a passageway marked by Saknussemm as the way ahead. However, it is blocked by what appears to be a recent cave-in and two of the three, Hans and the Professor, despair at being unable to hack their way through the granite wall. The adventurers plan to blast the rock with gun cotton and paddle out to sea to escape the blast. Upon executing the plan, however, they discover that behind the rockfall was a seemingly bottomless pit, not a passage to the center of the earth. The travellers are swept away as the sea rushes into the large open gap in the ground. After spending hours being swept along at lightning speeds by the water, the raft ends up inside a large volcanic chimney filling with water and magma. Terrified, the three are rushed upwards, through stifling heat, and are ejected onto the surface from a side-vent of a stratovolcano. When they regain consciousness, they discover that they have been ejected from Stromboli, a volcanic island located in southern Italy. They return to Hamburg to great acclaim – Professor Lidenbrock is hailed as one of the great scientists of history, Axel marries his sweetheart Gräuben, and Hans eventually returns to his peaceful life in Iceland. The Professor has some regret that their journey was cut short.
At the very end of the book, Axel and Lidenbrock realize why their compass was behaving strangely after their journey on the raft. They realize that the needle was pointing the wrong way after being struck by an electric fireball which nearly destroyed the wooden raft.
Inspiration
The book was inspired by Charles Lyell's Geological Evidences of the Antiquity of Man of 1863 (and probably also influenced by Lyell's earlier ground-breaking work Principles of Geology, published 1830–33). By that time geologists had abandoned a literal biblical account of Earth's development and it was generally thought that the end of the last glacial period marked the first appearance of humanity, but Lyell drew on new findings to put the origin of human beings much further back in the deep geological past. Lyell's book also influenced Louis Figuier's 1867 second edition of La Terre avant le déluge ("The Earth before the flood") which included dramatic illustrations of savage men and women wearing animal skins and wielding stone axes, in place of the Garden of Eden shown in the 1863 edition.
It is noteworthy that at the time of writing Verne had no hesitation with having sympathetic German protagonists with whom the reader could identify. Verne's attitude to Germans would drastically change in the aftermath of the 1871 Franco-Prussian War. After 1871, The sympathetic if eccentric Professor Otto Lidenbrock would be replaced in Verne's fiction by the utterly evil and demonic Professor Schultze of The Begum's Fortune.
Main characters
Professor Otto Lidenbrock: a man of science
Axel: the nephew of Professor Lidenbrock, overcautious and unadventurous student.
Hans Bjelke: a Danish-speaking Icelander eiderdown hunter who becomes their guide; dependable, resourceful and imperturbable.
Grauben: the goddaughter of Professor Lidenbrock with whom Axel is in love.
Martha: the maid at the house of Professor Lidenbrock.
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What is the address of the White House in Washington DC? | White House Address and Contact Information
White House Address and Contact Information
White House Address and Contact Information
Photo © Viorika Prikhodko/Getty Images
You can write to the President at the above address or visit whitehouse.gov to send a message to the White House.
White House Phone Numbers
Vice President: [email protected]
Comments: [email protected].
Due to the volume of correspondence sent to the Office of the President, the White House does not respond to every letter or email.
| White House |
In 1995 the Labour Party abandoned which part of its constitution? | The White House
The White House
Photo courtesy of GSA
The White House, one of the most recognizable buildings in Washington, DC, was designed by James Hoban, an Irish-born and-trained architect who won a competition organized by President George Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson in 1792. The competitions were held to determine who would design the nation's two most important buildings, the President's House and the Capitol. It is believed that Jefferson, competing under a pseudonym, submitted designs and lost both competitions. Hoban's inspiration for the house was drawn from an Anglo-Irish villa called the Leinster House in Dublin. Although President Washington oversaw construction, he never lived in the house. President John Adams, elected in 1796 as the second President, was the first resident of the White House. Abigail Adams, President Adams' wife, was known to have complained about the largely unfinished new residence. President Thomas Jefferson, upon moving to the house in 1801, was also not impressed, and dismissed the house as being too big. Jefferson made several structural changes under architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe such as the addition of terrace-pavilions on either side of the main building and single-story wings for storage. In addition to replacing the slate roof with one of sheet iron, Jefferson further improved the grounds by landscaping them in a picturesque manner. While James Madison was President from 1809 to 1817, the White House was torched by the British in the War of 1812. Although the fire was put out by a summer thunderstorm, all that remained were the outside, charred walls and the interior brick walls. Madison brought Hoban back to restore the mansion, which took three years. It was during this construction that the house was painted white. Hoban later added the South and North Porticos, using a slightly altered design by Latrobe.
View of the "Avenue of the Presidents" (16th Street) and the White House, 1914.
From the collections of the Historical Society of Washington, DC
Expansion and further alterations were made when President Theodore Roosevelt declared the house unsafe to inhabit. He had the original building remodeled. By making the third-story attic into habitable rooms and adding the Executive Office wing and the East Gallery, Roosevelt separated his work space from his family life. In 1909, architect Nathan C. Wyeth extended the office wing adding the well-known oval office. Although used informally for some time, it was President Theodore Roosevelt who gave the White House its official name. Finally, the last major renovation took place when President Harry Truman decided that again the building was unsafe and had to be gutted. Steel replaced the original frame and paneling, and a balcony was added to the South Portico. The White House, an architectural symbol of the American presidency and the nation's power, remains a stylistically simple residence and an example of the stolid republican ideals of the Founding Fathers.
The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. Tours of the White House are currently limited to parties of 10 or more people, requested through one�s Member of Congress and will be accepted up to six months in advance. These self-guided group tours will be scheduled approximately one month before the requested date, from 7:30am to 11:30am Tuesday-Saturday, excluding Federal holidays. For the most current tour information, please call the 24-hour line at 202-456-7041. The National Park Service operates the White House Visitor Center, located at 15th and E Sts., NW, open daily from 7:30am until 4:00pm. Metro stop: McPherson Square
* The White House, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Capitol, and related buildings and grounds are legally exempted from listing in the National Register of Historic Places, according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
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Which amendment to the US constitution protects against self-incrimination? | Fifth Amendment Right Against Self-Incrimination - FindLaw
Fifth Amendment Right Against Self-Incrimination
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Even if you’ve never studied law or sat for a bar exam, you likely have heard the phrase “pleading the Fifth.” It’s become part of our national lexicon, so most Americans know they have the right not to answer police questions both while in custody or in court. The right against self-incrimination is spelled out in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and also extends to state and local jurisdictions. When someone exercises this right, we often say that they “plead the Fifth.”
The Constitution grants this right quite simply: “[No person]…shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself…” However, as with most other constitutional rights, it is subject to interpretation by the courts and often inspires fierce debate.
This article focuses on the self-incrimination clause of the Fifth Amendment in legal proceedings. For details about your right to remain silent while in police custody, check out FindLaw’s Miranda Rights section. See Double Jeopardy ; How Does a Grand Jury Work? ; and The Appeal, Writ, and Habeas Corpus Petition Process to learn about other provisions of the Fifth Amendment.
The Origin of Pleading the Fifth
The right against self-incrimination is rooted in the Puritans’ refusal to cooperate with interrogators in 17th century England. They often were coerced or tortured into confessing their religious affiliation and were considered guilty if they remained silent. English law granted its citizens the right against self-incrimination in the mid-1600s, when a revolution established greater parliamentary power.
Puritans who fled religious persecution brought this idea with them to America, where it would eventually become codified in the Bill of Rights. Today, courts have found the right against self-incrimination to include testimonial or communicative evidence at police interrogations and legal proceedings.
Testifying in a Legal Proceeding
At trial, the Fifth Amendment gives a criminal defendant the right not to testify. This means that the prosecutor, the judge, and even the defendant’s own lawyer cannot force the defendant to take the witness stand against his or her will. However, a defendant who does choose to testify cannot choose to answer some questions but not others. Once the defendant takes the witness stand, this particular Fifth Amendment right is considered waived throughout the trial.
When a defendant pleads the Fifth, jurors are not permitted to take the refusal to testify into consideration when deciding whether a defendant is guilty. In the 2001 case Ohio v. Reiner , the U.S. Supreme Court held that “a witness may have a reasonable fear of prosecution and yet be innocent of any wrongdoing. The [Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination] serves to protect the innocent who otherwise might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances.” This case beefed up an earlier ruling that prosecutors can’t ask a jury to draw an inference of guilt from a defendant’s refusal to testify in his own defense.
Defendants may assert their Fifth Amendment rights during civil trials, too, if testimony would open them up to criminal charges. But they do not enjoy the same protections against jury bias with respect to liability. This means that a jury is free to make inferences when a defendant chooses not to testify in a civil trial for fear of self-incrimination. Civil defendants often claim ignorance (“I don’t recall”) instead of pleading the Fifth in such situations.
Can Any Witness Plead the Fifth?
At a criminal trial, it is not only the defendant who enjoys the Fifth Amendment right not to testify. Witnesses who are called to the witness stand can refuse to answer certain questions if answering would implicate them in any type of criminal activity (not limited to the case being tried). Witnesses (as well as defendants) in organized crime trials often plead the Fifth, for instance.
But unlike defendants, witnesses who assert this right may do so selectively and do not waive their rights the moment they begin answering questions. Also, unlike defendants, witnesses may be forced by law to testify (typically by subpoena ).
Does the Fifth Amendment Apply to Fingerprints and Blood Tests?
The Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination does not extend to the collection of DNA or fingerprints in connection with a criminal case. The Supreme Court has held the privilege extends only to communicative evidence, and DNA and fingerprint evidence is considered non-testimonial .
If you have additional questions about your Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, or need representation, consider calling a criminal defense attorney.
Free Case Review from a Criminal Defense Lawyer
After reading this article, you likely have additional questions about your Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. You can get those questions answered and find legal representation from a criminal defense attorney near you. Contact one today for a free review of your case and to learn what your options are going forward.
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| Fifth |
Rolo, Aero, Kit Kat, and Roses were all introduced in which decade? | The Fifth Amendment, Self-Incrimination, and Double Jeopardy
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The Fifth Amendment, Self-Incrimination, and Double Jeopardy
The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure.
Learning Objective
Explain the key provisions of the Fifth Amendment, including self-incrimination and double jeopardy.
Key Points
The Fifth Amendment protects witnesses from being forced to incriminate themselves.
To "plead the Fifth" is to refuse to answer a question because the response could provide self-incriminating evidence of an illegal act punishable by fines, penalties, or forfeiture.
The Double Jeopardy Clause encompasses four distinct prohibitions : subsequent prosecution after acquittal, subsequent prosecution after conviction, subsequent prosecution after certain mistrials, and multiple punishments in the same indictment .
Term
Magna Carta
The 1215 magna carta, also called charter, required King John of England to proclaim certain liberties and accept that his will was not arbitrary. For example, no "freeman" (in the sense of non-serf) could be punished except through the law of the land. This is a right that is still in existence today.
Example
Protection against self-incrimination is implicit in the Miranda rights statement, which protects the "right to remain silent." When a citizen has been apprehended by the police, he or she can exercise their Miranda rights. The Supreme Court has held that "a witness may have a reasonable fear of prosecution and yet be innocent of any wrongdoing."
The Fifth Amendment, Self-Incrimination, and Double Jeopardy
Background on the Fifth Amendment
The Fifth Amendment (Amendment V) to the United States Constitution , part of the Bill of Rights , protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure. Its guarantees stem from English common law , which traces back to the Magna Carta in 1215. For instance, grand juries and the phrase " due process " (also found in the 14th Amendment) both trace their origins to the Magna Carta.
Magna Carta is one of the major documents in British history that set forth legal precedents that would later be interpreted as protecting the civil rights of English subjects
The text of the Fifth Amendment reads as follows: "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia , when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."
Self Incrimination
The Fifth Amendment protects witnesses from being forced to incriminate themselves. To "plead the Fifth" is to refuse to answer a question because the response could provide self-incriminating evidence of an illegal act punishable by fines, penalties, or forfeiture.
Historically, the legal protection against self-incrimination was directly related to the question of torture for extracting information and confessions.
Protection against self-incrimination is implicit in the Miranda rights statement, which protects the "right to remain silent." The Supreme Court has held that "a witness may have a reasonable fear of prosecution and yet be innocent of any wrongdoing. The privilege serves to protect the innocent who otherwise might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances."
Double Jeopardy
The Double Jeopardy Clause encompasses four distinct prohibitions: subsequent prosecution after acquittal, subsequent prosecution after conviction, subsequent prosecution after certain mistrials, and multiple punishments in the same indictment. Jeopardy "attaches" when the jury is impaneled, the first witness is sworn, or a plea is accepted.
The government is not permitted to appeal or try again after the entry of an acquittal. The prohibition extends to a directed verdict before the case is submitted to the jury, a directed verdict after a deadlocked jury, an appellate reversal for sufficiency (except by direct appeal to a higher appellate court), and an "implied acquittal" via conviction of a lesser included offense.
Blockburger v. United States addresses multiple punishments, including prosecution after conviction. In Blockburger v. United States (1932), the Supreme Court announced the following test: the government may separately try and punish the defendant for two crimes if each crime contains an element that the other does not. Blockburger is the default rule, unless the legislature intends to depart from it via enacted law; for example, Continuing Criminal Enterprise (CCE) may be punished separately from its predicates, as can conspiracy.
The rule for prosecution after mistrials depends on who sought the mistrial. If the defendant moved for a mistrial, there is no bar to retrial, unless the prosecutor acted in bad faith. For example, the prosecutor goads the defendant into moving for a mistrial because the government specifically wanted a mistrial. If the prosecutor moves for a mistrial, there is no bar to retrial if the trial judge finds "manifest necessity" for granting the mistrial. The same standard governs mistrials granted sua sponte.
| i don't know |
A statue of which nurse stands on the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square? | London/Leicester Square – Travel guide at Wikivoyage
Chinatown[ edit ]
Chinatown is centrally located in the West End, along and around Gerrard Street off Leicester Square. It spreads into Wardour Street at one end and Newport Place at the other. London's Chinatown may not be quite as large as those in San Francisco or Vancouver but it is still a great place to dine out in the evening, authentically Chinese and definitely different from anywhere else in London.
Trafalgar Square[ edit ]
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a large public square commemorating Lord Horatio Nelson's victory against Napoleon's navy at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The central monument within the square is a single tall column on which the figure of Nelson stands gazing over London and is one of the great iconic images of London. His monument is surrounded by four colossal lions and a series of large fountains. Much more than just an open plaza, Trafalgar Square is famous as the location of a large number of important buildings and institutions that surround the square and fill the streets surrounding it. Trafalgar Square also marks the northern end of Whitehall , the centre of British government.
In 2003 Trafalgar Square was renovated and expanded to link up directly with the National Gallery on the north side of the square - a great improvement to the traffic which once completely encircled this, the largest public square in the West End. The early 18th century church of St Martins in the Fields stands at the north-east corner of the square. Just by the church, Charing Cross Road gives access to the fabulous National Portrait Gallery, and leads on further to Leicester Square, Soho and the famous collection of bookstores on the road itself. To the south, Whitehall leads to Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and 10 Downing Street.
Christmas time sees the erection of a large Christmas Tree within the square, the annual gift of the people of Oslo , capital of Norway , as a token of gratitude for Britain's help in WWII. Trafalgar Square is also traditionally the scene of lively celebrations for Londoners on New Year's Eve, though an increasingly heavy police presence has meant that some antics (drunks leaping into the fountains) have all but disappeared. More recently, Trafalgar Square has served as an outdoor venue for concerts and VIP appearances, courtesy of the Mayor of London's Office, which is keen to see Londoners use their public spaces better. Visitors to the square on an ordinary day may also discover small-scale demonstrations and public speakers - the Square is a convenient gathering place near to, but not threatening, the seat of British Government down the road at Westminster.
Leicester Square[ edit ]
This smallish London square is the site of most British film premieres and the square itself is surrounded by terrifyingly-expensive cinemas — tickets for an evening screening will cost upwards of £17, 3D screenings will cost upwards of £15. At night, Leicester Square becomes exceptionally busy with tourists and locals, visiting the surrounding clubs and bars. In the north-west corner of the square is a musical clock, incorporating a Swiss glockenspiel, that is popular with tourists. It was popular enough that its remodelling and restoration was actually a requirement when permission was given for the demolition of Swiss Centre in 2008, of which it had been a part. The TKTS half price ticket booth is on the south side of Leicester Square for cheap tickets for theatre performances.
By Tube[ edit ]
Leicester Square is served by a Tube station of the same name located just off the north east corner of the Square on Charing Cross Road. The station is on both the Northern and Piccadilly Lines and acts as a convenient place to start any exploration of London's West End.
Chinatown is a short walk from both Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo Lines) — walk east along Shaftesbury Avenue, before turning right at Wardour Street, watch for the ornamental gates — and Leicester Square (Piccadilly and Northern Lines) stations.
The nearest tube station to Trafalgar Square is Charing Cross on the Northern and Bakerloo Lines.
Piccadilly Circus is served by a Tube station of the same name.
See[ edit ]
The National Gallery
51.5079144 -0.1280218 1 Trafalgar Square (Nearest tube: Charing Cross). The main, central square of London, Trafalgar Square is associated with celebration and demonstration - it is the site of London's lacklustre New Year celebrations, and in 2003 was the site of the triumphant homecoming of the British Rugby team from the World Cup, and a centre for demonstration against Britain's involvement in the Iraq War. In recent years, the square has been associated with the many hundreds of pigeons that used to be found here, but London's Mayor Ken Livingstone passed a bylaw in 2003 making it illegal to feed them. Nelson's Column, surrounded by the four bronze lions can be found here, on the south side of the square. The north-west plinth in the square has been vacant since 1841, and controversial contemporary sculpture has been displayed here in recent years.
51.5089061 -0.128392 2 National Gallery , Trafalgar Sq, WC2 5DN, ☎ +44 20 7747-2885 . 10:00-18:00 daily except F until 21:00. Houses the British national collection of western European art dating from the 13th to 19th centuries. A truly awe-inspiring collection, notable works include Hans Holbein's The Ambassadors, Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Constable's The Haywain. The vast majority of art is free of charge to visit. Temporary exhibitions are generally fairly costly, but invariably well researched and presented. The audioguides are very comprehensive, have comments on most of the paintings in the museum, and are free though this fact is not advertised. A donation is suggested. In addition to courses, workshops, lectures and other events, the National Gallery has free talks and tours every day. Free.
51.5094302 -0.1281667 3 National Portrait Gallery , St Martin’s Pl, WC2H 0HE, ☎ +44 20 7306-0055 . 10:00-18:00, except Th F until 21:00. The National Portrait Gallery is just around the corner from the National Gallery and is an entertaining way to learn about British history since the Tudors. Visitors walk around the gallery chronologically, viewing portraits of notable figures from British history - from Henry VII, painted by Hans Holbein, to Blur, painted by Julian Opie. Free except some non-permanent exhibitions.
51.5087892 -0.1265359 4 St Martins in the Fields , 8 St Martin's Pl, WC2. A classical church that stands opposite the National Gallery. Since WWI, the homeless have sought shelter at this church, a tradition that continues to this day.
Edith Cavell Memorial, St Martin's Pl WC2 (just off Trafalgar Sq). Statue in honour of the World War I nursing heroine.
51.5098843 -0.1344484 5 Piccadilly Circus (tube: Piccadilly Circus). At the junction of five major roads, Piccadilly Circus is the home of the famous aluminum statue of Eros, which sits atop a fountain. The north side of Piccadilly Circus holds an enormous display board of electric advertisements, including Britain's biggest illuminated display (the widest in the world), advertising a popular soft drink.
51.5103851 -0.1301032 6 Leicester Square Garden. Relax and unwind in the garden, and gaze at the activity going on all around, while listening to the buskers, street entertainers and preachers performing in the area.
51.5117807 -0.1308489 7 Chinatown. The main sights to see in London's Chinatown are the expressions of Chinese culture and Eastern ambience in Chinatown, and for a good Chinese meal. There are few souvenir shops for tourists and no museums or temples.
Chinese arches (Paifang), at each end of Gerrard St and at the entrance to Macclesfield St. The three ornamental Chinese arches are worth a look.
Chinatown phone booths. Chinatown does incorporate some entertaining combinations of British and Chinese culture, such as the phone booths with pagoda-style sloping roofs.
Cinemas[ edit ]
Leicester Square square hosts most high-profile London cinema premieres, on which occasions it is fenced and crowded beyond comfort by people desperately trying to take a look at their celebrity of choice.
Mainstream[ edit ]
Empire, 5-6 Leicester Sq, WC2 (tube: Leicester Sq), ☎ +44 20 7437-1234 . M-F until 17:00 £5, M-F after 17:00 £7.50, £8, £9, Sa Su £7.50, £8, £9.
Odeon Leicester Square , Leicester Sq, WC2 (tube: Leicester Sq), ☎ +44 870 5050 007 . Also includes the Odeon Mezzanine and Odeon West End M-F until 17:00 £5, £6, £6.50 M-F after 17:00 £10, Sa Su £11.
Arthouse[ edit ]
Curzon Soho Cinema , 99 Shaftesbury Ave, W1D 5DY. Voted "London's Number 1 Cinema" by Time Out readers, great bar and a fantastic art-house program.
Prince Charles Cinema , 7 Leicester Pl (Down a side street to the north, just up from the Häagen-Dazs). The cheapest and in some ways most interesting cinema in the area. They do not screen the latest films but usually have an interesting selection, including foreign and art house films and often have theme nights. Get hold of the program at the door or on the internet and consider buying the discount-granting yearly membership if you plan to come back a few times. M £1.99, Tu-F £2.50, Sa Su £3.50.
Theatre[ edit ]
One of the ornamental gates or paifang located at the entrance to Gerrard Street in London's Chinatown
Along with neighbouring Covent Garden this is the capital of London's theatreland and the most famous London theatres are in this district. Check individual theatre websites of the official London theatreland website [1] for current programmes and never neglect the official half price ticket booth in Leicester Square itself:
TKTS (half price ticket booth), Leicester Square (tube: Leicester Sq. Booth is on the south side of the square in the clock tower building). M-Sa 10:00-19:00, Su 11:00-16:00. Tickets can only be bought in person so do not try to contact by telephone. At times, there may well be long queues, so be prepared.
Please note that most of the booking office numbers given below will only work from within the UK. If you want to make a booking from overseas, use the relevant website.
The Leicester Square Box Office, otherwise known as LSBO also offers a great selection of great deals on tickets to top London shows and musicals. Tickets can be booked [2] over the phone on +44 20 7087-2999, or in person!
Other[ edit ]
Chinese New Year Festival. Worth seeing, though Gerrard St can get unbelievably crowded, as the dragon dancers pass along the street to collect goodies hung from windows above the shops. In recent years, the festival has expanded south into Leicester Sq and Trafalgar Sq to try to alleviate the congestion.
Buy[ edit ]
M&M's World , 1 Swiss Ct, WC2H 7DG (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7025-7171 . The largest sweet shop in the world. Unlike the New York City store you can only buy the "regular" M&M flavours here, albeit in a wider variety of colours than you would usually find. There is also a wide array of other merchandise available such as homeware and clothing.
Nickelodeon Store , 1 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA (Tube: Leicester Square). The first flagship store in Europe for the Nickelodeon brand. Sells a variety of merchandise with the character Spongebob Squarepants being prominent.
THE LEGO STORE , 3 Swiss Ct, W1D 6AP (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 207 839 3480 . Opened in November 2016, this is officially the world's largest LEGO Store. Also has a massive Big Ben (yes, they mean the clock tower and not the actual bell. Feel free to tut loudly) sculpture made of said building blocks.
Books[ edit ]
Charing Cross Road and the tiny Cecil Court which leads off it have long been the centre of the specialist and antiquarian book trade in London. There are fewer outlets than previously as spiralling rents pushed out a lot of the traditional booksmiths but many still remain. Any book lover will be in heaven here.
Any Amount of Books , 56 Charing Cross Rd, WC2H 0QA (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7836-3697 . Rare and second-hand books. Specialist in scholarly academic works and art-related titles.
David Drummond at Pleasures of Past Times, 11 Cecil Ct WC2N 4EZ (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7836-1142 . Specialises in books and other memorabilia related to the performing arts and old children's books.
Goldsboro Books , 7 Cecil Ct, WC2N 4EZ (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7497-9230 , e-mail: [email protected] . First editions and signed fiction.
Paul J Hilton, 12 Cecil Ct, WC2N 4HE (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7379-9825 . Antiquarian and general books, especially first edition English literature.
Henry Pordes Books Ltd , 58-60 Charing Cross Rd, WC2H 0BB (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7836-9031 , e-mail: [email protected] . Secondhand, antiquarian and all out-of print books.
Quinto Bookshop & Francis Edwards , 72 Charing Cross Rd, WC2H 0BB, ☎ +44 20 7379-7669 , e-mail: [email protected] . Huge collection. Francis Edwards have been in business here since 1856.
Eat[ edit ]
All sorts of food are available. While London's Chinatown boasts some of the city's best Chinese food, quality and value vary enormously between individual restaurants. While some consistently win awards, others seem to be regularly being refurbished following visits from the local Environmental Health department. Unless you're on an extreme budget, it is worth paying a little more for quality food and service. Be careful especially with the common all you can eat deals.
Café in the Crypt , Trafalgar Sq. In the basement of St Martin-in-the-Fields church is the Café in the Crypt which offers reasonably-priced cafe food that you can eat amongst the brick-vaulted ceilings, pillars and gravestones.
The Portrait Restaurant, at the National Portrait Gallery, ☎ +44 20 7312-2490 . Offers spectacular food accompanied by spectacular art on the 5th floor of the National Portrait Gallery. A must do dining experience.
Tokyo Diner, 2 Newport Pl (At the eastern end of Lisle St, near the Prince Charles Cinema). noon-midnight. Offers excellent and well-priced Japanese food.
Chinatown[ edit ]
China China, 3 Gerrard St, ☎ +44 20 7439-7502 . At the budget end of the scale, China China at the eastern end of the north side of Gerrard Street offers Hong Kong diner style meals of cold meat on hot rice. around £5 for a generous portion.
Friendly Inn , 47 Gerrard St, ☎ +44 20 7437-4170 . Offers cheap fare on the southern side of Gerrard Street. The restaurant lives up to its name with very enthusiastic serving staff, but unless you stick to the set menus, the cost of the meal can soon increase.
Leong's Legend and Leong's Legend Continued... serves Taiwanese fare. Chilli crab and omelette dishes are specialities. So popular they opened a second restaurant which is arguably more busier. Those with a craving for Taiwanese pearl tea, should head over to Bubbleology at 49 Rupert St, Soho.
CNR Cafe tucked down an alley off Whitcomb St, is worth checking out for cheap Malasyian-Singoporean eats.
Lee Ho Fook, 15-16 Gerrard St, ☎ +44 20 7492-1200 . The best known restaurant in Chinatown, as immortalised in Warren Zevon's song Werewolves of London. The restaurant plays on this tiny crumb of fame, displaying a much-faded image of the singer in its window. Meals here are relatively costly by local standards, and generally not reported to be outstandingly good.
Luxuriance Peking Cuisine, 40 Gerrard St, ☎ +44 20 7734-0262 . This family-owned business that started up in 1980 is famous for its freshly cooked crispy aromatic duck, seafood banquet and pork spare ribs. The interior is comfortable, relaxed and modern.
Mr Kong , 21 Lisle St (at the end of Leicester Place, after the Prince Charles Cinema), ☎ +44 20 7437-7341 , e-mail: [email protected] . Reputed to have the best vegetarian food in Chinatown.
New World, 1 Gerrard Pl, ☎ +44 20 7734-0396 . A well-decorated and plush-looking restaurant which serves excellent dim sum on trolleys from midday until around 6PM. Good quality evening food is available thereafter, and the service is very good overall.
Wong Kei, 41-43 Wardour St, W1 (opposite the western end of Gerrard St), ☎ +44 20 7437-3071 . A Chinatown institution. Popular with Londoners and visitors alike and possibly the best value Chinese restaurant in the whole of London. Spread across four floors, this restaurant is infamous for its surly, abrupt service and this has become part of the experience of dining there. Depending on how drunk you look, the higher up the building you will be sent. Tea is complimentary, though somewhat bland. Set meals present excellent value for money, some being under £5. The sweet and sour pork is remarkably good.
There are several buffets in Chinatown, of which the cheapest is Mr Wu at £4.95, its and cheerful, and you get exactly what you pay for. Some of them have a larger selection of dishes, but quality varies and can be a lot to be desired. If you do mind, Hong Kong Buffet is the most expensive at £12, but is more tasty and you can be sure you're not eating rat-meat.
Drink[ edit ]
There are relatively few decent places to drink in this district and visitors would do better to head north into Soho or east in Covent Garden , for a better selection of bars and pubs. However, if your legs are weary, there are a number of convenient drinking places:
1997, 19 Wardour St. Cosy place to visit if you are not feeling in an alcoholic mood. They provide a good selection of iced and pearl tapioca teas which are often hard to come by outside of Hong Kong.
Cork and Bottle Wine Bar, 44-46 Cranbourn St, ☎ +44 20 7734-7807 . More of a wine bar than a restaurant, the extensive wine list featuring selections from Australia and California. They offer reasonable cuisine to wash down this full bodied wines.
De Hems, 11 Macclesfield St, W1D 5BW (North from halfway along Gerrard St). Dutch-themed pub with an excellent selection of beers. It is often crowded, but has a good atmosphere and a comedy club.
O'Neil's, Irish chain bar lost in the heart of Chinatown. Three levels with a houseband on busier nights, who always seem to play the same U2 and Kings of Leon songs.
[dead link]Geisha Bar , 75 Charing Cross Rd, WC2H 0NE. A well-known wine bar that also features an extensive and imaginative cocktail menu.
Trash Palace, 11 Wardour St, W1D 6PG, ☎ +44 20 7734-0522 . Fantastic small gay bar, mixed music and a laid back mixed crowd.
Waxy's O'Connor's, 14-16 Rupert St, W1D 6DD. Irish themed pub with a fibreglass tree inside it. It is almost invariably unbearably crowded. The smaller Waxy's Little Sister opposite it, however, is generally quieter and more relaxed.
51.51196 -0.13356 1 Bubbleology , 49 Rupert Street, ☎ +44 20 7494-4231 , e-mail: [email protected] . 11:00-23:30 Monday-Thursday, 11:00-00:00 Saturday, 11:00-23:30 Sunday. Quirky shop selling bubble teas in a very interesting way.
Sleep[ edit ]
Very few visitors actually stay in this district and the options which are available are not particularly good value. This is a district to visit, not to stay in.
| Edith Cavell |
The title First Level Nurse replaced Registered General Nurse, which replaced what? | London/Leicester Square – Travel guide at Wikivoyage
Chinatown[ edit ]
Chinatown is centrally located in the West End, along and around Gerrard Street off Leicester Square. It spreads into Wardour Street at one end and Newport Place at the other. London's Chinatown may not be quite as large as those in San Francisco or Vancouver but it is still a great place to dine out in the evening, authentically Chinese and definitely different from anywhere else in London.
Trafalgar Square[ edit ]
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a large public square commemorating Lord Horatio Nelson's victory against Napoleon's navy at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The central monument within the square is a single tall column on which the figure of Nelson stands gazing over London and is one of the great iconic images of London. His monument is surrounded by four colossal lions and a series of large fountains. Much more than just an open plaza, Trafalgar Square is famous as the location of a large number of important buildings and institutions that surround the square and fill the streets surrounding it. Trafalgar Square also marks the northern end of Whitehall , the centre of British government.
In 2003 Trafalgar Square was renovated and expanded to link up directly with the National Gallery on the north side of the square - a great improvement to the traffic which once completely encircled this, the largest public square in the West End. The early 18th century church of St Martins in the Fields stands at the north-east corner of the square. Just by the church, Charing Cross Road gives access to the fabulous National Portrait Gallery, and leads on further to Leicester Square, Soho and the famous collection of bookstores on the road itself. To the south, Whitehall leads to Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and 10 Downing Street.
Christmas time sees the erection of a large Christmas Tree within the square, the annual gift of the people of Oslo , capital of Norway , as a token of gratitude for Britain's help in WWII. Trafalgar Square is also traditionally the scene of lively celebrations for Londoners on New Year's Eve, though an increasingly heavy police presence has meant that some antics (drunks leaping into the fountains) have all but disappeared. More recently, Trafalgar Square has served as an outdoor venue for concerts and VIP appearances, courtesy of the Mayor of London's Office, which is keen to see Londoners use their public spaces better. Visitors to the square on an ordinary day may also discover small-scale demonstrations and public speakers - the Square is a convenient gathering place near to, but not threatening, the seat of British Government down the road at Westminster.
Leicester Square[ edit ]
This smallish London square is the site of most British film premieres and the square itself is surrounded by terrifyingly-expensive cinemas — tickets for an evening screening will cost upwards of £17, 3D screenings will cost upwards of £15. At night, Leicester Square becomes exceptionally busy with tourists and locals, visiting the surrounding clubs and bars. In the north-west corner of the square is a musical clock, incorporating a Swiss glockenspiel, that is popular with tourists. It was popular enough that its remodelling and restoration was actually a requirement when permission was given for the demolition of Swiss Centre in 2008, of which it had been a part. The TKTS half price ticket booth is on the south side of Leicester Square for cheap tickets for theatre performances.
By Tube[ edit ]
Leicester Square is served by a Tube station of the same name located just off the north east corner of the Square on Charing Cross Road. The station is on both the Northern and Piccadilly Lines and acts as a convenient place to start any exploration of London's West End.
Chinatown is a short walk from both Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo Lines) — walk east along Shaftesbury Avenue, before turning right at Wardour Street, watch for the ornamental gates — and Leicester Square (Piccadilly and Northern Lines) stations.
The nearest tube station to Trafalgar Square is Charing Cross on the Northern and Bakerloo Lines.
Piccadilly Circus is served by a Tube station of the same name.
See[ edit ]
The National Gallery
51.5079144 -0.1280218 1 Trafalgar Square (Nearest tube: Charing Cross). The main, central square of London, Trafalgar Square is associated with celebration and demonstration - it is the site of London's lacklustre New Year celebrations, and in 2003 was the site of the triumphant homecoming of the British Rugby team from the World Cup, and a centre for demonstration against Britain's involvement in the Iraq War. In recent years, the square has been associated with the many hundreds of pigeons that used to be found here, but London's Mayor Ken Livingstone passed a bylaw in 2003 making it illegal to feed them. Nelson's Column, surrounded by the four bronze lions can be found here, on the south side of the square. The north-west plinth in the square has been vacant since 1841, and controversial contemporary sculpture has been displayed here in recent years.
51.5089061 -0.128392 2 National Gallery , Trafalgar Sq, WC2 5DN, ☎ +44 20 7747-2885 . 10:00-18:00 daily except F until 21:00. Houses the British national collection of western European art dating from the 13th to 19th centuries. A truly awe-inspiring collection, notable works include Hans Holbein's The Ambassadors, Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Constable's The Haywain. The vast majority of art is free of charge to visit. Temporary exhibitions are generally fairly costly, but invariably well researched and presented. The audioguides are very comprehensive, have comments on most of the paintings in the museum, and are free though this fact is not advertised. A donation is suggested. In addition to courses, workshops, lectures and other events, the National Gallery has free talks and tours every day. Free.
51.5094302 -0.1281667 3 National Portrait Gallery , St Martin’s Pl, WC2H 0HE, ☎ +44 20 7306-0055 . 10:00-18:00, except Th F until 21:00. The National Portrait Gallery is just around the corner from the National Gallery and is an entertaining way to learn about British history since the Tudors. Visitors walk around the gallery chronologically, viewing portraits of notable figures from British history - from Henry VII, painted by Hans Holbein, to Blur, painted by Julian Opie. Free except some non-permanent exhibitions.
51.5087892 -0.1265359 4 St Martins in the Fields , 8 St Martin's Pl, WC2. A classical church that stands opposite the National Gallery. Since WWI, the homeless have sought shelter at this church, a tradition that continues to this day.
Edith Cavell Memorial, St Martin's Pl WC2 (just off Trafalgar Sq). Statue in honour of the World War I nursing heroine.
51.5098843 -0.1344484 5 Piccadilly Circus (tube: Piccadilly Circus). At the junction of five major roads, Piccadilly Circus is the home of the famous aluminum statue of Eros, which sits atop a fountain. The north side of Piccadilly Circus holds an enormous display board of electric advertisements, including Britain's biggest illuminated display (the widest in the world), advertising a popular soft drink.
51.5103851 -0.1301032 6 Leicester Square Garden. Relax and unwind in the garden, and gaze at the activity going on all around, while listening to the buskers, street entertainers and preachers performing in the area.
51.5117807 -0.1308489 7 Chinatown. The main sights to see in London's Chinatown are the expressions of Chinese culture and Eastern ambience in Chinatown, and for a good Chinese meal. There are few souvenir shops for tourists and no museums or temples.
Chinese arches (Paifang), at each end of Gerrard St and at the entrance to Macclesfield St. The three ornamental Chinese arches are worth a look.
Chinatown phone booths. Chinatown does incorporate some entertaining combinations of British and Chinese culture, such as the phone booths with pagoda-style sloping roofs.
Cinemas[ edit ]
Leicester Square square hosts most high-profile London cinema premieres, on which occasions it is fenced and crowded beyond comfort by people desperately trying to take a look at their celebrity of choice.
Mainstream[ edit ]
Empire, 5-6 Leicester Sq, WC2 (tube: Leicester Sq), ☎ +44 20 7437-1234 . M-F until 17:00 £5, M-F after 17:00 £7.50, £8, £9, Sa Su £7.50, £8, £9.
Odeon Leicester Square , Leicester Sq, WC2 (tube: Leicester Sq), ☎ +44 870 5050 007 . Also includes the Odeon Mezzanine and Odeon West End M-F until 17:00 £5, £6, £6.50 M-F after 17:00 £10, Sa Su £11.
Arthouse[ edit ]
Curzon Soho Cinema , 99 Shaftesbury Ave, W1D 5DY. Voted "London's Number 1 Cinema" by Time Out readers, great bar and a fantastic art-house program.
Prince Charles Cinema , 7 Leicester Pl (Down a side street to the north, just up from the Häagen-Dazs). The cheapest and in some ways most interesting cinema in the area. They do not screen the latest films but usually have an interesting selection, including foreign and art house films and often have theme nights. Get hold of the program at the door or on the internet and consider buying the discount-granting yearly membership if you plan to come back a few times. M £1.99, Tu-F £2.50, Sa Su £3.50.
Theatre[ edit ]
One of the ornamental gates or paifang located at the entrance to Gerrard Street in London's Chinatown
Along with neighbouring Covent Garden this is the capital of London's theatreland and the most famous London theatres are in this district. Check individual theatre websites of the official London theatreland website [1] for current programmes and never neglect the official half price ticket booth in Leicester Square itself:
TKTS (half price ticket booth), Leicester Square (tube: Leicester Sq. Booth is on the south side of the square in the clock tower building). M-Sa 10:00-19:00, Su 11:00-16:00. Tickets can only be bought in person so do not try to contact by telephone. At times, there may well be long queues, so be prepared.
Please note that most of the booking office numbers given below will only work from within the UK. If you want to make a booking from overseas, use the relevant website.
The Leicester Square Box Office, otherwise known as LSBO also offers a great selection of great deals on tickets to top London shows and musicals. Tickets can be booked [2] over the phone on +44 20 7087-2999, or in person!
Other[ edit ]
Chinese New Year Festival. Worth seeing, though Gerrard St can get unbelievably crowded, as the dragon dancers pass along the street to collect goodies hung from windows above the shops. In recent years, the festival has expanded south into Leicester Sq and Trafalgar Sq to try to alleviate the congestion.
Buy[ edit ]
M&M's World , 1 Swiss Ct, WC2H 7DG (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7025-7171 . The largest sweet shop in the world. Unlike the New York City store you can only buy the "regular" M&M flavours here, albeit in a wider variety of colours than you would usually find. There is also a wide array of other merchandise available such as homeware and clothing.
Nickelodeon Store , 1 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA (Tube: Leicester Square). The first flagship store in Europe for the Nickelodeon brand. Sells a variety of merchandise with the character Spongebob Squarepants being prominent.
THE LEGO STORE , 3 Swiss Ct, W1D 6AP (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 207 839 3480 . Opened in November 2016, this is officially the world's largest LEGO Store. Also has a massive Big Ben (yes, they mean the clock tower and not the actual bell. Feel free to tut loudly) sculpture made of said building blocks.
Books[ edit ]
Charing Cross Road and the tiny Cecil Court which leads off it have long been the centre of the specialist and antiquarian book trade in London. There are fewer outlets than previously as spiralling rents pushed out a lot of the traditional booksmiths but many still remain. Any book lover will be in heaven here.
Any Amount of Books , 56 Charing Cross Rd, WC2H 0QA (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7836-3697 . Rare and second-hand books. Specialist in scholarly academic works and art-related titles.
David Drummond at Pleasures of Past Times, 11 Cecil Ct WC2N 4EZ (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7836-1142 . Specialises in books and other memorabilia related to the performing arts and old children's books.
Goldsboro Books , 7 Cecil Ct, WC2N 4EZ (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7497-9230 , e-mail: [email protected] . First editions and signed fiction.
Paul J Hilton, 12 Cecil Ct, WC2N 4HE (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7379-9825 . Antiquarian and general books, especially first edition English literature.
Henry Pordes Books Ltd , 58-60 Charing Cross Rd, WC2H 0BB (Tube: Leicester Square), ☎ +44 20 7836-9031 , e-mail: [email protected] . Secondhand, antiquarian and all out-of print books.
Quinto Bookshop & Francis Edwards , 72 Charing Cross Rd, WC2H 0BB, ☎ +44 20 7379-7669 , e-mail: [email protected] . Huge collection. Francis Edwards have been in business here since 1856.
Eat[ edit ]
All sorts of food are available. While London's Chinatown boasts some of the city's best Chinese food, quality and value vary enormously between individual restaurants. While some consistently win awards, others seem to be regularly being refurbished following visits from the local Environmental Health department. Unless you're on an extreme budget, it is worth paying a little more for quality food and service. Be careful especially with the common all you can eat deals.
Café in the Crypt , Trafalgar Sq. In the basement of St Martin-in-the-Fields church is the Café in the Crypt which offers reasonably-priced cafe food that you can eat amongst the brick-vaulted ceilings, pillars and gravestones.
The Portrait Restaurant, at the National Portrait Gallery, ☎ +44 20 7312-2490 . Offers spectacular food accompanied by spectacular art on the 5th floor of the National Portrait Gallery. A must do dining experience.
Tokyo Diner, 2 Newport Pl (At the eastern end of Lisle St, near the Prince Charles Cinema). noon-midnight. Offers excellent and well-priced Japanese food.
Chinatown[ edit ]
China China, 3 Gerrard St, ☎ +44 20 7439-7502 . At the budget end of the scale, China China at the eastern end of the north side of Gerrard Street offers Hong Kong diner style meals of cold meat on hot rice. around £5 for a generous portion.
Friendly Inn , 47 Gerrard St, ☎ +44 20 7437-4170 . Offers cheap fare on the southern side of Gerrard Street. The restaurant lives up to its name with very enthusiastic serving staff, but unless you stick to the set menus, the cost of the meal can soon increase.
Leong's Legend and Leong's Legend Continued... serves Taiwanese fare. Chilli crab and omelette dishes are specialities. So popular they opened a second restaurant which is arguably more busier. Those with a craving for Taiwanese pearl tea, should head over to Bubbleology at 49 Rupert St, Soho.
CNR Cafe tucked down an alley off Whitcomb St, is worth checking out for cheap Malasyian-Singoporean eats.
Lee Ho Fook, 15-16 Gerrard St, ☎ +44 20 7492-1200 . The best known restaurant in Chinatown, as immortalised in Warren Zevon's song Werewolves of London. The restaurant plays on this tiny crumb of fame, displaying a much-faded image of the singer in its window. Meals here are relatively costly by local standards, and generally not reported to be outstandingly good.
Luxuriance Peking Cuisine, 40 Gerrard St, ☎ +44 20 7734-0262 . This family-owned business that started up in 1980 is famous for its freshly cooked crispy aromatic duck, seafood banquet and pork spare ribs. The interior is comfortable, relaxed and modern.
Mr Kong , 21 Lisle St (at the end of Leicester Place, after the Prince Charles Cinema), ☎ +44 20 7437-7341 , e-mail: [email protected] . Reputed to have the best vegetarian food in Chinatown.
New World, 1 Gerrard Pl, ☎ +44 20 7734-0396 . A well-decorated and plush-looking restaurant which serves excellent dim sum on trolleys from midday until around 6PM. Good quality evening food is available thereafter, and the service is very good overall.
Wong Kei, 41-43 Wardour St, W1 (opposite the western end of Gerrard St), ☎ +44 20 7437-3071 . A Chinatown institution. Popular with Londoners and visitors alike and possibly the best value Chinese restaurant in the whole of London. Spread across four floors, this restaurant is infamous for its surly, abrupt service and this has become part of the experience of dining there. Depending on how drunk you look, the higher up the building you will be sent. Tea is complimentary, though somewhat bland. Set meals present excellent value for money, some being under £5. The sweet and sour pork is remarkably good.
There are several buffets in Chinatown, of which the cheapest is Mr Wu at £4.95, its and cheerful, and you get exactly what you pay for. Some of them have a larger selection of dishes, but quality varies and can be a lot to be desired. If you do mind, Hong Kong Buffet is the most expensive at £12, but is more tasty and you can be sure you're not eating rat-meat.
Drink[ edit ]
There are relatively few decent places to drink in this district and visitors would do better to head north into Soho or east in Covent Garden , for a better selection of bars and pubs. However, if your legs are weary, there are a number of convenient drinking places:
1997, 19 Wardour St. Cosy place to visit if you are not feeling in an alcoholic mood. They provide a good selection of iced and pearl tapioca teas which are often hard to come by outside of Hong Kong.
Cork and Bottle Wine Bar, 44-46 Cranbourn St, ☎ +44 20 7734-7807 . More of a wine bar than a restaurant, the extensive wine list featuring selections from Australia and California. They offer reasonable cuisine to wash down this full bodied wines.
De Hems, 11 Macclesfield St, W1D 5BW (North from halfway along Gerrard St). Dutch-themed pub with an excellent selection of beers. It is often crowded, but has a good atmosphere and a comedy club.
O'Neil's, Irish chain bar lost in the heart of Chinatown. Three levels with a houseband on busier nights, who always seem to play the same U2 and Kings of Leon songs.
[dead link]Geisha Bar , 75 Charing Cross Rd, WC2H 0NE. A well-known wine bar that also features an extensive and imaginative cocktail menu.
Trash Palace, 11 Wardour St, W1D 6PG, ☎ +44 20 7734-0522 . Fantastic small gay bar, mixed music and a laid back mixed crowd.
Waxy's O'Connor's, 14-16 Rupert St, W1D 6DD. Irish themed pub with a fibreglass tree inside it. It is almost invariably unbearably crowded. The smaller Waxy's Little Sister opposite it, however, is generally quieter and more relaxed.
51.51196 -0.13356 1 Bubbleology , 49 Rupert Street, ☎ +44 20 7494-4231 , e-mail: [email protected] . 11:00-23:30 Monday-Thursday, 11:00-00:00 Saturday, 11:00-23:30 Sunday. Quirky shop selling bubble teas in a very interesting way.
Sleep[ edit ]
Very few visitors actually stay in this district and the options which are available are not particularly good value. This is a district to visit, not to stay in.
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In 1700 Solomon de Medina was the first from which religion to receive a knighthood? | Jewish History 1700 - 1799
1700 1710 1720 1730 1740 1750 1760 1770 1780 1790
C. 1700 - 1766 (7 Sivan 5520 second day of Shavuot) ISRAEL BEN ELIEZER (THE BAAL SHEM TOV) (Medzibezh, Poland-Lithuania)
Founder of the Hasidic movement. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by the Jewish community and spent much of his time alone in the nearby forests. After he married, he moved to the Carpathian Mountains and then to a small town where his wife set up an inn. At age 36, he revealed himself to the community as a healer and a comforter. He received the name "Baal Shem Tov" (Master of the Good Name) and was simply called the "Besht". His major philosophy consisted of worshipping G-d with joy and believing that simple prayers, when uttered in earnest, were more important that extreme intellectualization. The Besht believed that Tzaddikim , or righteous ones, were sent by G-d to guide the people. Though he left no writings of his own, he was immortalized by the often miraculous and magnified stories of his life told by his closest followers. The Baal Shem Tov did not have any children. His closest pupils set up "courts" and established Hassidic dynasties with different variances but in all adhering to the principles of Hassidism he laid down.
1700 - 1721 THE GREAT NORTHERN WAR
Was fought between a coalition of Russia, Denmark-Norway and Saxony-Poland (from 1715 also Prussia and Hanover) vs. Sweden. Czar Peter I and King Augustus II eventually defeated Charles II of Sweden and Stanislaus Leszczynski (the Pretender). Jews were forced by both sides to pay heavy taxes, especially in the cities occupied by the Swedes. In Poznan (1704), Jews were forced to defend the city by catching firebombs with their hands.
1700 WORLD JEWISH POPULATION
It is estimated that at this time there were about 2 million Jews in the world, with the Ashkenazic / Sephardic populations almost equal in size . This would change over the next centuries with Ashkenazic population on the ascendance.
1700 June 23, SOLOMON DE MEDINA (c. 1650-1730) (England)
Was knighted by William III of England. Medina was the first professing Jew to receive a knighthood. Medina had helped finance what became known as the "glorious revolution" which installed William of Orange and Mary (the daughter of James II) on the throne. Their rule ended any hope for a restoration of catholic rule in England.
1700 October 14, JUDAH HASSID (Eretz-Israel)
Arrived in Jerusalem . He had started out with 31 families in Poland and reached a high of 1500 people before setting sail. One third perished along the way. Judah Hassid died 3 days after reaching Jerusalem. The community , met with suspicion by the mostly sephardi community fell into financial hardship. The synagogue and compound under dept to local Arabs was occupied by them and destroyed. It became known as the Ha Hurva or � The Ruin� synagogue. It took 140 years before it was rebuilt only to be destroyed by the Jordan legion in 1948. It was restored in 2010.rnrn
1703 August 28, ALEINU PRAYER BANNED (Brandenberg, Germany)
The Aleinu prayer was prohibited in much of Germany. The Aleinu, composed by Rav , one of the great Talmudists (d. 247), had been part of the ritual prayer for almost 1500 years. It served as a focal point for anti-Jewish attacks. Although the wording "For they bow down to emptiness and vanity and to a God that cannot save" was taken from Isaiah (45:20) and referred to idol worshipers, some Christian leaders claimed it was an attack on Christianity. The prayer was eventually entirely eradicated from the Ashkenazi siddur and only reprinted recently.
1704 ELLUS BAT MORDECAI (Slutsk ,Belarus)
Translated Maavor yarbuk ( Crossing the Yarbuk) a kabalistic work into Yiddish. She was a well educated translator. She also translated a prayer book Shomrim Laboker (Dawn Watch).
1704 March 11, PROPAGANDAE PER UNICERSUM
Bull by Pope Clement XI confirmed all the benefits given to converts under Paul III ( see 1542), and expanded them to include giving then the rights over properties owned by non converted members of their families.
1705 ENGLAND
| Judaism |
In 1917, which Queen received the first Damehood, the female equivalent of a knighthood? | This Day ... In Jewish History: This Day, June 23, In Jewish History by Mitchell A. Levin
This Day, June 23, In Jewish History by Mitchell A. Levin
JUNE 23
79: Vespasian, the Roman general who was in the process of conquering Judea when he became Emperor, died.
79: Titus, the Roman general whom the Jews will always remember for the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple succeeded his father Vespasian as tenth Roman Emperor.
1295: The newly chosen head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Boniface VIII, entered Rome and spurned the Torah scrolls offered to him by the Jewish community.
1298: Massacre of the Jews of Wiener-Neustadt, Austria.
1608: Samuel Pallache “a Jewish-Moroccan merchant, diplomat and pirate met stadholder Maurice of Nassau and the States-General in The Hague to negotiate an alliance of mutual assistance against Spain.
1696: Jews of Posen, Poland were saved from a mob set to avenge the murder of a soldier when a peasant woman who was seized carrying the victim's clothing, confessed to her son's murder.
1700: Solomon de Medina was dubbed a knight by William III. He was the first Jew to receive this honor. Medina was military contractor who would provide invaluable aid to the Duke of Marlborough during the War of Spanish Succession.
1762: Today Mary Wilkinson married Joseph Priestly who in 1786, “published his Letter to the Jews urging them to convert” which brought a strong response from David Levi that “led to his three-volume Dissertation on the Prophecies of the Old Testament.”
1779: Birthdate of Markus Bär Friedenthal who was a leading banker in Breslau where he was also active in Jewish communal affairs.
1785(15th of Tammuz, 5545): Ninety year old Arieh Loeb who had served as a rabbi in Frankfort before becoming the Grand Rabbi of Metz passed away today.
1794: With the second partition of Poland additional territory was added to the Pale (the district in which the Jews were forced to live) that included parts of the Ukraine and the city of Kiev. Jews were granted permission by Empress Catherine II to settle in Kiev.
1807: Birthdate of Ferdinand Hitzig, one of a number of non-Jewish biblical critics who examined the Old Testament in light of the discoveries of archaeology and linguists who wrote commentaries on several books of the Bible starting with Isaiah in the 1830’s and ending with Proverbs in 1858.
1810 John Jacob Astor organized Pacific Fur Company at what is now Astoria, Oregon. There seems to be some dispute as to whether or not Astor was Jewish or "of Jewish origins."
1810: According to a report published today, “France had 250 Jewish manufacturers and 2, 360 Jews were in schools or were employed in ‘useful professions.’”
1823: Mordecai Manuel Noah, an early American Jewish leader who dabbled in politics and journalism, wrote a twenty page letter to President James Monroe seeking his support for William Crawford’s candidacy for President of the United States. Crawford lost his bid which marked a decline in Noah’s self-appointed role a political king-maker.
1839: Birthdate of Philadelphian Simon Sterne who gained fame as an attorney and economist.
1839: Sixty-three year old Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope whose “archaeological expedition to Ashkelon in 1815 is considered the first modern excavation in the history of Holy Land archeology” passed away today. For more about her and her work see Memoirs of the Lady Hester Stanhope as related by herself in Conversations with her Physician by Dr. Charles Meryon.
1840: “A large Jewish public assembly met at the Great Synagogue of London to map out plans for the journey of Moses Montefiore to Egypt to intercede with Governor Mehmet Ali to release eight Damascene Jews who had been tortured and charged with a blood ritual, following the disappearance of Father Tomaso, head of the Capuchin cloister.” (As reported by Abraham Bloch)
1841: In Charleston, SC, Mr. M. Nathan married Ann Cohen the third daughter of Aaron N. Cohen.
1842: In Albany, NY, Sampson Rosendale and Fannie Sachs gave birth to Simon W. Rosendale, husband of Helen Cohen who became the first Jew elected to a statewide office in New York when he was elected State Attorney General. While he was active in many American Jewish organizations including the Jewish Publication Society, the American Jewish Historical Society and B’nai B’rith he was among those who signed an anti-Zionist memorandum given to President Wilson before the Versailles Peace Conference.
1846: Birthdate of French Egyptologist and student of the ancient middle east, Gaston Maspero. His works included a report of what may have been the first “discovery of an Egyptian record in which the Hebrews are mentioned.”
1848: In Paris, tens of thousands of French workers took to the streets in what came to be known as “June Days of Uprisings” which would lead to the end of the Second Republic during which Jews had gained full rights including the declaration that the “Oath More Judaico” was unconstitutional in 1846>
1858: An incident, known as the Mortara Affair, began in Bologna: Edgardo Mortara, a seven year old Jewish boy, was kidnapped by the Roman Catholic Church on the pretext that a servant girl claimed that she had baptized him. The pope, Pious IX, refused to surrender him despite many protests. The combination of the Damascus affair and this affair led to unification among many Jews and later to the establishment of the Alliance Israelite.
1865: In Toledo, Ohio, Henry Calisch and Rebecca Van Norden gave birth to Edward N. Calisch the graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Hebrew Union College and University of Virginia (M.A.), the rabbi at Congregation Beth Ahaba in Richmond since 1891 and the author of “A Book of Prayer” and “A Child’s Bible.”
1866(210th of Tammuz, 5626): Fifty-three year old physician and economist Sarphati Samuel, passed away in Amsterdam, the city of his birth.
1868(3rd of Tammuz, 5628): Rabbi Morris Jacob Raphall passed away. Born at Stockholm, Sweden, in 1798, “at the age of nine he was taken by his father, who was banker to the King of Sweden, to Copenhagen, where he was educated at the Hebrew grammar-school. Later he went to England, where he devoted himself to the study of languages, for the better acquisition of which he subsequently traveled in France, Germany, and Belgium. After lecturing on Hebrew poetry he began to publish the "Hebrew Review, and Magazine of Rabbinical Literature," which he was forced to discontinue in 1836 owing to ill health. For some time he acted as honorary secretary to Solomon Herschell, chief rabbi of Great Britain. He made translations from Maimonides, Albo, and Herz Wessely; conjointly with the Rev. D. A. de Sola he published a translation of eighteen treatises of the Mishnah; and he also began a translation of the Pentateuch, of which only one volume appeared. In 1840, when the blood accusation was made at Damascus, he published a refutation of it in four languages (Hebrew, English, French, and German) and wrote a defense of Judaism against an anonymous writer in the London "Times." In 1841 he was appointed minister of the Birmingham Synagogue and master of the school. He continued in these capacities for eight years, and then sailed for New York (1849). In that city he was appointed rabbi and preacher of the B'nei Jeshurun congregation, where he continued as pastor till 1866, his duties then being relaxed owing to his infirm health. Raphall was the author of a text-book of the post-Biblical history of the Jews (to the year 70 C.E.). He received the Ph.D. degree from the University of Erlangen (Germany).”
1872(17th of Sivan, 5632): Seventy-year old Aaron Ben Asher of Karlin “also known as Rabbi Aaron II of Karlin” the famous Chasidic Rebbe whose daughter “Miriam, married Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedeman the first Rebbe of the Sadigura Chasidic Dynasty” and the author of the his seminal work Bet Aharon (Aaron’s House) passed away today.
1873: The children under the care of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum and Free School are scheduled to enjoy their first excursion of the summer today. Lewis S. Levy is the chairman of the committee that has organized the event.
1876: It was reported today that an unnamed Moor stabbed eleven Jews with a dagger at Alcassar in the province of Fez, Morocco. Among the victims was Moses Abecasis. The Moor, who has been arrested, insists that “he was not aware of what he was doing when he committed the crimes.” The British and Italian Vice Consuls have insisted that the provincial governor and the leading citizens of Alcasar “have a signed a document guaranteeing the lives and property of foreign Jews” living there.
1877: At Ahaveth Chesed on the corner of Lexington and 55th in New York City, Rabbi Adolph Huesbech delivered a sermon based on Deuteronomy X:12, “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him and serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” In the course of the sermon he spoke about the recent events surrounding the banning of Jews by Judge Hilton which he referred to as the “grievous occurrences of the past few days.” While he abhors boasting, he believes that “the Jewish name must always be held in honor.” He decried the fact that the Jews “had been placed in a false position” by this member of the nouveau riche who had used his newly “attained social eminence” to arouse enmity aimed at the Jews. In the end, the Rabbi said he would fail. “The Hiltons will die away but the principle of liberty as embodied in the American Constitution will live forever.
1877: Rabbi Samuel Isaacs, the leader of New York’s Gates of Prayer, described the negative impact that Judge Hilton’s behavior would have on English Jewish leaders including the Rothschilds and Sir Moses Montefiore who is “personal and esteemed friend of Queen Victoria.” They have always viewed the United States as a place where Jews were treated with the utmost “consideration and courtesy”; a situation similar to the treatment of Jews in the United Kingdom. If the Queen can count Montifore among her friends, certainly Judge Hilton could treat a person like Mr. Seligman with “common civility.” When asked Judge Hilton’s attempt to draw a distinction between “trade Jews and real “Hebrews, Rabbi Isaacs responded by recalling the “the words of the late Baron James Rothschild of Paris. ‘When we are poor and ignorant we Jews; when we are well to do we become Israelites; when we are rich and influential we are called Hebrews.’” Judge Hilton is trying to create a distinction that does not exist as a face-saving maneuver.
1877: “The Jewish Question” published today reported that both sides in the dispute touched off by Judge Hilton’s banning of Jews from the Grand Union Hotel seemed to hold firm to their previously stated positions. Various Jewish leaders, including Mr. Seligman’s attorney have advised against any further public discussions or meetings on the matter. They are reassured by the public response and the decision by some not to do business with the firm controlled by Hilton. Hilton will not change his policy and still claims that he does not dislike Jews. After all, the messenger to whom he entrusts thousands of dollars each day is Jewish.
1878: “The Jews and Titus,” an article published today, that originally appeared in the English publication, Fraser’s Magazine reviews events surrounding the decision of Titus to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. The article points out that the Jews had a favorable impact on the western world in the era between Antiochus and Nero. Among other things the Jews are industrious and hardworking just like the people living “in the American Union are at Salt Lake.” Even their leaders worked at “mechanical labor or rustic art.” Even the Roman historian Tacitus acknowledged the virtues of the Jews. When Titus conferred with his officers about sparing the Temple, they urged him to destroy it and the rest of the city as well. Jerusalem had been the source of “two detestable religions, the Jewish and the Christian, which best be destroyed by uprooting their original home…” Despite Roman cruelty and oppression which followed by “Christian animosity” “the Jews and their religion” have survived without any deterioration over the centuries. Unfortunately, the article concludes, the Jews “still have to plead for toleration and from justice Slavonic Europe.”
1879: The Literary Notes Column reported that “Mr. Nutt, the Librarian of the Bodleian Library at Oxford University has edited” a manuscript in the library’s possession that is “a commentary on Isaiah” written “by Rabbi Eleazar of Beaugency.” Nutt has included a preface that provides “a valuable account of Bibilical exegesis among the Spanish and French Jews of the Middle Ages. [Eleazar was a 12th century French Biblical commentary who lived at Beaugency. He was a “pupil of Samuel ben Meïr, the eminent grandson of Rashi.”]
1880: The Young Men’s Hebrew Association of Harlem is sponsoring a strawberry festival this evening which is designed to raise funds for a gymnasium to be used by the members.
1881: Seventy-seven year old German botanist Matthias Jakob Schleiden, a co-founder of the “cell theory” whose writings on Judaism “contrast with the academic anti-Semitism of his time” but “also break with the anti-Judaism of Kant and Fries.” “Schleiden's apology for Judaism is shown to be deeply rooted in his ideas about scientific progress, especially his methodology of microscopic botany.” (As presented by Ulrich Charpa)
1882: Rabbi Levy arrived at the New York office of the Hebrew Emigrant Aid Society from South Carolina. He told those in charge that the European Jewish refugees “were unfit” for the work “on Southern Plantations.” He brought 11 of the 30 refugees who had been placed in his care with him to New York. He thinks that they could be successful working on small vegetable farms. [This was part of the move to create agrarian opportunities for the horde of Jewish refugees fleeing Eastern Europe.]
1882: “Is He Sane Or Insane” published today described the travails of Samuel Obright who has been committed to Middletown Lunatic Asylum. His wife, whom he married only a few days ago, contends that his family and friends had him committed because Obright who is Jewish chose to marry a Christian. The judge has ordered him held in the custody of the Sheriff until the matter can be decided.
1882: It was reported today that Dr. Julius Goldman had delivered a report to the Hebrew Emigrant Aid Society entitled “Colonizing the Russian Refugees” and not Dr. Julius Goodman as stated in an earlier article.
1883: As anti-Jewish riots resumed today in St. Gall, Switzerland, dismounted dragoons were called out to disperse the mob.
1883: It was reported today that those wishing to make contributions to support the upcoming summer excursions sponsored by the Sanitarium for Hebrew Children can be sent to John Davis.
1883: “Blood in Passover” published today described a trial at Nyreghhaza, Hungary, where “a number of Jews are accused of having murdered a Christian girl at Tisza-Ezlar for the sake of using her blood to mix with their Passover bread.” The article conclude with “a Catholic priest admitted that he was the author of an anonymous attack on the Jews accusing them of the murder of the girl.”
1884(30th of Sivan, 5644): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
1884: In Southern Russia, fighting broke out between Jews and Armenians at Titlis.
1884: Birthdate of the pro-Nazi German actor who “simultaneously played the roles of several stereotypical Jewish characters – among them Rabbi Loew and Sekretar Levy – in Veit Harlan's antisemitic propaganda film Jud Süß (1940), implementing Harlan's concept of a common Jewish root and Shylock in Lothar Müthel's extreme production of The Merchant of Venice staged at the Burgtheater in 1943 which made him a person favorite of Hitler.
1885: Mr. Julius Bien of New York, President of the B’nai B’rith opened a meeting of the Jewish organization in Berlin. He was assisted in his efforts by Isaac Hamburger of New York and Henry Gruenbaum of Chicago.
1886: It was reported today that Harris Cohen had been awarded the Lewis May Award at a reception sponsored by the Hebrew Technical Institute. Samuel Sass won the Carl Schurz Prize for the best essay on technical education.
1887: Birthdate of Hugo Hermann the Moravian born author, publisher and Zionist leader who died in Jerusalem in 1940.
1887(1st of Tammuz, 5647): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
1887(1st of Tammuz, 5647): Joseph Freedman, a Russian-Jew who was a tin peddler died this evening at P.J. Kelly’s furniture store in New Haven, Conn.
1888: The Eldridge Street Synagogue was filled with congregants for today’s memorial service held in honor of the late German Emperor. Rabbi Zinsler of the Henry Street Synagogue delivered a eulogy in German followed by Coroner Ferdinand Levy who delivered a eulogy in English. [This was just one of many such services held by the Jews to honor the late Kaiser.]
1888: Emile Hirsch, who serves as the Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Chicago returned to the Windy City after a brief visit to New Orleans.
1888: This evening Rabbi Emile Hirsch addressed his congregation in Chicago outlined his view on inter-marriage, declaring that “Judaism was more than a religion or a creed…Judaism is a mission and a message of loved and righteousness.”
1889: “In the Catskill Mountains” published today described the opening of the various hostelries in this New York vacation venue including the fact that “the anti-Hebrew crusade is practically a matter of the past.” Generally speaking this movement was confined to the cottages at Pine Hill where Gentiles and Jews are equally welcome provided they can afford to pay the fee for entertainment which can be as much as one hundred dollars a week. [For those who connect the Catskills with the Borscht Belt, the idea of Jews being banned must seem a little strange.]
1890: The reviewer of The Origin of the Aryans by Isaac Taylor longs “for the old days when it was comfortably agreed that Hebrew was the ‘oldest language’ and all the rest made their appearance on a certain occasion when the descendants of Noah were rebuked for their impiety and pride by the destruction of the Tower of Babel.”
1890: In New York, the Coroner is investigating the death of 35 year old Hyman Harrowitz, a Russian Jew who died from ammonia poisoning. At first, it was thought he died at his own hand, but based on statements by his brother and friends, he may have been given the wrong medicine by the local druggist which led to his death.
1890: Famed English archeologist Flinders Pitre has complained that the authors of Art in Sardinia, Syria, Judaea and Asia, Georges Perrot and Charles Chipiez “have omitted several Jewish antiquities in their profusely-illustrated volumes. The omissions are important because of the great scarity of objects of art or architecture which can be assigned to the Jews.”
1892: In Manhattan, Zelda and Morris (or Milton or Moshe) Kiviat gave birth to middle distance runner and Olympic Medalist Abel Richard Kivat.
1892: During the Dreyfus Affair, the Marquis de Mores mortally wounded Captain Armand Mayer in a duel that the anti-Semitic noble had forced on the Jewish officer. Mayer would die a couple of days later from his wounds.
1892: The military band of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum played the opening march at the annual reception and commencement exercises of Grammar School Number 43 on Amsterdam Avenue in NYC.
1893: “Swears Back What He Swore” published today provides a snapshot of the controversy surrounding the efforts of those aggressively trying to convert Jews living on the Lower East Side which are being resisted by the United Hebrew Charities which feels these people are the victims of coercion and deception.
1894: The Jesse Seligman Literary Circle, a new Hebrew social and literary society has been organized in Orange, NJ
1895: “An East Side Charity” published today traced the history of the Hebrew Sheltering House where “the homeless and hungry are cared for without inquiring in their religious faith…” The charity located on New York’s lower east side is a creation of the Russian Jews who provide all of the funds for its operation with the exception of $7000 given by Jacob Schiff.
1896: Herzl is received as a journalist of the Neue Freie Presse. Herzl offers that the Jews would undertake the regulation of the Turkish finances if they were given Palestine. Herzl cannot obtain an audience with the Sultan.
1897: The will of the late Moritz Cohn was filed for probate in the Surrogate’s office today.
1898: The funeral for Getta Schole, is scheduled to be held at the Crematory, Fresh Pond, Long Island. Mrs. Scholle is the widow of Jacob Scholle and was the Vice President of the Home for Aged and Infirm Hebrews and a Directress of The Ladies’ Auxiliary Society for the Montefiore Home for Chronic Invalids.
1898: President James H. Hoffman delivered the opening address at the commencement exercises of the Hebrew Technical Institute which were held at Cooper Union.
1899: Joseph I. Leiner was the salutatorian and valedictorian of this year’s graduating class of the Hebrew Technical Institute for which he earned the Fred M. Stein Prize, the Carl Schurz Prize and a special prize for his accomplishments.
