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In which town was the famous 'Gunfight at the OK corral'? | The Earps shoot it out at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona - Oct 26, 1881 - HISTORY.com
The Earps shoot it out at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona
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The Earps shoot it out at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona
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After years of feuding and mounting tensions, on this day in 1881, the “law and order” Earps and the “cowboy” Clanton-McLaurys engage in their world-famous shoot-out near the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, leaving three men dead and three more wounded.
Both sides in the conflict were ostensibly looking for revenge for what they perceived as malicious attacks and insults, but on a larger level the conflict revolved around which side would control the fate of Tombstone and Cochise County. That hot Arizona day, the Earp brothers—Wyatt; Virgil, the town marshal; and Morgan—along with their friend Doc Holliday, spotted a group of cattle rustlers—Ike and Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury, and Billy Claiborne, at the other end of Fremont Street, standing in a vacant lot behind the OK Corral. Standing nearby was Cochise County Sheriff John Behan, who rushed up the street to tell the Earps that the Clantons and McLaurys were mostly unarmed and just wanted to leave town peacefully. But the Earps ignored the sheriff and moved ahead to confront their enemies. “You sons of bitches,” Wyatt Earp reportedly said, “you re looking for a fight and now you can have it.”
The question of which side actually drew their guns first is still debated today, but it s believed that Virgil Earp pulled out his revolver and shot Billy Clanton in the chest at point-blank range, while Doc Holliday killed Tom McLaury with a blast from his double-barreled shotgun. Wyatt Earp shot Frank McLaury in the stomach, and the wounded man staggered out into the street but managed to pull his gun and return fire. Meanwhile, Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran for their lives. The wounded Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton both managed to get off several shots before collapsing, and Virgil, Morgan, and Doc were all hit. But when the 30-second gunfight was over, there was no doubt which side had triumphed: the Earps were bloodied but alive, while Billy Clanton and Tom and Frank McLaury were dead or dying. Sheriff Behan, who witnessed the entire shoot-out, charged the Earps and Holliday with murder. However, a month later the Tombstone justice of the peace found the men not guilty, ruling “the defendants were fully justified in committing these homicides.”
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Murophobia is the abnormal fear of what? | O.K. Corral: A Gunfight Shrouded in Mystery
By Casey Tefertiller and Jeff Morey
Cowboy Billy Clanton still lay dying, his face contorted with pain, when the press began the difficult task of piecing together the details of an October 1881 street battle in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. In later years it would become known as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Richard Rule, veteran city editor of the Tombstone Nugget, helped carry Clanton into the house where the young man would pass into history, then returned to the streets to go to work.
With the canny eye of an experienced newsman, Rule began collecting the details of the gunfight, interviewing witnesses and trying to get a handle on what transpired during that fateful half minute and what led up to the battle. It would be a model of frontier journalism and vital to future understanding of perhaps the most debated event of the American frontier.
The saga of the O.K. Corral has been told repeatedly and from many perspectives, often with fictional intrusions and biased analysis. Now, for the first time in 120 years, we may have an authentic understanding of the events that led to the gunfight and what actually occurred in the streets of Tombstone — with a great deal of help from Richard Rule.
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Through the tense summer of 1881, emotions had grown explosive. Bands of rustlers roamed the backcountry, stealing cattle mostly in Mexico or from Mexican ranchers in Arizona and New Mexico territories and then selling them to apparently legitimate ranchers for resale. The Clanton and McLaury families owned ranches reputed to be headquarters for receiving stolen cattle. This great cattle scam drew little ire from an American population more interested in acquiring wealth in the rich new mining areas than investigating international relations. In addition, Mexico had assessed high taxes on alcohol and tobacco, and smugglers came to southern Arizona Territory to purchase the goods cheaply for resale south of the border. The cash- and jewel-laden smugglers provided an easy target for American bandits.
As that fateful year of 1881 progressed, the situation changed. The Mexican government dropped taxes on alcohol and tobacco and then lodged numerous protests with federal and territorial officials to try to stop the outlawry against Mexican citizens. Territorial Governor John C. Frémont, the old pathfinder and the first Republican presidential candidate in 1856, suggested in February that the territorial Legislature fund a state militia to ride against the outlaws and stop the rustling. Legislators hooted down the visionary plan. The Mexican government built a series of forts along the border and began to fight back against the American outlaws. American rustlers George Turner and Alfred McAllister were killed in Mexico during a raid on May 13.
Back on the U.S. side of the border, citizens also began to grow agitated over outlawry, particularly because of what happened on March 15. Three robbers that day attempted to intercept a stagecoach traveling from Tombstone to Benson, Arizona Territory. Driver Eli ‘Budd’ Philpot and passenger Peter Roerig were killed. Jim Crane, William Leonard and Harry Head were identified as the robbers.
With Frémont’s militia plan discarded, there was little to counter the rustling and other crimes that gripped southern Arizona Territory. Cochise County Sheriff John Behan and his deputies were charged with battling the rustlers, who became known as the ‘Cowboys.’ But Behan was at best ineffective and at worst crooked. His deputy Billy Breakenridge would tell how he deputized Cowboy leader ‘Curly Bill’ Brocius (or ‘Curley Bill’ Brocious) and used him to help collect taxes. And Wells, Fargo detective James Hume was quoted as saying, ‘Even the sheriff of the county?is in with the cowboys and he has got to be or his life would not be worth a farthing.’ The federal government was represented by U.S. Deputy Marshals Virgil Earp and Leslie Blackburn, with Earp in charge of most of the fieldwork, backed by his brother and deputy Wyatt Earp. Virgil also served as city marshal of Tombstone, which left Wyatt with most of the federal work.
Wyatt Earp coveted Behan’s well-paid job as sheriff, and the election would be coming up in the fall of 1882. According to Wyatt, he tried to make a deal with Frank McLaury and Ike Clanton, the most visible of the Clanton brothers and a known friend of the rustling crowd, to tell him the whereabouts of the three stage robbers. This would bolster Earp’s chances in the election, and Ike would receive the reward. Before the deal could be completed, two bartender brothers killed Leonard and Head in a remote New Mexico Territory mining village. An army of Cowboys rode down and killed the brothers in retribution.
In August, another cattle raid in Mexico caused Commandant Felipe Neri to dispatch troops to the border, where they found a group of Americans bedded down on the U.S. side of the crossing at Guadalupe Canyon. The Mexicans crept the few feet across the border and opened fire, killing five, among them stage robber Jim Crane and Newman Clanton, scion of the Clanton clan, who left behind sons Ike, Fin and Billy.
With no deal left for him, Ike Clanton grew increasingly worried. Wyatt Earp knew Ike had made a deal to turn on his Cowboy buddies, information that could have ruined Ike’s standing in the rustling community. With the borders closed, outlawry against Americans grew more commonplace in the backcountry. The Earps emerged as the leading law officers, taking an aggressive stand against the region’s criminal elements. The Cowboys resented their actions. ‘They met at Charleston and took an oath over blood drawn from the arm of John Ring[o], the leader, that they would kill us,’ Virgil Earp said.
With emotion running stronger than the best saloon whiskey, Ike Clanton came to Tombstone to confront Wyatt Earp and learn whether Earp had been leaking the secret. According to Earp, Ike accused him of telling the secret to his friend John Henry ‘Doc’ Holliday, a heavy-drinking dentist with a quirky sense of humor. Earp denied the accusation and sent for Holliday, who was in Tucson. Holliday met with Clanton on the night of October 25 in the Occidental Saloon. By the Earp account, Holliday was angry that Clanton had made a false accusation against him. As Ike told it, Holliday called him a ‘damned liar [who] had threatened the Earps….He told me to pull out my gun and if there was any grit in me, to go to fighting.’ Clanton, who was unarmed, said that Holliday ordered him to retrieve his gun. Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp appeared to break up the fight, with Wyatt walking Holliday back to his room at Fly’s lodging house.
Then came perhaps the most improbable event of the day. Ike Clanton, after retrieving his six-shooter, sat down to a poker game with Virgil Earp, Tom McLaury, John Behan and one other player. It would be like ‘Ike’ Eisenhower pitching pennies with Adolf Hitler before the Battle of the Bulge. The game broke up around 7 a.m., with Ike Clanton requesting that Virgil deliver a message to Holliday: ‘The damned son of a bitch has got to fight,’ Ike supposedly told Virgil. Virgil said he responded: ‘Ike, I am an officer, and I don?t want to hear you talking that way at all. I am going down home now to go to bed, and I don?t want you to raise any disturbance when I am in bed.”You won?t carry a message?’ Ike asked. Virgil said he would not. ‘You may have to fight before you know it,’ Ike said as Virgil walked away. Through the rest of the morning, Ike fueled his anger with whiskey, lurching from saloon to saloon to talk tough and make threats against the Earps. ‘He said that as soon as the Earps and Doc Holliday showed themselves on the street, the ball would open and that they would have to fight,’ said Ned Boyle, bartender at the Oriental Saloon, who went to awaken Wyatt and tell him of the threat. Deputy Marshal Andy Bronk also heard of the threats and woke Virgil. Injudiciously, both Wyatt and Virgil went back to sleep and ignored Ike’s ire.
About noon on the 26th, Virgil and Morgan Earp spotted Ike carrying a six-shooter and a rifle. Virgil crashed his revolver into Ike’s head, then led the bloodied Cowboy to Judge Albert O. Wallace’s courtroom. Wyatt Earp entered the room and said: ‘You damn dirty cow thief. You have been threatening our lives, and I know it. I think I would be justified in shooting you down any place I would meet you. But if you are anxious to make a fight, I will go anywhere on earth to make a fight with you — even over to San Simon among your crowd.’
‘Fight is my racket, and all I want is 4 feet of ground,’ Clanton responded. ‘If you fellows had been a second later, I would have furnished a Coroner’s Inquest for this town.’ Morgan Earp held up Ike’s gun and taunted him, saying he would pay the fine if Ike would make a fight. Ike refused, saying he did not like the odds. Wallace fined Ike $25 for carrying firearms in the city limits. As Wyatt stepped out of the courtroom, he encountered Tom McLaury and engaged in an argument that led to Earp slapping the cowboy with his left hand, then beating him over the head with a six-shooter. Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton rode into town and stopped at the saloon in the Grand Hotel. Cowboy pal Billy Claiborne told them of the beatings delivered to their brothers, and Frank dropped his whiskey glass without taking a sip.
As the afternoon continued, the town grew more and more agitated, buzzing with trepidation that a conflict was brewing. The Earps congregated at the corner of Fourth and Allen, in front of Hafford’s Corner Saloon, and watched as Ike and Billy Clanton, along with Frank McLaury, entered Spangenberg’s gun shop. Frank and Billy purchased ammunition, but the proprietor refused to sell a gun to Ike. The Clantons and McLaurys left the gun shop and split up. The McLaurys went off to make collections for cattle they had sold, while Claiborne and Billy Clanton went to retrieve Billy’s horse. They would meet up again a few minutes later, at the O.K. Corral, where witnesses would overhear them making threats against the Earps.
Back at Hafford’s, townsmen came to the Earps offering assistance and telling of the cowboy threats. City Marshal Virgil Earp said he asked Sheriff Behan to assist him in disarming the Cowboys. Instead, Behan offered to go down and talk to the Clantons and McLaurys to see if he could peaceably disarm them by himself. After Virgil had waited nearly 20 minutes for Behan to make his talk, local businessman John Fonck came to tell the marshal of the Cowboys? actions. Virgil said he would not interfere if they were getting their horses and leaving town, but if they were armed and walking the streets he would have to arrest them. ‘Why,’ Fonck responded, ‘they are all down on Fremont Street now.’
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Virgil Earp turned to his two brothers, and to Holliday. He handed a short-barreled shotgun to Holliday to conceal under his long gray coat. Holliday then gave his walking stick to the marshal, and the four began the fateful walk that would become part of history. As they strode down Fremont Street, Behan rushed up to them and, according to the Earp brothers, said, ‘For God’s sake, don?t go down there or you will get yourself murdered.’ Virgil replied that he was going to disarm them. What the sheriff said next is uncertain. Behan would say that he told the Earps, ‘I was there for the purpose of arresting and disarming them.’ The Earps believed the sheriff said he had already disarmed them, and they then — apparently disregarding the warning that they would get murdered — made the mistake of relaxing a little. Wyatt Earp put his six-shooter back in his coat pocket; Virgil shifted his six-shooter off his hip into a more difficult position to draw and held the walking stick in his right hand. When they arrived at the 15-foot-wide vacant lot on Fremont Street where the Cowboys had congregated, the Earps were surprised to see that at least two of the opposition — Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton — still carried revolvers, and rifles were visible on the horses. Virgil raised his walking stick and growled, ‘Throw up your hands, boys, I intend to disarm you.’
The shooting began quickly. Two shots, a pause, then the gunfight burst out on different fronts. Holliday surged forward to stalk Tom McLaury, partially hidden by a horse, then fired a shotgun charge into McLaury’s chest. At about the same moment, Ike lurched forward to grab Wyatt Earp. Clanton said he heroically tried to push him out of the way. Earp said he told Ike, ‘The fight has commenced, get to fighting or get away.’ Ike, whose mouth had aroused the town and inflamed the Earps, then dashed from the scene.
Virgil took a shot through the calf, most likely from Frank McLaury’s six-shooter. Billy Clanton took a bullet in the chest, probably from Morgan, then a shot in the right wrist. He switched gun hands, leaned back against a building and slowly crumpled to the ground as he continued firing. Morgan stumbled and fell, yelling, ‘I am hit,’ as a bullet entered one shoulder blade and passed out through the other. He rose, but soon fell again, probably tripping on a mound on Fremont Street where the town was putting in new water pipes. Badly wounded, Frank McLaury tried to use his horse for cover as he lurched into the street. He fired at Morgan, causing his horse to bolt. Unprotected and exhausted, Frank squatted in the street, but when Holliday pursued him, Frank stood, aimed and said, ‘I?ve got you now.’
‘Blaze away. You?re a daisy if you have,’ Holliday responded, according to the Nugget. McLaury fired, grazing Holliday’s side. ‘I?m shot right through,’ Holliday yelled. Frank McLaury staggered farther into the street as Morgan Earp and Doc both fired, Morgan’s shot crashing into the right side of McLaury’s head, Holliday’s into the Cowboy’s chest. McLaury continued to breathe as Holliday ran up and shouted, ‘The son of a bitch has shot me, and I mean to kill him!’ But it was too late. The fight had been shot out of Frank McLaury. His brother Tom had made it to the corner of Third and Fremont, where he lay dying at the base of a telegraph pole. Frank died in the street. Tom and Billy were carried into a nearby house, where they would survive for only minutes.
With Morgan and Virgil Earp both wounded and Holliday grazed across the side, Wyatt Earp remained the only participant standing, untouched by lead. Behan strode over to Wyatt and said, ‘I will have to arrest you.’ A witness recalled Earp’s reply: ‘I won?t be arrested. You deceived me, Johnny, you told me they were not armed. I won?t be arrested, but I am here to answer what I have done. I am not going to leave town.’ And Earp was not arrested — not then, at least.
Almost immediately, journalist Richard Rule and his rivals at the Epitaph began scurrying to collect the news. Both stories were dramatic, colorful and tinged with blood. In the style of the day, they did not present many direct quotes, instead making journalists? assessments of the material. By the Epitaph report, the battle began when two Cowboys pulled their guns and fired the first two shots. The Nugget had it different, saying Frank McLaury made a motion for his gun, which prompted Wyatt Earp to quickly draw and shoot McLaury. Both stories led to a belief that the law officers had been in the right.
Within 48 hours, the situation would change dramatically. As the coroner’s inquest began, well-liked Sheriff Behan, along with Ike Clanton, Claiborne and several Cowboy friends, testified to a much different beginning to the gunfight. They would report that the Earp party fired the first several shots of the conflict. Clanton filed murder charges against the Earps, and a month-long preliminary hearing began at which both sides would air their versions of the events. By the Earp version, it was self-defense; by the Cowboy account, it was murder.
Behan would serve as the most significant witness for the prosecution, which tried to have the Earps bound over for a murder trial. Key witnesses at the hearing in advancing the Cowboy version were Wesley Fuller, Billy Allen, Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne, who was under a murder indictment himself for an unrelated incident. They laid out a dramatic story of how at Virgil’s command the two Clantons and Frank McLaury thrust their arms in the air to comply, while Tom McLaury threw open his vest to show he was unarmed. Immediately someone from the Earp party screamed, ‘You sons of bitches have been looking for a fight, and now you can have one!’ Barely had those words sounded when two shots were fired, the first from Doc Holliday’s nickel-plated revolver and the other from another member of the Earp party, probably Morgan. After a pause, the Earps got off several shots before Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton could pull their six-shooters and return fire. Tom McLaury was never armed and never fired. This image of men shot down in the act of surrendering would shock the community as reports appeared in the local press.
Wyatt and Virgil Earp would present a much different story. Wyatt would say the fight began after Virgil’s call to disarm: ‘Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury laid their hands on their six-shooters. Virgil said, ?Hold, I don?t mean that. I have come to disarm you.? They — Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury — commenced to draw their pistols. At that moment Tom McLaury threw his hand to his right hip and jumped behind a horse. I had my pistol in my overcoat pocket where I had put it when Behan told us he had disarmed the other party. When I saw Billy and Frank draw their pistols, I drew my pistol. Billy Clanton leveled his pistol at me but I didn?t aim at him. I knew that Frank McLaury had the reputation of being a good shot and a dangerous man, and I aimed at Frank McLaury. The two first shots which were fired were fired by Billy Clanton and myself; he shot at me, and I shot at Frank McLaury. I do not know which shot was first. We fired almost together.’ Neither Wyatt nor Virgil Earp mentioned the statement about the SOBs looking for a fight and getting one.
By the Earp version, the fight began in self-defense when the Cowboys, armed in violation of law, made an aggressive move in defiance of a legal order. The Earp version closely reflected the Nugget‘s report of the gunfight, while the Cowboy story was in stark contrast to the immediate reporting after the event.When the preliminary hearing ended on December 1, Justice Wells Spicer ruled the case not be bound over for trial. This was decision without exoneration, as most of the key questions were left undetermined. Spicer ruled that there was not enough evidence to assure a likelihood of conviction. The Cochise County Grand Jury would later reopen the issue and concur with Spicer.
The debate has raged on for 120 years as to who fired first. The quest for a true understanding of events has been confused by a series of later writers advancing inaccurate or simply false information from supposed secret sources. Stuart Lake, in his classic Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal, stated flatly that the Cowboys drew and fired on the Earps, which is contradictory to the Earps? own version in the Spicer hearing. Frank Waters, in The Earp Brothers of Tombstone, quoted alleged eyewitnesses who were never called to testify in saying the Earps fired first at surrendering Cowboys. It has since been discovered that Waters tampered with material in the book, diminishing its credibility.
The issue seemed resolved in 1976 when Glenn G. Boyer’s I Married Wyatt Earp appeared, asserting that Josephine Earp, Wyatt’s third wife, had secret information that Doc Holliday had actually fired the first shot and that Earp lied in the Spicer hearing to cover for his friend. However, Boyer has since admitted that this book is not actually Mrs. Earp’s memoir but rather a creative exercise. Boyer further confused the issue with his 1993 Wyatt Earp’s Tombstone Vendetta, in which he now claimed Holliday told a confidant that Earp himself fired the first two shots so quickly they sounded as one. Four years later, Boyer acknowledged that this was also novelistic.The fictional and fantastic later writings must be discarded in order to gain an understanding of what actually occurred on that dusty street on October 26, 1881. By returning to the original sources, we can finally gain a grasp of what started the gunfight that refuses to die.
The Behan/Cowboy version of the initial gunfire is based on the first shot being fired from Holliday’s revolver at the surrendering Clantons and McLaurys. For this to be accurate, Holliday would have needed to stage a sort of juggling act, firing the revolver, then going to the shotgun to shoot Tom McLaury, discarding the shotgun and returning to the revolver as he chased Frank McLaury into Fremont Street. And he would need to have done it without either the witnesses or survivors seeing it. Behan claimed to have his eyes fixed on the Earp party, and the other pro-Cowboy witnesses testified that the Clantons and McLaurys were lifting their hands to surrender.
However, Addie Bourland, a dressmaker watching from her shop across the street, testified that she clearly saw that none of the Cowboys had their hands in the air.Behan’s credibility would emerge as an issue late in the Spicer hearing. Deputy district attorney Winfield Scott Williams testified that the sheriff had inaccurately depicted a conversation with Virgil Earp after the gunfight in which, according to Williams, Behan told Virgil that one of the Cowboys had drawn his gun to start the fight. Equally important, documents were located in 1997 showing that Behan served as guarantor of a loan to Ike Clanton during the Spicer hearing. With Wyatt Earp seeking Behan’s job in the next election, the sheriff had much to gain from seeing his rival face a murder charge.
And then there is Richard Rule. It is one of those flukes of history that the Nugget story ever appeared as it did. Publisher Harry Woods also served as Behan’s undersheriff, but he was off in El Paso fetching a prisoner at the time of the gunfight. This left the talented and experienced Rule to oversee the newsgathering and writing of a story that would be essentially pro-Earp. With the Nugget‘s connections to the sheriff’s office, it would be logical to seek out Behan as a source for the story. What makes this even more probable is that the Nugget story, without attribution, states, ‘The Sheriff stepped out and said: ?Hold up boys, don?t go down there or there will be trouble; I have been down there to disarm them.?’ Behan would repeatedly insist he told the Earps that he had been down to disarm the cowboys, not that he had actually done the disarming. The article relates details of the conversation Behan had had with the Cowboys. The story further states that Behan ‘was standing near by commanding the contestants to cease firing but was powerless to prevent it’ — a claim that sounds as if it came from Behan’s own mouth. It is hard to imagine the Nugget not interviewing Behan for this story. By Williams? account, immediately after the gunfight, Behan told Virgil Earp a story similar to the Nugget report before changing his story at the coroner’s inquest.
For the Behan/Cowboy version of the first shots to be true, Doc Holliday would have had to orchestrate an incredible revolver-shotgun-revolver shuffle, an officer of the court would have had to lie under oath and both the Nugget and Epitaph would have had to have missed the biggest story of their existences. This remarkable chain of events is so unlikely as to render it unbelievable.
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Name the ex-dentist who aided the Earp brothers in the OK corral gunfight | Tombstone Nugget
Testimony for the Defense-Statement by Wyatt Earp.
The prosecution rested on the afternoon of the 15th and on the morning of the 16th the defense put Wyatt Earp on the stand. Under the laws of this Territory the accused can make any statement the pleases in justification or mitigation of the crime charged. Under this right, witness took the stand and commenced his statement by reading a carefully prepared manuscript. Prosecution objected to the witness reading from a manuscript and contended that the law contemplated an oral statement and not that the accused should first carefully prepare or have prepared for him the statement and read it before the court. Court ruled that the statute was very broad, and under it he felt that the accused could make any statement he pleased whether previously prepared or not. Witness then principally read from a manuscript the following statement:
My name is Wyatt S. Earp; 32 years old the 19th of last March; born at Monmouth, Warren County, Ill.; reside in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona, and have resided here since December 1, 1879, and am present a saloon-keeper; also, have been deputy Sheriff and detective.
The difficulty which resulted in the death of Wm. Clanton and Frank and Tom McLowry, originated last spring.
[Here prosecution objected to defendant reading a prepared statement. Overruled and excepted to.]
A little over a year ago I followed Frank and Tom McLowry and two other parties who had stolen six government mules from Camp Rucker-myself Virg, and Morgan Earp and Marshall Williams, Captain Hurst and four soldiers-we traced those mules to McLowry's ranch.
[Here prosecution moved to strike out above as irrelevant and having noting to do with the case; overruled and excepted to.]
While at Charleston I met a man by the name of Dave Estes. He told me that I could find the mules at the McLowry's ranch. He had seen them the day before; he said they were branding the mules with D S, changing the U to a D. We tracked the mules right up to the ranch, also found the branding iron D S, and after quite a while the mules were found with the same brand. After we arrived there at McLowry's ranch, there was a man by the name of Frank Patterson, who made some kind of compromise with Captain Hurst. Captain Hurst came to us boys and told us he had made a compromise; by doing so he would get the mules back.
WE INSISTED
on following them up. Hurst prevailed upon us to go back to Tombstone, so-we came back. Hurst told us two or three weeks afterward that they would not give up the mules to him after we went saying that they only wanted to get us away, that they could stand the soldiers off. Captain Hurst cautioned me and my brothers, Virgil and Morgan, to look out for those men, that they had made some threats against our lives. About one month after that-after those mules had been taken-I met Frank and Tom McLowry in Charleston; they tried to pick a fuss out of me down there and told me that if I ever followed them up again so close as I did before that they would kill me. Shortly after the time Bud Philpot was killed by the men who tried to rob the Benson stage, as a detective I helped trace the matter up, and I was satisfied that three men named Billy Leonard, Harry Head and James Crane were in that robbery. I knew that Leonard, Head and Crane were friends and associates of the Clantons and McLowrys, and often stopped at their ranch; it was generally understood among officers and those who have information about criminals, that Ike Clanton was a sort of chief amongst the cowboys; that the Clantons and McLowrys were cattle thieves and generally in the secrets of the stage robbers, and that the Clanton and McLowry ranches were meeting places and places of shelter for the gang; I had an ambition to be Sheriff of this county at the next election, and I thought it would be of great help to me with the people and business men if I could capture the men who killed Philpot; there were rewards of about $1,200 each for the capture of the robbers; altogether there was about $3,600 for their capture.
I THOUGHT THIS
might tempt Ike Clanton and Frank McLowry to give away Leonard, Head and Crane, so I went to Ike Clanton, Frank McLowry and Joe Hill when they came to town; I had an interview with them in the back yard of the Oriental Saloon; I told them what I wanted; I told them I wanted the glory of capturing Leonard, Head and Crane, and if I could do so it would help me make the race for Sheriff at next election; I told them if they would put me on the track of Leonard, Head and Crane and tell me were those men were hid, I would give them all the reward and would never let anyone know where I got my information; Ike Clanton said he would like to see them captured; he said Leonard claimed a ranch that he claimed, and that it could get him out of the way that he would have no opposition in regard to the ranch. Clanton said the Leonard, Head and Crane would make a fight, that they would never be taken in alive; that I must find out if the reward would be paid for the
capture of the robbers, dead or alive. I then went to Marshall Williams, the agent of Wells, Fargo in this town, and at my request he telegraphed to the Agent or Superintendent of Wells, Fargo at San Francisco to find out if the reward would be paid dead or alive. He received in June 1881, a telegram which he showed me promising that the reward would be paid dead or alive. The next day I met Ike Clanton and Joe Hill on Allen street in front of the little cigar store next to the Alhambra; I told them the dispatch had come; I went to Marshall Williams and told him I wanted to see that dispatch for a few minutes. He went to look for it and
COULD NOT FIND IT
just then; he went over to the telegraph office and got a copy and came and gave it to me. I went and showed it to Ike Clanton and Joe Hill and returned it to Marshall Williams, and afterwards told Frank McLowry of its contents. It was then agreed between us that they should have all the $3,600 reward, outside of necessary expenses for horse hire in going after them and that Joe Hill should go where Leonard, Head and Crane were hid over near Eureka, in New Mexico, and lure them in near Frank and Tom McLowry's ranch, near Soldier's Holes, 30 miles from here, and I would be on hand with a posse and capture them. I asked Joe Hill, Ike Clanton and Frank McLowry what tale they would tell them to get them over here. They said they had agreed upon a plan to tell them that there would be a paymaster going from Tombstone, to Bisbee shortly to pay-off the miners, and that they wanted them to come in and take them; Ike Clanton then sent Joe Hill to bring them in; before starting Joe Hill took off his watch and chain and between two and three hundred dollars in money, and gave it to Virgil Earp to keep for him until he got back; he was gone about ten days, and returned with word that he had got there one day too late, that Leonard and Head had been killed the day before he got there by horse thieves; I learned afterwards that the horse thieves had been killed by members of the Clanton and McLowry gang; after that Ike Clanton and Frank McLowry claimed that I had given them away to Marshall Williams and Doc Holliday, and when they came into town they shunned me, Morgan and Virgil Earp and Doc Holliday, and we began to hear of their threats against us; I am
A FRIEND OF DOC HOLLIDAY,
Because when I was City Marshal of Dodge City, Kansas, he came to my rescue and saved my life when I was surrounded by desperadoes; about a month or more ago Morgan Earp and myself assisted to arrest Stilwell and Spencer on the charge of robbing the Bisbee stage; the Mclowrys and Clantons have always been friends of Stilwell and Spencer, and they laid the whole blame of their arrest on us, though the fact is we only went as a Sheriff's posse; after we got in town with Spencer and Stilwell Ike Clanton and Frank McLowry came in; Frank McLowry took Morgan Earp into the street in front of the Alhambra, when John Ringgold, Ike Clanton, and the two Hicks boys were also standing by, when Frank McLowry commence to abuse Morgan Earp for going after Spencer and Stilwell; Frank McLowry said he would never speak to Spencer again for being arrested by us; he said to Morgan: "If you ever come after me you will never take me;" Morgan replied, if he ever had occasion to go after him he would arrest him; Frank McLowry then said to Morgan: "I have threatened you boys' lives, an a few days ago had taken it back, but since this arrest it now `goes;'" Morgan made no reply and walked off; before this and after this Marshall Williams, Farmer Daly, Ed Byrnes, Old Man Winter, Charley Smith and three or four others had told us at different times of threats to kill us made by Ike Clanton, Frank McLowry, Tom McLowry, Joe Hill and John Ringgold; I knew all those men were desperate and dangerous men; that they were connected with outlaws, cattle thieves, robbers and murderers; I knew of the McLowrys stealing six government mules and also cattle, and when the owners went after them-finding his stock on the McLowry's ranch-that he was driven off, and they would kill him, and he has keep his mouth shut until several days ago
FOR FEAR OF BEING KILLED
I heard of Ringold shooting a man down in cold blood near Camp Thomas; I was satisfied that Frank and Tom McLowry had killed and robbed Mexicans in Skeleton Canyon three or four months ago, and I naturally keep my eyes open, for I did not intend that any of the gang should get the "drop" on me if I could help it; I Clanton met me at Vogan's old saloon five or six months ago and told me I had told Holliday about this transaction concerning the "giving away" Head, Leonard and Crane; I told him I never told Holliday anything; I told him that when Holliday came up from Tucson I would prove it; Ike Clanton said that Holliday had told him so; when Holliday came back I asked him and he said no; I told him that Ike Clanton had said so; on the 25th of October-the night-Holliday met Ike Clanton in the Alhambra lunch room and asked him about it; Clanton denied it; they quarreled for three or four minutes; Holliday told Clanton he was a damn liar if he said so; I was sitting eating lunch at the lunch counter, Morgan Earp was standing at the Alhambra bar talking to the bartender, I called him over to where I was sitting, knowing that he was an officer, and told him that Holliday and Clanton were quarreling in the lunch room, and for him to go in and stop it; he climber over the lunch counter from the Alhambra bar, went into the room, took Holliday by the arm and led him into the street; Ike Clanton in a few moments followed them out; I got through eating and walked out; as I opened the door I could hear that they were still quarreling outside; Virgil Earp came up, I think out of the Occidental, and told them (Holliday and Clanton) that if they did not stop their quarreling he would have to arrest them.
THEY ALL SEPARATED
At that time, Morgan Earp going down the street, home; Virgil Earp going in the Occidental saloon, Holliday up the street to the Oriental saloon, and Ike Clanton across the street to the Grand Hotel. I walked into the Eagle Brewery where I had a faro game which I had not closed. I stayed in there a few moments and then walked out on the street and there I met Ike Clanton. He asked if I would take a walk with him, he wanted to have a talk with me. I told him I would if he did not go too far, that I was waiting for my game in the Brewery to close, as I had to take care of the money. We walked about half way down the side of the brewery building on Fifth street and stopped. He told me that when Holliday approached him in the lunch room, that he was not fixed just right. He said that in the morning he would have man for man, and that this fighting talk had been going on for a long time, and he guessed it was about time to fetch it too a close. I told him that I would not fight no one if I could get away from it, because there was no money in it. He walked off and left me saying, "I will be ready for all of you in the morning;" I walked over to the Oriental, he come in, followed me in rather, and took a drink having his six-shooter on and playing fight and saying "you must not think I won't be after you all in the morning." He said he would like to make a fight with Holliday now. I told him that Holliday did not want to fight, but only to satisfy him that this talk had not been made. About that time the man who was dealing my game closed it, and brought the money to me. I locked it up in the safe and started home.
I MET HOLLIDAY
on the street between the Oriental and Alhambra. Myself and Holliday walked down Allen street, he going to his room, and I, to my house to bed. I got up next day, October 26th, about noon. Before I got up; Ned Boyle came to me and told me that he had met Ike Clanton on Allen street, near the telegraph office, and that Ike was on it; that he said that as soon as those d-d Earps, make their appearance on the street to-day the ball will open; that Ike said, "We are here to make a fight and we are looking for the s-s of b-s." I lay in bed some little time after that; got up and went down to the Oriental saloon. Harry Jones came to me after I got up and said, "What does all this mean?" I asked him what he meant. He says, "Ike Clanton is hunting you Earp boys with a Winchester rifle and a six-shooter" I said, "I will go down and find him and see what he wants." I went out and at the corner of Fifth and Allen, I met Virgil Earp, the marshal. He told me how he had heard that Ike Clanton was hunting us. I went down Allen street, and Virgil went down Fifth and then Fremont street. Virgil found Ike Clanton on Fourth, near Fremont, in an alley way. He walked up to him and said, "I heard you were hunting for some of us." I was coming down Fourth street at this time. Clanton then throwed his Winchester around toward Virgil; Virgil grabbed it and hit Clanton with his six-shooter and knocked him down. Clanton had his rifle and his six-shooter in his pants. By that time I came up. Virgil and Morgan Earp took the rifle and six-shooter away and took them to the Grand Hotel after examination and took Ike Clanton before Justice Wallace. Before the examination Morgan Earp had Ike Clanton in charge as Virgil was out. A short time later I went to Wallace's court and sat down on a bench. Ike Clanton looked over to me and said, "I will get even with all of you for this." If I had a six-shooter now I would make a fight with all of you." Morgan Earp then said to him,"if you want to make a fight right bad I'll give you this, at the same time offering Ike Clanton his own (Ike's) six-shooter. Ike Clanton started up to take it, and Campbell, the Deputy sheriff, pushed him back in his seat, saying he would not allow any fuss. I never had Ike Clanton's arms at any time as he has stated. I would like to describe the positions we occupied in the court room at that time
IKE CLANTON SAT
on a bench like this, with his face fronting to the north wall of the building like that; I, myself, sat down on a bench that sat up against and along the side of the north wall, in front of Ike Clanton; Morgan Earp stood up on the floor against and to the right of where I sat two or three feet; Morgan had Ike Clanton's Winchester in his left hand, with one end on the floor and Ike's six-shooter in his right hand; he had them all the time; Virgil Earp was not in the court room any of this time; we were in Judge Wallace's office; Virgil came there after I had walked out; he was out, he told me, looking for Judge Wallace; I was tired of being threatened by Ike Clanton and his gang; I believed from what they had said to me and others and from their movements that they intended to assassinate me the first chance they had, and I thought that if I had to fight for my life with them I had better make them face me in an open fight, so I said to Ike Clanton, who was sitting about eight feet away from me, you d-n dirty cow thief, you have been threatening our lives, and I know it, I think I would be justified in shooting you down in any place I would meet you, but if you are anxious to make a fight I will go anywhere on earth to make a fight with you, even over to the San Simon among your own crowd; he replied, all right, I will see you after I get through here, I only need four feet of ground to fight; I walked out, and just then outside of the court-room and near the Justice's office, I met Tom McLowry; he came up to me and said to me, "if you want to make a fight I will make a fight with you anywhere;" I supposed at the time that he had heard what had just transpired Ike Clanton and myself; I knew of his having threatened me, and I felt just as I did about Ike Clanton that if the fight had to come I had better have it come when I had an even show to defend myself, so I said to him,:"all right, make a fight right here," and at the same time slapped him on the face with my left hand and drew my pistol with my right; he had a pistol in plan sight, on his right hip, in his pants, but made no move to draw it; I said to him
JERK YOUR GUN
and use it, he made no reply I hit him on the head with my six-shooter and walked away down to Hafford's corner., went into Hafford's and got a cigar and came out and stood by the door. Pretty soon after I saw Tom and Frank McLowry and William Clanton. They passed me and went down the street to the gunsmith shop; I followed down to see what they were going to do; when I got there, Frank McLowry's horse was standing on the sidewalk with his head in the door of the gunsmith shop; I took the horse by the bit, as I was deputy city marshal, and commenced to back him off the sidewalk; Tom and Frank McLowry and Billy Clanton came to the door; Billy laid his hand on his six-shooter, Frank McLowry took hold of the horse's bridal. I said "you will have to get this horse of the sidewalk." Frank McLowry backed him off on the street. Ike Clanton came up about that time and they all walked into the gunsmith shop. I saw them in the shop changing cartridges into their belts. They came out of the shop and walked along 4th street to the corner of Allen; I followed them to the corner of 4th and Allen streets, and then they went down Allen and over to Dunbar's corral. Virg Earp was then City Marshal; Morgan Earp was a special policeman for six weeks or two months, wore a badge and drew pay; I had been sworn in Virgil's place to act for him while he was gone to Tucson to Spencer and Stillwell's trial; Virgil had been back for a few days but I was still acting; I knew it was Virgil's duty
to disarm those men; expected he would have trouble doing so and I followed up to give assistance if necessary, especially since they had been threatening us as I have already stated. About ten minutes afterwards and while Virgil, Morgan, Doc Holliday and myself were standing on the corner of Allen and 4th streets, several persons said there is
GOING TO BE TROUBLE
with those fellows, and one man named Coleman said to Virgil they mean trouble. They have just gone from Dunbar's corral to the O.K. Corral armed. I think you had better go and disarm them. Virgil turned around to Holliday, Morgan Earp and myself, and told us to come and assist him in disarming. Morgan Earp said to me, they have horses, had we not better get some horses ourselves so that if they make a running fight we can catch them, I said , no. If they try to make a running fight we can kill their
horses and then capture them. We four then started through Fourth and Fremont streets. When we turned the corner of Fourth and Fremont, we could see them standing near or about the vacant space between Fly's Photograph Gallery and the next building west. I first saw Frank McLowry, Tom McLowry, Billy Clanton and sheriff Behan standing together. We went down the left hand side of Fremont street, when I got within about 150 feet of them. I saw Ike Clanton, Billy Claibourne and another party. We had walked a few steps from there when I saw Behan leave the party and come towards us. Every few steps he would look back as if he apprehended danger. i heard Behan say to Virgil, "Earp, for God's sake don't go down there for you will get murdered." Virgil replied, "I am going to disarm them;" he being in the lead. When I and Morgan came up to Behan, he said, "I have disarmed them." When he said this, I took my pistol which I had in my hand under my coat, and put it into my overcoat pocket, Behan then passed up the street, and we walked on down. We came upon them close; Frank McLowry, Tom McLowry and Billy Clanton standing all in a row against the east side of a building on the opposite side of the vacant space west of Fly's photograph gallery. Ike Clanton and Billy Clanton and a man I did not know was standing in the vacant space, about half way between the photograph gallery and the next building west. I saw that Billy Clanton, Frank and Tom McLowry had their hands by their sides; Frank McLowry's and Billy Clanton's six-shooters were in plain sight. Virgil said, "Throw up your hands; I have come to disarm you." Billy Clanton and Tom McLowry commenced to draw their pistols; at he same time Tom McLowry threw his hand to his right hip, throwing his coat open like that (showing), and jumped behind a horse. I had my pistol in my overcoat pocket, where I put it when Behan told us he had disarmed the other parties. When I saw Billy Clanton and Frank McLowry draw their pistols, I drew my pistol. Billy Clanton leveled his pistol on me, but I did not aim at him. I knew Frank McLowry had the reputation of being a good shot and a dangerous man and I aimed at Frank McLowry. The first two shots which were fired were fired by Billy Clanton and myself, he shooting at me and I at Frank McLowry. I do not know which shot was fired first. We fired almost together. The fight then became general. After about four shots were fired, Ike Clanton ran up and grabbed my left arm. I could see no weapon in his hand, and thought at the time he had none, and so I said to him, "The fight has now commenced;
GO TO FIGHTING
or get away." At the same time I pushed him off with my left hand. He started and ran down the side of the building and disappeared between the lodging house and photograph gallery; my first shot struck Frank McLowry in the belly; he staggered off on the sidewalk, but first fired one shot at me; when we told them to throw up their hands Claibourne held up his left hand and them broke and ran, and I never seen him afterwards until late in the afternoon; I never drew my pistol or made a motion to shoot until After Billy Clanton and Frank McLowry drew their pistols; if Tom McLowry was unarmed I did not know it; believed he was armed and fired two shots at our party before Holliday, who had a shotgun, fired at and killed him; if he was unarmed their was nothing in the circumstances, or in what had been communicated to me, or in his acts or threats, that would have led me to even suspect his being unarmed; I never fired at Ike Clanton, even after the shooting commenced, because I thought he was unarmed; I believed then, and believe now, from the acts I have stated and the threats communicated to me by different persons, as having been made by Tom McLowry, Frank McLowry and Ike Clanton, that these men last named had formed a conspiracy to murder my brothers, Morgan and Virgil, Doc Holliday and myself; I believe I would have been legally and morally justifiable in shooting any of them on sight, but I did not do so, nor attempt to do so; I sought no advantage when I went, as Deputy Marshal, to help to disarm them and arrest them; I went as part of my duty under the directions of my brothers, the marshals; I did not intend to fight unless it became necessary in self-defense or in the rightful performance of official duty; when Billy Clanton and Frank McLowry drew their pistols; I knew it was
A FIGHT FOR LIFE
and I drew and fired first in defense of my own life and the lives of my brothers and Doc Holliday; I have been in Tombstone since Dec. 1, 1879; came here directly from Dodge City, Kansas, where against the protest of business men and officials I resigned the office of City Marshal which I had held there from 1876; came to Dodge City from Witchitaw, Kansas; was on the police force in Witchitaw, Kansas from 1874 until I came to Dodge City. The testimony of Ike Clanton that I ever said to him that I had anything to do with any stage robbery or giving any information of money going on the stage, or any improper communication whatever with any criminal enterprise is a tissue of lies from beginning to end. Sheriff Behan made me an offer in his office on Allen street in the back room of the cigar store where he had his office, that if I would withdraw and not try to get appointed Sheriff of Cochise county that he would hire a clerk and divide the profits. I did so and he never said another word to me afterwards in regard to it, but claimed in his statement and gave his reasons for not complying with his contract which is false in every particular. Myself and Doc Holliday happened to go to Charleston the night that Behan went down to subpoena Clanton; we went there to get a horse that I had had stolen from me a few days after I came to Tombstone; had heard several times that the Clantons had him; when I got there that night was told by a friend of mine that the man that carried
the dispatch from Charleston to Clanton's ranch had rode my horse. At this time did not know where Clanton's ranch was,
A SHORT TIME AFTERWARDS
I was in the Huachucas locating some water rights, and I started home for Tombstone, had got within ten or fifteen miles from Charleston and met a man named McMasters; he told me that if I would hurry up that I would find my horse in Charleston; I drove into Charleston and seen my horse going through the streets towards the corral; I put up for the night at another corral; I went to Burnett's office to get out papers for the recovery of the horse; he was not at home, having gone to Sonora to some coal field's that had been discovered. I telegraphed to Tombstone to James Earp to have papers made out and sent to me; he went to Justice Wallace and Street and made the papers out and sent them to Charleston by my youngest brother, Warren Earp; while I was waiting for the papers Billy Clanton found out I was in town and went and tried to take the horse out of the corral; I told him that he could not take him out; that it was my horse. After the papers came he gave the horse up with out any service of papers, and asked me if I had any more horses to lose. I told him I would keep them in the stable after this, and give him no chance to steal them.
Your host is Steve Gatto, author of The Real Wyatt Earp (Edited by Neil Carmony) (2000), Johnny Ringo (2002), Curly Bill, Tombstone's Most Famous Outlaw (2003). Steve's latest work, Hurled Into Eternity, The Story of Wyatt Earp and the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral has not yet been released.
Portions of the text appearing on this site come from the above books.
"bravery and determination were requisites, and in every instance proved himself the right man in the right place." Tombstone Epitaph
| Doc Holliday |
Which Welsh castle was taken by Owain Glyndwr's men while the English garrison were at church | The Gunfight At The O.K. Corral
The Gunfight At The O.K. Corral
The Most Famous Of 'Em All
The Gunfight At The O.K. Corral
The initials in the "O.K." Corral don't stand for okay, they stand for "Old Kinderhook."
click image to enlarge
The O.K. Corral, where the notorious gunfight between the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday versus the Clanton gang took place October 26, 1881, is shown (between 3rd and 4th Streets, bounded by Fremont on the north and Allen on the south) in this 1886 fire insurance map of Tombstone, Arizona.
Exactly What Happened Is Hard To Say
The citizens of Tombstone, Territory of Arizona, were accustomed to hearing gunfire in the streets. Casual murder was routine in the half civilized, half lawless mining camp of the 1880s. But the roaring fusillade that echoed briefly through the cool October air one afternoon in 1881 sounded more like a battle than the incidental meeting of a couple of irascible gun fighters, and concerned residents rushed to the source of the frightening sounds once the shooting had stopped. Word of what happened soon spread back through the ranks of the curious and on through the apprehensive town. Repeated and repeated was the terse description of the frightening event: Shootout at the O.K. Corral!
Three men, their bodies torn by revolver and shotgun slugs, lay fatally' wounded on the ground, their drying blood adding a tragic tint to their gaily colored vests. Two others, badly wounded, were being carried to their homes.
Thirty seconds. That's all it Look to end violently the lives of three men, trigger a bloodbath that would bring the threat of martial law to Tombstone Territory, and start a bitter controversy that continues to this day. The raging debate over what actually happened at that narrow Corral entrance at Third and Fremont streets started even as the bodies were being carried to a small cabin across the street for a hastily called Coroner's inquest. What exactly happened always will be the subject of some conjecture. Why it happened, no one questions.