1899: “New De Hirsch Fund” published today reported that “a part of the income…of the Baron de Hirsch Fund allotted to America” will be used to improve conditions in Brownsville, a section of Brooklyn with a large Jewish population. The project is being spearheaded by Abraham Abraham, a Brooklyn merchant and A.S. Solomon, the general agent of the Baron de Hirsch Fund in New York.
1901(6th of Tammuz, 5661): Eighty-seven year old British composer and pianist Charles Salaman passed away. In addition to his purely secular successes, Salaman created a musical version of Psalm 93 which is “sung on most Friday nights in the Sabbath eve service of the London Spanish & Portuguese Jewish community”
1906: Birthdate of Sadie Marks, the native of Seattle, Washington, who gained fame as Mary Livingston “the wife and radio partner of Jack Benny.” (Nobody would have thought that this All-American looking couple were really the children of Jewish immigrants.)
1907: In Chicago members of Emanuel Congregation a reform temple founded in 1880, dedicated the cornerstone for their new facility on Buckingham Street near Halsted.
1909: Helen Rosenfield of Portland, Oregon married Rabbi Jonah Bondi Wise. At the time he was the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel She passed away in 1950. He passed away in 1959
1909: Birthdate of political philosopher Valentin Feldman, the native of St. Petersburg who took refuge in France after the Civil War only to perish at the hands of the Nazis during the Occupation.
1909: Birthdate of Leo Hurwitz, the native of the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, brother of dancer Sophia Delza and psychoanalyst Marie Briehl and Emmy and Peabody award winning documentary filmmaker who was blacklisted during the McCarthy period
1914(23rd of Sivan, 5674): Forty-six year old Isidor Wormser, the son of the late Simon Wormser and the Uncle of the late Isidor Wormser passed away at his home in France today. He had retired from the banking business several years ago and moved abroad because of his ill health.
1914(23rd of Sivan, 5674): Isaac L. Mintz who moved from Russia to Charleston, SC before settling in New York in 1899 where he “engaged in the manufacture of clothing” passed away today.
1915: “Jewish Communal Workers Unite” published today described the organization of an upcoming “training school for Jewish communal workers” which “will enable those engaged in Jewish charitable labors to exchange in views.”
1915: “Rumors of a possible attack on the Georgia Prison Farm” at Milledgeville, GA, “where Leo M. Frank is confined, caused the management of the farm to increase the number of guards on both day and night duty.”
1915: “A committee of Atlanta Jews today made an appeal to Solicitor General Hugh Dorsey, who prosecuted Leo M. Frank, in behalf of their co-religionists at Marietta, where it was asserted that a movement had been initiated to drive the Jews from the city as a result of the feeling aroused by the action of Governor Slaton in commuting Frank’s death sentence.”
1915: Thirty-four of those arrested by police during the protests against Governor Slaton had hearings in Police Court where eight cases were dismissed and nominal fines were imposed in eleven of the cases including a fine levied of $15.75 imposed on “J.A. Bozeman, a policeman who said he would lead a crowd to the Governor’s home.”
1916: “At the request of President Adolph Kraus of the order of B’nai B’rith, a committee of the American League of Romanian Jews met in conference with him” today “at the Hotel Astor, to arrange for a national and international co-operative effort toward securing for the Jews in Romania equal civil, economic and political rights with the citizens of that country.”
1916: “The Executive Committee of the Independent Order of B’nai B’rith decided” today “that the order could not participate in the projected Jewish congress in this country because as an international organization it could not in the spirit of its constitution commit the European membership to the action of an assemblage composed exclusively of American Jews.”
1916: The Executive Committee of the Independent Order of B’nai B’rith elected Henry Morgenthau as a member at large and appropriated an additional $5,000 for the relief of Romanian Jews.
1917: As part of the Allied drive to dislodge the Turks from Palestine, a move supported by the Zionists, British aircraft bombed the railway station at Tulkarm, the airfield at Ramleh and the German military headquarters in Jerusalem, located in the August Victoria church and sanatorium on the summit of the Mount of Olives
1917: In Brooklyn, the United Dramatic Circle performed “The Marriage Broker” in Yiddish as a benefit for the Mother’s Club.
1917: Special Shabbat Morning Services will held in Baltimore, MD prior to the opening of the Twentieth Annual Convention of the Federation of Americans Zionists.
1918: “Jew Has High Rank In British Army” published today traces the career of Sir John Monash, the Australian Jew who has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and given command of a British Army Corps.
1919: “A pogrom took place today at Skvria in which 45 Jews were massacred, many were severely wounded, and 35 Jewish women were raped by army insurgents. As Whites, Reds and Cossacks battled for control of Russia during the Russian Civil War a series of pogroms took place in and around Kiev known as the Kiev Pogroms.
1919: Birthdate of Nathan Cohen, the Brooklyn born son of a New York publicist who would gain fame as Lee Solters, “a foxy, flamboyant press agent who cranked up his raspy Brooklyn-accented voice to hyperbolize about Broadway, Hollywood and a raft of clients including Frank Sintra, Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney and Wings, Led Zeppelin, Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, the Muppets, Mae West and Michael Jackson. When he passed away in 2009, the New York Times would describe him as, “One of the last surviving links to a Runyonesque era when publicists would slip items to columnists at 1am over drinks at the landmark Manhattan bar Toots Shor's, Solters was a prominent press agent – or "flack", as the Americans call them – during the years when it was routine to "plant" items about stars in showbusiness columns by such gossip writers as Hedda Hopper and Walter Winchell. Over more than 40 years the gravel-voiced Solters handled more than 300 shows, including the Broadway musicals Annie, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady and Camelot, “major motion pictures including The Graduate and the hit television series, “Dallas.”
1919: After serving in the position for all of World War I, Sidney Sonnion completed almost five years of service as Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
1919: As the negotiations to conclude the Treaty of Versailles, Gustav Bauer, the head of the new German government gave in to the Allied ultimatum and sent a telegram confirming that “a German delegation would arrive to sign the treaty.”
1922: Prominent New York attorney, Republican political leader and civic benefactor Edward Lauterbach paid tribute to the late Louis Stern, the longtime President of Stern Brothers who passed away while vacationing in Europe. He described his friend of 40 years as “Genial, kind hearted, good humored and never making an enemy in all his life…” While Stern was active in numerous civic and Jewish charities Lauterbach thinks “that the greatest achievement of Louis Stern was what he did for the benefit of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum” which he served as President for twenty years.
1923: In Dallas, TX, grocery store owners Harry and Chaya Ruchel Andres gave birth to “Dr. Reubin Andres, a gerontologist who advanced the study of diabetes but gained his widest attention for arguing controversially that weight gain in older people increases longevity.” (As reported by Leslie Kaufman)
1925(1st of Tammuz, 5685): Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
1925: In Brooklyn George L. and Kitty Maizman Modell gave birth to Arthur Bertam Modell whom the world will remember as Art Modell, the owner of the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens.
1926: The College Board administers the first SAT exam. “In 1926, Harvard and other Ivy League schools began using the SAT test to replace the admissions test on which urban Jews had performed well.” This was part of an overall attempt to limit Jewish attendance at these elite schools. “The SAT was grounded in the earlier Ellis Island and U.S. Army World War I tests in which Jews, among others, had performed poorly. That the poor performance was largely based on the lower literacy of the foreigners and their unfamiliarity with English and American terminology was not perceived to be the principal cause for the poor test performance. Here was a test that had provided evidence Jews did not perform well; its use might help bring about the desired results. Moreover, the fact that some of the SAT questions were developed and tested on Princeton freshman and Cooper Union students (all scholarship recipients), demonstrated that smart Gentiles did well on the tests. Ironically, as time passed and Jews became literate, absorbed American terminology, and learned how to take such tests, the outcomes completely reversed. But that was in the future and not anticipated when SAT testing began in 1926”.
1929: Birthdate of Simcha Dinitz “an Israeli statesman and politician” who “served as Director General of the Prime Minister's office and political advisor to Prime Minister Golda Meir from 1969–1973, before becoming the Israeli Ambassador to the United States from 1973 to 1979.
1929: In Ozone Park, Queens, Dr. Edward Edelman and his wife, the former Anna Freedman gave birth to Gerald Maurice Edelman who won the 1972 Nobel Prize “for a breakthough in immunology.” (As reported by Bruce Weber)
1930: Birthdate of Harvey Slom Ginsberg, the Bangor, Maine native “a New York book editor who served long tenures at G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Harper & Row and William Morrow & Company, and whose most loyal writers included John Irving and Saul Bellow… His relationship with Mr. Bellow began at Harper & Row with Mr. Bellow’s book “The Dean’s December,” published in 1981. Mr. Ginsberg subsequently left Harper for Morrow, and for his next novel, “More Die of Heartbreak,” Mr. Bellow followed him. Mr. Ginsberg began his long partnership with Mr. Irving on the novel “The Cider House Rules,” published by Morrow in 1985, and he edited five other novels by Mr. Irving as well; they continued to work together through 2005 on a freelance basis even after Mr. Irving moved to another publishing house. His taste was high-minded, but he enjoyed a well-executed popular novel as well. In 1975 he edited “Black Sunday,” a first novel about a terror attack at the Super Bowl whose author, Thomas Harris, went on to write novels featuring the man/monster Hannibal Lecter”
1930(27th of Sivan, 5690): Sixty-six year old Professor of English Language and Literature at King’s College Sir Israel Gollancz, a founding member of the British Academy who served as its first secretary passed away today.
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Which language gave us the word 'Germanic'? | German | Define German at Dictionary.com
german
adjective
1.
having the same father and mother, as a full brother or sister (usually used in combination):
a brother-german.
2.
born of the brother or sister of one's father or mother, as a first cousin (usually used in combination):
a cousin-german.
1250-1300; Middle English germain < Old French < Latin germānus, derivative of germen; see germ
German
of or relating to Germany , its inhabitants, or their language.
noun
a native or inhabitant of Germany.
3.
a descendant of a native of Germany.
4.
Also called High German. an Indo-European language that is based on a High German dialect, is official in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and is also widely used as an international language for scholarship and science.
Abbreviation: G, G.
Linguistics. any variety of West Germanic speech native to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.
6.
(usually lowercase) an elaborate social dance resembling a cotillion.
7.
(lowercase) New England and South Atlantic States. a dancing party featuring the german.
Origin
1520-30; < Latin Germānus German; cognate with Greek Germanoí (plural)
Related forms
Examples from the Web for german
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Contemporary Examples
He was a beefy figure who never quite lost his german accent despite living all his adult life in the United States.
Gypsy Flight Roy J. Snell
My parents took me abroad, and I sampled a german university.
British Dictionary definitions for german
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(US) a dance consisting of complicated figures and changes of partners
Word Origin
C19: shortened from German cotillion
german2
(used in combination)
having the same parents as oneself: a brother-german
having a parent that is a brother or sister of either of one's own parents: cousin-german
2.
a less common word for germane
Word Origin
C14: via Old French germain, from Latin germānus of the same race, from germen sprout, offshoot
German
noun
1.
the official language of Germany and Austria and one of the official languages of Switzerland; the native language of approximately 100 million people. It is an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch, closely related to English and Dutch. There is considerable diversity of dialects; modern standard German is a development of Old High German, influenced by Martin Luther's translation of the Bible See also High German , Low German
2.
a native, inhabitant, or citizen of Germany
3.
a person whose native language is German: Swiss Germans, Volga Germans
adjective
denoting, relating to, or using the German language
5.
relating to, denoting, or characteristic of any German state or its people
related
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for german
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adj.
"of the same parents or grandparents," c.1300, from Old French germain "closely related" (12c.), from Latin germanus "full, own (of brothers and sisters); one's own brother; genuine, real," related to germen (genitive germinis) "sprout, bud," dissimilated from PIE *gen(e)-men-, from root *gene- "to give birth, beget" (see genus ). Your cousin-german (also first cousin) is the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt; your children and your first cousin's are second cousins to one another; to you, your first cousin's children are first cousin once removed.
German
n.
"Teuton, member of the Germanic tribes," 1520s (plural Germayns attested from late 14c.), from Latin Germanus, first attested in writings of Julius Caesar, who used Germani to designate a group of tribes in northeastern Gaul, origin unknown, probably the name of an individual tribe. It is perhaps of Gaulish (Celtic) origin, perhaps originally meaning "noisy" (cf. Old Irish garim "to shout") or "neighbor" (cf. Old Irish gair "neighbor"). The earlier English word was Almain (early 14c.) or Dutch.
Þe empere passede from þe Grees to þe Frenschemen and to þe Germans, þat beeþ Almayns. [John of Trevisa, translation of Higdon's Polychronicon, 1387]
Their name for themselves was the root word of modern German Deutsch (see Dutch ). Roman writers also used Teutoni as a German tribal name, and Latin writers after about 875 commonly refer to the German language as teutonicus. See also Alemanni and Teutonic . As an adjective, from 1550s. The German shepherd (dog) (1922) translates German deutscher Schäferhund. German Ocean as an old name for the North Sea translates Ptolemy. German measles attested by 1856.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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human language
\j*r'mn\ A human language written (in latin alphabet) and spoken in Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland.
German writing normally uses four non- ASCII characters: "äöüß", the first three have "umlauts" (two dots over the top): A O and U and the last is a double-S ("scharfes S") which looks like the Greek letter beta (except in capitalised words where it should be written "SS"). These can be written in ASCII in several ways, the most common are ae, oe ue AE OE UE ss or sz and the TeX versions "a "o "u "A "O "U "s.
Usenet newsgroup: news:soc.culture.german. (ftp://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/usenet/news-info/soc.answers/german-faq), (ftp://alice.fmi.uni-passau.de/pub/dictionaries/german.dat.Z).
(1995-03-31)
| Latin |
In 1963 President Kennedy was shot in which square in Dallas? | Help | Merriam-Webster
Help
What are the origins of the English Language?
The history of English is conventionally, if perhaps too neatly, divided into three periods usually called Old English (or Anglo-Saxon), Middle English, and Modern English. The earliest period begins with the migration of certain Germanic tribes from the continent to Britain in the fifth century
A.D.
, though no records of their language survive from before the seventh century, and it continues until the end of the eleventh century or a bit later. By that time Latin, Old Norse (the language of the Viking invaders), and especially the Anglo-Norman French of the dominant class after the Norman Conquest in 1066 had begun to have a substantial impact on the lexicon, and the well-developed inflectional system that typifies the grammar of Old English had begun to break down.
The following brief sample of Old English prose illustrates several of the significant ways in which change has so transformed English that we must look carefully to find points of resemblance between the language of the tenth century and our own. It is taken from Aelfric's "Homily on St. Gregory the Great" and concerns the famous story of how that pope came to send missionaries to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity after seeing Anglo-Saxon boys for sale as slaves in Rome:
Eft he axode, hu ðære ðeode nama wære þe hi of comon. Him wæs geandwyrd, þæt hi Angle genemnode wæron. Þa cwæð he, "Rihtlice hi sind Angle gehatene, for ðan ðe hi engla wlite habbað, and swilcum gedafenað þæt hi on heofonum engla geferan beon."
A few of these words will be recognized as identical in spelling with their modern equivalentshe, of, him, for, and, onand the resemblance of a few others to familiar words may be guessednama to name, comon to come, wære to were, wæs to wasbut only those who have made a special study of Old English will be able to read the passage with understanding. The sense of it is as follows:
Again he [St. Gregory] asked what might be the name of the people from which they came. It was answered to him that they were named Angles. Then he said, "Rightly are they called Angles because they have the beauty of angels, and it is fitting that such as they should be angels' companions in heaven."
Some of the words in the original have survived in altered form, including axode (asked), hu (how), rihtlice (rightly), engla (angels), habbað (have), swilcum (such), heofonum (heaven), and beon (be). Others, however, have vanished from our lexicon, mostly without a trace, including several that were quite common words in Old English: eft "again," ðeode "people, nation," cwæð "said, spoke," gehatene "called, named," wlite "appearance, beauty," and geferan "companions." Recognition of some words is naturally hindered by the presence of two special characters, þ, called "thorn," and ð, called "edh," which served in Old English to represent the sounds now spelled with th.
Other points worth noting include the fact that the pronoun system did not yet, in the late tenth century, include the third person plural forms beginning with th-: hi appears where we would use they. Several aspects of word order will also strike the reader as oddly unlike ours. Subject and verb are inverted after an adverbþa cwæð he "Then said he"a phenomenon not unknown in Modern English but now restricted to a few adverbs such as never and requiring the presence of an auxiliary verb like do or have. In subordinate clauses the main verb must be last, and so an object or a preposition may precede it in a way no longer natural: þe hi of comon "which they from came," for ðan ðe hi engla wlite habbað "because they angels' beauty have."
Perhaps the most distinctive difference between Old and Modern English reflected in Aelfric's sentences is the elaborate system of inflections, of which we now have only remnants. Nouns, adjectives, and even the definite article are inflected for gender, case, and number: ðære ðeode "(of) the people" is feminine, genitive, and singular, Angle "Angles" is masculine, accusative, and plural, and swilcum "such" is masculine, dative, and plural. The system of inflections for verbs was also more elaborate than ours: for example, habbað "have" ends with the -að suffix characteristic of plural present indicative verbs. In addition, there were two imperative forms, four subjunctive forms (two for the present tense and two for the preterit, or past, tense), and several others which we no longer have. Even where Modern English retains a particular category of inflection, the form has often changed. Old English present participles ended in -ende not -ing, and past participles bore a prefix ge- (as geandwyrd "answered" above).
The period of Middle English extends roughly from the twelfth century through the fifteenth. The influence of French (and Latin, often by way of French) upon the lexicon continued throughout this period, the loss of some inflections and the reduction of others (often to a final unstressed vowel spelled -e) accelerated, and many changes took place within the phonological and grammatical systems of the language. A typical prose passage, especially one from the later part of the period, will not have such a foreign look to us as Aelfric's prose has; but it will not be mistaken for contemporary writing either. The following brief passage is drawn from a work of the late fourteenth century called Mandeville's Travels. It is fiction in the guise of travel literature, and, though it purports to be from the pen of an English knight, it was originally written in French and later translated into Latin and English. In this extract Mandeville describes the land of Bactria, apparently not an altogether inviting place, as it is inhabited by "full yuele [evil] folk and full cruell."
In þat lond ben trees þat beren wolle, as þogh it were of scheep; whereof men maken clothes, and all þing þat may ben made of wolle. In þat contree ben many ipotaynes, þat dwellen som tyme in the water, and somtyme on the lond: and þei ben half man and half hors, as I haue seyd before; and þei eten men, whan þei may take hem. And þere ben ryueres and watres þat ben fulle byttere, þree sithes more þan is the water of the see. In þat contré ben many griffounes, more plentee þan in ony other contree. Sum men seyn þat þei han the body vpward as an egle, and benethe as a lyoun: and treuly þei seyn soth þat þei ben of þat schapp. But o griffoun hath the body more gret, and is more strong, þanne eight lyouns, of suche lyouns as ben o this half; and more gret and strongere þan an hundred egles, suche as we han amonges vs. For o griffoun þere wil bere fleynge to his nest a gret hors, 3if he may fynde him at the poynt, or two oxen 3oked togidere, as þei gon at the plowgh.
The spelling is often peculiar by modern standards and even inconsistent within these few sentences (contré and contree, o [griffoun] and a [gret hors], þanne and þan, for example). Moreover, in the original text, there is in addition to thorn another old character 3, called "yogh," to make difficulty. It can represent several sounds but here may be thought of as equivalent to y. Even the older spellings (including those where u stands for v or vice versa) are recognizable, however, and there are only a few words like ipotaynes "hippopotamuses" and sithes "times" that have dropped out of the language altogether.
We may notice a few words and phrases that have meanings no longer common such as byttere "salty," o this half "on this side of the world," and at the poynt "to hand," and the effect of the centuries-long dominance of French on the vocabulary is evident in many familiar words which could not have occurred in Aelfric's writing even if his subject had allowed them, words like contree, ryueres, plentee, egle, and lyoun.
In general word order is now very close to that of our time, though we notice constructions like hath the body more gret and three sithes more þan is the water of the see. We also notice that present tense verbs still receive a plural inflection as in beren, dwellen, han, and ben and that while nominative þei has replaced Aelfric's hi in the third person plural, the form for objects is still hem.
All the same, the number of inflections for nouns, adjectives, and verbs has been greatly reduced, and in most respects Mandeville is closer to Modern than to Old English.
The period of Modern English extends from the sixteenth century to our own day. The early part of this period saw the completion of a revolution in the phonology of English that had begun in late Middle English and that effectively redistributed the occurrence of the vowel phonemes to something approximating their present pattern. (Mandeville's English would have sounded even less familiar to us than it looks.)
Other important early developments include the stabilizing effect on spelling of the printing press and the beginning of the direct influence of Latin and, to a lesser extent, Greek on the lexicon. Later, as English came into contact with other cultures around the world and distinctive dialects of English developed in the many areas which Britain had colonized, numerous other languages made small but interesting contributions to our word-stock.
The historical aspect of English really encompasses more than the three stages of development just under consideration. English has what might be called a prehistory as well. As we have seen, our language did not simply spring into existence; it was brought from the Continent by Germanic tribes who had no form of writing and hence left no records. Philologists know that they must have spoken a dialect of a language that can be called West Germanic and that other dialects of this unknown language must have included the ancestors of such languages as German, Dutch, Low German, and Frisian. They know this because of certain systematic similarities which these languages share with each other but do not share with, say, Danish. However, they have had somehow to reconstruct what that language was like in its lexicon, phonology, grammar, and semantics as best they can through sophisticated techniques of comparison developed chiefly during the last century.
Similarly, because ancient and modern languages like Old Norse and Gothic or Icelandic and Norwegian have points in common with Old English and Old High German or Dutch and English that they do not share with French or Russian, it is clear that there was an earlier unrecorded language that can be called simply Germanic and that must be reconstructed in the same way. Still earlier, Germanic was just a dialect (the ancestors of Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit were three other such dialects) of a language conventionally designated Indo-European, and thus English is just one relatively young member of an ancient family of languages whose descendants cover a fair portion of the globe.
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In 1901 Queen Victoria died in which building on the Isle of Wight? | Osborne House, Queen Victoria's island home to be renamed - BBC News
BBC News
Osborne House, Queen Victoria's island home to be renamed
11 March 2011
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Image caption The Queen lived at the house until her death in 1901
Queen Victoria's former palace on the Isle of Wight is having an official name change to Royal Osborne.
The 342 acre estate at East Cowes, currently known as Osborne House, was bought by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria in 1845.
It was the couple's main residence with their nine children.
An English Heritage spokesman said: "We hope that people will be delighted with the new name and will celebrate this royal association."
The name change will come into effect from 1 April.
Queen Victoria died at the palace in 1901 after reigning for nearly 64 years.
Her heir, Edward VII gave the house to the nation, it became a naval training college and then an officers' convalescent home.
Bathing machine
The grounds and gardens overlooking the Solent, contain a miniature fort and barracks, and the Queen's outdoor bathing machine which was used for sea bathing from the estate's private beach.
The estate also houses a "Swiss Cottage", a custom-built chalet with child-sized furniture, a working kitchen and garden built to educate the royal children.
On 29 April the royal residence will celebrate Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding by showing the ceremony on a big screen on its lawns.
Visitors will be given a celebratory floral buttonhole made from the famous Royal Myrtle 'Myrtus communis' which is grown in the gardens.
| Osborne House |
'Elizabethan Serenade' was a pop hit for Boris Gardiner under what title? | IsleofWightHolidays.com -Osbourne House, Cowes, Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
Osbourne House
Osbourne House was built in Cowes on the Isle of Wight as a country retreat for Queen Victoria in 1845 it became a family residence and her favourite retreat from the pressures of state. In 1861 Prince Albert died and Queen Victoria began to stay at Osbourne more frequently until her own death in 1901.
The building itself was designed by Prince Albert which perhaps explains why she spent so much time there after his death. The architecture communicates Albert’s fondness for Italian art and architecture with features such as ‘the flag tower’ and ‘the clock tower’ standing an impressive 107ft and 90ft respectively. After Victoria died Osbourne became unused by the Royal family and was donated to the nation by Victoria’s son Edward VII.
The State, private apartments and gardens are now open to the public and have been since 1904. The house, its interior and contents have remained virtually unchanged allowing visitors a fascinating insight into Queen Victoria and Royal family life. The visitor’s tour takes you through both public and private rooms used by Victoria containing hundreds of personal property and gifts she had received from all over the world.
TIP – Don’t miss a visit to the Swiss Cottage and museum which is a kind of giant wendy house built for use by the Royal siblings. The Swiss Cottage is situated half a mile from the main house and can be accessed at the time of writing by horse and trap which is free with your entry ticket.
The Victoria Fort was also built for the children of the house and can be found in the gardens. Originally constructed in 1856 the Royal princes helped with the build and a further structure known as the ‘Albert Barracks’ was added in 1860 by Prince Arthur.
Osbourne house has all facilities required for a good day out including reception, toilets, café and restaurant. Guided tours of Osbourne house are available during winter months, during the busier summer season visitors are free to explore the house by themselves aided by a informative illustrated guide.
Ticket Prices:
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Which Scottish village appears for only one day every one hundred years? | Brigadoon (1954) - IMDb
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| Fantasy , Musical , Romance | 8 September 1954 (USA)
Two Americans on a hunting trip in Scotland become lost. They encounter a small village, not on the map, called Brigadoon, in which people harbor a mysterious secret, and behave as if they were still living two hundred years in the past.
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Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win. See more awards »
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Two sailors, one naive, the other experienced in the ways of the world, on liberty in Los Angeles, is the setting for this movie musical.
Director: George Sidney
A small-town farmer, down on her luck, finds her homestead invaded by a theatrical troupe invited to stay by her ne'er-do-well sister.
Director: Charles Walters
Three soldiers meet 10 years after their last meeting in New York, and find out that they have little in common now.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Stars: Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse
After writing a tell-all book about her days in the dance troupe "Barry Nichols and Les Girls", Sybil Wren (Kay Kendall) is sued for libeling her fellow dancer Angele (Taina Elg). A Rashomon ... See full summary »
Director: George Cukor
Two vaudeville performers fall in love, but find their relationship tested by the arrival of WWI.
Director: Busby Berkeley
Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.
Director: Vincente Minnelli
In 1850 Oregon, when a backwoodsman brings a wife home to his farm, his six brothers decide that they want to get married too.
Director: Stanley Donen
A pretentiously artistic director is hired for a new Broadway musical and changes it beyond recognition.
Director: Vincente Minnelli
A musical remake of Ninotchka: After three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to retrieve a straying Soviet composer from Paris, the beautiful, ultra-serious Ninotchka is sent to ... See full summary »
Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Edit
Storyline
Americans Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas, on a hunting vacation in Scotland, discover a quaint and beautiful village, Brigadoon. Strangely, the village is not on any map, and soon Tommy and Jeff find out why: Brigadoon is an enchanted place. It appears once every hundred years for one day, then disappears back into the mists of time, to wake up to its next day a century hence. When Tommy falls in love with Fiona, a girl of the village, he realizes that she can never be part of his life back in America. Can he be part of hers in Brigadoon? Written by Jim Beaver <[email protected]>
The Musical Hit that Tops Them All! See more »
Genres:
8 September 1954 (USA) See more »
Also Known As:
4-Track Stereo | Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Color:
Did You Know?
Trivia
Gene Kelly wanted Moira Shearer to play the role of Fiona, however Shearer declined preferring to perform on the classical stage. See more »
Goofs
For only being enchanted for a period of less than two days (the day of the movie being only their second day awake since the enchantment), by their own time line, the villagers have developed a rather implausibly complex set of customs and beliefs related to their enchantment. See more »
Quotes
Charlie Chisholm Dalrymple : And may God bless me this evening as much as I would bless Him if I were He and He were Charles Dalrymple.
The Heather On the Hill
4 June 2006 | by theowinthrop
(United States) – See all my reviews
This Vincent Minelli musical is usually considered a flop, which is unfair. Gene Kelly wanted to shoot it on site in Scotland (where Brigadoon is set), but it was vetoed as too expensive. So Minelli had to create a magical, 18th Century Scottish village on a studio set. He also was using cinema scope for the first time, and felt it lacked the compositional unity and beauty of the regular film he had been using. It is apparent it's a set, but the story and music is so superior (despite the lack of two songs, including my favorite - "My Mother's Wedding Day") that one can actually forget the artificiality of the set. Moreover, the actual issue of artificial sets seems ridiculous when considering the story. If the set was actually realistic, the film would have had to be shot in one day, because the set would have vanished for a century at the end of the day (as the village does in the story)!!
Except for one five minute sequence at the end of the film, set in a noisy New York City nightspot, most of the film is set in the Scottish highlands. Tommy (Gene Kelly) and Jeff (Van Johnson) are vacationing in Scotland, when they stumble into a village that is not on their maps. The village is Brigadoon. It is later explained by the village elder, Mr Lundie (Barry Johns) that the village was granted a special wish of it's very religious minister to preserve it forever by having it only reappear once a century, so the people in it would never be hurt. There is, however, another side to the deal: the citizens have to remain (as well as their livestock) within the boundaries of the town by sundown, because they go to bed early, and awake one hundred years later the next day. If any decides to leave the town's boundaries, that person will cause the wish and blessing to dissipate, and the town will be destroyed and it's citizens destroyed.
BRIGADOON is a very colorful and tuneful show, and a nice blend of humor and tragedy. It also asks what people require for happiness: simplicity or sophisticated modern life. Jeff would opt for the latter (and he does quite strenuously up to the conclusion of the movie), but he is a confirmed alcoholic - some advertisement for modern civilization and it's benefits! Tommy is more inquisitive and easier - and he finds he is not so happy with modern life. But the search for happiness is not an easy one, and it takes a tragedy and much soul searching for Tommy to reach his conclusion.
And there is the music, especially Learner and Lowe's "The Heather On the Hill" (attractively sung and danced by Kelly and Charisse), and "It's Almost Like Being In Love." A failure by Minelli? Well it's not MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, or GIGI, or THE PIRATE but it is far better than many other musicals.
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| Brigadoon |
What is the most northerly railway station on the Derwent Valley Line? | Ticket Sales - Brigadoon at Lake Oswego High School Main on Thursday, November 12, 2009
Internet sales for today's event are now closed. Tickets will be available at the door.
Description
Brigadoon
The Tony Award winning musical Brigadoon is a Scottish fantasy about a town that disappears into the Highland mist and returns for only one day every one hundred years. Two young New Yorkers stumble upon the village after losing their way in the Scottish Highlands. There they must make a choice between life in the modern world and the idylic world of the village. Show tunes include Almost Like Being in Love, The Heather on the Hill, There but for You Go I, Come to Me, Bend to Me, My Mother's Wedding Day, I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean and Waitin' for My Dearie. Brigadoon is a timeless tribute to simplicity, true love and goodness that has delighted audiences for over a generation.
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An aerodrome needs what to become an airport? | How Can I Become an Airport Manager?
Education and Career FAQs
How Can I Become an Airport Manager?
Research what it takes to become an airport manager. Learn about job duties, education requirements, average wages and job outlook to find out if this is the career for you. Schools offering Driver Training degrees can also be found in these popular choices .
Career Information At a Glance
Airport managers are responsible for the safe and efficient operation of airports. The following chart gives you an overview about a career as an airport manager.
Degree Required
Airport management; aviation; business management
Key Skills
Communication, negotiation, leadership, management and problem-solving
Licensure and/or Certification
Membership in American Association of Airline Executives may be preferred; U.S. Customs security clearance may be required
Job Growth (2012-2022)
$96,430 (for general and operations managers)*
Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
What Does an Airport Manager Do?
In order for airplanes to safely carry passengers around the nation and world, it's necessary for everything to be professionally managed on the ground. Many components, such as security, parking and gate management, must be maintained and run smoothly so that an airport can function. As an airport manager, you'll need to keep the facilities clean, oversee airline contracts and ensure the safety of the concourses for passengers, flight crews and visitors. With increases in federally regulated airport security, you'll have to ensure that the facility can adequately supply the necessary requirements for security equipment and personnel.
What Education Do I Need?
If you have your high school diploma or a GED, a good way to get the education you need to become an airport manager is to enroll in a bachelor's degree program in airport management or a closely related management field. In a typical bachelor's degree program in airport management, you'll gain a firm understanding of aviation, business and administration. A few topics you can expect to cover include airport planning, aerospace law, air cargo, human resource management, aviation safety, macroeconomics and business ethics. If you want to continue your education, you could consider enrolling in a master's degree program in airport management or business administration.
What Skills Do I Need?
In order to become an airport manger, you'll need to develop skills that allow you to effectively direct teams of people. A firm understanding of business psychology is necessary. You'll need to apply administration strategy to the very specific needs of an airport environment, such as development projects, facility use and emergency preparation. You must also be able to negotiate contracts with a wide variety of food and product vendors that operate from airports, as well as manage customer parking and ground traffic.
What Is the Job Market Like?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of general and operations managers was expected to grow 11 percent between 2012-2022 (ww.bls.gov). In 2014, Payscale.com stated that the middle half of airport managers earned roughly $41,000-$74,000 per year. The respondents to the salary website's survey indicated that the highest paid managers worked in Florida and Pennsylvania, each reporting high-end salaries at or near $100,000.
To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:
1. Degree Options:
Southern New Hampshire University responds quickly to information requests through this website.
Popular programs at Southern New Hampshire University:
Bachelor Degrees
BS in Operations Management / Logistics and Transportation concentration
Online Programs Available
Colorado Technical University responds quickly to information requests through this website.
Popular programs at Colorado Technical University:
Master
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Online Programs Available
Penn Foster High School responds quickly to information requests through this website.
Popular programs at Penn Foster High School:
High School Diploma
| Customs |
Which volcano lies between Italy and Sicily? | How Can I Become an Airport Manager?
Education and Career FAQs
How Can I Become an Airport Manager?
Research what it takes to become an airport manager. Learn about job duties, education requirements, average wages and job outlook to find out if this is the career for you. Schools offering Driver Training degrees can also be found in these popular choices .
Career Information At a Glance
Airport managers are responsible for the safe and efficient operation of airports. The following chart gives you an overview about a career as an airport manager.
Degree Required
Airport management; aviation; business management
Key Skills
Communication, negotiation, leadership, management and problem-solving
Licensure and/or Certification
Membership in American Association of Airline Executives may be preferred; U.S. Customs security clearance may be required
Job Growth (2012-2022)
$96,430 (for general and operations managers)*
Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
What Does an Airport Manager Do?
In order for airplanes to safely carry passengers around the nation and world, it's necessary for everything to be professionally managed on the ground. Many components, such as security, parking and gate management, must be maintained and run smoothly so that an airport can function. As an airport manager, you'll need to keep the facilities clean, oversee airline contracts and ensure the safety of the concourses for passengers, flight crews and visitors. With increases in federally regulated airport security, you'll have to ensure that the facility can adequately supply the necessary requirements for security equipment and personnel.
What Education Do I Need?
If you have your high school diploma or a GED, a good way to get the education you need to become an airport manager is to enroll in a bachelor's degree program in airport management or a closely related management field. In a typical bachelor's degree program in airport management, you'll gain a firm understanding of aviation, business and administration. A few topics you can expect to cover include airport planning, aerospace law, air cargo, human resource management, aviation safety, macroeconomics and business ethics. If you want to continue your education, you could consider enrolling in a master's degree program in airport management or business administration.
What Skills Do I Need?
In order to become an airport manger, you'll need to develop skills that allow you to effectively direct teams of people. A firm understanding of business psychology is necessary. You'll need to apply administration strategy to the very specific needs of an airport environment, such as development projects, facility use and emergency preparation. You must also be able to negotiate contracts with a wide variety of food and product vendors that operate from airports, as well as manage customer parking and ground traffic.
What Is the Job Market Like?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of general and operations managers was expected to grow 11 percent between 2012-2022 (ww.bls.gov). In 2014, Payscale.com stated that the middle half of airport managers earned roughly $41,000-$74,000 per year. The respondents to the salary website's survey indicated that the highest paid managers worked in Florida and Pennsylvania, each reporting high-end salaries at or near $100,000.
To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:
1. Degree Options:
Southern New Hampshire University responds quickly to information requests through this website.
Popular programs at Southern New Hampshire University:
Bachelor Degrees
BS in Operations Management / Logistics and Transportation concentration
Online Programs Available
Colorado Technical University responds quickly to information requests through this website.
Popular programs at Colorado Technical University:
Master
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Online Programs Available
Penn Foster High School responds quickly to information requests through this website.
Popular programs at Penn Foster High School:
High School Diploma
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The Roman Via Appia ends in which modern coastal city? | Appian Way, Rome
Appian Way
5
171 votes
Via Appia Antica (Old Appian Way) was once one of the world's most important roads and the most famous of all the roads that radiated from Rome towards the far ends of the Roman Empire.
Building the Road
The Via Appia, originally built in 312 BC, was the brainchild of Appius Claudius Caecus, the then-censor of Rome, who was known for organizing bold public works that helped make life easier for the people of Rome.
Appian Way
Appius Claudius' most famous project was this road, which would eventually run all the way from Rome to the port city of Brindisi.
The road began as a level dirt surface upon which mortar and small stones were laid. On top of that, gravel was placed, topped with interlocking stones that would provide a flat surface for those traveling the road. Historians say the stones fit together so well that it was nearly impossible to stick a knife between them. Ditches were dug on either side of the road and were protected by retaining walls.
A 560 km long road
Via Appia began at the Circus Maximus , passing along the Baths of Caracalla , and later, the Aurelian Wall . Near Rome the road was lined with tombs.
When the road left the city, it traveled through wealthy suburbs on its way straight through the Appian Mountains and over the former Pontine Marshes to Terracina, a coastal town 56 km south of Rome. From there the Appian Way followed the western coast, eventually ending at Capua, making the original road about 210 km long.
Ancient Roman Pavement
This road achieved its goals by helping the Roman army move military supplies where they were needed in a quick manner, resulting in several victories for the army.
Sometime around 295 BC, the road was extended to Benevenutum and then, within the next five years, to Venusia and Tarentum. Eventually, the Appian Way made it all the way to the port city of Brindisi on Italy's southeast coast, 560 km from Rome (about 350 miles).
Monuments Along the Appian Way
Relief on a tomb
Since it was forbidden to bury the dead in the city proper, many were buried along the roads leading out of Rome. Important people built tombs for themselves or for their whole family. Sometimes these tombs were as large as a house. Their shapes varied from a tumulus or a pyramid to a small temple. The Via Appia was lined with such monuments and many of them are still visible today.
The most impressive is the well-preserved tomb of Cecilia Metella - the wife of one of Julius Caesar's generals, which looks almost like a fortress. Other notable tombs include the tomb of Marcus Servilius, the tomb of
Tomb of Cecilia Metella
Tomb of Sextus
Pompeius Justus
Romulus (son of Emperor Maxentius), the tomb of Seneca (a Roman philosopher) and the tomb of the family of Sextus Pompeius Justus; The inscription on the tomb tells of the grief of a father burying his young children. There's also an emperor buried along the Via Appia, Gallienus, who was murdered in 268 AD.
Other Sights
Besides the numerous tombs along the road, there are some other monuments that line the Via Appia: the Temple of Hercules, the church Quo Vadis (where Saint Peter is said to have met Christ) and the remains of the Gothic church of San Nicola. The Villa dei Quintili, with its ancient baths and beautiful friezes and sculptures is located nearby at the Via Appia Nuova. And nearby the tomb of Romulus is the Circus Maxentius, a large arena where chariot races were held. Adjacent to the circus was a palace built by Emperor Maxentius. The circus, which was second in size only to the Circus Maximus , is the best preserved of all Roman circuses.
Underneath
While the Via Appia is lined with monuments and tombs of ancient Roman patrician families, many find what's under the Appian Way to be more interesting. Below the street are miles of tunnels - known as catacombs - where the early Christians buried their dead and, when necessary, held secret church services. Several of the catacombs are open to the public and on a guided tour led by local priests and monks, visitors can view ancient burial niches and a
Porta San Sebastiano
handful of remaining examples of early Christian art.
Walking along the Via Appia
Today the Via Appia starts at the Aurelian wall , at the Porta San Sebastiano. The first part of the road is not exactly pedestrian friendly. It leads along the Quo Vadis church, the catacombs of San Callisto and the catacombs of San Sebastiano to the imposing tomb of Cecilia Metella. From here the road is paved with the authentic Roman stones. You can walk for many kilometers passing the remains of numerous historic tombs.
| Brindisi |
Lord Kitchener drowned when which ship hit a mine in 1916? | The Appian Way
The Appian Way
Submit questions - New Articles
Picture courtesy of Radoslaw Botev
The Via Appia (known commonly as the Appian Way) was the Roman Republic's first and most important long road built for military purposes such as transporting military supplies and troops. It was named after Appius Claudius, a censor who was in the habit of beginning public works projects without first consulting with the Senate. The first section of the Appian road was completed in 312 B.C. Over the years, the Way was extended and ultimately connected Rome to the Adriatic port city of Brindisi in southeast Italy.
The Romans became experts at constructing roads like the Appian Way. To construct a road, they first leveled the road's surface then placed small pebbles on it. After covering the pebbles with mortar, a rough gravel was placed on top of this base. Stones, which fit tightly together, were then placed on the road to provide its ultimate surface. Roman roads came with a slightly raised section in the middle so that water could run off easily.
All roads that began in the city of Rome received a label with a master list of destinations along its particular route. This labeling eventually led to the popular phrase "All roads lead to Rome."
Spartacus
Perhaps the most well known event on the Appian road, the 'queen' of Rome's long roads, involved the ex-gladiator Spartacus. His life story, in 1960, was made into a very popular movie. In 73 B.C., Spartacus led a slave revolt against the empire. This uprising was significant because slaves accounted for about one-third of Italy's entire population.
The ex-gladiator fought for over two years and defeated several Roman armies. However, while trying to escape from Italy (at the port city of Brundisium / Brindisi, where the Appian road ended); he unwittingly moved his forces into Apulia / Calabria. This allowed the Romans to pin his forces in between two of their armies. After their defeat, the slaves were deemed no longer deserving of life. In 71 B.C., about 6,000 of them were crucified, starting at Rome, along a 124-mile (200 kilometer) stretch of the Appian.
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Selim Shah found favour with Mrs Thatcher when he launched which tabloid in 1986? | Ken Livingstone | Wiki | Everipedia
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Ken Livingstone
4 May 2000 – 4 May 2008
Deputy
17 May 1981 – 1 April 1986
Preceded by
11 June 1987 – 7 June 2001
Preceded by
(1945-06-17) 17 June 1945 (age 71)
London, United Kingdom
Labour (1968–2000, 2003–2016; currently suspended) [2]
Spouse(s)
Tulse Hill School
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the Council was abolished in 1986 , and as Mayor of London from the creation of the office in 2000 until 2008 . He also served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent East from 1987 to 2001 . A suspended member of the Labour Party , he was on the party's hard left , ideologically identifying as a democratic socialist .
Born in Lambeth , South London , to a working-class family, Livingstone joined Labour in 1968 and was elected to represent Norwood at the GLC in 1973 , Hackney North and Stoke Newington in 1977 , and Paddington in 1981 , when he was elected leader of the GLC by Labour members. Attempting to reduce London Underground fares , his plans were challenged in court and declared unlawful; more successful were his schemes to benefit women and underprivileged minorities, despite stiff opposition. Livingstone was heavily criticised in the mainstream media for supporting controversial issues like republicanism , LGBT rights , and a United Ireland , and given the moniker "Red Ken". Livingstone was a vocal opponent of the Conservative Party government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , which in 1986 abolished the GLC. Elected as MP for Brent East in 1987, he became closely associated with anti-racist campaigns. He unsuccessfully stood for Labour Party leader on a leftist platform in 1992 and 1994, and became a vocal critic of Tony Blair 's New Labour project that pushed the party to the centre .
After failing to become Labour's candidate in the 2000 London mayoral election , Livingstone successfully contested the election as an independent candidate . In his first term as Mayor of London, he introduced the congestion charge , Oyster card , and articulated buses , and unsuccessfully opposed the government's privatisation of London Underground . Despite his opposition to Blair's government on issues like the Iraq War , Livingstone was invited to stand for re-election as Labour's candidate and was re-elected in 2004 , expanding his transport policies, introducing new environmental regulations, and enacting civil rights policies. Initiating and overseeing London's winning bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and ushering in a major redevelopment of the city's East End , his leadership after the 7 July 2005 London bombings was widely praised. He stood unsuccessfully as Labour candidate in London's mayoral elections of 2008 and 2012 , losing both to the Conservative candidate Boris Johnson .
Characterised as "the only truly successful Left-wing British politician of modern times", Livingstone is a highly controversial figure in British politics. Supporters lauded his efforts to improve rights for women, LGBT people, and ethnic minorities in London, but critics accused him of cronyism and antisemitism and lambasted his connections to Islamists , Marxists , and Irish republicans .
Early life
Childhood and young adulthood: 1945–1967
Livingstone was born in his grandmother's house in Lambeth , south London , on 17 June 1945. His family was working class; his mother, Ethel Ada (née Kennard, 1915–1997), had been born in Southwark before training as an acrobatic dancer and working on the music hall circuit prior to the Second World War . Ken's Scottish father, Robert "Bob" Moffat Livingstone (1915–1971), had been born in Dunoon before joining the Merchant Navy in 1932 and becoming ship's master. [3]
Having first met in April 1940 at a music hall in Workington , they married within three months. After the war the couple moved in with Ethel's aggressive mother, Zona Ann (Williams), whom Livingstone considered "tyrannical". Livingstone's sister Lin was born 21⁄2 years later. Robert and Ethel went through various jobs in the post-war years, with the former working on fishing trawlers and English Channel ferries, while the latter worked in a bakers, at Freemans catalogue dispatch and as a cinema usherette. Livingstone's parents were "working class Tories ", and unlike many Conservative voters at the time did not hold to socially conservative views on race and sexuality, opposing racism and homophobia. The family was nominally Anglican , although Livingstone abandoned Christianity when he was 11, becoming an atheist .
Moving to a Tulse Hill council housing estate, Livingstone attended St. Leonard's Primary School, and after failing his eleven plus exam, in 1956 began secondary education at Tulse Hill Comprehensive School . In 1957, his family purchased their own property at 66 Wolfington Road, West Norwood . Rather shy at school, he was bullied, and got into trouble for truancy. One year, his form master was Philip Hobsbaum , who encouraged his pupils to debate current events, first interesting Livingstone in politics. He related that he became "an argumentative cocky little brat" at home, bringing up topics at the dinner table to enrage his father. His interest in politics was furthered by the 1958 Papal election of Pope John XXIII – a man who had "a strong impact" on Livingstone – and the United States presidential election, 1960 . At Tulse Hill Comprehensive he gained his interest in amphibians and reptiles , keeping several as pets; his mother worried that rather than focusing on school work all he cared about was "his pet lizard and friends". At school he attained four O-levels in English Literature, English Language, Geography and Art, subjects he later described as "the easy ones". He started work rather than stay on for the non-compulsory sixth form , which required six O-levels.
From 1962-70, he worked as a technician at the Chester Beatty cancer research laboratory in Fulham , looking after animals used in experimentation . Most of the technicians were socialists, and Livingstone helped found a branch of the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs to fight redundancies imposed by company bosses. Livingstone's leftist views solidified upon the election of Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson in 1964. With a friend from Chester Beatty, Livingstone toured West Africa in 1966, visiting Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Lagos, Ghana and Togo. Interested in the region's wildlife, Livingstone rescued an infant ostrich from being eaten, donating it to Lagos children's zoo. Returning home, he took part in several protest marches as a part of the anti-Vietnam War movement , becoming increasingly interested in politics and briefly subscribing to the publication of a libertarian socialist group, Solidarity .
Political activism: 1968–1970
"My arrival [at the Norwood Labour Party meetings] had been rather like taking a bottle of gin into a room full of alcoholics. I was immediately passed round and consumed."
Ken Livingstone (1987)
Livingstone joined the Labour Party in March 1968, when he was 23 years old, later describing it as "one of the few recorded instances of a rat climbing aboard a sinking ship". At the time, many leftists were leaving in disgust at the Labour government's support for the U.S. in the Vietnam War , cuts to the National Health Service budget, and restrictions on trade unions ; many went on to join far-left parties like the International Socialists and the Socialist Labour League , or single-issue groups like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Child Poverty Action Group . Suffering mass electoral defeat at the local elections, in London, Labour lost 15 boroughs, including Livingstone's London Borough of Lambeth , which came under Conservative control. Contrastingly, Livingstone believed that grassroots campaigning – such as the 1968 student protests – were ineffective, joining Labour because he considered it the best chance for implementing progressive political change in the UK.
Joining his local Labour branch in Norwood , he involved himself in their operations, within a month becoming chair and secretary of the Norwood Young Socialists , gaining a place on the constituency's General Management and Executive Committees, and sitting on the Local Government Committee who prepared Labour's manifesto for the next borough election. Hoping for better qualifications, he attended night school, gaining O-levels in Human Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene, and an A-level in Zoology. Leaving his job at Chester Beatty, in September 1970 he began a 3-year course at the Philippa Fawcett Teacher Training College (PFTTC) in Streatham ; his attendance was poor, and he considered it "a complete waste" of time. Beginning a romantic relationship with Christine Chapman, president of the PFTTC student's union, the couple married in 1973.
Realising the Conservative governance of Lambeth Borough council was hard to unseat, Livingstone aided Eddie Lopez in reaching out to members of the local populace disenfranchised from the traditional Labour leadership. Associating with the leftist Schools' Action Union (SAU) founded in the wake of the 1968 student protests, he encouraged members of the Brixton branch of the Black Panther Party to join Labour. His involvement in the SAU led to his dismissal from the PFTCC student's union, who disagreed with politicising secondary school pupils.
Lambeth Housing Committee: 1971–1973
"It was intoxicating to be at what seemed at the time the centre of events. We were pushing ahead with our schemes. We had honoured our pledge that pensioners should travel free on London Transport buses. We introduced the provision of free contraception for anyone who lived or worked in the borough. When Mrs Thatcher (then Education Secretary) made it illegal for Education Authorities to give children free school milk, Lambeth – which was not an education authority – stepped in to continue paying for the service."
Ken Livingstone on the Labour-run Lambeth Borough Council in the early 1970s (1987).
In 1971, Livingstone and his comrades developed a new strategy for obtaining political power in Lambeth borough. Focusing on campaigning for the marginal seats in the south of the borough, the safe Labour seats in the north were left to established party members. Public dissatisfaction with the Conservative government of Prime Minister Edward Heath led to Labour's best local government results since the 1940s; Labour leftists gained every marginal seat in Lambeth, and the borough returned to Labour control. In October 1971, Livingstone's father died of a heart attack ; his mother soon moved to Lincoln . That year, Labour members voted Livingstone Vice-Chairman of the Housing Committee on the Lambeth London Borough Council , his first job in local government. Reforming the housing system, Livingstone and Committee Chairman Ewan Carr cancelled the proposed rent increase for council housing , temporarily halting the construction of Europe's largest tower blocks, and founded a Family Squatting Group to ensure that homeless families would be immediately rehoused through squatting in empty houses. He increased the number of compulsory purchase orders for private-rented properties, converting them to council housing. They faced opposition to their reforms, which were cancelled by central government.
Livingstone and the leftists became embroiled in factional in-fighting within Labour, vying for powerful positions with centrist members. Although never adopting Marxism , Livingstone became involved with a number of Trotskyist groups active within Labour; viewing them as potential allies, he became friends with Chris Knight , Graham Bash and Keith Veness, members of the Socialist Charter, a Trotskyist cell affiliated with the Revolutionary Communist League that had infiltrated the Labour party . In his struggle against Labour centrists, Livingstone was influenced by Trotskyist Ted Knight , who convinced him to oppose the use of British troops in Northern Ireland , believing they would simply be used to quash nationalist protests against British rule. Livingstone stood as the leftist candidate for the Chair of the Lambeth Housing Committee in April 1973, but was defeated by David Stimpson , who undid many of Livingston and Carr's reforms.
Early years on the Greater London Council: 1973–1977
In June 1972, after a campaign orchestrated by Eddie Lopez, Livingstone was selected as the Labour candidate for Norwood in the Greater London Council (GLC). In the 1973 GLC elections , he won the seat with 11,622 votes, a firm lead over his Conservative rival. Led by Reg Goodwin , the GLC was dominated by Labour, who controlled 57 seats, compared to 33 controlled by the Conservatives and 2 by the Liberal Party . Of the Labour GLC members, around 16, including Livingstone, were staunch leftists. Representing Norwood in the GLC, Livingstone continued as a Lambeth councillor and Vice Chairman of the Lambeth Housing Committee, criticising Lambeth council's dealings with the borough's homeless. Learning that the council had pursued a racist policy of allocating the best housing to white working-class families, Livingstone went public with the evidence, which was published in the South London Press . In August 1973, he publicly threatened to resign from the Lambeth Housing Committee if the council failed "to honour longstanding promises" to rehouse 76 homeless families then staying in dilapidated and overcrowded halfway accommodation . Frustrated at the council's failure to achieve this, he resigned from the Housing Committee in December 1973.
Considered a radical troublemaker by the GLC's Labour management, Livingstone was allocated the relatively unimportant position of Vice Chairman of the Film Viewing Board, monitoring the release of soft pornography . Like most Board members, Livingstone opposed cinematic censorship, a view he changed with the increasing availability of violent pornography . With growing support from Labour leftists, in March 1974 he was elected onto the executive of the Greater London Labour Party (GLLP), responsible for drawing up the manifesto for the GLC Labour group and the lists of candidates for council and parliamentary seats. Turning his attention once more to housing, he became Vice Chairman of the GLC's Housing Management Committee, however was sacked in April 1975 for his vocal opposition to the Goodwin administration's decision to cut £50,000,000 from the GLC's house-building budget. Coming up to the 1977 GLC elections , Livingstone recognised the difficulty of retaining his Norwood seat, instead being selected for Hackney North and Stoke Newington , a Labour safe seat , following the retirement of David Pitt . Accused of being a " carpetbagger ", it ensured he was one of the few leftist Labour councillors to remain on the GLC, which fell into Conservative hands under Horace Cutler .
Hampstead: 1977–1980
Turning towards the Houses of Parliament , Livingstone and Christine moved to West Hampstead , north London ; in June 1977 he was selected by local party members as the Labour parliamentary candidate for the Hampstead constituency , beating Vince Cable . He gained notoriety in the Hampstead and Highgate Express for publicly reaffirming his support for the controversial issue of LGBT rights , declaring he supported the reduction of the age of consent for male same-sex activity from 21 to 16, in line with the different-sex age of consent. Becoming active in the politics of the London Borough of Camden , Livingstone was elected Chair of Camden's Housing Committee; putting forward radical reforms, he democratized council housing meetings by welcoming local people, froze rents for a year, reformed the rate collection system, changed rent arrears procedures and implemented further compulsory purchase orders to increase council housing. Criticised by some senior colleagues as incompetent and excessively ambitious, some accused him of encouraging leftists to move into the borough's council housing to increase his local support base.
In 1979, internal crisis rocked Labour as activist group, the Campaign for Labour Democracy, struggled with the Parliamentary Labour Party for a greater say in party management. Livingstone joined the activists, on 15 July 1978 helping unify small hard left groups as the Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory (SCLV). Producing a sporadically published paper, Socialist Organiser, as a mouthpiece for Livingstone's views, it criticised Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan as "anti-working class". In January 1979, Britain was hit by a series of public sector worker strikes that came to be known as the " Winter of Discontent ." In Camden Borough, council employees unionised under the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) went on strike, demanding a 35-hour limit to their working week and a weekly wage increase to £60. Livingstone backed the strikers, urging Camden Council to grant their demands, eventually getting his way. District auditor Ian Pickwell, a government-appointed accountant who monitored council finances, claimed that this move was reckless and illegal, taking Camden Council to court. If found guilty, Livingstone would have been held personally responsible for the measure, forced to pay the massive surcharge , and been disqualified for public office for five years; ultimately the judge threw out the case.
In May 1979, a general election was held in the United Kingdom . Standing as Labour candidate for Hampstead, Livingstone was defeated by the incumbent Conservative, Geoffrey Finsberg . Weakened by the Winter of Discontent, Callaghan's government lost to the Conservatives, whose leader, Margaret Thatcher , became Prime Minister. A staunch right winger and free market advocate, she became a bitter opponent of the labour movement and Livingstone. Following the electoral defeat, Livingstone told Socialist Organiser that the blame lay solely with the "Labour government's policies" and the anti-democratic attitude of Callaghan and the Parliamentary Labour Party, calling for greater party democracy and a turn towards a socialist platform. This was a popular message among many Labour activists amassed under the SCLV. The primary figurehead for this leftist trend was Tony Benn , who narrowly missed being elected deputy leader of Labour in September 1981, under new party leader Michael Foot . The head of the "Bennite left", Benn became "an inspiration and a prophet" to Livingstone; the two became the best known left-wingers in Labour.
Greater London Council leadership
Becoming leader of the GLC: 1979–1981
Inspired by the Bennites, Livingstone planned a GLC take-over; on 18 October 1979, he called a meeting of Labour leftists entitled "Taking over the GLC", beginning publication of monthly newsletter the London Labour Briefing. Focused on increasing leftist power in the London Labour Party, he urged socialists to stand as candidates in the upcoming GLC election. When the time came to choose who would lead London Labour in that election, Livingstone put his name down, but was challenged by the moderate Andrew McIntosh ; in the April 1980 vote, McIntosh beat Livingstone by 14 votes to 13. In September 1980, Livingstone separated from his wife Christine, though they remained amicable. Moving into a small flat at 195 Randolph Avenue, Maida Vale with his pet reptiles and amphibians, he divorced in October 1982 and began a relationship with Kate Allen , chair of Camden Council Women's Committee.
Livingstone turned his attention to achieving a GLC Labour victory, exchanging his safe-seat in Hackney North for the marginal Inner London seat at Paddington ; in May 1981 he won the seat by 2,397 votes. Cutler and the Conservatives learned of Livingstone's plans, proclaiming that a GLC Labour victory would lead to a Marxist takeover of London and then Britain; the rightist press picked up the story, with the Daily Express using the headline of "Why We Must Stop These Red Wreckers". Such scaremongering was ineffective, and the GLC election of May 1981 was a Labour victory, with McIntosh installed as Head of the GLC; within 24 hours he would be deposed by members of his own party, replaced by Livingstone.
On 7 May, Livingstone called a caucus of his supporters; announcing his intent to challenge McIntosh's leadership, he invited those assembled to stand for other GLC posts. The meeting ended at 4:45pm having agreed on a full slate of candidates. At 5 o'clock, McIntosh held a GLC Labour meeting; the attendees called an immediate leadership election, in which Livingstone defeated him by 30 votes to 20. The entire left caucus slate was then elected. The next day, a leftist coup deposed Sir Ashley Bramall on the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA), replacing him with Bryn Davies ; the left group now controlled both the GLC and the ILEA.
McIntosh proclaimed the GLC coup illegitimate, asserting that Labour was in danger from a leftist take-over. The mainstream right-wing press criticised the coup; the Daily Mail called Livingstone a "left wing extremist", and The Sun nicknamed him "Red Ken", stating his victory meant "full-steam-ahead red-blooded Socialism for London." The Financial Times issued a "warning" that leftists could use such tactics to take control of the government, when "the erosion of our democracy will surely begin." Thatcher joined the rallying call, proclaiming that leftists like Livingstone had "no time for parliamentary democracy ", but were plotting "To impose upon this nation a tyranny which the peoples of Eastern Europe yearn to cast aside."
Leader of the GLC: 1981–1983
Entering County Hall as GLC leader on 8 May 1981, Livingstone initiated changes, converting the building's Freemasonic temple into a meeting room and removing many of the privileges enjoyed by GLC members and senior officers. He initiated an open-door policy allowing citizens to hold meetings in the committee rooms free of charge, with County Hall gaining the nickname of "the People's Palace". Livingstone took great pleasure watching the disgust expressed by some Conservative GLC members when non-members began using the building's restaurant. In the London Labour Briefing, Livingstone announced "London's ours! After the most vicious GLC election of all time, the Labour Party has won a working majority on a radical socialist programme." He stated that their job was to "sustain a holding operation until such time as the Tory [Conservative] government can be brought down and replaced by a left-wing Labour government." There was a perception among Livingstone's allies that they constituted the genuine opposition to Thatcher's government, with Foot's Labour leadership dismissed as ineffectual; they hoped Benn would soon replace him.
"There is nothing that happens to you at any stage in your life that can prepare you for the British Press in full hue and cry. As a socialist I started out with the lowest possible opinion of Fleet Street and was amazed to discover that they managed to sink even lower than I expected... I would spend hours carefully explaining our policies only to open the paper the next morning and see instead a smear about my sex-life, alleged personality defects or some completely fabricated account of a meeting or a split that never actually happened."
Ken Livingstone, 1987.
There was a widespread public perception that Livingstone's GLC leadership was illegitimate, while the mainstream British media remained resolutely hostile to the hard left. Livingstone received the levels of national press attention normally reserved for senior Members of Parliament . A press interview was arranged with Max Hastings for the Evening Standard , in which Livingstone was portrayed as affable but ruthless. The Sun's editor Kelvin MacKenzie took a particular interest in Livingstone, establishing a reporting team to 'dig up the dirt' on him; they were unable to uncover any scandalous information, focusing on his love of amphibians, a personality trait mocked by other media sources. The satirical journal Private Eye referred to him as "Ken Leninspart" after Vladimir Lenin , proceeding to erroneously claim that Livingstone received funding from the Libyan Jamahiriya ; suing them for libel , in November 1983 the journal apologised, awarding Livingstone £15,000 in damages in an out-of-court settlement.
During 1982, Livingstone made new appointments to the GLC governance, with John McDonnell appointed key chair of finance and Valerie Wise chair of the new Women's Committee, while Sir Ashley Bramall became GLC chairman and Tony McBrearty was appointed chair of housing. Others stayed in their former positions, including Dave Wetzel as transport chair and Mike Ward as chair of industry; thus was created what biographer John Carvel described as "the second Livingstone administration", leading to a "more calm and supportive environment". Turning his attention once more to Parliament, Livingstone attempted to get selected as the Labour candidate for the constituency of Brent East , a place which he felt an "affinity" for and where several friends lived. At the time, the Brent East Labour Party was in strife as competing factions battled for control, with Livingstone attempting to gain the support of both the hard and soft left. Securing a significant level of support from local party members, he nonetheless failed to apply for candidacy in time, and so the incumbent centrist Reg Freeson was once more selected as Labour candidate for Brent East. A subsequent vote at the council meeting revealed that 52 local Labour members would have voted for Livingstone, with only 2 for Freeson and 3 abstentions. Nevertheless, in the United Kingdom general election, 1983 , Freeson went on to win the Brent East constituency for Labour. In 1983, Livingstone began co-presenting a late night television chat show with Janet Street-Porter for London Weekend Television .
Fares Fair and transport policy
The Greater London Labour Manifesto for the 1981 elections, although written under McIntosh's leadership, had been determined by a special conference of the London Labour Party in October 1980 in which Livingstone's speech had been decisive on transport policy. The manifesto focused on job creation schemes and cutting London Transport fares, and it was to these issues that Livingstone's administration turned. One primary manifesto focus had been a pledge known as Fares Fair , which focused on reducing London Underground fares and freezing them at that lower rate. Based on a fare freeze implemented by the South Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council in 1975, it was widely considered to be a moderate and mainstream policy by Labour, which it was hoped would get more Londoners using public transport, thereby reducing congestion. In October 1981, the GLC implemented their policy, cutting London Transport fares by 32%; to fund the move, the GLC planned to increase the London rates .
The legality of the Fares Fair policy was challenged by Dennis Barkway, Conservative leader of the London Borough of Bromley council, who complained that his constituents were having to pay for cheaper fares on the London Underground when it did not operate in their borough. Although the Divisional Court initially found in favour of the GLC, Bromley Borough took the issue to a court of appeal , where three judges – Lord Denning , Lord Justice Oliver and Lord Justice Watkins – reversed the previous decision, finding in favour of Bromley Borough on 10 November. They proclaimed that the Fares Fair policy was illegal because the GLC was expressly forbidden from choosing to run London Transport at a deficit, even if this was in the perceived interest of Londoners. The GLC appealed this decision, taking the case to the House of Lords ; on 17 December five Law Lords unanimously ruled in favour of Bromley Borough Council, putting a permanent end to the Fares Fair policy. GLC transport chairman Dave Wetzel labelled the judges "Vandals in Ermine" while Livingstone maintained his belief that the judicial decision was politically motivated.
Initially presenting a motion to the GLC Labour groups that they refuse to comply with the judicial decision and continue with the policy regardless, but was out-voted by 32–22; many commentators claimed that Livingstone had only been bluffing in order to save face among the Labour Left. Instead, Livingstone got on board with a campaign known as "Keep Fares Fair" in order to bring about a change in the law that would make the Fares Fair policy legal; an alternate movement, "Can't Pay, Won't Pay", accused Livingstone of being a sell-out and insisted that the GLC proceed with its policies regardless of their legality. One aspect of the London Transport reforms was however maintained; the new system of flat fares within ticket zones , and the inter-modal Travelcard ticket continues as the basis of the ticketing system. The GLC then put together new measures in the hope to reduce London Transport fares by a more modest amount, 25%, taking them back to roughly the price that they were when Livingstone's administration took office; it was ruled legal in January 1983, and subsequently implemented.
GLEB and nuclear disarmament
Livingstone's administration founded the Greater London Enterprise Board (GLEB) to create employment by investing in the industrial regeneration of London, with the funds provided by the council, its workers' pension fund and the financial markets. Livingstone later claimed that GLC bureaucrats obstructed much of what GLEB tried to achieve. Other policies implemented by the Labour Left also foundered. Attempts to prevent the sale-off of GLC council housing largely failed, in part due to the strong opposition from the Conservative government. ILEA attempted to carry through with its promise to cut the price of school meals in the capital from 35p to 25p, but was forced to abandon its plans following legal advice that the councillors could be made to pay the surcharge and disqualified from public office.
The Livingstone administration took a strong stance on the issue of nuclear disarmament , proclaiming London a " nuclear-free zone ". On 20 May 1981, the GLC halted its annual spending of £1 million on nuclear war defence plans, with Livingstone's deputy, Illtyd Harrington, proclaiming that "we are challenging... the absurd cosmetic approach to Armageddon." They published the names of the 3000 politicians and administrators who had been earmarked for survival in underground bunkers in the event of a nuclear strike on London. Thatcher's government remained highly critical of these moves, putting out a propaganda campaign explaining their argument for the necessity of Britain's nuclear deterrent to counter the Soviet Union .
Egalitarian policies
"Arguing that politics had long been the near-exclusive preserve of white middle-aged men, the GLC began an attempt to open itself to representations from other groups, principally from women, the working-class, ethnic minorities and homosexuals but also from children and the elderly. This was a real break from traditional politics as practised centrally by both major parties... and it attracted hostility from all sides."
Historian Alwyn W. Turner, 2010.
Livingstone's administration advocated measures to improve the lives of minorities within London, who together made up a sizeable percentage of the city's population; what Reg Race called "the Rainbow Coalition". The GLC allocated a small percentage of its expenditure on funding minority community groups, including the London Gay Teenage Group, English Collective of Prostitutes , Women Against Rape, Lesbian Line, A Woman's Place, and Rights of Women. Believing these groups could initiate social change, the GLC increased its annual funding of voluntary organisations from £6 million in 1980 to £50 million in 1984. They provided loans to such groups, coming under a barrage of press criticism for awarding a loan to the Sheba Feminist Publishers, whose works were widely labelled pornographic . In July 1981, Livingstone founded the Ethnic Minorities Committee, the Police Committee, and the Gay and Lesbian Working Party, and in June 1982, a Women's Committee was also established. Believing the Metropolitan Police to be a racist organisation, he appointed Paul Boateng to head the Police Committee and monitor the force's activities. Considering the police a highly political organisation, he publicly remarked that "When you canvas police flats at election time, you find that they are either Conservatives who think of Thatcher as a bit of a pinko or they are National Front ."
The Conservatives and mainstream rightist press were largely critical of these measures, considering them symptomatic of what they derogatarily termed the " loony left ". Claiming that these only served "fringe" interests, their criticisms often exhibited racist , homophobic and sexist sentiment. A number of journalists fabricated stories designed to discredit Livingstone and the "loony left", for instance claiming that the GLC made its workers drink only Nicaraguan coffee in solidarity with the country's socialist government , and that Haringey Council leader Bernie Grant had banned the use of the term "black bin liner" and the rhyme " Baa Baa Black Sheep " because they were perceived as racially insensitive. Writing in 2008, BBC reporter Andrew Hosken noted that although most of Livingstone's GLC administration's policies were ultimately a failure, its role in helping change social attitudes towards women and minorities in London remained its "enduring legacy".
Republicanism and Ireland
Invited to the Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in July 1981, Livingstone – a republican critical of the monarchy – wished the couple well but turned down the offer. He also permitted Irish republican protesters to hold a vigil on the steps of County Hall throughout the wedding celebrations, both actions that enraged the press. His administration supported the People's March for Jobs, a demonstration of 500 anti-unemployment protesters who marched to London from Northern England, allowing them to sleep in County Hall and catering for them. Costing £19,000, critics argued that Livingstone was illegally using public money for his own political causes. The GLC orchestrated a propaganda campaign against Thatcher's government, in January 1982 erecting a sign on the top of County Hall – clearly visible from the Houses of Parliament – stating the number of unemployed in London.