The Earp brothers and the Clanton gang had had their inevitable, unavoidable, long feared showdown. The O.K. Corral gun battle, which gave Tombstone a secure if unenviable place in the history of the wild old West, was fated almost from the day when Wyatt Berry Stamp Earp rode into Tombstone, soon followed by his brothers, Virgil, James and Morgan, and their close friends, Luke Short, Bat Masterson, and John Holliday. Because he had studied dentistry when a youth in his native Georgia, and even practiced some, Holliday universally was known as 'Doc.' Boredom, tubercular lungs and a penchant for shooting scrapes had made Doc a drifter through the West. The Earps, the sure shooting Short, the urbane Masterson and the morose, unpredictable Holliday came to Tombstone from Dodge City, where Wyatt had been City Marshal for three years. To the businessmen of Dodge City, Wyatt had been a tough but fair lawman; to others, he was ruthless and officious. The contrasting reputations preceded the tall, somber Earp to his new town.
When Wyatt Earp his brothers and his friends arrived in Tombstone in December, 1879, lured by the reports of a great silver strike, the town was a sprawling collection of huts, rude cabins, tents and jerrybuilt saloons, a jumbled mass of construction dominated even then by the nearly completed, pretentious two storied Golden Eagle Brewery, soon to be renamed the Crystal Palace. Only a few months earlier had the miners, mine officials, saloonkeepers, gamblers and camp followers moved from a rustic settlement crowded around a valley spring to the more spacious plateau town named Tombstone. The name choice was obvious; Tombstone was the name given the first mining claim filed by Ed Schieffelin, the bearded, eccentric, fearless prospector who discovered silver in Southeastern Arizona. Ed Schieffelin's name for his first claim was an ironic reply to the soldiers of nearby Camp Huachuca, who grimly jested with the prospector every time he set off alone to search for riches in the Apache infested brown hills. "All you'll find out there is your tombstone," was the oft-repeated warning that Ed Schieffelin remembered when his miner's pick finally uncovered a rich lode of silver bearing rock.
Tombstone's population was little more than two thousand when the Earp party slowly rode down Fremont street But new settlers were arriving daily by ox cart, stage coach and horseback, daring the still present threat of bloody Apache ambush to follow the silver trail to boomtown. Many who came to find their fortunes were willing to work for them, as prospectors or miners, or in the restaurants, saloons, gambling house, laundries, water companies and other supporting businesses being established every day. There were others, too many others, who galloped to Tombstone in quest of easy, illegal riches; the highwaymen, rustlers, card sharks and gunmen who kept the town in constant turmoil, and made every trip outside a hazardous adventure. In this lawless land, a man with Wyatt Earp's reputation quickly found employment.
Prime targets for highwaymen were the shipments of Wells Fargo & Company, frequently containing silver bullion. Wyatt was hired to ride shotgun with the rich shipments - the armed protector charged with the safety of the cargo. Whether because of his reputation, or pure luck, no shipment guarded by the dour Earp was ever attacked. Several months later, in October, 1880, he was appointed a Deputy Sheriff and quit his job with Wells Fargo; within a week he came into direct confrontation with the ringleader of the gang that interspersed rustling and highway robbery with tumultuous roistering on the streets and in the bars of Tombstone. Most feared outlaw in Arizona was William Brocius, known throughout the Territory as "Curly Bill." Legend has it that the gunman once amused himself by riding into a church in nearby Charleston, and forcing the minister to improvise a repertoire of tricks, to the occasional accompaniment of shots from Curly Bill's six-shooter.
Curly Bill ran afoul of Deputy Sheriff Earp one night when the outlaw and some of his buddies, Ike and Billy Clanton and Frank and Tom McLaury among them, were having their idea of fun by shooting at the moon and awakening irate citizens. City Marshal Fred White hurried to the scene, closely followed by Wyatt Earp. Marshal White demanded Curly Bill's gun, which he seemed to meekly surrender. Suddenly the gun roared, and the Marshal keeled over, fatally wounded. Some - including the Marshal, who made a deathbed statement - said the gun was discharged accidentally when the lawman reached for it. Others hinted that tricky Curly Bill pretended to surrender the weapon, barrel first, but kept his finger on the trigger. In any event, the enraged deputy, Wyatt Earp, "buffaloed" Curly Bill slugging the outlaw alongside the head with the length of his revolver. This method of submission was the supreme insult to men quick to anger, and Curly Bill and the Clanton and McLaury brothers, cowed by Earp the same way, would not forget his manhandling.
Wyatt Wasn't a Deputy Sheriff for long, though. When the Territorial Government at Prescott organized a new county, named Cochise after the now dead war chief of the Chiricahua Apaches, a friend of the Clantons and McLaurys, John Behan, was appointed Sheriff, with headquarters at Tombstone, the new County Seat. Wyatt Earp, who said he had been asked to seek the appointment, maintained that he withdrew his name from consideration after Behan promised him a post as Deputy Sheriff. The appointment was never made, and the developing enmity between Earp and Behan would be another important reason why there soon would be a rendezvous with death near the O.K. Corral. Wyatt wasn't interested in the fulltime job as the county's top law enforcement officer, because he had other demands on his time - principally, his part ownership in the Oriental Saloon and gambling parlors, where he often took his turn dealing faro. Occasionally, he'd fill in at a faro table at the Crystal Palace. Because of the great popularity of the richly appointed Palace, Wyatt had more chance to see his friends there - and keep his eye on his enemies.
But he was quite willing to serve part-time as a Sheriff's Deputy, because a principal job of these officers in those days was collecting taxes - and the collector could keep a percentage of the levy. Wyatt Earp and his brother Virgil, named City Marshal upon the death of Fred White, were strongly supported by the Tombstone Epitaph, the weekly newspaper founded May 1, 1880, by John Clum, who also served as Tombstone's Mayor and Postmaster. John Behan named as his Undersheriff the publisher of the Tombstone Nugget, Harry M. Woods. From that time on, the Epitaph always pictured the Earps as honest defenders of justice, and characterized the Clanton and McLaury brothers and their associates as ruthless outlaws bent on destroying the town. Just as consistently, the Nugget maintained the Clantons, McLaurys et al were harmless cowboys mercilessly hounded by the ruffian Earps.
Small solace to Wyatt, who wanted a lucrative job as Deputy Sheriff, was his Federal appointment as a Deputy Marshal. It was a job that soon was to again bring him into direct conflict with John Behan and "the cowboys," as the Epitaph> referred to all outlaws or suspected outlaws.
On March 15, 1880 the stage outbound to Benson, twenty-five miles to the north, slowly was creaking along, through the moonlit night. Driver Bud Philpot was urging his horses along as guard Bob Paul, a former Sheriff, searched the bushy roadside for signs of crouching bandits. Suddenly a masked man leaped into the road, shouting the highwayman's warning, "Hold!" In almost the same instant, as other men joined their confederate, a shot rang out and Bud Philpot, one of the most popular drivers on the line, fell between the horses, dead when he hit the ground. Bob Paul grabbed for the reins and it was almost a mile before he could stop the frightened, runaway horses. But as the horses galloped away from the holdup scene, a senseless shot fired after the swiftly moving stage took the life of a passenger, Pete Roerig, riding on the rear. News of the attempted holdup, with its two needless, cold-blooded killings, electrified Tombstone. United States mail had been aboard the stage, which put the crime in Deputy Marshal Earp's jurisdiction.
Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Virgil and Morgan, set off with Bat Masterson and Wells Fargo agent Marshall Williams in pursuit of the bandits. They were trailed by a posse formed by Sheriff Behan; one of Behan's own deputies later said the group did nothing but follow the Earps until the leading posse captured a drifter named Luther King, who confessed to holding the bandits horses. Sheriff Behan then demanded custody of the prisoner, and the Earps finally and reluctantly let the Sheriff escort the suspect back to Tombstone. Things then took a turn bizarre even for the frontier town where strange actions and events were not considered strange at all. The prisoner King walked into the front door of the jail and a few minutes later walked right on out the hack. The excuse? King had been riding an excellent horse, which he arranged, through Undersheriff Woods, to sell to John Dunbar, partner of Sheriff Behan in a livery stable; the suspect escaped while Dunbar and Woods were making out the bill-of-sale!
When the trail weary Earps returned to Tombstone, their further search fruitless, it was bad enough to find their prisoner had so casually escaped. But what infuriated the close knit Earp group even more were the inferences by the Nugget that Doc Holliday had been a member of the holdup gang. The Nugget boldly stated further that King's escape from jail had been engineered by the Earps because he could identify Holliday as a bandit; Sheriff Behan proclaimed he had an affidavit from Kate Fisher, Doc's girl friend known in legend as Big Nose Kate, to the effect she knew Doc had been a member of the gang. But Kate renounced the affidavit, proclaiming she had quarreled with Doc, gone on a drinking spree, and when the Sheriff got her to sign a piece of paper, she was so drunk she didn't know what she was signing, or why.
Except for rumor fanned whenever possible by the Earp hating Curly Bill Brocius crowd, the intimations of Doc Holliday's involvement in the double murder died down. Curly Bill had assumed leadership of the gang when the father of the Clanton brothers, known always as "N.H." was gunned down in ambush reprisal for a raid on a gang of silver smugglers. Some say he always had been the real leader. Almost always seen with Curly Bill were Ike Clanton, a loudmouth braggart; his tough, more silent younger brother Billy, and the McLaury brothers, Frank and Tom. The Clantons had a ranch in the San Pedro Valley, the McLaurys one at Sulphur Springs. More than one Tombstone pioneer claimed the cattle collected on the two spreads bore many more brands than those registered by the two families.
But although the Earp and Clanton, or Brocius, factions hated each other with deep-rooted and unyielding passion, Tombstone was a small town, a strange town, and a tolerant town. Lawmen and outlaws rubbed shoulders as they crowded along the Crystal Palace's long mahogany bar, in unspoken truce until there was real reason for one to go for the other. Sworn enemies idled away the time until the appropriate day of reckoning by playing cards with each other. Professional men and mine officials exchanged drinks with the most notorious desperados. Doc Holliday, although staunchly loyal to the Earps and their willing ally in any crisis, consorted with whatever outlaws who struck his fancy. So it was not at all unusual, in this Tombstone of contrasts, for Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton to have a business meeting. Wyatt suspected that three Clanton friends, Bill Leonard, Jim Crane and Harry Head, had been the associates of Luther King in the Benson stage holdup attempt.
According to his story, he felt his single-handed apprehension of the men would enhance his election as Sheriff, a post for which he now had ambitions. He said he promised Ike he could have all the $6,000 reward money if he would play the Judas part and lure his friends to a spot where Wyatt could capture them. Wyatt said Ike was so interested he even asked for proof the reward would be paid "dead or alive." Ike's story, told at the murder trial after the O.K. Corral battle, agreed that a meeting had been held and that the stage holdup had been discussed. But, he swore, Wyatt had admitted to complicity in the holdup murders, and wanted Leonard, Crane and Head out of the way before they could testify against him. The question of the whereabouts of these three men quickly became academic. All were killed in various illegal escapades. But the rumor got around town that Ike Clanton had been willing to betray his friends, and the cowboy bitterly accused Wyatt of talking - and threatened to get even.
The Next-To-Final act in the O.K. Corral drama was played on the road to Bisbee, early in September 1881. Again a Wells Fargo treasure box was sought by two holdup men. The box was tossed down, and the bandits rode away. News of the robbery did not reach Tombstone until the following morning, and a cold trail was followed by Wyatt and Morgan Earp, Marshal Williams and one of Sheriff Behan's Deputies, William Breakenridge. But they soon rode back, bringing with them in securely tied custody two friends of the Clantons and Sheriff Behan Pete Spence and Frank Stilwell. Stilwell was particularly close to Behan; he was one of the sheriff's deputies.
The showdown was near at hand. The outlaw menace around the town was so great that peace-loving citizens formed a Citizens' Safety Committee - a vigilance group of a hundred men on call to support City Marshal Virgil Earp. Loud-mouthed Ike Clanton was fulsome in his boasts about what he was going to do to the Earps "one of these days." The day chosen - by fate or by design - was Wednesday, October 26, 1881. Ike Clanton and Doc Holliday had quarreled bitterly the day before, a quarrel that ended with threats from both. Shortly before noon on the 26th, Wyatt Earp was awakened and told Ike Clanton, armed with a rifle and revolver, was visiting the Allen street bars, threatening Doc Holiday. Carrying weapons inside the town limits was a violation, and the three Earp brothers went looking for Ike. It was Virgil and Morgan who found him, tramping down Fourth Street. Virgil's six-shooter made a dull thudding sound as it crashed against Ike's head, and the braggart, alternately whimpering and threatening, was dragged to Police Court, fined $25, and his weapons confiscated. Wyatt and Ike exchanged bitter words during the brief court hearing, each threatening the other. An angry Wyatt Earp stalked from the courtroom and came face-to-face with Tom McLaury. Another argument started - and quickly ended when Wyatt "buffaloed" his enemy and walked away.
Another town ordinance violation was to bring the Earps and the Clanton crowd to one more face-to-face meeting before that fateful thirty seconds. A few minutes after the anger vented inside and outside the courtroom, Virgil and Wyatt Earp saw four of the cowboys - the two McLaurys, Billy Clanton and a friend, Billy Claiborne, a gunslinging youngster who liked to be called Billy the Kid - walking into Spangenberg's Gun Shop, on Fourth street. Soon they were joined by Ike. The visit of their enemies to a gun shop might have given the Earps pause to consider what lay ahead. Of more immediate concern, however, was Frank McLaury's horse, standing on the sidewalk, a legal violation. Wyatt grabbed the bridle, started to back the horse into the street. Frank dashed out, grabbed the bridle, too. There was a moment of silence; it soon might become the Battle of Spangenberg's Gun Shop. But, silently, Frank finished backing his horse off the wooden sidewalk.
An ominous report on Cochise County
In September 1881, just a month before the shootout at the O.K. Corral, the lawless conditions that led to that paroxysm of gunplay were lengthily reported to the U.S. Secretary of State by John Gosper, acting as governor of the Arizona Territory in the absence of John C. Fremont. Gosper had found that cowboys were running rampant in Cochise County - robbing stages, rustling cattle, and rarely getting caught. His outraged account of the situation, excerpted below, was based on personal interviews; it laid the blame on the suspicious inactivity of local peace officers.
The cow-boy element at times very fully predominates, and the officers of the law are either unable or unwilling to control this class of out-laws, sometimes being governed by fear, at other times by a hope of reward. At Tombstone, the county seat of Cochise County, I conferred with the Sheriff upon the subject of breaking up these bands of out-laws, and I am sorry to say he gave me but little hope of being able in his department to cope with the power of the cowboys. He represented to me that the Deputy U.S. Marshal, resident of Tombstone, and the city Marshal for the same, seemed unwilling to heartily cooperate with him in capturing and bringing to justice these out-laws.
In conversation with the Deputy U.S. Marshal, Mr. Earp, I found precisely the same spirit of complaint existing against Mr. Behan (the Sheriff) and his deputies. Many of the very best law-abiding and peace-loving citizens have no confidence in the willingness of the civil officers to pursue and bring to justice that element of out-lawry so largely disturbing the sense of security, and so often committing highway robbery and smaller thefts. The opinion in Tombstone and elsewhere in that part of the Territory is quite prevalent that the civil officers are quite largely in league with the leaders of this disturbing and dangerous element.
Something must be done, and that right early, or very grave results will follow. It is an open disgrace to American liberty and the peace and security of her citizens, that such a state of affairs should exist.
The Earp brothers gathered in front of Hafford's Saloon, on the corner of Fourth and Allen streets, wondering what next this day would bring. They were joined by Doc Holiday, carrying a cane as he usually did when his tuberculosis particularly was bothering him. They hadn't long to wait. A man named Coleman, whether acting as a concerned public-spirited citizen or just hopeful of seeing a good fight, came up to them and said the Clantons and McLaurys had gathered at the rear entrance of the O.K. Corral, and were plotting trouble. Down Fourth Street marched the look-alike Earps, each wearing long black coats, as was Doc Holliday. Doc had traded his cane for Virgil Earp's shotgun. He pulled his arm from one sleeve of his coat and held the shotgun between his coat and his body.
As they neared the corner of Third and Fremont, they saw the Clanton brothers, the McLaury brothers and Billy Claiborne, ranged along the wall of a small assay office that flanked the west side of the Corral entrance. To the east of the narrow strip of open land was the boarding house and gallery of Camillas S. Fly, frontier photographer who ranged through Tombstone and around the wide countryside recording the sights and the events and the people of that fabulous time. Talking with the men, while the horses of Frank and Tom McLaury stamped their feet impatiently in the cool air, was the Sheriff of Cochise County John Behan. When he saw the Earps approaching, with the maneuvering Doc Holliday swinging wide into the street, Sheriff Behan hurried back to them, told them to stop. Virgil asked if the cowboys were under arrest, and, not getting a reply to his satisfaction, pushed on past, leading his brothers to the O.K. Corral.
Raising Doc Holliday's cane, Virgil called to the men to drop their arms. Frank McLaury shouted a reply - whether agreement or insult, no one will ever know.
In a split second, the firing started. There were pent-up scores to be settled As the first bullets tore through the air, the boastful Ike Clanton, the man who was going to kill all the Earps single-handedly and drop Doc Holliday for good measure, ran screaming toward Wyatt Earp, ducked behind him and streaked toward Fly's photograph gallery, Where Sheriff Behan quickly had taken refuge. Close behind Ike was Billy the Kid Claiborne, recently released from jail after killing a man who "bothered" Billy by asking if he could buy a drink. But the events at the O.K. Corral were a different kind of bother to Billy, and he quickly decided this really wasn't his fight after all.
Frank McLaury was the first to drop, a gaping wound in his stomach from Wyatt Earp's pistol fired at almost pointblank range. Morgan Earp took a bullet in the stomach, as game young Billy Clanton, his right wrist shattered, shifted his gun to his left hand He kept firing as two more bullets tore through his body, and one shot hit Virgil Earp in the leg. Billy weakly tried to keep firing as he lay on the hard packed sand, but he couldn't muster the strength to pull the trigger.
Tom McLaury made a lunge for the rifle in the saddle scabbard of brother Frank's horse, but the frightened horse reared - exposing Tom to the merciless gaze and deadly aim of Doc Holiday. The shotgun roared, and Tom stumbled a few feet into Fremont Street; now there were two dead McLaurys.
Billy Clanton died a few minutes later, his pistol taken from his hand by Camillas Fly as he was lifted and carried into Fly's boarding house. It was over. There were a few awful moments of silence, then there was a new sound; the whistles of the Vizina and Tough Nut mines shrilled in the air, calling the members of the Citizens' Safety Committee to form against what many feared might now he a general insurrection on the part of the outlaw elements.
Sheriff Behan told Wyatt Earp he was under arrest; Wyatt replied: "I won't be arrested today. I am right here and am not going away. You deceived me. You told me these men were disarmed; I went to disarm them." Wyatt wasn't arrested that day, and outlaw violence didn't break out yet. But within a few days, the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday were charged with murder; because Morgan and Virgil still were recovering from their wounds, Judge Wells Spicer decided to proceed to trial without them.
Sheriff Behan testified the Clanton party made no effort to begin shooting when the Earp party stalked to the Corral and, according to him, told them to throw up their hands. He said the Earps already had their guns at the ready. He did admit however, that Frank McLaury had told him a short time before the shooting that he would not give up his weapons until the Earps were disarmed.
Ike Clanton swore they all dutifully threw their hands into the air, only to be met by rapid fire from the Earps and Doc Holliday. The whole thing, he said, really was a plot to kill him because of what he knew about the Benson stage holdup. Wyatt Earp, on the other hand, testified he and his brothers knew most, if not all, of the Clanton gang were armed. He said it was Virgil's duty, as town marshal, to disarm anyone carrying firearms within the Tombstone limits (a law not too often enforced or enforceable).
Addie Bourland, owner of a millinery shop who witnessed the whole incident from her window across the way, testified everyone started shooting at once. That's all there was to it. Another witness testified Virgil Earp called upon the Clantons to "give up your arms," and immediately thereafter shooting became general. Dr. George Goodfellow, respected frontier surgeon and former Army doctor, testified that Billy Clanton's arm wound could not possibly have been inflicted from the angle the bullet entered the wrist if Billy's hands had been in the air.
After a thirty-day trial in the old courtroom just across the street from the gun battle site, Judge Spicer ruled in favor of the defendants. Virgil Earp, as Town Marshal, and Morgan, as a special officer on the town's payroll, were doing their duty in seeking to disarm the men, he ruled. In one breath he criticized Virgil for taking along Wyatt and Doc Holliday because of their previous arguments with the deceased; but in the next, he noted the "existence of a law defying element in our midst," and said Virgil needed the "assistance and support of staunch and true friends, upon whose courage, coolness and fidelity he could depend on in case of emergency." That such an emergency existed, he said, "the facts plainly prove." The Judge ridiculed Ike Clanton's claim that the O.K. Corral gun battle was rigged solely to get rid of him, pointing out that Ike made the best target of all as he ran toward Wyatt Earp in his frantic sprint to safety. And he leaned heavily, in his decision, on Sheriff Behan's admission that Frank McLaury refused to give up his weapons until the "chief of police and his assistants should be disarmed." The Earps and Doc Holiday were free men; but neither the Gunbattle at the O.K. Corral nor the murder trial settled anything except that nothing was settled. The Clanton family erected a marker over Billy's grave in Boot Hill cemetery:
Billy Clanton
| i don't know |
Basil Rathbone made 14 Sherlock Holmes films. Who played the part of Dr Watson? | Basil Rathbone, Master of Stage and Screen: Films
The Films of Basil Rathbone
This page is a complete list of the films in which Basil Rathbone played a part. Some of them I have never seen and therefore cannot comment on them. For those movies I have seen, I offer my humble opinion. I will be adding more "opinions" as I view more films and find time to write reviews.
I've tried to indicate which films are available on VHS videotape and DVD. After the name of a film, I have put the symbols
and
and
where applicable to indicate that you may order the film from one of the internet suppliers listed below. Please make sure you are ordering the right format for your region. DVD Region 1 is North America; Region 2 is Europe and Japan. Australia is Region 4. NTSC is the television standard for North America, Mexico, most of Latin America, Taiwan, S. Korea and Japan. PAL is the standard in the Pacific Rim (incl. China) and Europe (except France). SECAM is the standard in France. Many of the new VCRs and televisions being sold in Europe have the capability of playing NTSC videos as well as PAL.
-- Region 1 encoding
Films of the 1950s & 60s
Reviews of nearly all of Rathbone's films are available at the TV Guide Motion Picture Database . Just type in the title of the movie and the Database will bring up a review. Less comprehensive reviews can also be found at the Internet Movie Database .
An excellent resource for information about the films of Basil Rathbone is Michael Druxman's book: Basil Rathbone: His Life and His Films. The book traces the fascinating life of the actor and provides detailed descriptions of all of Rathbone's films, including cast, credits, critics' reviews and production notes. Out-of-print for more than thirty-five years, Michael Druxman�s book is once again available for purchase. This new reprint edition mirrors the original 1975 biography/filmography, including its more than 250 rare photographs, and also contains a new Introduction by the author. Buy it at Amazon.com .
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"Ever since I was a boy and first got acquainted with the great detective I wanted to be like him . . . To play such a character means as much to me as ten 'Hamlets'!"