In September 1981, Livingstone began production of weekly newspaper, the Labour Herald, co-edited with Ted Knight and Matthew Warburton. It was published by a press owned by the Trotskyist Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP), who had financed it with funding from Libya and Iraq. Livingstone's commercial relationship with WRP leader Gerry Healy was controversial among British socialists, many of whom disapproved of Healy's violent nature. The Labour Herald folded in 1985, when Healy was exposed as a sex offender and ousted from the WRP's leadership.
"This morning the Sun presents the most odious man in Britain. Take a bow, Mr Livingstone, socialist leader of the Greater London Council. In just a few months since he appeared on the national scene, he has quickly become a joke. But no one can laugh at him any more. The joke has turned sour, sick and obscene. For Mr Livingstone steps forward as the defender and the apologist of the criminal, murderous activities of the IRA."
The Sun lambasts Livingstone after his support for Irish republicanism.
A supporter of Irish reunification , Livingstone had connections with the left-wing Irish republican party Sinn Féin and in July, met with the mother of an imprisoned Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) militant Thomas McElwee , then taking part in the 1981 Irish hunger strike . That day, Livingstone publicly proclaimed his support for those prisoners on hunger strike, claiming that the British government's fight against the IRA was not "some sort of campaign against terrorism " but was "the last colonial war." He was heavily criticised for this meeting and his statements in the mainstream press, while Prime Minister Thatcher claimed that his comments constituted "the most disgraceful statement I have ever heard." Soon after, he also met with the children of Yvonne Dunlop, an Irish Protestant who had been killed in McElwee's bomb attack.
On 10 October, the IRA bombed London's Chelsea Barracks , killing 2 and injuring 40. Denouncing the attack, Livingstone informed members of the Cambridge University Tory Reform Group that it was a misunderstanding to view the IRA as "criminals or lunatics" because of their strong political motives and that "violence will recur again and again as long as we are in Ireland." Mainstream press criticised him for these comments, with The Sun labeling him "the most odious man in Britain". In response, Livingstone proclaimed that the press coverage had been "ill-founded, utterly out of context and distorted", reiterating his opposition both to IRA attacks and British rule in Northern Ireland. Anti-Livingstone pressure mounted and on 15 October he was publicly attacked in the street by members of unionist militia, The Friends of Ulster. In a second incident, Livingstone was attacked by far right skinheads shouting "commie bastard" at the Three Horseshoes Pub in Hampstead. Known as "Green Ken" among Ulster Unionists , Unionist paramilitary Michael Stone of the Ulster Defence Association plotted to kill Livingstone, only abandoning the plan when he became convinced that the security services were onto him. [4] [5]
Livingstone agreed to meet Gerry Adams , Sinn Féin President and IRA-supporter, after Adams was invited to London by Labour members of the Troops Out campaign in December 1982. The same day as the invitation was made, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) bombed The Droppin Well bar in Ballykelly, County Londonderry , killing 11 soldiers and 6 civilians; in the aftermath, Livingstone was pressured to cancel the meeting. Expressing his horror at the bombing, Livingstone insisted that the meeting proceed, for Adams had no connection with the INLA, but Conservative Home Secretary Willie Whitelaw banned Adams' entry to Britain with the 1976 Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act . In February 1983, Livingstone visited Adams in his constituency of West Belfast , receiving a hero's welcome from local republicans. In July 1983, Adams finally came to London on the invite of Livingstone and MP Jeremy Corbyn , allowing him to present his views to a mainstream British audience through televised interviews. In August, Livingstone was interviewed on Irish state radio, proclaiming that Britain's 800-year occupation of Ireland was more destructive than the Holocaust ; he was publicly criticised by Labour members and the press. He also controversially expressed solidarity with the Marxist–Leninist government of Fidel Castro in Cuba against the U.S. economic embargo, in turn receiving an annual Christmas gift of Cuban rum from the Cuban embassy.
Courting further controversy, in the Falklands War of 1982, during which the United Kingdom battled Argentina for control of the Falkland Islands , Livingstone stated his belief that the islands rightfully belonged to the Argentinian people, but not the military junta then ruling the country. Upon British victory, he sarcastically remarked that "Britain had finally been able to beat the hell out of a country smaller, weaker and even worse governed than we were." Challenging the Conservative government's militarism, the GLC proclaimed 1983 to be "Peace Year", solidifying ties with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in order to advocate international nuclear disarmament , a measure opposed by the Thatcher government. In keeping with this pacifistic outlook, they banned the Territorial Army from marching past County Hall that year. The GLC then proclaimed 1984 to be "Anti-Racism Year". In July 1985, the GLC twinned London with the Nicaraguan city of Managua , then under the control of the socialist Sandinista National Liberation Front . The press also continued to criticise the Livingstone administration's funding of volunteer groups that they perceived represented only "fringe interests". As Livingstone biographer Andrew Hosken remarked, "by far the most contentious grant" was given in February 1983 to a group called Babies Against the Bomb, founded by a group of mothers who had united to campaign against nuclear weapons.
Members of the London Labour groups chastised Livingstone for his controversial statements, believing them detrimental to the party, leading Labour members and supporters to defect to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Many highlighted Labour's failure to secure the seat in the Croydon North West by-election, 1981 as a sign of Labour's prospects under Livingstone. Some called for Livingstone's removal, but Michael Foot's Trotskyist assistant Una Cooze defended Livingstone's position to her boss. Television and radio outlets welcomed Livingstone on for interviews; described by biographer John Carvel as having "one of the best television styles of any contemporary politician", Livingstone used this medium to speak to a wider audience, gaining widespread public support, something Carvell attributed to his "directness, self-deprecation, colourful language, complete unflappability under fire and lack of pomposity", coupled with popular policies like Fares Fair.
Abolition of the GLC: 1983–1986
"Whatever the long-term achievements of Livingstone's administration, there is no question that its aggression towards the government and the Establishment ultimately spelled doom for the GLC. In the eyes of the government and the media, Livingstone started badly and got worse. Within eight months, he was in deep crisis and within two years, Margaret Thatcher had started the wheels in motion for abolition. Such was the backlash by judges, civil servants, politicians and journalists that Livingstone failed not only in the key objective of bringing down Thatcher but also in implementing many of his policies. It would lay Livingstone open to the allegation that he had laid the GLC at the sacrificial altar of his ambition."
Biographer Andrew Hosken (2008).
The 1983 general election proved disastrous for Labour, as much of their support went to the Social Democrat-Liberal Alliance, and Thatcher entered her second term in office. Foot was replaced by Neil Kinnock , a man Livingstone considered "repellent". Livingstone publicly attributed Labour's electoral failure to the leading role that the party's capitalist wing had played, arguing that the party should promote a socialist program of "national reconstruction", overseeing the nationalisation of banks and major industry and allowing for the investment in new development.
Considering it a waste of rate payer's money, Thatcher's government was keen to abolish the GLC and devolve control to the Greater London boroughs , stating its intention to do so in its 1983 electoral manifesto. Secretary of State for Employment Norman Tebbit lambasted the GLC as "Labour-dominated, high-spending and at odds with the government's view of the world"; Livingstone commented that there was "a huge gulf between the cultural values of the GLC Labour group and everything that Mrs Thatcher considered right and proper." The government felt confident that there was sufficient opposition to Livingstone's administration that they could abolish the GLC: according to a MORI poll in April 1983, 58% of Londoners were dissatisfied and 26% satisfied with Livingstone.
Attempting to fight the proposals, the GLC devoted £11 million to a campaign led by Reg Race focusing on press campaigning, advertising, and parliamentary lobbying. The campaign sent Livingstone on a party roadshow conference in which he convinced the Liberal and Social Democratic parties to oppose abolition. Using the slogan "say no to no say", they publicly highlighted that without the GLC, London would be the only capital city in Western Europe without a directly elected body. The campaign was successful, with polls indicating majority support among Londoners for retaining the Council, and in March 1984, 20,000 public servants held a 24-hour strike in support. The government nevertheless remained committed to abolition, and in June 1984 the House of Commons passed the Local Government Act 1985 with 237 votes in favour and 217 against. Livingstone and three senior GLC members resigned their seats in August 1984, to force byelections on the issue of abolition, but the Conservatives declined to contest them and all four were comfortably re-elected on a low turnout. [2]
The GLC was formally abolished at midnight on 31 March 1986, with Livingstone marking the occasion by holding a free concert at Festival Hall . In his capacity as former leader of the GLC, Livingstone was invited to visit Australia, Israel, and Zimbabwe in the following months by leftist groups in those countries, before he and Allen undertook a 5-week Himalayan trek to the base camp of Mount Everest .
Member of Parliament
Livingstone defeated Reg Freeson to represent Labour for the north-west London constituency of Brent East in the 1987 general election . When the election came, he narrowly defeated Conservative candidate Harriet Crawley to become Brent East's MP, while Thatcher retained the Premiership for a third term. Livingstone found the atmosphere of the Houses of Parliament uncomfortable, labeling it "absolutely tribal", and asserting that "It's like working in the Natural History Museum , except not all the exhibits are stuffed." There was much hostility between him and the Parliamentary Labour Party, who allocated him a windowless office with fellow leftist MP Harry Barnes . He took on Maureen Charleson as his personal secretary, who would remain with him for the next 20 years.
In his maiden speech to Parliament in July 1987, Livingstone used parliamentary privilege to raise a number of allegations made by Fred Holroyd , a former Special Intelligence Service operative in Northern Ireland . Despite the convention of maiden speeches being non-controversial, Livingstone alleged that Holroyd had been mistreated when he tried to expose MI5 collusion with Ulster loyalist paramilitaries in the 1970s. Thatcher denounced his claims as "utterly contemptible". In September 1987 Livingstone was elected to Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC), although was voted off in October 1989, to be replaced by John Prescott . As Kinnock tried to pull Labour to the centre, Livingstone worked to strengthen socialist elements in the party. He continued to make his opinions known, refusing to pay the controversial poll tax until it was revoked, and being one of the 55 Labour MPs to oppose British involvement in the Gulf War in January 1991. Conversely, he supported NATO intervention in the Balkans, and the bombing of Serbia .
In the 1992 general election , John Major led the Conservatives to a narrow victory, resulting in Kinnock's resignation as head of Labour. Livingstone put his name forward as a proposed replacement, with Bernie Grant as his deputy, although they were not selected, with John Smith and Margaret Beckett taking the positions instead. After Smith died in May 1994, Livingstone again put his name down as a potential leader, although withdrew it due to a lack of support. Instead, Tony Blair was selected, with Livingstone predicting that he would be "the most right-wing leader" in Labour history. Blair and his supporters sought to reform the party by further expunging leftist elements and taking it to the centre ground, thus creating " New Labour ", with Blairite Peter Mandelson asserting that hard left figures like Livingstone represented "the enemy" of reform. Throughout 1995, Livingstone unsuccessfully fought Blair's attempts to remove Clause Four (promoting nationalised industry) from the Labour constitution, which he saw as a betrayal of the party's socialist roots. In 1996, he warned of the growing influence of spin doctors in the party, and called for Blair to sack Alastair Campbell after a High Court judge criticised him in a libel trial. Nevertheless, Blair's reforms led Labour to a landslide victory in the 1997 general election , resulting in the formation of the first Labour government since 1979. In December 1997, Livingstone joined a Labour revolt against Blair's attempts to cut benefits to single mothers , and in March 1998 publicly criticised Gordon Brown for advocating "an awful lot of Thatcherite nonsense" and attempting to privatise the London Underground through the PPP scheme. However, in 1997 he was re-elected to the NEC, beating Mandelson to the position.
"I want power. I want to change Britain and I'm not ashamed to say it. Anyone who wants to achieve change would grab at the leadership."
Ken Livingstone on the Labour leadership, 1986.
Livingstone continued his association with members of Trotskyite group Socialist Action , with the group's leader John Ross became his most important adviser, teaching him about economics. Investing in an advanced £25,000 computer, he and Ross used the machine to undertake complex economic analysis, on the basis of which they began publishing the Socialist Economic Bulletin in 1990. Two other members of the group, Redmond O'Neill and Simon Fletcher, also became trusted advisers. When Socialist Action founded a campaign group, the Anti-Racist Alliance, Livingstone came to be closely associated with it. They campaigned around the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and the rise of the far right British National Party , but were disadvantaged by an ongoing rivalry with the Anti-Nazi League .
As his political significance waned, Livingstone gained more work in the media, commenting that the press "started to use me only once they thought I was harmless". To receive these outside earnings, he founded a company known as Localaction Ltd. In 1987 he authored an autobiography for HarperCollins , If Voting Changed Anything They'd Abolish It, conducted journalism for the London Daily News , stood in for BBC Radio 2 disk-jockey Jimmy Young , and served as a judge for that year's Whitbread Prize . In 1989, Unwin Hyman published his second book, Livingstone's Labour: A Programme for the 90s, in which he expressed his views on a variety of issues, while that same year he was employed to promote Red Leicester cheese in adverts for the National Dairy Council and to appear in adverts for British Coal alongside Edwina Currie . In October 1991 Livingstone began writing a column for Rupert Murdoch 's right-wing tabloid The Sun, a controversial move among British socialists. In his column he often discussed his love of amphibians and campaigned for the protection of the great crested newt , on the basis of which he was appointed vice president of the London Zoological Society in 1996–97. He subsequently began to write a food column for Esquire and then The Evening Standard , also making regular appearances on the BBC quiz show Have I Got News For You? . In 1995, Livingstone was invited to appear on the track " Ernold Same " by the band Blur .
Mayor of London
Mayoral election: 2000
By 1996, various prominent public figures were arguing for the implementation of directly-elected mayors for large UK cities like London. The idea of a London mayor of a Greater London Authority had been included in Labour's 1997 election manifesto, and after their election a referendum was scheduled for May 1998, in which there was a 72% yes vote with a 34% turnout. With the first mayoral election scheduled for May 2000, in March 1998 Livingstone stated his intention to stand as a potential Labour candidate for the position.
Blair did not want Livingstone as London Mayor, claiming the latter was one of those who "almost knocked [the party] over the edge of the cliff into extinction" during the 1980s. He and the Labour spin doctors organised a campaign against Livingstone to ensure that he was not selected, with Campbell and Sally Morgan unsuccessfully attempting to get Oona King to denounce Livingstone. They failed to convince Mo Mowlam to stand for the mayorship, and instead encouraged the reluctant Frank Dobson to stand. Recognising that a 'one member, one vote' election within the London Labour Party would probably see Livingstone selected over Dobson, Blair ensured that a third of the votes would come from the rank-and-file members, a third from the trade unions, and a third from Labour MPs and MEPs , the latter two of which he could pressure into voting for his own preferred candidate, something that Dobson was deeply uncomfortable with. Information on the Blairite campaign against Livingstone became public, costing Dobson much support; nevertheless, due to the impact of the MPs and MEPs, Dobson won the candidacy with 51% to Livingstone's 48%.
Livingstone proclaimed Dobson to be "a tainted candidate" and stated his intention to run for the Mayoralty as an independent candidate. Aware that this would result in his expulsion from Labour, he publicly stated that "I have been forced to choose between the party I love and upholding the democratic rights of Londoners." The polls indicated clear support for Livingstone among the London electorate, with his campaign being run by his Socialist Action associates. He gained the support of a wide range of celebrities, from musicians like Fatboy Slim , Pink Floyd , the Chemical Brothers , and Blur, artists like Damian Hirst and Tracey Emin , and those from other fields, among them Ken Loach , Jo Brand , and Chris Evans , the latter of whom donated £200,000 to the campaign; half of what Livingstone required. In March 2000, Livingstone agreed to make a public apology to the House of Commons, after he was criticised over his failure to properly register outside interests worth more than £150,000. [2] The election took place in May 2000, at which Livingstone came first with 58% of first and second-preference votes; Conservative candidate Steven Norris came second and Dobson third. Livingstone started his acceptance speech with "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted 14 years ago..."
First mayoral term: 2000–04
Livingstone now had "the largest and most direct mandate of any politician in British history", receiving an annual salary of £87,000. It was the Mayor's job to oversee a number of subordinate bodies, including the Metropolitan Police , Transport for London (TfL), the London Development Agency , and the London Fire Brigade , and in doing so he was granted a number of executive powers. He would be scrutinised by the elected London Assembly , whose first chairman was Trevor Phillips , a Labour politician with a mutual dislike of Livingstone. Livingstone was permitted twelve principal advisers, many of whom were members of Socialist Action or people whom he had worked with on the GLC. Ross and Fletcher became two of his closest confidants, with Livingstone commenting that "They aren't just my closest political advisers... they're also mostly my best friends." In 2002, he promoted six of his senior aides, resulting in allegations of cronyism from Assembly members. The Mayoral office was initially based in temporary headquarters at Romney House in Marsham Street, Westminster , while a purpose-built building was constructed in Southwark ; termed City Hall , it was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2002, with Livingstone commenting that it resembled a "glass testicle."
Much of Livingstone's first two years were devoted to setting up the Mayoral system and administration. He also devoted much time to battling New Labour's plans to upgrade the London Underground system through a public–private partnership (PPP) program, believing it to be too expensive and tantamount to the privatisation of a state-owned service. He furthermore had strong concerns about safety; PPP would divide different parts of the Underground among various companies, something that he argued threatened a holistic safety and maintenance program. These concerns were shared by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) trade union, who went on strike over the issue, being joined on the picket line by Livingstone. Appointing Bob Kiley as transport commissioner, the duo argued that the upgrade should be carried out in state hands through a public bond issue, as had been done in the case of the New York City Subway . They launched court cases against the government over PPP in 2001–02, but were ultimately unsuccessful, and the project went ahead, with the Underground being privatised in January 2003.
Although he had initially stated that he would not do so, Livingstone's administration sought to phase out use of the Routemaster buses, the design for which dated to the 1950s. Although iconic, they were deemed hazardous and responsible for a high number of deaths and serious injuries as passengers climbed onto them, also being non-wheelchair accessible and thus not meeting the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 . The process was gradual, with the last Routemaster being decommissioned in December 2005. The Routemasters were replaced by a new fleet of 103 articulated buses , known colloquially as "bendy buses", which were launched in June 2002. While the Routemasters fitted 80 people on at one time, the articulated buses fitted up to 140 passengers, however they were deemed dangerous for cyclists. Attempting to reduce London's environmental impact, Livingstone created the London Hydrogen Partnership and the London Energy Partnership in his first term as Mayor of London. [9] The Mayor's Energy Strategy, "green light to clean power," committed London to reducing its emissions of carbon dioxide by 20%, relative to the 1990 level, by 2010. [9]
Livingstone sought to remove the pigeons from Trafalgar Square ; he tried to evict seed sellers and introduced hawks to scare the pigeons off. He pedestrianised the north side of the Square, transforming it into a public space with a cafe, public toilets, and a lift for the disabled. He introduced an annual Saint Patrick's Day festival to celebrate the contributions of the Irish to London, [10] and revived London's free anti-racism music festival, now called Rise: London United , later attributing London's 35% decrease in racist attacks to this and other anti-racist policies. [11] Continuing his support for LGBT rights, in 2001 he set up Britain's first register for same-sex couples; while falling short of legal marriage rights, the register was seen as a step towards the Civil Partnership Act 2004 .
Livingstone's relationship with Kate Allen ended in November 2001, although they remained friends. He then started a relationship with Emma Beal, together having two children, Thomas (born December 2002) and Mia (born March 2004). At a May 2002 party in Tufnell Park , Livingstone got into an argument with Beal's friend Robin Hedges, a reporter for The Evening Standard. Beal subsequently fell off of a wall and bruised his ribs; the press claimed that Livingstone had pushed him, although he insisted that he did not. Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly referred the matter to the Standards Board for England , who ruled that there was no evidence for any wrongdoing on Livingstone's behalf.
As proposed in their election manifesto, in February 2003 Livingstone's administration introduced a congestion charge covering 8 square miles in central London, charging motorists £5 a day for driving through the area. It was introduced in an attempt to deter traffic and reduce congestion; Livingstone himself took the London Underground to work, and tried to inspire more Londoners to use public transport rather than cars. The policy was highly controversial, and strongly opposed by businesses, resident groups, the roads lobby, and the Labour government; many commentators recognised that if opposition resulted in the policy being abandoned then it could lead to the end of Livingstone's political career. That year, the Political Studies Association named Livingstone 'Politician of the Year' due to his implementation of the 'bold and imaginative' scheme. [12] The scheme resulted in a marked reduction on traffic in central London, resulting in improved bus services, and by 2007, TfL could claim that the charge had reduced congestion by 20%. [13] To further encourage the use of public transport, in June 2003, the Oyster card system was introduced, while bus and Underground journeys were made free for people aged 11 to 18.
In 2002, Livingstone came out in support of a proposal for the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London. He insisted however that the Games must be held in the East End, and result in an urban regeneration program centred on the Lee Valley . He gained the support of Labour's culture secretary Tessa Jowell , who convinced the government to back the plans in May 2003. In May 2004, the International Olympic Commission put London on the shortlist of potential locations for the Games, alongside Paris, Madrid, Moscow, and New York City; although Paris was widely expected to be the eventual victor, London would prove successful in its nomination. Another major development project was launched in February 2004 as the London Plan, in which Livingstone's administration laid out their intentions to deal with the city's major housing shortage by ensuring the construction of 30,000 new homes a year. It stressed that 50% of these should be deemed "affordable housing" although later critics would highlight that in actuality, the amount of "affordable housing" in these new constructions did not exceed 30%.
Livingstone had no control over government policy regarding immigration, which had resulted in a significant growth in foreign arrivals coming to London during his administration; from 2000 to 2005 London's population grew by 200,000 to reach 7.5 million. He didn't oppose this, encouraging racial equality and celebrating the city's multiculturalism . Livingstone condemned the UK's involvement in the Iraq War and involved himself in the Stop the War campaign. In November 2003, he made headlines for referring to US President George W. Bush as "the greatest threat to life on this planet," just before Bush's official visit to the UK. Livingstone also organised an alternative "Peace Reception" at City Hall "for everybody who is not George Bush," with anti-war Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic as the guest of honour. [14]
Livingstone's success with the congestion charge and rejuvenation of Trafalgar Square led the Labour leadership to reconsider their position on him, with Blair re-admitting him to the party and asking that he stand as their Mayoral candidate for the 2004 election. Livingstone eagerly agreed, and Labour Mayoral candidate Nicky Gavron volunteered to take a subordinate position as his deputy. In campaigning for the election, Livingstone highlighted his record: the congestion charge, free bus travel for under 11s, 1000 extra buses, and 5000 extra police officers, whereas his main competitor, the Conservative Steve Norris, campaigned primarily on a policy of abolishing the congestion charge. Livingstone continued to court controversy throughout the campaign; in June 2004 he was quoted on The Guardian 's website as saying: "I just long for the day I wake up and find that the Saudi Royal Family are swinging from lamp-posts and they've got a proper government that represents the people of Saudi Arabia ", for which he was widely criticised. [15] [16] That same month he came under criticism from sectors of the left for urging RMT members to cross picket lines in a proposed Underground strike because the latest offer had been "extremely generous", leading RMT general secretary Bob Crow to step down as a TfL board member. In the London mayoral election, 2004 , Livingstone was announced as the winner on 10 June 2004. He won 36% of first preference votes to Norris's 28% and Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes 's 15%. When all the candidates except Livingstone and Norris were eliminated and the second preferences of those voters who had picked neither Livingstone or Norris as their first choice were counted, Livingstone won with 55% to Norris's 45%. [17]
Second mayoral term: 2004–08
Amid the War on Terror and threat from Al Qaeda , Livingstone sought to build closer ties to the London's Muslim community, controversially agreeing to meet with Islamist groups like the Muslim Association of Britain alongside moderate organisations. In July 2004, he attended a conference discussing France's ban on the burka at which he talked alongside Islamist cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi . Livingstone described al-Qaradawi as "one of the most authoritative Muslim scholars in the world today" and argued that his influence could help stop the radicalisation of young British Muslims. The move was controversial, with Jewish and LGBT organisations criticising Livingstone, citing al-Qaradawi's record of anti-Semitic and homophobic remarks, with the meeting leading to a publicised argument between Livingstone and his former supporter Peter Tatchell . Livingstone continued to champion the Palestinian cause in the Israel-Palestine conflict, in March 2005 accusing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of being a " war criminal " responsible for the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre . [18]
During his second term, Livingstone continued his support for London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, playing a crucial role in securing vital Russian support for the bid. On 6 July 2005, in a ceremony held in Singapore attended by Livingstone, London was announced as the victor, resulting in widespread celebration. The following day, British-born Islamist suicide bombers undertook three attacks on the Underground and another on a bus , killing 52 civilians. Livingstone gave a speech from Singapore denouncing the attackers as terrorists, before immediately returning to London. Informing the BBC that Western foreign policy was largely to blame for the attacks, [19] his response to the situation was widely praised, even by opponents. Fearing an Islamophobic backlash against the city's Muslim minority, he initiated an advertising campaign to counter this, holding a rally for inter-community unity in Trafalgar Square. A second, failed suicide bombing attack took place on 21 July, and in the aftermath police officers shot dead a Brazilian tourist, Jean Charles de Menezes , whom they mistook for a bomber. Police initially lied about the killing, resulting in widespread condemnation, although Livingstone defended the actions of Metropolitan Police commissioner Ian Blair .
After Livingstone left a party in February 2005, Oliver Finegold, a reporter for the Evening Standard, attempted to ask Livingstone a question in the street. Aware that Finegold was Jewish, Livingstone accused him of acting "just like a concentration camp guard" and asserting that he worked for the "reactionary bigots... who supported fascism" at the Daily Mail . [20] Although the Evening Standard initially did not deem the comments newsworthy, they were leaked to The Guardian , resulting in accusations of anti-Semitism against Livingstone from the Board of Deputies of British Jews . There were many calls for Livingstone to apologise, including from Tony Blair, the London Assembly, a Holocaust survivors group and his deputy Gavron (the daughter of a Holocaust survivor), but Livingstone refused. [21] The Standards Board for England asked the Adjudication Panel for England to deal with Livingstone on the issue, who in February 2006 found him guilty of bringing his office into disrepute and suspended him from office for a month. The decision was controversial, with Livingstone and many others arguing that an unelected board should not have the power to suspend an elected official. [22] In October 2006 at the High Court of Justice , Justice Collins overturned the decision to suspend Livingstone. [23]
Although he had alienated much of London's Jewish community, Livingstone denied charges of anti-Semitism, holding regular meetings with the city's Jewish groups and introducing public Hanukkah celebrations in Trafalgar Square in December 2005. [24] [25] He came under further accusations of anti-semitism in March 2006 for asserting that the businessmen David and Simon Reuben should return to Iran if they did not like Britain; he claimed he had mistakenly believed them to be Iranian Muslims, whereas in reality they were Indian Jews. He refused to apologise to the Reubens, instead offering "a complete apology to the people of Iran for the suggestion that they may be linked in any way to the Reuben brothers". [26]
In March 2006, Livingstone publicly criticised foreign embassies in London who refused to pay the congestion charge under the conditions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations . His criticism focused on US diplomat Robert Tuttle , condemning him as a "chiselling little crook" whose embassy was refusing to pay the £1.5 million he believed it owed. In February 2007, Livingstone's administration doubled the congestion charge zone by extending it westwards into Kensington and Chelsea , despite opposition from resident groups. In October 2007, the government agreed to go ahead with Crossrail , a £16 billion project to construct a train line under central London, linking Berkshire to Essex . Meanwhile, Livingstone felt vindicated in his former opposition to public private partnership when one of the companies who now controlled part of the Underground, Metronet , collapsed in July 2007, with the state having to intervene to protect the service. Livingstone had also welcomed the construction of skyscrapers in London, giving the go ahead for 15 to be constructed during his Mayoralty, including 30 St Mary Axe and The Shard . He considered it necessary to fill the demand for office space, but was criticised by groups and individuals, most notably Charles, Prince of Wales , concerned about the preservation of historic skylines.
In May 2006, Livingstone welcomed Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to London, hosting an event for him at City Hall. This was condemned by various Conservatives claiming that Chávez's democratic socialist government had undermined pluralistic democracy. Livingstone proceeded to accept the presidency of the pro-Chávez Venezuelan Information Centre. In November 2006, Livingstone travelled to Latin America to visit Chávez, during which he and his entourage stayed in Cuba at a cost of £29,000; many British sources condemned the visit as a waste of tax-payer's money. In August 2007, it was announced that Livingstone had come to an agreement with oil-rich Venezuela; Chávez's government would supply £16 million a year worth of free oil to TfL, who would use it to subsidise half priced bus fares for 250,000 Londoners on benefits. In return, London would provide expertise in running transport, as well as other services such as CCTV and waste management. [28]
Livingstone helped organise the first "Eid in the Square" event at Trafalgar Square in commemoration of the Islamic Eid ul-Fitr festival in October 2006. [29] In May 2007, Livingstone travelled to New York City to attend the C40 conference of major world cities to deal with environmentalist issues. One of the leading figures of the conference, he called for other cities to adopt congestion charging as an environmental measure. In August 2007, he issued a public apology on behalf of London for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. He selected the anniversary of the Haitian Revolution on which to do it, and in his tearful speech asserted that it was the resistance of enslaved persons rather than the philanthropy of wealthy whites that led to the trade's end.
A week later he attended the unveiling of the statue of Nelson Mandela in Parliament Square , where he met with Nelson Mandela . In June 2007, he criticised the planned £200 million Thames Water Desalination Plant at Beckton , which will be the United Kingdom's first, calling it "misguided and a retrograde step in UK environmental policy", and that "we should be encouraging people to use less water, not more." [30] In October 2007, London Councils stated Livingstone had gone back on his promise to chair the developing London Waste and Recycling Board, and to provide £6 million of funding for the project, because "the government had failed to provide him with absolute control of the Board." [32]
Livingstone intended to stand again as Labour candidate in the London Mayoral election, 2008 , this time against Conservative candidate Boris Johnson . At the start of the campaign Livingstone took Johnson more seriously than many others were doing, referring to him as "the most formidable opponent I will face in my political career." Much of Labour's campaign revolved around criticising Johnson for perceived racist and homophobic comments that he had made in the past, although Johnson strenuously denied that he was bigoted. Livingstone also proposed that if he were to win a third term he would increase the congestion charge fee to £25 for the most polluting vehicles, while removing it for the least, and that he would also introduce a cycling scheme based on the Vélib' system in Paris. As part of his campaign, Livingstone highlighted that by 2008, the Metropolitan Police had 35,000 officers, 10,000 more than it had had in 2000, also highlighting statistics to indicate falling crime rates across the city during his Mayorship. Nevertheless, there had been a recent rise in gang killing among young people, with 27 teenagers having been killed in gang warfare during 2007, a statistic used by Johnson's campaign who emphasised the idea that a Johnson administration would be far tougher on youth crime and anti-social behaviour.
Further controversy rocked Livingstone's campaign in December 2007 when Evening Standard journalist Andrew Gilligan alleged that one of Livingstone's close advisers, Lee Jasper , had siphoned off at least £2.5 million from the London Development Agency to fund black community groups with which he was closely associated. Livingstone stood by Jasper and claimed that the Evening Standard campaign was racist, but ultimately agreed to suspend Jasper while a full investigation took place. An independent report into the affair by District auditor Michael Haworth-Maden in July 2009 found no evidence of "misappropriation of funds" but noted "significant" gaps in financial paperwork. The election took place in May 2008, and witnessed a turnout of approximately 45% of eligible voters, with Johnson receiving 43.2% and Livingstone 37% of first-preference votes; when second-preference votes were added, Johnson proved victorious with 53.2% to Livingstone's 46.8%.
Post-mayoral career
Unsuccessful election: 2008–14
Newly elected, Mayor Johnson paid tribute to Livingstone and his "very considerable achievements", hoping that the new administration could "discover a way in which the mayoralty can continue to benefit from your transparent love of London". [33] Johnson's administration nevertheless reversed a number of Livingstone's policies, for instance overturning the deal for Venezuelan oil. [34] [35] [36] [37] Intent on giving Venezuela the "advice that we promised", [34] [37] in August 2008 Livingstone announced that he would be advising urban planning in Caracas . [34] [35] [36] [37] Livingstone predicted that in twenty years it could become a " first-world city", [37] and hoped to help with his "very extensive network of contacts both domestically and internationally". [36]
"Obviously everyone respects the decision of the electorate. But it is already clear that Boris Johnson's Tory regime is one of decline [in] London: economic decline, social decline, cultural decline and environmental decline. This is the real root of the incompetence [his administration] has shown in its first two months in office. I believe this will become increasingly obvious and therefore I will use the normal methods of democratic debate to convince electors that the previous policies were successful and the new ones will fail."
Ken Livingstone (2008)
In January 2009, Livingstone responded to the Gaza War by calling for the European Union and the UK to bring home their ambassadors to Israel to express disapproval for the "slaughter and systematic murder of innocent Arabs". [38] [39] From September 2009 to March 2011, Livingstone presented the book review programme Epilogue for the Iranian state-sponsored international news channel Press TV , for which he came under criticism from Iranian exile groups. [40] [41] In July 2010, he spoke at the Durham Miners' Gala , praising working class culture. [42] He also used the speech to attack spending cuts by the new coalition government , claiming they were not necessary. [43]
In September 2010, Livingstone criticised public spending cuts announced by the recently elected Conservative - Liberal Democrat coalition government, which he stated amounted to £45 billion a year for London alone, and were "beyond Margaret Thatcher's wildest dreams" as well as threatening to result in widespread division and poverty across the capital. [44] In May 2011, Livingstone said he was "appalled" that Osama bin Laden had been shot dead by US Special forces "in his pyjamas" and "in front of his kid," and that the values of a western democracy would have been best demonstrated if Bin Laden had been put on trial and his words challenged. [45]
Livingstone stood for the Labour candidacy as 2012 Mayoral candidate. His campaign attracted criticism when he joked that the election was "a simple choice between good and evil", and when he was accused of anti-semitism by Jewish Labour supporters for suggesting that being largely wealthy, the Jewish community would not vote for him. He denied making the comments, but nevertheless apologised. [46] [47] [48]
Johnson's campaign emphasised the accusation that Livingstone was guilty of tax evasion , for which Livingstone called Johnson a "bare-faced liar". The political scientist Andrew Crines believed that Livingstone's campaign suffered from its focus on criticising Johnson rather than presenting an alternate and progressive vision of London's future, also suggesting that after decades in the public eye, Livingstone had come to be seen as an over-familiar and politically tired figure by the London electorate. On 4 May 2012 Livingstone was defeated in the London 2012 Mayoral Elections by the incumbent Mayor, Boris Johnson. There was only a difference of 62,538 votes between the 2 candidates with Livingstone receiving 992,273 votes and Johnson receiving 1,054,811 votes. Livingstone criticised bias in the media and declared that he would be bowing out of politics. [49] [50]
He remained publicly critical of Johnson over the coming years; in April 2014, he admitted that while he had once feared Johnson as "the most hardline right-wing ideologue since Thatcher", over the course of Johnson's mayoralty, he had instead concluded that he was "a fairly lazy tosser who just wants to be there" but who does very little work. [51]
Under Corbyn's leadership: 2015–
In May 2015, Livingstone endorsed Sadiq Khan to be the Labour candidate for the 2016 London mayoral election , [52] and in July then endorsed Jeremy Corbyn in the 2015 Labour Party leadership election . [53] After Corbyn was elected Labour leader, Livingstone was one of his most prominent allies; in November 2015 Corbyn appointed Livingstone to co-convene Labour's defence review alongside Maria Eagle . [54] This appointment was criticised by shadow defence minister Kevan Jones , who expressed the view that Livingstone knew little about defence and that it would damage the party's reputation. Livingstone responded by claiming that Jones – who has spoken about his own clinical depression – needed "psychiatric help". Jones took offense, and while Livingstone initially refused to apologise, he subsequently did so at Corbyn's urging. [55]
Livingstone faced further criticism following a television appearance in which he stated that the perpetrators of the 2005 London bombings carried out their actions as retribution for UK involvement in the Iraq War. [56] [57] In March 2016, Livingstone again courted controversy by comparing a hedge fund 's donation to Labour MP Dan Jarvis to " Jimmy Savile funding a children's group"; it subsequently emerged that Livingstone himself had received £8,000 from a hedge fund, leading to accusations of hypocrisy. [58] [59]
Suspension from the Labour Party
In April 2016, Livingstone commented publicly on the suspension of Labour MP Naz Shah ; she had been removed from the party after it was revealed that she had made comments on Facebook suggesting that Israeli Jews should be relocated to the United States. [60] Livingstone stated that Shah's postings, which were made before she became an MP at the 2015 general election , were "completely over the top" and "rude", although he did not deem them antisemitic. [61] He asserted that there is a "well-orchestrated campaign by the Israel lobby to smear anybody who criticises Israeli policy as antisemitic", [62] and also stated that Adolf Hitler "was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews".
He defended his claims by reference to Lenni Brenner 's Zionism in the Age of the Dictators , [63] and many commentators suggested that Livingstone was referring to the Haavara Agreement between Nazi Germany and the Zionist Federation of Germany . [64] [65] [66] [67] Livingstone's statements were criticised by historians, [68] [69] among them Roger Moorhouse , who said that they were historically inaccurate. [70] He also became involved in a public argument on the subject with the Labour MP John Mann . [71]
Livingstone was subsequently suspended from Labour Party membership "for bringing the party into disrepute". [72] Over 20 Labour MPs called for Livingstone's suspension, while Jon Lansman , founder of the pro-Corbyn Momentum group, called for Livingstone to leave politics altogether, [72] and Khan called for his expulsion from the party. [63] In a subsequent interview, Livingstone expressed regret both for mentioning Hitler and for offending Jews but added that "I'm not going to apologise for telling the truth." [73] [74] Corbyn announced that the decision to expel Livingstone would be made by a National Executive Committee internal inquiry, whilst Livingstone insisted that he would be exonerated on the basis of Brenner's book, saying "how can the truth be an offence?" [75] Following this controversy, Livingstone has questioned whether or not he has Jewish ancestry on his mother's side stating that Greville Janner used to speculate whether or not he was Jewish because "my grandmother’s name was Zona." [76]
Livingstone was sacked in Spring 2016 by LBC . He was quoted by The Daily Telegraph as saying this was because of his comments about Hitler. [77] With the former Conservative minister David Mellor , Livingstone had co-hosted a Saturday morning current affairs programme on LBC for 8 years. [77]
Political views
"Ken never had a very clear political philosophy. Ken never read philosophical books from a political point of view. He had a gut feeling; he was always opposed to exploitation and inequalities in a big way. He had a social conscience and wanted to do something about it. But he saw it within the existing parliamentary and political system. He didn't consider taking up arms against anybody as a way forward or dramatically changing the electoral system. He thought you could persuade and change the Labour Party."
Ted Knight on Livingstone.
Within the Labour Party, Livingstone was aligned with the hard left . Historian Alwyn W. Turner noted that Livingstone's entire approach to politics revolved not simply around providing public services, but in trying to change society itself; in his words, he wanted to get away from the concept of "old white men coming along to general management committees and talking about rubbish collection." Biographer John Carvel, a journalist from The Guardian , remarked that Livingstone's political motivation was a "fundamental desire... for a more participative, cooperative society", leading him to oppose "concentrations of power and... exploitation in all its forms – economic, racial and sexual." However, Livingstone has also described his approach to fiscal policy as "monetarist": "I was a monetarist right from the beginning when I was leader of the GLC. We paid down debt every year. We had an absolutely firm rule." [78]
Livingstone describes himself as a socialist . In 1987, he stated that "politics is my religion. It's my moral framework. I believe a socialist society is inherently the best thing, and that's like an act of faith." In 2007, he stated that "I still believe one day that the idea that the main means of production are owned by private individuals... will be considered as anti-democratic as the idea serfs could be tied to the land. But I will not be alive when that day comes." [79] Livingstone had always worked towards a unified socialist front on the British left, and disliked the tendency towards splintering and forming rival factions, usually over issues of political theory , among the socialist community. Although rejecting Marxism , throughout his political career he has worked alongside Marxist far-left groups and has become involved with the "politics of the street". He has not worked with those Marxist groups, such as the Socialist Workers Party and the Revolutionary Communist Party , who advocate the destruction of the Labour Party as the way forward for socialism, seeing their beliefs as incompatible with his own. Livingstone has consistently opposed the actions of the Israeli government. In a 2005 interview he said that he was not against the existence of Israel, but rather Ariel Sharon 's government; he recalled that on his 1986 visit to the country he got on well with its left-wing politicians. [80]
Livingstone has consistently rejected being defined under any particular ideological current of socialism. Recognising this, in 2000, the former Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock asserted that Livingstone could only be defined as a "Kennist". Livingstone's understanding of politics arises from his studies of animal behaviour and anthropology ; rejecting the idea that the human species is naturally progressing (a view advocated by socialists like the Fabian Society ), Livingstone instead took the view that human society is still coming to terms with the massive socio-economic changes that it experienced upon the development of agriculture during the Neolithic . Highlighting that a hunter-gatherer mode of subsistence is more natural to the human species, he believes that modern society has to adopt many hunter-gatherer values – namely mutual co-operation and emphasis on human relationships rather than consumerism – in order to survive.
Personal life
Historian Alwyn W. Turner noted that Livingstone was a "gifted communicator and self-publicist" who was able to stump his opponents using his "mischievous sense of humour". Biographer John Carvel echoed these comments, highlighting that Livingstone had a "talent for public speaking". Biographer Andrew Hosken noted that many of those who had worked with Livingstone had commented on him being an excellent boss, who was "a good delegator, decisive and supportive" as well as being "a friendly and modest colleague." Jenny McCartney, a reporter from The Spectator , expressed the view that "in person he is hard to dislike. There's a notable absence of pomposity in his manner, a propensity to laughter, and his love of an ideological scrap is allied to a calm, sometimes wry style of delivery: it looks fiercer on paper." In The Guardian, the journalist Hugh Muir described Livingstone as a man who is "happiest in the limelight, discomforted by the periphery" and who also "hates to apologise... especially when called upon [to do so]... by media or political opponents for whom he has no respect". [81]
On the issue of nationality, Livingstone has expressed the view that he identifies as English rather than British, although his father was Scottish and he supports the continued existence of the United Kingdom. Although raised into a nominally Christian family, Livingstone renounced religious belief when he was eleven, becoming an atheist . In a 2005 interview he commented that in doing so he had rejected "mumbo-jumbo in favour of rational science." He is known for his enthusiasm for gardening and keeping and breeding newts . He was the first person to breed the Western Dwarf Clawed Frog Hymenochirus curtipes in captivity. Livingstone is a big fan of The Godfather film franchise, stating that the actions of the criminal organisations within the movies are very much akin to the world of politics.
Family
Livingstone repeatedly attempted to keep his family life private, commenting that "I expect that my private life is not in the public domain and I'm rude to any journalist who turns up... at home". It is known that he has five children. Livingstone married Christine Pamela Chapman in 1973; the marriage ended in divorce in 1982. Around that time he became involved with Kate Allen , now director of Amnesty International in the UK; the couple separated in November 2001. [82] He then entered a relationship with his office manager, Emma Beal; they have a son and a daughter together. Livingstone and Beal married on 26 September 2009 in the Mappin Pavilion of London Zoo . They live in North London .
Livingstone had also fathered three children prior to 2000; a boy by one mother and two girls by another. The children were born to two different women while Livingstone was involved with Kate Allen, according to an article by Decca Aitkenhead :
In his memoir, he describes how one was an old friend who was keen to have children but feared she was running out of time. "We had never been involved romantically but I knew her well enough to know she would be a wonderful mother and so I said I would like to be the father of her children." A daughter was born in 1990, and another in 1992. Then another friend said she'd like to have children: "And we agreed to have a baby." Their son was born within weeks of his daughter in 1992. [83]
Legacy and influence
Throughout his career, Livingstone has polarised public opinion, and was widely recognised as a risk-taker. Supporters described him as the "People's Ken" and an "anti-politician politician", opining that he had the common touch with working-class Londoners that most British politicians lacked. He was widely recognised for having improved the status of minority groups in London. He was also deemed a "formidable operator" at City Hall, with an "intimate knowledge" of London. He was also criticised during his career. During his Mayorship, he faced repeated accusations of cronyism for favouring his chosen aides over other staff. One of his supporters, Atma Singh , commented that under Livingstone's leadership, a culture of bullying pervaded at City Hall, although this was denied by many other staff there.
He was also widely criticised and denounced during his career. During his Mayorship, he faced repeated accusations of cronyism for favouring his chosen aides over other staff. One of his supporters, Atma Singh , commented that under Livingstone's leadership, a culture of bullying pervaded at City Hall, although this was denied by many other staff there.
During the 1980s, Spitting Image featured a fictionalised version of Livingstone voiced by Harry Enfield . In 1990, BBC show The Comic Strip produced an episode entitled " GLC: The Carnage Continues... " in which Robbie Coltrane played a fictionalised portrayal of Charles Bronson playing Livingstone in a Hollywood movie. Kate Bush wrote the song "Ken" for the episode, which was then released as a B-side to her single " Love and Anger ". [84]
Margaret Thatcher , leader (1975–90) of the Conservative Party, prime minister (1979–90) of the United Kingdom
County Hall in Lambeth, then home of the Greater London Council
Livingstone's willingness to meet publicly with Irish republican leader Gerry Adams (above, pictured in 2001), caused outrage within his own party and the British press
The Houses of Parliament, where Livingstone served as MP
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1988 Painkiller Tamperer Is Convicted
Stella Nickell is convicted of murder after she put cyanide in Excedrin capsules, a painkiller. She killed her husband after he took a capsule for a headache.
Her devious plan was apparently born after, when she killed her husband with the cyanide, doctors misdiagnosed his death as emphysema.
She had taken out a $100,000 accidental death policy on his life a year before and she needed an accident for the policy to pay out.
So Nickell tampered with four other bottles of Excedrin and put them on store shelves.
Susan Snow died instantly after taking one of the tampered pills. When her death was reported on the news, Nickell called police to tell them she thought her husband had also been poisoned.
So far her plan was working out and she would probably have gotten away with it, however...
When police came to her house to collect the Excedrin bottle her husband had used, she told them she had two bottles, bought on two different days, from different stores. Both contained cyanide. This was highly unlikely.
Nickell's fate was sealed when her daughter came forward to tell them of her mother's plans to kill her father. The daughter gave evidence that her mother had spent time in the library researching cyanide. Nickell even had a library book out which she had never returned, it was called 'Human Poisoning'.
Nickell got 90 years, possible parole in 2018.
******
1794 Regarded as the founder of modern chemistry, Antoine Lavoisier, is executed by the revolutionary authorities in Paris.
1886 Coca-Cola is invented by John Pemberton in Atlanta.
1914 W.W. Hodkinson creates Paramount Pictures, a movie distribution company.
1945 V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) begins after Germany unconditionally surrenders to the Allied forces.
1967 Muhammad Ali is indicted after he refuses to go into the US Army on religious grounds.
1945: Rejoicing at end of war in Europe
The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, has officially announced the end of the war with Germany. In a message broadcast to the nation from the Cabinet room at Number 10, he said the ceasefire had been signed at 0241 yesterday at the American advance headquarters in Rheims.
Huge crowds, many dressed in red, white and blue, gathered outside Buckingham Palace in London and were cheered as the King, Queen and two Princesses came out onto the balcony.
Earlier tens of thousands of people had listened intently as the King's speech was relayed by loudspeaker to those who had gathered in Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square.
Winston Churchill made a broadcast to the nation, and in his wonderful and dramatic way told us that war was over
In it he paid tribute to the men and women who had laid down their lives for victory as well as to all those who had "fought valiantly" on land, sea and in the air.
The act of unconditional surrender is to be ratified in Berlin today - but in the interest of saving lives the ceasefire came into effect yesterday.
In his speech, Mr Churchill said: "We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing; but let us not forget for a moment the toil and efforts that lie ahead. Japan with all her treachery and greed, remains unsubdued.
"We must now devote all our strength and resources to the completion of our task, both at home and abroad. Advance Britannia."
Even after dark, floods of people continued to converge on some of London's great monuments, floodlit specially for the occasion. There were fireworks, too, and effigies of Hitler burned on bonfires around the capital.
Later Mr Churchill was greeted by cheering crowds as he made his way to Whitehall and appeared on the flag-bedecked balcony of the Ministry of Health.
"God bless you all," he said over the loudspeaker, which was greeted with further cheering and waving from the crowd and a round of "For he's a jolly good fellow".
Winston Churchill addresses the nation
In Context
The act of surrender was signed again in Berlin the following day before Marshal Georgi Zhukov, representing the Russian High Command.
Also present at the signing were Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, General Carl Spaatz of the United States Air Forces and General Jean-Marie de Lattre de Tassigny of the French First Army.
The Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, refused to accept the surrender signed in Rheims - probably because he suspected the motives of the Western Allies and Germany. He insisted the treaty was ratified in Berlin the following day, so Moscow celebrated VE Day one day later than the rest of Europe, on 9 May.
A victory parade was held in London on 10 August 1945 when once again huge crowds of cheering, flag-waving crowds took to the streets.
Following the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the deaths of tens of thousands of people, Japan surrendered on 14 August 1945. Victory in Japan Day was celebrated on 15 August. It is also marked on 2 September, the day Japan signed an unconditional ceasefire.
1968: Krays held on suspicion of murder
The Kray twins, Reginald and Ronnie aged 34, and their 41-year-old brother Charlie have been arrested after a series of dawn raids in London.
They are among 18 men currently being held at West End Central police station helping with inquiries relating to offences including conspiracy to murder, fraud, demanding money with menaces and assault.
More than 100 detectives raided homes and offices all over the capital in the largest operation of its kind carried out by Scotland Yard.
The Kray brothers were the first to be arrested when police forced their way into their mother's council flat at Braithwaite House, Finsbury.
They were in bed at the time of the police raid, were ordered to get dressed and were then taken in separate cars to the police station.
Former amateur boxers, they are now well known as businessmen and own a number of nightclubs in the East End, West End and Knightsbridge, mixing with various celebrities.
Detectives also made arrests in houses and hotels in other parts of London and the Home Counties.
The entire operation has been conducted under strict secrecy by Cdr John du Rose, operational head of London's CID, after 18 months of investigations.
They are expected to be charged tomorrow and to appear before Bow Street magistrates.
Potential witnesses have been promised protection in return for full statements that might help police.
The Kray gangsters were once amateur boxers in London's East End
In Context
Ronnie and Reggie Kray ran one of the capital's biggest crime rackets with their elder brother, Charlie.
In March 1969, after an epic trial at the Old Bailey, they were jailed for life for the murders of George Cornell and Jack 'The Hat' McVitie, both members of the London underworld.
A film about the Krays in 1990 fuelled a campaign to get them released.
But successive home secretaries refused to free them.
Ronnie died of a heart attack in prison in 1995.
Charlie Kray, was jailed for 10 years in 1969 for helping his brothers get rid of the body of McVitie, released in 1975 and imprisoned again in 1997 for masterminding a drugs plot. He died in April 2000.
Reggie was released on compassionate grounds a month before his death from cancer in October 2000.
1978: 'Son of Sam' pleads guilty to murders
The man alleged to have murdered six people in a killing spree last year has pleaded guilty to all the charges against him.
David Berkowitz became known as the 'Son of Sam' after taunting letters from him to police investigating the case were published in newspapers.
At a court in Brooklyn, New York, Berkowitz admitted all the killings which last year had residents of three New York boroughs living in fear.
The 24-year-old also admitted wounding seven people before he was arrested last August.
Berkowitz, who acquired his proficiency with guns through a three-year stint in the US army, said he had no motive other than "excitement" for carrying out the shootings.
He showed no emotion as he made the admissions which were against the advice of his lawyers.
They had wanted him to challenge a judge's ruling that he was mentally competent to enter a plea.
'The .44 Killer'
The first killing attributed to Son of Sam occurred in July 1976 when 18-year-old Donna Lauria was shot as she sat in a car with a friend in the Bronx district of New York.
However police did not realise there was a serial killer on the loose until another two people had been murdered and several more injured.
The link was not made until last March when it was found the gun used to kill Ms Lauria had also been used in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Virginia Voskerichian.
The press initially dubbed Berkowitz "the .44 Killer" after the calibre of gun he used.
However, the Son of Sam nickname was adopted after Berkowitz used the term to describe himself in an anonymous letter to police in April 1977.
He was eventually captured after being linked to the scene of the final killing through a parking ticket issued when he left his car parked illegally. Berkowitz quickly confessed and claimed he was ordered to kill by a neighbour's dog. He also admitted to being behind the unsolved stabbings of several women, all of whom survived.
Watch/Listen
Russia has complained about the commercialisation of the LA Games
In Context
With the exception of Romania, the entire Eastern bloc and Cuba joined the boycott - 14 countries in all.
Although a record 140 nations did turn up - including China which had not taken part since 1932 - the level of competition was somewhat lopsided with the absence of so many world-class athletes.
As a result the USA won a record 83 gold medals.
The Los Angeles Summer Games were highly commercialised - they were the first privately financed games ever and made a profit of $225m thanks to corporate sponsorship and extensive use of unpaid volunteers. Forty-three companies were licensed to sell "official" Olympic products.
Los Angeles launched a bid to host the Olympic Games for a record third time in 2012 but the US Olympic Committee chose New York as its candidate.
LA will however host the 2006 athletics world cup.
2000: Sneak preview of new Tate Modern
The Tate Modern art gallery in London has opened its doors to the world's media ahead of the official opening by the Queen on May 11.
The world's largest modern art gallery is housed in a conversion of the former power station on Bankside which cost £134m and took four years to reconstruct.
For the first time, people will be able to see most of the Tate's 20th Century art collection. Before only a fragment of it could be displayed
Lars Nittve, Tate Modern Director
The new museum will have enough space to display works long hidden from public view due to lack of space - international modern art from 1900 to the present day by the artists such as Dalí, Picasso, Matisse, Rothko and Warhol as well as contemporary work by Dorothy Cross, Gilbert & George and Susan Hiller.
The existing Tate Gallery further down the River Thames at Millbank has been renamed Tate Britain.
The BBC Arts correspondent, Rosie Millard, visited the gallery and described it as vast, with a cathedral-like quality which has earned it the nickname Cathedral of Cool.
Three giant towers loom up inside the former power station's 115ft-high turbine hall - retaining all the atmosphere of its industrial heritage.
From the former turbine hall visitors are swept up by escalator to some 84 galleries on three levels. The exhibits are illuminated by natural light from a translucent roof.
The Tate Modern is defying the traditional way of displaying art - it is not exhibited in chronological order or within the context of particular historical movements, but by themes such as landscapes or still life.
The aim, say the Tate Modern's curators, is to challenge people and make them look at art in a different way.
Director Lars Nittve believes all the effort has been worthwhile. "This gallery is unique in the world," he said. "For the first time, people will be able to see most of the Tate's 20th Century art collection. Before only a fragment of it could be displayed."
But art critic and broadcaster David Lee was not entirely impressed. "We need the Tate Modern and this is something we can build on, but I was a bit disappointed by the minimalism and austerity of it all."
__________________
I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
________________________________
1956: Mystery of missing frogman deepens
British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden has refused to reveal the details surrounding the disappearance of a naval diver during a goodwill visit by the Soviet leadership.
But he told a packed House of Commons "the appropriate disciplinary steps" were being taken - heightening speculation that Commander Lionel "Buster" Crabb was on a secret spying mission for which permission had not been granted.
Commander Crabb was reported missing, presumed dead, by the Admiralty on 29 April. The official statement said he had died following a test dive at Stokes Bay, near Portsmouth, on the Hampshire coast.
In fact, it is now known he was last seen on 19 April - the day after a Soviet cruiser carrying Soviet leaders Nikita Khruschev and Marshal Nikolai Bulganin arrived in Portsmouth harbour.
On 4 May the Soviet Government protested to the Foreign Office that a frogman had been seen in the vicinity of their ship, the Ordzhonikidze, during their stay.
Appropriate disciplinary steps are being taken
Sir Anthony Eden
In his statement Sir Anthony told MPs: "It would not be in the public interest to disclose the circumstances in which Commander Crabb is presumed to have met his death.
"While it is the practice for ministers to accept responsibility, I think it is necessary in the special circumstances of this case to make it clear that what was done was done without the authority or knowledge of Her Majesty's ministers. Appropriate disciplinary steps are being taken."
The prime minister refused to add another word to his statement, despite repeated attempts from Labour MPs to get him to do so. It seems clear that he was attempting to distance the British Government from Commander Crabb's activities so as not to upset the Russians.
At one point Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell warned the prime minister that his refusal to expand on his original statement would lead the public to the inevitable conclusion that Commander Crabb had indeed been on a spying mission.
The prime minister replied: "You are entitled to put any wording you like upon what I have said."
Commander Crabb was last seen leaving the Sally Port Hotel in Portsmouth on the morning of 19 April.
He had checked into the hotel two days before with another man, who signed himself Matthew Smith.
Both men apparently checked out of the hotel in the afternoon of Commander Crabb's disappearance.
Several pages of the hotel register were later found to be missing.
Commander Crabb entered the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in 1940 and became involved in mine and bomb disposal. He later won the George Medal for his work removing limpet mines from the bottoms of ships during the war.
By the time of his disappearance he had been released from the navy and his friends said he was short of money.
He is said to have told friends that he was "going down to take a dekko at the Russian bottoms" for which he would earn 60 guineas.
Anthony Eden said "not in the public interest" to reveal details of diver
In Context
It appears that Lionel Crabb was on a spying mission for MI6 - unbeknown to the prime minister. The statement by the Admiralty was an attempt to cover up the mission but when the Soviets claimed to have seen a frogman Sir Anthony Eden was forced to speak out. Sir John Alexander Sinclair, head of MI6 was subsequently forced to resign.
The headless body of a man in the remains of a diving suit was found in Chichester harbour in 1957. A coroner concluded that it was Crabb's body and it was buried with his silver-mounted swordstick.
Ten years later a human skull was found partly buried in sand at Chichester harbour. Although there were several teeth in the jaw they had no distinguishing marks which could link them to Crabb, but a pathologist claimed the skull was the same age as the torso.
Rumours about what really happened to Commander Crabb continued to circulate in the media. One theory was that he had been killed by a new anti-frogman device fitted experimentally to the Soviet cruiser Ordzhonikidze or a sniper on the deck.
Other reports claimed Commander Crabb was alive and well and living in the Soviet Union or East Germany or that he had been taken prisoner by the Russians.
The Cabinet papers concerning the Crabb affair will remain secret until 2057.
1972: Israeli commandos storm hijacked jet
Twelve Israeli soldiers disguised as maintenance staff have stormed a hijacked Sabena Boeing at Lod airport in Tel Aviv and released the 100 people on board.
Two of the Arab hijackers were shot dead and their two female companions were captured, although one of them was injured in the attack.
Six of the passengers were also wounded in the gun battle. The 90 passengers and 10 crew had been held hostage for 23 hours.
The end to their ordeal came when two vans, said to be carrying repair men, drove onto the runway and approached the plane.
Two of the men burst into the cockpit and said they were taking over the jet
Captain Reginald Levy
The men got out and pretended to begin work on the airliner but suddenly climbed onto the wings and opened the emergency doors.
The British pilot, Captain Reginald Levy, said: "Everyone of us is lucky to be alive. I have had some tough times but this was my toughest."
The airliner was hijacked after leaving Vienna, where it had made a stop on a flight from Brussels to Tel Aviv.
Capt Levy said: "Two of the men burst into the cockpit and said they were taking over the jet."
He was ordered to fly the plane to Lod, where the gunmen offered to free the passengers in exchange for 100 Arab prisoners held by the Israelis.
While the plane was sitting on the tarmac, the Israelis managed to let down the tyres and empty the fuel tanks to prevent it taking off again.
Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Dayan took charge of negotiations with the hijackers, initially offering to free the Arab prisoners in return for the release of the hostages.
Later Israeli officials said there was never any intention to release the prisoners. It was simply a delaying tactic.
The gunmen belonged to the Black September Organisation of Palestine guerrillas, a splinter group of the PLO.
One of the rescued passengers, Mor Weiss, from Brooklyn, told The Times: "The soldiers opened the four doors, two on either side at the same time. Immediately the Arabs started shooting wildly.
"The troops fired back and I saw the younger of the two male hijackers fall with a bullet through his forehead. Seconds later the other one was shot."
Mr Weiss said he had been picked on because he was wearing a skull cap. He was sent to the back of the plane and made to sit with a stick of dynamite between his feet.
Captain Levy, who comes from Slough, told a news conference, the drama had happened on his 50th birthday. His wife had accompanied him on the flight so they could have a celebratory birthday meal in Tel Aviv.
Israeli commandos posing as maintenance staff burst into the plane
In Context
The two women hijackers were jailed for life in August 1972. They were found guilty after boarding the Sabena aircraft with explosives packed into the lining of corsets they were wearing and also carrying a pistol and grenade concealed in cans of talcum powder.
They were jailed for life - although one of the three judges voted for the death penalty.
On 29 May 1972 three Japanese gunmen opened fire on crowds at Lod International Airport in Tel Aviv, killing 26 people and injuring dozens more.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said they had recruited the gunmen from the Japanese Red Army. Two died in the attack, the third, Kozo Okamoto, was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Lod, or Lydda airport, has since been renamed Ben Gurion Airport and has some of the strictest airport security in the world.
1979: El Salvador cathedral bloodbath
At least 18 demonstrators have been killed and many wounded after police opened fire on anti-government protesters outside the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador, capital of El Salvador.
The protest in the Central American country was organised by the left-wing group known as the Popular Revolutionary Bloc.
People started screaming and running to the church but many were hit before they could get there
Ken Hawkins, eyewitness
Witnesses said the steps of the cathedral were littered with bodies. Freelance photographer Ken Hawkins told the Los Angeles Times there had been no warning from government forces before the shooting started.
"There was a continual burst of very heavy fire for about two and a half to three minutes," he said. "People started screaming and running to the church but many were hit before they could get there."
The left-wing group is currently holding a number of hostages at French and Costa Rican embassies in the city. The Costa Rican ambassador, Julio Esquivel, was released yesterday but France's ambassador, Michel Dondenne, and seven others are still held hostage.
It is demanding the release of five of its leaders but the military government, under Gen Humberto Romero, claims it is holding only two.
Fifty years of violence
Violent clashes between police and protesters are an all-too-familiar sight in El Salvador.
Trouble peaked some 50 years ago when a peasant revolt, in protest of the abject poverty many were forced to live in, led to the killing of 30,000 people and came to be known as La Matanza (the Slaughter).
Two years ago, Gen Romero came to power in what was widely regarded as a rigged election. Anti-government demonstrators gathered in the capital's main square and were fired on by government troops who killed about 50 people. Since then, left-wing groups such as the People's Revolutionary Army have carried out murders and bombings killing dozens of policemen.
Watch/Listen
Altogether 24 people were killed in the cathedral shootings.
Later that year, Gen Romero was ousted in an army-led coup.
During the 1980s, El Salvador was ravaged by a bitter civil war between right-wing government "death squads" and leading left-wing group FMLN.
The war left around 70,000 people dead but it also precipitated important political reforms.
In 1992 a United Nations-brokered peace agreement ended the civil war, but no sooner had El Salvador begun to recover than it was hit by a series of natural disasters.
The most notable of these was Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and a number of earthquakes in 2001. These left at least 1,200 people dead and more than a million others homeless.
1988: Syria threatens force in Beirut
Syria has hinted for the first time it may send in troops to halt the bloodshed in the slums of southern Beirut.
At least 150 people have been killed in the fighting in the past four days. More than 400 people - many of them civilians - are being treated in hospital.
The fighting between the Syrian-backed Amal militia and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah is for control of the southern suburbs, where it is believed the Western hostages including Terry Waite are being held.
Thousands of residents have fled the area to escape the violence. Many have sought refuge with relatives or friends living in safer parts of the city.
Heavy casualties
Syria's chief of military intelligence Brigadier Ghazi Kanaan has held talks with Lebanon's Prime Minister Selim al-Hoss.
Afterwards he said: "We have told the combatants 'you will force us to solve the problem if you do not agree to an end'".
Asked if Syria would deploy troops in the southern suburbs in support of the Amal fighters, Brigadier Kanaan replied: "We hope it will not come to this, but I will not allow the situation to continue as it is."
Syrian intervention could lead to even more heavy casualties. An offensive against Sunni Muslim fundamentalists in the northern city of Tripoli in 1985 left at least 300 people dead and thousands wounded.
It is unclear which rebel group currently holds the upper hand in the fighting. Amal defeated Hezbollah in fierce battles in the south of the country last month. Several truces have already collapsed as Hezbollah has refused to give up its captured positions.
1999: Chinese anger at embassy bombing
Major cities in China have seen their biggest and angriest demonstrations for years in response to the destruction by Nato bombs of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade with the loss of four lives.
Hundreds of students chanting anti-American and anti-Nato slogans marched in Shanghai, Chengdu, Guanghzou.
In Beijing about 100,000 people invaded the embassy district, massing on streets littered with rocks and broken bottles from earlier protests.
Buses packed with students headed out of campuses across the city. Correspondents said the authorities appeared to be deliberately encouraging the action.
The residence of the US Consul General in the south-western city of Chengdu was stormed and partially burned.
Nato said its pilots hit the embassy in the early hours of 8 May with precision-guided bombs by accident - they had mistaken the embassy for a legitimate military target.
Condemnation
The Chinese press has carried front-page pictures of the victims of the embassy bombing.
At an emergency session of the UN Security Council, the Chinese ambassador accused Nato of carrying out a war crime.
The Russian President, Boris Yeltsin, condemned the bombing as a violation of international law and called for an immediate end to the air strikes on Serbia.
Serbian state television reported that Yugoslavia's President Slobodan Milosevic has conveyed his deepest sympathy to China over the deaths.
President Clinton has offered deep regrets to the people of China, but said the bombing was an accident, not a barbaric act.
He echoed the words of the Nato Secretary-General, Javier Solana, in saying that the incident would not deter the alliance from continuing its air campaign.
As Nato countries try to contain the damage from the embassy bombing, Russia's special Balkans envoy, Viktor Chernomyrdin, said that the conflict itself must be resolved by political means as quickly as possible.
He was speaking after talks in Bonn with the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, about the G8 countries' outline peace plan for Kosovo. Both the chancellor and Mr Chernomyrdin later held separate talks with the Kosovo Albanian leader, Ibrahim Rugova.
In Context
In 1998 the Kosovo Liberation Army - supported by the majority ethnic Albanians - came out in open rebellion against Serbian rule over Kosovo.
International pressure grew on Serbia's President Slobodan Milosevic to stop the escalating violence against ethnic Albanians, and Nato launched air strikes against Yugoslavia in March 1999.
Within days, tens of thousands of Kosovo Albanian refugees poured out of Kosovo with accounts of killings and atrocities at the hands of Serb forces.
Eleven weeks later on 10 June 1999, Nato stopped the bombing after Belgrade agreed to a full military withdrawal from Kosovo.
Nato troops were deployed in Kosovo under Operation Joint Guardian to oversee the departure of Serb forces and maintain law and order.
Milosevic was ousted from power in September 2000 and arrested for corruption in April 2001. In February 2002 he stood trial in the Hague for war crimes but died in his cell in March 2006.
The US and China broke off diplomatic contact for about four months until discussion on China's entry into the World Trade Organisation - which finally happened in September 2001 - softened relations between the two nations.
1955: West Germany accepted into Nato
West Germany has formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation at a special ceremony in Paris.
The German delegates to NATO were greeted by British Foreign Secretary Harold Macmillan at the Conference Hall of the Palais de Chaillot.
Ministers from 14 member countries made a short speech welcoming West Germany into the alliance, saying they believed Germany's inclusion would strengthen peace in Europe.
A decisive turning point in the history of our continent
Halward Lange, Norway's Foreign Minister
Norway's Foreign Minister, Halward Lange, who spent two years in Ravensbruck concentration camp, called the entry of Germany into Nato "a decisive turning point in the history of our continent".
Some ministers also paid tribute to Dr Konrad Adenauer, German Chancellor since 1946.
In response, Dr Adenauer said in German: "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the words of welcome you have addressed to the federal government and to the German nation.
"All your words reflected the importance of the hour and the event. You will realise that this moment fills me with deep emotion. The German people have paid harshly for the horrors which were committed in their name by evil leadership and have paid these horrors with unlimited suffering.
"Today, everywhere in Germany, peace and freedom are felt to be the greatest treasures as was true in the best periods of her history."
German flag over Nato HQ
This morning, the red, yellow and black German flag was raised at a military ceremony at Nato headquarters in Rocquencourt, France.
A British band played the German national anthem - better known as "Deutschland ueber Alles". A French band had refused to play the music because of its Nazi connotations.
Professor Hans Speidel, former general of the Third Reich and ex chief-of-staff to Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, witnessed the ceremony alongside United States General Alfred Gruenther and Major General Rene Lehr of France.
Herr Speidel was implicated in a plot to kill Adolf Hitler and spent the end of the war in a German prison.
Formal ceremonies over, the Nato members will now discuss the agenda of a proposed conference with the Soviet Union on the future of Germany and disarmament.
In Context
West Germany was reunified with East Germany on 3 October 1990.
The USSR saw the inclusion into Nato of West Germany in 1955 as a direct threat and in the same year it created a counter-alliance called the Warsaw Pact.
This dissolved after the break-up of the USSR in 1991 and Nato had to re-evaluate its role as a military alliance defending Western Europe against perceived Soviet aggression.