Basil Rathbone, in a 1939 interview
The first two Sherlock Holmes films with the team of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce were produced by Fox; "The Hound of the Baskervilles" was based on a Conan Doyle novel, but "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" was not. According to the TV Guide Motion Picture Database, Fox executives did not think the public would continue to have an interest in Sherlock Holmes and decided to not make any more Holmes films. Fortunately, in 1942 Universal chose to make another Sherlock Holmes film and eventually made 12 films with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
Universal decided to make Holmes a contemporary character (i.e. living in 1942 London) and portrayed Holmes fighting Nazi spies and driving a car! This was explained by the following words which appear after the opening credits at the beginning of the first few films:
"The character of Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is ageless, invincible, and unchanging. In solving significant problems of the present day, he remains, as ever, the supreme master of deductive reasoning."
Few of the films are based on a Conan Doyle story, and Dr. Watson is portrayed as a bumbling idiot, which is so uncharacteristic, and nothing like the solid, competent war veteran of the books. In "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" Holmes even says to Watson, "I'm afraid you're an incorrigible bungler." Then he pats Watson on the back to show that they are still pals anyway. Conan Doyle's character Watson is a doctor and a writer (just like Conan Doyle himself), an intelligent person whose intelligence nevertheless pales in comparison to the mind of Sherlock Holmes. The film producers seem to think Holmes won't appear intelligent unless he's next to an idiot. Lestrade (Scotland Yard inspector) is also portrayed as an idiot in several films. That a Scotland Yard inspector could be so stupid and arrogant is totally unbelievable. Also, in many of the films Holmes is fooled by his nemesis, captured, and narrowly escapes death. This never happens in any of Conan Doyle's stories. Holmes is too clever to be captured. But the fault lies with the script writers, rather than the actors. Basil Rathbone portrays the character of Sherlock Holmes so well that he's a joy to watch, even if the time period is "wrong" and the plots are ridiculous. And even though Watson is absent-minded, and frequently silly, he is charming. The chemistry between Rathbone and Bruce is superb.
In spite of the above-mentioned flaws I find all of the Rathbone/Bruce films enjoyable. Some of the films are quite good, such as " The Scarlet Claw ," " Sherlock Holmes Faces Death " and "The House of Fear."
Every actor who has played Sherlock Holmes since Basil Rathbone is compared to Rathbone. I don't wish to get into an argument with the Jeremy Brett fans about who is the greatest Sherlock Holmes ever. In fact, I think Jeremy Brett was a terrific Holmes, and Edward Hardwick was an excellent Watson. But of course Jeremy Brett didn't play the role until the 1980s, and until then Basil Rathbone defined the role of Sherlock Holmes. What I like best about the Sherlock Holmes series that Brett and Hardwick made is that they were faithful dramatizations of Conan Doyle's stories and Hardwick's Watson was NOT a bumbling idiot.
Another excellent portrayal of Holmes and Watson is in the movie "Murder by Decree" with Christopher Plummer as Holmes and James Mason as Watson. But the story is not one of Conan Doyle's.
(1939), 80 minutes b&w
--- A, A.UK, MM, MU, P, W2, W4
Buy a BluRay disc player (if you haven't already), and then buy the Sherlock Holmes set on BluRay!
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What about Region 2 DVDs of Sherlock Holmes films? Are they available?
YES! Sherlock Holmes fans in Region 2 (Europe, South Africa, Japan, and the Middle East) can purchase " Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection ," a 7-disc box set released by Optimum Home Entertainment in January, 2005. The films for this DVD release have been digitally remastered and include these special features:
Featurette with Robert Gitt, Head Preservation Officer at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Discusses the multi-million dollar film restoration project for the series. (5 minutes)
Audio Commentaries by David Stuart Davies (author, publisher of numerous books on Holmes and Rathbone) on the following films: The Scarlet Claw; The Woman In Green; Sherlock Holmes Faces Death; The Hound of the Baskervilles
Audio Commentary by Richard Valley (Acclaimed author and publisher of Scarlet Street Mystery Magazine) -- The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes
Extensive Production Notes by Richard Valley for all 14 films.
Photo Gallery/Original Movie Posters
These are exactly the same features as appear on the Region 1 MPI releases. I'll make a Holmesian deduction and say that the Region 2 DVDs are of the same high quality as the Region 1 MPI DVDs.
<A class="APCAnchor" HREF="http://affiliates.allposters.com/link/redirect.asp?AID=1026446199&PSTID=4<ID=16&lang=1">Buy Posters at AllPosters.com </A>
| Nigel Bruce |
Into which body of water does the river Zambezi flow? | Doctor Watson - Actors by Character
Doctor Watson -
The "Underestimated" Friend
The part of Doctor Watson, Sherlock Holmes's best and only friend, can be a thankless task for an actor.
And yet the character plays such an important role:
As readers of the original stories we see Sherlock Holmes through John Watson's eyes.
The stories are nearly all written from the doctor's point of view.
John Watson puts the superhuman detective into perspective for us.
Because of him we can relate to the intellectual genius of Holmes in the first place.
Dr Watson is a retired army surgeon who has seen battle action in Afghanistan.
A mutual acquaintance introduces him to the detective.
Eventually they decide to share lodgings.
John Watson is a stout and loyal fellow; willing to follow Holmes into every possible dangerous situation.
Sounds like the perfect companion for the detective?
I am sorry to disappoint you.
The original stories are not everything.
Some movies paint another picture.
Dr Watson looks like a bumbling fool and I ask myself how Sherlock Holmes could ever have put up with him in the first place.
Unfortunately, these movies are also some of the best known Sherlock Holmes movies.
Yes, I am talking about the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce films.
Don't get me wrong. I like Nigel Bruce. His comic talent is fantastic. Some of his scenes as Doctor Watson are hilarious.
Check out the scene in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", where he lies on the floor playing a corpse for Holmes and the conversation which ensues, when a pedestrian asks him what he is doing.
But Bruce's portrayal also degraded Doctor Watson to a laughing stock. Many people still equalise his interpretation with the character.
This is really unfair.
Yes, the good doctor might be slightly less intelligent than the detective. But Watson is not stupid (he is a doctor of medicine for god's sake).
Nor does he blindly agree to just anything Holmes demands of him.
Fortunately most actors who play Dr Watson have shown their professional strengths.
Find out more about the men who had the privilege to play the detective's best and only friend:
~ ~ ~
Hubert Willis joined Eille Norwood in a series of silent black and white movies in the 1920s.
~ ~ ~
Ian Fleming (the Australian actor, not the creator of James Bond) played Doctor Watson opposite Arthur Wontner in a series of films during the 1930s.
~ ~ ~
Ian Hunter took the reins from Fleming for one adventure alongside Wontner.
~ ~ ~
The German actor Heinz Rühmann accompanied Hans Albers in "The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes".
~ ~ ~
The most famous actor duo playing Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, joined forces against different villains from 1939 until 1946.
~ ~ ~
Howard Marion-Crawford is perhaps best known to the American audiences as Ronald Howard's Dr Watson.
~ ~ ~
André Morell had to confront the "Hound of the Baskervilles" in his partnership with Peter Cushing.
~ ~ ~
Thorley Walters as Doctor Watson first accompanied Christopher Lee and later joined Douglas Wilmer in the parody "The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother" as well as Christopher Plummer in "Silver Blaze".
~ ~ ~
Donald Houston faced Jack The Ripper together with John Neville in "A Study in Terror".
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Nigel Stock offered his services as Watson to two actors playing the detective: Douglas Wilmer and Peter Cushing.
~ ~ ~
Colin Blakely chronicled "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" with Robert Stephens in the title role.
~ ~ ~
Patrick Macnee left Emma Peel behind and followed first Roger Moore in New York and later Christopher Lee.
~ ~ ~
The American actor Robert Duvall intervened on behalf of his friend.
He duped Holmes and got him to Vienna to consult with Sigmund Freud in "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution".
~ ~ ~
Vitaly Solomin was a youthful John Watson alongside Vasily Livanov in the Russian adaptations.
~ ~ ~
James Mason's Watson challenged Jack the Ripper together with Christopher Plummer.
~ ~ ~
Donald Churchill and David Healy both offered their services to Ian Richardson's Holmes.
~ ~ ~
John Mills' older version of Watson supported Peter Cushing's ageing detective in "The Masks of Death".
~ ~ ~
David Burke and Edward Hardwicke both played Holmes's Boswell in the Granada series with Jeremy Brett.
Burke played Watson in the first two seasons and Hardwicke after the hiatus in the remaining seasons.
~ ~ ~
Ben Kingsley had a hard time convincing the editor of the "Strand Magazine" that he as John Watson was the mastermind behind the successful cases.
Everyone thought that Michael Caine as Reginald Kincaid was Sherlock Holmes.
~ ~ ~
Kenneth Welsh accompanied Matt Frewer on his quests for the truth in a couple of films produced for Canadian television broadcaster, CTV.
~ ~ ~
Roger Morlidge played a younger version of Watson alongside James D'Arcy.
~ ~ ~
Ian Hart stood his ground as Dr Watson against two brilliant detectives; Rupert Everett and Richard Roxburgh.
~ ~ ~
Bill Paterson helped the Baker Street Irregulars with their investigations in order to help Jonathan Pryce's Sherlock Holmes.
~ ~ ~
Jude Law plays one of the latest incarnations of Dr Watson in the action movies from director Guy Ritchie with Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes.
~ ~ ~
Gareth David-Lloyd left Torchwood to help Ben Syder against dinosaurs amongst other threats.
~ ~ ~
John Rhys-Davies, widely known as Gilmli from the Lord of the Rings movies, voices a rather bumbly cartoon version of Watson in an adventure with Tom and Jerry.
~ ~ ~
Martin Freeman is also a recent addition to the league of good doctors. His modern-day Dr Watson has seen battle in the current Afghanistan conflict. He is teamed up with Benedict Cumberbatch's Holmes in the BBC series "Sherlock".
~ ~ ~
Lucy Liu is the only female companion to the Great Detective. She assists Jonny Lee Miller in New York in the CBS TV show "Elementary".
~ ~ ~
| i don't know |
Who wrote the children's novel 'Swallows and Amazons'? | Amazon.com: Swallows and Amazons (9780318120850): Arthur Ransome: Books
Swallows and Amazons
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Review
"A most enjoyable tale… A book for almost any age."--New York Times Book Review
"A master storyteller, sympathetically in touch with real children and their interests, has created plots which are eminently plausible and unexpected."--Sunday Times, in an article listing Swallows & Amazons among the "99 Best Books for Children"
"A ‘white-knuckle-ride action adventure' that could capture the imagination of the Harry Potter generation."--The Guardian --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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About the Author
Arthur Ransome was born in 1884. He was in Russia in 1917 and witnessed the Revolution, which he reported for the Manchester Guardian. After escaping to Scandinavia, he settled in the Lake District of England with his Russian wife where, in 1929, he wrote Swallows and Amazons. Thus began a writing career that has produced some of the best children s literature of all time. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details
Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books (June 1985)
Language: English
ByA customeron April 2, 1997
Format: Paperback
I am an eleven-year-old girl who first found Swallows and
Amazons at a library booksale - even before they were
republished! Don't let the title fool you - Swallows and
Amazons are two groups of siblings. One group has a boat
called Swallow.The other group has a boat called Amazon.
The Swallows and Amazons start out enemies, but become
friends rapidly. Their adventures are similar to what I have
often dreamed of - getting a boat and having adventures on
and around an island!But their adventures are not limited to
the island, they evenvisit "the natives" back home. What's
best about their adventures is that all of them are possible!
They don't do impossible things like ride on drangons or
become invisible. Their adventures really could happen! I
loved this book from the start, and have read it again and
again. I would also reccomend the other books in this series.
They are all super, and will become treasures to pass on to
later generations. Thank you, Mr. Ransome, for writing such
a wonderful book!
By Michael Cornett VINE VOICE on September 15, 2003
Format: Paperback
I didn't discover Ransome's series until I was in my 20s, but I picked the first one up out of curiosity and was hooked.
As a child, I was a great explorer, going all over the local landscape, giving names to the different topographical features. I loved to camp and ramble. I loved boating, although I never sailed, and a picnic on an island in the river nearby (and a chance to explore said island on my own while everyone else was fishing) was a joy I'll never forget.
This book, and the others in the series, recapture those happy days for me. This one is very innocent, with no real violence or menace, but full of joyful adventure. The children are great role models; they're feisty and independent, yet still respectful of their elders. They're imaginative but know when to set aside their fantasies and deal with realities.
The book also conveys the joy of adventure and the great outdoors, and also shows that everyone has something important to contribute. Sure, one member of the group might be more interested in cooking and provisions, but that's necessary.
The adults take a back seat in these books, generally, but they're there. This one, especially, can be seen as a test by the parents to see how responsible their children are, and it's implicit that the kids are doing their best to prove themselves to their parents. The parents don't neglect them, they're there if they're needed, and check up on them regularly, but they also give them space to ramble and have an adventure.
Today it may seem as if these parents are letting their kids run wild; but I think families today could use books like this. When you have kids who are shuttled back and forth to band practice and swim team and heaven knows what else, they need the time to just relax and let things happen. When kids live in front of the TV and play video and computer games all day, they need to be reminded that there is all sorts of adventure outside. When kids are smothered by overprotective or controlling parents, they need space to be independent and prove themselves.
The only caveat I can give this book is sometimes the language can be confusing. The accumulation of sailing terms can bog a novice down, and there are some Britishisms that may puzzle some American readers, like referring to something called "bunloaf" and calling dessert "pudding." But heck, that's only minor, and ideally will inspire readers to do some research.
I highly recommend this for older readers, for children who enjoy the great outdoors or for children who have the opportunities and need to be inspired to take them. Adults, like me, who have happy memories of exploring will enjoy this as well, and it may inspire more adventures! These books may inspire you to buy more camping equipment, so beware! :)
By Steve Benner VINE VOICE on December 10, 2000
Format: Paperback
Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazons" is the first in a classic series of children's stories that will appeal to readers of all ages. The book is set in the English Lake District in the period between the two World Wars, (where the author was living at the time). It tells of a time when a healthy imagination (and the freedom to take advantage of it) was enough to keep most youngsters both amused and out of mischief. The world was a safer and simpler place back then and this book does much to make us realise just how much has been irretrievably lost since.
Not that this was ever Ransome's intention, of course. He was simply drawing upon his own boyhood experiences (from a yet earlier time) as well as contemporary ones of the children of a family friend. He used these to weave an enchanting tale that would remind those same children (by then returned `home' to the deserts of the Middle East) of a happy summer spent sailing in England.
The story's strong basis in reality (albeit several separate realities, as it were), tempered with Ransome's love of sailing (and his knowledge of Lake District life), imbue the book with a strong sense of authority. Both the text and the author's own pen-and-ink illustrations also have an endearing charm that comes across even now, some 70 years after the book was first published. One of the great things about this book (and indeed, the whole series of books that was to follow) is that Ransome avoids most of the stereotypical treatments of children's roles that his contemporaries (as well as later authors) continually espoused. He always manages to treat (nearly!) all of his characters as equal partners in their activities, whatever their age, gender or background. The children are also afforded a greater respect and rather more freedom by the adults than is common these days, too.
And while the children's `adventures' are nothing fantastical or extra-ordinary when viewed from an absolute perspective, Ransome manages to convey so much of the children's own excitement at their activities that the reader can't help being drawn into their world and so come to share some of that same excitement. All in all, this a delightful book and should be on everybody's essential reading list, regardless of their age!
| Arthur Ransome |
By what name is Mrs Blaise Edwards better known? | Debauchery revealed behind the scenes of Swallows and Amazons - Telegraph
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Debauchery revealed behind the scenes of Swallows and Amazons
Ronald Fraser was drunk while filming children's classic Swallows and Amazons and a crew member pretended to be the producer to seduce women, Sophie Neville has said
Ronald Fraser on the set of 1974 film 'Swallows and Amazons' Photo: REX
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It is a classic children’s film that reminds its millions of fans of a time of innocence and adventure gone by.
But now, 40 years after it was filmed, the debauchery on the set Swallows and Amazons has been revealed for the first time.
Sophie Neville, who played Titty in the film based on the classic Arthur Ransome books, has revealed the behind-the-scenes secrets in her new book, released to coincide with the anniversary of filming.
While the young crew behaved themselves on location in the Lake District, Ronald Fraser, who played Captain Flint, was not always on his best behaviour.
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30 Nov 2011
Ms Neville, 53, said: “He was a complete alcoholic.
“He made about 31 movies, he was a big post war film star, but I think that the drinking went with the territory – he was never out of the bar.
“He was a great raconteur. At one point when we were filming he was so drunk he threw parrot seed all over us and hit me on the head with a book. All my dad said was “He shouldn’t have done that, it is a first edition”.
“It was a fun time and it was also a difficult film to make, but in the end it all paid off.”
Ms Neville, who was just 12 when she played Titty, said that the real scandal on set was not Mr Fraser’s penchant for a tipple – but the secret life of the crew member who dealt with the portaloos.
“He was a funny ratty little man with a missing tooth and straggly hair who managed to convince the girls of Ambleside that he was the producer of the film – that was the real scandal and my mother thought it was hilarious.”
The real producer, Richard Pilbrow, had no idea his good name was being used, she said.
Ms Neville, who released The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons as an e-book last week, said she has already been “amazed” by the reaction as it is on the Amazon best seller list and had outsold Stephen Fry and Julian Clary.
Set in the Lake District in 1929, the film follows four young adventurers who sail a dinghy around Lake Coniston, cook for themselves over campfires and sleep in makeshift campsites.
In reality, reveals Ms Neville, many hours were spent waiting for the clouds to clear during the wet summer of 1973.
“It was very wet, it was a battle against the elements,” said Ms Neville who left acting after her childhood roles to take up producing.
“We had such a difficult time making it, but that meant that we developed a real camaraderie.
“From my own experiences in the industry if you have a really fun time the film doesn’t have that edge, and Swallows and Amazons had a tension in it that created a lot of humour.”
But the rain also meant Mr Fraser spent more time than usual in the bar, she remembered.
Since starting a blog others have shared their memories of Mr Fraser’s time in the Lake District with her, including a postman who accidentally hit him in the back with a pub door.
Mr Fraser said that he hadn’t split a drop of the two pints he was holding and when asked if his back was OK, he replied: “I’m used to that, everyone is back stabbing in my profession”.
Ms Neville said: “The film ends with Ronald Fraser playing 'What shall we do with the drunken sailor?' on his accordion. As a twelve-year-old I noted in my diary that he was completely sloshed at the time.”
Captain Flint was not the only rogue on set, as the parrot he gives to Tilly at the end of the film was also misbehaving when the cameras’ were pointing in the opposite direction.
“He was absolutely savage,” Ms Neville remembers. “I was terrified he would take a chunk out of my ear. He also has a broad Lincolnshire accent and swore all the time – he had to be dubbed over.”
Ms Neville was originally asked to write the book, based on diaries, letters, and old photographs, by the Arthur Ransome society.
“It is an extraordinary film, and it is very much loved, particularly by adults over the age of 40. They loved the film, and they want to know more about it,” she said.
She has released the memoir as an e-Book so that she can include vintage behind-the-scenes footage her father captured on a Bolex camera while they were filming.
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Name the port that stands at the mouth of the River Seine | Use estuary in a sentence | estuary sentence examples
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Beginning at the estuary of the Rio de la Plata, the boundary line ascends the Uruguay river, on the eastern side of the strategically important island of Martin Garcia, to the mouth of the Pequiry, thence under the award of President Grover Cleveland in 1894 up that small river to its source and in a direct line to the source of the Santo Antonio, a small tributary of the Iguassu, thence down the Santo Antonio and Iguassu to the upper Parana, which forms the southern boundary of Paraguay.
Four years later (1520) the Portuguese seaman, Ferdinand Magellan, entered the estuary in his celebrated voyage round the world, undertaken in the service of the king of Spain (Charles I., better known as the emperor Charles V.).
The arrival of these first-fruits of the mineral wealth of the southern continent gained for the estuary of the Parana the name which it has since borne, that of Rio de la Plata, the silver river.
Along the Atlantic coast from the mouth of the Adour to the estuary of the Gironde there stretches a monotonous line of sanddunes bordered by lagoons on the land side, but towards the sea harbourless and unbroken save for the Bay of Arcachon.
Beyond the Loire estuary, on the north shore of which is the port of St Nazaire, the peninsula of Brittany projects into the ocean and here begins the most rugged, wild and broken portion of the French seaboard; the chief of innumerable indentations are, on the south the Gulf of Morbihan, which opens into a bay protected to the west by, the narrow peninsula of Quiberon, the Bay of Lorient with the po~t of Lorient, and the Bay of Concarneau; on the west the dangerous Bay of Audierne and the Bay of Douarnenez separated from the spacious roadstead of Brest, with its important naval port, by the peninsula of Crozon, and forming with it a great indentation sheiterdhy Cape St Mathieu on the north and by Cape Raz on the south; On the north, opening into the English Channel, the Morlaix roads, the Bay of St Brieuc, the estuary of the Rance, with the port of St Malo and the Bay of St Michel.
The great port of Le Havre stands at the mouth of the Seine estuary, which opens into the bay of,the Seine on the east.
North of that point a line of high cliffs, in which occur the ports of Fcamp and Dieppe, stretches nearly to the sandy estuary of the Somme.
The peninsula of Brittany and the coasts of Normandy on both sides of the Seine estuary are watered b numerous independent streams., Amongst these the Vilaine, whic passes Rennes and Redon, waters, with its tributaries, an area of 4200 sq.
The Fitzmaurice, discharging into the estuary of the Victoria, is also a large stream.
43) which speak of Chryse, or the Golden Isle, as lying off Cape Tamus - supposed to be the most easterly point in Asia - and over against the estuary of the Ganges.
It is only navigable by small sailing-vessels, even in its estuary, but its waters are extensively utilized for irrigation.
Alva then advanced to meet the invaders with a large army, and at Jemmingen (July 21), with very slight loss, annihilated the levies of Louis, who himself escaped by swimming from the field across an estuary of the Ems. He now joined the army of his brother William, which had in October to beat a hasty retreat before Alva's superior skill.
- In 1512 Juan Diaz de Solis entered the Paranaguazu or "sealike" estuary of the Plata and landed about 70 miles east of the present city of Montevideo.
The Gabun, in reality an estuary of the sea, lies immediately north of the equator.
On the small island of Konike, which lies about the centre of the estuary, scanty remains of a Portuguese fort have been discovered.
Urals, and enters the ocean by a large estuary at the Gulf of Pechora.
Light boats and rafts are floated at all points, and steamers ply on its lower portion; its estuary has important fisheries.
At Kherson it enters its long (40 m.) but shallow estuary, which receives the S.
The Avon finally enters the estuary of the Severn at Avonmouth, though it can hardly be reckoned as a tributary of that river.
The capital of the state is Aracaju (pop. 1890, 16,336; 1906 estimate, 25,000), on the lower course, or estuary, of the Cotinguiba river, near the coast.
The most important river of the name is in southern Ireland, rising in the hills on the borders of the counties Cork and Kerry, and flowing nearly due east for the greater part of its course, as far as Cappoquin, where it turns abruptly southward, and discharges through an estuary into Youghal Bay.