Nato formed closer links with former eastern bloc countries by setting up a North Atlantic Cooperation Council in 1991 and the Partnership for Peace programme in 1994.
The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland became the first former Warsaw Pact countries to gain Nato membership in 1999. Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia are expected to join in 2004.
Nato's first aggressive action against a sovereign state took place in 1999, when it bombed targets in Yugoslavia in an attempt to halt that country's policy of "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo. This was strongly opposed by Russia.
But the Kremlin's supportive response to the 11 September 2001 attacks on targets in the USA led to the formation in May 2002 of the Nato-Russia Council.
This means Russia and Nato countries will have an equal role in decision-making on policy to counter terrorism and other security threats.
__________________
I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
________________________________
BBC announces the German invasion of Holland and Belgium
In his broadcast tonight Mr Chamberlain said: "Hitler has chosen a moment when, perhaps, it seemed to him that this country was entangled in the throes of a political crisis and he might find it divided against itself.
"If he has counted upon our internal divisions to help him he has miscalculated the mind of this people."
The first news of the German invasion reached London at dawn. Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax received the Belgian Ambassador and Dutch Prime Minister at 0630 when they formally asked for Allied help.
The invasion had been expected for some time. In a proclamation issued to the German armies in the West, Hitler said: "The hour has come for the decisive battle for the future of the German nation."
Reports from Holland said German troops crossed the border during the night. The Dutch destroyed bridges over the Maas and Ijssel to prevent the German advance.
There were reports of fierce fighting at Rotterdam where German troops were landed by flying-boat. Other planes landed at Waalhaven aerodrome and troops quickly seized control.
This evening German forces are occupying the Maas and Bourse railway stations in Rotterdam. There are conflicting reports about whether they are still in possession of Waalhaven airport.
German reconnaissance planes have been seen flying overhead all day.
British and French troops have moved across the Belgian frontier in response to appeals for reinforcements.
Reports from Belgium say British troops have been enthusiastically received. Their guns have been festooned with flowers and the soldiers plied with refreshments.
In Washington President Franklin Roosevelt was asked at a news conference whether he thought Germany's invasion of the Low Countries would lead to US involvement in the war. He replied that it would not.
In Context
Neville Chamberlain was forced to resign after the disastrous British campaign in Norway. Attempts to repel the Germans culminated in the loss of about 4,000 British troops and ultimately German occupation of the country.
Also, Labour leader Clement Attlee made clear his party would not work with a coalition government under Chamberlain. Lord Halifax was offered the position of prime minister but turned it down and Winston Churchill was chosen as leader.
Mr Chamberlain served briefly in Mr Churchill's war cabinet as Lord President of the Council until he retired through illness in October 1940. He died of cancer the following month.
The German invasion of the Low Countries had been expected. Against 144 Allied divisions, the Germans mustered 141. The German air force had 4,020 operational aircraft, the Allies a little over 3,000. The gap in tank strength favoured the Allies: 3,383 against 2,335.
Yet in six weeks, and at a cost of only 30,000 dead, German forces had conquered the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and on 21 June forced the capitulation of France.
France remained under German occupation until August 1944. Belgium was liberated in September 1944 and Luxembourg in February 1945. Some of the southern Netherlands was liberated in autumn 1944, but most of the country remained under German occupation until the end of the war.
1998: Sinn Fein backs peace deal
Members of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the republican IRA, have voted to accept the Good Friday peace agreement effectively acknowledging the north-south border.
It marks a major shift in modern republicanism - up until now, Sinn Fein had regarded participation in a Northern Ireland body as a tacit acceptance of partition.
I recognise how significant this decision is for republicans
Mo Mowlam, Northern Ireland Secretary
The agreement came at the party's annual conference, which included about 30 IRA prisoners granted special leave to vote.
The British and Irish governments welcomed the decision to formally approve the peace agreement signed at Stormont in April to create the Northern Ireland Assembly and new cross-border institutions.
The Irish Prime Minister, Bertie Ahern, said he now looked forward to an overwhelming 'yes' vote in referendums on the deal later this month.
The British government praised the Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adams, saying the decision marked a final realisation that violence did not pay.
The Northern Ireland Secretary, Mo Mowlam, expressed her delight at the outcome.
"I recognise how significant this decision is for republicans and pay tribute to the leadership of Gerry Adams in bringing his party to support the agreement, north and south of the border," she said.
In what she described as an "exceptional decision", the IRA's commanding officer in the Maze Prison Patrick Wilson was among the 30 republican inmates freed for the conference in an effort to bring about a "Yes" vote.
Sinn Fein also voted to amend its constitution to allow members to sit in a new Northern Ireland Assembly after Mr Adams told his members they had a real chance to influence the strategy of the party and the way towards a united Ireland.
Martin McGuinness, one of Sinn Fein's UK MPs, told the BBC he was optimistic about achieving a "Yes" vote in the referendum due to be held on 22 May.
"I think there are concerns naturally among a small section of the Sinn Fein membership, but I have to say I think the mood all over the island is that moving into the assembly to further our republican objectives towards our ultimate goal of a united Ireland is at this moment in time the sensible thing to do," he said.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams persuaded members to vote for a cross-border body
In Context
On 22 May 1998, 71% of voters from Northern Ireland and 94% of those in the Irish Republic showed their support for the Good Friday peace agreement.
Throughout the first three years of the agreement's implementation, unionists accused republicans of failing to live up to the spirit of the agreement's requirement for the decommissioning of arms.
On the other hand, Sinn Fein accused the British government of failing to demilitarise quickly enough.
It added that it could not force anyone to give up arms and that the agreement only stated that the parties should use all their power to influence the process.
Disagreement over decommissioning and policing led to the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly twice in 18 months - in February-May 2000 and in August 2001.
The issue of decommissioning remained the major stumbling block in talks between all parties seeking to restore devolution after the Northern Ireland Assembly was suspended in October 2002.
Direct rule only ended in May 2007 when devolution returned to Northern Ireland with DUP leader Ian Paisley as first minister.
1978: Italy mourns murdered statesman
The murdered Italian politician Aldo Moro has been buried after a private funeral service and the Interior Minister, Francesco Cossiga, has resigned.
Italians stopped work to pay tribute to Mr Moro, leader of the ruling Christian Democrat Party who was twice prime minister and considered the chief candidate for president.
A stain of blood that dishonours our country
Pope Paul VI on the murder of Aldo Moro
He was also the architect of a plan to include the Communists in government for the first time in Italy's history - a plan which came into being the day after he was captured 55 days ago.
Mr Moro was kidnapped on 16 March after left-wing Red Brigade gunmen ambushed his car killing his chauffeur and five policemen.
For eight weeks, they held him at a secret location in Rome allowing him to send letters to his family and fellow politicians begging the government to negotiate with his captors.
They demanded the release of 13 Red Brigade members. It is reported that in the last few days the kidnappers told Mr Moro's family they would release him if just one of their gang were released.
The government, under President Giulio Andreotti, resolutely refused all pleas from family, friends, even the Pope himself to concede to any demands.
Eight weeks after he was taken, his body was found riddled with bullets in the boot of a red Renault 5 parked strategically between the headquarters of the ruling Christian Democrat Party and Communist Party HQ in central Rome.
When news of his death broke out, crowds gathered round the car and police had to force their way through to let Mr Cossiga identify the body.
In a public statement, Mr Cossiga then said he was responsible for the decision not to negotiate with the kidnappers and was now stepping down from his post.
About 100,000 people crammed into the St John Lateran square in Rome to protest against the killing holding up banners that read "Murderers" and black-bordered photos of Mr Moro.
The crowd chanted "Moro lives" and union leaders made emotional speeches calling for a united front against terrorism.
Pope Paul VI, a personal friend of Mr Moro who had pleaded with the government to negotiate with the Red Brigade, said the murder was "a stain of blood that dishonours our country". The pontiff was addressing Italy's parliament which today voted in tough new anti-terrorist legislation aimed at the Red Brigade.
Aldo Moro was kidnapped in March and then murdered by the Red Brigade
In Context
The Red Brigade was a left-wing terrorist group formed in 1970 with the sole aim of overthrowing capitalist Italy by violent means. Most of their leading members had been captured and imprisoned by the mid-1980s.
The daring kidnap and murder of such a well-known and respected statesman such as Aldo Moro left the nation in a state of numbed shock. There were some who said police incompetence in finding him and government intransigence were all part of a grand conspiracy.
Francesco Cossiga was not long out of power. The following year he became prime minister and was Italy's president from 1985 to 1992.
1967: Two Rolling Stones on drugs charges
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of rock band the Rolling Stones have appeared before magistrates in Chichester, West Sussex, charged with drug offences.
The magistrates heard that after a tip-off, police raided Mr Richards's mansion in Redlands Road, West Wittering on the evening of Sunday 12 February during a party.
They searched the house, interviewed eight men and one woman and found various tablets and substances that were later examined by the Metropolitan Police Laboratory.
During the police raid, officers took away a number of items including Chinese joss sticks suspected of masking the sweet smell of cannabis resin and pudding basins holding cigarette ash.
Stones' lead singer Mr Jagger, 24, has been accused of illegally possessing four tablets containing amphetamine sulphate and methylamphetamine hydrochloride.
Guitarist Mr Richards, also 24, is charged with allowing his house to be used for the purpose of smoking cannabis.
Both Mr Jagger and Mr Richards pleaded not guilty and were released on bail to appear for trial at West Sussex Quarter Sessions on 22 June.
Outside the court, a crowd of young fans were waiting to see the stars but the two men were driven away in a chauffeur-driven car from the back of the building.
A third man, 29-year-old Robert Fraser, a gallery owner has been charged with possession of heroin and eight capsules of methylamphetamine hydrochloride.
Mick Jagger (left) and Keith Richards pleaded not guilty to all charges
In Context
During the widely publicised trial, the prosecution said the only woman at the house - singer Marianne Faithful and Jagger's girlfriend - was dressed in nothing but a fur rug that she let slip occasionally. They claimed her lack of inhibition was a sign that she was under the influence of cannabis.
On 29 June, the judge sentenced Jagger to three months for possession of amphetamines and Richards to one year in jail for allowing cannabis to be smoked in his home.
But in August the sentences - considered very harsh for first offences - were quashed on appeal.
The Stones continued to dabble in drugs and break the law as befitted their wild image. Richards at one point became a heroin addict. But by the turn of the century the band had become an institution as the longest-running rock group in history.
Mick Jagger was awarded a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in June 2002.
__________________
I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
________________________________
1985: Fans killed in Bradford stadium fire
At least 52 people are known to have died and many are missing after fire engulfed the Bradford City football stadium.
Hundreds of people are in hospital suffering from burns. Most of the dead are children or elderly people crushed in the rush to escape the inferno.
Only one of the victims has been identified so far. He was former club chairman Samuel Firth, aged 86, who died in hospital from burns.
I've never seen anything like it. The smoke was choking. You could hardly breathe
Geoffrey Mitchell, survivor
The tragedy has sent shockwaves around the world. The Queen, the Pope, the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and church leaders have sent messages of condolence to a city in mourning.
The match began in an atmosphere of celebration as Bradford City, who had just been promoted to the second division, were about to play Lincoln City watched by more than 11,000 fans.
Just before kick-off Bradford City captain Peter Jackson was presented with the Third Division Championship trophy.
Five minutes before half time at 3.40pm a small fire was noticed three rows from the back of G block in the Valley Parade ground and fire-fighting equipment was requested.
Within minutes flames were visible and police started to evacuate people in the stand.
But the blaze spread very rapidly - within four minutes the whole of the roof and the wooden stands below were on fire and police struggled to save those who were too stunned or weak to escape.
One survivor spoke of the horror that he witnessed. "It spread like a flash," said 46-year-old Bradford City fan Geoffrey Mitchell. "I've never seen anything like it. The smoke was choking. You could hardly breathe.
"There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. Otherwise I would not have been able to get out."
There is still no clue as to the cause of the fire.
1998: India explodes nuclear controversy
The Indian government has announced it has carried out a series of underground nuclear tests.
It is the first time India has carried out such tests since 1974.
The experiments took place without any warning to the international community, and there has been widespread outrage and concern over the move.
The test site, in Pokhran in the northern desert state of Rajasthan, is only about 150km (93 miles) from the border with Pakistan.
The two countries have fought three wars since independence with Britain in 1947, mainly over the disputed territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and there are fears the tests could escalate the conflict and spark a regional nuclear arms race.
'Contained explosions'
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee broke the news to journalists in a hastily-convened news conference.
"These were contained explosions like the experiment conducted in May 1974," he said.
"I warmly congratulate the scientists and engineers who have carried out these successful tests."
He said the devices tested were a fission device, a low-yield device and a thermonuclear device. He said there had been no release of radioactivity into the atmosphere.
There was immediate condemnation of the tests from Pakistan.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, said his country had been trying to draw the world's attention to India's nuclear programme.
"As a sovereign and independent nation," he said, "Pakistan will make its own decision on the steps to be taken towards its sovereignty and defence."
Arms race threat
There was already strong diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to show restraint and avoid retaliating - the only hope of avoiding a damaging arms race.
Last month Pakistan tested its own long-range nuclear missile, the Hatf-5, which has a range of up to 1,500km (932 miles).
The tests are said to have contributed to India's decision to launch its own nuclear tests today.
India is known to have developed a short-range nuclear missile, the Prithvi, with a range of 150km (93 miles) but it is working on a much longer range system, the Agni, which could reach targets up to 2,500km (1553 miles) away. India, Pakistan and Israel are the three nations widely suspected of nuclear capability which have not joined the 1970 nuclear non-proliferation treaty, now observed by 185 countries.
In Context
Two days later, India carried out two further nuclear tests and announced it had finished its testing programme.
Pakistan retaliated on 28 May with its own nuclear tests, confirming fears of an arms race in the region.
India's decision to carry out the tests brought a storm of international condemnation.
It also badly damaged its relationship with the United States, which imposed economic sanctions, as did several other countries.
In February 1999, the tension eased when India and Pakistan signed the Lahore accord, pledging to "resolve all issues", including that of Jammu and Kashmir.
The truce was short-lived, and hostilities over Kashmir broke out again within three months.
In October 1999, General Pervez Musharraf seized control of Pakistan in a military coup.
The change of government did not signal any improvement in relations with India, and in 2002 the two neighbours again came close to all-out war.
India and Pakistan began talking again in April 2003, and their relationship has continued to improve ever since.
1963: Moscow jails British 'spy'
A British businessman accused of spying for the West has been sentenced to eight years' detention by a Moscow tribunal.
The President of the Court declared Greville Wynne, aged 44, would serve three years in prison and five in a labour camp. Spectators in the crowded courtroom applauded and some shouted: "Not enough, not enough."
His co-accused, 43-year-old Soviet scientific official Oleg Penkovsky, was given the death sentence. There were loud cheers when his sentence was read out.
He has also been stripped of his rank of colonel and all his medals.
Arrested in Budapest
Wynne's sentence began last November when he was arrested in Budapest, Hungary, and handed over to the Soviet authorities.
During the four-day trial, the court heard both men had spied for British and American intelligence. Most of the evidence based on confessions given by the two men.
Both men pleaded guilty - Wynne "with certain reservations".
The prosecution said Wynne had acted as a go-between passing on "information about Soviet rockets" provided for him by Penkovsky during secret meetings in London, Paris and Moscow.
After sentencing, the court also named British and American officials in Moscow who were said to have helped Wynne in his espionage activities.
British sources continue to deny Wynne was involved in spying.
After the trial, Wynne embraced his wife Sheila in a side room before being driven to the Lubyanka Prison where he has spent the last six months.
It is not known where he will spend the rest of his sentence. Mrs Wynne later told reporters her husband had joked he was not expecting "a Butlin's holiday camp".
Nikolai Borovik, Wynne's Soviet lawyer, said the businessman would appeal. There are also hopes that he may be exchanged for Soviet spy Gordon Lonsdale, currently serving 25 years in a British prison.
Greville Wynne was sentenced after a four-day trial in Moscow
In Context
Two days later, the Russians expelled British diplomat Gervase Cowell - one of the Britons named in the trial as supporting Wynne in his spying efforts.
Oleg Penkovsky was executed by firing squad one week after the trial.
The Wynne-Penkovsky case came at the height of the Cold War when relations between the superpowers were particularly strained.
The Soviet authorities rejected appeals by Greville Wynne's lawyer but 17 months into his sentence, they agreed to exchange Wynne for Soviet spy Gordon Lonsdale, serving 25 years in the UK.
On his release, Wynne was in a poor state of health. He had lost a lot of weight and doctors said his time in prison had left him "emotionally and mentally exhausted". He spent 12 days in hospital before returning to his Chelsea home to be with his wife and son.
He died in 1990.
1956: Gold Coast to get independence
The Gold Coast is to become the first black African nation to be granted independence from Britain.
In a statement to the House of Commons, Colonial Secretary Alan Lennox-Boyd said the Gold Coast will be allowed to govern itself within the Commonwealth provided a general election is held in the country.
If an election will be the only solution to the present situation then [Kwame Nkrumah] will go to the country as soon as possible
Gold Coast Finance Minister
The new West African state will incorporate the Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories and Togoland, which recently voted to integrate with the Gold Coast.
He set the target date for independence at 6 March, 1957.
The fledgling state will be named Ghana after an ancient West African kingdom which flourished from 300AD to 1100AD.
Ghana will be the first black African nation to become independent from Britain, but there are fears of internal fighting between various tribes in the region over a new constitution. For this reason, the minister is insisting on elections for a new legislature that will then be asked to approve self-governance.
The finance minister of the Gold Coast, Mr Gbedemah, welcomed Mr Lennox-Boyd's announcement today and in an interview with the BBC made assurances that elections would be held soon.
"I know enough to be able to say that the prime minister [Kwame Nkrumah] has been planning that if an election will be the only solution to the present situation then he will go to the country as soon as possible," he said.
The Gold Coast has been a British colony since 1901. After World War I part of the German colony of Togoland was mandated to the British, who linked it administratively with the Gold Coast colony.
In the Gold Coast, nationalist activity intensified after World War II. Kwame Nkrumah of the Convention People's Party (CPP) emerged as the leading nationalist figure.
In 1951, Britain granted a new constitution, which had been drawn up by Africans, and general elections were held. The CPP won and Mr Nkrumah became prime minister.
Kwame Nkrumah emerged as a leading nationalist figure after World War II
In Context
Like its neighbours, Ghana's post-independence history has been one of political and economic decline. Despite being rich in mineral resources, and endowed with a good education system and efficient civil service, Ghana fell victim to corruption and mismanagement soon after independence in 1957.
In 1966, its first president and pan-African hero, Kwame Nkrumah, was deposed in a coup. In 1981, Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings staged a second coup. The country began to move towards economic stability and democracy.
In April 1992 a constitution allowing for a multiparty system was approved in a referendum, ushering in a period of democracy.
In 1994-95 land disputes in the north erupted into ethnic violence resulting in the deaths of 1,000 people and the displacement of a further 150,000.
Since 1957 independence has been granted to almost all Britain's former colonies, and most have chosen to remain within the Commonwealth.
1971: Britain's oldest tabloid closes
The Daily Sketch newspaper which was founded in 1909 has been published for the last time.
Enclosed in today's souvenir issue was a copy of its sister paper the Daily Mail to which owners Harmsworth Publications hope former Sketch readers will now switch.
However, production of the last copies of the Sketch was held up by an industrial dispute over manning of the printing presses.
At its peak the Daily Sketch achieved a circulation of 1.3 million copies a day but in recent years readership of the paper has been in decline.
The Sketch's fate was sealed two months ago when Harmsworth Publications announced plans to shut down the paper, although the exact date was a closely-guarded secret until recently.
The closure has resulted in more than 800 people being made redundant - they are among 1,700 being laid off by Associated Newspapers, Harmsworth's parent company.
But the former editor of the Sketch, David English, remains with the company. He was appointed editor of the Daily Mail after the Sketch's closure was announced.
Associated Newspapers is now pinning its hopes on the revamped Daily Mail capturing the Sketch's market.
Earlier this month the Mail was transformed from a broadsheet into a tabloid and has taken on many of the Sketch's features such as the Peanuts cartoon strip.
The new Mail's success is even more crucial for Harmworth's survival given that it also publishes the loss-making Evening News.
The Mail's main competitor for the Sketch's readers is widely regarded to be the Daily Express.
The Express' new editor, Ian McColl, is expected to take the paper further to the right and thus encroach on ground traditionally occupied by the Mail. The latest developments are another twist in the on-going battle of the tabloids which began when Rupert Murdoch took over the Sun two years ago.
Many of the paper's journalists face redundancy
In Context
Under David English the new Daily Mail soared in popularity especially among the middle classes.
In 1992 after 20 years at the Mail, David English became editor-in-chief and chairman of Associated Newspapers.
He died in 1998.
Rivalry in the tabloid market intensified in 1984 when Robert Maxwell took over the Mirror Group.
In February 1987 he launched the London Daily News - in direct competition with Associated Newspaper's Evening Standard.
However, after fierce resistance from Associated Newspapers the London Daily News closed in July 1987 with losses in the region of £50m.
In 1986 a new tabloid entered the market when Eddy Shah launched Today - the first national newspaper to be printed in colour.
But in 1995 Today became the first national paper to close since the Daily Sketch.
__________________
I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
________________________________
1981: Second IRA protester dies in jail
A second IRA hunger striker, 25-year-old Francis Hughes, has starved to death in the Maze Prison near Lisburn in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
His death comes a week after the death of Bobby Sands on 5 May, the first to die in a republican campaign for political status to be granted to IRA prisoners.
His blood is on Margaret Thatcher's hands
Francis Hughes' brother Oliver
Hughes began refusing food and medical attention a week after Sands began his hunger strike on 1 March. He lapsed into unconsciousness and died at 1743BST today.
As news of his death spread in Catholic areas of Belfast and Londonderry, women clanged dustbin lids and young men stoned army vehicles, threw petrol bombs and hijacked lorries.
Hughes's brother, Oliver, blamed the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, for his death. Speaking from his hometown of Bellaghy he said: "Margaret Thatcher and the British Government have murdered my brother and his blood is on Margaret Thatcher's hands."
The condition of two other hunger strikers at the Maze, Raymond McCreesh and Patrick O'Hara, continues to deteriorate.
Their five demands include: the right to wear their own clothes, refrain from prison work, associate freely with other republican prisoners, to have visits and parcels once a week and the right to have lost remission on sentences restored.
'Absolute fanatic'
Security forces have said Hughes was "an absolute fanatic whose name stood for murder and nothing else".
A spokesman went on to describe him as "as vicious a man as you could meet, a ruthless killer who thrived on what he was doing".
His republican colleagues hailed him as "fearless and active".
Four years ago, Hughes became a wanted man after the home of a policeman was blown up in County Tyrone.
No-one was hurt but Hughes' fingerprints were found on adhesive tape used on the bomb.
In March 1978 he was finally caught after a gun battle at Bellaghy and eventually sentenced to a total of 83 years in prison for his six-year-long career as an IRA gunman and bomber.
The government is refusing to grant any of the hunger strikers' demands. Mrs Thatcher says they are a cover for gaining political status, a special category denied paramilitaries in the Maze since 1976.
In Context
The Maze Prison was initially run along the lines of a prisoner-of-war camp, segregated according to paramilitary allegiance with military-style command structures.
In March 1976 the British Government ended special category status - which had accorded the prisoners political recognition - and started to treat paramilitary offenders as ordinary criminals.
The jail became the focus of intense international scrutiny between 1976 and 1981 when Republican inmates fought for political status, initially through the "blanket" and "dirty" protests.
Their campaign culminated in two hunger strikes.
During the second in 1981, 10 Republicans, led by Bobby Sands, starved themselves to death and 64 civilians, police and soldiers died in violence directly attributable to the hunger strikes.
Three days after the hunger strikes came to an end on 3 October, Northern Ireland Secretary James Prior negotiated a package of concessions for the Maze prisoners - much to the fury of the loyalist community.
He met two of the prisoners' demands - the right to wear their own clothes and the restoration of 50% of lost remission for those who obeyed prison rules for three months.
2000: Ford quits Dagenham after 70 years
Ford has confirmed that car production at its Dagenham plant in Essex is to end after more than 70 years.
In total, it will mean the loss of around 3,000 jobs with car assembly at the plant ceasing within two years.
Ford unions reacted angrily to the news. They say the real number of redundancies is closer to 5,000 because Ford's numbers do not include job losses among caterers, cleaners and suppliers.
I'm sickened
Dagenham worker
Two years ago Ford had promised to give Dagenham the contract for the new Ford Fiesta. That now goes to Germany and Spain.
"We're extremely angry. There is no justification for the 3,000 job losses and the closure of this assembly plant," said Tony Woodley of the Transport Workers' Union.
"My view is simply this. To be in the car manufacturing industry, quite simply, you've got to make cars."
Outside the factory, union members made their feelings plain. "I'm sickened to tell you the truth," said one Dagenham worker. "I've been working here 23 years. I'm not old enough to take a pension or leave. I'm just sickened."
Ford's European operations have been struggling recently, hit by falling car sales and intense competition.
The company has the capacity to produce 2.25m cars in its European factories, but sold only 1.65m during the past year.
The decisive factor in moving production from Dagenham to its German factory in Cologne was that facilities there were more flexible, with a second assembly line, enabling Ford to switch to other models quickly.
The company tried to soften the blow by saying the losses would be offset by investment in diesel manufacturing at the plant. Nick Scheele, chairman of Ford Europe, said Dagenham would become Ford's "global centre" for the production of diesel engines, creating 500 jobs over four years.
Watch/Listen
1971: Row rocks Rolling Stone wedding
The Rolling Stones singer, Mick Jagger, has married his fiancée Bianca Perez Morena de Macias at the town hall in the French Mediterranean town of St Tropez.
The civil ceremony was held up for almost an hour-and-a-half, after bitter arguments between Mr Jagger's spokesman and the police over the number of reporters and photographers in the wedding chamber.
A pool of four photographers had been invited to the town hall, but as the time of the ceremony approached about 100 cameramen and other journalists packed the chamber.
At first, Mr Jagger refused to come to the town hall - the message which was delivered by his spokesman said he did not wish to get married in a "goldfish bowl".
But the police insisted the media had the right to stay - and they, in turn, threatened to cancel the wedding unless the couple put in an appearance.
Mick Jagger and his Nicaraguan-born wife-to-be eventually arrived at 1700. Police and journalists exchanged blows in the frenzy.
Hippies turned up on foot and bicycles, mingling with members of the international jet set, who arrived in Rolls Royces for the wedding.
After the brief civil service, the couple left for the St Anne chapel for a religious ceremony.
Students gave the wedding party a noisy reception at the chapel. During the simple service, Father Lucien Baud recalled the groom had been born on St Anne's day, which is why he had chosen to be married in her chapel.
Bach's wedding march was played as the couple exchanged rings. A medley of themes from the film Love Story was also played at the request of the bride.
The couple left by a side door in an attempt to dodge the journalists who had followed them to the chapel.
The reception in the Café des Arts was attended by 200 guests - 70 of whom had been flown from London on a chartered Comet paid for by the groom.
The party went on into the early hours of the morning when the newly-weds left on the yacht Romeang, with a six-man crew for a 10-day honeymoon around Corsica and Sardinia.
__________________
I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
________________________________
Footage of the Paris protest
In Context
President de Gaulle was in Romania at the time of the worst riots when his prime minister, Georges Pompidou, sent in the infamous CRS riot police to quell the student unrest.
The strike spread all across France until around 10 million workers had downed tools and paralysed the nation for nearly two weeks.
They did not have the support of the unions or the Communist Party, who called for calm and moderation.
After workers rejected a deal between government, employers and unions to raise wages, Mr Pompidou sent tanks to the outskirts of Paris on 29 May for fear of a revolution.
De Gaulle then called an election for the end of June - and his party won a huge majority. It seemed voters were exasperated with the unrest and inconvenience of the strike.
The new government announced major reforms to the education system - 67 new universities and a more democratic system of governing councils.
1995: British woman conquers Everest
A British mother of two has become the first woman to conquer Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.
Alison Hargreaves, 33, is only the second person ever to reach the peak of the world's highest mountain unaided.
She reached the 29,028ft (8,847.7m) summit at 1208 local time on Saturday - 0723 in Britain - and immediately radioed her base camp. She wanted to send a fax to her two children, Tom and Kate, aged six and four, at home near Fort William on the west coast of Scotland.
The message was: "I am on the top of the world and I love you dearly."
She set herself a formidable target
Husband Jim Ballard
Before starting her descent, she planted a silk flower.
Her husband Jim Ballard, 48, a climbing photographer, who stayed at home to look after the children said: "I am very proud of Alison. I always had confidence in her ability to get to the roof of the world, although she set herself a formidable target."
Alison tackled the mountain's notorious north ridge from Tibet after more than a year's training on the slopes of Ben Nevis.
She failed in a similar attempt last year, when she was driven back at 27,500ft (8,382m) by arctic winds which threatened to freeze her hands and feet.
Cally Fleming, a spokeswoman for the Nevis Range ski slope where Miss Hargreaves trained said: "This is the most important climb ever undertaken by a woman. It's fabulous."
Miss Hargreaves, who uses her maiden name for climbing, arrived at base camp at 17,060ft (5,199.9m) on 11 April. She climbed the entire route without porters or oxygen
She was forced to approach the summit almost along the top of the arduous north ridge because weather conditions meant the slopes below were almost bare of snow.
The only other climber to have reached the top of Everest unaided was Reinhold Messner in 1980.
Alison Hargreaves now plans to climb the world's second highest mountain, K2, unaided after a short break in Scotland.
Alison Hargreaves before leaving for her attempt on Everest
In Context
Three months to the day after her successful conquest of Everest, Alison Hargreaves was killed shortly after reaching the summit of Pakistan's K2.
Three climbers who had tackled the summit with her were also killed. Three members of a separate five-strong Spanish team died the same day.
New Zealander Peter Hillary, son of the Everest pioneer, Sir Edmund Hillary, was climbing with the Hargreaves' team, but turned back before the fateful summit bid and survived.
It is not clear how they died. Witnesses on the mountain said there was a sudden mountain storm, combined with a bitter 100mph (160.9kph) wind. At least one climber is thought to have fallen.
Following Miss Hargreave's death, there was some criticism in the media about whether a mother should be allowed to pursue such a dangerous sport.
In 1996, Jim Ballard and the couple's two children, made an emotional pilgrimage to Pakistan to visit the foot of K2.
Both children have developed a keen interest in climbing and Tom has said he would like to become a professional climber.
1977: Cricket captain sacked over 'circus'
England cricket captain, Tony Greig, has been sacked for signing up players to Kerry Packer's commercial cricket "circus".
On 9 May Mr Packer, the Australian media tycoon, announced he had recruited 35 of the world's best cricketers to play in a series of internationals in Australia this winter.
It follows the Australian Cricket Board decision to turn down his offer of AUS$1.5m a year for television rights to screen Australian Test matches and Sheffield Shield cricket on his Channel 9 station.
The impact of his new World Series Cricket, since dubbed a "circus" by the press, has shocked the cricket establishment and fans around the globe and will be discussed by the International Cricket Conference in July.
Poaching players
Mr Packer has hired Mr Greig to sign on more players and lead the team.
The Cricket Council, the ruling body for the game in this country, took four hours to reach its latest decision to drop the England captain.
Donald Carr of the Test and County Cricket Board, explained the reasons behind the move. "They took into consideration his involvement in the recruitment of players for this series of matches and clearly running in competition with the scheduled Test match series over the next year or two.
"This was considered to be a breach of the normal trust which is expected between the captain and the England team and the authorities."
He said the board reacted with "surprise and grave disappointment" at news that Mr Grieg and two other England players had signed up to Mr Packer's World Series Cricket.
In a statement that he read to the press, Mr Grieg said: "Obviously I am disappointed that my reign as England Captain has come to an end just as we were beginning to put things together.
"From a personal point of view, the only redeeming factor is that I have sacrificed cricket's most coveted job for a cause which I believe could be in the best interests of cricketers the world over."
There are fears that Mr Packer will tempt away more talented players with offers of large salaries to create a World XI team of superstars.
Kerry Packer tried to create a superteam - and rocked the cricket establishment.
In Context
With the help of Tony Greig, Kerry Packer recruited 50 top-class players by offering them salaries of around AUS$30,000 (£12,000) a year for a three-year contract. As England captain, Greig had been paid just £1,050 for a season.
After arriving amid a fanfare of publicity, World Series Cricket existed for only 17 months as a live sporting entity.
But Mr Packer - once rated the richest man in Australia and seen as a threat to the sport - was regarded by the cricket world as having revolutionised the game.
He introduced floodlit night games using white balls, coloured clothing and top salaries for top players. Above all he transformed the image of the game from a dull and slow sport to something dynamic and energetic.
He died on 26 December 2005.
Top names in the original World XI team included:
Sussex's John Snow
Kent's Alan Knott and Derek Underwood
West Indies players Viv Richards, Andy Roberts, Pakistan's Imran Khan, Majid Khan, Asif Iqbal and captain Mushtaq Mohammed
South Africa's Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards, Mike Procter, Eddie Barlow and Denys Hobson
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I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
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1957: Cheers as petrol rationing ended
Petrol rationing, which has been in force in Britain for five months following the Suez crisis, has finally been abolished.
There were loud cheers in the House of Commons when the Paymaster General Reginald Maudling made the announcement that restrictions had been lifted because stocks were "at a satisfactory level".
Our members will be overjoyed. Now they can get down to making up the leeway of turnover they lost through this wretched business
Commercial Travellers' Association
Rationing was brought in after Egypt's President Gamal Abdul Nasser took over the running of the Suez Canal from a Franco-British company in July last year. He had been refused funds to build the Aswan High Dam because of his links with the USSR and he nationalised the canal as a sign of Arab defiance against western powers.
Supplies from Iraq to the Mediterranean across Syria - a staunch Nasser ally - were also interrupted.
Now traffic is set to travel freely through the Suez Canal - but the whole British economy has been affected and the motor trade, tourism, farmers and travelling salesmen have all expressed their relief that rationing has been lifted.
A spokesman for the Commercial Travellers' Association told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "Our members will be overjoyed. Now they can get down to making up the leeway of turnover they lost through this wretched business."
Surcharges on petrol prices imposed to compensate garages and oil companies for loss of revenues are to remain for the time being.
A 10% cut in fuel oil supplies to industry - which resulted in a four-day working week for many factories - will continue until new arrangements have been made with the oil companies.
A conservative estimate suggests oil firms have lost about £4m in revenue. Rationing has cost the Ministry of Power about £20,000 a week to enforce. Up to 700 driving instructors will soon return to their usual jobs after spending the last five months administering the rationing.
British and French troops tried to force open the supply route in 1956
In Context
Petrol rationing was just one of the side-effects of the Suez Crisis which involved Britain, France, Egypt, Israel, the USSR and the USA.
Britain and France, with the help of Israel, tried to overthrow President Nasser after he nationalised the Suez Canal. Israel invaded the Egyptian Sinai in October to put a stop to incursions by Palestinian militants. They were followed by French and British forces in the cities of the canal zone.
The USA, fearful that Egypt would call for more Soviet aid, forced Britain and France to withdraw and Israel to relinquish the Sinai.
The creation of Opec in 1960 ensured the Arab countries maintained a grip on oil supplies to the rest of the world until the 1980s when new oilfields discovered in the North Sea reduced Britain's dependence on Middle East supplies.
2001: Scientists warn of more CJD cases
Leading experts on new variant CJD, the human form of BSE or "mad cow" disease, have warned the current outbreak could get much worse.
So far, 99 people have had the disease and nearly all of them have died.
New evidence gathered from experiments on mice suggests this first batch of cases could be followed in a few years' time by a much larger "second wave".
It may be five or ten years before the rest of the population of those at risk develop the disease.
Professor John Collinge
Professor John Collinge is one of the government's top advisors on vCJD and director of the Medical Research Council Prion Unit in London.
He has found that a small number of the mice he observed got vCJD fairly quickly while the rest had a longer incubation period before contracting the disease.
"I don't want to be alarmist about this," he said "but it's entirely possible and we have to consider that what we are looking at, at the moment is, thankfully, a very small incidence of the disease amongst a small sub-section of the population. It may be five or ten years before the rest of the population of those at risk develop the disease."
Official estimates predict the final death toll from the disease could be as low as 150 or as high as 136,000.
Number of CJD deaths rising
The number of deaths from vCJD has steadily increased over the last five years - from three in 1995 to 29 in the year 2000. This year 15 cases have already been confirmed.
No-one knows when the disease will reach its peak.
Variant CJD is a degenerative brain disease in humans which is thought to be caused by an abnormal prion protein in the brain. Its most likely origin is exposure to the BSE prion from eating infected beef. Only genetically susceptible people - about 40% of the population - are thought to be capable of getting the disease.
The average age of those who have died is 28, and only a handful of victims have been older than 53. In contrast, 93% of people with "classic" CJD, which occurs sporadically for no known reason and is unconnected with contaminated meat, are over 50.
The most likely cause of CJD is meat infected with BSE or "mad cow" disease
In Context
BSE was first discovered in British cattle in 1986.
Stephen Churchill, aged 19, became the first person to die of the human form of the disease in 1995. It was not until 1996 that the British government acknowledged a link between BSE and new variant CJD.
In December 1997, the sale of beef-on-the-bone was banned in the UK and a BSE inquiry set up to look into the reasons behind the crisis that had led to a Europe-wide ban on British beef exports.
Although fears of a future epidemic have receded since this report - based on the observation that most people to have died from vCJD have been young and that older people are likely to be more resistant - it could take decades for the full scale of the problem to become known.
__________________
I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
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PM Harold Macmillan explains the UK's arms policy
In Context
The tests raised a major debate about the dangers of nuclear weapons and led to the founding in 1958 of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament which pressed for British, and ultimately international, abandonment of nuclear weapons.
The Cold War and the arms race between the superpowers reached a peak by the 1960s.
Then relations thawed and in 1963 the Soviet Union, the UK, the USA and many other countries agreed a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
1974: Teenagers die in Israeli school attack
Sixteen teenagers have died along with three Palestinians holding them hostage at an Israeli school.
Up to seven children were injured, nine critically, after Israeli troops stormed the building in an attempt to free the youngsters in Ma'alot, five miles (eight kilometres) from the Lebanese border.
As the troops entered the school the teenagers were reportedly attacked with hand grenades by the Palestinians. An Israeli soldier is also believed to have died in the gun battle that followed.
Smoke could be seen pouring out of the windows as the Israeli soldiers threw out furniture which they feared was booby-trapped.
Gang stormed school
It is thought that around 100 pupils aged between 14 and 16 were in the school when the Palestinians stormed it in the early hours of this morning as the teenagers slept.
Fifteen people, children and teachers, managed to escape. A teenage boy was later sent out with a list of prisoners the hostage-takers wanted released in Israel.
The Knesset, the Israeli parliament, met in an emergency session, and by 1500 local time a decision was reached to negotiate.
The Israeli government talked to the hostage-takers, via a loudhailer, and had agreed to release 26 political prisoners held in Israel.
It appears that the deal to free the Israeli children broke down when the Palestinians inside the school failed to receive a code word they were waiting for from their organisation in Damascus.
The Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine said it carried out the attack.
School faced bomb threat
Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir told reporters in Jerusalem that her government had been talking to the hostage-takers but had not been given enough time to complete preparations to free prisoners.
Mrs Meir described the group believed to be behind the attack as "an organisation of blood and murder". Israel's Minister for Information, Shimon Perez, said the decision to storm the school had been taken at the last minute because it was feared the gang would blow it up with the children inside by an 1800 local time deadline.
Between 18 and 21 children died inside the school
In Context
It later emerged that between 18 and 21 children had died inside the school and 71 people had been injured.
Several Palestinian hostage-takers were thought to have escaped.
Details vary as to the precise circumstances of the killings. According to some reports, the hostage-takers detonated their grenades and shot the children.
The Palestinian gang who took the children hostage had tried to stop a van a few miles from Ma'alot several hours before entering the school.
Three men dressed in army uniforms opened fire when the van pulled away, killing one girl inside.
Just before dawn they broke into flats in Ma'alot and forced their way into one apartment. A woman, her husband and five-year-old child were shot dead.
The gang then walked to the school and woke the caretaker, who was also shot. They took the children hostage and separated them into boys and girls.
They had promised to release half of the teenagers once they received a code word from their organisation in Syria.
All the children were from a religious high school in Safed, a few miles from Ma'alot. They were on a tour of Galilee and had stopped at the school for the night. The victims were buried in the town the day after the attack.
The violence was believed to be part of a wave of sabotage attacks to coincide with the 26th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel.
The Popular Democratic Front was later known as the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Israeli planes bombed seven Palestinian refugee camps and villages in southern Lebanon killing at least 27 people in reprisal for the Ma'alot massacre.
1993: French police rescue child hostages
Masked police commandos have freed six girls with their nursery teacher and shot dead an armed man, ending a two-day hostage crisis at a nursery school in Paris.
One team burst into the booby-trapped classroom while the hooded gunman was dozing at 0725 local time. The unidentified man, who had 16 sticks of dynamite strapped to his body, was shot three times in the head with guns fitted with silencers.
At the same time a second team went over to the children and covered them with mattresses so they did not see the shooting. Within minutes the girls were reunited with their parents and seemed unperturbed by the dramatic events of the last 46 hours.
Their teacher, Laurence Dreyfus, aged 30, has been hailed a national heroine for keeping the children calm throughout the ordeal and telling them the man with the gun was "hunting wolves".
She was allowed out of the room at intervals to collect food and to reassure parents. At one point, she smuggled in a video camera used by the police to plan their rescue.
The interior minister, Charles Pasqua, said Mrs Dreyfus and Capt Evelyne Lambert - an army doctor who was allowed to stay with her and the hostages - would be awarded France's highest civilian award for bravery, the Legion of Honour.
The lone gunman, who called himself the Human Bomb, burst into the Commandant Charcto nursery school in the suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on Thursday morning.
There were 21 three- and four-year-olds in the classroom at the time but after painstaking negotiations 15 children were released in batches chosen by Mrs Dreyfus.
The gunman demanded £12m ($18.5m) as a ransom, saying his motives were purely financial, and he had planned his escape meticulously. The authorities granted him part of the money but decided to use force to end the crisis after he said he wanted to take at least one child with him as a human shield.
Ms Dreyfus calmed her charges by telling them the gunman was "hunting wolves".
In Context
The Human Bomb was later identified as 42-year-old Eric Schmitt, an Algerian-born French citizen and a loner. His computer business had been made bankrupt two years before and 18 months later he was made redundant from an electrical firm.
He had no previous convictions apart from two for speeding and drink-driving. He had spent seven years in the army where he had learned to handle firearms.
In an interview given to Paris-Match magazine a few days after the end of the hostage crisis, the teacher Laurence Dreyfus said she had found it hard to come to terms with all the praise heaped upon her.
As well as the Legion of Honour she was also awarded the Unesco human rights medal.
1954: Queen returns after lengthy voyage
The Royal Family has returned safely from their six-month tour of the Commonwealth to a rapturous welcome in London.
Thousands flocked to the banks of the River Thames to see the Royal Yacht Britannia bringing the Queen home.
Ships' sirens and factory hooters welcomed the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and their two children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne. They spent most of the journey on the ship's saluting platform to wave at the crowd and take photographs.
Churchill on board
They were joined by the Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, who stayed on the yacht last night at the Queen's invitation, after boarding at Yarmouth, on the Isle of Wight.
A huge red-and-white banner was hung from Tower Bridge bearing the words, "Welcome Home".
The twin arms of the bridge opened to their fullest extent to let the yacht through, as well as its escort, and countless small boats full of well-wishers sailing in for a closer look.
Once the Britannia had moored, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret joined the royal party on board the yacht's barge for their onward journey to Westminster.
As they left, there was a thundering 41-gun salute from the Tower of London.
Health concerns
The banks of the Thames at Westminster were again packed with a cheering, whistling crowd as the Royal Family at last disembarked onto dry land.
It was the first close-up glimpse many had had of the Queen since concerns over her health at the end of her strenuous tour. She seemed well and cheerful, but had lost some weight.
The Royal Family continued to Buckingham Palace in three carriages, through streets lined with cheering, flag-waving people, some of whom had waited all night to see the Queen and her family pass by.
Even when the Queen arrived at Buckingham Palace, no sooner had the door closed behind her than the cry began to go up: "We want the Queen!"
Within ten minutes, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, with their two children, appeared on the balcony to roars of approval from the crowd. It was the first of four appearances, the last at nearly 2300 BST (2200 GMT). Even then, the crowd was persuaded to leave only when the lamps floodlighting the palace were switched off.
Thousands watched Britannia sail down the Thames
In Context
The young Queen's first Commonwealth tour was a gruelling journey lasting almost six months and covering 43,618 miles by air, sea and land.
She visited many countries which had never before seen their ruling monarch. She made her Christmas broadcast for 1953 live from New Zealand.
The tour was the first undertaken by the Royal Yacht Britannia, which the Queen had launched herself in 1953.
The yacht travelled for more than a million miles on Royal and official duties over 44 years before it was decommissioned in December 1997.
The Labour Party had made it part of their general election manifesto earlier that year not to replace the Britannia as a cost-cutting measure, and the Queen no longer has use of a royal yacht.
The Britannia is now berthed in Edinburgh, where it opened in October 1998 as a star tourist attraction. It is visited by about 275,000 people from the UK and overseas each year.
2001: UK supermarkets slash price of drugs
British consumers are already reaping the benefits of cheaper over-the-counter medicine after a court ruling today put an end to the drug industry's price-fixing policy.
The major supermarkets are cutting the price of popular brands by over a half.
Tesco supermarket chain has said it will slash up to 40% from the price of some medicines from Wednesday, including painkillers Calpol and Nurofen. Asda and Safeway have also announced similar cuts.
This is excellent news for consumers who will now benefit from lower prices for common household medicines
John Vickers, OFT director general
Last October, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) challenged the so-called resale price maintenance (RPM) in the Restrictive Practices Court arguing that it allowed drug companies to keep the price of branded over-the-counter products artificially high.
John Vickers, director general of the OFT, was delighted by the outcome. "This is excellent news for consumers who will now benefit from lower and more competitive prices for common household medicines," he said.
The Community Pharmacy Action Group (CPAG) had campaigned to keep RPM, claiming its abolition would lead to the closure of 12,000 local pharmacies forced out of business if the supermarkets launch a price-cutting war.
But the court found there was insufficient evidence that a significant number of pharmacies would be shut and ruled RPM was against the public interest.
The news has been condemned as a "devastating blow" to Britain's pharmacies by CPAG's chairman and community chemist, David Sharpe.
"Many pharmacists will simply not be able to survive given the buying power and aggressive pricing tactics of the supermarkets," Mr Sharpe said. A spokesman for Boots said he was "disappointed" with the court's decision and estimated the move will knock £15m off full year profits. Shares in Boots, the biggest chain of pharmacies in the UK, fell 4.5% on the news.
The court ruling allowed supermarkets to slash pharmaceutical prices
In Context
A month later, the Chancellor Gordon Brown said the Labour government would crack down hard on any attempts at price-fixing as part of its policy to encourage competition and do away with what Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers had called "rip-off Britain".
In March 2000 Mr Byers had increased the powers of the OFT and created the Competition Commission from the old Monopolies and Mergers Commission charged with investigating anti-competitive practices.
As a result of a medicines price war with the supermarkets, Boots spent £170m on revamping its health and beauty ranges and cut costs by selling off the Halfords car accessory chain in June 2002.
In November 2001, the European Union imposed record fines on eight drug companies for fixing the price of vitamins.
__________________
I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
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People's War memories »
Jewish leaders had sent their own reports of the situation during the fighting.
On 28 April the Central Committee of Jewish Labour and the Jewish National Committee in Poland sent a desperate message to the National Council of Poland in London.
It said the SS and German Army have laid siege to the ghetto, attacking the 40,000 remaining Jews with artillery, flame-throwers, high explosive and incendiary bombs.
They have also planted mines in buildings known to harbouring Jewish fighters, while German guards block large drain pipes that have served as escape routes.
"The ghetto is burning," read the message, "and smoke covers the whole city of Warsaw.
"Men, women and children who are not burnt alive are murdered en masse." It said the Jews managed to kill or wound about 1,000 of the enemy and burned down factories and warehouses.
There was an appeal for an immediate response from the Allies. "It is imperative that the powerful retaliation of the United Nations shall fall upon the bloodthirsty enemy immediately and not in some distant future, in a way which will make it quite clear what the retaliation is for." A second message sent on 11 May said the resistance was nearly over.
Watch/Listen
Anonymous eyewitness account of the defeat of Jewish resistance
In Context
The Nazis created the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw in 1940 and about 500,000 people were crammed into an area not bigger than one square mile (2·6 sq km).
Its inhabitants were systematically transported to Treblinka and those who fought in the legendary Jewish uprising would rather have died with dignity than be taken to the death camps.
About 50 of the 1,000 fighters escaped through the sewers and some fought in the second Warsaw uprising by the Polish Home Army in August 1944.
About 40,000 Jews were massacred in reprisal for the uprising. When Soviet troops liberated Warsaw on 17 January 1945 only about 200 Jews remained and the old city had been virtually destroyed.
Stroop's copy of the operational report entitled "The Jewish quarter in Warsaw no longer exists" came to light during the Nuremberg war crimes trial in 1945.
Stroop himself was sentenced to death by a US military tribunal and sent to Poland to be executed in 1951.
1974: Dozens die as Israel retaliates for Ma'alot
Israeli planes have bombed seven Palestinian refugee camps and villages in southern Lebanon killing at least 27 people and leaving 138 injured.
The attack was in retaliation for yesterday's hostage crisis at a school in Ma'alot near the Lebanon border in which 18 teenagers were killed and 70 were wounded.
Worst hit by the Israeli fighter-bombers were the crowded refugee camps of Ein El Helweh near the city of Sidon and Nabatieh.
An official announcement from the Israeli Defence Force said the planes had been aiming at offices and training bases used by the Popular Democratic Front, led by Nayef Hawatmeh, and the Popular Front under Ahmed Jibril.
The PDF was behind the killing of the schoolchildren at Ma'a lot - and the Popular Front planned the shooting of 16 civilians in Kiryat Shemona on 10 April.
Two nights ago, three Palestinian Arabs dressed as Israeli soldiers took over the school at Ma'alot.
There were more than 100 children aged between 14 and 16 sleeping there on the floor after a day's hiking in the region. Some managed to escape through an open door.
The Israeli Government agreed to the hostage-takers' demands to release 26 political prisoners, including a Japanese national involved in the Lod airport massacre.
But negotiations fell apart when the hostage-takers did not receive a coded message they were waiting for from Damascus.
On 15 May at 1745 local time - 15 minutes before they had said they would kill all the children if their demands were not met - Israeli soldiers raided the school building.
Eighteen children and the three Palestinians were killed in a bloody gun battle.
There were emotional scenes today at the funeral of the children in their home town of Safed.
Many of the 10,000 mourners wailed and some shouted: "Death to the terrorists!"
The Ma'alot tragedy has severely hampered peace efforts by US Secretary of State Dr Henry Kissinger. He has flown from Jerusalem to Damascus to meet Syrian leaders in the hope of reaching some kind of compromise over Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights.
Israeli bombers left parts of the refugee camp of Ein El Helweh in ruins
In Context
It was attacks like the one at Ma'alot that led Israeli troops to invade Southern Lebanon in 1978. They pulled back to a self-declared "security zone" in 1985 from which they withdrew in May 2000.
The Popular Democratic Front, now known as the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, continued its operations during the late 1970s, and saw a steady increase in its membership.
But it began to distance itself from the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and continued to oppose any kind of peace process.
In the late 1990s its leader, Naif Hawatmeh, sought reconciliation with mainstream Palestinians. In February 1999, he shocked hardline Palestinians by shaking hands with the Israeli President Ezer Weizman at the funeral of King Hussein of Jordan.
1985: Miners jailed for pit strike murder
Two South Wales miners have been jailed for life for the murder of taxi driver David Wilkie during the miners' strike last November.
Mr Wilkie was killed when a block of concrete was thrown down on his car from a bridge as he drove a miner to work in South Wales.
There were emotional scenes at Cardiff Crown Court as Dean Hancock and Russell Shankland, both 21, were sentenced after the jury had deliberated for nearly seven hours.
It was an accident. Those two boys wouldn't hurt anyone, they are not those sort of boys
Anthony Williams, co-defendant
Relatives sobbed and screamed. Hancock buried his head in his hands and gasped: "Oh, my God!" and burst into tears. Shankland stood with his head bowed.
His girlfriend, Carol Hopkins, fainted and collapsed and was carried out from the courtroom.
Passing sentence, the judge Mr Justice Michael Mann acknowledged the miners' strike had "engendered a climate of violence" that had led to the killing of Mr Wilkie. But he concluded: "You performed the ultimate act of violence and for it you will go to prison for life."
Concrete block hurled at taxi
During the trial the jury had heard that in the early hours of 30 November 1984, Shankland and Hancock had planned to disrupt a police escort and taxi taking miner David Williams to the Merthyr Vale pit.
They hurled a 46lb concrete block and a concrete post weighing 65lbs from a bridge over the Head of the Valleys Rd at Rhymner.
It fell on the taxi and its driver was killed within seconds from head and chest injuries. The passenger, Mr Williams, was unhurt but deeply traumatised.
Mr Wilkie leaves behind four children, the youngest of whom was born two months after his death.
After the verdicts, Shankland's lawyer John Prosser QC said that his clients were victims in "a nation at war".
Referring to strike leaders like Arthur Scargill, head of the National Union of Miners, he said: "In that war there were generals, and they stood outside the law and they left Russell Shankland outside the law." A third defendant, Anthony Williams, who was on the bridge with the two men was cleared of all charges yesterday. As he left the court today he told journalists: "It was an accident. Those two boys wouldn't hurt anyone, they are not those sort of boys."
A block of concrete thrown from a bridge smashed the taxi and killed the driver
In Context
This was the most serious trial arising from the bitter and violent miners' dispute of 1984.
Political leaders united in condemning the killing - Labour's Neil Kinnock called it an "atrocity" and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said it was "an utterly despicable deed".
But the Left regarded the sentencing as too harsh, a statement of victory over the miners rather than an act of justice.
On appeal, the convictions were reduced to manslaughter and sentences reduced to eight years.
After a fierce campaign for their release led by the NUM's Arthur Scargill and Labour MP Tony Benn, the men were released on 30 November 1989 - the fifth anniversary of David Wilkie's death.
1968: Three die as tower block collapses
Two women and a man have been killed after an entire corner of a new block of flats in London's East End came crashing down at dawn.
Eleven of the 260 residents are injured and one woman is still missing.
The Home Secretary, James Callaghan, has visited the site and ordered a team of experts to report to him by tomorrow on the possible causes of the disaster.
Part of the block, called Ronan Point, in Newham in the heart of London's docklands area collapsed just before 0600 BST.
Gas explosion
About 80 families fled their homes, many of them in their nightclothes.
The lifts had stopped working and they had to run down several flights of stairs - some holding their children.
It is believed there was a gas explosion on the 18th floor which ripped through four flats above and sent all the floors below crashing down like falling dominoes.
Volunteers gave out food and clothing at an emergency clearing station in a local school, while police cordoned off the area in the search for survivors.
Local stevedores and dockers are at the site to help clear the rubble as doctors and nurses treat the injured.
The building has been occupied for just two months. It was one of four blocks built by Taylor Woodrow Anglian, awarded the contract by Newham council.
Geoffrey Davies, managing director of the company, denied the collapse may have been caused by the structure of the building itself.
The disaster is thought to have started in the flat of 56-year-old cake decorator Ivy Hodge, who is now in hospital suffering from burns.
She told reporters she remembered getting up to put the kettle on, "Then I found myself on the floor".
There are now serious doubts about the safety of the system-built building and many of the families made homeless by the incident are insisting they must be rehoused. "I wouldn't live there rent-free," said one tenant who was offered temporary accommodation with her neighbours.
Watch/Listen
Interviews with survivors and rescuers
In Context
One woman was found dead in the rubble the following day and another died later from her injuries.
A public inquiry into the collapse in August 1968 concluded that a gas explosion had triggered the collapse of a building that was structurally unsound. It had been "system-built" using prefabricated concrete panels bolted together like a giant meccano set.
As a result new British Standard Structural Design Codes for concrete were introduced to prevent such a disaster happening again.
Ronan Point was soon rebuilt but the incident led to a major backlash against high-rise blocks of flats - put up in haste to resolve the post-war housing. It was knocked down in 1986 and replaced with low-level terraced houses.
1990: Gummer enlists daughter in BSE fight
The government has again attempted to reassure the public that British beef is safe, despite growing fears over the cattle disease, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).
The Minister of Agriculture, John Gummer, even invited newspapers and camera crews to photograph him trying to feed a beefburger to his four-year-old daughter, Cordelia, at an event in his Suffolk constituency.
Although his daughter refused the burger, he took a large bite himself, saying it was "absolutely delicious".
Beef can be eaten safely by everyone, both adults and children, including patients in hospital
Chief Medical Officer Sir Donald Acheson
His reassurances were echoed by the government's Chief Medical Officer, Sir Donald Acheson, in a formal statement to underline his previous assertions that beef is safe to eat.
He said that after taking advice from leading scientific and medical experts, he had no hesitation in saying that "beef can be eaten safely by everyone, both adults and children, including patients in hospital".
The number of cases of BSE in cattle has shot up since the first case in 1986, and now stands at about 14,000, despite a government policy to slaughter all infected animals and prevent them getting into the food chain.
Fears have been mounting that the disease can jump species to cause the fatal human brain condition, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).
The rising concern has led to 20 education authorities taking the decision to boycott beef products, taking beef off the menu in hundreds of schools across the country.
The Commons Agriculture Select Committee is to carry out an urgent inquiry into the possible threat to humans from BSE. It will report by the end of July, and Mr Gummer is to give evidence at its first session.
The Committee's chairman, Conservative MP Jerry Wiggin, is a former junior agriculture minister.
He said he considered there was no threat to humans from "properly cooked beef", and criticised local education authorities who had taken it out of school canteens. The Labour Party's spokesman on agriculture, David Clark, however, said the government's handling of the BSE crisis had been a fiasco and showed it was incapable of handling sensitive food issues.
Watch/Listen
Full footage of the brawl
In Context
A number of newspaper surveys carried out after Mr Prescott's punch suggested the public supported his actions. It earned him the nickname "Two Jabs" - a variation on the more familiar Two Jags from his apparent fondness for luxury cars.
He later described the incident as "frightening and regrettable".
In a news conference Prime Minister Tony Blair explained away the punch-up, saying, "John is John."
Mr Prescott was interviewed by police but he was not prosecuted. The Crown Prosecution Service concluded there was not a realistic chance of convicting Mr Prescott because he had acted in self-defence.
Craig Evans spent several hours in police custody no action was taken against him.
On 8 June 2001 Labour won a second term in government despite a record low turn-out of less than 60%. It won 413 seats, the Conservatives took 166, the Liberal Democrats 52 and others 10.
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I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
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Reply with quote #10
1978 Charlie Chaplin's Stolen Body Is Discovered
The grave of the legendary comedian had been robbed 11 weeks earlier and the body in its coffin was taken.
It was discovered, buried, in a field in Corsier near Lausanne, Switzerland, about a mile from Chaplin's home.
There were kidnap demands but Chaplin's widow, Lady Oona Chaplin, refused to pay the about $600,000, saying that Charlie would have thought the demands were ridiculous.
The family did not inform the world's media until after the body had been returned. Two men were charged.
1943: RAF raid smashes German dams
An audacious RAF bombing raid into the industrial heartland of Germany last night has wrecked three dams serving the Ruhr valley.
The attack disrupted water and electricity supplies in a key area for the manufacture of Germany's war munitions.
The Secretary of State for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, called the raid "a trenchant blow for victory".
None of us had any idea what this project was; we were just given instructions to construct and modify various items. The head of this program was Dr Barnes Wallis.
The mission, known as Operation Chastise, has been planned for months.
The crews were specially selected for the job, and have been training in absolute secrecy.
The bombs themselves were invented specifically for the task by the aircraft engineer Dr Barnes Wallis, the designer of the Wellington bomber.
They were barrel-shaped, and used the principle of a "ducks and drakes" stone bouncing on the water to bypass the defences around the dams.
The Lancaster bombers flown by 617 Squadron were extensively modified, and the crews trained to fly at less than 100ft (30.48m) above the water, the height required to drop the bombs successfully.
The mission began yesterday evening, under the command of Wing Commander Guy Gibson.
The targets were three huge water barrage dams - two on the rivers Möhne and Sorpe, and a third on the River Eder.
The Möhne and Sorpe dams control about 70% of the water supplied to the Ruhr basin, and were built to prevent water shortages during the summer.
Wing Commander Gibson led the attack on the Möhne dam personally.
A flight lieutenant who watched what happened at the Möhne dam described the scene:
"The wing commander's load was placed just right and a spout of water went up 300 feet (91.44m) into the air," he said.
"A second Lancaster attacked with equal accuracy, and there was still no sign of a breach.
"Then I went in and we caused a huge explosion up against the dam. It was not until another load had been dropped that the dam at last broke.
"I saw the first jet very clear in the moonlight. I should say that the breach was about 50 yards (45.72m) wide."
The Eder dam - the largest in Europe - was also breached in two places.
Reconnaissance flights showed flood waters sweeping through the Ruhr valley, damaging factories, houses and power stations.
The power station at the Möhne dam has been swept away, rivers are in full flood, and railway and road bridges have disappeared.
Watch/Listen
1960: East-West summit in tatters after spy plane row
The much-heralded Big Four summit in Paris has failed before it even started.
It follows three days of bitter recrimination over a US spy plane shot down two weeks ago by the Russians.
Any hope of East-West rapprochement was doomed from the start as heads of state - President Eisenhower, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, General de Gaulle and Harold Macmillan - never got beyond preliminary procedural meetings.
The U2 spy plane was shot down on 1 May by a Russian missile after it lost height owing to engine trouble.
The civilian pilot, Gary Powers, was able to bale out of the aircraft and was arrested in Sverdlovsk in the USSR.
State Department denial
When the Soviet Union announced it had shot the plane down, the US State Department at first denied it was a spy plane, saying it was simply an aircraft that had gone astray.
But when Mr Khrushchev produced photos taken by the pilot of military installations, President Eisenhower was forced to admit he had authorised the flight because he needed to prevent another Pearl Harbor.
When leaders gathered in Paris for the summit two days ago, after months of planning by Soviet and French officials, Mr Khrushchev demanded an apology before discussions could begin.
He also said the USA should promise never to violate Soviet airspace again and should punish all those responsible for the incident.
President Eisenhower rejected the demands, leaving the hoped-for peace summit in tatters.
De Gaulle's invitation
General de Gaulle had tried to revive the talks by inviting all the delegates to another conference at the Elysee Palace to discuss the situation.
All agreed but President Eisenhower insisted he would not discuss the spy plane incident.
When told of the invitation, Mr Khrushchev was on a trip outside Paris. He returned to the French capital and told a press conference the Soviet Union was ready to take part only if the USA met his demands of a public condemnation of the U2 incident.
So ended the summit that never was. Both sides are now blaming each other for the failure of the conference.
Nikita Khrushchev demanded an apology from the Americans
In Context
There were no further U2 flights over the USSR - after 1961 spy satellites performed the same function.
The American pilot, Gary Powers, was sentenced to 10 years in a Soviet prison in August 1960 but was exchanged for a Soviet spy in 1962.
Nikita Khrushchev was ousted by Leonid Brezhnev in 1964 because his economic policies at home had failed and his handling of foreign policy - his humiliation during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis and his open antagonism towards China - was considered erratic.
Nevertheless, history will be remember him as the first Soviet leader to establish good relations with the West and the first to agree to a telephone hotline between the Kremlin and the White House.
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I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
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People's War memories »
A German official announcement said: "Cassino, which the Anglo-Americans have vainly been charging for months with strong forces, was evacuated without a fight on Wednesday night in favour of a bolt position farther in the rear for the sake of economising in forces."
The Allies, under the overall command of General Sir Harold Alexander, began the fourth and final offensive for Monte Cassino on 11 May.
The Gustav Line was finally breached on 14 May. While the 5th Army made a flanking attack to the south, the 8th Army of British, Polish, Canadian and Indian troops made a frontal assault on the line at Cassino.
In addition, the French Expeditionary Force, part of the 5th Army, attacked from the west.
According to reports from Allied headquarters, the 8th Army succeeded in cutting Highway Six, the main road linking the south to Rome
They also claimed a "substantial proportion" of the 1st German Parachute Division had been destroyed.
In the six days of fighting at Cassino the Allies have taken more than 1,500 prisoners.
Farther to the west, the French Expeditionary Corps have taken the town of Esperia, at the foot of Monte d'Oro, another strategic German defensive position.
Reports from the French say their advance was so rapid, the Germans were unable to recover their dead and they found more than 400 bodies awaiting burial.
Large quantities of artillery were also left abandoned. Many of the guns and other equipment are said to be in a usable condition.
American forces pressing forward from the south have captured Formia on the coast and are pushing along the road which winds along the base of the mountains, loosening the German grip on the Gaeta peninsula.
The success of Operation Diadem, the fourth and final assault on Monte Cassino, was down to the co-ordinated assault on the Gustav Line, forcing the German withdrawal.
The first assault in January failed when the series of co-ordinated attacks did not go according to plan and the Germans held on to the crucial valley headed by Monte Cassino.
The second battle began on 15 February with the complete destruction of the monastery by heavy and medium bombers.
But the attack was badly planned and the nearest Allied troops were too far away to take advantage of the shock of bombing and again the German grip could not be shaken. The destruction of the monastery, in fact, made the hill easier to defend. The Germans dug in behind the rubble and when the third battle began on 15 March with yet more bombing, the parachutists defending the town clung on.
1991: Sharman becomes first Briton in space
Britain's first astronaut, 27-year-old Helen Sharman from Sheffield, has blasted into orbit.
The Soviet Soyuz TM-12 space capsule made a textbook launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in the Soviet republic of Kazakhstan at 1350 BST carrying Miss Sharman and fellow cosmonauts Anatoly Artebartsky and Sergei Krikalyov.
Astronaut wanted. No experience necessary
Radio advertisement
Her parents and sister watched from a viewing stand one kilometre away and saw their daughter smile and wave to the onboard camera.
She carries with her a photograph of the Queen, a butterfly brooch given to her by her father and a "space passport" in case her spacecraft is forced to land outside the Soviet Union.
Woman from Mars
Miss Sharman, a former chemist for the Mars chocolate company, had won her place in space in 1989 after answering an advertisement she heard on the car radio - "Astronaut wanted. No experience necessary."
She was eventually selected from over 13,000 applicants to be the British member of the Russian scientific space mission, Project Juno.
The USSR has already taken a Mongolian, an Afghan, a Cuban, a Syrian and a Japanese journalist to space.
She spent 18 gruelling months training in Star City, 30km north-east of Moscow and now speaks fluent Russian. She has become known among her comrades for her remarkably calm and unruffled nature. She has trained alongside her British back-up Major Tim Mace.
Tomorrow, the Soyuz is due to dock with the Mir space station which has been occupied by two crew members for the last six months.
The British element of the Juno project has had trouble raising funds and the only sponsors to come forward are Interflora, a watch manufacturer and a cassette tape company.
During her eight days in space, Miss Sharman will carry out a series of medical and agricultural experiments. She will also take part in a radio-ham test with British schools, take photos of the British Isles and see how pansies grow in weightless conditions.
Helen Sharman won a place in space history after answering an advertisement
In Context
Seven days later, Helen Sharman came back to Earth in her Soyuz TM11 capsule which parachuted into Kazakhstan. With her was Commander Musa Manarov who held the record for the longest time in space at 541 days.
When she emerged from the capsule she said: "The air is very fresh. Smell the flowers, they are wonderful."
She was awarded an OBE in 1993.
She has since become a lecturer and broadcaster on science education.
After 15 years in space, the Mir space station was decommissioned and disintegrated in the Earth's atmosphere on 23 March 2001.
1950: US and Europe agree Nato aims
Almost exactly a year after signing the North Atlantic Treaty, 12 nations have agreed a permanent organisation for the defence of the United States and Europe.
The final meeting of the fourth session of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or Nato as it has become known, was held in front of cameras at Lancaster House in London.
The 12 foreign ministers sat around a horseshoe table, with the United States Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, at the centre. A large audience of newspaper and newsreel correspondents, cameramen and photographers broadcast their speeches around the world.
This business of building for peace is a very grim business, and it has to be worked for day in and day out.
UK Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin
During negotiations over the past few days, the ministers have reached agreement over a communiqué outlining the aims of the Organisation, and setting out a six-point plan for strengthening ties between their countries.
Key among these was the establishment of a council of deputies, with a permanent chairman and a full-time staff, to put the objectives of the Treaty into action.
Opening the meeting, Mr Acheson thanked all his colleagues for their "tireless efforts" and said that "genuine progress" had been made.
"Throughout its deliberations, the council has recognised that only through coordinated plans and effort could its great objectives be achieved," he said.
He then went on to read the communiqué, which spoke of the principles behind Nato and outlined the objectives the organisation is working towards.
It stressed the importance of seeking a diplomatic solution before military force is used, but where some nations are not willing to cooperate, it said, "the maintenance of peace and the defence of freedom require the organisation of adequate military defence."