HARWICH, a municipal borough and seaport in the Harwich parliamentary division of Essex, England, on the extremity of a small peninsula projecting into the estuary of the Stour and Orwell, 70 m.
It lies on the estuary of the Lymington, which opens into the Solent.
The estuary of the Urr, known as Rough Firth, is navigable by ships of from 80 to 100 tons, and small vessels can ascend as far as the mouth of Dalbeattie Burn, within a mile of the town.
Between these two mountain chains the head streams of the Parana and Sao Francisco are intermingled - the one flowing inland and southward to the-great La Plata estuary, the other northward and eastward across the arid highlands of Brazil to the Atlantic coast in io ° 30' S.
At Pomarao it again becomes a frontier stream and forms a broad estuary 25 m.
Milford Haven itself, designated by the Welsh Aberdaugleddau, as the estuary of the united East and West Cleddy rivers, has played an important part on several occasions in the course of history.
Their maritime importance compelled Narses, the imperial commander, to seek their aid in transporting his army from Grado; and when the Paduans appealed to the Eunuch to restore their rights over the Brenta, the Venetians replied by declaring that islands of the lagoon and the river mouths that fell into the estuary were the property of those who had rendered them habitable and serviceable.
BOHUN, the name of a family which plays an important part in English history during the r3th and 4th centuries; it was taken from a village situated in the Cotentin between Coutances and the estuary of the Vire.
It is pleasantly situated on rising ground above the small river Cober, which, a little below the town, expands into a picturesque estuary called Looe Pool, the water being banked up by the formation of Looe Bar at the mouth.
Fuenterrabia stands on the slope of a hill on the left bank of the river Bidassoa, and near the point where its estuary begins.
Hotels and villas were built in the new part of the town that sprang up outside the picturesque walled fortress, and there is quite a contrast between the part inside the heavy, half-ruined ramparts, with its narrow, steep streets and curious gable-roofed houses, its fine old church and castle and its massive town hall, and the new suburbs and fishermen's quarter facing the estuary of the Bidassoa.
Parallel with the coast, and then disappearing in a swampy depression (the Bali marshes) before reaching the Juba estuary.'
It was for centuries a "head port," its limits extending from Chepstow to Llanelly; in the 18th century it sank to the position of "a creek" of the port of Bristol, but about 1840 it was made independent, its limits for customs' purposes being defined as from the Rumney estuary to Nash Point, so that technically the "port of Cardiff" includes Barry and Penarth as well as Cardiff proper.
The Eo, which bounds Galicia on the east, has a deep estuary, the Rivadeo or Ribadeo, which offers a safe and commodious anchorage.
The vast trade on the estuary, which lies within the bounds of the port of London, is considered under London.
Wales, situated on a height near the left bank of the Dee estuary, 196 m.
Vessels entered and cleared (foreign and colonial trade): - In the coastwise trade, in 1881, 38,953 vessels of 4,545,904 tons entered; in 18 95, 43,7 0 4 vessels of 6,555,618 tons; but these figures include vessels trading within the Thames estuary (ports of London, Rochester, Colchester and Faversham), which later returns do not.
The coast-line from Taknaf, the mouth of the Naaf, in the Akyab district on the north, to the estuary of the Pakchan at Maliwun on the south, is about 1200 m.
It stretches from Cape Negrais on the south to the Naaf estuary, which divides it from the Chittagong division of Eastern Bengal and Assam on the north, and includes the districts of Sandoway, Kyaukpyu, Akyab and northern Arakan, an area of some 18,540 sq.
There is, however, one true river of some size, the Hlaing, which rises near Prome, flows southwards and meets the Pegu river and the Pazundaung creek near Rangoon, and thus forms the estuary which is known as the Rangoon river and constitutes the harbour of Rangoon.
In 1911-3 a pipe-line was laid from Matadi, on the Congo estuary, to Stanley Pool to supply the river steamers with petroleum for fuel and reservoirs capable of holding 8,000 tons of oil were built.
Of Vigo, in a bend of the Vigo estuary, and at the junction of the Tuy-Vigo and Vigo-Pontevedra railways.
It is picturesquely situated at the head of the estuary of the river Camel, 7 m.
In 1770 Captain Cook here beached his ship the "Endeavour," to repair the damage caused by her striking a reef in the neighbourhood of the estuary, which he could only clear by throwing his guns overboard.
Hangchow lies at the head of the large estuary of that name, which is, however, too shallow for navigation by steamers.
The estuary or bay is funnel-shaped, and its configuration produces at spring tides a " bore " or tidal wave, which at its maximum reaches a height of 15 to 20 ft.
FREETOWN, capital of the British colony of Sierra Leone, West Africa, on the south side of the Sierra Leone estuary, about 5 m.
Mount Hope Bay is a north-eastern arm of Narragansett Bay, and is also the estuary of the Taunton river.
"IMMINGHAM, a capacious deep-water dock situated on the Lincolnshire shore of the Humber estuary, 9 m.
| Le Havre |
Tokay wine is the produce of which country? | Le Havre-de-Grace - definition of Le Havre-de-Grace by The Free Dictionary
Le Havre-de-Grace - definition of Le Havre-de-Grace by The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Le+Havre-de-Grace
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Le Ha·vre
(lə hä′vrə, häv′)
A city of northern France on the English Channel west-northwest of Paris. It has been a major port since 1500s.
Le Havre
(lə ˈhɑːvrə; French lə ɑvrə)
n
(Placename) a port in N France, on the English Channel at the mouth of the River Seine: transatlantic trade; oil refining. Pop: 185 311 (2006)
Le Ha•vre
(lə ˈhɑ vrə; Fr. lə ˈa vrə)
n.
a seaport in N France, at the mouth of the Seine. 200,411. Also called Havre.
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Noun
1.
Le Havre - a port city in northern France on the English Channel at the mouth of the Seine
France , French Republic - a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
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According to 'The Sermon on the Mount' who shall inherit the Earth? | SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Matthew 5
The Beatitudes
1And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Believers Are Salt and Light
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Christ Fulfills the Law
17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder Begins in the Heart
21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' 22But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, "Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, "You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. 23Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
26Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
Adultery in the Heart
27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not commit adultery.'
28But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Marriage Is Sacred and Binding
31 "Furthermore it has been said, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
Jesus Forbids Oaths
33 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' 34But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37But let your "Yes' be "Yes,' and your "No,' "No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Go the Second Mile
38 "You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Love Your Enemies
43 "You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 6
Do Good to Please God
1"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
The Model Prayer
5"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8"Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Fasting to Be Seen Only by God
16 "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The Lamp of the Body
22 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
You Cannot Serve God and Riches
24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Do Not Worry
25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31"Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?' or "What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?' 32For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 7
Do Not Judge
1 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?
4Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
6"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking
7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow Way
13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
I Never Knew You
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
Build on the Rock
24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26"But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
28And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
New King James Version: Thomas Nelson Publisher
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Name the manufactureers of the American World war II bomber the Flying Fortress | Sermon on the Mount - Wikiquote
Sermon on the Mount
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Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven .
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings of Jesus , found in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7, which emphasizes his moral teachings. It is the longest of the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament , and includes the Beatitudes , the Lord's Prayer , and central tenets of Christian discipleship. It is one of the most widely quoted elements of the Canonical Gospels.
Quotes[ edit ]
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : for they shall be filled.
Statements of Jesus as recorded in Gospel of Matthew Chapters 5 - 7; currently using only quotes form the King James Version; this begins "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain : and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying":
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy .
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock : And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven .
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth .
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy .
Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God .
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 : 6
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
7 : 7 -12
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
7 : 13 -14
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
7 : 15 - 20
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven . Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works ? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock : And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
7 : 21 - 28
Quotes about The Sermon on the Mount[ edit ]
The man who persisted in calling himself the " son of God " — he later acknowledged that he had many brothers — was demanding nothing less than that the military ruler of all England should forthwith disavow all violence and all coercion , make Christ 's law of love the supreme law of the land, and substitute the mild dictates of the Sermon on the Mount for the Instrument of Government by which he ruled. ~ Frederick B. Tolles
If it weren't for the message of mercy and pity in Jesus ' Sermon on the Mount , I wouldn't want to be a human being. I would just as soon be a rattlesnake. ~ Kurt Vonnegut
If any one will piously and soberly consider the sermon which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke on the mount, as we read it in the Gospel according to Matthew, I think that he will find in it, so far as regards the highest morals, a perfect standard of the Christian life: and this we do not rashly venture to promise, but gather it from the very words of the Lord Himself. For the sermon itself is brought to a close in such a way, that it is clear there are in it all the precepts which go to mould the life. … He has sufficiently indicated, as I think, that these sayings which He uttered on the mount so perfectly guide the life of those who may be willing to live according to them, that they may justly be compared to one building upon a rock.
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According to the 'Sermon on the Mount' who shall be called the 'Children of God'? | The Sermon on the Mount From The Gospel According to Saint Matthew King James Version
The Sermon on the Mount
From The Gospel According to Saint Matthew
King James Version
5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he
was set, his disciples came unto him: 5:2 And he opened his mouth, and
taught them, saying, 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.
5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children
of God.
5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in
heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his
savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for
nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill
cannot be hid.
5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on
a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I
am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.
5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case
enter into the kingdom of heaven.
5:21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt
not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother
without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever
shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but
whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there
rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 5:24 Leave there
thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy
brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way
with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge,
and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into
prison.
5:26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence,
till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt
not commit adultery: 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh
on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already
in his heart.
5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from
thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should
perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from
thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should
perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
5:31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him
give her a writing of divorcement: 5:32 But I say unto you, That
whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of
fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry
her that is divorced committeth adultery.
5:33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time,
Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine
oaths: 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven;
for it is God's throne: 5:35 Nor by the earth; for it is his
footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
5:36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make
one hair white or black.
5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever
is more than these cometh of evil.
5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth: 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil:
but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the
other also.
5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat,
let him have thy cloak also.
5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of
thee turn not thou away.
5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you; 5:45 That ye may be the children of your
Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil
and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not
even the publicans the same? 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren
only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 5:48
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect.
6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet
before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the
streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward.
6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy
right hand doeth: 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father
which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are:
for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of
the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward.
6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou
hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy
Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for
they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what
things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
6:10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For
thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will
also forgive you: 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad
countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto
men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy
face; 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father
which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall
reward thee openly.
6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 6:20 But
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 6:21
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be
single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of
darkness.
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that
darkness! 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate
the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and
despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye
shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye
shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment? 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither
do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth
them. Are ye not much better than they? 6:27 Which of you by taking
thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 6:28 And why take ye
thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
they toil not, neither do they spin: 6:29 And yet I say unto you, That
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day
is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe
you, O ye of little faith? 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying,
What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we
be clothed? 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)
for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these
things.
6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and
all these things shall be added unto you.
6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall
take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the
evil thereof.
7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but
considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 7:4 Or how wilt
thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first
cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see
clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your
pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn
again and rend you.
7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you: 7:8 For every one that asketh
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened.
7:9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he
give him a stone? 7:10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a
serpent? 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven
give good things to them that ask him? 7:12 Therefore all things
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them:
for this is the law and the prophets.
7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad
is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat: 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles? 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth
forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit.
7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire.
7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which
is in heaven.
7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in
thy name done many wonderful works? 7:23 And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a
rock: 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded
upon a rock.
7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them
not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon
the sand: 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the
fall of it.
7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the
people were astonished at his doctrine: 7:29 For he taught them as one
having authority, and not as the scribes.
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Schnapps was originally the produce of which country? | Matthew 5 NIV - Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount - Bible Gateway
Matthew 5New International Version (NIV)
Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
The Fulfillment of the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[ a ] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[ b ][ c ] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[ d ] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[ e ] 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Divorce
31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’[ f ] 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Oaths
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.[ g ]
Eye for Eye
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[ h ] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[ i ] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Footnotes:
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On 21st November 1970 what British currency ceased to be legal tender? | Victorian coinage
WHAT'S A GUINEA?
Money and Coinage in Victorian - and twentieth century - Britain
If you are under the age of 40 or didn't live in the United Kingdom or one of the Commonwealth countries which shared its strange currency before 1971, then you need this page.
Pounds, shillings, and pence
The coinage used in Victorian Britain had been much the same for three hundred years and was based on a system which had existed for more than a millennium. It lasted until 1971 when the currency was finally decimalised and the pound was divided into 100 smaller units. Similar changes were made to the currency in Ireland and several Commonwealth countries which still used Britain's ancient coinage system.
In Britain the pound Sterling was (and is) the central unit of money. Prior to decimalization the pound was divided into twenty shillings and each shilling was divided into twelve pennies or pence. Although those divisions may seem odd, in fact having a pound divided into 240 equal parts does mean it can be exactly divided into halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, sixths, eighths, tenths, twelfths, fifteenths, sixteenths, twentieths, twenty-fourths, thirtieths, fortieths, forty-eightieths, sixtieths, eightieths, and one-hundred-and-twentieths. A decimal system allows precise division only into halves, quarters, fifths, tenths, twentieths, twenty-fifths, and fiftieths.
Amounts of money were written in various ways. The pound was represented, as it still is, by a £ sign, the shilling by a 's' and the penny by a 'd' (for 'denarius', a Roman silver coin which was also used as the name for the English silver penny). So the meaning of £3-4s-6d is fairly obvious. But amounts below a pound were also written 12/6 meaning 12s-6d or 10/- or sometimes 10/= meaning ten shillings. An amount such as 12/6 would be pronounced 'twelve and six' as a more casual form of 'twelve shillings and sixpence'. From the late eighteenth century a shilling was popularly called a 'bob' as in 'it cost three bob'. But you would only use that for whole shillings so it would be 'three bob' or 'three and eight' but never 'three bob and six'. From the early 19th century a five shilling piece or crown was sometimes called a dollar, probably because its appearance was similar to the Spanish dollar or peso - sometimes called a piece of eight. This expression gained currency again in the 1940s when US troops came to the UK during World War II. At the time a US dollar was worth exactly 5s. In the post-war period right up to the 1960s the phrase 'half a dollar' meaning 2/6 was also used.
The guinea
A guinea was £1-1s-0d (which is £1.05) and could be written as '1g' or '1gn' or, in the plural, '3gs' or '3gns'. It was considered a more gentlemanly amount than £1. You paid a tradesman, such as a carpenter, in pounds but a gentleman, perhaps an artist, in guineas. It was a tradition in the legal profession that a barrister was paid in guineas but kept only the pounds, giving his clerk the shillings (they were all men then).
In the 1850s and 60s the standard rate paid by Dickens for contributions to his weekly periodicals Household Words and All The Year Round was half a guinea a column or a guinea a page. His staff members were generally paid five guineas a week. In the early 1850s, before he worked for Dickens, Wilkie Collins was paid five-eighths of a guinea a page for his work in Bentley's Miscellany. That odd amount was worked out from the rate of ten guineas for a printed sheet of sixteen pages. Per word, both amounts were similar.
Like the pound, the guinea could also be divided exactly into many different amounts - halves, thirds, quarters, sixths, sevenths, ninths, fourteenths, twenty-firsts, twenty-eighths, thirty-sixths, forty-seconds, sixty-thirds, eighty-fourths, and one-hundred-and-twenty-sixths. One useful factor was that a third of a guinea was exactly seven shillings.
Coins
The coinage reflected the principal divisions of the money and added some of its own. A gold coin worth £1 was called a sovereign and the half sovereign, also in gold, was worth ten shillings. These coins were first minted in 1817 as a response to the rather uncertain value of earlier gold coins. Both were current throughout Victoria's reign. A crown was a silver coin worth 5s - though much more common was the half-crown worth 2/6 or exactly one eighth of a pound. The shilling was also a silver coin as were the sixpence and the threepence. That coin was usually pronounced - and sometimes spelt - 'thruppence' and in conversation, the coin was sometimes called 'a thrupp'ny bit'. Silver coins called groats and worth four pence were also minted and were sometimes called Joeys. That term was also used for threepenny bits from 1937 when they were no longer small silver coins but were reissued in a yellowy nickel brass metal with 12 sides. Half-groats and silver pennies were not in circulation in the Victorian era but were still minted for a tradition known as Maundy Money where the Monarch gave poor people in a parish a groat, a threepence, a half groat and a penny. The number of poor people favoured in this way was the same as the number of the monarch's years.
The tradition still goes on although now the number of people honoured is as many men and as many women as the monarch's years and they each get the same number of pence as years in the monarch's years - that is one more than her age. For example, on Maundy Thursday 28 March 2002 the 75-year-old Queen Elizabeth II - who is therefore in her 76th year - gave out 76 pence (seven and a half sets of a fourpence, a threepence, a twopence and a penny) of Maundy money to each of 76 men and 76 women in Canterbury Cathedral. The sets come in a white leather purse. The recipients also get a second, red purse containing �5.50 in more ordinary money. Since 1971 the coins have been decimalised and are worth 4p, 3p, 2p, and 1p. The portrait of the Queen is the early one which was used from 1953 to decimalisation.
Lower value coins were made of copper (bronze from 1860). The penny was accompanied by the halfpenny (pronounced hape-nee and sometimes written ha'penny) and the farthing, worth a quarter of a penny. Half farthings were also minted for some of Victoria's reign but were unpopular because of their small size. Smaller coins - one third and one quarter farthings - were minted mainly for use in some British colonies. For most people the penny was still the central coin of their currency and was used in words like 'penn'orth' meaning a penny-worth of something as in 'I'll take a penn'orth of tobacco' and also as in 'it's a good penn'orth, sir' meaning it is good value for your penny. These coins were referred to as 'coppers' as in 'It cost a few coppers'. Not to be confused with the slang meaning of 'a copper' from the early Victorian period of 'a policeman'.
Although all this can seem very confusing to people brought up with purely decimal coinage - like dollars and cents or euro and cent (the official spelling of the European currency in English takes no 's' for the plural though in popular use it almost always does) or the present day currency of almost every major country in the world - it became second nature to most people. Money calculations were part of a basic education along with the alphabet and multiplication tables. In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the young Pip is subject to endless mental arithmetic tests by Mr Pumblechook. One of them involves money.
"First (to get our thoughts in order) : Forty-three pence?"
I calculated the consequences of replying "Four Hundred Pounds," and, finding them against me, went as near the answer as I could -- which was about eightpence off. Mr. Pumblechook then put me through my pence-table from "twelve pence make one shilling," up to "forty pence make three and fourpence," and then triumphantly demanded, as if he had done for me, "Now! How much is forty-three pence?" To which I replied, after a long interval of reflection, "I don't know." And I was so aggravated that I almost doubt if I did know.
Mr. Pumblechook worked his head like a screw to screw it out of me, and said, "Is forty-three pence seven and sixpence three fardens, for instance?"
"Yes!" said I. And although my sister instantly boxed my ears, it was highly gratifying to me to see that the answer spoilt his joke, and brought him to a dead stop.
(Great Expectations, chapter IX)
Forty-three pence is, of course, three shillings and sevenpence. And a 'farden' is a farthing.
Even more obscure for anyone not familiar with the peculiarities of pre-decimal English coinage is this passage from Dickens's Bleak House where the total price of a meal for three people is rapidly assessed by one of the diners for the benefit of the waitress, Polly.
Mr. Smallweed, compelling the attendance of the waitress with one hitch of his eyelash, instantly replies as follows: "Four veals and hams is three, and four potatoes is three and four, and one summer cabbage is three and six, and three marrows is four and six, and six breads is five, and three Cheshires is five and three, and four half-pints of half-and-half is six and three, and four small rums is eight and three, and three Pollys is eight and six. Eight and six in half a sovereign, Polly, and eighteenpence out!"
Not at all excited by these stupendous calculations, Smallweed dismisses his friends with a cool nod and remains behind to take a little admiring notice of Polly, as opportunity may serve, and to read the daily papers, which are so very large in proportion to himself, shorn of his hat, that when he holds up the Times to run his eye over the columns, he seems to have retired for the night and to have disappeared under the bedclothes.
Bleak House Chapter XX
From this rather impenetrable paragraph we can deduce the price of everything on the menu which the three men - Jobling, Guppy, and Smallweed - ate. Smallweed adds up the amounts in his head and keeps a running total of the bill as he does so.
The three of them ate four helpings of veal and ham with french beans - Jobling had two. The total, Smallweed says, "is three" or three shillings. Three shillings is 36d so each veal and ham was 9d. Such calculations, knowing that four ninepences were three shillings, would have been second nature to most Victorians. Jobling also had double potatoes and four helpings of potatoes make the total "three and four". So they are a penny a portion bringing the total to 3s 4d. Jobling's summer cabbage - no-one else ate that - adds another 2d - total now 3s 6d or "three and six". After this came a helping each of marrow pudding taking the bill from "three and six" to "four and six" in other words adding a shilling. So each helping must have been 4d as there are twelve pennies in a shilling. Six helpings of bread (two a piece) at 1d each adds 6d making 5/- "is five". A portion of Cheshire cheese is also 1d, add three of those to get to 5s 3d (five and three). Four half pints of half and half - a drink comprising equal measures of ale and stout, two different kinds of beer - add a shilling taking the total from "five and three" to "six and three" or 6s 3d. Jobling had drunk two and they are 3d each. Four small rums are clearly 6d each, four making 24d or 2/- , bringing the total to 8s 3d "eight and three". And finally, Polly's waitressing service for three people is 1d each adding threepence to make a final total of 8s 6d. Smallweed gives Polly half a sovereign, which is ten shillings, leaving 1s 6d change or, as Mr Smallweed puts it, "and eighteenpence out!" Simple!
The Florin
The Victorians introduced one new coin intended as the first step towards a decimal system of coinage. A two shilling coin, exactly a tenth of a pound, was first minted in 1849. It was called a florin (a term first used for the coin produced in the 13th century in the Italian city of Florence) and it was minted for nearly 120 years until 1968 when, in preparation for decimalisation, a coin of the same size became the new ten pence piece. A smaller 10p piece was issued in 1992 and the old florin sized coin finally disappeared on 30 June 1993. A florin was also called a 'two shilling piece' or a 'two bob bit'. It did not oust the popular half a crown, usually called a half-crown, worth 2s 6d, which remained in use until 1 January 1970. Even in the 1960s auctioneers at country sales would move the bidding on in half-crowns. The bid between five and ten shillings being always 'three half-crowns'. A double florin was minted in 1887 but was not popular. Guineas were not minted after 1813. In the eighteenth century half, third, and quarter guineas were also minted. Two and five guinea coins belonged to an earlier age.
Up to the present
The historical UK currency of pounds shillings and pence disappeared on 15 February 1971. That date - called D-Day at the time in a strange echo of the popular name for the invasion of France in World War II - saw the start of the UK's first decimal coinage. From then on the pound was divided into 100 new pennies worth 2.4 pence. The ancient plural of 'pence' was retained (the two have always run in parallel, the plural for the coins usually being 'pennies' and for an amount being generally 'pence'). However, the symbol for the new penny was 'p' rather than 'd' and small amounts of money were soon referred to as so many 'pee' - 'twenty pee', '94 pee' etc. That usage still continues. The prefix 'new' disappeared from the language within a few years and was dropped from the coinage in 1982.