The communiqué also includes directives on defence, finance and economics, and establishes a North Atlantic planning board for shipping.
The British Foreign Minister, Ernest Bevin, called the agreement one of "historic significance".
"I'm afraid we cannot arrive at sensational decisions," he told the meeting. "This business of building for peace is a very grim business, and it has to be worked for day in and day out. "We must never give up faith in its ultimate trials."
Mods explain `Mod culture'
In Context
From the early to mid-1960s young, mainly working class, Britons with cash to spend joined one of two youth movements.
The Mods wore designer suits protected by Parka jackets and were often armed with coshes and flick-knives. They rode Vespa or Lambretta scooters bedecked with mirrors and mascots and listened to Ska music and The Who.
Rockers rode motorbikes - often at 100mph with no crash helmets - wore leathers and listened to the likes of Elvis and Gene Vincent.
Inevitably the two gangs clashed. The 1964 Whitsun weekend violence in Brighton was famously dramatised in the film Quadrophenia (1979).
In August that year police had to be flown into the Sussex resort of Hastings to break up fights between the two gangs.
But two years later, most Mods had turned their attentions to the burgeoning, more laid-back, hippie culture.
1972: Duke too ill for tea with the Queen
The Duke of Windsor was not well enough to attend tea with the Queen when she came to visit his home in Paris this afternoon.
He was said to be "dreadfully disappointed" after doctors told him he was not to come downstairs because of ill health.
They made their decision just hours before the Queen, with Prince Philip and Prince Charles, was due to see her uncle for the first time in five years - and the first time in his own home.
The Queen did spend 15 minutes talking alone with her "Uncle David" in his first floor sitting room after the Duchess of Windsor hosted tea in the downstairs drawing room.
The Royal party had arrived from the races in Longchamp, a day after a tour of the Provence region as part of a state visit to France.
Housebound for six weeks
Earlier this year, the duke had a hernia operation and although at first he seemed to have recovered well, his health then took a turn for the worse. He has not left the house for six weeks.
There has been some speculation that the Queen may have discussed one of her uncle's strongest wishes - that the title of Royal Highness would be formally conferred on his wife.
But Buckingham Palace has said there is no question that the American divorcee can ever receive such a title.
The Duke of Windsor, once King Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 after constitutional objections to his plans to marry the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson. He was succeeded to the throne by George VI, father of the present Queen.
The couple tied the knot in France in 1937 and have lived there ever since in virtual exile although they have made various visits to the Royal family in London over the years. The Duke spent some time in the Bahamas as governor during World War II.
The Duke of Windsor abdicated from the throne in 1936
In Context
Ten days later, the Duke of Windsor died at his home in Paris. Doctors revealed he had been suffering from throat cancer for some time.
He left an estimated fortune of £4m.
The Duchess of Windsor attended his funeral in Frogmore, England. She lived as a recluse in Paris until her death in 1986 and was buried next to her husband in England.
Her impressive collection of jewellery was auctioned a year later in Paris raising more than £31m for the Pasteur Institute, a centre for biological research.
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I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
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Images of the Mount St Helen's eruption
In Context
The explosion had the power of 500 atomic bombs and was the largest of its kind in recorded US history.
The final number of those who died directly from the eruption was 57. The Washington State Department of Game estimated nearly 7,000 big game animals (deer, elk, and bear) perished as well as all birds and most small mammals.
Of the 32 species of small mammals thought to be living near Mount St Helens only 14 were known to have survived, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Scientists learned a great deal about volcanos from the explosion and have been studying how plant life has gradually returned to the once devastated region around the mountain.
The volcano became active again in October 2004 but scientists believe the chances of an imminent eruption as huge as that of 1980 are low.
2004: Angry dads hit Blair with purple flour
Protesters have hurled condoms full of purple flour at British Prime Minister Tony Blair as he addressed MPs in the House of Commons, prompting an urgent review of security.
The PM was speaking at the despatch box during his weekly question and answer session soon after midday when father-of-two Ron Davies threw two missiles from the front of the public gallery normally reserved for VIPs.
A second man, Guy Harrison, shouted and held up a poster, before police rushed in and arrested the men.
As one missile hit the PM's back and another landed at his feet, Mr Blair turned around and looked bemused.
The Speaker, Michael Martin, ordered all MPs to leave the chamber while the powder was examined and found to be safe.
Campaign group Fathers 4 Justice said they had orchestrated the incident to demand equal rights for divorced fathers trying to gain access to their children.
The attack has led to calls for improved security at Westminster.
Baroness apologises
Only last month a £600,000 security screen was installed in front of the public gallery to prevent such an incident.
But the front three rows - normally reserved for ambassadors and guests of MPs and peers - are not protected.
In a later statement to the House of Lords, Labour peer Baroness Golding said the two protesters were guests of hers and she offered "unreserved apologies" to the Speaker, MPs and fellow peers.
It is believed the two men got tickets to the VIP section of the gallery at a charity auction.
Mr Blair's spokesman said the prime minister wanted to know when he could return to finish question time - but the Speaker vetoed the move.
Commons business recommenced at 1330 BST.
Home Secretary David Blunkett said a security review had already been launched at Westminster after recent breaches at Buckingham Palace. The security services will bring forward recommendations "very quickly indeed", but it could mean there will be more restrictions on access to Parliament, he said.
A condom with purple powder hit the prime minister on the shoulder
In Context
Ron Davis and Guy Harrison were both convicted of disorderly behaviour and fined £500 and £600 respectively.
A cross-party group of MPs condemned the media coverage of the flour bomb attack saying it had "rewarded" Fathers 4 Justice for their actions.
Fathers 4 Justice continued to organise various stunts climbing onto well-known landmarks, such as York Minster, Buckingham Palace and St Paul's cathedral, dressed as superheroes to highlight their cause.
Their membership increased by thousands and branches were opened in other parts of the world.
A security review of the House of Commons led by MI5 did not prevent further intrusions into Parliament.
In September 2004, five protesters broke into the Commons chamber to demonstrate against the ban on foxhunting.
In January 2006, Fathers 4 Justice disbanded following reports linking the group to a plan to kidnap Tony Blair's five-year-old son Leo. It re-formed following a protest stunt on the BBC's National Lottery Show in May 2006.
1986: South African raids wreck peace bid
South African troops have launched raids on three neighbouring countries in an effort to destroy bases purportedly used by the anti-apartheid organisation the African National Congress (ANC).
At least three people are reported dead after this morning's co-ordinated attacks on cities in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana by South African warplanes, helicopters and commandos.
The raids have severely jeopardised diplomatic efforts by a Commonwealth mission now in South Africa.
The Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group had been trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement with South Africa's ruling National Party and Prime Minister PW Botha to bring an end to national strife caused by the apartheid regime.
Five of the seven delegates have already left Cape Town in protest.
Call for sanctions
Along with Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania, the three nations attacked today form the so-called "frontline states" that support the ANC in their struggle against white minority rule. But all three deny providing the ANC with military bases.
There has been widespread condemnation of South Africa in the West and across Southern Africa.
Zambia's President Kenneth Kaunda called the raids a "dastardly, cowardly action". The government of Botswana issued a statement condemning "this naked act of aggression against our country".
And the Commonwealth Secretary General Sir Shridath Ramphal called the move "a declaration of war" and demanded immediate economic sanctions against South Africa.
But the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, while condemning the attacks are ignoring calls for early sanctions against Pretoria.
News of the raids - on Gaborone in Botswana, Zimbabwe's capital, Harare and Lusaka in Zambia - came in an announcement by the head of the South African Army, Lieutenant General AJ Liebenberg. "The action taken against the terrorists should be interpreted as indicative of the firm resolve of the Republic of South Africa to use all the means at its disposal against terrorists wherever they may be," he said.
Zambia's President Kenneth Kaunda condemned "cowardly action"
In Context
In the 1980s, South Africa was in crisis, with widespread civil unrest among the majority black population. President PW Botha allowed the repeal of some apartheid laws, but he was determined to crush the outlawed ANC movement, both at home and abroad.
By the end of the decade, sanctions imposed by the US, most Commonwealth nations and the EC - except Britain - along with the international sporting boycott were starting to hurt.
The ruling National Party knew that it was time for change and in February 1989, PW Botha was forced to step aside as prime minister in favour of the more liberal FW de Klerk, although PW Botha remained president.
Later that year, the South African government approved a visit by Prime Minister de Klerk to Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, who supported the ANC.
The move prompted PW Botha to resign as president.
He left the National Party in 1990, the year that saw the release of Nelson Mandela, head of the ANC.
Four years later the ANC formed South Africa's first democratically elected government with Mr Mandela as the country's first black president.
1974: Giscard d'Estaing voted French president
Valery Giscard d'Estaing has been elected President of France, winning the second round of elections by a narrow margin to defeat Francois Mitterrand, the communist-backed socialist.
Mr Giscard, the Gaulliste-backed Independent Republican candidate, won 50.7% of the vote in the second of two rounds against Mr Mitterrand's 49.3%.
Speaking in English for the benefit of the foreign press, he made a statement. "You want a deep political, a deep economic and a deep social change. You will not be disappointed," he said.
Mr Mitterrand graciously conceded victory but said the close result and large turnout showed a huge groundswell of support for the coalition of the Left that would surely come to power in the next presidential election.
Record turnout
Thanks to good weather and forecasts of a close result, there was indeed a record turnout - the biggest since 1965 when France began electing its presidents by direct universal suffrage.
More than 87% of voters went to the polls, 750,000 more than in the first round two weeks ago.
At 48, Mr Giscard is France's 20th president and the youngest this century.
As finance minister he ran the economy for nine out the past 12 years - from1962 to 1966 under Charles De Gaulle and then again from 1969 under Georges Pompidou.
An ardent pro-European, he will be welcomed by the EEC whose members hope he will steer France away from doctrinaire foreign policy and an anti-American stance and push forward European integration.
He is seen in Brussels as pragmatic and highly intelligent but the French working class, aware of his privileged background, regard him as somewhat cool and aloof.
During the seven-week election campaign, he fought hard to change his snobbish image by kicking a football around with villagers and playing folk-songs on an accordion. But the image of him on posters all over the country alongside his attractive 20-year-old daughter Valerie-Anne probably captured the family vote in a country that is deeply Catholic, if not in church then in culture.
At 48, Giscard d'Estaing is the youngest French President this century
In Context
Valery Giscard d'Estaing developed a close relationship with Germany's Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and together they turned their dream of a more integrated Europe into reality.
His main contribution was the formation of the European Council in 1974, a group of all heads of state of member countries that pushed forward a European Monetary System in 1979.
At home, he made several reforms in the early part of his reign - the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, divorce and abortion laws relaxed, in spite of fierce opposition from the Catholic Church.
He also saw through laws on equal pay and opportunities for women, reduced the retirement age to 60 and allowed Paris to vote in its own mayor.
But as his seven-year term drew to a close in 1981 he was blamed for France's economic downturn and lost the presidential election to Francois Mitterrand.
1997: Labour to stub out tobacco sponsorship
The sponsorship of sports events by tobacco firms is to be outlawed, according to Labour's Health Secretary, Frank Dobson.
The announcement, made in a speech to the Royal College of Nursing's annual conference in Harrogate, could spell the end of the British Formula One Grand Prix.
Other sports like rugby, snooker, darts, cricket and ice hockey could also lose around £10 million in sports sponsorship in Britain.
We recognise that some sports, like some smokers, are heavily dependent on tobacco sponsorship. We will therefore give them time and help to reduce their dependency on the weed
Frank Dobson, Health Secretary
Mr Dobson told the conference: "We will ban tobacco advertising. It will cover all forms, including sponsorship."
But he acknowledged the move would come as a severe blow to sports organisers of major events like the Silk Cut Challenge Cup snooker final and the Embassy World Professional Darts Championship.
"We recognise that some sports, like some smokers, are heavily dependent on tobacco sponsorship. We will therefore give them time and help to reduce their dependency on the weed," he said.
In an uncompromising speech he said: "The tobacco industry kills around 120,000 of its customers every year. So it has to recruit 120,000 new smokers to its ranks each year to make up for the casualties."
He said the final details would have to be ironed out before a draft White Paper was published in the coming months.
Doctors delighted
Health professionals are delighted by the move, promised during the recent election campaign that saw Labour to a resounding victory.
In a statement, the Imperial Cancer Research Fund said: "We welcome any moves to ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship."
A spokesperson for the British Medical Association added: "It's unacceptable for tobacco, the major cause of preventable ill health, to be linked with sport."
And a representative from anti-smoking group ASH said: "We're delighted and excited. We hope to be able to help the Government to work out a draft Bill."
The tobacco industry is now seeking urgent talks with the government to discuss the issue.
The ban on tobacco sponsorship could mean the end of Formula One
In Context
In November 1997, the government decided Formula One racing would be exempt from the sponsorship ban. But weeks later, the press revealed that the prime minister, Tony Blair, had met representatives of Formula One before the decision was announced.
It also emerged that Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone had donated £1 million to the Labour Party before the general election.
Although Labour and Mr Ecclestone strongly denied any connection between the donation and the exemption, Labour gave him back his £1 million.
In December 1997, the European Union passed a law banning tobacco advertising and sponsorship - bar Formula one - across Europe.
It was overturned by the European Court of Justice after appeals from the tobacco industry.
In The UK tobacco advertising in shops and newsagents was outlawed in December 1999 and tobacco sponsorship of sports ended in 2003.
In July 2005 the European Union imposed a ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship of sporting events, apart from events that are purely local.
After the British Grand Prix advertising ban came into effect, some tobacco producers switched to using logos or colour schemes similar to their usual adverts to promote their products at races.
This was a severe financial blow to snooker which had to look for new backing. The 2006 snooker World Championship was the first in 30 years not to be sponsored by Embassy cigarettes.
__________________
I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
________________________________
1873 Levi Strauss Patents Copper-Riveted Jeans
Levi Strauss started on his road to riches by supplying San Francisco miners with trousers made of hard wearing canvas.
In 1872 Strauss received a letter from a customer, Jacob Davis, who told him that the trousers lasted longer if you put rivets at certain stress points. Davis needed a patent, however, to protect this innovation.
Strauss agreed to take on the legal work and in return Davis was made Strauss's production manager.
Eventually the canvas material was replaced by blue denim and the modern 'blue jean' was born.
1983: Car bomb in South Africa kills 16
At least 16 people have been killed and more than 130 people injured in a car bomb explosion in South Africa's capital city, Pretoria.
The explosion happened outside the Nedbank Square building on Church Street at about 1630 hours - the height of the city's rush hour.
More than 20 ambulances attended the scene and took the dead and injured to three hospitals in and around Pretoria.
Police sealed off the surrounding area with a barbed-wire fence as emergency personnel sifted through the rubble looking for bodies.
Bomb disposal experts were called to the scene to search for a possible second bomb.
The outlawed anti-apartheid group the African National Congress has been blamed for the attack.
Bled to death
A huge pall of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the air as debris and bodies were strewn around the scene of the explosion.
It is understood the bomb had been placed in a blue Alfa Romeo car outside the multi-storey building, which houses the South African air force headquarters.
It exploded at the height of the city's rush-hour as hundreds of people were leaving work for the weekend.
Glass and metal were catapulted into the air as shop-fronts and windows were blown out.
Many passers-by had limbs amputated by the flying debris. Others bled to death.
South Africa's Minister for Law and Order, Louis le Grange, who visited the scene immediately, blamed the attack on the ANC.
He said: "I have no doubt who is responsible for this despicable attack."
He said the explosion was the "biggest and ugliest" terrorist incident since anti-government violence began in South Africa 20 years ago.
He added: "Most of the victims were civilians, but some were air force personnel in uniform, black and white. Quite a number of those killed were black.
The ANC is committed to overthrowing the minority white government.
Oliver Tambo, who is the organisation's acting president while its senior figure, Nelson Mandela, is in prison, said the Nedbank Square building was a legitimate target, although he did not admit carrying out the attack.
General Mike Gedenhuys, Police Commissioner, said: "Many of the victims are so badly mutilated they have not yet been identified."
General Magnus Malan, South African's defence minister, described the explosion as a "cowardly, criminal deed in the Communist war being raged against South Africa".
He said more than 40,000 civilians had died as a result of terrorism in the past five years in Africa and 83,000 armed men had died.
South Africa has nearly five million whites, 21 million blacks, nearly one million Indians and about 2.5 million people of mixed race.
The government's apartheid system denies citizenship rights to black people except in 10 remote homelands. The ANC has warned it intends to step up its campaign to bring an end to white minority rule.
The ANC, led by Oliver Tambo, admitted planting the car bomb
In Context
The number of dead rose to 17 and 197 people were injured in the explosion.
Four days later the South African Air Force bombed ANC bases in Maputo, Mozambique, in retaliation for the Pretoria car bomb.
At least six people, including two children, were killed.
Following the Maputo attack the ANC formally admitted carrying out the Pretoria bombing.
On 2 February 1990 the South African government lifted restrictions on the ANC allowing legal opposition to apartheid for the first time in 40 years.
The ANC party's leader, Nelson Mandela, was freed on 11 February 1990 after 27 years in detention.
In May 1994 Mandela became South Africa's first black president when the ANC swept into power.
1965: British police to be issued with tear gas
Britain's police are to be armed with tear gas guns and grenades to be used against armed criminals or dangerous individuals.
The Home Secretary, Sir Frank Soskice, made the announcement in the House of Commons today.
He assured MPs the gas caused only temporary discomfort with no long-term side-effects.
"Non-toxic tear smoke" already used by the police in the Colonies would be stored at 40 police centres in England and Wales and at six in Scotland.
It is the first time British police are being issued with the "non-lethal weapon" - although London's Metropolitan Police and four other forces have been able to obtain supplies from the military in emergency cases.
Gas against "violently insane"
Sir Frank made clear the chemical would be used only "in dealing with armed criminals or violently insane persons in buildings from which they cannot be dislodged without danger or loss of life".
He said the gas would have no long-term effect on people who came into contact with it.
Sir Edward Dodd, the Chief Inspector of Constabularies, told the BBC tear gas would under no circumstances be used for crowd control.
"The Secretary of State has asked chief constables to report to him the circumstances under which weapons are used whenever it is necessary to use them," he said.
He envisaged it would be used only "two or three times a year".
CS gas was developed at the Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment at Porton in Wiltshire.
It is delivered in a grenade or cartridge and has an immediate effect - victims experience watering eyes and blurred vision which wears off as soon as they leave the area affected.
The idea of allowing issue of tear gas to police was first recommended by a working party in 1962. For the last 10 years, police chiefs have expressed concern about the vulnerability of their officers and members of the public on rare occasions when criminals barricade themselves in buildings and there is no alternative but to send in armed officers.
Sir Edward Dodd said tear gas would not be used for crowd control
In Context
Tear gas is widely accepted by police forces around the world as a means of controlling civilian crowds.
British police carry guns or tear gas to deal with sieges, armed robberies, terrorist attacks or diplomatic duties.
However, tear gas was often used against demonstrators at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970s.
CS gas was used for the first time on the British mainland to control rioters in Toxteth, Liverpool in 1981, but rarely since then.
CS spray was cleared for use in 1996 as a safer alternative to police batons but three forces - Nottinghamshire, Northants and Sussex - still do not use it because of health concerns.
Police and Arms
A 1995 Police Federation survey on police attitudes to armed patrols found:
79% of police officers said they were not in favour of being routinely armed with guns
But 40% said more officers should be trained to use firearms
42% felt their life had been in serious danger as a result of personal threat in the previous two years
39% had been threatened with firearm, knife or other weapon in the previous two years
In the event of a decision to arm all officers 43% said they would be prepared to carry firearms on duty or all of the time
6% said they would resign from the police service if they were ordered to wear a firearm
1973: Royal Navy moves to protect trawlers
Britain has sent in Royal Navy ships to protect trawlers in the disputed Icelandic 50-mile zone as the so-called "cod war" escalates.
Three frigates - the Cleopatra, the Plymouth and the Lincoln - are sailing alongside the British trawlers now fishing in box formation.
The skippers had said they would not return to the seas without naval protection against Icelandic gunboats. They have been cruising the area since Iceland extended its fishing from three to 50 miles eight months ago.
The Navy is not going to stand idly by and see trawlers chivvied as they have been chivvied recently. The Navy has a job to do.
Joseph Godber, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries
He said the frigates, armed with light guns and rocket missiles, would take "appropriate action" if necessary.
The decision to send in the Navy was made three days ago by the Cabinet Defence and Overseas Policy Committee with the Prime Minister Edward Heath present.
The trawler owners and the skippers had disagreed over whether or not to accept naval assistance.
The trawler owners feared that the Royal Navy's presence would restrict fishing as happened some 13 years ago during the first cod war.
But they have since agreed to let the frigates accompany the fishing boats because three tugs - the Statesman, the Irishman and the Lloydsman - would also be present and allow the trawlers to fish more freely.
The Icelandic ambassador in London, Niel Siguurdsson, said last night he was "surprised and disappointed" by the move. Last week, the British ambassador, Sir Ian MacKenzie, failed to get assurances from Iceland's prime minister, Olafur Johannesson, that its ships would stop threatening British trawlers.
HMS Cleopatra, one of the three frigates on patrol is armed with light guns and rocket missiles
In Context
Iceland has extended its territorial waters three times since the end of the 1950s to protect its fishermen and their main catch of Atlantic cod from foreign fleets.
On each occasion, Icelandic patrol boats trying to enforce the new limits clashed on the high seas with British trawlers and naval vessels.
This second cod war ended after the intervention of NATO with a two-year agreement limiting British trawlers to certain areas within the 50-mile limit.
Britain also agreed that its vessels would not catch more than 130,000 tonnes of fish a year.
This agreement expired on 13 November 1975, when Iceland again extended its fishing to 200 miles (332km) and the third cod war began.
Nato again helped negotiated an end to the dispute on 6 June 1976.
Britain was limited to using 24 trawlers within a 200-mile zone at any one time for an annual catch of up to 50,000 tonnes.
2000: Blairs' delight at birth of fourth child
The British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie are celebrating the birth of their baby son who will be called Leo.
He is the first child to be born to a serving British Prime Minister for more than 150 years and was named after Mr Blair's father.
The latest addition to the Blair household arrived at 0025BST and weighed in at 6lbs 12oz, according to Downing Street.
An emotional Mr Blair said he was thrilled at becoming a father again and praised the doctors and midwives who assisted his wife.
He said: "Our baby is fine. He's a gorgeous boy. They are just resting now. It was an ordinary, natural birth, though it was quite a long labour so Cherie is quite tired now."
Congratulations
The proud parents and their new baby returned to Downing Street shortly after Leo's birth at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London.
Mrs Blair, 45, had been admitted to the hospital during Friday lunchtime, five days before her official due date of 24 May.
The prime minister then joined his wife at the hospital at 2050 BST and stayed with her for six hours before they returned to Downing Street with their new son.
The couple managed to give the hordes of waiting media the slip by leaving the hospital via a back door.
The couple already have two sons, Euan, 16, and Nicky, 14, and a daughter, Kathryn, 12.
The prime minister has said he will not be taking parental leave but intends to scale back his official workload.
Congratulations have already started to pour in following the birth. Mrs Blair's father, actor Tony Booth, said he was "absolutely thrilled and delighted" at the news he had a new grandson.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have sent Mr and Mrs Blair flowers and best wishes, as have Tory leader William Hague and his wife Ffion.
Mr Hague said: "We send our congratulations to them and their children. We know this is a wonderful day for them, and a happy day for the country as a whole."
Liberal Democrat Leader Charles Kennedy said it was important to give the Blairs some breathing space to enjoy their new arrival. "The most important thing now is that everyone respects their right to privacy and peace for a decent interval."
The first serving prime minister in 150 years to father a child
In Context
Leo Blair travelled 14,000 miles before he could walk, and was in the eye of a political storm before he could talk.
He made his first public appearance when he was weeks old.
But soon after that he was at the centre of a row over privacy, when "unauthorised" photographs of him were used by newspapers in spite of pleas by the Blairs.
His parents are determined to protect his privacy - as well as that of his siblings - and have kept strict control over photographs and information about him. Soon after Leo's first birthday Mr Blair resisted pressure to reveal whether or not he had been given the controversial MMR vaccine.
In August 2002 Cherie Blair became pregnant for the fifth time but suffered a miscarriage.
1958: High Wycombe weighs new mayor
The mayor and corporation of High Wycombe were weighed in today in full view of the public to see whether or not they have been getting fat at the taxpayers' expense.
The annual custom dates back to medieval times and is unique to this Buckinghamshire market town.
Weight is no longer an election issue, but for custom's sake the new mayor, Councillor Lesley Brain, and 24 charter trustees and honorary burgesses obliged by sitting on a specially erected scale to have their weights recorded and compared with last year's.
Traditionally the "macebearer" dressed in tradional costume rings a bell and calls out the weight. When he adds the words "And no more!" the crowd cheers as a sign of their appreciation and gratitude for hard work done for the community.
'And some more!'
But if he shouts "And some more!", it means the mayor has been indulging in too much good living at ratepayers' expense and the crowd jeers and boos.
In years gone by they would have also pelted the offending person with tomatoes and rotten fruit.
Luckily for the new mayor, this year's crowd was more restrained as the macebearer shouted: "Councillor Brain - 13 stone 2lbs - and some more!"
A rather corpulent Councillor RA Wood weighing in at 20 stone received a loud "Boo!" as he slid off the scales.
The weighing-in was preceded by the mayor-making ceremony which began at the Mayor's Parlour in Victoria Road followed by a colourful procession to the Guildhall. The new mayor signed several legal oaths to the monarch, the citizens of High Wycombe and to the clerk of the market.
The tradition of weighing the mayor is unique to High Wycombe
In Context
Two years later Cllr Wood entered the High Wycombe record books weighing in at 20st 5lbs.
He was beaten in 2002 when outgoing mayor Cllr Nigel Vickery weighed in at 21 stone.
In 1999 the new mayor Cllr Peter Cartwright revitalised the ceremonial procession to the Guildhall and on to the weighing-in ceremony in the High Street by re-introducing a drummer drumming out the old mayor.
__________________
I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
________________________________
In Context
It later emerged that a female Tamil Tiger (LTTE) suicide bomber had assassinated Rajiv Gandhi.
In 1987 Mr Gandhi, then prime minister, had sent Indian peacekeeping forces to Sri Lanka in a disastrous attempt to impose peace in the country. The move proved unpopular both at home and abroad and his troops pulled out in 1990.
A year after Mr Gandhi's death, the Tamil Tigers were outlawed in India.
PV Narasimha Rao, succeeded Gandhi as Congress leader and became India's prime minister later that year.
After a number of bribery scandals, the party was heavily defeated in the 1996 elections. But its popularity was revived in 1998 by Mr Gandhi's Italian-born widow Sonia who took over as leader and returned the party to power in the 2004 elections.
She refused to become prime minister herself, however, and the job went to former finance minister Manmohan Singh.
1961: Freedom Riders spark Montgomery riots
Martial law has been imposed in the town of Montgomery, Alabama, following more violent clashes between blacks and whites.
The trouble at the Negro First Baptist Church erupted this evening when a crowd of white men, women and children began throwing stones through the windows as black civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King was speaking.
The attack is the latest in a string of violent incidents which have dogged the so-called Freedom Riders, a multi-racial group on a bus tour of the southern US states challenging racial segregation.
Three hundred federal marshals armed with teargas were called in by Attorney General Robert Kennedy to disperse tonight's angry mob.
Minutes later local police reinforcements arrived and baton-charged the crowd, which finally broke up.
In his address to the congregation, Dr King called for a massive campaign to end segregation in Alabama.
He said the state had demonstrated "the most inhuman form of oppression" and it was time to put a stop to it.
Dr King has returned to Montgomery to rally his supporters after being told of last night's attack on the Freedom Riders, when they arrived at the Greyhound bus depot in Montgomery.
Beaten unconscious
A group of whites armed with clubs assaulted the riders as they got off the bus.
Federal marshals were called in to break up the violence after Justice Department official John Seigenthaler was beaten unconscious when he tried to help two Freedom Riders. Another white rider, Jim Zwerg, was also badly beaten.
Estimates of the number injured in yesterday's attack vary between 20 and 75.
The police were reportedly nowhere to be seen until the worst of the violence was over.
The trouble in Montgomery follows violence in Anniston when the Freedom Riders' bus was firebombed and Birmingham, Alabama, when the riders were thrown into jail.
Tonight, the Governor of Alabama, John Patterson, has appealed to residents to stay off the streets and to refrain from any acts of violence.
But he imposed the state of martial law only as a last resort. Earlier he threatened to arrest any marshal who tried to intervene in what he called local law enforcement.
Attorney General Mr Kennedy - brother of President John F Kennedy - said he sent in the marshals because he failed to receive an assurance from the governor that law and order could be maintained. Governor Patterson has now requested the marshals to leave and take Dr King with them.
Freedom Riders challenged racial segregation at Montgomery bus depot
In Context
The Freedom Rides followed the successful Montgomery bus boycott in the mid 50s, which saw thousands of black Americans refuse to travel by bus for 13 months. The loss of revenue and a Supreme Court ruling finally forced the Montgomery Bus Company to desegregate.
But in many southern states segregation continued to operate.
Four days after the clashes outside the Baptist Church, the Freedom Riders were given armed protection as they marched into the "whites only" waiting room in Montgomery and bought tickets to take them to Jackson, Mississippi.
They were allowed to continue their journey through the deep south, escorted by the Alabama National Guard and Highway patrol officers.
But on arrival in Jackson, they were arrested and jailed for 60 days. More Freedom Riders travelled south to keep up the pressure and by the end of the summer about 300 had been arrested.
On 1 November 1961 their dreams were realised when the Interstate Commerce Commission, at the request of Robert Kennedy, issued rules prohibiting segregated travel on the buses.
1966: Cooper loses to world champ Clay
American Cassius Clay has beaten Britain's Henry Cooper in the sixth round of a fight in London to retain the world heavyweight championship.
Cooper's hopes of bringing the title back to the UK were dashed one minute and 38 seconds into the sixth round when the referee stopped the fight - a deep gash over his left eye forced him to concede victory to 24-year-old Clay.
There were two right-hand punches but it was his head that did the damage
Jim Wicks, Henry Cooper's Manager
About 40,000 spectators watched at the Arsenal football ground in Highbury, north London as Cooper, aged 32, fought bravely with his big left hooks to battle against Clay's quick footwork and fast punches.
After the fight Cooper was sent to Guys Hospital where he had 12 stitches for the cut that dashed his hopes of world victory.
His manager Jim Wicks, said Clay had butted Cooper with his head and should be disqualified.
Clay, a committed Muslim, has recently changed his name to Mohammed Ali.
'I am the greatest!'
The 1960 Olympic champion, famed for proclaiming "I am the greatest!", took the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston in 1964.
He was left unmarked by the fight apart from some swelling on the cheekbone under his left eye - the result of one of Cooper's best punches.
After his win, he went to Cooper's dressing room to see him and said: "I hate to spill blood. It's against my religion."
His manager and "spiritual adviser" Herbert Muhammed said Clay should be proud of his performance. "It was a wonderful punch," he said. "The same one that broke Liston. It's terrible to see a man destroyed like that. I think the referee should have stopped the fight before."
The referee stopped the fight in the sixth round
In Context
Slow motion footage of the fight later showed Mohammed Ali had won the fight legitimately and not from a clash of heads.
The following year, he lost his boxing licence in the US after he refused to be drafted into the army on religious grounds.
In 1970 Mohammed Ali won back his right to box at the Supreme Court. But in 1971 he was beaten by Joe Frazier.
He took back the title of world champion in 1974 in a famous fight against George Forman in Zaire known as the "rumble in the jungle". He lost it again briefly to Leon Spinks in 1978 and then won it back the same year to become the only boxer to win the title three times.
During the mid-1980s he contracted Parkinson's disease as a result of blows to the brain.
He was voted BBC Sporting Personality of the Century in 1999.
Henry Cooper retired in 1971, became a TV commentator and was knighted in 1999.
1950: Tornado sweeps southern England
Two people have died in violent storms and a tornado which have devastated southern England.
Several others were injured in lightning strikes and fierce winds which caused massive damage to property around London.
The two who died were Frederick Cast and James Perry, of Kempston in Bedfordshire. Both were struck by lightning and killed as they ran for shelter.
Three others with them were injured and taken to hospital.
Black cloud
The worst damage to property was caused by a tornado which began in the late afternoon in Buckinghamshire.
Eyewitnesses spoke of a dense, black cloud gathering on the horizon and quickly developing into the dark column of a tornado.
It swept through towns and villages across the top of London as far as the Cambridgeshire fens, leaving ruin in its wake.
Terrifying wind
In the Buckinghamshire village of Linslade, the terrifying wind wrecked hundreds of houses and other buildings as it tore through the streets and surrounding fields.
One resident, Tony Birch, described the scene:
"When we looked out of the side of the house, clouds appeared to be coming together in different directions.
I believe I saw the actual source of the tornado."
Dozens homeless
Whole streets of houses were stripped of their roof tiles, with furniture inside ruined by the heavy rain which followed.
Dozens of people have been made homeless, and relief workers are now helping those affected.
There were extraordinary scenes as the wind passed over: hundreds of trees were uprooted, drawn into the air and dropped large distances away.
The tornado also lifted up parked cars, cattle and horses and dumped them in nearby fields.
Witnesses said the tornado was 50 yards (45.7 metres) wide in places, although it shrank to just 5 yards (4.6 metres) wide in others.
It took less than an hour to travel from one end of the village to the other, but it caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage.
Flood warnings
Other towns in the tornado's path were also badly affected.
About half a mile from Linslade, in the town of Leighton Buzzard, a shop in the high street was struck by lightning and set on fire, while in Ely, Cambridgeshire, a double-decker bus was overturned. There are warnings of further flooding throughout the entire region, and it's likely that the difficult weather conditions will continue.
Tornadoes happen almost every year in the UK and leave a trail of destruction
In Context
The path of the 1950 tornado was at least 66 miles long. It remains the longest trail on record for a tornado in England, and at two and a half hours the tornado is the longest lasting on record in Europe.
In Linslade alone, 200 houses were damaged, 50 extensively. The Ministry of Supply handed out 450 tarpaulins to cover damaged roofs.
A further victim of the storms was eight-year-old Jennifer Margaret Reeves, who was swept away by flood waters and drowned.
One or two tornadoes are reported every year in the UK, of varying severity. Most are very limited in area, and cause damage over a narrow band not many miles in length.
They generally happen as a result of violent thunderstorms, and are caused by strong air currents within a storm cloud creating a high-speed funnel of wind.
1958: Trunk dialling heralds cheaper calls
Automated telephone connection will make calls easier and cheaper, Postmaster General Ernest Marples has announced.
From December, Subscriber Trunk Dialling will be introduced in the Bristol area where 18,000 subscribers will be able to make trunk calls without the aid of the operator.
In ten years' time - by 1970 - I should think three quarters of all trunk telephone calls will be dialled
Ernest Marples, Postmaster General
The General Post Office is to spend £35m modernising the phone system in an effort to popularise use of the telephone. At the moment there are on average less than two calls a day per telephone made in the UK - half the number of those made in the US.
All calls will be charged automatically according to both time of call and distance. Prices will start at 2d and a three-minute call will cost 2s 6d, a reduction from 3s 6d.
Londoners to wait two years
Callers in London will not benefit from the new system until 1961 because more complicated equipment will be needed in the larger cities.
"In ten years' time - by 1970 - I should think three quarters of all trunk telephone calls will be dialled," said Mr Marples.
New streamlined coin phone boxes will be installed in Bristol with slots for 3d, 6d and 1s pieces. Money cannot be put in until the call is answered.
Mr Marples demonstrated to reporters how the new automatic dial payphones will work.
A series of pips indicates when the time paid for is running out and the caller must insert more coins to carry on talking.
"And if you don't put it in in that time, you'll hear the 'number unobtainable' in which case as they say - rudely - you've had it!" he explained. "We didn't want to be hard on the people in the kiosks for this reason - they may not have quite the right money available and [we wanted] to give them the chance to continue their conversation if they so wished. It's quite revolutionary and I think it will give them good value for money."
Postmaster General Ernest Marples demonstrates how to use a direct-dial payphone
In Context
On 5 December, the Queen inaugurated automatic trunk dialling by making a call from Bristol Central Telephone Exchange to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, more than 300 miles (482km) away.
Her call lasted two minutes five seconds and cost 10d (or the equivalent of four pence in decimal currency).
In 1976 the last manual exchange in the United Kingdom at Portree in the Isle of Skye closed making the British telephone system fully automatic.
British Telecom took over the running of the phone system from the Post Office in 1981.
Telecommunications technology has come a long way since.
The advent of the Internet, email and mobile phones along with cut-throat competition in the global telecoms market has forced British Telecom to lower the price of phone calls and other services.
__________________
I'd rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I am not".
________________________________
| i don't know |
Who were Bobby 'Boris' Pickett's backing group on his hit 'Monster Mash'? | The Original Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Picket | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic
The Original Monster Mash
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AllMusic Review by Greg Adams
"Monster Mash" is one of the all-time great holiday songs, resurfacing (and sometimes charting) every Halloween without fail. The Original Monster Mash is the accompanying Top 20 album from 1962, on which Pickett leads off with his big hit before plying his Boris Karloff shtick for another 15 songs. Pickett's other Top 100 monster hit, the Christmas novelty "Monsters' Holiday," is here as well, along with dated jokes about Fabian ("Rabian - The Fiendage Idol") and then-current dance crazes ("Transylvania Twist," "Skully Gully"). "Let's Fly Away" is a brief Stan Freberg send-up that replaces "John and Marsha" with Dracula and Vampira. The Crypt-Kickers were an all-star band that counted Leon Russell, producer Gary Paxton, and other famous folks among its members, and the album remains a fine Halloween party platter year and years later. Unfortunately, the album was remixed for CD release in 1991, and the vocals are obscured in the mix so that the generic rock backing often prevails over the "spooky" dialogue and singing, which defeats the point for a novelty effort such as this.
Track Listing
| Bobby Pickett |
Alban Berg's opera 'Lulu' ends with the appearance of which murderer? | Bobby "Boris" Pickett - Monster Mash Lyrics
Bobby "Boris" Pickett
I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise
He did the mash
He did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
He did the mash
It caught on in a flash
He did the mash
He did the monster mash
From my laboratory in the castle east
To the master bedroom where the vampires feast
The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
To get a jolt from my electrodes
They did the mash
They did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They did the mash
It caught on in a flash
They did the mash
They did the monster mash
The zombies were having fun
The party had just begun
The guests included Wolf Man
Dracula and his son
The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five"
They played the mash
They played the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They played the mash
It caught on in a flash
They played the mash
They played the monster mash
Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring
Seems he was troubled by just one thing
He opened the lid and shook his fist
And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?"
It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash
The monster mash
And it's a graveyard smash
It's now the mash
It's caught on in a flash
It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash
Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band
And my monster mash is the hit of the land
For you, the living, this mash was meant too
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you
Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash
The monster mash
And do my graveyard smash
Then you can mash
You'll catch on in a flash
Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash
Copyright: Lyrics © Original Writer and Publisher
| i don't know |
In July 1963 which osteopath was convicted of living off immoral earnings? | Stephen Ward
Stephen Ward
London Borough Of Richmond Upon Thames, Hammersmith New Cemetery And Mortlake Crematorium
Person
Stephen Thomas Ward (19 October 1912 – 3 August 1963) was an English osteopath and artist who was one of the central figures in the 1963 Profumo affair, a British political scandal which brought about the resignation of John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War, and contributed to the defeat of the Conservative government a year later.
In 1945 Ward began practising osteopathy in London, and rapidly became successful and fashionable, with many distinguished clients. In his spare time he also studied at the Slade School, and developed a talent for sketching portraits which provided a profitable sideline. His practice and his art brought considerable social success, and he made many important friends. Among these was Lord Astor, at whose country house, Cliveden, in the summer of 1961, Ward introduced Profumo to a 19-year-old showgirl and night-club model, Christine Keeler. Profumo, who was married to the actress Valerie Hobson, embarked on a brief affair with Keeler, most of their assignations taking place in Ward's home in Wimpole Mews.
Ward's friendship with the Russian military attaché Yevgeny Ivanov, known by MI5 to be an intelligence officer, drew him to the attention of British intelligence, who sought to use him in an attempt to secure Ivanov's defection. The matter became complicated when, through Ward, Ivanov met Keeler, raising the possibility of a Profumo-Keeler-Ivanov triangle. Profumo ended the relationship with Keeler, which remained largely unsuspected until early in 1963, when the disintegration of Keeler's private life brought matters to public and press attention. Profumo denied any impropriety in a statement to the House of Commons, but a few weeks later admitted his affair. He resigned his ministerial office and his parliamentary seat. Amid a range of rumours of widespread sex scandals in government and high society, the police began to investigate Ward. In June 1963 he was charged with immorality offences and committed to trial.
In the trial that followed, in July 1963, Ward was abandoned by his society friends and exposed to the contempt and hostility of prosecuting counsel and judge. Despite the relative paucity of evidence and the dismissal of most of the charges against him, he was convicted on two counts of living off immoral earnings. However, before the verdict was announced, Ward took an overdose of sleeping pills and died three days later. The death was accepted as suicide at the time, though later theories have raised a suggestion that he could have been killed on the orders of MI5. The trial has been disparaged as a travesty of justice, an act of Establishment revenge for the fall of Profumo and the government's embarrassment. In 2014 the verdict was under review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, with a view to a possible appeal.
Early life
Born in Lemsford, Hertfordshire, Stephen Ward was the son of Arthur Evelyn Ward, Vicar of Lemsford, and Eileen Esmée, née Vigors. The Vigors family were of distinguished Anglo-Irish stock; the explorer Wilfred Thesiger was a cousin. In 1920, the family moved to Torquay in Devon, when Ward's father became Vicar of St. Matthias.
Ward attended Canford School as a boarder, where he was unjustly punished for an assault on a fellow-pupil after refusing to name the real culprit. This experience left a longstanding mark. Somewhat lazy and a regular underachiever, he had few realistic career choices when he left Canford in 1929. He moved to London, where he worked for a few months as a carpet salesman in Houndsditch before an uncle found him a job in Hamburg as a translator in the German branch of Shell Oil. After a year, he left the Hamburg job for Paris and registered for a course at the Sorbonne, while eking out a living as a tour guide. He returned briefly to Torquay in 1932 before moving again to London where he worked as a tea salesman. In 1934, he was persuaded by his mother to seek qualification as an osteopath, by studying at the Kirksville College of Osteopathy and Surgery in Missouri, USA. He spent four years there, completing a demanding course that qualified him as a general medical practitioner in the United States and entitled him to the prefix "doctor". Ward was greatly impressed by the United States. He later commented: "I loved America and Americans, a warm-hearted, open and dynamic people. Their kindness and hospitality made me feel ashamed of the standoffish way the British treat people".
Career
Second World War
On his return from America, Ward set up as an osteopath in Torquay. On the outbreak of war in September 1939, he volunteered for service in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) but was rejected because his American qualifications were not recognised. In 1941, he was conscripted as a private into the Royal Armoured Corps, based at Bovington. His osteopathic skills became known; and, for much of his time at Bovington, he was relieved from general duties and permitted to practise his profession. This arrangement offended the RAMC; and, after an inquiry, Ward's activities were stopped. However, in view of his evident talents, he was recommended for a commission in the RAMC within the new category of "stretcher-bearer".
In March 1944, Ward was posted to India. The army still found it difficult to accommodate him; and he spent much time canvassing for the proper recognition of osteopathy, while being officially assigned to non-medical duties. However, he found opportunities to practise his skills; among those whom he treated was Mahatma Gandhi, who impressed Ward: "Although much of his policy was opposed to that of my own country. I knew that when I was with him I was in the presence of greatness, and my encounter with him was certainly the most important meeting of my life". Following a nervous collapse that led to a period in a psychiatric hospital, Ward returned to England in October 1945 and was discharged from the army "on grounds of disability".
Society osteopath
After the Second World War, Ward worked for the Osteopathic Association Clinic in Dorset Square, London. While there he had opportunities to treat well-known public figures, the first of whom was the American ambassador, W. Averell Harriman. Later he treated Duncan Sandys, the son-in-law of Winston Churchill; Sandys recommended Ward to Churchill himself. Ward now had sufficient status and recommendations to set up his own private practice, in Cavendish Square just off Harley Street. He soon attracted a clientele from the worlds of politics, society and show business, and his social life became absorbed into this milieu; Ward's polished manners and conversational skills assured him of social success. He befriended the cartoonist and socialite Arthur Ferrier, whose parties he attended regularly and where he mixed with, among others, Prince Philip of Greece, later the Duke of Edinburgh but then a junior officer in the Royal Navy. His own parties were noted for their social mix: "a barrister, a barrow-boy, a writer, a motor salesman, a peer, and always, for some reason, a steady stream of pretty girls".
Ward enjoyed the company of beautiful women, but his libido was low and his relationships were often platonic. His preference was for the type he called "alley-cats" – city girls that he could impress and dominate. He generally enjoyed discussing and watching sexual activity rather than participating, a factor which may have contributed to the failure of his marriage, in July 1949, to an actress, Patricia Mary Baines, who came from a prosperous middle-class background.
Throughout the 1950s Ward's practice grew. Among his new patients was Lord Astor who became a close friend and who helped Ward to cement his place in London society. Conversely, Ward introduced the shy Astor to his own world of night-clubs, parties and girls. In 1956, for a nominal rent, Astor gave Ward the use of a riverside cottage in his grounds of the Astor family estate at Cliveden in Buckinghamshire. Many of Ward's assorted friends from all walks of life joined him for weekends at the cottage, where from time to time they would be joined by Astor and his guests from the main house. Sometimes Ward and his party would mingle with the gatherings at the main house.
In his spare time Ward had attended art classes at the Slade school, and subsequently he developed a profitable sideline in portrait sketches. In 1960 he was commissioned by The Illustrated London News to provide a series of portraits of national and international figures. These included members of the Royal family, among them Prince Philip and Princess Margaret. Ward hoped to visit the Soviet Union to draw portraits of Soviet leaders; to help him, one of his patients, the Daily Telegraph editor Sir Colin Coote, arranged an introduction to Yevgeny Ivanov, listed as a naval attaché at the Soviet Embassy. British Intelligence (MI5) knew from the Soviet double-agent Oleg Penkovsky that Ivanov was an intelligence officer in the Russian GRU. Ward and Ivanov became firm friends. Ivanov frequently visited Ward at Wimpole Mews, and sometimes joined Ward's weekend parties at the Cliveden cottage.
MI5 considered Ivanov a possible defector, and sought Ward's help to this end, allocating him to a case officer known as "Woods". Ward was later used by the British Foreign Office as a backchannel, through Ivanov, to the Soviet Union, and was involved in unofficial diplomacy at the time of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Profumo affair
In 1959 Ward met Christine Keeler, a 17-year-old showgirl who was working at Murray's Cabaret Club in Beak Street, Soho. Captivated by his charm, she agreed to move in with him, although their relationship was not sexual. She stayed with him, on and off, for the next several years, and often spent time at the riverside cottage. During the weekend of 8–9 July 1961 Keeler was among several guests at the cottage with Ward. At the main house, among a large gathering from the worlds of politics and the arts, was John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War, and his wife, the actress Valerie Hobson. On the Saturday evening, Ward's and Astor's parties mingled at the Cliveden swimming pool, which Ward and his guests had permission to use. Ward introduced Keeler to Profumo, who was greatly attracted to her, and promised to be in touch. Ward later reported to MI5 that Profumo and Ivanov had met, and that Profumo had shown considerable interest in Keeler. This information was an unwelcome complication in MI5's plans to use her in a honeytrap operation against Ivanov, that might secure his defection.
Keeler and Profumo embarked on a brief affair; some suggest that it ended after a few weeks, while others believe that it continued, with decreasing fervour, until December 1961. The couple usually met at Ward's house in Wimpole Mews; Profumo did not pay Keeler for her services, apart from a few small presents and once, a sum of £20 as a gift for her mother. On 9 August 1961 Profumo was warned by Sir Norman Brook, the Cabinet Secretary, of the dangers of mixing with Ward's group, since MI5 were at this stage unsure of Ward's dependability. That same day, Profumo wrote Keeler a letter, beginning "Darling...", cancelling an assignation they had made for the following day. Some commentators have assumed that this letter ended the association; Keeler insists that the affair ended later, after her persistent refusals to stop living with Ward.
Press and public remained largely ignorant of the Keeler-Profumo liaison until early in 1963, when Keeler became a focus of newspaper attention as the "missing witness" in a case involving one of her former lovers, Johnny Edgecombe. At that point Keeler began talking indiscriminately, and attempted to sell her story to newspapers. None at this stage dared print it, but rumours of the affair were widespread, and there was much speculation. A few days after the trial, on 21 March, the satirical magazine Private Eye printed the most detailed summary so far of the rumours, with the main characters lightly disguised: "Mr James Montesi", "Miss Gaye Funloving", "Dr Spook" and "Vladimir Bolokhov". In a statement to the House of Commons on 22 March 1963, Profumo denied any impropriety with Keeler. Ward, who knew the truth, at first supported Profumo; however, when he found himself the target of an aggressive police investigation, and facing immorality charges, he revealed his knowledge to Profumo's political masters and to the press. Profumo found the burden of sustaining his lie too much, confessed his guilt and resigned from government and parliament. Two days after the resignation, amid growing rumours of widespread sex scandals in government and high society, Ward was arrested and charged with several counts of living off immoral earnings and of procuring.
Trial and death
Ward's committal proceedings began on 28 June, at Marylebone magistrates' court, where the Crown's evidence was fully reported in the press. Ward was committed for trial at the Old Bailey, but was released on bail pending trial. In his account of the trial, which began on 22 July, Richard Davenport-Hines describes it as an act of political revenge: "The exorcism of scandal in high places required the façade of [Ward's] conviction on vice charges". While living with Ward, Keeler and her fellow-model Mandy Rice-Davies had made small contributions to household expenses, and had repaid money lent to them by Ward. The thrust of the prosecution's case, in which Keeler and Rice-Davies were their principal witnesses, was that these payments indicated that Ward was living off their immoral earnings. Ward's approximate income at the time, from his practice and from his portraiture, had been around £5,500 a year, a substantial sum at that time.
The prosecution's case looked weak; however, Ward's perceived image had been heavily tarnished in the committal proceeding. None of his well-known friends offered to speak on his behalf, and MI5 did not reveal the uses they had made of Ward as a channel of communication to the Russians. The prosecuting counsel, Mervyn Griffith-Jones, portrayed Ward as representing "the very depths of lechery and depravity", while the judge, Sir Archie Marshall, adopted a similarly hostile attitude. Towards the end of the trial, information relating to another case, in which Keeler had been a leading witness, was revealed by the Court of Appeal. This indicated that Keeler's evidence in that earlier case had been false. Marshall did not reveal the salient fact to the Ward trial jury that the reliability of the prosecution's chief witness had been compromised, and effectively invited the jury to disregard the appeal court's decision. On 30 July Marshall began his summing-up, in a speech that was so damning that Ward despaired. That evening, after writing numerous letters to friends and to the authorities, Ward took an overdose of sleeping tablets and was taken to hospital. On the next day Marshall completed his summing-up; the jury found Ward guilty in absentia on the charges of living off the immoral earnings of Keeler and Rice-Davies, while acquitting him of several other counts. Sentence was postponed until Ward was fit to appear, but on 3 August he died without regaining consciousness.
On 9 August, a coroner's jury ruled Ward's death a suicide by barbiturate poisoning. According to reports, Ward left several notes, one of which read, "I'm sorry to disappoint the vulture [...] I feel the day is lost. The ritual sacrifice is demanded and I cannot face it." On the day of the inquest, after a private memorial service at the chapel in St Stephen's Hospital, Ward's remains were cremated at Mortlake Crematorium. In their accounts of the security aspects of the Profumo affair, Anthony Summers and Stephen Dorril provide extra information concerning Ward's last hours, his movements and his visitors. They also quote from an interview with "a former MI6 operative", who asserted that Ward had been murdered by an agent working on behalf of MI6. The main motive for the killing was Ward's continuing ability to embarrass the government and the Royal family. The method, apparently, was to encourage Ward to continue to take barbiturates until a fatal dose had been ingested. The reporter Tom Mangold, one of the last to see Ward alive, dismisses the murder theory, while allowing that there are unexplained circumstances relating to Ward's death.
Aftermath
The government appointed Lord Denning, the Master of the Rolls, to investigate the various rumours that had emanated from and around the Profumo affair. Denning's report, published on 26 September 1963, concluded that there had been no security leaks, and no evidence to link members of the government with associated scandals. He laid most of the blame for the affair on Ward, an "utterly immoral" man whose diplomatic activities were "misconceived and misdirected". The Profumo affair had damaged Harold Macmillan's government; Macmillan resigned as prime minister in October 1963, citing health reasons. His successor was Lord Home, who renounced his peerage and served as Sir Alec Douglas-Home. In the October 1964 general election the Conservative government was narrowly defeated by the Labour Party, and Harold Wilson became prime minister.
Ward's role on behalf of MI5 was confirmed in 1982, when the Sunday Times located his former contact, "Woods". Keeler, in one of several accounts of her life, has denounced Ward as a Soviet spy, and a traitor ranking alongside Philby, Burgess and Maclean, but without direct supporting evidence. Many commentators share Davenport-Hines's view that Ward was a scapegoat and that his trial was an "historical injustice".[1] The human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson has campaigned for the case to be reopened on several grounds, including the premature scheduling of the trial, lack of evidence to support the main charges, and various misdirections by the trial judge in his summing up. Above all, the judge failed to disclose Keeler's perjury at an earlier trial, which made her a tainted witness. In January 2014 the case was being considered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, with a view to allowing an appeal.
In the 1989 film version of the Profumo affair, Scandal, Ward is played by John Hurt. Ward was portrayed by Alexander Hanson in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Stephen Ward the Musical, which opened in the West End at the Aldwych Theatre on 19 December 2013 and closed in 2014. According to Geoffrey Robertson, the script of the musical is "remarkably faithful to the facts".
Source: wikipedia.org
| Stephen Ward |
Where in Paris would you find the French foreign ministry? | Christine Keeler found prison 'like school' - Telegraph
Culture
Christine Keeler found prison 'like school'
Christine Keeler found prison "just like being back at school" after she was convicted of perjury, according to recently revealed letters.
Christine Keeler and John Profumo Photo: PA
By Stephen Adams , Arts Correspondent
7:30AM BST 22 Jul 2010
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The call girl and model, whose affair with government minister John Profumo dogged the Harold Macmillan government, was jailed for nine months in December 1963 for perjury.
Writing that month to her parents from behind bars at Holloway Prison, she tried to reassure them she was coping.
Then 21, she wrote: "Don’t worry, I’m fine, in fact it’s just like being back at school, and there is a girl I went to school with."
Keeler was only 19 when she started her affair with Profumo in 1961, after he spotted her climbing naked out of the swimming pool at Cliveden House near Marlow while on an evening walk with his wife.
Profumo's subsequent lie to the House of Commons over the affair precipitated his resignation, and arguably the Conservatives' 1964 defeat.
Related Articles
Cliveden saga takes new turn
09 Jan 2007
"Procured" for Lord Astor's 'Cliveden set' by Stephen Ward, an osteopath with a sideline in high-class prostitution, Keeler rose to fame during Ward's subsequent 1963 trial for living off "immoral earnings".
Her reputation was sealed by a picture taken that summer of her straddling a chair with nothing on.
Fresh pictures of her have now surfaced, as well as letters to her parents and a pair of charcoal drawings that Ward made of the young woman.
The photographs include several taken on the day of her release in 1964 - one of her tucking into a home-cooked meal and the other enjoying the summer flowers.
In March 1964 Keeler wrote that she hoped to capitalise on her celebrity when she was released.
"I am only young and should start on a career of some sort seeing my name is well known. I might as well carry on with it and make us lots of money ha! ha!" she told her parents.
However, her career as a pin-up was relatively short and she ended up living in a series of council flats. Now 68, she lives in Bromley, Kent.
The photographs and letters are to go on show for an exhibition called Christine Keeler: my life in pictures, which opens at The Mayor Gallery in Cork Street, London, on November 3.
| i don't know |
The word 'refugee' first described which protestants fleeing from France to England? | Explainer: The first 'refugees' were white Protestants | Public Radio International
Explainer: The first 'refugees' were white Protestants
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An African migrant holds a placard depicting the signing of a United Nations convention pertaining to the status of refugees in 1951, as her child and husband stand nearby during a protest in front of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees office in Tel Aviv.
Credit:
Amir Cohen/Reuters
The adage "sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me” never quite rang true to me.
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And in the wake of the migrant crisis, it rings even more false. The words are being used interchangeably these days — but they mean vastly different things.
New York Times reporter Somini Sengupta recently highlighted that fact when she explained how being defined as one or another matters in the eyes of the law.
And that got English professor Bill Germano thinking about the actual etymology of the words. He wrote about the words for Chronicle of Higher Education’s Lingua Franca blog.
“It turns out that refugee and migrant first make their appearances in English within a year of each other in 1681 and 1682,” says Germano.
The word refugee comes from French and was first used in the modern context following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, which sent the Protestant Huguenots to flee the religious persecution by the French King Louis XIV.
“This was now a group of people who were leaving France and became identified as refugees," Germano says. "With that, the word began its progress into the English language."
The term morphed by the 18th century, according to Germano, to encompass more than just people fleeing religious persecution to people fleeing war, violence and other persecution.
One of the earliest reported uses of the word migrant, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, says Germano, came from one of his favorite writers, Sir Thomas Browne’s book Letter to a Friend in 1672.
“He comes up with this term, but he’s talking about the movement of animals,” says Germano. “Birds in particular are described from the 1670s on as migrants. We might say migratory now, but migrant is the first use of the word.”
By the 18th century, says Germano, migrant became a term that was used much more broadly — for humans as well as animals. There are three key moments when these words are particularly active and interesting after their first emergence, according to Germano.
“One is around the French Revolution. We get a lot of these words because of the movement of large groups of people because of the French Revolution. The American Colonies and the early republic for words like emigrant and immigrant [as well]. And then World War II, which is profoundly important even only at the level of language, for helping to define what a displaced person is and then, in 1951 of course, when the resolution is passed, which helps us define what these terms legally are going to be,” says Germano.
One of the things that has always interested Germano is the layers of language history.
“As we use these terms, particularly now in this highly charged political environment, I think it's really interesting and very, very useful for us to look back at the history because the meaning don’t go entirely away. Words have consequences,” says Germano.
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In which eastern county is Holme Fen, the lowest point in the UK? | BBC iWonder - How did Britain handle its biggest wave of refugees ever?
BBC iWonder
In association with BBC Radio 4's Home Front Drama series
Presented byRachel ShelleyActor
In association with BBC Radio 4's Home Front Drama series
Presented byRachel ShelleyActor
On the eve of World War One, as German forces demanded safe passage through Belgium on their way to attack France, the Belgian king refused to stand aside. What came next was unimaginable. Cities were burnt, civilians were murdered. 'The rape of Belgium', as it became known, invoked the sympathy of the world.
Terrified Belgians fled in their hundreds of thousands. But where would they go?
In its long history as a safe haven for refugees, Britain had given a home to French Protestant Huguenots in the 17th century and Russian Jews in the 19th century. Now, it would open its doors to its largest single influx - a quarter of a million Belgians escaping the German invasion. Life for them and their British hosts would be radically changed.
2. Britain's lifeline
Image courtesy of Mary Evans Picture Library.
'Plucky little Belgium’ was widely admired in Britain for its resistance against the German invasion.
As one of the guarantors – alongside France and Germany – of the 1839 Treaty of London, Britain was honour bound to recognise and protect Belgium’s independence and neutrality. When Germany invaded, stories of German atrocities spread by word of mouth and were carried in newspapers.
The popular image of 'the Hun' rampaging through 'gallant Little Belgium' contributed to popular support for the war, particularly among a British population in fear of invasion once they had seen German warship shell their coastal towns in December 1914.
As Belgians kept arriving, the War Refugees Committee (WRC) coordinated a wide network of voluntary relief work. Within two weeks of publishing an appeal for accommodation, it had received 100,000 offers. More than 2,500 local committees, supported by local authorities, were set up across the country. Hundreds of charity initiatives and events were organised.
For many, helping the refugees was their way of contributing to the wider war effort.
3. Little Belgium
As the refugees started to arrive in vast numbers, they spread to places across Britain where they were given jobs and housed by local people.
Images courtesy of Mary Evans Picture Library, Getty Images, TopFoto and IWM.
4. Them and us
Winston Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty in 1914
In 1914, Sir Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, wrote in a private letter that the Belgians “ought to stay there and eat up continental food and occupy German policy attention […] This is no time for charity”.
Although this view wasn’t widely shared, in time stories of tension between Belgians and the local population were reported in newspapers. One refugee was described as going about 'as if he was a duke', while some local refugee committees complained about individuals demanding a higher standard of living.
Refugees also had to put up with condescending attitudes. A newly-married refugee couple could only enjoy a home of their own “when they have become more accustomed to English life and English ways”, as discussed by a committee in London. And Belgian men who hadn’t enlisted to fight were resented by some. There was even suspicion that some Belgians may have been German spies.
As soon as the war ended, both British and Belgian governments appealed for the refugees to return home. As early as 1914, the Belgian Repatriation Fund had been created by the English wife of a member of the Belgian Government and in 1917 the British government set up a repatriation committee to expedite their return.
5. What did they leave behind?
With the offer of free passage back to Belgium, by 1921 more than 90% of the refugees had gone back home. But what mark did they leave on Britain?
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Paektu Mountain is the highest point on which Asian peninsula? | Learn and talk about Paektu Mountain, AAAAA-rated tourist attractions, Active volcanoes, Biosphere reserves of North Korea, China–North Korea border
Names[ edit ]
Etymology of Baekdu.
The modern names of the mountain in Chinese and Korean come from the Sushen or Proto- Jurchen language of the Manchu peoples . Its modern Manchu name is Golmin Šanggiyan Alin or Long/Ever White Mountain. Similarly, its Mongolian name is Ondor Tsagaan Aula, the Lofty White Mountain.
In Chinese, the mountain itself is known as Chángbáishān ("Ever White Mountain") but the mountain and Heaven Lake taken together are known as Báitóushān ("Whitehead Mountain"). [4] This later name, read in Korean and variously romanized , is the source of the North Korean name Paektu-san and South Korean Baekdu-san. In Japanese, the Mountain was spelled as Hakuto-san.
In English, various authors have used non-standard transliterations. [5]
Geography and geology[ edit ]
Relief Map
Mount Baekdu is a stratovolcano whose cone is truncated by a large caldera , about 5 km (3.1 mi) wide and 850 metres (2,790 ft) deep, partially filled by the waters of Heaven Lake. [1] The caldera was created in or near 946 AD by the colossal ( VEI =7) [6] "Millennium" eruption . [7] Volcanic ash from this eruption has been found as far away as the southern part of Hokkaidō , the northern island of Japan. The lake has a circumference of 12 to 14 kilometres (7.5 to 8.7 mi), with an average depth of 213 metres (699 ft) and maximum depth of 384 metres (1,260 ft). From mid-October to mid-June, the lake is typically covered with ice. In 2011, experts in North and South Korea met to discuss the potential for a significant eruption in the near future, [8] as the volcano explodes to life every 100 years or so, the last time in 1903. [9] Despite political tensions, Western scientists have also worked with North Korean scientists to study the volcano. [10]
The geological forces forming Mount Paektu remain a mystery. Two leading theories are first a hot spot formation and second an uncharted portion of the Pacific Plate sinking beneath Mount Paektun. [11]
The central section of the mountain rises about 3 mm per year due to rising levels of magma below the central part of the mountain. Sixteen peaks exceeding 2,500 m (8,200 ft) line the caldera rim surrounding Heaven Lake. The highest peak, called Janggun Peak, is covered in snow about eight months of the year. The slope is relatively gentle until about 1,800 m (5,910 ft).
Water flows north out of the lake, and near the outlet there is a 70 metres (230 ft) waterfall. The mountain is the source of the Songhua , Tumen and Yalu rivers. The Tumen and the Yalu form the northern border between North Korea and Russia and China.
Heaven Lake
The weather on the mountain can be very erratic, sometimes severe. The annual average temperature at the peak is −8.3 °C (17.1 °F). During summer, temperatures of about 18 °C (64 °F) or higher can be reached, and during winter temperatures can drop to −48 °C (−54 °F). Average temperature is about −24 °C (−11 °F) in January, and 10 °C (50 °F) in July, remaining below freezing for eight months of the year. Average wind speed is 42 kilometres (26.1 mi) per hour, peaking at 63 kilometres (39.1 mi) per hour. Relative humidity averages 74%.[ citation needed ]
Eruptions[ edit ]
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards . The specific problem is: reptition in years and locations, general grammar issues
(January 2016)
Main article: 946 eruption of Paektu Mountain
Mount Baekdu has had at least two ignimbrite -forming eruptions in the past 5000 years. The tephra from the later eruption have been found in Greenland, [12] which agree with the age of Mount Beakdu eruption. The 946 AD eruption is called the "Millennium eruption". The Millennium eruption was one of the largest and most violent eruptions in the last 5000 years (alongside the Hatepe eruption of Lake Taupo at around 180 AD and the 1815 eruption of Tambora ), with a Volcanic Explosivity Index rating of 7. The Millennium eruption has been recorded in the book of Koryo History.
In the year of A.D. 946, "thunders from the heaven drum" (likely the explosions from the Millennium eruption) were heard in the City of Kaesong, then the capital of ancient Korea about 450 km south of the Paektusan volcano, which terrified the emperor so much that the convicts were pardoned and set free. According to the book of Heungboksa Temple History, on November 3 of the same year in the City of Nara (Japan), about 1100 km southeast from the Paektusan volcano, an event of "white ash rain" was recorded. Three months later, on February 7 of A.D. 947, "drum thunders" were heard in the City of Kyoto (Japan), about 1000 km southeast of the Paektu Mountain volcano, based on the written documentation in the book of Japan History. [7] The Tianwenfeng eruption also has been record in the Manchurian Myths. Manchus described the Paektu Mountain as "Fire Dragon", "Fire Demon" or "Heavenly Fire". [13]
The age of the Millenium eruption is not clear, but the carbonized wood in Heifengkou lag breccia has been date around 4105 ± 90 B.P. This eruption formed large areas covered in yellow pumice and ignimbrite. [14] The eruption released about 23.14 megatons of SO2 into stratosphere. [15] The bulk volume of the ejecta is at least 100 km³, making the Tianwenfeng eruption also of VEI 7.
After these major eruptions, Paektu Mountain had at least 3 smaller eruptions, which occurred in 1668, 1702, and 1903, likely forming the Baguamiao ignimbrite, the Wuhaojie fine pumice and the Liuhaojie tuff ring . [16]
In 2014, the Government of North Korea invited volcanologists James Hammond of Imperial College, London and Clive Oppenheimer of the University of Cambridge to study the mountain for recent volcanic activity. Their work is expected to last for "two or three years". [17]
Flora and fauna[ edit ]
Painting from the Manchu Veritable Records with the names of Mount Paektu in Manchu, Chinese and Mongolian
Mount Paektu on the Emblem of North Korea .
There are five known species of plants in the lake on the peak, and some 168 were counted along its shores. The forest on the Chinese side is ancient and almost unaltered by humans. Birch predominates near the tree line , and pine lower down, mixed with other species. In recent decades, significant climate warming has resulted in changes in the structure of the ancient forests on the upper slopes, with a change over from birch to more pine , and a thickening of the forest canopy. There has been extensive deforestation on the lower slopes on the North Korean side of the mountain.
The area is a known habitat for Siberian tigers , bears , Amur leopards , wolves , and wild boars . The Ussuri dholes may have been extirpated from the area. Deer in the mountain forests, which cover the mountain up to about 2000 metres, are of the Paekdusan roe deer kind. Many wild birds such as black grouse , owls , and woodpecker are known to inhabit the area. The mountain has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports a population of scaly-sided mergansers . [18]
History[ edit ]
Mount Baekdu has been worshipped by the surrounding peoples throughout history. Both the Koreans and Manchus consider it the place of their ancestral origin.[ citation needed ]
China[ edit ]
Mount Baektu was first recorded in the Chinese Classic of Mountains and Seas under the name Buxian Shan ( Chinese : 不咸山). It is also called Shanshan Daling ( Chinese : 單單大嶺) in the Book of the Later Han . In the New Book of Tang , it was called Taibai Shan ( Chinese : 太白山). [19] The current Chinese name Changbai Shan was first used in the Liao dynasty (907–1125) of the Khitans [20] and then the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) of the Jurchens . [21] The Jin dynasty bestowed the title "the King Who Makes the Nation Prosperous and Answers with Miracles" ( Chinese : 興國靈應王) on the sanshin in 1172 and it was promoted to "the Emperor Who Cleared the Sky with Tremendous Sagehood" ( Chinese : 開天宏聖帝) in 1193.
The Manchu clan Aisin Gioro , which founded the Qing dynasty in China, claimed their progenitor Bukūri Yongšon was conceived near Paektu Mountain.
Korea[ edit ]
The mountain was considered sacred by Koreans throughout history. According to Korean mythology, it was the birthplace of Dangun , the founder of the first Korean kingdom, Gojoseon (2333 BC–108 BC), whose parents were said to be Hwanung , the Son of Heaven, and a bear who had been transformed into a woman. [22] Many subsequent kingdoms of Korea, such as Buyeo , Goguryeo , Balhae , Goryeo and Joseon worshipped the mountain. [23] [24]
The Goryeo dynasty (935–1392) first called the mountain Baekdu, [25] recording that the Jurchens across the Yalu River were made to live outside of Mount Paektu. The Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) recorded volcanic eruptions in 1597, 1668, and 1702. The 15th century, King Sejong the Great strengthened the fortification along the Tumen and Yalu rivers, making the mountain a natural border with the northern peoples. [26] Some Koreans claim that the entire region near Mount Paektu and the Tumen River belongs to Korea and part of it was illegally given away by Japanese colonialists to China through the Gando Convention [ citation needed ].
Dense forest around the mountain provided bases for Korean armed resistance against the Japanese occupation , and later communist guerrillas during the Korean War . Kim Il-sung organized his resistance against the Japanese forces there, and North Korea claims that Kim Jong-il was born there, [27] although records outside of North Korea suggest that he was actually born in the Soviet Union . [28] [29]
North Korea appropriates the mountain's mythology in its propaganda and uses it like a brand-name, for example with the Paektusan rocket and the Paektusan computer. [30] [31] The peak is featured on the Emblem of North Korea , defined in Article 169 of the Constitution, which describes Mt Paektu as "the sacred mountain of the revolution". [32] The mountain is often referred to in slogans such as: "Let us accomplish the Korean revolution in the revolutionary spirit of Paektu, the spirit of the blizzards of Paektu!" [33] North Korean media even celebrates portentous natural phenomenon witnessed at the mountain. [34]
Historical border disputes[ edit ]
PRC-DPRK border around Paektu Mountain
According to Annals of the Joseon Dynasty , the Yalu (鴨綠江) and Tumen Rivers (土門江/圖們江) were set as the borders in the era of the founder of Joseon Dynasty, Taejo of Joseon (1335–1408). [35] Because of the continuous entry of Korean people into Gando, a region in Manchuria that lay north of the Tumen, Manchu and Korean officials surveyed the area and negotiated a border agreement in 1712. To mark the agreement, they built a monument describing the boundary at a watershed, near the south of the crater lake at the mountain peak. The interpretation of the inscription caused a territorial dispute from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, and is still disputed by academics today. The 1909 Gando Convention between China and Japan, when Korea was under Japanese rule , recognized the area north and east as Chinese territory. The border was further clarified in 1962, when China and North Korea negotiated a border treaty on the mountain border in response to minor disputes. The two countries agreed to share the mountain and the lake at the peak, with Korea controlling approximately 54.5% and gaining approximately 230 km2 in the treaty. [36]
Recent border disputes[ edit ]
Some South Korean groups argue that recent activities conducted on the Chinese side of the border, such as economic development, cultural festivals, infrastructure development, promotion of the tourism industry, attempts at registration as a World Heritage Site , and bids for a Winter Olympic Games, are an attempt to claim the mountain as Chinese territory. [37] [38] These groups object to China's use of Mount Changbai, which has been used since Liao Dynasty [20] and the earlier Jin dynasty . [21] Some groups also regard the entire mountain as Korean territory that was given away by North Korea in the Korean War . [38] Both European maps and Chinese maps dating before the annexation of Mount Paektu and Gando show these areas to be under Korean Joseon Dynasty control. [39] [40]
During the 2007 Asian Winter Games , which were held in Changchun , China, a group of South Korean athletes held up signs during the award ceremony which stated "Mount Baektu is our territory" (both North Korea and South Korea claim each other's countries territory as their own). Chinese sports officials delivered a letter of protest on the grounds that political activities violated the spirit of the Olympics and were banned in the charter of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia . The head of the Korea Olympic Committee responded by stating that the incident was accidental and held no political meaning. [41] [42] [43] [44] South Korea has attempted to avoid having this issue become a source of friction between South Korea and China . However, the athletes' gesture did not become as big an issue as Liancourt Rocks dispute and the Sea of Japan naming dispute .
The 2007 official National Atlas of Korea [45] shows the boundary as per the 1962 agreement, roughly splitting the mountain and the caldera lake. However, South Korea, which claims all of North Korea as its territory, claims the caldera lake and the inside part of the ridge enclosing as South Korean territory. [46]
Sightseeing[ edit ]
Foreign visitors, mostly South Koreans, usually climb the mountain from the Chinese side, although Mount Paektu is a common tourist destination for foreign tourists in North Korea. The Chinese touristic site is classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration . [47]
There are a number of monuments on the North Korean side of the mountain. Baekdu Spa is a natural spring and is used for bottled water. Pegae Hill is a camp site of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army ( Chosŏn'gŭl : 조선인민혁명군; Hancha : 朝鮮人民革命軍) allegedly led by Kim Il-sung during their struggle against Japanese colonial rule . There are also a number of secret camps which are now open to the public. There are several waterfalls, including the Hyongje Falls which splits into two separate falls about a third of the way from the top.[ citation needed ] In 1992, on the occasion of the 80th birthday of Kim Il-sung , a gigantic sign consisting of metal letters reading "Holy mountain of the revolution" was erected on the side of the mountain. North Koreans claim that steps that lead to the top of the mountain contain 216 steps — symbolizing Kim Jong-il 's date of birth, 16 February — but in reality there are more steps. [48]
Mount Baekdu's location
^
^
Ehlers, Jürgen; Gibbard, Philip (2004). Quaternary Glaciations: South America, Asia, Africa, Australasia, Antarctica. Elsevier.
The Changbai Mountain is the highest (2570 m a.s.l.) in north-eastern China (42°N,128°E) on the border between China and Korea.
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| Korea |
Which is both the highest capital city in Europe and one of its smallest? | About: Paektu Mountain
About: Paektu Mountain
An Entity of Type : Stratovolcano , from Named Graph : http://dbpedia.org , within Data Space : dbpedia.org
Mount Paektu, Baekdu, or Changbai is an active volcano on the border between North Korea and China. At 2,744 m (9,003 ft), it is the highest mountain of the Changbai and Baekdudaegan ranges.It is also the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast China. A large crater lake, called Heaven Lake is in the caldera atop the mountain.
Property
abstract
Mount Paektu, Baekdu, or Changbai is an active volcano on the border between North Korea and China. At 2,744 m (9,003 ft), it is the highest mountain of the Changbai and Baekdudaegan ranges. It is also the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast China. A large crater lake, called Heaven Lake is in the caldera atop the mountain.
(en)
جبال تشانغباي(باللغة الصينية: 长白山-وتعني الجبال الطويلة البيضاء,باللغة الكورية:(백두산) تفصل مقاطعة جيلين في شمال شرق الصين عن كوريا الشمالية.عليها 16 قمة يبلغ ارتفاع كل منها 2500 متر عن مستوى سطح البحر. قمتها الرئيسية بايتو، ويبلغ ارتفاعها 2691 متر.وتعتبر أعلى قمة في شمال الصين وشبه الجزيرة الكورية.تقع بحيرة تيانشي(باللغة الصينية: 天池) على رأس جبال بايتو وقد تشكلت من المياه المتجمعة في فوهة بركان.جبال تشانغباي تمثل كنزاً من الموارد الطبيعية.وتشتهر بإنتاج نبات جنسنغ(بالصينية:人参) وقرن الأيل وجلدالسمور، وهذا المنتجات تعتبر من المنتجات الثمينة. ويتميز المناخ في المنطقة بانه كثير التقلب، وتعتبر الآن من المناطق السياحية المهمة في الصين.
(ar)
Der Paektusan (kor. weißköpfiger Berg), chinesisch Changbai shan (immerweißer Berg) oder Baitou shan genannt, ist die höchste Erhebung des Changbai-Gebirges. Die Angaben zur Höhe variieren je nach Quelle zwischen 2.744 und 2.750 Metern. Der Berg liegt an der Grenze zwischen der nordkoreanischen Provinz Ryanggang-do und der chinesischen Provinz Jilin. Er ist der höchste Berg der Mandschurei und der Koreanischen Halbinsel. Auf dem Berg entspringen die Flüsse Songhua, Tumen und Yalu.
(de)
Le mont Paektu (Baekdusan en coréen hangeul : 백두산 ; hanja : 白頭山 ou équivalent chinois Baitou shan : chinois simplifié : 白头山 ; chinois traditionnel : 白頭山 ; pinyin : báitóu shān), ou mont Changbai (chinois simplifié : 长白山地 ; chinois traditionnel : 長白 ; pinyin : chángbái shāndì ; Wade : Ch'ang-pai Shan-ti, nom plus usuel en chinois) et variantes, ou encore ᡤᠣᠯᠮᡳᠨᡧᠠᠩᡤᡳᠶᠠᠨᠠᠯᡳᠨ, translit. Möllendorff : Golmin Šanggiyan Alinn, translit. Taiqing : Golmin Xanggiyan Alin en mandchou, est le point culminant de l'ensemble de la Corée, à 2 744 m d'altitude. C'était un mont sacré pour les Coréens et les Mandchous. En 946, il a été le théâtre d'une des plus fortes éruptions de notre ère. Sa partie chinoise est protégée par la réserve naturelle du mont Changbai qui a été reconnue réserve de biosphère en 1979, et sa partie nord-coréenne par la réserve naturelle du mont Paektu, réserve de biosphère depuis 1989 (1 320 km2). Situé dans une zone inhospitalière, ses abords sont relativement peu peuplés.
(fr)
El monte Paektu (chosŏn'gŭl: 백두산, hancha: 白頭山, romanización revisada: Baektu-san, McCune-Reischauer: Paektu-san), también conocido como montaña Changbai en China, es una montaña volcánica localizada en la frontera entre Corea del Norte y China. Con 2744 m, es la montaña más alta de la montañas Changbai, al norte, y de la cordillera Baekdudaegan, al sur. También es la montaña más alta de la península de Corea y de Manchuria.
(es)
Il Monte Paektu, anche noto come Baitou (in cinese 白頭山T, 白头山S, BáitóushānP) e Pektu (백두산, 白頭山, Paektusan), è il picco più alto della penisola coreana (2.744 m), al confine fra la Corea del Nord e la Cina. Il suo nome cinese è Changbai (長白山T, 长白山S, ChángbáishānP), da cui il nome della catena montuosa a cui appartiene, il Changbai Shan. La montagna è di origine vulcanica e comprende un lago, il lago Paradiso, a 2 189,1 m di altezza e circondato da 16 picchi che superano i 2 500 m di altezza. Il picco più elevato si chiama Janggun. La montagna è in fase di crescita, di circa 3mm all'anno, a causa dell'accumulo di magma sotto la parte centrale della montagna. Un'eruzione storica, che potrebbe aver creato il lago Paradiso, fu registrata nel 1597. Il lago è tipicamente ghiacciato da ottobre a giugno e la temperatura media resta fredda anche d'estate, con una media annuale di -8 °C in cima alla montagna. Dalla montagna sorgono i fiumi Yalu/Amnok, che sfocia nel mar della Cina, Tumen/Tuman, che sbocca nel mar del Giappone, e Songhua, che confluisce nel fiume Amur. La montagna è venerata dalle popolazioni locali ed è annoverata tra i simboli nazionali della Corea del Nord: è infatti menzionata nell'inno nazionale nordcoreano; inoltre, secondo la propaganda nazionale, nel 1942 in cima alla montagna sarebbe nato Kim Jong-il, mentre in cielo apparivano un doppio arcobaleno e una stella brillante. Tuttavia tale asserzione è puramente leggendaria: il Caro Leader nacque esule in un campo militare di Chabarovsk, in Siberia, nel 1941.
(it)
白頭山（はくとうさん、朝鮮語：백두산 ペクトゥサン Paektusan・簡体字：白头山）は、中華人民共和国（中国）吉林省と朝鮮民主主義人民共和国（北朝鮮）両江道の国境地帯にある標高2,744mの火山。別名、長白山（ちょうはくさん、簡体字：长白山 チャンパイシャン）。
(ja)
De Paektusan ("witkoppige berg"; Chinees: Changbai shan; "altijd witte berg") of Baitou Shan is een stratovulkaan in het Changbaigebergte nabij de grens tussen China en Noord-Korea. Met een hoogte van 2744 meter is het de hoogste berg van het Changbaigebergte. Het is ook de hoogste berg van het Koreaans Schiereiland en van Mantsjoerije. De caldera is het Tianchimeer (Hemelmeer) van 5 km doorsnee en ca. 213 meter diep. De Paektushan is de afgelopen 1000 jaar vijf keer uitgebarsten, de laatste keer in 1702. De uitbarsting in 1050 was één van de grootste uitbarstingen op Aarde in de afgelopen 10.000 jaar, met een Vulkanische-explosiviteitsindex (VEI) van 7 (op een schaal van 1 tot 8): er werd zo'n 150 km3 aan vulkanisch materiaal uitgestoten (ter vergelijking: de Mount Saint Helens stootte bij een zware uitbarsting in 1980 ca. 1 km3 as uit). Slechts drie erupties waren in de afgelopen 10.000 jaar van een vergelijkbare zwaarte: de Tambora in 1815, de Kikai rond 4350 v.Chr. en Crater Lake rond 4895 v.Chr.
(nl)
Pektu-san (kor.: 백두산, Paektu-san; chiń. upr.: 长白山; chiń. trad.: 長白山; pinyin: Chángbái Shān lub chiń. upr.: 白头山; chiń. trad.: 白頭山; pinyin: Báitóu Shān) – szczyt wulkaniczny w pasmie Gór Wschodniomandżurskich. Leży na granicy Chin i Korei Północnej. Jest najwyższym szczytem Gór Wschodniomandżurskich oraz najwyższym punktem Korei Północnej. Jest to także najwyższe wzniesienie Półwyspu Koreańskiego oraz Mandżurii. Ostatnia odnotowana erupcja miała miejsce w 1903 r. W kraterze tego wulkanu znajduje się Jezioro Niebiańskie (kor.: 천지, Ch'ŏnji; chiń.: 天池; pinyin: Tiānchí).
(pl)
Пэктуса́н или Байтоуша́нь — потенциально активный вулкан на границе КНДР (провинция Янгандо) и Китая (провинция Цзилинь). Гора имеет высоту 2744 м и является высшей точкой Маньчжуро-Корейских гор, также всей Маньчжурии и Корейского полуострова.Корейское название Пэктусан (кор. 백두산?, 白頭山?), означает «белоголовая гора». Китайское название Чанбайшань (кит. 长白山) и маньчжурское Golmin Šanggiyan Alin означают «вечно белая гора».В 1959 году на корейской части вулкана был создан самый большой заповедник Кореи, а на год позже с китайской стороны был основан природный резерват. В 1979 году они были объединены в международный биосферный заповедник.
(ru)
A montanha Baekdu, Baitou ou Paekdu (língua coreana: Baekdu San, 백두산, 白頭山; Baekdu-san), também conhecida como Montanha Changbai, é uma montanha vulcânica localizada na fronteira da Coreia do Norte com a China. Com 2744 m de altitude, é a montanha mais alta dos Montes Changbai ao norte e dos Montes Baekdudaegan ao sul. É também a montanha mais alta da península Coreana e da Manchúria, tratando-se de um estratovulcão cuja última erupção ocorreu em 1903. O monte Paektu — cujo nome em língua coreana significa "montanha do cume branco" e em língua chinesa "montanhas sempre brancas" ou "montanhas de cabeça branca" - situa-se sobre a fronteira sino-coreana, entre a província chinesa de Jilin e a norte-coreana de Ryanggang. Os principais rios da Coreia do Norte, que marcam também a fronteira com a China, nascem no maciço do monte Paektu: o Tumen e o Amnok (Yalou em chinês). Há muitas variantes do nome (coreano 백두산), Ch’ang Pai, Chang-pai Shan, Chōhaku-san, Hakutō, Hakutō-san, Hakutō-zan, Paik-to-san, Pai-t’ou Shan, Mount Paitoushar, Paitow Shan, Pei-schan e Bai Yun Feng. O grande lago de cratera vulcânica designa-se lago Chonji (lago do Céu, em coreano: 천지, em chinês: 天池). Há também uma queda de água quente, ocupando cerca de 200 m2, que nunca gela, nem nos invernos mais frios. A montanha está representada no brasão de armas da Coreia do Norte.
(pt)
comment
Der Paektusan (kor. weißköpfiger Berg), chinesisch Changbai shan (immerweißer Berg) oder Baitou shan genannt, ist die höchste Erhebung des Changbai-Gebirges. Die Angaben zur Höhe variieren je nach Quelle zwischen 2.744 und 2.750 Metern. Der Berg liegt an der Grenze zwischen der nordkoreanischen Provinz Ryanggang-do und der chinesischen Provinz Jilin. Er ist der höchste Berg der Mandschurei und der Koreanischen Halbinsel. Auf dem Berg entspringen die Flüsse Songhua, Tumen und Yalu.
(de)
El monte Paektu (chosŏn'gŭl: 백두산, hancha: 白頭山, romanización revisada: Baektu-san, McCune-Reischauer: Paektu-san), también conocido como montaña Changbai en China, es una montaña volcánica localizada en la frontera entre Corea del Norte y China. Con 2744 m, es la montaña más alta de la montañas Changbai, al norte, y de la cordillera Baekdudaegan, al sur. También es la montaña más alta de la península de Corea y de Manchuria.
(es)
白頭山（はくとうさん、朝鮮語：백두산 ペクトゥサン Paektusan・簡体字：白头山）は、中華人民共和国（中国）吉林省と朝鮮民主主義人民共和国（北朝鮮）両江道の国境地帯にある標高2,744mの火山。別名、長白山（ちょうはくさん、簡体字：长白山 チャンパイシャン）。
(ja)
Pektu-san (kor.: 백두산, Paektu-san; chiń. upr.: 长白山; chiń. trad.: 長白山; pinyin: Chángbái Shān lub chiń. upr.: 白头山; chiń. trad.: 白頭山; pinyin: Báitóu Shān) – szczyt wulkaniczny w pasmie Gór Wschodniomandżurskich. Leży na granicy Chin i Korei Północnej. Jest najwyższym szczytem Gór Wschodniomandżurskich oraz najwyższym punktem Korei Północnej. Jest to także najwyższe wzniesienie Półwyspu Koreańskiego oraz Mandżurii. Ostatnia odnotowana erupcja miała miejsce w 1903 r. W kraterze tego wulkanu znajduje się Jezioro Niebiańskie (kor.: 천지, Ch'ŏnji; chiń.: 天池; pinyin: Tiānchí).
(pl)
Mount Paektu, Baekdu, or Changbai is an active volcano on the border between North Korea and China. At 2,744 m (9,003 ft), it is the highest mountain of the Changbai and Baekdudaegan ranges.It is also the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast China. A large crater lake, called Heaven Lake is in the caldera atop the mountain.
(en)
جبال تشانغباي(باللغة الصينية: 长白山-وتعني الجبال الطويلة البيضاء,باللغة الكورية:(백두산) تفصل مقاطعة جيلين في شمال شرق الصين عن كوريا الشمالية.عليها 16 قمة يبلغ ارتفاع كل منها 2500 متر عن مستوى سطح البحر.
(ar)
Le mont Paektu (Baekdusan en coréen hangeul : 백두산 ; hanja : 白頭山 ou équivalent chinois Baitou shan : chinois simplifié : 白头山 ; chinois traditionnel : 白頭山 ; pinyin : báitóu shān), ou mont Changbai (chinois simplifié : 长白山地 ; chinois traditionnel : 長白 ; pinyin : chángbái shāndì ; Wade : Ch'ang-pai Shan-ti, nom plus usuel en chinois) et variantes, ou encore ᡤᠣᠯᠮᡳᠨᡧᠠᠩᡤᡳᠶᠠᠨᠠᠯᡳᠨ, translit. Möllendorff : Golmin Šanggiyan Alinn, translit. Taiqing : Golmin Xanggiyan Alin en mandchou, est le point culminant de l'ensemble de la Corée, à 2 744 m d'altitude. C'était un mont sacré pour les Coréens et les Mandchous. En 946, il a été le théâtre d'une des plus fortes éruptions de notre ère. Sa partie chinoise est protégée par la réserve naturelle du mont Changbai qui a été reconnue réserve de biosphère en 1
(fr)
Il Monte Paektu, anche noto come Baitou (in cinese 白頭山T, 白头山S, BáitóushānP) e Pektu (백두산, 白頭山, Paektusan), è il picco più alto della penisola coreana (2.744 m), al confine fra la Corea del Nord e la Cina. Il suo nome cinese è Changbai (長白山T, 长白山S, ChángbáishānP), da cui il nome della catena montuosa a cui appartiene, il Changbai Shan.Il lago è tipicamente ghiacciato da ottobre a giugno e la temperatura media resta fredda anche d'estate, con una media annuale di -8 °C in cima alla montagna.
(it)
De Paektusan ("witkoppige berg"; Chinees: Changbai shan; "altijd witte berg") of Baitou Shan is een stratovulkaan in het Changbaigebergte nabij de grens tussen China en Noord-Korea.Met een hoogte van 2744 meter is het de hoogste berg van het Changbaigebergte. Het is ook de hoogste berg van het Koreaans Schiereiland en van Mantsjoerije. De caldera is het Tianchimeer (Hemelmeer) van 5 km doorsnee en ca. 213 meter diep. De Paektushan is de afgelopen 1000 jaar vijf keer uitgebarsten, de laatste keer in 1702. De uitbarsting in 1050 was één van de grootste uitbarstingen op Aarde in de afgelopen 10.000 jaar, met een Vulkanische-explosiviteitsindex (VEI) van 7 (op een schaal van 1 tot 8): er werd zo'n 150 km3 aan vulkanisch materiaal uitgestoten (ter vergelijking: de Mount Saint Helens stootte bij
(nl)
Пэктуса́н или Байтоуша́нь — потенциально активный вулкан на границе КНДР (провинция Янгандо) и Китая (провинция Цзилинь). Гора имеет высоту 2744 м и является высшей точкой Маньчжуро-Корейских гор, также всей Маньчжурии и Корейского полуострова.Корейское название Пэктусан (кор. 백두산?, 白頭山?), означает «белоголовая гора». Китайское название Чанбайшань (кит.
(ru)
A montanha Baekdu, Baitou ou Paekdu (língua coreana: Baekdu San, 백두산, 白頭山; Baekdu-san), também conhecida como Montanha Changbai, é uma montanha vulcânica localizada na fronteira da Coreia do Norte com a China. Com 2744 m de altitude, é a montanha mais alta dos Montes Changbai ao norte e dos Montes Baekdudaegan ao sul. É também a montanha mais alta da península Coreana e da Manchúria, tratando-se de um estratovulcão cuja última erupção ocorreu em 1903.A montanha está representada no brasão de armas da Coreia do Norte.
(pt)
| i don't know |
In 1957 Pete Murray invited you to jive on what? | BFI Screenonline: Six-Five Special (1957-58) Synopsis
Show analysis
Synopsis
Warning: screenonline full synopses contain 'spoilers' which give away key plot points. Don't read on if you don't want to know the ending!
Edition originally transmitted on BBC on 31 August 1957
Pete Murray introduces Eric Delaney and his Band. They play 'Ole King Rock'n'Roll' (a rock'n'roll version of 'Ole King Cole'). The studio audience jives.
Pete Murray introduces Spike Milligan, playing an inventor, Mr Pym, who has invented a device which indicates when jelly is present in a room. Michael Holliday mimes to 'Old Cape Cod', then sings 'Love you Darlin', accompanied by Don Lang and his Frantic Five.
Holliday introduces Jo Douglas, Freddie Mills and Pete Murray, who sing a comic song around the Six-Five Special train theme. Mills is dressed as a Teddy Boy and Murray enacts rock'n'roll steps. Don Lang's tenor sax player, Rex, plays a solo.
Don Lang sings his new record 'White Silver Sands'. Don Lang says the programme has received many letters from people who want to know the difference between jive and rock'n'roll dancing. He introduces Bill Ross and Lesley who perform a rock'n'roll dance to Rex playing his own composition 'Rex's Rock'. Lesley wears a very, very short flared skirt, neckerchief, flat pumps and seamed tights; Bill Ross wears a check shirt, sneakers and denim jeans.
Murray introduces American band leader Ray Anthony. Anthony says he finds the show very exciting and comments that there is nothing like it on US television. He says that he is on a 'goodwill tour' of the UK and his band will be brought over to Britain in a few months. Murray asks him which is his favourite composition; Anthony replies 'Mr Anthony's Boogie'. They speak briefly on the Band's film work. Anthony has made a record called 'Bunny Hop' - Bill Ross and Lesley dance to it after brief instruction from Anthony. The studio audience joins in and Don Lang plays.
Douglas on location with climbers from the Polytechnic Climbing Club. They climb the Milestone Buttress in North Wales. Douglas introduces Chris Barber and his Band and Ottilie Patterson, who sings 'Steamboat Bill'. Chris Barber and his Band play an instrumental as the studio audience jives.
Milligan, Mills and Douglas in a sketch in which Milligan is a butcher cutting up meat as the two customers ignore him and gossip. He eventually blows the meat joint up with dynamite. Murray introduces the Deep River Boys who sing 'All Shook Up', 'Love Me Tender', 'When Rock'n'Roll Came to Trinidad' and 'Not Too Old to Rock'n'Roll'.
Eric Delaney and his Band play their version of 'The Banana Boat Song'.
| Six-Five Special |
Joe E Ross and Fred Gwynne starred in which comedy police series on TV? | Six-Five Special
Six-Five Special
"It's time to jive on the old 6-5!"
Getting On Or Getting Off?
It's all in the perception
With the sounds of Don Lang and the Frantic Five, playing us in, welcome to the Six - Five Special, or as one of the presenters,
Pet Murray put it on the very first programme, 'Welcome aboard the Six-Five Special. We've got almost a hundred cats jumping here, some real cool characters to give us the gas, so just get on with it and have a ball.'
Looking back, now, it all seemed just a wee bit too contrived, but at the time, it was revolutionary. The barriers came down and rock and roll hit the airwaves in a big way, and parents began to wonder, to put it mildly, just what their children had become, or what they, the parents, perceived they had become. Freedom, that was the word, that was the deed, that was the action. The up and the down sides there were, to be sure, but to the teens it was all fun, fun, fun, rockin' the night away, jive to stay alive, no matter what you called it, and some of it wasn't polite, at least on the parents side, it was the expression of the beginnings of the throwing off of the last remains of the post-Second World War restraints
Six-Five Special
16th February 1957-27th December 1958
Presenters: Pete Murray, Jo Douglas, Freddie Mills, Jim Dale
Vickie Smith, Leila Williams
Producers: Jack Good, Jo Douglas, Dennis Main Wilson
Russell Turner
Theme Music written by: Johnny Johnson
Over the points, over the points, over the points, over the points.
over the points, over the points, over the points, over the points....
The Six-Five Special steamin' down the line,
The Six-Five Special right on time.
Coal in the boiler burnin' up bright,
Rollin' and a-rockin' through the night,
And my heart's a-beatin' 'cos I'll be meetin'
The Six-Five Special at the station tonight.
Hear the whistle blowing twelve-to-the-bar... whah — whah
See the lights a-glowing bright as a star..... whah — whah
Now the wheels are slowing — it can't be far....
Over the points, over the points, over the points, over the points.
It's time to jive on the old Six-Five
the BBC's first attempt at a rock'n'roll
programme, a very great innovation
at the time and subsequently much
imitated, even today.
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Who was Prime Minister during the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations? | From the national archives: How Benn tried to turn out lights on royal jubilee | UK news | The Guardian
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Celebratory floodlighting of landmark buildings along the River Thames to enliven the Queen's silver jubilee was jeopardised by Tony Benn's ministry, according to government files released today.
Behind the scenes skirmishes between "the anti-monarchist" at the Department of Energy - anxious about energy conservation during the economic downturn - and Downing Street blighted preparations for the ceremony in 1977.
In one exchange, the prime minister, Jim Callaghan, scrawled "bloody nonsense" and complained about "pernickety bureaucracy" on a letter explaining the organising committee's problems.
The row, exposed in documents deposited at the National Archive in Kew, west London, focused on a Ministry of Energy notice, circular 1/75, which warned that floodlighting buildings "could be psychologically extremely damaging to public acceptance of the need to save energy". Wracked by industrial unrest, the economy was at that stage sliding into recession.
Lord Drogheda, chairman for the London Celebration Committee for the Queen's silver jubilee, grew increasingly irate at what he felt were republican-inspired obstructions to his plans.
The Home Office and Downing Street both intervened to smooth away difficulties. "To spend lavishly on the celebrations in current economic conditions would undoubtedly lead to criticism of both the Queen and the government," a Home Office official cautioned. "But this does not mean that the Jubilee cannot be properly celebrated."
Callaghan commented in a margin note: "I think this is pernickety bureaucracy. Let them light up for a bit during the warm summer weeks." At the bottom he added: "Bloody nonsense."
The Department of Energy strained to justify its money-saving stance. "I would not wish to say that floodlighting would play no part in the Queen's silver jubilee," said an official. "What we are anxious to ensure is that anyone contemplating plans for floodlighting should weigh up the need for energy conservation."
Lord Drogheda, frustrated at what he felt were further objections, asked for a meeting with the prime minister. A Home Office note sent in advance to Downing Street recorded that the problem was Lord Drogheda's "belief that [the prime minister's] direction about providing flood lighting for London buildings in celebration of the silver jubilee is being undermined by the 'anti-monarchist in DoE' ".
The allusion is almost certainly to Benn. The energy secretary, who was renowned for his republican views.
The jubilee celebrations' organisers also faced the threat of Idi Amin upstaging the carefully planned events.
In a tirade sent by telex from Kampala, the Ugandan dictator informed the Commonwealth secretary general and Downing Street that: "I shall personally attend the [Commonwealth] meeting and also be present at all the functions organized for the celebration of the silver jubilee."
He would not travel alone. "I shall be accompanied by a delegation of 250 people, including dancers of the Heart Beat of Africa," Amin said.
"As a believer in frankness and truth," he promised, "I shall be able to point out frankly the weakness of the British government and give advice on the current chaotic economic situation."
He signed off with a customary flourish of invented military decorations: "Highest Regards, Alhajji Field Marshal. Dr Idi Amin VC, DSO, MC."
Amin was informed he would not be welcome. He failed to turn up, despite a warning that he would invade the United Kingdom.
Jim Callaghan's support for the jubilee did not prevent him having some misgivings. Westminister Council proposed holding late evening Son et Lumiere displays on Horse Guards Parade behind Number 10 during July and August 1977.
The prime minister scribbled his reservations in the corner of one memo: "I don't mind August - but I can't take July, which is always a bad month in parly (parliamentary) terms."
A sympathetic Downing Street official, probably Bernard Donoghue, his senior policy adviser, added another margin note: "I once lived for some week near a Son et Lumiere in France. The noise was terrible. You will be able to hear it from Chequers."
| Callaghan |
Who was Prime Minister during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee celebrations? | From the national archives: How Benn tried to turn out lights on royal jubilee | UK news | The Guardian
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Celebratory floodlighting of landmark buildings along the River Thames to enliven the Queen's silver jubilee was jeopardised by Tony Benn's ministry, according to government files released today.
Behind the scenes skirmishes between "the anti-monarchist" at the Department of Energy - anxious about energy conservation during the economic downturn - and Downing Street blighted preparations for the ceremony in 1977.
In one exchange, the prime minister, Jim Callaghan, scrawled "bloody nonsense" and complained about "pernickety bureaucracy" on a letter explaining the organising committee's problems.
The row, exposed in documents deposited at the National Archive in Kew, west London, focused on a Ministry of Energy notice, circular 1/75, which warned that floodlighting buildings "could be psychologically extremely damaging to public acceptance of the need to save energy". Wracked by industrial unrest, the economy was at that stage sliding into recession.
Lord Drogheda, chairman for the London Celebration Committee for the Queen's silver jubilee, grew increasingly irate at what he felt were republican-inspired obstructions to his plans.
The Home Office and Downing Street both intervened to smooth away difficulties. "To spend lavishly on the celebrations in current economic conditions would undoubtedly lead to criticism of both the Queen and the government," a Home Office official cautioned. "But this does not mean that the Jubilee cannot be properly celebrated."
Callaghan commented in a margin note: "I think this is pernickety bureaucracy. Let them light up for a bit during the warm summer weeks." At the bottom he added: "Bloody nonsense."
The Department of Energy strained to justify its money-saving stance. "I would not wish to say that floodlighting would play no part in the Queen's silver jubilee," said an official. "What we are anxious to ensure is that anyone contemplating plans for floodlighting should weigh up the need for energy conservation."
Lord Drogheda, frustrated at what he felt were further objections, asked for a meeting with the prime minister. A Home Office note sent in advance to Downing Street recorded that the problem was Lord Drogheda's "belief that [the prime minister's] direction about providing flood lighting for London buildings in celebration of the silver jubilee is being undermined by the 'anti-monarchist in DoE' ".
The allusion is almost certainly to Benn. The energy secretary, who was renowned for his republican views.
The jubilee celebrations' organisers also faced the threat of Idi Amin upstaging the carefully planned events.
In a tirade sent by telex from Kampala, the Ugandan dictator informed the Commonwealth secretary general and Downing Street that: "I shall personally attend the [Commonwealth] meeting and also be present at all the functions organized for the celebration of the silver jubilee."
He would not travel alone. "I shall be accompanied by a delegation of 250 people, including dancers of the Heart Beat of Africa," Amin said.
"As a believer in frankness and truth," he promised, "I shall be able to point out frankly the weakness of the British government and give advice on the current chaotic economic situation."
He signed off with a customary flourish of invented military decorations: "Highest Regards, Alhajji Field Marshal. Dr Idi Amin VC, DSO, MC."
Amin was informed he would not be welcome. He failed to turn up, despite a warning that he would invade the United Kingdom.
Jim Callaghan's support for the jubilee did not prevent him having some misgivings. Westminister Council proposed holding late evening Son et Lumiere displays on Horse Guards Parade behind Number 10 during July and August 1977.
The prime minister scribbled his reservations in the corner of one memo: "I don't mind August - but I can't take July, which is always a bad month in parly (parliamentary) terms."
A sympathetic Downing Street official, probably Bernard Donoghue, his senior policy adviser, added another margin note: "I once lived for some week near a Son et Lumiere in France. The noise was terrible. You will be able to hear it from Chequers."
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Which of the Balearic Islands has a name that means 'biggest'? | History of the Balearic islands
Telegraph.co.uk Chris Hadfield: 'From space, the Bahamas is the most beautiful place on Earth& [ ... ]
Balearic Islands History
Balearic Islands are just a number of islands existing together located in the eastern part of Spain. These islands are located about fifty one miles away from main land of spain. On matters regarding size, these islands are quite big with a land mass area of about five thousand square kilometres. The islands mainly comprise of four main islands and other small islands. All these combined form the autonomous region that is referred to as Spain.
One of the main islands that constitute this particular Islands of Balearic is Mallorca. This is the largest and the main island that make up the Balearic Islands.Mallorcais about three thousand six hundred square kilometres in size. Among other islands that constitute this island are: Ibiza, Menorca as well as Formentera.
The BalearicIslands are a wonderful place to go on holiday to. These islands enjoy a marvellous Mediterranean climate that incorporates hot summers as well as cool sea breezes. There are a lot of people who visit these islands annually just to get to enjoy the spectacular views and wonderful climate that these islands offer. There are very many places that you can go visiting on these islands. Some of the places that you would not want to miss include the Menorca beaches and the colourful and very lively discos in Ibiza. Actually, there is something for everyone on these islands. It suits all the age groups as well as all the social classes of people. These islands have a great history that one would love to take a keen interest in.
These islands have a history that date back many centuries ago. The islands are located strategically between inside the sea of Mediteramian between Europe and Africa. This was a point where many ancient navigators passed through as they endeavoured to explore other new lands. It was because of this reason that the Balearic Islands became also a target of invasion and conquest.
It is believed that the first man on these islands arrived around 4000 BC. Artefacts have been found on caves that date back to these years. It is also believed that from the type of tools and equipment uncovered that the early man on these islands were hunters and shepherds. In Menorca which is the biggest island of Balearic Islands, the early settlers were among.beaker group of people. These are the same early men that are believed to have first settled in Western Europe. These people acquired their name from an ancient tradition where they used to bury the dead with pottery beakers.
After these early people, then came the Phoenicians. These are believed to arrive back in the years dating to 1000 BC. The Phoenicians developed settlements and lived a more civilised life than that of the people who preceded them. In fact the settlement that they established in north of Mallorcawas named ‘Sanisera’. This settlement served a very big role in become part of the Mediterranean route. It became a resting point for the sea travellers as well as a place to trade and replenish their food stocks as well as other stocks that they may require as they travel.
After a few years; came in a group of people clled Greeks. They moved all over the place but avoided settling in the islands because of the hostile nature from the local residents. The Island’s name is believed to have originated from the Greek ‘ballein’ which means ‘to throw with a sling’, while sling-shot was selected as the protective weapon used by the native islanders.
Later in the years, there came the Carthaginians. This people established fortified settlements in the island of Ibiza. The people are thought to have actually arrived around the seventh century Before Christ. These people had a great culture and many of there tools and weapons have been found. They were more organised and lived in very well organised social clans.
The romans then came and invaded and took control of Ibiza and Menorcain 146 BC and 123 BC respectively. They renamed most of these islands to suit their culture and social lives. Romans were entrepreneurs and they brought a lot of wealth and developments to these islands. They were much organised and completely modernised these islands. They brought about communication and developed roads for transport. They were also merchants and they created vineyards for wine production. However the stay of the Romans did not last for very long as they fell with refusal of Roman Empire.
In about tenth century, Balearic Islands was changed and placed under the watch of Moorish control in a way made popular as compared to the spaanish mainland. During the time whenen forces found in the Emir of Cordoba which is the conquered Mallorca andMenorca. The Moors was under the islands for duration of approximately 3 centuries and altered their original appearance in consultation with their architecture and irrigation methods.
In 1229, the Christian forces invaded and conquered Mallorca. This was under the leadership of Jaime I. Later in 1287,Menorcafell to Alfonso III. For a very long time the Balearics islands remained under the control of the Spanish until after 1701 during the Spanish war on succession.
During the period of panish Civil War that broke out in the years of 1936 to 1939, there was political split of Balearic Islands during the time in which Menorca and also Ibiza stood together with the Republicans, while Mallorcasided with the individuals referred to as oatriots to their nation. When Franco died in 1975,Spainunderwent through a entralization process. In the year 1983, the Balearics grew up to be a very autonomas a region of Spain, reffered to as the Comunidad. Did you know that Palma de Mallorca is the capital city?.
The Balearic Island stoday is a very interesting location any one can dream of visiting with a reliable climate. There are quite a number of very good beaches, a good number of places one can explore and widely varying locations that you will have an amazing time enjoying the places. oint of visiting the Balearics Islands and you will have a life time experience. Every one who happens to have visited this place happens to be having a posive confession about the area. It is an adventure worth trying as it is so rewarding.
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| Majorca |
Which revealing item of clothing was invented by Louis Reard in 1946? | Balearic Islands Holidays 2017/2018 | Thomas Cook
Natural Attractions
Hike through Majorca’s biggest mountain range, Serra de Tramuntana, and you’ll discover why this UNESCO site is one of the most magnificent natural attractions in the Balearic Islands. The easy way out is to hop on the vintage train that trundles past the dramatic peaks and lakes from Sóller to Palma de Mallorca. Drive through the rolling hills and olive groves of Menorca’s interior and gaze in wonder at the mysterious prehistoric monuments that pop up here and there. Get away from it all in Ibiza’s pine-forested heart on a 4x4 safari through hidden valleys and rugged hills.
BALEARIC ISLANDS IS BEST FOR...
Scenery Lovers: Watch the sun set on the Mediterranean on a boat trip around Majorca’s northern coast.
Sun Worshippers: Unwind on the quiet coves of Menorca and the soft sandy beaches of Formentera.
Night Owls: You’re spoilt for choice among the mega-clubs of Ibiza and Magaluf.
FAST FACTS
Language: The language spoken in the Balearic Islands is Spanish.
Currency: The currency used in the Balearic Islands is Euro (€).
Local time: The Balearic Islands are 1 hour ahead of GMT/UK time.
Fly to: The Balearic Islands have three airports: one each on Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca.
Flight time from UK: 2.5 hours
Tourist Information: You must now pay a Sustainable Tourism Tax Fee of around 1-2€ per person per night (plus 10% VAT) which is payable at your accommodation. Children under 16 don’t pay the tax.
Further Balearic Islands tourist information can be found on our customer support page
Visa & Health: Before you travel, visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain for recommendations and advice on visas and health for your holiday to the Balearic Islands.
WEATHER AND CLIMATE
Temperatures: high 20s to 30s (°C)
Best time to visit Balearic Islands: Late spring or early autumn when the air is warm and the resorts are less crowded.
The weather in the Balearic Islands is typical of the Mediterranean, with hot and dry summers and mild winters. Summer temperatures are and August can be uncomfortably hot.
GETTING AROUND
By bus: Each island has a bus network connecting resorts with the major towns.
By hire car: Hiring a car is a practical way of seeing the best places in the Balearic Islands.
By taxi: Taxi ranks are easy to find in the main towns.
EVENTS
Semana Santa: The season gets into full swing in May, but some hotels in the Balearic Islands will reopen in time for the Easter celebrations during “Semana Santa”.
Clubbing season: The big clubs in Ibiza and Majorca start to reopen during May and June before winding down after the summer with raucous closing parties in October.
Local Fiestas: Get into the festival spirit from 23-25 June when the fiesta of St John the Baptist takes place all over the Balearic Islands. And that’s just the start of a sizzling summer as fiesta fever grips the Balearic Islands with a different celebration every week.
Why choose Thomas Cook
With hotels available to suit every person and every budget look no further than Thomas Cook for your getaway this year!
Thousands of hotels to choose from
Dedicated online customer service
Over 175 years of travel experience
Award winning travel company
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Which animal is the symbol of the Rastafarian religion? | Rastafarianism and Their Symbols - Term Paper
Rastafarianism and Their Symbols
A brief introduction on Rastafarianism
The Rastafarian religion was originated in Africa it is not just a religion, but away of
life. Rastafarians speak out against poverty, oppression and inequality, not just religion
ideas but global problems. For many years Rastafarian continues to grow against the tide of
official and social approbation. The early elders were charged with sedition and locked up, while
others were declared insane placed in the Jamaican equivalent of Bedlam. Even though
Rasta was the poorest and the lowest of all they were secure with great knowledge. This religion
is more than a religious gathering, however, since Rasta does not compartmentalize life into
spiritual and non-spiritual periods it is an integrated way of living and of thinking of what goes
beyond most definitions of religion.
In 1933-1934 there was a Rastafarian movement. This movement was led by Haile
Selassie I whose previous name was Rastafari Makonnen before he was crowned Emperor under
the name of Haile Selassie I in October 1930. During this movement the Rastafarian take the
bible as its sacred text, but interprets it in an Afro-centric because they want to reverse the
changes that the “White” that made. The Rastafarian movement was closely linked to the ancient
history of the Ethiopian civilization and largely based on the identification which Blacks have
made with Ethiopia by virtue of biblical symbolism. In Ethiopia, Haile Selassie was given the
title “Lion of the tribe of Judah ", which explains why there is a lion on the Rasta flag. He was
also given the title “King of Kings and Lord of Lords ". Even though Haile Selassie I was seem
as the leader of Rastafarianism but he is not a Rastafarian himself, he was a devout Christian.
The Rastafarians respect him a lot; even when a group of Rasta’s...
| Lion |
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein what is Frankenstein’s first name? | Rastafarian Customs: Important Symbols
Rastafarian Customs
jueves, 9 de septiembre de 2010
Important Symbols
THE FLAG
The flag with the red, gold and green is the state banner erected by Marcus Garvey and are often seen in clothes, design graphics and other decorations.
Red represents the blood of the martyrs.
Yellow wealth and prosperity Africa has to offer. The green land and vegetation of Zion.
Red always goes up, because it represents blood. When blood is below the ground (green) means "death."
THE LION
The Conquering Lion is also important Rastafarian symbol, symbolizing both Africa and the Emperor Haile Selassie, Jah or himself.
It also represents strength and struggle against oppression and injustice applied to the African people.
DREADLOCKS
The braids, dreadlocks are supported by Rastafarianism from the following verse from the Book of Leviticus: "Do not show on their heads bald, or shaved the ends of their beards, nor make any cuttings in your flesh" 21:5
The dreadlocks have come to symbolize the mane of the Lion of Judah and rebellion against Babylon.
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Which rebel was stabbed to death by the Lord Mayor of London in 1381? | BBC - KS3 Bitesize History - The Peasants' Revolt : Revision, Page 2
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Overview
The Peasants' Revolt started in Essex on 30 May 1381, when a tax collector tried, for the third time in four years, to levy [levy: (verb) To calculate and collect taxes.] a Poll Tax [poll tax: A tax paid by all adult (men). The amount was the same for everyone, regardless of their income or occupation.] . The war against France was going badly, the government's reputation was damaged, and the tax was 'the last straw'.
The peasants were not just protesting against the government. Since the Black Death, poor people had become increasingly angry that they were still serfs. They were demanding that all men should be free and equal, for less harsh laws, and a fairer distribution of wealth.
Soon both Essex and Kent were in revolt. The rebels coordinated their tactics by letter. They marched on London, where they destroyed the houses of government ministers. They also had a clear set of political demands.
On 15 June, the 14-year-old king, Richard II, met the rebels' leader Wat Tyler. William Walworth, the Lord Mayor of London, attacked and killed Tyler. Before the rebel army could retaliate, Richard stepped forward and promised to abolish [abolish: Formally end or stop.] serfdom. The peasants went home, but later government troops toured the villages hanging men who had taken part in the Revolt.
Although the Revolt was defeated, its demands – less harsh laws, money for the poor, freedom and equality – all became part of our democracy [democracy: A type of government where people govern themselves or choose representatives to govern them.] in the long term.
The Peasants' Revolt was a popular uprising. In its demands for rights and equality, it was similar to the Chartists of the 19th century and the Suffragettes of the 20th century – except that, remarkably, the Peasants' Revolt happened six centuries earlier! You may also wish to compare the Peasants' Revolt to the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 - 1537 covered in Protest through time . Although the two events were similar in some ways, the Pilgrimage of Grace was basically inspired by religion. By contrast, the Peasants' Revolt was a political rebellion.
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| Wat Tyler |
Kalamata is a variety of which food item? | Peasant Revolt
12 Peasant revolt Facts
Richard ll was king of England during the peasant revolt, however he was only 10 years of age at his coronation which was brought about by the untimely death of Edward III and his son the Black Prince a year earlier. Richard ll did not have the knowledge to run a kingdom at that time and needed assistance by his uncle John of Gaunt who effectively ruled the country from this point in time
Cause of the peasant’s revolt
John Gaunt was a very unpopular ruler with medieval peasants and the peasants revolt was due to the shoddy treatment of all levels of society at that time especially the poor and a combination of factors led to the revolt. Heavy taxes were introduced that nobody liked and were used to pay for the war with France, in 1381 a totally unfair poll-tax was introduced, which demanded that everyone in the land paid a set amount to the king.
Early riots | peasant’s revolt
When medieval officials tried to collect the unpopular taxes that had been issued by John Gaunt, Richard II uncle who was running the kingdom from both the rich and poor, small riots started to break out all over England, this was the start of the great uprising that became known as the peasant revolt.
Reasons for the peasant’s revolt
Although the new poll-tax was one of the main factors for the peasants revolt there was also bigger reasons, underneath the surface people’s anger had been bubbling away for centuries as many people believed that the social system in place in England was wholly unfair. People everywhere resented the feudal system; people now saw a chance of freedom and even the poorest worker saw that they finally had an opportunity to win their freedom
Peasants revolt 1381
In Kent in the south of England a large crowd was gathering organised by which was organised by a craftsman called Wat Tyler, the angry mob had decided to march on London with the aim of getting the King to abolish the unfair taxes on the poor that had to be paid to their landlords.
Original image of Wat Tyler who led the peasant revolt
Wat Tyler | Peasant Revolt Leader
Not much was known about Wat Tyler’s early life but it is thought that he was a roof tiler in mediaeval England. He lived in Kent in the south of England and was one of the ringleaders of the 1381 uprising and the peasant’s revolt, it is believed that he led the march on London in which there was attack on John Gaunts palace and in which the Bishop of Canterbury was killed.
It is not 100% known what led to Wat Tyler’s to become leader of the peasants revolt what triggered this anger some accounts suggest that John Tyler’s daughter was indecently assaulted by a collector of hatred and it is believed that he killed him in revenge on this triggered the peasants revolt and march on London.
Peasants Revolt | The March on London
The angry mob marched on London led by Wat Tyler and When they arrived in the capital all hell broke loose, the mob people went crazy and set ablaze John Gaunts palace and the Archbishop of Canterbury was killed in the events that followed.
The peasants revolt and the young King
King Richard although he was still only young at 14 years of age agreed to meet the rebels even though all his advisers were panicking and he patiently listened to their demands and concerns at the meeting that took place at Smithfield where he met with the leader of the peasants revolt Wat Tyler.
End of peasants revolt | Wat Tyler killed
The peasants did not realise it but this meeting would not go very well, as King Richard spoke with the rebel leader Wat Tyler he was attacked and killed by the Mayor of London who stabbed him to death. The mayor of London claimed that he was protecting the King but it is more likely that he set out to kill the rebel leader.
King Richard betrays the peasants
King Richard convinced the peasants after the murder of Wat Tyler that he was now on their side willing to be their captain. The peasants gave up and went home believing that they had secured a great victory, in fact they were being double crossed by king Richard who did nothing to help them in the future and had the leaders of the revolts quickly rounded up and executed.
John Gaunt King of England and cause of the peasant revolt
The peasants revolt | Black Death
Although the peasants revolt was defeated by King Richard there was a major change victory coming for them which was just around the corner and would give the peasants more power was than they could ever had imagined. The Black death or bubonic plague as it is also known would change life in Britain and put the power back into the hands of the peasants, as there would soon be a shortage of labour throughout the kingdom
Peasant revolt Facts
John Gaunt really ruled England during the era of the peasant’s revolt as king Richard was too young
When King Edward was dying John Gaunt took over the King’s Council
John Gaunt had a reputation for bribery and corruption
19-year-old Richard ruled England after the peasant’s revolt
Peasant revolts started because of unfair treatment of the population
An unpopular poll tax and other heavy taxes were imposed on the people due to the war with France
Peasants set fire to John Gaunt Palace & killed the Archbishop of Canterbury
The Lord Mayor of London killed Wat Tyler the peasant revolts leader
King Richard had the peasant revolts leaders executed
The Duke of Canterbury was killed in the Peasants Revolt
The peasants were defeated and their leaders killed under the command of king Richard
King Richard II ruled England after the peasants revolt at the age of 19
The Black Death put the power back into the hands of the people due to a shortage of labour
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Which kiddies dolls were created by American art student Xavier Roberts in 1978? | Kid80s.com: Cabbage Patch Kids with Hands That Hold Commercial from the 80s - YouTube
Kid80s.com: Cabbage Patch Kids with Hands That Hold Commercial from the 80s
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Published on Jun 24, 2014
Cabbage Patch Kids are a line of dolls created by American art student Xavier Roberts in 1978. It was originally called "Little People". The original dolls were all cloth and sold at local craft shows, then later at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia. The doll brand went on to become one of the most popular toy fads of the 1980s and one of the longest-running doll franchises in America.
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| Cabbage Patch Kids |
Who is the hero of the novels Greenmantle and Mr Standfast? | Cabbage Patch Kids - The Patch Puppy Rescue | Gbafun is a website let you play Retro Gameboy advance / color , GBA, GBC games online in your web browser, Pokemon games, Zelda, Super mario, yu-gi-oh using flash emulator.
Cabbage Patch Kids - The Patch Puppy Rescue
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Cabbage Patch Kids are a line of dolls created by American art student Xavier Roberts in 1978. It was originally called "Little People". The original dolls were all cloth and sold at local craft shows, then later at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia. The doll brand went on to become one of the most popular toy fads of the 1980s and one of the longest-running doll franchises in America.
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Published in 1960, Who wrote the novel A Kind of Loving? | A Kind of Loving is a major British film of the 1960s - Mature Times
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A Kind of Loving is a major British film of the 1960s
Robert Tanitch reviews the latest DVDs
A KIND OF LOVING (StudioCanal). John Schlesinger’s first feature film was an adaptation of Stan Barstow’s novel and a major British film of the early 1960s, one of the best of the New Wave, offering a slice of Northern provincial working-class life. A draughtsman (Alan Bates) marries a typist (June Ritchie) he doesn’t love when she becomes pregnant and then wishes he hadn’t. Their relationship is exacerbated by having to live in the home of her awful mother (Thora Hird at her most vicious). What should they do? Break up or make a go of it? How the moral climate has changed in 50 years! Denys Coop’s grimy photography for the outdoor locations is perfect for the subject matter.
MAPPLETHORPE: LOOKING AT PICTURES (Dogwoof). Robert Mapplethorpe (1949-1989) had an ambition to be a great photographer and is recognised as one of the most influential. He began with Polaroids. The images (housed in the Getty Museum and Los Angeles County Museum of Art) are stunning in their artistry and outrageous in their glamorisation and torture. If you know his work you will know what to expect. If you don’t know his work you may be in for a big shock watching this documentary and find some of his photographs of himself and his white and black male models, who were often his lovers, too sexually confrontational, too homoerotic, and too explicit. Sexually obsessive Mapplethorpe died at 42 of AIDS.
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| Stan Barstow |
Atoms that have either gained or lost electrons are called what? | A Kind of Loving is a major British film of the 1960s - Mature Times
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A Kind of Loving is a major British film of the 1960s
Robert Tanitch reviews the latest DVDs
A KIND OF LOVING (StudioCanal). John Schlesinger’s first feature film was an adaptation of Stan Barstow’s novel and a major British film of the early 1960s, one of the best of the New Wave, offering a slice of Northern provincial working-class life. A draughtsman (Alan Bates) marries a typist (June Ritchie) he doesn’t love when she becomes pregnant and then wishes he hadn’t. Their relationship is exacerbated by having to live in the home of her awful mother (Thora Hird at her most vicious). What should they do? Break up or make a go of it? How the moral climate has changed in 50 years! Denys Coop’s grimy photography for the outdoor locations is perfect for the subject matter.
MAPPLETHORPE: LOOKING AT PICTURES (Dogwoof). Robert Mapplethorpe (1949-1989) had an ambition to be a great photographer and is recognised as one of the most influential. He began with Polaroids. The images (housed in the Getty Museum and Los Angeles County Museum of Art) are stunning in their artistry and outrageous in their glamorisation and torture. If you know his work you will know what to expect. If you don’t know his work you may be in for a big shock watching this documentary and find some of his photographs of himself and his white and black male models, who were often his lovers, too sexually confrontational, too homoerotic, and too explicit. Sexually obsessive Mapplethorpe died at 42 of AIDS.
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The Strait of Malacca separates the Malay Peninsula from what Indonesian island? | Earth Snapshot • Strait of Malacca
March 24th, 2012 Category: Mountains
Malaysia - January 6th, 2012
This wide-swath ASAR image shows the city of Kuala Lumpur (visible as a bright white area towards the upper left), the capital of Malaysia, on the Malay Peninsula, and the city-state of Singapore (visible at the right edge), just off the peninsula’s coast. The peninsula is a landmass in Southeast Asia that runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland.
The Titiwangsa Mountains are part of the Tenasserim Hills system, and form the backbone of the Peninsula (more of this range is visible upon opening the full image). The Strait of Malacca separates the Malay Peninsula from the Indonesian island of Sumatra while the south coast is separated from the island of Singapore by the Straits of Johor.
Singapore is a city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 km north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia’s Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. Singapore is highly urbanised but almost half of the country is covered by greenery. More land is being created for development through land reclamation.
February 24th, 2010 Category: Image of the day , Mountains
Malaysia - January 26th, 2010
The state of Penang, in Malaysia, can be seen in the upper left quadrant of this orthorectified image, on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis, and the eighth most populous.
The state is geographically divided into two sections: Penang Island and Province Wellesley. The former is an island of 293 square kilometres located in the Straits of Malacca with an estimated population of 745,000. Province Wellesley (also known as Seberang Perai in Malay) is a narrow hinterland of 753 square kilometres on the peninsula across a narrow channel whose smallest width is 4 km (2.5 miles).
While the topography of Province Wellesley is mostly flat, the Titiwangsa Mountains can be seen running down the right side of the image. These mountains are the main range that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula, running north-south, from Thailand to peninsular Malaysia.
May 2nd, 2009 Category: Snapshots
Indonesia - April 23rd, 2009
Sediments flow off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatr a, around the Riau Islands, and into the Strait of Malacca .
The strait stretches 805 kilometers (500 miles) between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. Across from the Riau Islands, on the peninsula, is the city of Singapore .
Riau Islands is a province of Indonesia, consisting of Riau Archipelago, Natuna Islands, Anambas, and Lingga Islands. There are around 3,200 islands in the province.
Batam has a majority of the province’s population. Other populated major islands include Bintan and Karimun. Sizewise, however, the sparsely populated Natuna Islands are larger.
While the amount of sediments is densest, appearing golden brown, around the Riau Islands, sediments are also present along the entire coastline of Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula.
April 1st, 2009 Category: Image of the day , Rivers
Perak, Malaysia - March 23rd, 2009
Perak is one of Malaysia’s 13 states, bordered by the Strait of Malacca to the West. Its other borders are shared by the state of Kedah and Thailand’s Yala Province to the north, and the Malaysian states of Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south.
Perak, meaning silver in Malay, covers an area of 21,006 km², making up 6.4 percent of total land banks in Malaysia. It is the second largest Malaysian state on the Malay Peninsula, and the fourth in the whole of Malaysia.
Perak’s days are warm and sunny, while its nights are cool the whole year through, with occasional rains in the evenings. Temperature is fairly constant, that is, from 23°C to 33°C, with humidity often more than 82.3 percent. Annual rainfall measures at 3,218 mm.
Here, sediments stream into the Strait of Malacca from several rivers, including the Perak River, below the center. The Perak is the second longest river in Peninsular Malaysia. A number of towns are on its banks, including the royal town of Kuala Kangsar.
While the Perak spills golden yellow sediments into the strait, the sediments from the Bernam River, just to its south, marking the border between the states of Perak and Selangor, are reddish-brown in color.
Bernam River flows from Mount Liang Timur in the east on the Titiwangsa Mountains to the Straits of Malacca in the west. The peak of Mount Liang Timur itself marks the point where Pahang, Perak and Selangor meet.
The eastern part of the river is suitable for palm oil and rubber tree plantation while swamps fill the western areas. A percentage of the swampy areas have been reclaimed and dried up by a drainage system. Some have been converted into paddy fields.
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On which programme is the presenter followed around by a dog called Nigel? | Strait of Malacca - Wikidata
Strait of Malacca
strait between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra
Malacca Strait
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What is the name of the Barlow’s border terrier in Coronation Street? | Eccles | Coronation Street Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
Tess [1]
Eccles is a Border Terrier who was owned by Lena Thistlewood , a friend of Blanche Hunt . When Lena died in January 2006 , the dog was left to Blanche in her will. Upon bringing the dog back home from the funeral, she bit Ken Barlow . She was originally named "Lady Freckles", but swiftly changed to Eccles as Amy couldn't pronounce the name.
Ken regularly took Eccles for walks along the towpath of Weatherfield Canal , however in January 2009 , Eccles jumped into the canal when chasing ducks, and was rescued by Martha Fraser , a touring actress who lived on a barge. Ken took a shine to Martha, and used their walks as an excuse to get him out of the house to meet Martha, although this stopped when Ken called time on the affair and returned to wife Deirdre .
When Blanche passed away in May 2010 , she left the dog to Ken in her will.
Tracy Barlow entrusted Eccles to Maddie Heath and Sophie Webster in August 2014 while the pair were also looking after Amy and Simon Barlow . Sophie tied the dog outside a shop and Eccles ran off as soon as Amy untied her. When they discovered Eccles was gone, Sophie and Maddie went off in search and found the dog injured by the roadside. After rushing her to the vets, they were told that Eccles had been hit by a car but would recover with the aid of some drops. Deirdre who had been very worried about Eccles was relieved.
| Eccles |
Who own a greyhound called Santa’s Little Helper? | Our Dogs Newspaper - News, breeders, showdogs, dog breeds, pedigree show dogs, canine clubs, web design, website uk
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‘Corrie’ Border Terrier storyline causes outrage
BORDER TERRIER enthusiasts are in uproar over a Coronation Street storyline which sees the introduction of a bad-tempered Border Terrier which takes chunks out of long-time Street stalwart Ken Barlow.
They fear that the dog’s antics on the long-running Granada TV soap will either alienate people against the breed by portraying it in a bad light, or may even cause it to surge in popularity, with people trying to acquire Border Terriers without any idea of their correct care and needs.
The storyline, which is due to be screened in the New Year sees Ken Barlow tormented by a dog that won't stop biting him. The long-serving character, played by Bill Roache, will be driven ‘barking mad’ by the dog after his mother-in-law Blanche Hunt, played by 69-year-old Maggie Jones, inherits the wayward animal, called Eccles, in her friend's will.
Viewers will see the dog bite Ken every time he enters the same room as the dog, prompting the long-suffering character to get down on all fours and growl at his four-legged tormentor to try and make it stop.
A soap insider was quoted in the Daily Star newspaper as saying: ‘It is fantastically funny TV. To have someone as staid as Ken down on all fours barking in the face of a dog is hilarious.
‘Ken's life goes from bad to worse when Eccles starts tearing up his newspapers and adopts his favourite chair!’
Bev Jackson, Border Terrier breed correspondent for OUR DOGS commented:
‘As you can imagine this is causing total uproar in the breed –we are not impressed! Countless numbers of disgusted breed supporters have contacted Granada TV to voice their disgust and have received the same, standard, patronising reply, which is disgusting in itself.’
The standard reply sent to Bev, along with other correspondents, was signed by David Nugent on behalf of the show and reads:
‘Thank you for your e-mail regarding Coronation Street and the arrival of Eccles; Blanche’s inheritance. I will of course ensure your comments reach both our Producer and Script Editor. As we shoot Coronation Street about eight weeks in advance of transmission we cannot ‘re-cast’ Eccles as another breed.
‘This story line is one of a light-hearted nature and IÅfm sure our many viewers will see it and treat it as such.
‘Once again many thanks for your e-mail and interest in Coronation Street and may I take this opportunity to wish you a Very Happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year.
‘Yours with Best Wishes
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What was the name of the first pilot to break the sound barrier? | Chuck Yeager: First Person to Break the Sound Barrier
Chuck Yeager: First Person to Break the Sound Barrier
By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor |
June 11, 2014 04:28am ET
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Chuck Yeager continued to act as a flight consultant for the air force until his last flight on October 14, 1997.
Credit: Air Force Test Center History Office
Chuck Yeager was an American test pilot who was the first person to break the sound barrier — the point where a speeding object (such as an airplane) passes the speed of sound.
Yeager made his history-setting flight on Oct. 14, 1947 in an airplane he dubbed Glamorous Glennis, after his wife. The Bell X-1 rocket plane (which today hangs in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum) passed Mach 1 following a drop from a B-29 airplane.
The monumental "top secret" event was kept classified until 1948, but once it hit the public airwaves, Yeager became a celebrity. He also received a prestigious aviation award called the Collier Trophy, which called his flight the greatest achievement in aviation since the Wright brothers first took flight in 1903.
War fighting and escape
Yeager had a colorful aviation career long even before breaking the Mach barrier. Born in 1923 in a small town near Hamlin, West Virginia, Yeager grew up working on his father's pickup trucks, according to Yeager's website. His high school graduation in 1941 took place just six months before the United States entered World War II that December.
By that point, Yeager was a young member of the Army Air Corps. He was tapped for flight training in July 1942, and quickly distinguished himself among his peers.
"He had remarkable 20/10 eyesight, tremendous physical coordination, and an uncanny ability to stay focused in stressful situations. Those traits coupled with a competitive streak and his understanding of machinery caught the attention of his instructors," his website stated.
Yeager received his pilot wings in 1943 and served in WWII, flying 64 combat missions for 270 hours in Europe. He was shot down on March 5, 1944, over Bordeaux, France, but with the assistance of French resistance movement the Maquis, Yeager made it back to neutral territory a few weeks later.
USAF Capt. Charles E. Yeager (shown standing with the Bell X-1 supersonic rocket plane) became the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound in level flight on Oct. 14, 1947.
Credit: United States Air Force Archive
Breaking the barrier
Following the war, one of Yeager's assignments as an assistant maintenance officer in the fighter section at the Flight Test Division in Wright Field, Ohio. Yeager's website describes the location as "the center of Army Air Forces R and D [research and development]", and said his main assignment was to fly the fighters being developed there.
His flight skills got him some attention: he was asked to fly in air shows and also took part in service trials at Edwards Air Force Base (then called Muroc Army Air Field). Then in 1947, the young Yeager was picked to try to break the sound barrier .
Yeager's work on Glamorous Glennis began with three glide flights, then powered flights starting Aug. 29. He had trouble keeping the plane straight due to pitch problems, particularly on a flight Oct. 10 where he briefly lost pitch control completely.
Another crew member suggested that Yeager should move the X-1's horizontal tail very slightly to keep his airplane under control. On his next flight, Oct. 14, Yeager tried out the tail idea at 0.83, 0.88 and 0.92 Mach and found the method worked.
"At 42,000 feet, [Yeager] relit a third chamber of his engine," his website stated. "The X-1 Glamorous Glennis rapidly accelerated to 0.98 Mach and then, at 43,000 feet, the needle on his Machmeter jumped off the scale." The speed of sound, Mach 1, is about 758 mph (1,220 kph) at sea level, and decreases with altitude.)
After the test
Yeager continued his flight testing duties for many years after breaking the sound barrier, including testing Lockheed’s XF-104, an aircraft that was capable of going double the speed of sound. But Yeager had a couple of near misses as he tested the aircraft, which was always a risky endeavor as he was among the first to fly these types.
In December 1953, Yeager turned off his Bell X-1A engine as planned at 76,000 feet. The aircraft began to roll and yaw, then quickly fell out of control despite Yeager's attempts to correct the issue. Yeager managed to pull out safely at 25,000 feet — after falling more than 50,000 feet.
Ten years later, Yeager piloted a Lockheed NF-104 aircraft that crashed, but he managed to parachute out safely. "The veteran Air Force pilot suffered burns on his face and neck, apparently from the ignition of pure oxygen in his mask, but otherwise was not injured seriously," the L.A. Times reported at the time . The crash was depicted in both the book and movie versions of "The Right Stuff." (Yeager played a small part in the movie, as the bartender at Pancho Barnes’ Happy Bottom Riding Club.)
Yeager's last active duty flight was on Feb. 25, 1975, in an F-4C Phantom II, but he remained an active consulting test pilot for decades after that. In 2012, the then 89-year-old Yeager flew in the back seat of the F-15D to re-enact the 65th anniversary of his record-setting flight.
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Which entrepreneur launched Skytrain in 1977 but went bankrupt in 1982? | Sky diver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile leap
Sky diver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile leap
Felix Baumgartner becomes the first sky diver to break the sound barrier.
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Sky diver breaks sound barrier with 24-mile leap
Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY Published 5:00 a.m. ET Oct. 14, 2012 | Updated 9:30 p.m. ET Oct. 14, 2012
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In a giant leap from more than 24 miles up, a daredevil skydiver shattered the sound barrier Sunday while making the highest jump ever, a tumbling, death-defying plunge from a balloon to a safe landing in the New Mexico desert. (Oct. 14)
Felix Baumgartner waves to the crowd after successfully jumping from a space capsule lifted by a helium balloon at a height of just over 128,000 feet above the Earth's surface Sunday in Roswell, N.M.
(Photo: Ross Franklin, AP)
Jump broke 52-year record
Minor problems failed to cancel jump
Moments before stepping off a small metal platform near Roswell, N.M., on Sunday and plunging to Earth from 24 miles in space, Austrian sky diver Felix Baumgartner offered a few static-filled words for posterity.
"Sometimes you have to go really high to see how small you are," said Baumgartner, 43. Then he jumped, a diminishing white dot against an impossibly black sky.
With his leap from 128,000 feet, Baumgartner becomes a larger-than-life figure in aerospace history, joining the ranks of those who have pushed personal and technological limits as they tempted fate and tested science.
He reached 833.9 mph, or mach 1.24, which is faster than the speed of sound. No one has ever reached that speed wearing only a high-tech suit.
He fell at supersonic speeds on the same date in 1947 that test pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in an aircraft.
Adding to his inevitable fame is the fact that the feat was streamed live on computers and smartphones around the world using more than 30 high-definition cameras arrayed on the ground as well as in and outside of his capsule. A two-hour BBC documentary will hit TV soon, and there surely will be the inevitable chats with talk show hosts and calls from admirers.
But so far none of that seems to be getting to Baumgartner's buzz-cut head.
Baumgartner's jump was possible partly due to an expensive operation packed with top scientists, but also to the pioneering work of adventurers past, says Margaret Weitekamp, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum focusing on popular culture and spaceflight.
"In many ways, Felix was standing on the shoulders of giants," she said. "Baumgartner himself will be advancing the science of how the human body responds to the upper atmosphere, just as many test pilots did before him."
The event seemed to be an irresistible blend of space derring-do and extreme sports insanity, particularly at the moment when Baumgartner could be seen standing on the edge of space in frightening HD clarity.