Decimalisation of the currency had been discussed on and off for more than a century. But in 1961 a Committee of Enquiry under Lord Halsbury was appointed to examine it again. Four years later the committee reported and proposed that the UK should decimalise its currency and the decision to do so, and how it would be done, was announced on 1 March 1966. The Decimal Currency Act was passed into law in 1967. As part of the changeover the Royal Mint was moved from its historic site near Tower Bridge in London to Llantrissant in South Wales. The ten pence and five pence coins (equivalent to the two shilling and one shilling pieces) were phased in from 1968 and a new seven sided fifty pence piece was issued in October 1969 to replace the ten shilling note which ceased to be legal tender on 22 November 1970. The halfpenny disappeared on 31 July 1969 and the half crown five months later on 31 December 1969. The last farthing had already disappeared from use. The last were dated 1956 and it was withdrawn in 1961.
After D-Day 15 February 1971 all accounting was done in decimal form. The remaining pre-decimal coinage continued to circulate but the old pennies and threepenny bits - which had no equivalent in the new system - ceased to be legal tender on 31 August 1971. The sixpence, which had an exact value of 2.5p, continued to circulate until 30 June 1980. The shillings and florins, which were identical in size to the new 5p and 10p coins, continued for much longer. In 1982 a new 20p piece, also with seven sides, appeared. The pound coin first appeared in 1983 and the one pound note disappeared on 11 March 1988, though Scottish banks continued to issue them into the 21st century. The decimal halfpenny vanished on 31 December 1984. A smaller 5p was issued in 1990 and the shilling finally disappeared on 31 December 1990 along with the original larger 5 pence coins. A similar reduction followed for the 10p in 1992 leading to the disappearance of the florin and the old 10p on 30 June 1993. From September 1992 the penny and two pence pieces were made from copper plated steel rather than bronze - though some 2p pieces were issued in bronze in 1998. The two types can be sorted with a magnet. In 1997 a �2 bimetallic coin was first issued (though special issue �2 coins to commemorate various events had been produced since since 1986). The 50p piece was reduced in size from 1997 and the larger version vanished on 28 February 1998.
Commemorative five pound pieces, silver in colour and similar in size to the old crown are also minted from time to time and although they are legal tender at face value the market is almost exclusively to collectors. The Royal Mint continues to issue gold sovereigns and a variety of other gold and silver coins to satisfy the market both for investment and for collectors. They can be bought direct from the Royal Mint or, if you want to pay more, through dealers.
Some of the Commonwealth countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, adopted a different approach to decimalisation, creating a new 'dollar' worth ten shillings which was divided into a hundred cents, each worth 1.2 old pennies. Their new currencies were introduced slightly before that of the UK. Ireland decimalised its punt at the same time as the UK, dividing it as the UK did into 100 pence. That currency was replaced on 1 January 2002 by the euro. For more on the euro click here.
Banknotes
The first paper money was issued by the Bank of England in the 1690s. But it was not widely used or trusted. Banknotes began to be issued in quantity in 1797 when an economic crisis stopped the Bank making payments in coins for more than �1. It issued the first �1 notes in March that year. Notes for �2, �5, �10, and �15 are also known. These notes continued until 1828 and values up to �1000 were issued in small numbers. They were all very simple, hand-signed and until 1808 numbered by hand as well. From 1817, after the troubles of the wars against Napoleon and France were over, the gold sovereign became used and trusted as the common unit for �1. For most people, whose weekly wages were less than �1, the sovereign more than fulfilled their needs. Wealthy people though needed higher value currency and from 1829, when the Bank stopped issuing �1 and �2 notes, it continued with the �5 note. Higher denominations were made, though they were rarer and very few have survived. In 1853 bank officials stopped signing the notes by hand and the signature was printed.
Throughout this period the design of the notes was simple. The ink was black, the paper white. The only decoration was the figure of Britannia in a small oval vignette at the upper left of the note. Although some details changed the design remained much the same until 1855. Then, the words Bank of England were moved to the top centre of the note in an elaborate typeface. Britannia remained top left but a new image within a new vignette was designed by the artist Daniel Maclise RA. The printing process was improved. The wording was also changed. Instead of the note promising to pay by name the Chief Cashier it promised to pay 'the bearer on demand' - a phrase still used on English banknotes. From this redesign onwards, the plain white note universally known from that time as 'a fiver', would look familiar for more than 100 years. It was eventually replaced with a more pictorial design in 1957.
During World War I the �1 note re-appeared, issued not by the Bank of England but by the Treasury. It was accompanied by a ten shilling note. Production continued after the war and five shilling and even half crown notes were also issued. These notes bore the head of the monarch, George V. In 1928 the Bank took over production of one pound and ten shilling notes in a new design - green for the pound and brown for the 10/- note. Britannia replaced the monarch's head which did not reappear until 1960. A �10 note was first issued in the modern era in 1964 followed by a �20 note in 1970 and a �50 note in 1981.
See the Royal Mint website for more information on coinage and the Bank of England for banknotes.
Coins v.1.511
| ten shilling note |
Who composed the music for the opera 'Der Rosekavalier'? | money slang history, words, expressions and money slang meanings, london cockney money slang words meanings expressions
counterfeit coins
Here's an interesting fact...
As at 2009 official sources (including The Royal Mint) state that 2.5% - that's one in every forty - of pound coins in circulation in the UK are counterfeit.
This explains why so many pound coins fail to work in parking machines and other coin-slot machines.
Aside from the coin-machine test, other common indicators of a fake £1 coin are:
front and backs not being perfectly aligned with each other
off-centre design
words around the milled edges being incorrect for the coin design or year (The Royal Mint provides details of what goes with what)
absent cross on the milled edge, which is apparently difficult to fake
coins looking too 'new' for their year or feeling 'soapy' or different
(and my local butcher told me) fakes don't bounce on the floor the same as real ones
The Royal Mint advises (surely in hope rather than in any sort of expectation) that anyone discovering a fake one pound coin should hand it in to their local police station. Call me a cynic, but if anyone knows of a single instance of a fake one pound coin ever having been handed into a police station, I'd love to know about it.
the undated 20p 'mule' coin
This fascinating 2008 minting error of the new design 20p coin generated much interest, and provides a wonderful example of how a daft mistake can undermine even the most rigorous quality assurance system.
Here's the official story from the Royal Mint: "...In November 2008 a number of 20p coins were incorrectly minted resulting in their having no date. This problem affected less than 250,000 coins of the 136 million 20p pieces minted in 2008-09 and was due to the previous obverse (the 'heads' side) being used with the new reverse (the 'tails' side) design, meaning the year of issue did not feature at all. These coins remain legal tender and still have a face value of 20p..."
I love the way they say "less than", as if 250,000 coins could get lost down the back of a settee.
Despite the numbers involved, the 20p 'mule' (slang for a faulty coin, based on the metaphor of a cross between a horse and a donkey) is worth a lot more than 20p, but not nearly as much as some of the bigger sums (thousands or even millions of pounds) at which they are occasionally offered for sale on auction websites. In late 2008 there would have been quite a lot of these in circulation - perhaps one in every five hundred or so, but not so many now. Check your change..
slang money words - meanings, origins and derivations
While the origins of these slang terms are many and various, certainly a lot of English money slang is rooted in various London communities, which for different reasons liked to use language only known in their own circles, notably wholesale markets, street traders, crime and the underworld, the docks, taxi-cab driving, and the immigrant communities. London has for centuries been extremely cosmopolitan, both as a travel hub and a place for foreign people to live and work and start their own busineses. This contributed to the development of some ' lingua franca ' expressions, i.e., mixtures of Italian, Greek, Arabic, Yiddish (Jewish European/Hebrew dialect), Spanish and English which developed to enable understanding between people of different nationalities, rather like a pidgin or hybrid English. Certain lingua franca blended with 'parlyaree' or 'polari', which is basically underworld slang.
Backslang also contributes several slang money words. Backslang reverses the phonetic (sound of the) word, not the spelling, which can produce some strange interpretations, and was popular among market traders, butchers and greengrocers.
Here are the most common and/or interesting British slang money words and expressions, with meanings, and origins where known. Many are now obsolete; typically words which relate to pre-decimalisation coins, although some have re-emerged and continue to do so.
Some non-slang words are included where their origins are particularly interesting, as are some interesting slang money expressions which originated in other parts of the world, and which are now entering the English language. Origins of official English money words appear in the main article.
english slang money glossary
archer - two thousand pounds (£2,000), late 20th century, from the Jeffrey Archer court case in which he was alleged to have bribed call-girl Monica Coughlan with this amount.
ayrton senna/ayrton - tenner (ten pounds, £10) - cockney rhyming slang created in the 1980s or early 90s, from the name of the peerless Brazilian world champion Formula One racing driver, Ayrton Senna (1960-94), who won world titles in 1988, 90 and 91, before his tragic death at San Marino in 1994.
bag/bag of sand - grand = one thousand pounds (£1,000), seemingly recent cockney rhyming slang, in use from around the mid-1990s in Greater London; perhaps more widely too - let me know . (Thanks Ed Brock, May 2007)
banana - predominantly Australian slang from the 1960s for a £1 note (supposedly because one is 'sweet and acceptable'), although likely derived from earlier English/Australian use, like other slang symbolic of yellow/gold (canary, bumblebee, etc), to refer to a sovereign or guinea or other (as was) high value gold coin.
bar - a pound, from the late 1800s, and earlier a sovereign, probably from Romany gypsy 'bauro' meaning heavy or big, and also influenced by allusion to the iron bars use as trading currency used with Africans, plus a possible reference to the custom of casting of precious metal in bars.
batter - money, slang from the late 1800s, derived partly because of the colour allusion to gold, and partly as a punning (double-meaning) reference to the action of making dough. This perhaps also gave rise (another pun, sorry), or at least supportive meaning to the use of batter (from 1800s) as a reference to a spending spree or binge.
bender - sixpence (6d) Another slang term with origins in the 1800s when the coins were actually solid silver, from the practice of testing authenticity by biting and bending the coin, which would being made of near-pure silver have been softer than the fakes.
beer tokens/beer vouchers - money - beer tokens/beer vouchers referred especially to pound notes before their discontinuation, subsequently transferring to pound coins, and higher value notes as beer prices have inflated. The expression is from the late 20th century. My personal experience of this expression (1970s South London) was as a humorous reference to the fact that young men's money was largely spent on beer, as if the note was valid only for that purpose, like a token or voucher. I am informed interestingly (thanks S Bayliss) that: "...I regularly used this phrase during my formative years as a student. To me, 'beer tokens' were exactly that - tokens issued by Ansells Brewery in Birmingham to its staff (Ansells was part of the then vast UK Allied Breweries company). These tokens were valid in the brewery and in Ansells pubs for a pint of mild beer, but could be exchanged for other drinks if the difference in price was paid. This meant that I used to pay 2p for a pint of bitter or a whole 5p for a pint of lager, unfortunately Skol! My nights out were very cheap. These beer tokens were available before I worked in the brewery, which was first in 1977, and were a secondary form of remuneration in the brewery..." Additional fascinating facts about beer and ale on the real ale page .
beehive - five pounds (£5). Cockney rhyming slang from 1960s and perhaps earlier since beehive has meant the number five in rhyming slang since at least the 1920s.
bees (bees and honey) - money. Cockney rhyming slang from the late 1800s. Also shortened to beesum (from bees and, bees 'n', to beesum).
bice/byce - two shillings (2/-) or two pounds or twenty pounds - probably from the French bis, meaning twice, which suggests usage is older than the 1900s first recorded and referenced by dictionary sources. Bice could also occur in conjunction with other shilling slang, where the word bice assumes the meaning 'two', as in 'a bice of deaners', pronounced 'bicerdeaners', and with other money slang, for example bice of tenners, pronounced 'bicertenners', meaning twenty pounds.
big ben - ten pounds (£10) the sum, and a ten pound note - cockney rhyming slang.
biscuit - £100 or £1,000. Initially suggested (Mar 2007) by a reader who tells me that the slang term 'biscuit', meaning £100, has been in use for several years, notably in the casino trade (thanks E). I am grateful also (thanks Paul, Apr 2007) for a further suggestion that 'biscuit' means £1,000 in the casino trade, which apparently is due to the larger size of the £1,000 chip. It would seem that the 'biscuit' slang term is still evolving and might mean different things (£100 or £1,000) to different people. I can find no other references to meanings or origins for the money term 'biscuit' and would be grateful for other evidence. Let me know .
bit - (thruppenny bit, two-bob bit) - recorded first as 'thieves slang' for money in 1609, short simply for 'a bit of money'. In the US bit was first recorded in 1683 referring to "...a small silver coin forming a fraction of the (then) Spanish dollar and its equivalent of the time..." Elsewhere in the world during the 1700-1800s bit came generally to refer to the smallest silver coin of many different currencies. By 1829 the English slang bit referred more specifically to a fourpenny coin. By the 1900s the meaning applied to silver threepences/'thruppences' (see joey ), sixpences and also to florins (two shillings) and later that century very commonly and iconically to the beautiful twelve-sided brass threepence/thruppence (i.e., thruppenny bit, sixpenny bit and two-bob bit). (All that is according to OED 1922 and Partridge slang.) Quirkily, partly or wholly due to the pre-decimalisation introduction of the 50p coin in 1967 the term 'ten-bob bit' also emerged, because when first minted, until decimalistion in 1971, the 50p coin was officially a 'ten shilling coin', replacing the previous ten shilling note. The use of bit here was something of an ironic distortion and departure from the traditional references to coins of relatively low value, or perhaps a reflection of inflation..
bitcoin - not slang and not old - Bitcoin is an electronic computerized currency. The word is a pun - computer bit and bit meaning a coin. See Bitcoin in the business glossary - it is a fascinating contrast with the cash and coinage concepts featured on this page.
bluey - five pounds (£5), and especially a five pound note, because its colour was mainly blue for most of the latter half of the 1900s. The blue fiver was introduced in 1957, replacing the white five pound note finally in 1961. White five pound notes, in different designs, date back to the 1830s, although there seems no record of 'whitey' as money slang. (Thanks J Bessent)
bob - shilling (1/-), although in recent times means money in a general sense, or a pound or a dollar in certain regions. Historically bob was slang for a British shilling (Twelve old pence, pre-decimalisation - and twenty shillings to a pound - equating to 5p now). There was and remains no plural version; it was 'thirty bob' not 'thirty bobs', or 'a few bob' (meaning then and now, a relatively large sum of money) not 'a few bobs'. Prior to 1971 bob was one of the most commonly used English slang words. Arguably the word bob became so popular as we might question the word's slang status, for example the Boy Scouts and Cubs 'Bob-a Job' week tradition, (see Bob-a-Job above), was officially publicised and recognised for a couple of decades in British society pre-decimalisation. Now sadly gone from common use in the UK meaning shilling, bob is used now extremely rarely to mean 5p, the decimal equivalent of a shilling; in fact most young people would have no clue that it equates in this way. Bob more commonly now means money in a general sense, (as it did also pre-decimalisation), for example, 'it cost a few bob', which is usually a sarcastic allusion to quite a lot of money, or also, 'He's worth a few bob'. In pre-decimal days bob also referred to larger sums of money such as ten bob (ten shillings) or 'thirty bob' (one pound and ten shillings - 'one pound ten'), or fifty bob (two pounds ten shillings - 'two pound ten'). Far less commonly now bob translates to multiples of 5p, for example: 'ten bob' = 50p, and 'thirty bob' = £1.50, although these are quite rare terms now, and virtually unused among young folk. Other non-money slang meanings of bob exist, for example the noun meaning of poo (dung or excrement) or verb for same (to defecate); and the verb meaning of cheat. Bob is also a hairstyle, although none of these other meanings relate to the money slang. There are clear indications around the turn of the 20th to the 21st century that bob as money slang is being used to mean a pound, although this is far from common usage, and is perhaps more of an adaptation of the general monetary meaning, rather than an established specific term for the pound unit, as it once was for the shilling. Usage of bob for shilling dates back to the late 1700s. Origin of the word in this sense is not known for sure. Possibilities include a connection with the church or bell-ringing since 'bob' meant a set of changes rung on the bells. This would be consistent with one of the possible origins and associations of the root of the word Shilling, (from Proto-Germanic 'skell' meaning to sound or ring). There is possibly an association with plumb-bob, being another symbolic piece of metal, made of lead and used to mark a vertical position in certain trades, notably masons. Brewer's 1870 Dictionary of Phrase and Fable states that 'bob' could be derived from 'Bawbee', which was 16-19th century slang for a half-penny, in turn derived from: French 'bas billon', meaning debased copper money (coins were commonly cut to make change). Brewer also references the Laird of Sillabawby, a 16th century mintmaster, as a possible origin. 'Bob a nob', in the early 1800s meant 'a shilling a head', when estimating costs of meals, etc. In the 18th century 'bobstick' was a shillings-worth of gin. In parts of the US 'bob' was used for the US dollar coin. I am also informed (thanks K Inglott, March 2007) that bob is now slang for a pound in his part of the world (Bath, South-West England), and has also been used as money slang, presumably for Australian dollars, on the Home and Away TV soap series. A popular slang word like bob arguably develops a life of its own. Additionally (ack Martin Symington, Jun 2007) the word 'bob' is still commonly used among the white community of Tanzania in East Africa for the Tanzanian Shilling. As ever, more detail is welcome .
boodle - money. There are many different interpretations of boodle meaning money, in the UK and the US. Boodle normally referred to ill-gotten gains, such as counterfeit notes or the proceeds of a robbery, and also to a roll of banknotes, although in recent times the usage has extended to all sorts of money, usually in fairly large amounts. Much variation in meaning is found in the US. The origins of boodle meaning money are (according to Cassells) probably from the Dutch word 'boedel' for personal effects or property (a person's worth) and/or from the old Scottish 'bodle' coin, worth two Scottish pence and one-sixth of an English penny, which logically would have been pre-decimalisation currency.
bottle - two pounds, or earlier tuppence (2d), from the cockney rhyming slang: bottle of spruce = deuce (= two pounds or tuppence). Spruce probably mainly refers to spruce beer, made from the shoots of spruce fir trees which is made in alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties. Separately bottle means money generally and particularly loose coinage, from the custom of passing a bottle for people to give money to a busker or street entertainer. I am also informed (ack Sue Batch, Nov 2007) that spruce also referred to lemonade, which is perhaps another source of the bottle rhyming slang: "... around Northants, particularly the Rushden area, Spruce is in fact lemonade... it has died out nowadays - I was brought up in the 50s and 60s and it was an everyday word around my area back then. As kids growing up we always asked for a glass of spruce. It was quite an accepted name for lemonade..."
brass - money. From the 16th century, and a popular expression the north of England, e.g., 'where there's muck there's brass' which incidentally alluded to certain trades involving scrap-metal, mess or waste, which to some offered very high earnings. This was also a defensive or retaliatory remark aimed at those of middle, higher or professional classes who might look down on certain 'working class' entrepreneurs or traders. The 'where there's much there's brass' expression helped maintain and spread the populairity iof the 'brass' money slang, rather than cause it. Brass originated as slang for money by association to the colour of gold coins, and the value of brass as a scrap metal. See separately 'maggie/brass maggie' .
brick - ten pounds or ten dollars (usually the banknote) - Australian slang from the early 1900s, derived from the red colour of the note and oblong shape. Also a prison sentence of ten years. (Thanks S Johnson)
bread (bread and honey) - money. From cockney rhyming slang, bread and honey = money, and which gave rise to the secondary rhyming slang 'poppy', from poppy red = bread. Bread also has associations with money, which in a metaphorical sense can be traced back to the Bible. Bread meaning money is also linked with with the expression 'earning a crust', which alludes to having enough money to pay for one's daily bread.
brown - a half-penny or ha'penny. An old term, probably more common in London than elsewhere, used before UK decimalisation in 1971, and before the ha'penny was withdrawn in the 1960s.
bull - five shillings (5/-), a crown, equal to 25p. From the late 1700s to 1910s. A shortening of bull's eye. After about 1910 'a bull' more commonly referred to a counterfeit coin. Separately 'bull money' was slang from the late 1800s meaning money handed to a blackmailer, or a bribe given in return for silence.
bull's eye - five shillings (5/-), a crown, equal to 25p. From the late 1600s to 1800s. Largely superseded in this meaning by the shortened 'bull' slang.
bumblebee - American slang from the 1940s for a $1 bill, logically deriving from earlier English/US use, like other slang symbolic of yellow/gold (banana, canary, etc), referring to a sovereign or guinea or other (as was) high value gold coin.
bunce - money, usually unexpected gain and extra to an agreed or predicted payment, typically not realised by the payer. Earlier English spelling was bunts or bunse, dating from the late 1700s or early 1800s (Cassells and Partridge). Origins are not certain. Bunts also used to refer to unwanted or unaccounted-for goods sold for a crafty gain by workers, and activity typically hidden from the business owner. Suggestions of origin include a supposed cockney rhyming slang shortening of bunsen burner (= earner), which is very appealing, but unlikely given the history of the word and spelling, notably that the slang money meaning pre-dated the invention of the bunsen burner, which was devised around 1857. (Thanks R Bambridge)
bung - money in the form of a bribe, from the early English meaning of pocket and purse, and pick-pocket, according to Cassells derived from Frisian (North Netherlands) pung, meaning purse. Bung is also a verb, meaning to bribe someone by giving cash.
cabbage - money in banknotes, 'folding' money - orginally US slang according to Cassells, from the 1900s, also used in the UK, logically arising because of the leaf allusion, and green was a common colour of dollar notes and pound notes (thanks R Maguire, who remembers the slang from Glasgow in 1970s).
canary - a guinea or sovereign or other gold coin, slang from the mid-1800s to 1900s, derived purely by association of the yellow/gold colours. Also, late 1800s, a half sovereign.
carpet - three pounds (£3) or three hundred pounds (£300), or sometimes thirty pounds (£30). This has confusing and convoluted origins, from as early as the late 1800s: It seems originally to have been a slang term for a three month prison sentence, based on the following: that 'carpet bag' was cockney rhyming slang for a 'drag', which was generally used to describe a three month sentence; also that in the prison workshops it supposedly took ninety days to produce a certain regulation-size piece of carpet; and there is also a belief that prisoners used to be awarded the luxury of a piece of carpet for their cell after three year's incarceration. The term has since the early 1900s been used by bookmakers and horse-racing, where carpet refers to odds of three-to-one, and in car dealing, where it refers to an amount of £300.
caser/case - five shillings (5/-), a crown coin. Seems to have surfaced first as caser in Australia in the mid-1800s from the Yiddish (Jewish European/Hebrew dialect) kesef meaning silver, where (in Australia) it also meant a five year prison term. Caser was slang also for a US dollar coin, and the US/Autralian slang logically transferred to English, either or all because of the reference to silver coin, dollar slang for a crown, or the comparable value, as was.
chip - a shilling (1/-) and earlier, mid-late 1800s a pound or a sovereign. According to Cassells chip meaning a shilling is from horse-racing and betting. Chip was also slang for an Indian rupee. The association with a gambling chip is logical. Chip and chipping also have more general associations with money and particularly money-related crime, where the derivations become blurred with other underworld meanings of chip relating to sex and women (perhaps from the French 'chipie' meaning a vivacious woman) and narcotics (in which chip refers to diluting or skimming from a consignment, as in chipping off a small piece - of the drug or the profit). Chipping-in also means to contributing towards or paying towards something, which again relates to the gambling chip use and metaphor, i.e. putting chips into the centre of the table being necessary to continue playing.