"I was actually scared at that point," said Clara Moskowitz, assistant editor at Space.com. "I know he captured the attention of a lot of people, because I had friends who have no interest in space emailing and texting me. This was a human being literally stepping into the unknown. It doesn't get more intense than that."
The Austrian skydiver's leap Sunday beat the record set by retired Air Force colonel Joe Kittinger, who in 1960 plunged out of an open basket from 102,800 feet. Kittinger served as a mentor to Baumgartner throughout the five-year project.
The mission, dubbed Red Bull Stratos after the Austrian energy drink company that sponsored the jump, also set records for highest manned balloon flight (113,740 feet in 1961) and fastest free fall (Kittinger at 614 mph).
Red Bull Stratos marks yet another aerospace advance by a private company, filling the void left by the massive state-sponsored space initiatives that once were the hallmark of American and Russian scientific programs. Elon Musk's SpaceX and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic remain dedicated to putting civilians in space, and Stratos' mission was to test how humans and space suits would react to emergency exits at high altitude.
Baumgartner's jump was not without drama. He complained about a lack of heat in his helmet on the way up, which caused mission engineers to debate whether or not to bring him down in the capsule. Then, on the descent, the skydiver could be seen by an infrared camera as a tiny white dot against a black backdrop spinning wildly, precisely the situation the team was hoping to avoid as it could lead to a loss of consciousness or worse.
But Baumgartner got that spin under control, and minutes later landed gracefully on his feet in the dusty New Mexican desert. The sky diver immediately fell to knees. Cameras trained on his family – who had never been to the United States before – showed his parents, brother and his girlfriend cheering.
Baumgartner has been working his way up to this world record jump from the edge of space for the past few years, twice running into speed bumps.
Austrian promoter Daniel Hogan derailed the first mission when he sued Red Bull Stratos claiming he'd thought of the idea first. That suit was settled out of court last summer.
Last Slide Next Slide
The other hiccup was more serious. Unaccustomed to freefalling while confined by a helmet and cumbersome suit, Baumgartner started suffering panic attacks and pulled himself off the project. He overcame his fears with the help of a sports psychologist.
"It was simple stuff," Baumgartner told USA TODAY in August after making his final test jump -- from nearly 100,000 feet. "I'd put on a helmet and tell him, from one to 10, how panicked I felt. And in the end, no matter what the number was, he told me my pulse rate never changed. So it was all in my head."
For a quick primer on how Baumgartner worked his way up to this historic jump, head to YouTube. He broke through the extreme sports world clutter in 1999, when he jumped off the world's tallest building (Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers, 1,483 feet) and dove off Rio de Janeiro's 130-foot Christ the Redeemer statue (the video shows him scurrying directly into a waiting getaway car before police can arrest him).
Red Bull, known for sponsoring extreme athletes, promptly signed up Baumgartner, who finally realized he could make a living off doing dangerous things. Curiously, he doesn't come from a risk-taking family; his brother is a chef, and the rest of his family "doesn't even ski," he says.
In 2007, he and Red Bull decided to make an assault on Kittinger's 52-year-old record. Kittinger, who had made his pre-Mercury program jump with rudimentary equipment, had long resisted efforts to recruit him to help others break his record. But ego wasn't the issue, it was a lack of capital and seriousness that always caused him to say no.
"This whole deal is very expensive," Kittinger told USA TODAY. "If what I rode into space was a Model T, this is a Ferrari."
But while the Ferrari easily delivered the victory Sunday, don't look for its driver to do anything like this again.
"This is the end of my journey," he said. "I've always been trying to find my limit, and this pretty much it. For the second half of my life, I want to be a good helicopter pilot. Fight fires. Rescue people. That would be fun."
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What is the sporting interest of a ‘wet bob’ at Eton? | Games
Games
HOME / School Life / Curriculum /Games
Games
Games are central to the Eton curriculum not just because boys enjoy them, but because they embody many qualities in which the school believes. Learning to win and lose, to lead and be led, to push oneself to and perhaps beyond one's limits, to think as part of a team, to know when to strive for more and when to acknowledge defeat; these are all part of learning to be human. Consequently, Eton aims to give every boy the chance to benefit from learning through sport by playing and being taught the sport of his choice at the level appropriate to his abilities and interest.
There is a vast range of sports available, from the familiar like soccer, rugby , hockey , cricket , rowing , athletics , squash , to the less familiar like rackets and fives . There are some games which can only be played at Eton, namely the Wall and Field Games. In all there are nearly 30 different games on offer, all coached by Eton masters and professional coaches.
There is a school team for just about every boy who wants to play – this amounts to more than 40 teams on some match days – and each of the 25 houses fields a number of teams at senior and junior levels in the majority of sports.
At the highest level of expertise, Eton sportsmen consistently challenge against the strongest school opponents in this country and overseas.
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What is the name of Donald Duck’s girlfriend? | Hugh Laurie - Biography - IMDb
Hugh Laurie
Biography
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Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (2) | Trivia (44) | Personal Quotes (34) | Salary (5)
Overview (3)
6' 2½" (1.9 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Hugh was born in Oxford, England on June 11, 1959, to Patricia (Laidlaw) and William George Ranald Mundell "Ran" Laurie, a doctor, both of Scottish descent. He was educated at Eton and Cambridge. Son of an Olympic gold medalist in the sport, he rowed for the England youth team (1977) and for Cambridge (1980). He met Emma Thompson at Cambridge in 1978 when both joined "Footlights" and was introduced to Stephen Fry by Emma in 1980. Hugh is married and lives in Los Angeles. His wife and three children, who previously lived in London, are moving to Los Angeles to live with him. Besides acting and comedy, he has written the best-selling thriller The Gun Seller. A second novel, titled The Paper Soldier, is forthcoming.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
Spouse (1)
( 16 June 1989 - present) (3 children)
Trade Mark (2)
Fluent American accent from House (2004).
Frequently plays upper-class and dimwitted English characters
Trivia (44)
Received his Third-Class Honours degree in anthropology and archaeology at Selwyn College, Cambridge University.
Bought an all-black Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, a replica of the 1960s British model, in Los Angeles, upon getting the role on House (2004), but he was always an avid motorcyclist, even in England. He enjoys the anonymity the motorcycle helmet gives him.
Attended the Dragon School, a renowned British "public" college preparatory school located in Oxford, England. Also attended by actress Emma Watson and tennis player Tim Henman .
Douglas Adams , author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), originally wanted him to play Arthur Dent for the film adaptation. A deal was almost in place to have Hugh play Dent, along with Jim Carrey as Zaphod and Jay Roach directing, before Adams' untimely death.
Won the National Junior Championship for rowing (coxed pair) (1977). In the same year, he and his rowing partner represented England in the World Junior Championship for rowing where they finished fourth place.
He lives in a West Hollywood apartment rental while working on House (2004), but flies home to London to be with his family whenever he has a break in filming. He has said that he will move his whole family to America to be with him if the second season looks to be equally successful as the first.
Has played the husband opposite Imelda Staunton 's characters in two films: Peter's Friends (1992) and Sense and Sensibility (1995).
His father, William George Ranald Mundell Laurie, and his mother, Patricia, were both of Scottish descent.
Is the youngest of four children, by six years. He has a brother and two sisters, Charles (who works as a lawyer/shepherd in Scotland) Susan Lassen (who helped found the Save the Children Long Island, NY Volunteer Chapter and was a member of Save the Children's Board of Trustees) and Janet.
His father won an Olympic gold medal for coxless pairs in the 1948 Games in London. Hugh also had a promising career as an oarsman, but he was forced to give it up while at Cambridge when he contracted glandular fever (mononucleosis). His brother was also an oarsman.
Is an accomplished piano player.
Entered the 1980 Silver Goblets and Nicklass Cup with his Eton rowing partner J.S. Palmer at the Henley Royal Regatta, becoming the only British crew to reach the final that year. They finished in second place behind the favored American crew.
He was first cast in the role of Perry White in Superman Returns (2006). However, the popularity of his television series House (2004) caused schedule conflicts. Frank Langella was then cast.
Auditioned for the role of Arnold Rimmer in Red Dwarf (1988). Others to audition for the role were Norman Lovett , Lee Cornes , Alfred Molina , Alan Rickman and Craig Ferguson . The role went to Chris Barrie .
He was a house captain (senior prefect) in his last year at Eton College. He also played percussion for the school's orchestra and was a "wet bob" - a member of Eton's prestigious rowing team.
He received his first motorcycle when he was 16 as a present from his father. The same year he owned his first guitar, a Yamaha.
Although his first name is James, he has never been called that. His third name, Calum, is the short form of 'Mael Calum', which translates from Gaidhlig (Scots Gaelic) to Scottish and English as 'Malcolm'. (The Gaeilge or Irish Gaelic form is 'Maol Colm', or 'Colm' in short form). His brother's full name is Charles Alexander Lyon Mundell Laurie.
He took up diving.
Is a huge fan of Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen .
He was a member of Cambridge Footlights throughout his university years, serving as a writer and cast member for two years (1978-1980) and president during his last year (1980-1981). Emma Thompson was the vice president.
Is a member of the Leander Club, one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world. His father once served as the club's president.
His son William Laurie auditioned for a role in a Harry Potter film but was told he was too young.
His daughter Rebecca Laurie starred in the film Wit (2001) as Emma Thompson 's character aged five.
Plays keyboard in the band, "Poor White Thrash", with Lenny Henry , Shade Adejumo, Kate McKenzie , Sophie Elton (wife of Ben Elton ), Ken Bowley , Andy Gangadeen , John Thirkell and Phil Smith.
Has three children: Charles Laurie (Charles Archibald Laurie, born November 1988), William Laurie (William Albert Laurie, born January 1991), and Rebecca Laurie (Rebecca Augusta Laurie, born September 10, 1993).
Directed some scenes of his film Maybe Baby (2000) when Ben Elton had to go to hospital for the birth of his children.
He was a member of the Cambridge Footlights Revue and in 1981, along with Stephen Fry , Tony Slattery , Emma Thompson , Penny Dwyer and Paul Shearer , he became the winner of the first ever Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Stephen Fry is godfather of his three children.
Is a published author. His novel, "The Gun Seller", was released in 1996. A follow-up novel, "The Paper Soldier" (UK title: "Paper Soldiers"), is forthcoming.
He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2007 Queen's New Year's Honours List for his services to drama.
Great-great-nephew of George Alexander .
When Bryan Singer cast Laurie as Gregory House on House (2004), he was unaware that Laurie is British.
In the 1980s, he shared a house in London with Stephen Fry . They needed some plastering done. The plasterers turned out to be Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson , who were inspired by Fry and Laurie to have a go at comedy.
Longtime best friend Stephen Fry served as best man at Laurie's marriage to Joanne Green (1989).
Stated on a British chat show that he doesn't like doing plays; he said that in the only play he'd ever done (Gasping, by Ben Elton), he "felt like [he] was going out of [his] mind", and that he had out of body experiences on stage. He also stated it was something he would never do again.
Is a huge fan of the Fulham Football Club (English soccer club). Fellow fans include Elizabeth Hurley , Lily Allen , Pierce Brosnan , Hugh Grant , Benicio Del Toro , Daniel Radcliffe , Andrew Johnston and the late Michael Jackson .
According to the Guinness Book of World Records (2012), Laurie is the most watched leading man on television due to the worldwide viewership of House (2004). Laurie is also the highest paid television actor, earning a reported $400K per episode as Dr. House (2011).
He sings and plays piano, guitar, drums, harmonica and saxophone.
He was one of the highest-paid actors in a television drama, earning $409,000 per episode on House (2004).
He was listed in the 2011 Guinness World Records as the most watched leading man on television.
Has used his considerable musical talents to release two blues albums: "Let Them Talk" (2011) and "Didn't it Rain" (2013). The tracks consist of covers of songs from famous blues artists with Laurie being a huge blues fan. Laurie sang and performed both piano and guitar on both with his band who are known as The Copper Bottom Band. Both were released to favourable reviews and were some of the highest selling blues albums of their respective years.
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6172 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on October 25, 2016.
Personal Quotes (34)
[on Cambridge] I went there to row. I'll be blunt with it. It's been ten years, and I think the admissions tutor can take it now... but that's really what I went for, and anthropology was the most convenient subject to read while spending eight hours a day on the river.
[on the Oxford-vs.-Cambridge Boat Race] The year was 1980, I was #4 in this particular encounter, and the result was a loss by Cambridge by a distance of five feet, which is something which I will carry to my grave... in fact, I shouldn't really say this, because I still to this day wouldn't want to give any pleasure or satisfaction to the opposing crew. But yes, it's true, it was a very bitter defeat.
[on picking up his new hobby] Boxing is fascinating. It's good for the soul to be made to feel clumsy. I swank around during the week thinking I'm a big cheese, but you don't feel like that when you're in the ring with a chap who knows what he's doing. It's ritual humiliation. I'm going to be slugged about and probably killed, but I love it and have to do something to keep fit.
I picked a reverence for medicine because I rather hero-worshiped my father [a former doctor], and because I admire doctors, I admire study, empiricism and rational thought. I don't admire crystals and chewing willow bark and herbal remedies.
[on his late father's reaction to his character Dr. Gregory House] He would be absolutely appalled. He was an endlessly polite, generous and soft-spoken man. He was no pushover, but he would never hurt, shock or outrage people just for the hell of it. At the same time, I hope he would be entertained and see that science and logic are like a religion to House. He'd approve of that.
[on what he misses about England] The buildings and the cruelty. They're very harsh people, the British: hard to impress, very tough on each other, but I rather like that. It's not that the British are more honest - you're just under no illusion with them. L.A. runs on optimism, enthusiasm and flattery. I think you can go a little bit crazy. I've heard people say there's a limit to the number of years you can stay in this city without going slightly mad. It's just too damn sunny in every dimension - weather-wise, socially and professionally.
I travel to work on my motorcycle, so it's jeans, boots and a brown Aero leather jacket that weighs as much as I do. If it were black, it would seem like I've got a [ Marlon Brando ] idea going on, which I don't.
[on raising his daughter] Girls are complicated. The instruction manual that comes with girls is 800 pages, with chapters 14, 19, 26 and 32 missing, and it's badly translated, hard to figure out.
I grew up with an impatience with the anti-scientific. So I'm a bit miffed with our current love affair with all things Eastern. If I sneeze on the set, 40 people hand me echinacea. But I'd no sooner take that than eat a pencil. Maybe that's why I took up boxing. It's my response to men in white pajamas feeling each other's chi.
[on the difficulty of performing with an American accent] It's as if you're playing left-handed. Or like everyone else is playing with a tennis racket and you have a salmon.
[his speech after winning a Golden Globe Award for House (2004)] I am absolutely speechless. Seriously, I don't have a speech. People are falling all over themselves to send you free shoes and free cuff links and colonic irrigations for two. Nobody ever offers you a free acceptance speech. There just seems to be a gap in the market. I would love to be able to pull out a speech by Dolce & Gabbana.
Guilt I can do. If [I have] any expertise at all, it's in the area of guilt. I have a black belt in guilt. If you ever want a guilt-off, the next time we meet let's see how we match up. I'm pretty confident in that area.
Obviously you are in a very vulnerable position when you give an interview. You are putting your testicles on a chopping board. I get anxious about a lot of things, that's the trouble. I get anxious about everything. I just can't stop thinking about things all the time. And here's the really destructive part - it's always retrospective. I waste time thinking of what I should have said or done. I can't bear going through the same f***ing dance of despair.
On living in America while filming House (2004): I do feel very foreign there, as if I'm on safari, looking at the exotic animals and the way they behave. Then again America is made up of people who don't feel American until they do, so I'm not alone in that.
When asked if living in America would make him any less pessimistic or miserable: Oh, I hope nothing would ever do that. I won't let go of my roots.
I admit I can't shake the idea that there is virtue in suffering, that there is a sort of psychic economy, whereby if you embrace success, happiness and comfort, these things have to be paid for.
Celebrity is absolutely preposterous. Entertainment seems to be inflating. It used to be the punctuation to your life, a film or a novel or a play, a way of celebrating a good week or month. Now it feels as if it's all punctuation. The people I admire are those blokes in Fair Isle sweaters with pencils behind their ears who knew how to design mechanical things better than anybody else in the world.
Something in me says you shouldn't have toys.
Recalling his father winning a gold medal in rowing at the 1948 Olympics in London: He was in a coxless pair with a man called Jack Wilson. I've got a fantastic picture on my desk of the two of them getting their medals on a pontoon at Henley. I imagine they were playing the national anthem and my dad is very rigid, "This is the way to behave", and Jack Wilson is loose and groovy and looks like he should be mixing a martini. I sometimes wished my father could take that pleasure in himself.
[after he received his 2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards] I actually had a 100 dollars on James Spader , this is just not my night.
[on the novel "The Paper Soldier", his sequel to his bestselling "The Gun Seller"]: My second novel will be coming out two years ago.
[on living at the Chateau Marmont during the first season of House (2004)]: I was so convinced the whole thing was going to fail, I couldn't contemplate committing to any long-term arrangement. I thought a hotel was a safe bet.
[Was he shocked at the success of House (2004)]: I still am. There are a lot of days when I feel as if I have been woken from a coma and told six years have gone by, and I have no awareness of it. Is Queen Elizabeth II still on the throne? Do we still drive on the left? Do we still have pounds?
[on working nine-to-ten-hour days, five days a week in Hollywood]: It's a way of living that, had you described it to me 10 years ago, I would have just found absurd beyond belief, inconceivable. But here we are. Yes, there were plenty of times when it was pretty overwhelming, I think for everybody. Like anybody completely absorbed in a single thing, it's rather unhealthy. It's the sort of thing you can do for a certain period of time - in a sort of emergency state - but you can't live like that indefinitely because you start popping rivets.
Look, it sounds like I'm moaning. I am constantly aware of my good fortune. But the thing is, almost nothing in this life is as easy as it looks. I did work very, very hard - I do still - but it has been very rewarding, very enjoyable, and I work with a terrific bunch of people. So I feel blessed.
I used to worry much more about the prospect of failure. That 200 people were going to be out of a job. That shame and disgrace would attach, and I would have my acting uniform stripped from me.
Yes, I still like him [ House (2004)] very, very much. I know he has problems, and he is not necessarily a good man. But I realised long ago that one doesn't only like good people. Sometimes one doesn't even like good people.
[What does he like most about House (2004)?]: I suppose I am drawn to people who worry, who are tortured. I find I am always faintly suspicious of happy people. I always think there is something going wrong or missing somewhere. They would probably argue that I am the one with the thing missing, and that may be so. But the fact that he is not happy makes a lot of his misdemeanours more forgivable. If someone is behaving badly, yet remains unhappy and tortured, the bad behaviour is very often its own punishment, so it's hard to be too upset by it.
[on the possibility of staying in Los Angeles after House (2004)]: I can certainly imagine it, in a way I couldn't have done before. It held no appeal for me before, but I do have an affection for the place now. Maybe once the show finishes, I will see it in a different way. For now, I'm in a gilded cage.
[BBC, May 2011 on his record deal] In life, you don't regret the things you do, you regret the things you don't do.
[on jamming in a jazz club in New Orleans] I can't deny it was, without a doubt, the most frightening thing I've done. To stand up and play music to an audience is a very, very daunting but wonderful experience. Many things in life are daunting and wonderful if your survive them. Being attacked by a lion is probably brilliant, but the survival part is important.
I sometimes think that in this YouTube age - God, I sound like such an old fart - history has gone vertical rather than horizontal. You can click on "St. James Infirmary", let's say [and] see a hip-hop version of that done three months ago or hear Louis Armstrong from nearly 100 years ago. And there's almost no sense of separation or context, or of a progression through time.
[on performing the blues] Let the record show that I am a white, middle-class Englishman, openly trespassing on the music and myth of the American South. I know how it must look. I suppose, in my defence, I was trying to get people to examine what authenticity means. Is it authentic to have American actors playing Shakespeare? Or indeed to have an Englishman play an American doctor?
[as presenter at the 2008 BAFTA Awards] Screenwriting is the most prized of all the cinematic arts. Actually, it isn't, but it should be. The point is that it should be. The original screenplay is the most precious commodity of all. In the original screenplay, the writer creates the heart, the mind, the skeleton, the sinew, the epithelial membrane, if you will, of the show.
The great trap for non-American actors trying to play Americans, I think, is to start thinking of American-ness as a characteristic. It isn't. It is no more a character trait than height. It is just a physical fact, and that's all there is to it.
Salary (5)
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What kind of creature is a megrim? | Megrim - definition of megrim by The Free Dictionary
Megrim - definition of megrim by The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/megrim
Also found in: Thesaurus , Medical , Wikipedia .
me·grim
1. A migraine.
2. often megrims A caprice or fancy.
3. megrims Depression or unhappiness: "If these megrims are the effect of Love, thank Heaven, I never knew what it was" (Samuel Richardson).
[Middle English migrem, variant of migraine; see migraine.]
megrim
1. (often plural) a caprice
2. (Pathology) a migraine
(ˈmiːɡrɪm)
n
(Animals) a flatfish, Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis, of the turbot family, having a yellowish translucent body up to 50 cm (20 in.) in length, found in European waters, and caught for food
[C19: of uncertain origin]
1. megrims, low spirits; blues.
2. whim; caprice.
3. migraine.
[1350–1400; Middle English migrame a type of headache < Middle French migraine (by misreading, in taken as m); see migraine ]
megrim
- Another word for a headache, especially a migraine.
See also related terms for headache .
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
cephalalgia , head ache , headache - pain in the head caused by dilation of cerebral arteries or muscle contractions or a reaction to drugs
megrim
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migraine
References in classic literature ?
Ah, it was a pity she should take such megrims into her head, when she might ha' stayed wi' us all summer, and eaten twice as much as she wanted, and it 'ud niver ha' been missed.
View in context
These poets live on Megrim Farm the dolts nevertheless sluice brilliance shout days the less they snore whole odes in compensation exclamation the names of gods the authors take to picking at with microtones is this a New England with the poems coming?
United Kingdom : Fishing industry set for double benefit
GRILLED MEGRIM WITH GARLIC, PARSLEY AND MINT BUTTER (Serves 2) 50g/4tbsp butter 2 megrim, about 500g each (ask fishmonger to trim scale the fish and remove the heads) Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped Small handful of fresh parsley Small handful of fresh mint Squeeze of lemon Method Preheat the grill to high.
| Fish |
In which month of the year does Lammas Day fall? | Eighth Edition Theme Decks | MAGIC: THE GATHERING
Eighth Edition Theme Decks
Posted in Feature on August 18, 2008
By Wizards of the Coast
Expulsion
T
he "Expulsion" deck is all about making your opponent discard cards. Your plan is to use your discard spells and abilities to cripple your opponents-they can't play what they can't hold on to!
Early in the game, play any spells you draw that make your opponent discard cards. You want to get all those cards out of your opponent's hand before he or she gets a chance to play them. Keep the pressure on, and eventually your opponent will have access to only one the card each turn.
Ravenous Rats are good for a quick start. After they finish their job of chewing away an opponent's card, send them over to gnaw on your opponent. If he or she manages to play creature threats, feel free to throw the Rats in front of enemy attackers to stall out your opponent's plans.
When you play Coercion , you get to look at your opponent's hand. Try to memorize what's there so you'll be prepared to react to incoming spells. Then take a close look at the cards and choose the one you're least able to deal with.
While you're at it, why not add injury to the insult? Megrim deals 2 damage to a player whenever he or she discards a card from his or her hand. Combine a Megrim or two with Abyssal Specter , a creature that forces a discard when it hits your opponent, and the damage adds up quickly.
Be careful not to have so much fun making your opponent discard that you forget about threats already in play. Deathgazer , Dark Banishing , and Sever Soul should take care of any pesky creatures that try to get in your way.
Try using the fearsome Severed Legion (which can be blocked only by black and artifact creatures) to creep through your opponent's defenses. Add Larceny to the mix, and your nearly unblockable creature causes more discarding when it hits your opponent. If you have Larceny and Abyssal Specter on the table, your opponent has to discard two cards every time the Specter strikes!
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Heavy Hitters
I
f the "Heavy Hitters" deck feels a little bulky when you pick it up, it's because the creatures inside it are really, really big. After all, what could be more fun than smacking your opponent around with humongous monsters?
The first thing you need to do when playing "Heavy Hitters" is to build up your mana base. With help from cards like Elvish Pioneer , Fyndhorn Elder , Wood Elves , and Rampant Growth , you'll have access to more mana than most players would know what to do with. Luckily for you, "Heavy Hitters" gives you plenty of things to play using all that mana. Big, nasty things.
Two cards in "Heavy Hitters" are kind of tricky to use. Lure is a creature enchantment that forces all your opponent's creatures to block the creature that's enchanted with Lure (if they can). Wait until you have several creatures in play, and then play Lure on the smallest one. Your opponent won't be able to stop your bigger creatures from charging right through.
Giant Growth is an instant that gives one of your creatures +3/+3. You usually don't want to use this card just to get in a little extra damage unless you can win by doing so. Wait until one of your creatures would be destroyed, then play Giant Growth on that creature so it gets an extra boost. Your opponent's creature will probably end up in the graveyard instead of yours!
Some of your creatures have the ability to deal combat damage to your opponent even if they're blocked. Remember that if you choose to hit your opponent, the blocker doesn't take any damage. With the huge creature Rhox , this usually doesn't make much of a difference-your opponent will be finished soon enough. But sometimes it may be better to take out your opponent's blocker than to deal a little damage to your opponent.
The key to winning with "Heavy Hitters" is to keep the big creatures coming. Your opponents will be so busy trying to deal with your monsters that they won't be able to attack you.
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Life Boost
T
he "Life Boost" deck lets you build your own army of Soldiers, with Angels to lead them. To win with this deck, play your small creatures as quickly as you can to deal some early damage. If your opponent manages to hold off your attackers, build a strong defense. Then you can start cautiously attacking again to get in those final points of damage.
Half your creatures cost only one or two mana to play, so you can get them on the table quickly. Attack with swarms of your small creatures if you can get some damage through, even if that means you lose a creature. If your casualties become too great, hold off until you have enough mana to play your bigger creatures, such as Angel of Mercy . You can also make all your little creatures bigger with the enchantment Glorious Anthem . Giving your entire army +1/+1 makes it a force to be reckoned with.
It's okay if you take some damage early on. The deck has many cards that raise your life total, including creatures that give you life when they come into play. But try not to use the Healing Salve just to gain life unless you're about to lose. You can put it to better use saving one of your creatures that would otherwise take lethal damage.
Gaining life is great, but don't let up on the attack. If you don't deal damage to your opponent, the highest life total in the world won't matter. Use your flying creatures to soar above your opponent's forces. Also, Seasoned Marshal is a great leader for your ground troops. When it attacks, you can tap your opponent's biggest defender to help your army punch through.
What else can you do about your opponent's creatures? Crossbow Infantry can take care of the smaller ones. Keep one Crossbow Infantry untapped and your opponent won't want to attack or block with small creatures. You can use Chastise , Pacifism , or Spirit Link to protect yourself from huge creatures. Remember that if you play Spirit Link on an opponent's creature, you gain life every time it deals damage!
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Sky Slam
T
he "Sky Slam" deck lets you take control of the game with tricky blue spells, and then your big flying creatures will really deliver a beating. You won't always attack much in the beginning of the game, but by the end, you'll be on top of the world. Blue magic is all about control. Unsummon slows your opponent down by bouncing a creature back to his or her hand. Besides preventing the creature from damaging you, this also makes your opponent waste time paying for the creature again!
Mana Leak and Remove Soul can stop your opponent's plans outright. Use Mana Leak when your opponent can't pay the extra mana. Don't waste Remove Soul on a tiny creature-you can be sure your opponent will try to drop a bigger threat soon enough. If a big enemy creature does manage to hit the table, you can lock it down with Dehydration .
Your creatures can also help you set the pace. Horned Turtle blocks your opponent's ground creatures while your deck gets going. Sage Owl lets you set up what you'll draw for the next four turns. Spiketail Hatchling can make your opponent wait an extra turn to safely play that big spell. Meanwhile, Thieving Magpie and Aven Fisher keep you a few cards ahead of the competition.
Puppeteer can either stop one of your opponent's creatures from attacking or untap one of your tapped creatures to block. Fleeting Image makes a great blocker. You can wait until it deals combat damage, then use its ability to bounce it back your hand. The damage to your opponent's creature still happens, and your Fleeting Image is safe!
Once you get enough lands in play, you can drop your big threats and your big defenders. Urza's Armor helps keep hordes of little creatures at bay while Air Elemental rules the skies. With no way to block all your creatures, your opponent will soon be defeated by the air assault.
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Speed Scorch
T
he "Speed Scorch" deck is chock-full of everyone's favorite little red creatures. All but one of the deck's creatures are Goblins, and the last creature is the Goblin King ! Your mission is clear: overrun your opponent with Goblins. While your opponent tries to fend off your horde, you can use your instants and sorceries to blow things up.
During your first few turns, slap down Goblins as fast as you can and attack. You can play every creature in your deck with just three lands in play. Surprise your opponent with Raging Goblin and Goblin Chariot . Because they have haste, you'll be able to attack with them right away.
Want to make your Goblins truly love you? Play Goblin King to give all your Goblins +1/+1. (The Goblin King is a Lord, not a Goblin, so it doesn't get the bonus.) Don't attack with Goblin King unless your opponent has no blockers-you don't want your pumped-up Goblins to suddenly get smaller.
"Speed Scorch" has some spells that help you get your Goblins through your opponent's defenses. "Burn" spells, like Shock and Lightning Blast , deal damage directly to a creature or player. Hold on to them until your opponent plays a creature that could block, then use one to burn that potential blocker away.
Need an extra dose of damage to take out your opponent's creatures? Don't be afraid to stuff your Goblins into the Fodder Cannon . One of your measly little Goblins for one of your opponent's big monsters? That's a good trade.
If you've done enough attacking with your Goblins, you may be able to finish off your opponent with one or more of your burn spells. But before you start targeting your opponent with your fiery spells, make sure you can finish the job. Don't waste your direct damage on an opponent who could win with creatures first!
The most important thing to remember when playing the "Speed Scorch" deck is this: don't hold back! If you hesitate, other decks gain the advantage. Go all out, and you'll win.
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Which English racecourse has a ‘Glorious’ summer meeting? | Horse Racing Fixtures | Summer Flat Racing Meetings | Online Betting
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| Goodwood |
Which drink was once known as ‘the green fairy’? | The English Season in style - Telegraph
Travel
The English Season in style
With an Olympics and a Diamond Jubilee on the horizon, the desire for all things quintessentially English has never been greater. Sophie Campbell gives the inside track on six classic social events around which to build a glorious summer break .
By Luxury Travel
February 27, 2012 15:26
There is a beautiful intimacy to winning at Henley Royal Regatta, the 173-year-old rowing event staged on the rural River Thames every June. This is partly because only two boats compete per heat or final – unique in international competition, where you would usually expect several – and partly because absolutely nobody will be watching.
When I say nobody, I mean of the cheery crowds who appear to be conducting an entirely separate event on both banks of the Henley Reach. Whether staging baroque picnics in the car parks or strolling in floaty dresses in the Stewards’ Enclosure, they see the boats as a charmingly atmospheric backdrop, occasionally glimpsed.
The oarsmen don’t mind, of course. They know they will strain heart, sinew and muscle to power along a gruelling one-mile-550-yard course in the teeth of widespread indifference. They will simply become still small points of concentration at the centre of it all, like chess grandmasters castling at a rave. They know the people who do watch really matter – their peers and heroes, Olympians, Oxbridge Blues, scouts, coaches and club rowers from across the world, some of the sport’s most famous names. Even the stewards at Henley have impressive rowing pedigrees. And afterwards there will be cracking crew and club parties from which most people are excluded.
Henley – its full name is rarely used – is one of the great set pieces of the English season, a series of events, some of them centuries old, that rolls around every year, just as Easter follows Christmas, to enliven the English summer. It used to oil the wheels of Society by allowing aristocrats and aspirants to meet and marry each other. And it is English, rather than British – south-east English, in fact – because every one of these events takes place within 70 miles of London and is within reach of a train.
Read Sophie Campbell's guide to this year's six biggest events
The waiting list for the Stewards’ Enclosure at Henley stretches for years, possibly decades – unassailable unless you are significant in the rowing world; only members and guests can enter. However, the very best event management and private concierge companies can arrange luncheon packages that include access for the day. The same goes for the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, equally exclusive, but – as it is no longer physically separate, and occupies part of the “new” (2006) stand – no longer completely impregnable thanks to a few extremely expensive dining packages that include a day-badge.
This is not membership, of course, but you can stroll about and enjoy the glittering atmosphere for a few hours, at least.
More accessible are modern fixtures such as the Goodwood Revival in September, started 14 years ago by the inventive and distinctly stylish Lord March , heir to the Duke of Richmond , on the Goodwood estate in Sussex. This features classic cars on a 1940s circuit, with spectators wearing fabulous retro clothing; a melee of wasp waists and pillbox hats, driving-goggles and Oxford bags, with the fruity snarl of period engines in the background. It’s part of the season, but not as Society knew it.
In the early 1900s, the last time the season had any real social traction, it was defined more closely. It began with the Chelsea Flower Show in May and ended with sailing at Cowes Week in August. In between came the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, the Derby, Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, Henley Royal Regatta and racing at Goodwood – horses, not cars. The opera at Glyndebourne, in Sussex, became a fixture in the 1930s and International Polo Day at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park about 40 years later.
This set of happenings has its roots in the rhythms of the country year, which dictated the movements of the sport-mad Stuart court and in turn affected parliamentary schedules. Even now, the House rises for the summer recess when it does because so many Victorian politicians went shooting or yachting every August. The bored families of courtiers and politicians sweltered in London and, as transport improved, out-of-town jaunts provided a welcome change of scene.
Gradually, all these summery occasions began to exhibit peculiarly English characteristics: a devotion to hierarchy, a passion for picnics and fashion, stoic acceptance of lousy weather and touching joy in the face of watery sunshine, miles of walking and, often forgotten, a genuinely exceptional standard of whatever it is – rowing, motor racing , music, plantsmanship – the event is there to celebrate.
All of them, somewhere, involve royalty. Royal Ascot – 300 years old last year – is still attended by the Queen, who trundles up the course at 2pm daily in a horse-drawn landau to a Mexican wave of doffed hats. Royalty provides the gold standard, a solidity no celebrity froth and glamour can trump.
It also leads neatly to the concept of exclusion. Even the Prince Regent – later George IV and one of our top party kings – got sick of his raffish racing acquaintances invading the royal box, so ordered an area to be elegantly roped off. You were in, or you were out: the literal and metaphorical origins of the Enclosure.
If you are out, getting in can seem daunting. To apply for the Royal Enclosure at Ascot you need a sponsor who has attended at least four times. Your application letter should be written in the third person (“Miss X thanks…”) – as all formal correspondence once was written – and sent to the Ascot Office, formerly at St James’s Palace, now at the racecourse. There is no way around this, short of joining the Royal Ascot Racing Club (RARC) which confers automatic membership, and for that, too, you need to know a sponsor.
The list for membership of Glyndebourne is as long, if not longer, than the one for the Stewards’ Enclosure at Henley. Ditto the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes, for which you would need to be proposed and seconded and to be a serious sailor. Other things simply require efficiency: the Chelsea Flower Show Gala Preview and the Championships at Wimbledon require you to enter a ballot for tickets the year before.
Then there are the dress codes. As the 19th century went on, a rope was not sufficient to repel the growing numbers of ambitious Victorians sailing up the social scale. A set of rules, language and dress codes emerged to differentiate those who didn’t know from those who did.
Dress codes survive today in the enclosures at Ascot and Henley: the Royal Enclosure has just joined the Stewards’ Enclosure in banning hems above the knee and further insists upon proper hats and no spaghetti straps. Henley does not decree hats – though everyone wears one – and is reasonably relaxed about décolletage, but bans trousers of any sort (for women, that is). There is sure-footed advice on the unpretentious website of Debrett’s , which has been publishing guides to the peerage and gentry for centuries.
The true saviour of the season, however unpalatable it might be to the old hands, has been corporate entertainment and sponsorship. This began in the 1970s – at Henley, ironically, which avoids sponsorship today and has a separate corporate area – and without it many events would have foundered. One result is the rise of the events company, an entity that not only organises large groups but can help individuals wanting, say, tickets to the men’s singles final at Wimbledon or an entire day out arranged for them at Goodwood or Chelsea.
However you go, I defy anyone to stand by the rails at one of the great summer race meetings, listening to the hum of excitement at the start escalate to a hat-throwing crescendo at the finish, to tread in divots of emerald grass with total strangers on the polo field, or to try balancing a wine glass and a plate of Fortnum’s finest charcuterie on a picnic rug during the interval at Glyndebourne, without thinking they are in some beautiful, bonkers, English dream.
World’s most prestigious flower show? Chelsea. Most demanding flat racing? The Derby. Most fashionable racegoers? Royal Ascot. Most wanted opera tickets? Glyndebourne is right up there. Phenomenal rowing, racing, tennis, singing: they’re all here. Watching is optional.
Sophie Campbell’s book about the English season, The Butterfly Summer, will be published by Aurum Press in spring 2013.
Events companies
Events International (01432 263263 , eventsinternational.co.uk ) does a Royal Ascot Parade Ring Restaurant package with Royal Enclosure guest badge from £925 per person plus VAT, for two to 12 guests. The price includes private tables, a reserved race-viewing area by the Royal Box, canapés and champagne reception, five-course à la carte luncheon, tea-time champagne and strawberries, a free bar and parking. It can arrange Charlton Hunt Restaurant packages during Glorious Goodwood, which include a badge for the Richmond Enclosure , balcony views of the racing and parade ring , champagne, four-course lunch, tea and parking, from £415 per person plus VAT.
Sportsworld (01235 555844, sportsworld.co.uk ) offers four Royal Ascot restaurant packages, with Royal Enclosure guest passes from £580 per person. The price includes access to the Royal Enclosure gardens, bars and facilities, a champagne reception, parking and the after-party on Friday and Saturday. At Henley Royal Regatta, a Fawley Meadows package can be upgraded to include a Stewards’ Enclosure badge for £314 per person plus VAT, including a three-course lunch, champagne reception, parking and a river cruise.
Keith Prowse (0845 564 4691, keithprowse.co.uk ) offers a range of packages to sporting and cultural events. It can procure the Derby Suite on the third floor of the Queen’s Stand, above the Royal Box at Epsom, for £650 per person plus VAT. The price includes entry badge, Pimm’s and champagne reception, five-course meal with wines and liqueurs, afternoon tea and drinks all day.
Private concierge services
Quintessentially (0845 299 4555, quintessentially.com ) is a private members’ club whose fees start at £1,000 per person (£1,400 per couple) per year. The people in charge are extremely well-connected (one of its founders, Ben Elliot , is the Duchess of Cornwall’s nephew) and will happily discuss individual requests for season events.
Ten (020 7479 3456, tengroup.com ) offers concierge membership from £85 per calendar month and can arrange boxes at Royal Ascot, debenture tickets to Wimbledon, drinks on the VIP terrace at Goodwood and a pre-packed picnic and porter service at Glyndebourne. In the past, Ten has got members into the Gala Dinner at Chelsea Flower Show at short notice.
Vertu Concierge (01252 867500, vertu.com ) is open only to owners of Vertu phones – expect to pay from £3,660 for the new Constellation range. Accessed at the touch of a button, the service can arrange entry to exclusive summer events.
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Which annual census takes place in the third week of July on the river Thames? | Annual Royal 'Swan-Upping' takes place on River Thames
Annual Royal 'Swan-Upping' takes place on River Thames
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(Reuters) - A census of the Queen's swans has taken place annually on the River Thames for the last 800 years.
On Monday, a group of Boats led by the Queen's Swan Marker continued the tradition, known as "Swan Upping."
"We go up the river in six traditional rowing skiffs - every family of swans we come across, we will take them out of the water, we will take them a shore. We will weigh them, measure them and check them for any injuries," The Queen's royal Swan Marker, David Barber told Reuters.
Cygnets are individually tagged, as part of conservation efforts to protect the young birds.
"A lot of the injuries we get these days is through fishing tackle. When the cygnets are very young, they get caught in fishing tackle quite easily," Barber added.
Dressed in their traditional livery, the teams use six traditional Thames rowing skiffs, each flying their flags and pennants.
It takes them five days to cover the stretch of the Thames between Sunbury near London out to Abingdon near Oxford.
They count all the adult swans and tag and monitor the health of cygnets by weighing them and checking in their mouths.
The river can be a dangerous place for the young swans, at risk from fishing hooks and wire.
A serious decline in the swan population in the mid-1980s was reversed when lead fishing weights were replaced with a non-toxic substance.
But growing demand for recreational use of the river has meant the river is still a dangerous habitat for the royal birds.
"We've had a lot of problems over the last few years. Last year we had 83 cygnets that we caught, weighed and measured. The year before, we had 120, so you can see it has declined," Barber said.
The tradition began in the Twelfth century where swans were often killed for food at banquets.
Barber said that the royal involvement in the process can be traced back to then.
"Her majesty has the right to own any swans swimming in open waters in the United Kingdom if she so pleases," he added.
Those who carry out the tradition hope that it helps conserve the future of the birds and educates younger generations.
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| Swan Upping |
Which tradesmen performed most of the wedding ceremonies at Gretna Green? | Swan Upping takes place in West Berkshire - Newbury Weekly News
Swan Upping takes place in West Berkshire
Thu, 21 Jul 2011
Reporter:
Mark Taylor
The annual census of the swan population on the River Thames will pass through the district today (Thursday)
THE annual census of the swan population on the River Thames will pass through West Berkshire today (Thursday).
The Swan Upping which started on Monday in Sunbury will pass through Goring Lock today at 5pm, to end at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, tomorrow (Friday).
Announcing the date, David Barber, the Queen's Swan Marker, said the severe winter weather combined with the worst outbreak of a virus seen for many years meant it was anticipated that fewer cygnets would be born this year as a result of the outbreak.
The ceremony of Swan Upping dates from the twelfth century and takes place during the third week of July every year.
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Which Spanish city is the scene of the annual bull-running from July 6 to 14th? | Running of the Bulls in Pamplona | San Fermin | Spanish Fiestas
8. Plaza de Toros
9. Plaza del Castillo
A third rocket is set off once all the bulls have entered the bullring and the fourth, and final, rocket means that the bulls are now in the bullpen and the bullrun has finished. The vast number of people taking part in the bullrun nowadays adds to the already considerable danger of running alongside wild bulls weighing in the region of 700kg each.
A word of warning … With the drinks flowing and the party in full swing you could be forgiven for forgetting that running the bulls is an extremely dangerous activity. Under no circumstances should you even consider running if you’re intoxicated. Not only are drunken people a risk to themselves they are also a risk to everyone else. There are plenty security guards and first aid personnel but there is little they can do during the running of the bulls such that 15 people have died and over 200 been seriously injured since 1924.
Watching the Bullrunning
Street: You can stand behind the fences that mark the route of the bullrun but you need to arrive by around 6.30am to get the best spots on the top of the fence directly overlooking the run. Another good spot is in front of the museum on c/ Santo Domingo where there isn’t a fence but the best spots here are usually taken before 6am leaving you with a cold two hour wait before the run starts.
Private Balconies: A great alternative is to get yourself onto a balcony overlooking the bullrun. You might be lucky enough to meet someone who invites you onto their terrace, alternatively, ask in the tourist information office (c/ Esclava, 1).
Plaza de Toros: Your only other options are to go to the bullring and watch the end as the bulls (and some terrified runners) arrive in the arena. Alternatively, you could head for a bar and watch the bull run which is shown live every morning on national TV.
Take a look at this incredible video produced by Spanish TV (RTVE) on 13th July 2013. It portrays all the tension and excitement of the bullrun culminating in horrific scenes at the entrance to the bullring where some runners had fallen which led to a major crush that blocked the entrance of the bulls. More injuries resulted that day than for many years.
Watching the Bullfights
On every evening of the fiesta beginning at 6.30pm on 7th July there is a bullfight in the Pamplona bullring. Tickets for the bullfights are sold out well in advance as the arena only holds 12,500 people. Every evening after the day’s bullfight some tickets go on sale for the next evening’s event at the ‘taquillas’ at the bull ring. You’ll usually find ticket touts operating around the Plaza de Toros during the day and before the bullfight selling at elevated prices.
Getting to Pamplona
Whilst there are no international flights into Pamplona Airport, you can fly to Madrid or Barcelona (seasonal) then take a connecting domestic service to get there. The airport is only 6km from the city centre. There are regular train services from Barcelona, Madrid and San Sebastian to Pamplona as well as frequent bus services. For more detailed information on how to get to Pamplona take a look at our comprehensive Pamplona Travel Guide .
Where to Stay in Pamplona
The city of Pamplona simply isn’t big enough to accommodate the vast number of people who flock there during Sanfermines. It’s more or less impossible to book Pamplona Hotels at short notice so if you want the comfort of a hotel bed you should consider booking many months in advance. Similary budget accommodation in hostels gets fully booked a long time before the event so planning your visit some time ahead is crucial.
My personal preference is to book a place on the campsite in Pamplona which lies about 7km from the city centre. Whilst it is also packed throughout the week of the fiestas they do take security seriously and offer bus transport in and out of town. The free campsite that appears near the Ezcaba campsite during the fiestas is another option but isn’t recommended for security reasons as petty crime is rife during San Fermin. Similarly sleeping in parks along with many others should be avoided for the same reason
An alternative to staying in Pamplona is to book a hotel in San Sebastian , Vitoria-Gasteiz or Estella and make the early morning trip to the bull run from there. The trouble is that getting public transport early enough in the morning to see the bullrun can prove impossible so this option is only really viable if you have your own vehicle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Every year in the run-up to San Fermín we receive the same questions about the fiestas. Here they are together with answers:
How Much Does it Cost to Run with the Bulls?
Whilst this does come as a surprise to many people who ask this question, there is no need to pay to run the bulls or even register for that matter. All you have to do is head for Plaza Consistorial near the start of the route preferably before 7am. Don’t turn up just before 8am as you’ll be too late to get a spot and don’t wait along Calle Estafeta as the police will clear everyone off this street before the bullrun commences.
Can Women Run With The Bulls?
Yes, there is nothing to stop women from participating although they tend to be very few in numbers. It’s very rare to see any Spanish females running, the majority normally seem to be Aussies.
The Navarra Tourist Board website is a handy resource for tourism information in this part of Spain.
| Pamplona |
Which Oscar-winning actor pulled a man from a burning car in California, saving his life? | #Pamplona2015: Running of the Bulls Protest | PETA UK
#Pamplona2015: Running of the Bulls Protest
Action Centre #Pamplona2015: Running of the Bulls Protest
© iStock.com/galdzer
Every year, the streets of Pamplona, Spain, are stained red with the blood of terrified bulls. As part of the annual San Fermín festival, the bulls pursued through the city among a noisy, chaotic crowd – made up mostly of drunken tourists – at the infamous Running of the Bulls. The same animals – 48 of them – will later be stabbed to death in the city’s bullring.
But for the last 14 years, something else has also been happening in Pamplona every July. Kind people from every corner of Spain as well as from many other countries have been coming together to speak out against the cruelty and take part in a hard-hitting demonstration that makes headlines all around the world. In fact, heading to Pamplona to protest has become a tradition in itself, and it’s a compassionate alternative to the gruesome “festivities” later in the week.
This year, we were in Pamplona again with Spanish group AnimaNaturalis making some noise for animals.
More than 100 protesters lay in the street in front of the bullring, wearing little more than bodypaint, to create a “ river of blood ” to remind the world of how animals are massacred in the ring every year.
A photo posted by PETA UK (@petauk) on
Jul 4, 2015 at 12:28am PDT
Amina from Denmark tells us why she’s come to Pamplona to protest against the cruel #RunningOfTheBulls today https://t.co/Mya7ign7fd — PETA UK (@PETAUK) July 4, 2015
A reminder of why we’re here – this is what will happen to 48 bulls this week http://t.co/RiUalZCRnb #Pamplona2015 pic.twitter.com/XtJW3gJ6gd — PETA UK (@PETAUK) July 4, 2015
This could be the vital first step towards abolishing the horrific Running of the Bulls. http://t.co/ki6FKQTsUy pic.twitter.com/z47oha2WNB — PETA UK (@PETAUK) July 2, 2015
Highlights From Previous Years’ Protests
See more here.
Take Action
More than 100 activists will be in Pamplona this weekend. But thousands more will be with us in spirit, and they all want to see an end to the barbaric slaughter of bulls at the San Fermín festival.
Show your support and sign the petition asking the mayor of Pamplona to hold a public consultation on the future of bull runs.
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Who died in Antarctica only 30 miles from the finish of his heroic charity effort? | Explorer Henry Worsley, 55, Dies on Antarctic Expedition - Men's Journal
Men's Journal
By Mark Johanson
“I’ve spent 70 days on my own in a place I love…" Credit: Photo from shackletonsolo.org
British explorer Henry Worsley was just 30 miles short of a historic crossing of Antarctica this weekend when his epic slog went terribly wrong. Troubles began for the 55-year-old former army officer last Wednesday when his pace slowed to about a mile per hour during whiteout conditions. Worsley found himself completely tent-bound the following day and, depleted of all energy, phoned for an airlift off the white continent Friday afternoon, seeking relief at a hospital in southern Chile.
In his last audio message , sent from Antarctica Friday, Worsley lamented that his target was just beyond reach. "I have run out of time, physical endurance and the simple sheer ability to slide one ski in front of the other to travel the distance required to reach my goal," he said. "I've spent 70 days on my own in a place I love… So, I'll lick my wounds, they will heal over time, and I'll come to terms with the disappointment."
Worsley never got that opportunity.
The seasoned adventurer had intended to reach the finish line on Ross Ice Shelf Tuesday, but died Sunday in a hospital in Punta Arenas, Chile, after a two-day fight for his life. The rescue team with Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE) said Worsley was the victim of exhaustion, dehydration, and bacterial peritonitis (an inflammation of the thin tissue that lines the inner wall of the abdomen).
Worsley's wife, Joanna, issued a statement Monday confirming the untimely passing of the beloved polar explorer. "It is with heartbroken sadness I let you know that my husband, Henry Worsley, has died following complete organ failure; despite all efforts of ALE and the medical staff at the Clinica Magallanes in Punta Arenas, Chile," she said.
Worsley completed an impressive 913 miles on his 71-day attempt to bisect Antarctica from Berkner Island to the Ross Ice Shelf (via the South Pole). The conditions he faced along the way were brutal. Not only do temperatures dip to as much as -45 F, but the stretch of ice he traversed is home to some of the most extreme conditions known to man.
RELATED: A Mysterious Death at the South Pole
Norwegian Borge Ousland is the first person to have completed a solo and unsupported crossing of Antarctica in 1997. But Worsley's record attempt differed considerably in that he didn't use the aid of a parafoil kite, which helped Ousland finish his trip in just 34 days. Instead, Worsley carried his own food and supplies (enough for 80 days) in a sled, which he pulled without the aid of dogs or wind-power.
Ousland said in a statement Monday that Worsley was "among the best, strongest and most determined of the modern explorers," adding that "neither him or his impressive feat will be forgotten."
Worsley's final journey was a deeply personal one. He'd hoped to complete the unfinished expedition of his hero, Ernest Shackleton. It was a century ago when Shackleton set off on his own trip across Antarctica with Henry's distant relative, Frank Worsley, as his captain.
"I believe Sir Ernest would have been humbled by, and admiring of, the sheer scale of Henry Worsley's ambition, self-discipline, courage, leadership and supreme and relentless effort in the face of such a challenge,” says fellow polar explorer Pen Hadow, the first person to trek solo (without resupply) from Canada to the North Pole in 2003.
Worsley had a lifelong passion for the lives of Antarctic explorers from the Edwardian age. He led a trip in commemoration of Shackleton's "Nimrod" expedition through the Transantarctic Mountains in 2008, and another in 2011 re-tracing Amundsen's and Scott's expeditions to the South Pole.
The 2015-2016 Shackleton Solo Expedition was to be his third major polar expedition in a decade. In undertaking it, Worsley hoped to raise more than £100,000 ($143,000) for the Endeavour Fund, a charity that supports wounded soldiers. Not only did he surpass that goal, but donations continued to pour in Monday in memoriam.
Prince William — a patron of the expedition who helps manage the Endeavour Fund — issued a statement Monday in tribute to Worsley, calling the veteran an inspiring friend who exemplified courage and determination. "Even after retiring from the Army, Henry continued to show selfless commitment to his fellow servicemen and women by undertaking this extraordinary Shackleton solo expedition on their behalf," he said.
Worsley leaves behind his wife, Joanna, and two children, Max, 21, and Alicia, 19.
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| Henry Worsley |
Which architectural style was widely promoted by the famous Inigo Jones? | 10 Doomed Expeditions to the North and South Poles - Toptenz.net
Toptenz.net
Posted by Robert Grimminck on
March 16, 2016
in History , People | 2,630 Views | Leave a response
Some of the most dangerous areas of the world are the North and South Poles . The North Pole, which is in the Arctic, is slightly warmer than the South Pole. On average, it’s about -40 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and -32 degrees in the summer. The South Pole, which is in Antarctica, has a mean temperature of about -18 degrees in the summer and during the winter months the mean temperature is around -76 degrees. Not only is it extremely cold, but storms could make it even worse with blowing snow and ice. The highest wind speed ever recorded in Antarctica was 199 miles per hour in 1972.
That’s just the weather, because you also have to consider the fact that there isn’t much in the way of vegetation and shelter, and there are hidden dangers everywhere. Since Antarctica is so much colder, there aren’t even any animals that live there . Yet, despite being nearly as inhospitable as Mars, for centuries people ventured to both poles for exploration purposes, only to never to leave the frozen ends of the Earth.
10. Ernest Shackleton
Born in County Kildare, Ireland, in February of 1874, Ernest Shackleton is probably one of the most famous Antarctic explorers. He attempted to reach the South Pole on three different expeditions ; in 1901, 1908, and 1914. Unfortunately, he was thwarted due to weather and illness each time.
Although he never made it to the South Pole, his research and exploration led to many scientific discoveries. On Shackleton’s fourth and final expedition in 1922, he had a heart attack off the coast of South Georgia, an Antarctic island. He was 49 years old and was buried on that island.
9. Philip Goodeve-Docker
In late April of 2013, Philip Goodeve-Docker, an amateur explorer from London, England, was on a “ trip of a lifetime ” with two friends. The trio had collected enough money through crowdsourcing to travel across the Greenland ice cap, which is the second largest ice cap in the world. It was supposed to be a 442-mile trek in the Arctic and it would take 30 to 35 days to complete.
Early into the trip the three men were hit by a sudden blizzard that blew their tent away and they were forced to call for help. The three men were rescued, but Goodeve-Docker died in the hospital; he was 31 years old.
8. Henry Worsley
On November 14, 2015, 55-year-old British explorer Henry Worsley set off on an expedition to be the first person to cross Antarctica solo and unaided. By day 71 of his trek, Worsley had covered 913 miles and was within 30 miles of his goal when his health took a turn for the worse and the weather developed blizzard-like conditions, forcing him to call for help. His last statement from Antarctica was “The 71 days alone on the Antarctic with over 900 statute miles covered and a gradual grinding down of my physical endurance finally took its toll today, and it is with sadness that I report it is journey’s end — so close to my goal.”
Worsley was airlifted to a hospital in Chile and he was diagnosed with severe exhaustion, dehydration, and a bacterial infection in the abdomen . Unfortunately, he died the next day in the hospital. Even though Worsley never reached his goal, his family still believes his expedition was a success because he raised £100,000 ($142,000) for the Endeavour Fund, which is a charity to help wounded servicemen and servicewomen.
7. Nicolai Hanson
In 1898, when Norwegian zoologist Nicolai Hanson was 28, he set off from England to head to the Antarctic. Along the way, he became ill, but by the time they reached Cape Adare , an Antarctic island, he was better and got involved in scientific studies.
But as winter came on, his health problems returned. He managed to survive the winter and the spring, and then died on October 14, 1899. He became the first person to be buried in Antarctica. His tomb site is marked by quartz stones and a wooden cross and it was used as a marker on expeditions that followed. The burial site is also designated a historical monument in Antarctica.
6. Wolf V. Vishniac
Wolf V. Vishniac was born in Berlin in 1922 and his family moved to the United States in 1940. In 1949, he achieved his doctorate in chemistry and microbiology from Stanford and became a professor of biology at Rochester University. In 1959, Vishniac got a grant from NASA to develop a prototype system that would test for life on other planets, which was called the Wolf Trap . On December 10, 1973, Vishniac was in Antarctica doing tests, because the conditions in Antarctica are the closest thing on Earth compared to Mars, and while trying to retrieve equipment that had fallen into a crevice, Vishniac fell to his death.
The Wolf Trap was one of four biological tests sent to Mars by NASA on the Viking Probes and it landed on the Red Planet’s surface in 1976. Also, the Vishniac crater on Mars is named in his honor.
5. The Terra Nova Expedition
Born on June 6, 1868, in Devonport, England, Robert Falcon Scott became a naval cadet by the age of 13 and spent his teen years and his 20s on a number of naval ships. Due to his experience, the Royal Geographical Society put him in command of the National Antarctic Expedition of 1901-1904 and this expedition, which included Ernest Shackleton, reached farther South than any before them.
For his second expedition, Scott wanted to actually reach the South Pole, which would make him the first person to do so. Scott and his crew aboard the Terra Nova whaling vessel shipped off in June of 1910. They landed in Antarctica in October and set off with mechanical sleds, horses, and dogs. Pretty soon the crew realized the sleds and the horses couldn’t handle the elements so they were sent back to the base. By December, the dog teams also abandoned the journey. That left five men who continued on to the South Pole. Beside Scott, there was Edward Adrian Wilson, Lawrence Oates, Henry Robertson Bowers, and Edgar Evans. On January 17, 1912, they reached the pole and made a heartbreaking discovery; a Norwegian exploration team had beaten them by 34 days.
After reaching the pole, they started the 930 mile trip back, but none of them would make it. Evans died first in mid-February. By March, Oates had suffered severe frostbite and knowing he was slowing down the crew, simply walked away and has never been found. Around March 29, 1912, about 12 miles from their pre-arranged supply depot, Falcon, Wilson, and Bowers died from starvation and exposure . Their bodies and Scott’s diary were found eight months after their death.
4. Douglas Mawson’s Far Eastern Shore Party
Australian geologists Douglas Mawson is one of the four biggest Antarctic explorers who were part of an era known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration . Besides Mawson, the other three are Ernest Shackleton, Robert Falcon Scott, and Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer who beat Scott to the South Pole.
Mawson had been offered a chance to go on Scott’s doomed Terra Nova expedition in 1910, but had turned down the offer. Instead, at the age of 30, Mawson led his own expedition that set off in December of 1911 and anchored in a very remote part of Antarctica called Commonwealth Bay in January of 1912. Once they made landfall, they were hit by constant blizzards with winds ranging anywhere from 50 to 200 miles per hour. Despite the miserable weather, Mawson split the group into four to perform studies. Mawson took charge of a team that had two other men in it called the Far Eastern Shore Party. Their task was to survey glaciers hundreds of miles away.
Mawson and the two other men, Belgrave Ninnis, a British Army Lieutenant who was hired as the dog handler, and Xavier Mertz, a Swiss lawyer with no qualifications to be exploring the arctic, set off on November 10, 1912, with a team of 16 huskies. By December 13, they had covered 300 miles and that’s when they started to run into trouble. On December 14, Ninnis and one of the two dog teams fell 150 feet into a crevasse, which is a deep crack found in ice sheets and glaciers. On the sled was most of the team’s food.
With no other choice, Mawson and Mertz started to head back to Commonwealth Bay, where their ship was anchored. Along the way, they ate some of the weaker dogs, Mawson went snow blind, and they were hit by whiteout blizzards. As they traveled, they also started to physically deteriorate. In a diary entry from January 5, 1913, Mawson wrote that the skin was coming off his legs. Mertz had it worse though. He went delirious and died from exposure on January 8. By January 11, Mawson tried to do some more walking; he was about 100 miles away from the nearest living person. The problem was that his feet were covered in blisters and every step was agony. Yet he carried on, at times dragging himself, covering five miles a day. On January 17, Mawson fell 14 feet into a crevasse, but he was saved because he had a rope tied around his waist and his sled anchored him to the surface of the ice sheet. He managed to climb out hand over hand.
On February 1, Mawson reached a supply depot called Aladdin’s Cave, about 10 miles away from the ship. There he found three oranges and a pineapple. He wrote that he wept when he saw something that wasn’t white. Mawson was forced to stay in the cave for five days because of a blizzard before setting off again. He made it the shore on February 8, just in time to see the ship leaving, and it was impossible for them to turn around. Mawson was forced to spend another winter in Antarctica with six other men before they were finally picked up in December of 1913.
3. The Lost Men of the Ross Sea Party
Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition is one of the most amazing stories of human endurance and strength in the face of adversary. Setting off on August 1, 1914, from England, the expedition’s ship, Endurance , became stuck in the ice. They were forced to abandon the ship in October of 1915 and all 28 men stayed on floating ice patches. Then in April of 1916, Shackleton split the men into three lifeboats and seven days later they landed on the desolate, uninhabited Elephant Island, off the southern tip of Cape Horn. Knowing that no one would come to save them, Shackleton and a small group of men set out and traveled 16 days on a 22-foot lifeboat to South Georgia, where he was able to radio for help. On August 25, 1916, Shackleton returned to Elephant Island and after almost two years of being marooned on an island in the Antarctic, all 28 men were saved. What’s interesting is that while none of the men on the Endurance died, other people who were part of the expedition were not so lucky, and that is the Ross Sea Party .
The reason that Shackleton and his crew were traveling to Antarctica was to trek from South Georgia across the South Pole. In order to do that, supply depots needed to be dropped along the way. The team responsible for that was the Ross Sea Party, led by Aeneas Mackintosh. In January of 1916, the 10 man team made landfall in Antarctica to plant 4,000 pounds of supply every 60 miles. Immediately, the men encountered bad weather and temperatures reaching -92 degrees, causing all of the men to suffer severe frostbite.
In June of 1916, like the Endurance, the Ross Sea Party found themselves marooned. But unlike the Endurance, their ship was not a victim of ice. Instead, their ship, the Aurora, was blown out to sea by winds that were over 120 miles per hour. Without much of their own supplies, the crew of the Ross Sea Party, who had no idea the Endurance crew had to abandon their expedition, set out to lay the depots because they thought that Shackleton and his men’s lives depended on it. So nine of the crew members set out and three had to turn back after their stove died. Along the way, Reverend Arnold Spencer-Smith and commander Mackintosh got scurvy, and had to be left behind. The rest of the men successfully dropped the supplies at the southernmost drop and when they returned to Spencer-Smith and Mackintosh, they found that the pair was much sicker than when they had left them. They had to be dragged in sleds by the four other men and four dogs. Along the way, another man, a banker named Victor Hayward, also got scurvy and collapsed. With no other choice, the three men left Mackintosh while they dragged Hayward and Spencer-Smith back to their base. On March 8, 1916, en route to the camp, Spencer-Smith died quietly and the three men and Hayward reached the base days later. They ate some seal and then the three people who weren’t suffering from scurvy retrieved Mackintosh.
On May 8, 1816, Hayward and Mackintosh decided to walk to Cape Evans to meet up with the rest of the crew. The other three men told them not to because the ice was still thin. Yet, they walked off and were never seen again. The three remaining men waited until the ice was thicker and reunited with their four other crew members. On January 10, 1917, while hunting for seals, one of the men spotted the Aurora locked in the ice. They waited for the ice to melt and then set sail, arriving in New Zealand on February 9, 1917. That is when the seven surviving men found out their work had been in vain because Shackleton and his Endurance expedition didn’t even make landfall on the mainland of Antarctica.
2. Rodney Marks
Since the days of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, many methods of exploration have changed drastically. For example, dog sleds have been replaced with motorized vehicles and people don’t wear cotton that absorbs water while walking around in extreme temperatures over land covered in snow and ice. In fact, there is actually a base at the South Pole called the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station and it was built in 1956 by the United States government for scientific exploration. It is also home to the most mysterious death in Antarctica.
In May of 2000, there were 49 people at the base, including Australian astrophysicist Rodney Marks . He was 32 at the time, and one day while he was walking from the Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope and Remote Observatory to the base, he suddenly didn’t feel well. Over the next 36 hours, he remained severely ill and died on May 11. Since he died in the winter, his body was stored at the base and then in the spring when flights resumed to Antarctica, his body was flown to Christchurch, New Zealand, and an autopsy was performed. The results were shocking, as the tests showed that Marks had been poisoned with methanol, a solvent that is used in cleaning agents.
After the autopsy, an investigation was launched, but the death still remains a mystery. Some of the theories include that he committed suicide, because there were two needle marks in his arms and no sign of drugs, but Marks had just started a new relationship, was happy in his work, and did not have any financial problems. Investigators believe that suicide is the least likely cause of death. Another theory is that he may have also tried to brew his own alcohol and poisoned himself, but alcohol was readily available at the base so that theory also seems unlikely. Finally, there is the possibility that he may have been murdered or killed in a prank gone wrong. Adding to this theory is the fact that out of the 49 people at the base at the time of his death, only 13 cooperated with the investigation.
Due to how little is known about the death, there is a good chance that Antarctica’s only possible murder mystery may never be solved .
1. Sir John Franklin’s Lost Expedition
Born in 1786, in Spilsby, England, Sir John Franklin joined the Royal Navy at the age of 14, and he saw Naval action in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. After being injured, he found a renewed interest in exploration, particularly exploring the Canadian Arctic and looking for the fabled Northern Passage. He was involved in a number of expeditions and drew many new maps of uncharted coastline in the Arctic. By the 1820s, he lost interest in exploration, but by the time he was in his late 50s, he wanted to help finish mapping the Northwest Passage, which only had 310 miles left to map between the Barrow Strait and the mainland of Canada.
On May 19, 1845, Franklin and 134 men set off in two ships. Five of the men ended up being dropped off in Greenland before the rest of the men carried on. On July 26, whaling boats saw the two ships go into Baffin Island, Canada, and that was anyone ever saw of the expedition. People believed that the ships became locked in the water. According to reports from the Inuit people in the area, the men turned to cannibalism before dying off.
No trace of the ships or the 129 men were found until 1980, when three bodies were found. Tests were performed on the bodies and it was discovered that they had high levels of lead. This has led to speculation that the men suffered lead poisoning from food in tin cans.
Then in 2014, the Canadian government launched a search for the ships and they found one of them using sonar images. It was found sunk off the shore of King William Island.
Robert Grimminck is a Canadian freelance writer. You can friend him on Facebook , follow him on Twitter , follow him on Pinterest or visit his website .
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What do we call a bell-tower not attached to a church? | Campanile - definition of campanile by The Free Dictionary
Campanile - definition of campanile by The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/campanile
Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia .
cam·pa·ni·le
(kăm′pə-nē′lē)
n. pl. cam·pa·ni·les (-lēz) or cam·pa·ni·li (-lē)
A bell tower, especially one near but not attached to a church or other public building.
[French, from Italian, from campana, bell, from Late Latin campāna, bell (made of metal produced in Campania), from Latin campānus, of Campania, from Campānia, Campania.]
campanile
(Architecture) (esp in Italy) a bell tower, not usually attached to another building. Compare belfry
[C17: from Italian, from campana bell]
cam•pa•ni•le
(ˌkæm pəˈni li, -leɪ, -ˈnil)
n., pl. -ni•les, -ni•li (-ˈni li)
a bell tower, esp. one freestanding from a church.
[1630–40; < Italian campana bell < Late Latin]
campanile
Italian for a bell tower detached from the main body of a church.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
bell tower - a tower that supports or shelters a bell
Translations
campanile
[ˌkæmpəˈniːlɪ] N → campanario m
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References in classic literature ?
The sudden flashes of colour reminded him of the gleam of the opal-and-iris-throated birds that flutter round the tall honeycombed Campanile, or stalk, with such stately grace, through the dim, dust-stained arcades.
View in context
We have seen the Campanile, and Byron's house and Balbi's the geographer, and the palaces of all the ancient dukes and doges of Venice, and we have seen their effeminate descendants airing their nobility in fashionable French attire in the Grand Square of St.
View in context
The additional members are accommodated on the public space outside which is pinned down by the thin tall concrete planes of the campanile.
Oberto Sausage Company Initiates Nationwide Distribution of Genuine Authentic Pepperoni Sticks
Nasdag:BUNZ) the Austin-born company that knows a thing or two about building delicious sandwiches and the importance of bread, will begin this month baking the unique, European-style baguettes, rounds and loaves of award-winning chef-author Nancy Silverton of California's Campanile restaurant and famed La Brea Bakery, one of the most respected artisan bakeries in America.
Multimedia Available: Schlotzsky's Deli To Feature La Brea Breads
Though purely symbolic as a campanile (lacking bells), the square tower rises through the new town hall block, bringing visitors into the building from the mall below.
UK Campanile hotels sale offer expected to excite interest
At St Michael's in the Marsh, just south of the ringroad near the hamlet of Crna Vas, you climb a flight of steps, pass beneath the arch of a free-standing campanile, and enter the woodsy interior of the church, which is lofted above the flood-plain.
View from Ljubljana
ALL OVER ITALY: Octopus Salad from Venice, Saffron Risotto from Milan, Crudo With Garlic Oil Linguine from Sardinia: Hollywood celebrated the wonder that is Italy on Tuesday night at Campanile by sampling dishes from all over that beautiful country, with Florence, Naples and Rome represented as well.