chump change - a relatively insiginificant amount of money - a recent expression (seemingly 2000s) originating in the US and now apparently entering UK usage. (Thanks M Johnson, Jan 2008)
clod - a penny (1d). Clod was also used for other old copper coins. From cockney rhyming slang clodhopper (= copper). A clod is a lump of earth. A clodhopper is old slang for a farmer or bumpkin or lout, and was also a derogatory term used by the cavalry for infantry foot soldiers.
coal - a penny (1d). Also referred to money generally, from the late 1600s, when the slang was based simply on a metaphor of coal being an essential commodity for life. The spelling cole was also used. Common use of the coal/cole slang largely ceased by the 1800s although it continued in the expressions 'tip the cole' and 'post the cole', meaning to make a payment, until these too fell out of popular use by the 1900s. It is therefore unlikely that anyone today will use or recall this particular slang, but if the question arises you'll know the answer. Intriguingly I've been informed (thanks P Burns, 8 Dec 2008) that the slang 'coal', seemingly referring to money - although I've seen a suggestion of it being a euphemism for coke (cocaine) - appears in the lyrics of the song Oxford Comma by the band Vampire weekend: "Why would you lie about how much coal you have? Why would you lie about something dumb like that?..." Please tell me any other modern usage examples like this. Or if anyone knows any of the Vampire Weekend folk and can confirm the meaning and source of this apparently resurrected slang, again please let me know. Additionally (thanks T Slater) there is probably some connection with the commonly used German slang term 'kohle' (coal) for money, although the direction of influence is unclear. At least one German dictionary (again thanks T Slater) suggests the 'kohle' slang derives from Yiddish 'kal'. If anyone has further information about this please let me know.
cock and hen - ten pounds (thanks N Shipperley). The ten pound meaning of cock and hen is 20th century rhyming slang. Cock and hen - also cockerel and hen - has carried the rhyming slang meaning for the number ten for longer. Its transfer to ten pounds logically grew more popular through the inflationary 1900s as the ten pound amount and banknote became more common currency in people's wages and wallets, and therefore language. Cock and hen also gave raise to the variations cockeren, cockeren and hen, hen, and the natural rhyming slang short version, cock - all meaning ten pounds.
cockeren - ten pounds, see cock and hen.
coffers - savings or funds - a coffer was originally a strongbox for money and valuables (first from Greek kophinos, basket), typically used by royalty. A 'cofferer' was an early (medieaval times) sort of accountant or keeper of the monarch's financial books/money, at the time when money was kept in a 'counting house', and when this effectively represented the funds of the ruling authority. 'Coffer' and 'coffers' later came to refer to the treasury, detached from the monarchy, and in more recent times transferred to mean money itself, of ordinary people. The sense of a box persists in usage, although most people will not understand this when, in questioning their own ability to afford something, they say things like, "I'll have to see what's in the coffers.."
commodore = fifteen pounds (£15). The origin is almost certainly London, and the clever and amusing derivation reflects the wit of Londoners: Cockney rhyming slang for five pounds is a 'lady', (from Lady Godiva = fiver); fifteen pounds is three-times five pounds (3x£5=£15); 'Three Times a Lady' is a song recorded by the group The Commodores; and there you have it: Three Times a Lady = fifteen pounds = a commodore. (Thanks Simon Ladd, Jun 2007)
coppers - pre-decimal farthings, ha'pennies and pennies, and to a lesser extent 1p and 2p coins since decimalisation, and also meaning a very small amount of money. Coppers was very popular slang pre-decimalisation (1971), and is still used in referring to modern pennies and two-penny coins, typically describing the copper (coloured) coins in one's pocket or change, or piggy bank. Pre-decimal farthings, ha'pennies and pennies were 97% copper (technically bronze), and would nowadays be worth significantly more than their old face value because copper has become so much more valuable. Decimal 1p and 2p coins were also 97% copper (technically bronze - 97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin ) until replaced by copper-plated steel in 1992, which amusingly made them magnetic. The term coppers is also slang for a very small amount of money, or a cost of something typically less than a pound, usually referring to a bargain or a sum not worth thinking about, somewhat like saying 'peanuts' or 'a row of beans'. For example: "What did you pay for that?" ...... "Coppers." (Thanks H Camrass for pointing out this omission from the glossary. There is a lot more about copper coins in the money history above.)
cows - a pound, 1930s, from the rhyming slang 'cow's licker' = nicker (nicker means a pound). The word cows means a single pound since technically the word is cow's, from cow's licker.
daddler/dadla/dadler - threepenny bit (3d), and also earlier a farthing (quarter of an old penny, ¼d), from the early 1900s, based on association with the word tiddler, meaning something very small.
deaner/dena/denar/dener - a shilling (1/-), from the mid-1800s, derived from association with the many European dinar coins and similar, and derived in turn and associated with the Roman denarius coin which formed the basis of many European currencies and their names. The pronunciation emphasis tends to be on the long second syllable 'aah' sound. The expression is interpreted into Australian and New Zealand money slang as deener, again meaning shilling.
deep sea diver - fiver (£5), heard in use Oxfordshire (thanks Karen/Ewan) late 1990s, this is cockney rhyming slang still in use, dating originally from the 1940s.
delog/dilog/dlog - gold or gold money, logically extending more loosely to refer to money generally, first recorded in the mid-1800s. This is backslang - in this case a reversal of the word and formation of new word to represent the new sound - to confuse anyone who doesn't understand it. Backslang, like rhyming slang, thrived and continues to thrive in social environments where for reasons of secrecy or fun people develop language that is difficult for outsiders to understand.
deuce - two pounds, and much earlier (from the 1600s) tuppence (two old pence, 2d), from the French deus and Latin duos meaning two (which also give us the deuce term in tennis, meaning two points needed to win).
dibs/dibbs - money. Dib was also US slang meaning $1 (one dollar), which presumably extended to more than one when pluralised. Origins of dib/dibs/dibbs are uncertain but probably relate to the old (early 1800s) children's game of dibs or dibstones played with the knuckle-bones of sheep or pebbles. Also relates to (but not necessairly derived from) the expression especially used by children, 'dibs' meaning a share or claim of something, and dibbing or dipping among a group of children, to determine shares or winnings or who would be 'it' for a subsequent chasing game. In this sort of dipping or dibbing, a dipping rhyme would be spoken, coinciding with the pointing or touchung of players in turn, eliminating the child on the final word, for example:
'dip dip sky blue who's it not you' (the word 'you' meant elimination for the corresponding child)
'ibble-obble black bobble ibble obble out' ('out' meant elimination)
'one potato two potato three potato four
five potato six potato seven potato more' ('more' meant elimination)
(In this final dipping/dibbing game the procedure was effectively doubled because the spoken rhythm matched the touching of each contestant's two outstretched fists in turn with the fist of the 'dipper' - who incidentally included him/herself in the dipping by touching their own fists together twice, or if one of their own fists was eliminated would touch their chin. The winner or 'it' would be the person remaining with the last untouched fist. Players would put their fists behind their backs when touched, and interstingly I can remember that as children we would conform to the rules so diligently that our fists would remain tightly clenched behind our backs until the dipping game had finished. I guess this wouldn't happen today because each child would need at least one hand free for holding their mobile phone and texting.)
dinarly/dinarla/dinaly - a shilling (1/-), from the mid-1800s, also transferred later to the decimal equivalent 5p piece, from the same roots that produced the 'deaner' shilling slang and variations, i.e., Roman denarius and then through other European dinar coins and variations. As with deanar the pronunciation emphasis tends to be on the long second syllable 'aah' sound.
dirty den - ten pounds (£10). Cockney rhyming slang , referring to the BBC TV 'Eastenders' soap series character Dennis Watts (landlord and abusive husband of Angie at the Queen Vic pub), which dates the origins of the expression to the mid-late1980s. Dennis Watts appeared in the first episode of the Eastenders series on 19 Feb 1985. Subsequently the Dirty Den nickname was popularised - not actually in the series itself - but by the UK tabloid press, which became and remains obsessively preoccupied with TV soap storylines and the actors portraying them, as if it were all real life and real news. Dennis 'Dirty Den' Watts is one of the most iconic of all soap characters, enduring in the plot until finally being killed off (the second time, for good, probably) in 2005. The 1986 Christmas Day episode, heavily promoted by the popular media, in which Den handed divorce papers to his wife Angie, attracted the biggest ever recorded UK TV audience (30.15million), more than half the population. No wonder perhaps that such a slang term arose. Dirty Den is a good example of how language, and slang particularly, alter in response to popular fashion, and also more broadly is an example of the frighteningly powerful influence of popular media, especially the tabloid press, on the way we think and behave. (Thanks P Robinson-Griffin)
dollar - slang for money, commonly used in singular form, eg., 'Got any dollar?..'. In earlier times a dollar was slang for an English Crown, five shillings (5/-), and 'half-a-dollar' was slang for the half-crown or two-and-sixpence coin (2/6 - two shillings and sixpence). From the 1900s in England and so called because the coin was similar in appearance and size to the American dollar coin, and at one time similar in value too. Brewer's dictionary of 1870 says that the American dollar is '..in English money a little more than four shillings..'. That's about 20p. The word dollar is originally derived from German 'Thaler', and earlier from Low German 'dahler', meaning a valley (from which we also got the word 'dale'). The connection with coinage is that in the late 1400s the Counts of Schlick, Bohemia, mined silver from 'Joachim's Thal' (Joachim's Valley - now equating to Jáchymov, a spa town in NW Bohemia in the Czech Republic, close to the border to Germany), from which was minted the silver ounce coins called Joachim's Thalers. These coins became standard coinage in that region of what would now be Germany. All later generic versions of the coins were called 'Thalers'. An 'oxford' was cockney rhyming slang for five shillings (5/-) based on the dollar rhyming slang: 'oxford scholar'.
dosh - slang for a reasonable amount of spending money, for instance enough for a 'night-out'. Almost certainly and logically derived from the slang 'doss-house', meaning a very cheap hostel or room, from Elizabethan England when 'doss' was a straw bed, from 'dossel' meaning bundle of straw, in turn from the French 'dossier' meaning bundle. Dosh appears to have originated in this form in the US in the 19th century, and then re-emerged in more popular use in the UK in the mid-20th century.
doubloons - money. From the Spanish gold coins of the same name.
dough - money. Mid-1800s slang obvious alternative for the slang bread. Dough later (1940s) also referred specifically to counterfeit money in underworld and criminal society.
doughnut/donut - meaning £75? - very recent perhaps - if you have any details at all about this please let me know - also (thanks A Briggs) 'doughnuts' means zero(s) ($0) in Australia.
dunop/doonup - pound, backslang from the mid-1800s, in which the slang is created from a reversal of the word sound, rather than the spelling, hence the loose correlation to the source word.
ewif gens - five shillings, 1800s backslang, perhaps a phonetically pleasing distortion of evif meaning five.
ewif yenneps - five pence (old pence, 5d), as above.
exis gens - six shillings (6/-), backslang from the 1800s. See gens (backslang of shillings derived loosely via 'generalise').
exis/exes - six pounds (£6), 20th century, earlier probably six shillings (6/-), logically implied by the fuller term 'exis gens' above, from the mid 1800s. Backslang (loosely the word-sound of six reversed).
exis yenneps - sixpence (6d), 1800s backslang.
exis-evif yenneps - eleven pence (old pence, 11d), 1800s backslang for six and five pennies (= eleven pennies). Strange but true.
exis-ewif gens - one pound ten (£1 10/-) or thirty shillings - more weird backslang from the 1800s, derived from loosely reversing six (times) five shillings. See gen.
farthing - a quarter of an old penny (¼d) - not slang, a proper word in use (in slightly different form - feorthung) since the end of the first millenium, and in this list mainly to clarify that the origin of the word is not from 'four things', supposedly and commonly believed from the times when coins were split to make pieces of smaller value, but actually (less excitingly) from Old English feortha, meaning fourth, corresponding to Old Frisian fiardeng, meaning a quarter of a mark, and similar Germanic words meaning four and fourth. The modern form of farthing was first recorded in English around 1280 when it altered from ferthing to farthing.
fiver - five pounds (£5), from the mid-1800s. More rarely from the early-mid 1900s fiver could also mean five thousand pounds, but arguably it remains today the most widely used slang term for five pounds.
fin/finn/finny/finnif/finnip/finnup/finnio/finnif - five pounds (£5), from the early 1800s. There are other spelling variations based on the same theme, all derived from the German and Yiddish (European/Hebrew mixture) funf, meaning five, more precisely spelled fünf. A 'double-finnif' (or double-fin, etc) means ten pounds; 'half-a-fin' (half-a-finnip, etc) would have been two pounds ten shillings (equal to £2.50). See also 'long-tailed-finnip', meaning ten pounds.
flag - five pound note (£5), UK, notably in Manchester (ack Michael Hicks); also a USA one dollar bill; also used as a slang term for a money note in Australia although Cassells is vague about the value (if you know please contact us ). The word flag has been used since the 1500s as a slang expression for various types of money, and more recently for certain notes. Originally (16th-19thC) the slang word flag was used for an English fourpenny groat coin, derived possibly from Middle Low German word 'Vleger' meaning a coin worth 'more than a Bremer groat' (Cassells). Derivation in the USA would likely also have been influenced by the slang expression 'Jewish Flag' or 'Jews Flag' for a $1 bill, from early 20th century, being an envious derogatory reference to perceived and stereotypical Jewish success in business and finance.
flim/flimsy - five pounds (£5), early 1900s, so called because of the thin and flimsy paper on which five pound notes of the time were printed.
florin/flo - a two shilling or 'two bob' coin (florin is actually not slang - it's from Latin meaning flower, and a 14th century Florentine coin called the Floren). Equivalent to 10p - a tenth of a pound. A 'flo' is the slang shortening, meaning two shillings.
folding/folding stuff/folding money/folding green = banknotes, especially to differentiate or emphasise an amount of money as would be impractical to carry or pay in coins, typically for a night out or to settle a bill. Folding, folding stuff and folding money are all popular slang in London. Folding green is more American than UK slang. Cassells says these were first recorded in the 1930s, and suggests they all originated in the US, which might be true given that banknotes arguably entered very wide use earlier in the US than in the UK. (Thanks P Jones, June 2008)
foont/funt = a pound (£1), from the mid-1900s, derived from the German word 'pfund' for the UK pound.
french/french loaf - four pounds, most likely from the second half of the 1900s, cockney rhyming slang for rofe (french loaf = rofe), which is backslang for four, also meaning four pounds. Easy when you know how..
g/G - a thousand pounds. Shortening of 'grand' (see below). From the 1920s, and popular slang in fast-moving business, trading, the underworld, etc., until the 1970s when it was largely replaced by 'K'. Usually retains singular form (G rather than G's) for more than one thousand pounds, for example "Twenty G".
garden/garden gate - eight pounds (£8), cockney rhyming slang for eight, naturally extended to eight pounds. In spoken use 'a garden' is eight pounds. Incidentally garden gate is also rhyming slang for magistrate, and the plural garden gates is rhyming slang for rates. The word garden features strongly in London, in famous place names such as Hatton Garden, the diamond quarter in the central City of London, and Covent Garden, the site of the old vegetable market in West London, and also the term appears in sexual euphemisms, such as 'sitting in the garden with the gate unlocked', which refers to a careless pregnancy.
gelt/gelter - money, from the late 1600s, with roots in foreign words for gold, notably German and Yiddish (Jewish European/Hebrew dialect) gelt, and Dutch and South African geld.
gen - a shilling (1/-), from the mid 1800s, either based on the word argent, meaning silver (from French and Latin, and used in English heraldry, i.e., coats of arms and shields, to refer to the colour silver), or more likely a shortening of 'generalize', a peculiar supposed backslang of shilling, which in its own right was certainly slang for shilling, and strangely also the verb to lend a shilling.
generalise/generalize - a shilling (1/-), from the mid 1800s, thought to be backslang. Also meant to lend a shilling, apparently used by the middle classes, presumably to avoid embarrassment. Given that backslang is based on phonetic word sound not spelling, the conversion of shilling to generalize is just about understandable, if somewhat tenuous, and in the absence of other explanation is the only known possible derivation of this odd slang.
gen net/net gen - ten shillings (1/-), backslang from the 1800s (from 'ten gen').
gingerbread - money, wealth. From the late 1600s to mid 1800s, deriving by association to the colour of gold and gold coins, and no doubt supported by the inclusion of the word bread, with its own monetary meanings.
goree/gory/old Mr Gory - money, from the late 1600s until the early 1800s, and rare since then. This slang derived from the island of Goree (also referred to as Fort Goree) part of and close to Senegal on the West African coast, which was and remains symbolic in the slave trade.
grand - a thousand pounds (£1,000 or $1,000) Not pluralised in full form. Shortened to 'G' (usually plural form also) or less commonly 'G's'. Originated in the USA in the 1920s, logically an association with the literal meaning - full or large.
greens - money, usually old-style green coloured pound notes, but actully applying to all money or cash-earnings since the slang derives from the cockney rhyming slang: 'greengages' (= wages).
groat - an old silver four-penny coin from around 1300 and in use in similar form until c.1662, although Brewer states in his late 1800s revised edition of his 1870 dictionary of slang that 'the modern groat was introduced in 1835, and withdrawn in 1887', which is somewhat confusing. Presumably there were different versions and issues of the groat coin, which seems to have been present in the coinage from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Very occasionally older people, students of English or History, etc., refer to loose change of a small amount of coin money as groats. Sadly the word is almost obsolete now, although the groat coin is kept alive in Maundy Money . The word derives from Middle English and Middle Dutch 'groot' meaning 'great' since this coin was a big one, compared to a penny. The similar German and Austrian coin was the 'Groschen', equivalent to 10 'Pfennigs'. The word can actually be traced back to Roman times, when a 'Denarius Grossus' was a 'thick penny' (equivalent).
guinea - guinea is not a slang term, it's a proper and historical word for an amount of money equating to twenty-one shillings, or in modern sterling one pound five pence. See the guinea history above.
half, half a bar/half a sheet/half a nicker - ten shillings (10/-), from the 1900s, and to a lesser degree after decimalisation, fifty pence (50p), based on the earlier meanings of bar and sheet for a pound. Half is also used as a logical prefix for many slang words which mean a pound, to form a slang expresion for ten shillings and more recently fifty pence (50p), for example and most popularly, 'half a nicker', 'half a quid', etc. The use of the word 'half' alone to mean 50p seemingly never gaught on, unless anyone can confirm otherwise.
half a crown - two shillings and sixpence (2/6), and more specifically the 2/6 coin. Not actually slang, more an informal and extremely common pre-decimalisation term used as readily as 'two-and-six' in referring to that amount. Equivalent to 12½p in decimal money.
half a dollar - slang for the half-crown coin (i.e., two-and-sixpence, 2/6, two-shillings and sixpence) - early and mid 1900s slang based on the 'dollar' slang for five shillings. Five shillings was not a currency coin at that time, instead it was a variously designed commemorative coin. Five shillings equated loosely to the value of a US dollar at that time. (Thanks Raymond Lewis for confirming that: "...In the years following the second world war [1939-45] I recall two-and-sixpence was referred to as 'half a dollar', there being four US dollars to the pound for many years, so that a dollar equivalent in UK was five shillings; 2s/6d being half of five shillings. Our family [Merseysiders] and our family in Manchester always used this term...")
handbag - money, late 20th century.
handful - five pounds (£5), 20th century, derived simply by association to the five digits on a hand.
harold - five pounds (£5) - usually a five pound note - derived from 1970s soul band Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, because the five pound note was traditionally very blue. (Thanks S Faber)
hog - confusingly a shilling (1/-) or a sixpence (6d) or a half-crown (2/6), dating back to the 1600s in relation to shilling. Hog also extended to US 10c and dollar coins, apparently, according to Cassells because coins carried a picture of a pig. I suspect different reasons for the British coins, but have yet to find them.
jack - a pound, and earlier (from the 1600s), a farthing. Perhaps based on jack meaning a small thing, although there are many possible different sources. Jack is much used in a wide variety of slang expressions.
jacks - five pounds, from cockney rhyming slang: jack's alive = five. Not used in the singular for in this sense, for example a five pound note would be called a 'jacks'.
job - guinea, late 1600s, probably ultimately derived from from the earlier meaning of the word job, a lump or piece (from 14th century English gobbe), which developed into the work-related meaning of job, and thereby came to have general meaning of payment for work, including specific meaning of a guinea. 'Half a job' was half a guinea.
joey - much debate about this: According to my information (1894 Brewer, and the modern Cassell's, Oxford, Morton, and various other sources) Joey was originally, from 1835 or 1836 a silver fourpenny piece called a groat (Brewer is firm about this), and this meaning subsequently transferred to the silver threepenny piece (Cassell's, Oxford, and Morton). I'm convinced these were the principal and most common usages of the Joey coin slang. Cassell's says Joey was also used for the brass-nickel threepenny bit, which was introduced in 1937, although as a child in South London the 1960s I cannot remember the threepenny bit ever being called a Joey, and neither can my Mum or Dad, who both say a Joey in London was a silver threepence and nothing else (although they'd be too young to remember groats...). I'm informed however (ack Stuart Taylor, Dec 2006) that Joey was indeed slang for the brass-nickel threepenny bit among children of the Worcester area in the period up to decimalisation in 1971, so as ever, slang is subject to regional variation. There was some transference of the Joey slang to the sixpence (tanner) some time after the silver threepenny coin changed to the brass threepenny bit (which was during the 1930-40s), and this would have been understandable because the silver sixpence was similar to the silver threepence, albeit slightly larger. There is also a view that Joey transferred from the threepenny bit to the sixpence when the latter became a more usual minimum fare in London taxi-cabs. So although the fourpenny groat and the silver threepenny coin arguably lay the major claim to the Joey title, usage also seems to have extended to later coins, notably the silver sixpence (tanner) and the brass-nickel threepenny bit. The Joey slang word seems reasonably certainly to have been named after the politician Joseph Hume (1777-1855), who advocated successfully that the fourpenny groat be reintroduced, which it was in 1835 or 1836, chiefly to foil London cab drivers (horse driven ones in those days) in their practice of pretending not to have change, with the intention of extorting a bigger tip, particularly when given two shillings for a two-mile fare, which at the time cost one shilling and eight-pence. The re-introduction of the groat thus enabled many customers to pay the exact fare, and so the cab drivers used the term Joey as a derisory reference for the fourpenny groats.
And some further clarification and background:
Brewer says that the 'modern groat was introduced in 1835, and withdrawn in 1887'. He was referring to the fact that the groat's production ceased from 1662 and then restarted in 1835, (or 1836 according to other sources). This coincides with the view that Hume re-introduced the groat to counter the cab drivers' scam.
Silver threepenny coins were first introduced in the mid-1500s but were not popular nor minted in any serious quantity for general circulation until around 1760, because people preferred the fourpenny groat. The silver threepence was effectively replaced with introduction of the brass-nickel threepenny bit in 1937, through to 1945, which was the last minting of the silver threepence coin. The silver threepence continued in circulation for several years after this, and I read here of someone receiving one in their change as late as 1959.
The brass-nickel threepenny bit was minted up until 1970 and this lovely coin ceased to be legal tender at decimalisation in 1971. As a matter of interest, in Nov 2004 a mint condition 1937 threepenny bit was being offered for sale by London Bloomsbury coin dealers and auctioneers Spink, with a guide price of £37,000. Wow.