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Which philosopher’s body was stuffed and placed in a case at University College, London? | History of bell ringing – Discover Bell Ringing - Campanology, art of change ringing, learn to ring
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0-1000 AD
The early missionaries used small handbells to call people to worship, with bells being introduced into Christian churches around 400 AD by Paulinus, Bishop of Nola in Campania. Their adoption on a wide scale does not become apparent until about 550, when they were introduced into France and Italy before spreading to Great Britain by monks and friars coming to join religious orders.
By 750, they were sufficiently common for the Archbishop of York to order all priests to toll their bell at certain times. St Dunstan, the then Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury, hung bells in all churches under his care during the late 10th Century and gave rules for their use.
In the Middle Ages, bells were thought to have supernatural powers. During the 7th century it is said that the Bishop of Aurelia rang the bells to warn people of an attack. When the enemy heard them, they were said to have fled in fear. The people credited the bells with having saved them. In a world with little man made noise, the sound of bells was not only majestic, but could be deeply fearful.
The hanging of bells in British churches spread quickly with the Abbeys of Wearmouth (above) and Whitby both recorded as having bells in 680.
1170
Popular superstition alleged that bells could ring themselves. It is said that those of Canterbury Cathedral tolled themselves when Thomas-a-Becket was murdered.
Pre 14th Century
Before the reign of Henry VIII and the Protestant Reformation, most bells in churches and monasteries were hung on a simple spindle and chimed by Deacons pulling a rope.
Ringers began to experiment with new ways of hanging the bell to get greater control. The first improvement was mounting bell to quarter wheel with a spindle serving as the axel and the rope attached to the rim of the wheel. As this method grew popular, bells then began to be mounted on half wheels.
Reformation, 1536
The desecration of monastic abbeys and buildings often included the removal of many church bells.
After Reformation, 1600s
Following the Reformation, many churches began to rehang bells, with most using the new technology of bells mounted on a whole wheel. This gave much greater control using the rope, but the final refinement was a stay and slider to be able to ‘set’ the bell. The ringer could now rotate the bells 360 degrees and stop and start the ringing at will.
Find out more about the parts of a bell, how it works and how they are made.
1586
The cost of maintaining bells and payments to the ringers, who at the time were paid for their services, could be quite a high proportion of running the Parish. St Margaret's, Westminster (right) paid ringers one shilling each for ringing at the beheading of the Queen of Scots. Less than twenty years later, the same church paid ten times that for ringing ‘at the time when the Parliament House should have been blown up’.
There was a long development period during the decades when the whole wheels were appearing, up to the mid 17th century when orderly ringing involving changing note patterns began to take place.
St Margaret's, Westminster
1612
The combination of the easier control using the whole wheel and the development of change ringing led to increased interest from the lay people, who took over the belfry from the clergy.
The Ordinances of the 'Companie of Ringers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln' were sealed on 18 October 1612, making it the oldest surviving Association. There is evidence that ringers were paid by the Cathedral to ring in the late sixteenth century, making this Society the oldest to be able to trace a continuous existence for at least 400 years. The better-known Ancient Society of College Youths was founded in 1637 and continues to this day to provide bell ringers for St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.
The Ordinances of the Companie of Ringers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln were sealed in 1612
1637
During the reign of James II (1633-1688) bell ringing became extremely fashionable amongst the aristocracy as it provided physical exercise and intellectual stimulation.
In the rural churches, however, bands of ordinary ringers strived to outdo one another. On days of competition the ringing was often preceded by a large meal at the local pub and followed by the presentation of a ‘good hat’ or a pair of gloves to each ringer in the band that had performed the best.
1668
The recreation began to flourish in and around London during the late 17th Century. An important milestone in the development of change ringing was the 1668 publication by Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman of their book Tintinnalogia, which promised in its subtitle to lay down "plain and easie Rules for Ringing all sorts of Plain Changes." Stedman followed this in 1677 with another famous early guide, Campanalogia. It revealed the technical improvements in change ringing in only nine years. Tintinnalogia had mentioned a few of the methods; Campanologia mentions dozens of newer methods including introducing his Grandsire Method and his Stedman's Principle.
These books described the art of change ringing and drew up rules for long series of changes, without the need for calls, whereby bells must change place at each pull of the rope. Further rules soon evolved and changes could be worked out, written down and learned by heart to create patterns where the bells are never sounded in the same order twice. These compositions were named methods and soon hundreds were created, often named after the cities they were first rung in such as Norwich, London or Cambridge.
Tintinnalogia shows the criss crossing movements of the bells as in a peal written in their numbered rows of six, each bell moving with every stroke to the next row and the next and the next, until a complete number of changes possible has been finished. In this book, Stedman outlines his famous principle for five bells, the Stedman Principle, which he invented in 1657. To Stedman is owed that complex system of changes which makes a "peal". Because of this, Stedman is called "The Father of Modern Bellringing". The oldest system of change ringing is Grandsire Doubles (formerly Grandsire Bob), which is rung on five bells. From these two, Grandsire and Stedman, change ringing on five evolved. Later on, change ringing was extended to a greater number of bells.
1700s
In the rural areas, standards of behaviour deteriorated with bell ringers described as layouts and drunks. Often locals saw an opportunity to earn a few shillings however this was often transferred quickly from the church tower to the village inn. Any and every opportunity taken to ring, for which the tavern keepers were very grateful. Attendance at church services was considered no part of bell ringing.
Stories of bell’s powers to heal, to drive away evil and the devil, to calm storms and to save people from plague, pests and enemies led to bells being rung at the time of death to keep the devil away from the soul of the departed. A sum of money was given to the Church of St Sepulchre, at the Old Bailey, during the 1700's to pay for bellringing on days of execution. The condemned were given a service, a nosegay of flowers and a "peal" on the bells.
1715
The first true peal (a extent of ringing with over 5 000 different variations in) was believed to have been rung on May 2nd 1715 at St Peter Mancroft, Norwich.
1731
By the middle of the 18th century many newspapers indicate that the ability to stand for three hours and to ring a peal of 5040 changes was common and also that there was a crowd of listeners near and far eager to hear. At Leicester in March 1731 one of the ringers commented; “we upon bells completed the whole peal of Grandsire Triples in three hours and two minutes to the great satisfaction of thousands both in town and country”.
1767
At Debenham in Suffolk a band of eight young men rung a peal of Bob Major, consisting of 10,080 changes and taking over six hours.
On the 16th March, these bells they were swung
Such a peal in old England as never was rung
By any eight persons, indeed at one time
And now they are jolly and just in their prime
Little Spalding the carpenter not very stout
Took hold of the treble and swung her about
There was Sawyer the whittler he droops as he goes
Will start for the second as I do suppose
Wright the wethersett miller he’s not very old
Yet he’d rather be ringing than taking of toll
There’s Pettitt the blacksmith you very well know
He’ll pull down the fourth and give her a good blow
There’s Abbot the fifth, tho’ young at his strokes
He’d rather be ringing than driving of spokes
1800s
Change ringing began to lower in social esteem, with swearing, smoking and a barrel of beer in the tower normal. Some belfries became notorious as the meeting place of the village riff-raff, who indulged in heavy drinking and riotous behaviour. A deep rift developed between ringers and clergy, with some towers closed by their incumbents. The ringers often broke into the belfries to ring or drink and were usually very independent, reserving the right to choose when to ring. High Wycombe, Bucks in 1832… bells rung out to celebrate the passing of the Reform Bill but a few days later on the occasion of the annual visit of the Bishop the ringers refused to turn out as a mark of their disapproval at his having voted against the Bill in the HoL.
Are church property, so Rector has law on his side, but little can do against a difficult band of ringers. In rural areas, any action rebounded = close knit and everyone related. Smaller congregations and collection money.
Victorian Reform
The Victorian reform of the Church of England included a reexamination of practices used since the Reformation. In 1839, the Cambridge Camden Society began a national spring clean of churches, including the tower and bell ringers. Rectors were reinstated in control of bell towers, despite many groups of ringers who fought to preserve their ‘privileges’.
Church leaders want to improve the standard of ringing and, above all, to ensure proper and reverent behaviour in the ringing chamber and to encourage ringers to attend church services. Many churches had the floor of the ringing chamber removed and the ropes lengthened so that the ringers now performed in full view of the congregation.
1896
By the late 19th Century, women began to take up bell ringing. Miss Alice White of Basingstoke was the first woman to complete a full peal in 1896. As more women became interested, the Ladies Guild of Change Ringers was formed in 1912.
1900
Bell ringers were encouraged to appoint a Tower Captain to be responsible for the regular attendance and general conduct of ringers – including giving penalties for bad ringing or behaviour. By 1900, a new generation of ringers had emerged and bell ringing was once again respectable and part of the church.
Many bell installations also improved, making the bells easier to ring and triggering more complicated methods requiring a greater degree of concentration, not to be attempted when fuddled with alcohol.
1918
After World War I, disillusion with politicians manifested itself in a swing against organised religion. The number attending church services fell hugely, and the number of bell ringers also declined.
1939
During World War II all church bells were silenced, to ring only to inform of an invasion by enemy troops. Effect of reviving interest in the art once peace had returned. BBC sitcom Dad's Army included an episode where the church bells rang by mistake, leading the Home Guard to believe that an invasion was taking place.
1950
From 1950 there was a rapid increase in the numbers of bell ringers, especially young bell ringers, with an accompanying increase in the standard of ringing.
1997
Ringing in the Millennium - A £3m Lottery Grant led to 150 separate bell restoration and augmentation projects.
Ring In 2000 - This project was the largest national ringing event ever staged, aiming to attract 5,000 new ringers who learnt to ring in time for the Millennium. Approximately 95% of all the church bells in the UK were rung on 1 January 2000.
2012
XXX Olympic Games in London. Along the 8,000 miles of the Torch Relay bells rang to celebrate the passing of the Olympic Torch and at the culmination of the Torch Relay, and as part of the London 2012 Festival, at 8.12am on the day of the Opening Ceremony three minutes of ringing all kinds of bells captured the public’s attention to bell ringing and broadcast to an estimated audience of over 12 million people. The great Olympic Bell then featured prominently in the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Commissioned from Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London it was tolled by Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins to open the Ceremony. At 23 tonnes it is the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world.
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee - As part of the Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, eight bells were cast at Whitechapel Bell Foundry and led the Thames Pageant of 1,000 boats with a floating belfry from which the bells were rung.
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Whose body was preserved in a barrel of brandy for the sea journey home? | Body Found in Barrel : snopes.com
Legend: Imbibers drink the liquor from a barrel used to preserve a dead body.
Examples:
[Dale, 1978]
Some years ago, the father of a friend of mine brought a fairly enormous house in the middle of Bodmin Moor, a sort of Georgian/Regency house built on the site of an older farmhouse.
In the capacious cellars they found half a dozen very large barrels. 'Oh, good!' said mother. 'We can cut them in half and plant orange trees in them.'
So they set to work to cut the barrels in half, but they found that one of them was not empty, so they set it up and borrowed the necessary equipment from the local pub. The cellar filled with a rich, heady Jamaican odour.
'Rum, by God!' said the father. It was indeed, so they decided to take advantage of some fifty gallons of the stuff before cutting the barrel in half.
About a year later, after gallons of rum punch, flip and butter had been consumed, it was getting hard to get any more rum out of the barrel, even by tipping it up with wedges. So they cut it in half, and found in it the well-preserved body of a man.
[Iserson, 1994]
British sailors used makeshift enbalming when Lord Nelson died at Trafalgar. Surviving officers decided to return the body to England rather than bury this famous admiral at sea. Reportedly his body was immersed in the ship's brandy stores, the only preservative available. The sailors, though, not wanting to go without their alcohol, siphoned out portions for drinking through a piece of macaroni, eventually draining the brandy dry.
[Smith, 1996]
During the winter of 1861, the conductor of a train received for transport a huge parcel addressed to a professor of the College of France. It had been sent from Java. On the way to Paris, the trains was held up on a siding waiting for an express to pass, and during the wait, the conductor and his assistant noticed the parcel was leaking. As the story puts it, it trickled
"... un
liquide ambre, de gout tres fine at tres particulier." Naturally, he called in his mates, including the driver and fireman, and they boozed on until the express had passed. Wiping their moustaches, they hurriedly went on to their destination to be greeted by the professor who informed them that the parcel held the body of a "great ape of Borneo."
Variations:
Besides humans in their final repose, liquor-filled casks of this legend have been said to contain the bodies of monkeys being shipped from Africa to museums in the USA and Britain.
Although tales from all branches of the legend usually conclude with the drinkers' either just realizing what they've been ingesting or becoming ill over it, some versions end with the tipplers' dying of a dread illness brought on by ingesting something a corpse had been stewing in.
Origins: Versions of the basic legend about unwitting persons drinking a liquid used to preserve a corpse have been around for centuries. The most famous of these older tales features the transported remains of Admiral Nelson, but numerous stories dating as far back as 1861 about casks containing liquor-preserved monkeys going astray have also been meticulously recorded. And as we'll see later, a kissing cousin of this legend was all the rage in the thirteenth century.
The why of this legend goes a bit beyond the expected "person unknowingly ingests yucky foodstuff" theme, which carries the implied message that it is always better to look before leaping (or in this case, peek before quaffing). Folklorist Jan Brunvand states:
Surely there is a strain of poetic justice in almost all of these stories, since regularly the contaminated alcohol is either drunk by someone who more or less deserves his fate, or else the corpse is that of someone who outranked the drinkers. Thus, gentiles (according to the story) eat the hated Jew; common sailors drink the admiral's brandy; Americans party on the defeated English general's wine, and those who have merely bought into the lordly manor drink up the rum left there by its past rightful owner.
Supplementing that idea is the oldest tale of this ilk, a gem from eight hundred years ago that features tomb despoilers who feed themselves their
just deserts
:
The Arab historian Abd el Latif wrote in the thirteenth century of a group of treasure hunters who found an ancient sealed jar of honey while exploring the tombs beneath the Egyptian pyramids. They settled down to a delicious lunch, dipping their bread into the jar, until one of the diners pulled out a human hair. A quick investigation revealed the preserved body of a child curled up at the bottom of the jar. The historian credits the story to "an Egyptian worthy of belief." If he had checked further, we suspect he would have encountered the familiar chain of friends of friends of friends.
That theme continues to imbue the legend to this day, as this more modern telling about "clever" workmen shows:
As a lad, a foaf [friend of a friend] spent some 18 months helping to
re-plumb
a country house. The titled lady of the house said to the men, who were living in, that perhaps they might care to earn some money at weekends instead of going to the pub — they could clean the enormous chandeliers in the ball room. She had available a barrel of whisky which could be used for the purpose and which she said she was otherwise going to throw out. Of course, the men agreed; they bought some methylated spirits for the chandelier job, bottled the whisky and drank it themselves.
Afterwards the lady paid them handsomely, and said: "Of course, the best thing was that we were able to use the whisky for something useful instead of throwing it out. My husband died some years ago in Australia, and that whisky was used to pickle his body when it was brought home for burial."
Unlike a closely-related legend about workers who fall into vats and whose unnoticed, decomposing bodies go on to form part of a potable or foodstuff sent on to consumers, "casked corpse" tales lack modern analogues and do not reflect current societal concerns. The explanation for these legends lies in a
combination of hazily-remembered facts about famous bodies shipped in liquor, embellished with a bit of old-fashioned storytelling about sailors determined to have their daily tot or homeowners who make "fortuitous" finds. Yet before the storytelling can be added to the mix, there has to be a foundation of fact to build upon.
In the days before refrigeration and embalming, folks who died far away were sometimes transported home preserved as best they could be in a barrel of alcohol. (Embalming as we know it came into being at the time of the American Civil War, when the efforts of mortician Thomas Holmes, the first American to develop and use embalming fluid, resulted in the preserved bodies of fallen soldiers being returned to their families for burial. Prior to Holmes, all one could do was pack a body in ice and hold the funeral as soon as possible.)
The most famous instance of preservation by immersion in alcohol was the casking of the remains of Lord Nelson in the ship's brandy stores after his death during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. That much is
true — Nelson
was, in effect, pickled to get as much of him home in as
decent a state as possible. But not in rum, as would later be claimed in lore. No, Nelson had been immersed in brandy for shipment home. At Gibralter the fluid was replaced with wine.
According to baseless hearsay, when the barrel was opened in England, it was considerably less than full. (In reality, Nelson arrived fairly topped up.) This gave rise to the story that sailors aboard the Victory had been unwilling to let a little thing like a decomposing dead Admiral get between them and their daily swigging and thus had been siphoning off generous helpings, eventually draining the funerary cask dry. Thanks to this bit of lore, the British Navy has come to use the term "tapping the Admiral" for getting an unauthorized drink of rum via a surreptitious straw.
Nelson wasn't the only famous Brit whose remains were casked in booze to get them home. When Prince Henry of Battenberg died from malaria on a British expeditionary force to West Africa in 1895, his body was transported back to England for a royal burial in an improvised tank made from biscuit tins and filled with navy rum.
The remains of less-famous personages have also been transported in this manner. In 1857, Nancy Martin of Wilmington, North Carolina, was on a year-long cruise with her father and brother when she died at sea. The menfolk put her body into a large cask after first tying it to a chair and nailing the chair to the bottom of the barrel to prevent her from floating or sloshing. Whiskey, rum, and wine were poured in, then the barrel was sealed and stored belowdecks. Upon return to dry land, Nancy was buried, still in her booze-filled cask, in Oakdale Cemetery. (Captain Martin was also to lose his son on this same voyage; four months later the lad was swept overboard during a midnight squall.)
It doesn't take all that much by way of fertile imagination to build on any of these true-life caskings — all one needs to make a good tale is to toss at it some thirsty sailors or a handful of parvenues who've inherited the manor but not the manners. That someone's remains could be stored in liquor is enough to set such tales in motion; from there it's but a hop and a skip to the certainty that someone somewhere must have stumbled upon seemingly lucky find only to afterwards discover he'd been "tapping the admiral."
Barbara "will you have a pint or a half Nelson?" Mikkelson
Sightings: In 2006 Reuters news service reported that a Hungarian magazine had published a version of this story:
Hungarian builders who drank their way to the bottom of a huge barrel of rum while renovating a house got a nasty surprise when a pickled corpse tumbled out of the empty barrel, a police magazine website reported.
According to online magazine www.zsaru.hu, workers in Szeged in the south of Hungary tried to move the barrel after they had drained it, only to find it was surprisingly heavy and were shocked when the body of a naked man fell out.
The website said that the body of the man had been shipped back from Jamaica 20 years ago by his wife in the barrel of rum in order to avoid the cost and paperwork of an official return.
According to the website, workers said the rum in the 300-litre barrel had a "special taste" so they even decanted a few bottles of the liquor to take home.
The wife has since died and the man was buried in a proper grave.
Reuters withdrew the story a few days later:
ADVISORY: Hungary rum barrel story withdrawn
The Budapest story headlined "Hungary workers get shock at bottom of rum barrel" issued on
May 4
is withdrawn. Police said the incident, reported on a police magazine Web site, happened 10 years ago. Reuters has been unable to make any further checks to substantiate the story.
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Who was given asses’ ears by an angry Apollo? | MIDAS - Phrygian King of Greek Mythology
Midas
Translation
--
MIDAS was a wealthy king of Phrygia in Anatolia. When Seilenos (Silenus) --an elderly companion of the god Dionysos --was separated from his master's company, Midas captured him with the lure of wine. He treated the old satyr hospitably and after returning him to the god was rewarded with a wish. He prayed for a golden touch--a boon which quickly proved a curse when the king discovered his food also transformed. Petitioning the god again, he was instructed to bathe in the river Paktolos (Pactolus) which not only rid him of the power but also imbued the river's sands with gold.
The king was later called upon to judge a musical contest between the gods Apollon and Pan (or the satyr Marsyas ). The foolish man declared his preference for the music of the pipe and was afflicted with a pair of asses' ears by the angry god. Ashamed of this deformity, Midas hid the ears beneath the flaps of a Phrygian cap--the traditional head-gear of the local nobility--but a maid whispered his secret into a patch of reeds and the truth was outed.
Midas was also the legendary founder of the city of Ankyra (Ankara)--which today is the capital of Turkey.
FAMILY OF MIDAS
[1.1] GORDIAS (Herodotus 1.14 & 8.138, Pausanias 1.4.5)
[2.1] KYBELE (Plutarch Life of Caesar 9, Hyginus Fabulae 191)
OFFSPRING
[1.1] ANKHYROS (Plutarch Parallel Stories 5)
[1.2] LITYERSES (Suidas s.v. Lityerses)
ENCYCLOPEDIA
MIDAS (Midas), a son of Gordius, according to some by Cybele (Hygin. Fab. 274), a wealthy but effeminate king of Phrygia, a pupil of Orpheus, and a promoter of the worship of Dionysus (Herod. i. 14; Paus. i. 4. § 5; Aelian, V. H. iv. 17; Strab. vii. p. 304). His wealth is alluded to in a story connected with his childhood, for it is said that while yet a child, ants carried grains of wheat into his mouth to indicate that one day he should be the richest of all mortals (Cic. De Div. i. 36 ; Val. Max. i. 6. § 3; Aelian, V. H. xii. 45). His effeminacy is described by Philostratus (Icon. i. 22; comp. Athen. xii. p. 516). It seems probable that in this character he was introduced into the Satyric drama of the Greeks, and was represented with the ears of a satyr, which were afterwards lengthened into the ears of an ass. He is said to have built the town of Ancyra (Strab. xiii. pp. 568, 571; Paus. i. 4. § 5), and as king of Phrygia he is called Berecynthius heros (Ov. Met. xi. 106). In reference to his later life we have several legends, the first of which relates his reception of Seilenus. During the expedition of Dionysus from Thrace to Phrygia, Seilenus in a state of intoxication had gone astray, and was caught by country people in the rose gardens of Midas. He was bound in wreaths of flowers and led before the king. These gardens were in Macedonia, near Mount Bermion or Bromion, where Midas was king of the Briges, with whom he afterwards emigrated to Asia, where their name was changed into Phryges (Herod. vii. 83, viii. 138; Conon, Nrarrat. 1). Midas received Seilenus kindly, conversed with him (comp. Plut. Consol. ad Apoll.; Aelian, V. H. iii. 18), and after having treated him hospitably for ten days, he led him back to his divine pupil, Dionysus, who in his gratitude requested Midas to ask a favour. Midas in his folly desired that all things which he touched should be changed into gold (comp. Plut. Purall. Min. 5). The request was granted, but as even the food which he touched was changed into gold, he implored the god to take his favour back. Dionysus accordingly ordered him to bathe in the source of Pactolus near Mount Tmolus. This bath saved Midas, but the river from that time had an abundance of gold in its sand (Ov. Met. xi. 90, &c.; Hygin. Fab. 191; Virg. Eclog. vi. 13). A second story relates his capture of Satyrus. Midas, who was himself related to the race of Satyrs, once had a visit from a Satyr, who indulged in all kinds of jokes, and ridiculed the king for his Satyr's ears. Midas, who had learnt from his mother how Satyrs might he caught and brought to reason, mixed wine in a well, and when the Satyr had drunk of it, he fell asleep and was caught (Philostr. Vit. Apoll. vi. 27). This well of Midas was at different times assigned to different localities. Xenophon (Anab. i. 2. § 13) places it in the neighbourhood of Thymbrium and Tyraeum, and Pausanias (i. 4. § 5) at Ancyra Comp. Athen. ii. 45; Plut. De Fluv. 10). Once when Pan and Apollo were engaged in a musical contest on the flute and lyre, Tmolus, or according to others (Hygin. Fab. 191, who speaks of the contest between Apollo and Marsyas), Midas, was chosen to decide between them. Tmolus decided in favour of Apollo, and all agreed in it except Midas. To punish him for this, Apollo changed his ears into those of an ass. Midas contrived to conceal them under his Phrygian cap, but the servant who used to cut his hair discovered them. The secret so much harassed this man, that as he could not betray it to a human being, he dug a hole in the earth, and whispered into it, "King Midas has ass's ears." He then filled the hole up again, and his heart was released. But on the same spot a reed grew up, which in its whispers betrayed the secret to the world (Ov. Met. xi. 146, &c.; Pers. Sat. i. 121 ; Aristoph. Plut. 287). Midas is said to have killed himself by drinking the blood of an ox. (Strab. i. p. 61; Plut. De Superst. 7.)
Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES
Herodotus, Histories 8. 138. 1 (trans. Godley) (Greek historian C5th B.C.) :
"So the brothers came to another part of Makedonia (Macedonia) and settled near the place called the garden of Midas son of Gordias, where roses grow of themselves, each bearing sixty blossoms and of surpassing fragrance. In this garden, according to the Makedonian story, Silenos (Silenus) was taken captive [by Midas]. Above it rises the mountain called Bermios, which none can ascend for the wintry cold."
Herodotus, Histories 1. 14. 2 :
"[The historical king] Gyges then was the first foreigner whom we know who placed offerings at Delphoi (Delphi) after the [mytho-historical] king of Phrygia, Midas son of Gordias. For Midas too made an offering : namely, the royal seat on which he sat to give judgment, and a marvellous seat it is. It is set in the same place as the bowls of Gyges."
Herodotus, Histories 1. 45. 1 :
"Adrastos [historical king], son of Gordias who was son of Midas."
[N.B. King Adrastos was a contemporary of King Kroisos (Croesus) of Lydia, C6th B.C. Historical Phrygian kings were named Midas and Gordias after the mythical founders of their dynasty.]
Xenophon, Anabasis 1. 2. 13 (trans. Brownson) (Greek historian C5th to 4th B.C.) :
"There, alongside the road, was the so-called spring of Midas, the king of the Phrygians, at which Midas, according to the story, caught the Satyros (Satyr) [i.e. Seilenos] by mixing wine with the water of the spring."
Lycophron, Alexandra 1397 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) :
"And the Phrygian [King Midas], avenging the blood of his brothers [i.e. the Trojans], will sack again the land that nursed the ruler of the dead [i.e. the continent of Europe] . . . He shall spoil the ears of the ass, lobes and all, and deck his temples, fashioning a terror for the ravenous blood-suckers [i.e. flies]. By him all the land of Phlegra shall be enslaved and the ridge of Thrambos and spur of Titon by the sea and the plains of the Sithonians and the fields of Pallene."
[N.B. According to Lycophron, after the Trojan War King Midas of Phrygia invaded the regions of Thrake and Makedonia.]
Strabo, Geography 7. 3. 12 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Attic [Athenian] people were wont either to call their slaves by the same names as those of the nations from which they were brought (as Lydos or Syros), or addressed them by names that were prevalent in their countries (as Manes or else Midas for the Phrygian)."
Strabo, Geography 12. 5. 3 :
"There is also a mountain situated above the city [of Pessinous in Phyrgia], Dindymon, after which the country Dindymene was named, just as Kybele (Cybele) was named after Kybela (Cybela). Near by, also, flows the Sangarios River; and on this river are the ancient habitations of the Phrygians, of Midas, and of Gordios, who lived even before his time, and of certain others,--habitations which preserve not even traces of cities, but are only villages slightly larger than the other."
Strabo, Geography 12. 18. 1 :
"One part of Phrygia is called Greater Phrygia, the part over which Midas reigned, a part of which was occupied by the Galatians, whereas the other is called Lesser Phrygia, that on the Hellespontos (Hellespont) and round Olympos, I mean Phrygia Epiktetos, as it is called."
Strabo, Geography 14. 5. 28 :
"The wealth of Tantalos (Tantalus) and the Pelopidai arose from the [gold] mines round Phrygia and Sipylos . . . and that of Midas from those round Mt. Bermios (Bermius)."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 4. 5 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"Ankyra (Ankara), a city of the Phrygians, which Midas son of Gordias had founded in former time. And the anchor, which Midas found, was even as late as my time in the sanctuary of Zeus, as well as a spring called the Spring of Midas, water from which they say Midas mixed with wine to capture Silenos (Silenus) . . . Ankyra and Pessinos (Pessinus) which lies under Mount Agdistis, where they say that Attis lies buried."
[N.B. "The anchor which Midas found" is a legend invented to explain the name Ankyros (Ankara), which means "anchor" in Greek.]
Plutarch, Life of Julius Caesar 9 (trans. Perrin) (Greek historian C1st to C2nd A.D.) :
"The Grecians have her whom they call Gynaikia (Gynaecia) [i.e. the Greek goddess Rhea], to wit, the goddess of women. Her [i.e. the Phrygian goddess Kybele (Cybele)], the Phrygians do claim to be peculiar unto them, saying that she is king Midas' mother."
Pseudo-Plutarch, Greek and Roman Parallel Stories 5 (trans. Babbitt) (Greek historian C2nd A.D.) :
"At the city of Kelainai (Celaenae) in Phrygia the earth yawned open, together with a heavy rain, and dragged down many homesteads with their inhabitants into the depths. Midas the king received an oracle that if he should throw his most precious possession into the abyss, it would close. He cast in gold and silver, but this availed nothing. But Ankhyros (Anchyrus), the son of Midas, reasoning that there is nothing in life more precious than a human life, embraced his father and his wife Timothea, and rode on his horse into the abyss. When the earth had closed, Midas made an altar of Zeus Idaios (Idaean) golden by a touch of his hand. This altar becomes of stone at that time of the year when this yawning of the earth occurred; but when this limit of time has passed, it is seen to be golden. So Kallisthenes (Callisthenes) [Greek writer C4th B.C.] in the second book of his Metamorphoses." [N.B. Ankhyros, son of Midas, is the eponym of the city of Ankyra (Ankara).]
Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 2. 45c (trans. Gullick) (Greek rhetorician C2nd to C3rd A.D.) :
"Antiokhos (Antioch) Epiphanes . . . mixed wine in the well of Antiokhos [chief city of Phrygia]. The same thing was done by the Phrygian Midas, according to Theopompos [Greek historian C4th B.C. historian], when he desired to catch Silenos by making him drunk."
Aelian, Historical Miscellany 3. 18 (trans. Wilson) (Greek rhetorician C2nd to 3rd A.D.) :
"Theopompos [C4th B.C. historian from Khios (Chios)] describes a meeting between Midas the Phrygian and Seilenos (Silenus)--this Seilenos was the son of a nymphe, less illustrious than a god, but superior to a man, since he was immortal. There was a long conversation between them and Seilenos spoke to Midas on the following themes . . . [The author then goes on to describe an imaginery land located on the far shores of the earth-encircling river Okeanos.]"
Aelian, Historical Miscellany 12. 45 :
"Phrygian traditions celebrate these facts : when as a small child the Phrygian Midas was sleeping ants came up to his mouth and with care and industry carried into it ears of corn."
Philostratus the Elder, Imagines 1. 22 (trans. Fairbanks) (Greek rhetorician C3rd A.D.) :
"[Ostensibly a description of an ancient Greek painting in Neapolis (Naples) :] Midas. The Satyros (Satyr) [Seilenos (Silenus)] is asleep; let us speak of him with bated breath, lest he wake and spoil the scene before us. Midas has captured him with wine in Phrygia on the very mountain-side, as you see, by filling with wine the spring beside which he lies disgorging the wine in his sleep.
Charming is the vehemence of Satyroi when they dance, and charming their ribaldry when they laugh; they are given to live, noble creatures that they are, and they subdue the Lydian women to their will by their artful flatteries. And this too is true of them: they are represented in paintings as hardy, hot-blooded beings, with prominent ears, lean about the loins, altogether mischievous, and having the tails of horses.
The Satyros caught by Midas is here depicted as Satyroi in general are, but he is asleep as a result of the wine, breathing heavily like a drunken man. He has drunk up the whole spring more easily than another would have taken a cupful, and the Nymphai (Nymphs) dance, mocking the Satyros for having fallen asleep. See the long ears, which give his seemingly attractive eyes a sleepy look and turn their charm into dullness; for the painting purposely hints that this story ahs already been divulged and published abroad among men by the pen, since the earth could not keep secret what it heard."
Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana 4. 27 (trans. Conybeare) (Greek biography C1st to C2nd A.D.) :
"[The pagan prophet Apollonius of Tyana is called upon to deal with a pesky satyr (actually an ape) in Aithiopia (Ethiopia) and draws inspiration from the legend of King Midas and Seilenos (Silenus) :] I have a remedy against these hell-hounds [Satyroi (Satyrs) or African apes], which Midas is said once to have employed; for Midas himself had some of the blood of Satyroi in his veins, as was clear from the shape of his ears; and a Satyros [Seilenos] once, trespassing on his kinship with Midas, made merry at the expense of his ears, not only singing about them, but piping about them. Well, Midas, I understand, had heard from his mother that when a Satyros is overcome by wine he falls asleep, and at such times comes to his senses and will make friends with you; so he mixed wine which he had in his palace in a fountain and led the Satyros get at it, and the latter drank it up and was overcome. And to show that the story is true, let us go to the head man of the village, and if the villagers have any wine, we will mix it with water for the Satyros and he will share the fate of Midas' Satyros."
Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Greeks 2 (trans. Butterworth) (Greek Christian rhetoric C2nd A.D.) :
"[On the founding of the Orgies :] Dardanos, who introduced the mysteries of the Mother of the Gods [to Mount Ida in the Troad]; or Eëtion, who founded the Samothrakian orgies and rites; or that Phrygian Midas, who learnt the artful deceit from Odrysos (Odrysus) and then passed it on to his subjects."
Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 191 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"Midas, Mygdonian king, [was a] son of the the Mother goddess from Timolus [Cybele] . . ((lacuna)) was taken [as judge] at the time when Apollo contested with Marsyas, or Pan, on the pipes. When Timolus gave the victory to Apollo, Midas said it should rather have been given to Marsyas. Then Apollo angrily said to Midas : ‘You will have ears to match the mind you have in judging,’ and with these words he caused him to have ass's ears.
At the time when Father Liber [Dionysos] was leading his army into India, Silenus wandered away; Midas entertained him generously, and gave him a guide to conduct him to Liber's [Dionysos'] company. Because of this favour, Father Liber gave Midas the privilege of asking him for whatever he wanted. Midas asked that whatever he touched should become gold. When he had been granted the wish, and came to his palace, whatever he touched became gold. When now he was being tortured with hunger, he begged Liber [Dionysos] to take away the splendid gift. Liber bade him bathe in the River Pactolus, and when his body touched the water it became a golden colour. The river in Lydia is now called Chrysorrhoas (Golden-Flow)."
Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 274 :
"Inventors and their Inventions . . . King Midas, a Phrygian, son of Cybele, first discovered black and white lead."
Ovid, Metamorphoses 11. 85 ff (trans. Brookes More) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Bacchus [Dionysos] resolved to leave that land [of Thrace], and with a worthier train went to the vineyards of his own Tmolus and to Pactolus [in Phrygia], though the river was not golden, nor admired for precious sands. His usual throng of Satyri (Satyrs) and of Bacchae surrounded him; but not Silenus, who was then detained from him. The Phrygian folk had captured him, as he was staggering, faint with palsied age and wine. And after they bound him in garlands, they led him to their king Midas, to whom with the Cecropian Eumolpus, Thracian Orpheus had shown all the Bacchic rites. When Midas recognized his old time friend Silenus, who had been so often his companion in the rites of Bacchus, he kept joyful festival, with his old comrade, twice five days and nights. Upon the eleventh day, when Lucifer (the Morning Star) had dimmed the lofty multitude of stars, King Midas and Silenus went from there joyful together to the Lydian lands. There Midas put Silenus carefully under the care of his loved foster-child, young Liber [Dionysos]. He with great delight, because he had his foster-father once again, allowed the king to choose his own reward--a welcome offer, but it led to harm. And Midas made this ill-advised reply : ‘Cause whatsoever I shall touch to change at once to yellow gold.’
Bacchus agreed to his unfortunate request, with grief that Midas chose for harm and not for good. The Berecynthian hero, king of Phrygia, with joy at his misfortune went away, and instantly began to test the worth of Bacchus' word by touching everything. Doubtful himself of his new power, he pulled a twig down from a holm-oak, growing on a low hung branch. The twig was turned to gold. He lifted up a dark stone from the ground and it turned pale with gold. He touched a clod and by his potent touch the clod became a mass of shining gold. He plucked some ripe, dry spears of grain, and all that wheat he touched was golden. Then he held an apple which he gathered from a tree, and you would think that the Hesperides had given it. If he but touched a lofty door, at once each door-post seemed to glisten. When he washed his hands in liquid streams, the lustrous drops upon his hands might have been those which once astonished Danae. He could not now conceive his large hopes in his grasping mind, as he imagined everything of gold. And, while he was rejoicing in great wealth, his servants set a table for his meal, with many dainties and with needful bread: but when he touched the gift of Ceres [of Demeter, i.e. bread] with his right hand, instantly the gift of Ceres stiffened to gold; or if he tried to bite with hungry teeth a tender bit of meat, the dainty, as his teeth but touched it, shone at once with yellow shreds and flakes of gold. And wine, another gift of Bacchus, when he mixed it in pure water, can be seen in his astonished mouth as liquid gold.
Confounded by his strange misfortune--rich and wretched--he was anxious to escape from his unhappy wealth. He hated all he had so lately longed for. Plenty could not lessen hunger and no remedy relieved his dry, parched throat. The hated gold tormented him no more than he deserved. Lifting his hands and shining arms to heaven, he moaned. ‘Oh pardon me, father Lenaeus! I have done wrong, but pity me, I pray, and save me from this curse that looked so fair.’ How patient are the gods! Bacchus forthwith, because King Midas had confessed his fault, restored him and annulled the promise given, annulled the favor granted, and he said : ‘That you may not be always cased in gold, which you unhappily desired, depart to the stream that flows by that great town of Sardis and upward trace its waters, as they glide past Lydian heights, until you find their source. Then, where the spring leaps out from mountain rock, plunge head and body in the snowy foam. At once the flood will take away your curse.’ King Midas did as he was told and plunged beneath the water at the river's source. And the gold virtue granted by the god, as it departed from his body, tinged the stream with gold. And even to this hour adjoining fields, touched by this ancient vein of gold, are hardened where the river flows and colored with the gold that Midas left."
Ovid, Metamorphoses 11. 146 ff :
"Abhorring riches he [Midas] inhabited the woods and fields, and followed Pan who dwells always in mountain-caves: but still obtuse remained, from which his foolish mind again, by an absurd decision, harmed his life. He followed Pan up to the lofty mount Tmolus, which from its great height looks far across the sea. Steep and erect it stands between great Sardis and the small Hypaepa. While Pan was boasting there to mountain Nymphae (Nymphs) of his great skill in music, and while he was warbling a gay tune upon the reeds, cemented with soft wax, in his conceit he dared to boast to them how he despised Apollo's music when compared with his--. At last to prove it, he agreed to stand against Apollo in a contest which it was agreed should be decided by [Mount] Tmolus as their umpire. This old god sat down on his own mountain, and first eased his ears of many mountain growing trees, oak leaves were wreathed upon his azure hair and acorns from his hollow temples hung. First to the shepherd-god Tmolus spoke : ‘My judgment shall be yours with no delay.’ Pan made some rustic sounds on his rough reeds, delighting Midas with his uncouth notes; for Midas chanced to be there when he played. When Pan had ceased, divine Tmolus turned to Phoebus, and the forest likewise turned just as he moved. Apollo's golden locks were richly wreathed with fresh Parnassian laurel; his robe of Tyrian purple swept the ground; his left hand held his lyre, adorned with gems and Indian ivory. His right hand held the plectrum--as an artist he stood there before Tmolus, while his skilful thumb touching the strings made charming melody. Delighted with Apollo's artful touch, Tmolus ordered Pan to hold his reeds excelled by beauty of Apollo's lyre.
That judgment of the sacred mountain god pleased all those present, all but Midas, who blaming Tmolus called the award unjust. The Delian god forbids his stupid ears to hold their native human shape; and, drawing them out to a hideous length, he fills them with gray hairs, and makes them both unsteady, wagging at the lower part: still human, only this one part condemned, Midas had ears of a slow-moving ass. Midas, careful to hide his long ears, wore a purple turban over both, which hid his foul disgrace from laughter. But one day a servant, who was chosen to cut his hair with steel, when it was long, saw his disgrace. He did not dare reveal what he had seen, but eager, to disclose the secret, dug a shallow hole, and in a low voice told what kind of ears were on his master's head. All this he whispered in the hollow earth he dug, and then he buried all he said by throwing back the loose earth in the hole so everything was silent when he left. A grove thick set with quivering reeds began to grow there, and when it matured, about twelve months after that servant left, the grove betrayed its planter. For, moved by a gentle South Wind, it repeated all the words which he had whispered, and disclosed from earth the secret of his master's ears."
Pliny the Elder, Natural History 7. 204 (trans. Rackham) (Roman encyclopedia C1st A.D.) :
"[On inventions :] Pan son of Mercurius [Hermes] [invented] the pipe and single flute, Midas in Phrygia the slanting flute, Marsyas in the same nation the double-flute."
Fulgentius, Mythologies 2. 16 (trans. Whitbread) (Late Roman writer C5th or 6th A.D.) :
"[Midas is used as a metaphor for wealth :] For the tax assessment . . . had each day worn down my very doorstep with the feet of those who would accost me, so that, had King Midas been transformed from a human being to pursue riches as he stiffened what he touched into gold, I verily believe I could have dried up the streams of Pactolus itself for the crowds of visitors I mentioned."
Fulgentius, Mythologies 2. 10 :
"The Fable of King Midas and the River Pactolus. King Midas besought Apollo that whatever he touched might turn to gold; since he deserved it, the boon turned into a punishment, and he began to be tortured by the effects of his own wish, for whatever he touched straightway did become gold. This, therefore, was golden penury and a rich poverty, for both food and drink stiffened and hardened into a gold substance. So he besought Apollo to change his evil choice and received the reply that he should immerse his head three times in the waters of the river Pactolus. From this action the Pactolus is said continuously to carry down golden sands. Clearly poets have sagaciously alluded here to avarice, for the reason that any seeker after avarice when he fixes everything at a price dies of hunger, and such was King Midas; but the greatest contribution of his wealth, as Solicrates of Cyzicus relates in the books of his history, was that, with this total revenue of his, King Midas diverted the river Pactolus, which once ran to the sea, through innumerable channels for irrigating that territory and made the river fertile by the avarice he had dispensed. Midas in Greek is for medenidon, that is knowing nothing, for a miser is so stupid that he cannot help himself."
Suidas s.v. Midas (trans. Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek lexicon C10th A.D.) :
"Midas. A personal name. The lover of gold. The man who founded the city now Ankyra (Ankara).
And Midas, a name for a very lucky [throw of a] die.
And a proverb : Midas the luckiest at dice. For Midas is a name of a throw.
And another proverb : Midas with ass's ears. Midas, the King of the Phrygians, either because he had many spies, or because he possessed a Phrygian village called Ota Onou (Ass's Ears) . . ((lacuna))
It is said that the river Paktolos (Pactolus) ran gold for him, and that he prayed that everything he touched should turn to gold.
. . ((lacuna)) or because the ass hears better than other animals, except the mouse. And Midas had many spies. Some say that because he once gave a judgment against Dionysos, Midas was changed into an ass; or because he wronged the companions of Dionysos, Dionysus in anger forced him to have ass's ears. Or because he had big ears. So the proverb is used of those who in no way pass unnoticed.
It is declined Midas, Midou.
Epitaph : ‘Here, waiting here on this famous tomb, I shall announce to passers-by, that Midas is buried here.’"
Suidas s.v. Lityerses :
"Lityerses, reaping song. A kind of song. Menandros (Menander) [Greek comedian C4th B.C.] in Khalkedonians [writes] : ‘singing a Lityerses all the while since breakfast.’ But some [say that it is] a kind of piping. Lityerses was a bastard son of Midas, who lived in Kelainai (Celaenae); he took in passers-by and compelled them to reap with him; then he would cut off their heads and conceal the rest of their bodies in the sheaves. He was killed by Herakles; but in honour of Midas a reaper's song to him was inaugurated."
Suidas s.v. Kathamma lueis :
"Kathamma lueis. [A proverb] in reference to those attempting to undo something which is hard to undo. From the waggon of Midas. For an oracle had been issued to the Phrygians [which said] that if anyone could untie the binding of the waggon which had brought Midas, this man would rule Asia. Alexander [the Great] undid it."
[N.B. This was better known as the Gordian knot after the Phrygian King Gordias.]
Suidas s.v. Olympos :
"Olympos. A Phrygian, younger; he became a piper at the time of Midas of Gordion."
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| Midas |
The song Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands is about which singer’s wife? | King Midas Has Donkey's Ears
KING MIDAS HAS DONKEY'S EARS
Let us look back to the ancient Greeks and their land of myth and legend. Let us imagine a picture. Dawn is breaking over the Hellenic coast. Aurora, the dawn, is gliding into the ardent embrace of the sun god. Helios is riding in the horse-drawn fiery chariot. - It is Arcadia in all its glory: flowering meadows, shepherds' flutes, naiads dancing and playing, marble temples with Dorian pillars in cool dark groves, leaping fauns, raging maenads, fighting centaurs. The gods are conversing with kings, sending their messengers to humans. It is the world of Homer: a world now lost and forgotten. Let us revive one of those many legends - something entertaining about gods and humans. Midas, then king, was as enormously rich as he was stupid - for there were also stupid kings. He had to atone for the fact that he didn't know how stupid he was. His foolishness led him to measure himself with the gods. Bacchus, the god of grapes, gave up trying to talk sense to him and, just to get rid of him, fulfilled his every wish.
And King Midas had new requests every day. "Dearest god, let everything that I touch turn to gold", said the king one day without thinking. The god was not surprised by the none too modest demand. He gave the human his hand, maintained a benign expression on his face and promised blandly: "So be it - your wish is granted!" King Midas went off delighted. The stone on the road which he touched with his hand turned to gold. Ears of corn, apples, flowers, dishes, table and walls - they all became pure gold. But oh dear! food also turned into hard gold on which he broke his teeth. A cool drink got stuck in his throat in the form of a lump of gold. And so it went on for quite a while. Until at last the immensely rich king, now in a miserable state, starving to death, lay prostrate in Bacchus's temple imploring him to help: "Help me, my god, I am dying!" Bacchus the god was amused by the well-deserved punishment and graciously granted him relief. Now, you might imagine that after such an incident in which a human like King Midas had had the temerity to make a nuisance of himself to a god, the said king would have learnt his lesson and, even if untalented with regard to propriety and good sense, would have decided to behave with respect in future. But not our Midas. Let us listen now to the story of how our incorrigible king entered into a feud with Apollo the god, the master of music, which culminated in an extraordinarily comical tale: the humiliation of the king ending up with donkey's ears. After that sharp lesson with the gold, King Midas took himself off to recover in the beautiful countryside of Arcadia. One day he found himself in a pine grove.
The leaves were whispering and rustling; a merry spring bubbled out of the rocks chattering pleasantly; the beetles and butterflies buzzed and hummed; big and small birds warbled in jubilation. All these sounds together gave a concert of wonderful harmony. You would expect that, to a human, this tapestry of nature's tones would be a revelation, would be regarded as a marvellous gift from a merciful god. But, like all stupid mortals, King Midas was impervious to such grace. Indeed to him, the voices of nature were merely tiresome and irritating noises. That annoyed Apollo, the god of song, who had his temple in the sacred grove. He stepped over to the king, took up his lyre and joined in the music of the forest with sound and song, sending a flood of exquisite tones into the air as splendid as an orchestra of a hundred instruments. Far from listening with rapture and bowing respectfully, King Midas only sought to vaunt himself. Although he knew nothing of the art of music, his vanity blinded him and led him to pretend to know something. He criticised this and that, found fault with the rhythm and the adagio, and actually disturbed the divine music with loud talk. Apollo the god finally stopped. He did not contradict the incorrigible king and said apparently jestingly: "Your Majesty's ears seems to be somewhat too short for my noble melodies!" All of a sudden a pair of long floppy ears appeared on the head of the inattentive ignoramus just like those donkeys have. -
That was how Appollo the god punished stupidity. Midas was appalled. He now had to try to conceal the disgrace. So he fled to the solitude of his gardens and called on Zeus, the god father, to explain to him what he had done to deserve such ears. "It is your stupidity!", the god's voice resounded like a thunderbolt. In his despair, Midas dug a hole in a shallow pool, related his sad story into it about twenty times, and then closed it over with a large stone. This was the way he chose to tell his secret to the earth, quite convinced that it would remain buried and unknown. But the stupid king had forgotten that the earth is a woman, and of course no woman can keep a secret. In no time at all the reeds at the water's edge were whispering: "King Midas has donkey's ears!" So the trees, the birds, the wind and clouds and every single house heard about it. The secret circulated all over the country: "King Midas has donkey's ears!" At long last the king realised how foolish he was being; he covered himself in a grey donkeyskin and joined a herd of donkeys by way of penance. What a royal ass! The gods, who punish stupidity, roared with laughter up in Mount Olympus.
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Which Neil Sedaka track was dedicated to an ex-girlfriend? | Oh Carol: The Complete Recordings 1956-1966 - Neil Sedaka | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic
Oh Carol: The Complete Recordings 1956-1966
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AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Neil Sedaka never gets the respect that he deserves because he's a man out of time. His heyday was in the early '60s, when rock & roll was in recession and before the Beatles came across the Atlantic and changed everything, and in a way, he epitomized the era -- he wasn't rock & roll, he was informed by it, but he was at his heart a pop tunesmith, and his best songs, whether performed by him or not, were in the Tin Pan Alley tradition but given a contemporary polish to appeal to the kids. This means some of his recordings are inextricably tied to their era, but he was such a savvy songwriter that the best of his work -- such as "Oh Carol," "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen," "Calendar Girl," and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," which is his greatest song -- has stood the test of the time, while still standing as the sound of the early '60s. That doesn't necessarily mean that his work lends itself to the exhaustive Bear Family box set treatment, though. Pop was his medium, whether it was 45s or individual songs, and when they're collected as a body of work as they are on Bear Family's eight-disc Oh Carol: The Complete Recordings 1956-1966 , the result is a little exhausting. There are two problems: the first is that his non-hit material is simply not as strong as his hits, but that's not the big problem -- no, the big problem is that half of this set is dedicated to non-English recordings, which is solely the province of archivists and completists. Those listeners will surely enjoy this set since, after all, it is produced with the same love and care as any Bear Family set, and it does contain the complete recordings of Sedaka at his peak. If they know what they're getting into, Oh Carol is worth the investment, but most listeners will find that concise single-disc hits collections will give them what they need.
Track Listing - Disc 1
| Oh Carol |
Which 20 century artist was famous for his ‘drip’ style of painting? | Перевод
Oh! Carol, I am but a fool. Darling, I love you though you treat me cruel. You hurt me and you make me cry, But if you leave me I will surely die.
Oh! Carol, I am but a fool. Darling, I love you though you treat me cruel. You hurt me and you make me cry, But if you leave me I will surely die. Darling, there will never be another 'cause I love you so. Don’t ever leave me. Say you’ll never go. I will always want you for my sweatheart, No matter what you do. Oh, oh, oh Carol I’m so in love with you. (spoken) Oh, Carol Iam but a fool… (sung) Darling, there will never…
Переведено с помощью Яндекс.Переводчика
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The Society of Harmonious Fists was responsible for which rebellion? | Boxer Rebellion - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com
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Boxer Rebellion: Background
By the end of the 19th century, the Western powers and Japan had forced China’s ruling Qing dynasty to accept wide foreign control over the country’s economic affairs. In the Opium Wars (1839-42, 1856-60), popular rebellions and the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), China had fought to resist the foreigners, but it lacked a modernized military and suffered millions of casualties.
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America returned the money it received from China after the Boxer Rebellion, on the condition it be used to fund the creation of a university in Beijing. Other nations involved later remitted their shares of the Boxer indemnity as well.
By the late 1890s, a Chinese secret group, the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists (“I-ho-ch’uan” or “Yihequan”), had begun carrying out regular attacks on foreigners and Chinese Christians. (The rebels performed calisthenics rituals and martial arts that they believed would give them the ability to withstand bullets and other forms of attack. Westerners referred to these rituals as shadow boxing, leading to the Boxers nickname.) Although the Boxers came from various parts of society, many were peasants, particularly from Shandong province, which had been struck by natural disasters such as famine and flooding. In the 1890s, China had given territorial and commercial concessions in this area to several European nations, and the Boxers blamed their poor standard of living on foreigners who were colonizing their country.
Boxer Rebellion: 1900
In 1900, the Boxer movement spread to the Beijing area, where the Boxers killed Chinese Christians and Christian missionaries and destroyed churches and railroad stations and other property. On June 20, 1900, the Boxers began a siege of Beijing’s foreign legation district (where the official quarters of foreign diplomats were located.) The following day, Qing Empress Dowager Tzu’u Hzi (or Cixi, 1835-1908) declared a war on all foreign nations with diplomatic ties in China.
As the Western powers and Japan organized a multinational force to crush the rebellion, the siege stretched into weeks, and the diplomats, their families and guards suffered through hunger and degrading conditions as they fought to keep the Boxers at bay. By some estimates, several hundred foreigners and several thousand Chinese Christians were killed during this time. On August 14, after fighting its way through northern China, an international force of approximately 20,000 troops from eight nations (Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) arrived to take Beijing and rescue the foreigners and Chinese Christians.
Boxer Rebellion: Aftermath
The Boxer Rebellion formally ended with the signing of the Boxer Protocol on September 7, 1901. By terms of the agreement, forts protecting Beijing were to be destroyed, Boxer and Chinese government officials involved in the uprising were to be punished, foreign legations were permitted to station troops in Beijing for their defense, China was prohibited from importing arms for two years and it agreed to pay more than $330 million in reparations to the foreign nations involved.
The Qing dynasty, established in 1644, was weakened by the Boxer Rebellion. Following an uprising in 1911, the dynasty came to an end and China became a republic in 1912.
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| Boxer Rebellion |
Boris Rankov was on the winning side six times in which famous event? | The Boxer Rebellion - History Learning Site
The Boxer Rebellion
Citation: C N Trueman "The Boxer Rebellion"
historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 26 May 2015. 16 Aug 2016.
The Boxer Rebellion targeted both the Manchu dynasty in China and the influence of European powers within China. Though the Boxer Rebellion failed but it did enough to stir up national pride within China itself.
In 1895, China had been defeated by Japan. This was a humiliation for the Chinese as Japan had always been considered as a lesser nation to China. China lost control of Korea and Formosa to Japan.
Within the elite of Chinese society, it was believed that this defeat was entirely the blame of the Europeans who were dominant in China and that they alone were responsible for China’s defeat.
Many Chinese began to feel the same. It was believed that the Europeans were driving China’s domestic and foreign policy and that the situation was getting out of control. By the end of the Nineteenth Century, a strong sense of nationalism swept over China and many wanted to reclaim China for the Chinese. In 1898, these feelings boiled over into rebellion.
The rebellion began in north China in the Shantung Province. This province was a German sphere of influence and Germany dominated the rail lines, factories and coal mines that existed in Shantung. The Germans made considerable profits while the Chinese there were paid very poor wages and lived very poor lifestyles.
In Shantung, gangs of Chinese people roamed the streets chanting “Kill the Christians” and “Drive out the foreign devils”. Germans who lived in Shantung were murdered as were other European missionaries. Those Chinese who had converted to Christianity were also murdered.
Those behind the Shantung rebellion belonged to a secret society called Yi Ho Tuan – which meant “Righteous Harmony Fists” when translated into English. This was shorten to Boxers and the rebellion has gone done in history as the Boxer Rebellion.
By 1900, the rebellion had started to spread across northern China and included the capital Peking.
One of the targets of the Boxers was the Manchu government. They were seen as being little more as unpatriotic stooges of the European ‘masters’ who did nothing for national pride.
The inspiration behind the Manchu government was the Empress Dowager. She was nicknamed “Old Buddha” – but never to her face. She had been married to the former emperor and was a very clever person. China was a society where women were ‘kept in their place’, therefore, she was an oddity within that male dominated society. Empress Dowager Tzu realised what was going on and made secret contact with the Boxers offering them her support. This they accepted. This allowed the Boxers to turn their full attention to the Europeans.
Peking had many Europeans living in it in 1900. Their lifestyle was completely different to that of the Chinese who lived in the city. The Europeans effectively treated the Chinese in Peking as their slaves. It was not surprising that the Boxers found many ready supporters in Peking.
In June 1900, it became clear that their lives were in danger and many prepared to leave the city. The German ambassador in China wanted to register one final protest at the way the Europeans were being treated in China. As he made his way to the Royal Palace to protest, he was dragged from his sedan chair (being carried by Chinese) and murdered. The message was clear. Even the high and mighty were not safe. The rest of the Europeans crowded into the British Legation for their own safety. They were defended by an assortment of 400 European soldiers and sailors nicknamed the “Carving Knife Brigade” because of their lack of proper weapons. They fought off the Boxers with great bravery who were joined in the attack by troops who guarded the Manchus.
The Siege of the Legation lasted for 55 days until an international force marching from Tientsin on the coast managed to relieve them. 66 Europeans had been killed in this time and 150 had been wounded. This type of treatment was unforgivable from a European point of view. America had also been shocked by the treatment of the Europeans.
The international force, as a punishment, went of the rampage in Peking – effectively urged on by the officers commanding them. Peking was extensively damaged. The Chinese government was also ordered to pay $450 million in compensation – a vast sum of money for any nation let alone one as poor as China. The European force, now supported by the Manchus, then took its revenge on the Boxers. Those caught were given little mercy and they were beheaded in public. The Manchus were effectively forgiven as was the Dowager Empress despite her apparent treachery. She and her family were allowed to return to the Forbidden Palace in Peking facing no punishment other than European nations re-establishing their authority over the Chinese. She had no other choice but to be compliant.
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American Greg Louganis twice won Olympic gold at which sport? | ESPN.com: Louganis never lost drive to dive
Louganis never lost drive to dive
By Ron Flatter
Special to ESPN.com
To pick one athlete as the greatest ever in his or her sport is a good way to start an argument. But maybe not in every sport. Try thinking of anyone who was a better diver than Greg Louganis.
As a troubled youth, Greg Louganis used diving as an escape. He found peace at the top of the ladder.
Pat McCormick? Like Louganis, she doubled with gold medals in the springboard and the platform in successive Olympics. Klaus Dibiasi? Like Louganis, he won five Olympic medals.
But McCormick and Dibiasi were not as dominant as Louganis. Not just in their time. For all-time. The first to amass 700 points in a diving competition under the current scoring system, Louganis is still the only one who has accomplished that in the Olympics. By the time anyone has a chance of matching that feat, 16 years will have passed since he first did it in 1984.
Only the 1980 American boycott of the Moscow Games prevented Louganis from piling more gold onto his Olympic resumé. Even when he hit his head on the springboard executing a dive in 1988, Louganis still won an Olympic championship.
That dive also caused him some concern for another reason. At the time, Louganis secretly knew he was HIV-positive. If he had bled into the pool -- which he did not -- could Louganis have spread the AIDS virus to another competitor? Although doctors agreed the odds of that happening were minute, Louganis later said, "It must seem irresponsible now, but I hadn't considered the possibility that I could injure myself in that way."
By 1994, Louganis had publicly acknowledged his homosexuality, and in 1995, his autobiography "Breaking the Surface" became a best-seller shortly after he told Barbara Walters on national television he was suffering from full-blown AIDS.
The life story of Gregory Efthimios Louganis began in San Diego on Jan. 29, 1960, when he was born to parents of Samoan and Swedish ancestry. Both were only 15, and they gave up their nine-month-old child for adoption to Peter and Frances Louganis, who had already adopted an older daughter.
As a youngster, Louganis was ridiculed by schoolmates for his ethnicity, his dyslexia and his choices of extracurricular activities -- acrobatics, dance and gymnastics. But the tumbling skills he learned came in handy around the family pool, where Louganis found himself rolling off the end of the diving board. This led his father to enroll him in diving classes.
Only two years after his first lesson, the 11-year-old Louganis turned heads when he scored a perfect 10 at the 1971 Junior Olympics national competition in Colorado Springs, Colo.
But Louganis was not yet fully dedicated to diving. By the time he was 12, he was doing speed, selling marijuana at school and even attempting suicide. Eventually, he turned more and more to diving, the one area of his life that gave him self-confidence and success. Before long, daily diving practices became Louganis' outlet, affording him a solitude he desired during his adolescence.
Louganis moved away from his parents in 1975 and into the home of his coach, Dr. Sammy Lee, an Olympic diving gold medalist in 1948 and 1952 who had seen young Greg's perfect dive in Colorado Springs. Lee, an Olympic medal in his mind, coached Louganis on a strict schedule of training sessions.
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In 1976, the hard work paid off for Louganis, who won an Olympic silver medal for his performance in the platform, losing to Dibiasi. No one knew it yet, but the Italian diving great was passing the torch to the 16-year-old Californian.
Not that any clues were coming from Louganis himself. Returning home with the platform silver and a sixth-place finish in the springboard, he felt he had failed in Montreal. He became more and more introspective, and he turned to alcohol and cigarettes.
Hoping to get as far away from the world in which he grew up as he could, Louganis decided to go from one coast to the other when he accepted a diving scholarship from the University of Miami. Shortly before going off to college, Louganis won his first world platform title in 1978. He would win four more world championships besides 47 AAU national titles.
After winning the springboard and platform at the 1979 Pan-American Games, Louganis was expected to win Olympic gold in Moscow. That was before President Jimmy Carter called for a U.S. boycott in protest of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.
Maybe Louganis was just not meant to be in the Soviet Union. The year before the 1980 Olympics, he hit his head on the platform diving at a meet in Tbilisi, a harbinger of things to come nine years later.
The boycott only postponed the inevitable for Louganis, who, in 1981, had transferred to UC Irvine in his native Southern California. He made the move to get closer to coach Ron O'Brien, who headed up the prestigious Mission Viejo Swim Club.
At the 1982 World Championships, Louganis became the first diver in a major international meet to get a perfect score of 10 from all seven judges. He embarked on a national winning streak that would not end until 1987. Along the way, he earned his bachelor of arts degree in theater, and he quit smoking and drinking. Louganis was ready to conquer life -- and the Olympics.
In winning both the springboard and the platform at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, Louganis became the first man to pull off that Olympic double since American Pete Desjardins in 1928. He also was the first to pass 700 points in both events in the same Olympics. His 710.91 points remain the most recorded in the Olympic platform competition since the advent of the current scoring system, and his victory in the springboard was the most lopsided in the history of the Games. That dominance also earned for Louganis the Sullivan Award, which annually goes to America's best amateur athlete.
His encore performance four years later in Seoul did not come as easily. Leading going into the ninth round of the preliminaries of the springboard, he attempted a reverse 2½ somersault pike. Without a strong enough jump, he hit his head on the board and fell clumsily into the water.
After taking temporary sutures to sew up a scalp wound, he came back 35 minutes later to resume diving. After finishing qualifying, he went to a hospital, where the sutures were replaced by five mattress stitches. The next day, he hit all 11 dives and won easily.
A week later, in the finals of the platform competition, Louganis trailed 14-year-old Xiong Ni of China by three points going into the last round. With a reverse 3½ somersault facing him, Louganis nailed that most difficult dive in his program and won the gold medal by 1.14 points. He became only the second athlete to win double diving golds in two Olympics (McCormick did it in 1952 and 1956).
After announcing his retirement from competition in 1989, Louganis became a stage actor. Two of his most noteworthy roles were as a chorus boy who dies of AIDS in the 1993 off-Broadway production of "Jeffrey," and in 1995 in "The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me ...", a one-man comedy about the family life of a gay man.
In 1994, Louganis came out and declared his homosexuality during a videotaped message to athletes competing at Gay Games IV in New York.
Still living in Southern California, Louganis spends much of his time speaking to youth groups about drug and alcohol rehabilitation and working on behalf of organizations helping the dyslexic.
About his athletic achievements, Louganis said, "I don't want to be remembered as the greatest diver who ever lived. I want to be able to see the greatest diver. I hope I live to see the day when my records are broken."
| Diving |
What is absorbed in an endothermic reaction? | After Olympics, Greg Louganis champions others | ShareAmerica
Jul 22, 2016
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U.S. diving great Greg Louganis is returning to the Olympics some 30 years after he won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 games on the springboard and the platform.
The 56-year-old is heading to Rio as an official mentor for the U.S. diving team. Unofficially, he’ll continue to serve as an inspiration for others.
Louganis wants to transform Olympic pressure into something positive for young divers after surviving his heart-stopping injury and triumph in the 1988 games in Seoul, South Korea. During those games, Louganis struck his head on the springboard while doing a reverse somersaulting dive. He returned to the board shortly after to perform a more difficult reverse somersaulting dive. He nailed it, earning the highest score of any in the event.
“I’m pretty proud of that,” said Louganis, who went on to win his third and fourth gold medals.
LEFT: Louganis strikes his head on the springboard in the 1988 Olympic Games. RIGHT: The next day, his bandaged wound can be seen as he completes a gold-winning dive. (© AP Images)
What many people didn’t know was that six months before the Olympics, Louganis discovered he had HIV, a diagnosis most considered a death sentence in the 1980s. At the time he was 28 years old, and he didn’t expect to live past 30.
Because of the stigma surrounding the disease, Louganis felt that he couldn’t fully reveal himself, as a gay man and HIV-positive, until 1995. “When you talk to the athletes, sexual identity, they don’t care,” Louganis said. “I think a lot of athletes are just so focused — I was — on sport, those kinds of issues aren’t in the forefront.”
Louganis performs a winning dive during the U.S. Diving Indoor Championships in 1986. (© AP Images)
Around the world, almost 40 million people suffer from HIV/AIDS, and people fighting the disease have to, like Louganis, take a combination of medicines every day. Although treatment has improved since the 1980s, research continues to find better alternatives.
Louganis has become an outspoken advocate for people with HIV with the Human Rights Campaign , and in a sign of changing attitudes, traveled with his husband to the first LGBTQI sports festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2012.
Mentoring the next generation of divers
Louganis was lured out of retirement in California to mentor the U.S. diving team for the 2012 Olympics and is eager to serve that role again in Rio.
Four-time Olympic champion Louganis is today a diving coach and motivational speaker. (© AP Images)
The Olympics are an emotional event and can be difficult for even the most skilled athletes, Louganis said. “When you go into that venue, you can feel that energy. If you interpret that energy as pressure, you’re more likely to implode. But if you interpret it as inspiration, that’s the key.
And inspiration can come from an unlikely place, Louganis said, even from the person who you think is your toughest competitor. “They want to beat you at your best, because you want to beat them at their best,” he said. “So really, everybody’s in your corner.”
You can follow Greg Louganis in Rio on Twitter @greglouganis , and your favorite diving teams from August 7 to 20.
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What is the most malleable metal? | What element is the most malleable metal? | Reference.com
What element is the most malleable metal?
A:
Quick Answer
The most malleable metal that exists in its pure state is gold. Gold, also the most ductile metal, is capable of being flattened so that it can measure only 0.000127 millimeters in thickness.
Full Answer
A single ounce of gold can be rolled and beaten thinly enough that it could cover a sheet that measures about 5 meters on a side. Since gold is the most malleable and ductile metal in existence, it has to be alloyed with other metals to be used in jewelry and coins, which require gold to be plated onto them rather than comprising the entire item. Pure gold jewelry and coins would be easily deformed by pressure.
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In which Asian state do the Karen people make up 7% of the population? | Malleable | Definition of Malleable by Merriam-Webster
Malleable: Trended on February 4, 2016
Examples of malleable in a sentence
The brothers Warner presented a flexible, malleable world that defied Newton, a world of such plasticity that anything imaginable was possible. —Billy Collins, Wall Street Journal, 28–29 June 2008
At each landing the villagers had carved the wonderfully malleable silt into staircases, terraces, crenellations, and ziggurats. —Kenneth Brower, National Geographic Traveler, March 2000
The boy seemed to me possessed by a blind, invalid arrogance, and every human being, as his eye flicked over or flinched against them, became, immediately, as malleable as his mother and his father. —James Baldwin, The Evidence of Things Not Seen, 1985
<the cult leader took advantage of the malleable, compliant personalities of his followers>
Did You Know?
There is a hint about the origins of "malleable" in its first definition. The earliest uses of the word, which first appeared in English in the 14th century, referred primarily to metals that could be reshaped by beating with a hammer. The Middle English word malliable comes to us from Medieval Latin malleabilis, which in turn derives from the Latin verb malleare, meaning "to hammer." "Malleare" itself was created from the Latin word for "hammer": "malleus." If you have guessed that "maul" and "mallet," other English words for specific types of hammers, can also be traced back to "malleus," you have hit the nail on the head.
Origin and Etymology of malleable
Middle English malliable, from Medieval Latin malleabilis, from malleare to hammer, from Latin malleus hammer — more at maul
First Known Use: 14th century
malleable Synonyms
inflexible , intractable , rigid , stiff
Synonym Discussion of malleable
plastic , pliable , pliant , ductile , malleable , adaptable mean susceptible of being modified in form or nature. plastic applies to substances soft enough to be molded yet capable of hardening into the desired fixed form <plastic materials allow the sculptor greater freedom>. pliable suggests something easily bent, folded, twisted, or manipulated <pliable rubber tubing>. pliant may stress flexibility and sometimes connote springiness <an athletic shoe with a pliant sole>. ductile applies to what can be drawn out or extended with ease <ductile metals such as copper>. malleable applies to what may be pressed or beaten into shape <the malleable properties of gold>. adaptable implies the capability of being easily modified to suit other conditions, needs, or uses <computer hardware that is adaptable>.
Other Metals and Metallurgy Terms
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