The silver sixpence was produced from 1547-1970, and remained in circulation (although by then it was a copper-based and nickel-coated coin) after decimalisation as the two-and-a-half-pee, until withdrawal in 1980.
I was sent this additional clarification about the silver threepenny piece (thanks C Mancini, Dec 2007) provided by Joseph Payne, Assistant Curator of the Royal Mint: "... Along with the silver crown, half-crown and sixpence, the silver threepence made its first appearance in 1551 during the reign of Edward VI (1547-53). Silver threepences were last issued for circulation in the United Kingdom in 1941 but the final pieces to be sent overseas for colonial use were dated 1944. Once the issue of silver threepences in the United Kingdom had ceased there was a tendency for the coins to be hoarded and comparatively few were ever returned to the Royal Mint. The coin was not formally demonetised until 31 August 1971 at the time of decimalisation."
k/K - a thousand (£1,000 or $1,000). From the 1960s, becoming widely used in the 1970s. Plural uses singular form. 'K' has now mainly replaced 'G' in common speech and especially among middle and professional classes. While some etymology sources suggest that 'k' (obviously pronounced 'kay') is from business-speak and underworld language derived from the K abbreviation of kilograms, kilometres, I am inclined to prefer the derivation (suggested to me by Terry Davies) that K instead originates from computer-speak in the early 1970s, from the abbreviation of kilobytes. For Terry's detailed and fascinating explanation of the history of K see the ' K' entry on the cliches and words origins page .
kibosh/kybosh - eighteen pence (i.e., one and six, 1/6, one shilling and sixpence), related to and perhaps derived from the mid-1900s meaning of kibosh for an eighteen month prison sentence. Cassells implies an interesting possible combination of the meanings kibosh (18 month sentence), kibosh (meaning ruin or destroy) - both probably derived from Yiddish (Jewish European/Hebrew dialect) words meaning suppress - with the linking of money and hitting something, as in 'a fourpenny one' (from rhyming slang fourpenny bit = hit). All very vague and confusing. Whatever, kibosh meant a shilling and sixpence (1/6). Like so much slang, kibosh trips off the tongue easily and amusingly, which would encourage the extension of its use from prison term to money.
kick - sixpence (6d), from the early 1700s, derived purely from the lose rhyming with six (not cockney rhyming slang), extending to and possible preceded and prompted by the slang expression 'two and a kick' meaning half a crown, i.e., two shillings and sixpence, commonly expressed as 'two and six', which is a more understandable association.
knicker - distortion of 'nicker', meaning £1. See entry under 'nicker'. See also 'pair of knickers'.
lady/Lady Godiva - fiver (five pounds, £5) cockney rhyming slang, and like many others in this listing is popular in London and the South East of England, especially East London. See also the very clever 'commodore' above. (Thanks Simon Ladd, June 2007)
lolly - money. More popular in the 1960s than today. Precise origin unknown. Possibly rhyming slang linking lollipop to copper.
long-tailed 'un/long-tailed finnip - high value note, from the 1800s and in use to the late 1900s. Earlier 'long-tailed finnip' meant more specifically ten pounds, since a finnip was five pounds (see fin/finny/finnip) from Yiddish funf meaning five. There seems no explanation for long-tailed other than being a reference to extended or larger value.
macaroni - twenty-five pounds (£25). Cockney rhyming slang for pony.
madza caroon - half-a-crown (2/6) from the mid 1800s. A combination of medza, a corruption of Italian mezzo meaning half, and a mispronunciation or interpretation of crown. Madza caroon is an example of 'ligua franca' slang which in this context means langauge used or influenced by foreigners or immigrants, like a sort of pidgin or hybrid English-foreign slang, in this case mixed with Italian, which logically implies that much of the early usage was in the English Italian communities. Mezzo/madza was and is potentially confused with, and popularity supported by, the similar 'motsa' (see motsa entry).
madza poona - half-sovereign, from the mid 1800s, for the same reasons as madza caroon.
maggie/brass maggie - a pound coin (£1) - apparently used in South Yorkshire UK - the story is that the slang was adopted during the extremely acrimonious and prolonged miners' strike of 1984 which coincided with the introduction of the pound coin. Margaret Thatcher acted firmly and ruthlessly in resisting the efforts of the miners and the unions to save the pit jobs and the British coalmining industry, reinforcing her reputation for exercising the full powers of the state, creating resentment among many. When the pound coin appeared it was immediately christened a 'Maggie', based seemingly on the notion that it was '...a brassy piece that thinks it's a sovereign..." (ack J Jamieson, Sep 2007) If you have more detail about where and when this slang arose and is used, please let me know . I am grateful to J Briggs for confirming (March 2008): "...I live in Penistone, South Yorks (what we call the West Riding) and it was certainly called a 'Brass Maggie' in my area. Typically in a derisive way, such as 'I wouldn't give you a brass maggie for that' for something overpriced but low value. It never really caught on and has died out now..." And additionally (thanks A Volk) "...living in the UK in 1983-84 I heard that the newly introduced pound coin was the Maggie because it was 'hard, rough edged, and pretends to be a sovereign...' " Also (thanks M Wilson) "I remember the joke about the pound coin being a 'maggie... it's hard, brassy, unpopular, and thinks it's a sovereign...' ''
marygold/marigold - a million pounds (£1,000,000). English slang referenced by Brewer in 1870, origin unclear, possibly related to the Virgin Mary, and a style of church windows featuring her image.
McGarrett - fifty pounds (£50). Initially London slang, especially for a fifty pound note. McGarret refers cunningly and amusingly to the popular US TV crime series Hawaii Five-0 and its fictional head detective Steve McGarrett, played by Jack Lord. The series was made and aired originally between 1968 and 1980 and developed a lasting cult following, not least due to the very cool appeal of the McGarrett character. Steve McGarrett was given the legendary line (every week virtually) "Book 'em Danno," - or "Book him Danno," - depending on the number of baddies they caught. Danno (Detective Danny Williams, played by James MacArthur) was McGarrett's unfailingly loyal junior partner. For the record, the other detectives were called Chin Ho Kelly (the old guy) and Kono Kalakaua (the big guy), played by Kam Fong and Zulu, both of which seem far better character names, but that's really the way it was. (Thanks L Cunliffe)
medza/medzer/medzes/medzies/metzes/midzers - money. Other variations occur, including the misunderstanding of these to be 'measures', which has become slang for money in its own right. These slang words for money are most likely derived from the older use of the word madza, absorbed into English from Italian mezzo meaning half, which was used as a prefix in referring to half-units of coinage (and weights), notably medza caroon (half-crown), madza poona (half-sovereign) and by itself, medza meaning a ha'penny (½d). Potentially confused with and supported by the origins and use of similar motsa (see motsa entry).
measures - money, late 20th century, most likely arising from misunderstanding medzas and similar variants, particularly medza caroon (hal-crown) and medza meaning a half-penny (ha'penny, i.e., ½d).
meg - a thrupenny bit (3d) - and earlier (from the 1700s) also as megg, mag, magg, meag, general slang for various coins including first a ha'penny (½d) or a guinea, later a penny (1d), and in the US a dollar and a cent. Related, the verb, to meg, meant to swindle or cheat, from the 1800s. (Thanks P McCormack, who informed me that meg was Liverpool slang for a thrupenny bit.)
melvin - five pounds (£5) - see harold - based on association with soul band Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes (the five pound note was very blue in the 1960s-70s). (Thanks S Faber)
mill - a million dollars or a million pounds. Interestingly mill is also a non-slang technical term for a tenth of a USA cent, or one-thousandth of a dollar, which is an accounts term only - there is no coinage for such an amount. The word mill is derived simply from the Latin 'millisimus' meaning a thousandth, and is not anything to do with the milled edge of a coin.
monkey - five hundred pounds (£500). Probably London slang from the early 1800s. Origin unknown. Like the 'pony' meaning £25, it is suggested by some that the association derives from Indian rupee banknotes featuring the animal.
moola - money. Variations on the same theme are moolah, mola, mulla. Modern slang from London, apparently originating in the USA in the 1930s. Probably related to 'motsa' below.
motsa/motsah/motzer - money. Popular Australian slang for money, now being adopted elsewhere. Variations on the same theme are motser, motzer, motza, all from the Yiddish (Jewish European/Hebrew dialect) word 'matzah', the unleavened bread originally shaped like a large flat disk, but now more commonly square (for easier packaging and shipping), eaten at Passover, which suggests earliest origins could have been where Jewish communities connected with English speakers, eg., New York or London (thanks G Kahl). Popularity is supported (and probably confused also) with ' lingua franca ' medza/madza and the many variations around these, which probably originated from a different source, namely the Italian mezzo, meaning half (as in madza poona = half sovereign).
ned - a guinea. A slang word used in Britain and chiefly London from around 1750-1850. Ned was seemingly not pluralised when referring to a number of guineas, eg., 'It'll cost you ten ned..' A half-ned was half a guinea. (see the notes about guineas ). The slang ned appears in at least one of Bruce Alexander's Blind Justice series of books (thanks P Bostock for raising this) set in London's Covent Garden area and a period of George III's reign from around 1760 onwards. It is conceivable that the use also later transferred for a while to a soverign and a pound, being similar currency units, although I'm not aware of specific evidence of this. The ned slang word certainly transferred to America, around 1850, and apparently was used up to the 1920s. In the US a ned was a ten dollar gold coin, and a half-ned was a five dollar coin. Precise origin of the word ned is uncertain although it is connected indirectly (by Chambers and Cassells for example) with a straightforward rhyming slang for the word head (conventional cockney rhyming slang is slightly more complex than this), which seems plausible given that the monarch's head appeared on guinea coins. Ned was traditionally used as a generic name for a man around these times, as evidenced by its meaning extending to a thuggish man or youth, or a petty criminal (US), and also a reference (mainly in the US) to the devil, (old Ned, raising merry Ned, etc). These, and the rhyming head connection, are not factual origins of how ned became a slang money term; they are merely suggestions of possible usage origin and/or reinforcement.
net gen - ten shillings (10/-), backslang, see gen net.
nevis/neves - seven pounds (£7), 20th century backslang, and earlier, 1800s (usually as 'nevis gens') seven shillings (7/-).
nicker - a pound (£1). Not pluralised for a number of pounds, eg., 'It cost me twenty nicker..' From the early 1900s, London slang, precise origin unknown. Possibly connected to the use of nickel in the minting of coins, and to the American slang use of nickel to mean a $5 dollar note, which at the late 1800s was valued not far from a pound. In the US a nickel is more commonly a five cent coin. A nicker bit is a one pound coin, and London cockney rhyming slang uses the expression 'nicker bits' to describe a case of diarrhoea.
nugget/nuggets - a pound coin (£1) or money generally. The older nuggets meaning of money obviously alludes to gold nuggets and appeared first in the 1800s. Much more recently (thanks G Hudson) logically since the pound coin was introduced in the UK in the 1990s with the pound note's withdrawal, nugget seems to have appeared as a specific term for a pound coin, presumably because the pound coin is golden (actually more brassy than gold) and 'nuggety' in feel. Please let me know if you can add more detail about the use of nugget meaning pound coin.
oner - (pronounced 'wunner'), commonly now meaning one hundred pounds; sometimes one thousand pounds, depending on context. In the 1800s a oner was normally a shilling, and in the early 1900s a oner was one pound.
oncer - (pronounced 'wunser'), a pound , and a simple variation of 'oner'. From the early 1900s, and like many of these slang words popular among Londoners (ack K Collard) from whom such terms spread notably via City traders and also the armed forces during the 2nd World War.
oxford - five shillings (5/-), also called a crown, from cockney rhyming slang oxford scholar = dollar, dollar being slang for a crown.
pair of nickers/pair of knickers/pair o'nickers - two pounds (£2), an irresistible pun.
penny-ha'penny/penny-ayp'ney - (1½d) one-and-a-half pennies - no coin existed for this amount, although it was a common and not unreasonable pre-decimal sweetshop total for a typical child on a budget, given that weekly pocket money in those days was for many children thruppence, or sixpence if you were lucky. (Thanks V)
plum - One hundred thousand pounds (£100,000). As referenced by Brewer in 1870. Seemingly no longer used. Origin unknown, although I received an interesting suggestion (thanks Giles Simmons, March 2007) of a possible connection with Jack Horner's plum in the nursery rhyme. The Jack Horner nursery rhyme is seemingly based on the story of Jack Horner, a steward to the Bishop of Glastonbury at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries (16th century), who was sent to Henry VIII with a bribe consisting of the deeds to twelve important properties in the area. Horner, so the story goes, believing the bribe to be a waste of time, kept for himself the best (the 'plum') of these properties, Mells Manor (near Mells, Frome, Somerset), in which apparently Horner's descendents still lived until quite recently. The Bishop was not so fortunate - he was hung drawn and quartered for remaining loyal to the Pope. If you have any more information about this possible 'plum' connection please let me know .
pony - twenty-five pounds (£25). From the late 18th century according to most sources, London slang, but the precise origin is not known. Also expressed in cockney rhyming slang as 'macaroni'. It is suggested by some that the pony slang for £25 derives from the typical price paid for a small horse, but in those times £25 would have been an unusually high price for a pony. Others have suggested that an Indian twenty-five rupee banknote featured a pony. Another suggestion (Ack P Bessell) is that pony might derive from the Latin words 'legem pone', which (according to the etymology source emtymonline.com) means, "........ 'payment of money, cash down,' [which interpretation apparently first appeared in] 1573, from first two words [and also the subtitle] of the fifth division of Psalm cxix [Psalm 119, verses 33 to 48, from the Bible's Old Testament], which begins the psalms at Matins on the 25th of the month; consequently associated with March 25, a quarter day in the old financial calendar, when payments and debts came due...." The words 'Legem pone' do not translate literally into monetary meaning, in the Psalm they words actully seem to equate to 'Teach me..' which is the corresponding phrase in the King James edition of the Bible. Other suggestions connecting the word pony with money include the Old German word 'poniren' meaning to pay, and a strange expression from the early 1800s, "There's no touching her, even for a poney [sic]," which apparently referred to a widow, Mrs Robinson, both of which appear in a collection of 'answers to correspondents' sent by readers and published by the Daily Mail in the 1990s.
poppy - money. Cockney rhyming slang, from 'poppy red' = bread, in turn from 'bread and honey' = money.
quarter - five shillings (5/-) from the 1800s, meaning a quarter of a pound. More recently (1900s) the slang 'a quarter' has transfered to twenty-five pounds.
quid - one pound (£1) or a number of pounds sterling. Plural uses singular form, eg., 'Fifteen quid is all I want for it..', or 'I won five hundred quid on the horses yesterday..'. The slang money expression 'quid' seems first to have appeared in late 1600s England, derived from Latin (quid meaning 'what', as in 'quid pro quo' - 'something for something else'). Other intriguing possible origins/influences include a suggested connection with the highly secretive Quidhampton banknote paper-mill, and the term quid as applied (ack D Murray) to chewing tobacco, which are explained in more detail under quid in the cliches, words and slang page .
readies - money, usually banknotes. Simply derived from the expression 'ready cash' or 'ready money'. Earlier usage, now far less common, was just 'ready' or 'the ready'.
revif - five pounds (£5), backslang for fiver.
rhino - £250, apparently in the Worcester area, (ack S Taylor). Cassells suggests rhino (also ryno and rino) meant money in the late 1600s, perhaps alluding to the value of the creature for the illicit aphrodisiac trade. I am informed (thanks S London) that the term rhino appears in American author Washington Irving's story The Devil and Tom Walker, which is set in 1730s New England, published in 1824. Here rhino refers to a large sum of money, not a specific amount. Let me know if you have other details about rhino money slang.
rofe - four pounds (£4), backslang, also meaning a four year prison term, which usage dates back to the mid-1800s. Such a long time ago the rofe money slang more likely would have meant fourpence rather than four pounds, much like the trend for other slang to transfer from pennies to pounds, as the money used by ordinary people shifts with inflation to the higher values.
saucepan - a pound, late 1800s, cockney rhyming slang: saucepan lid = quid.
score - twenty pounds (£20). From the 1900s, simply from the word 'score' meaning twenty, derived apparently from the ancient practice of counting sheep in lots of twenty, and keeping tally by cutting ('scoring') notches into a stick.
shekels/sheckles - money. Not always, but often refers to money in coins, and can also refer to riches or wealth. From the Hebrew word and Israeli monetary unit 'shekel' derived in Hebrew from the silver coin 'sekel' in turn from the word for weight 'sakal'.
seymour - salary of £100,000 a year - media industry slang - named after Geoff Seymour (1947-2009) the advertising copywriter said to have been the first in his profession to command such a wage. Seymour created the classic 1973 Hovis TV advert featuring the baker's boy delivering bread from a bike on an old cobbled hill in a North England town, to the theme of Dvorak's New World symphony played by a brass band. The actual setting was in fact Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset. Incidentally the Hovis bakery was founded in 1886 and the Hovis name derives from Latin, Hominis Vis, meaning 'strength of man'. The 1973 advert's artistic director was Ridley Scott.
shilling - a silver or silver coloured coin worth twelve pre-decimalisation pennies (12d). From Old High German 'skilling'. Similar words for coins and meanings are found all over Europe. The original derivation was either from Proto-Germanic 'skell' meaning to sound or ring, or Indo-European 'skell' split or divide. Some think the root might be from Proto-Germanic 'skeld', meaning shield.
shrapnel - loose change, especially a heavy and inconvenient pocketful, as when someone repays a small loan in lots of coins. The expression came into use with this meaning when wartime sensitivities subsided around 1960-70s. Shrapnel conventionally means artillery shell fragments, so called from the 2nd World War, after the inventor of the original shrapnel shell, Henry Shrapnel, who devised a shell filled with pellets and explosive powder c.1806.
sick squid - six pounds (£6), from the late 20th century joke - see squid.
silver - silver coloured coins, typically a handful or piggy-bankful of different ones - i.e., a mixture of 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p. Commonly used in speech as 'some silver' or 'any silver', for example: "Have you got any silver for the car-park?" or What tip shall we leave?" ... "Some silver will do." In fact 'silver' coins are now made of cupro-nickel 75% copper, 25% nickel (the 20p being 84% and 16% for some reason). The slang term 'silver' in relation to monetary value has changed through time, since silver coins used to be far more valuable. In fact arguably the modern term 'silver' equates in value to 'coppers' of a couple of generations ago. Silver featured strongly in the earliest history of British money , so it's pleasing that the word still occurs in modern money slang. Interestingly also, pre-decimal coins (e.g., shillings, florins, sixpences) were minted in virtually solid silver up until 1920, when they were reduced to a still impressive 50% silver content. The modern 75% copper 25% nickel composition was introduced in 1947. Changes in coin composition necessarily have to stay ahead of economic attractions offered by the scrap metal trade. It is therefore only a matter of time before modern 'silver' copper-based coins have to be made of less valuable metals, upon which provided they remain silver coloured I expect only the scrap metal dealers will notice the difference.
simoleon/samoleon - a dollar ($1) - (also simoleons/simloons = money) - other variations meaning a dollar are sambolio, simoleum, simolion, and presumably other adaptations, first recorded in the US late 1800s, thought possibly (by Cassells) to derive from a combination or confusion of the slang words 'simon' for a sixpence (below) and 'Napoleon', a French coin worth 20 Francs. To a lesser extent and later, probably mid-1900s, simoleon also meant a five dollar bill. Simoleon is in more recent times also the currency in the Maxis 'Sims' computer games series, and while this has popularised the term, it obviously was not the origin, appropriate though it is for the Sims context. (Thanks B Jones for raising this and its pre-Sims existence.)
simon - sixpence (6d). The sixpenny piece used to be known long ago as a 'simon', possibly (ack L Bamford) through reference to the 17th century engraver at the Royal Mint, Thomas Simon. There has been speculation among etymologists that 'simon' meaning sixpence derives from an old play on words which represented biblical text that St Peter "...lodged with Simon a tanner.." as a description of a banking transaction, although Partridge's esteemed dictionary refutes this, at the same time conceding that the slang 'tanner' for sixpence might have developed or been reinforced by the old joke. See 'tanner' below.
sir isaac - one pound (£1) - used in Hampshire (Southern England) apparently originating from the time when the one pound note carried a picture of Sir Isaac Newton. I'd welcome any feedback as to usage of this slang beyond Hampshire, (thanks M Ty-Wharton).
sky/sky diver - five pounds (£5), 20th century cockney rhyming slang.
smackers/smackeroos - pounds (or dollars) - in recent times not usually used in referring to a single £1 or a low amount, instead usually a hundred or several hundreds, but probably not several thousands, when grand would be preferred. Smackers (1920s) and smackeroos (1940s) are probably US extensions of the earlier English slang smack/smacks (1800s) meaning a pound note/notes, which Cassells slang dictionary suggests might be derived from the notion of smacking notes down onto a table.
sobs - pounds. Mispronunciation of sovs, short for sovereigns. An example of erroneous language becoming real actual language through common use. (Thanks to R Maguire for raising this one.)
sovs - pounds. Short for sovereigns - very old gold and the original one pound coins. For example 'Lend us twenty sovs..' Sov is not generally used in the singular for one pound. Mispronounced by some as 'sobs'.
spondulicks/spondoolicks - money. Pronunciation emphasises the long 'doo' sound. Various other spellings, e.g., spondulacks, spondulics. Normally refers to notes and a reasonable amount of spending money. The spondulicks slang can be traced back to the mid-1800s in England (source: Cassells), but is almost certainly much older. Spondoolicks is possibly from Greek, according to Cassells - from spondulox, a type of shell used for early money. Cassells also suggests possible connection with 'spondylo-' referring to spine or vertebrae, based on the similarity between a stack of coins and a spine, which is referenced in etymologist Michael Quinion's corespondence with a Doug Wilson, which cites the reference to piled coins (and thereby perhaps the link to sponylo/spine) thus: "Spondulics - coin piled for counting..." from the 1867 book A Manual of the Art of Prose Composition: For the Use of Colleges and Schools, by John Mitchell Bonnell. (Thanks R Maguire for prompting more detail for this one.)
sprazi/sprazzy - sixpence (6d). A variation of sprat, see below.
sprat/spratt - sixpence (6d). From the 1800s, by association with the small fish.
squid - a pound (£1). Not normally pluralised, still expressed as 'squid', not squids, e.g., 'Fifty squid'. The most likely origin of this slang expression is from the joke (circa 1960-70s) about a shark who meets his friend the whale one day, and says, "I'm glad I bumped into you - here's that sick squid I owe you.."
stiver/stuiver/stuyver - an old penny (1d). Stiver also earlier referred to any low value coin. Stiver was used in English slang from the mid 1700s through to the 1900s, and was derived from the Dutch Stiver coin issued by the East India Company in the Cape (of South Africa), which was the lowest East India Co monetary unit. There were twenty Stivers to the East India Co florin or gulden, which was then equal to just over an English old penny (1d). (source Cassells)
strike - a sovereign (early 1700s) and later, a pound, based on the coin minting process which is called 'striking' a coin, so called because of the stamping process used in making coins.
swy/swi - two shillings (especially florin coin). From the 1920s, derived from the German swei, an English pronunciation of the German word (swy, instead of svy), conceivably adopted into English slang following exposure of soldiers to the German language in World War One. Also used in Australia. Also refers generally to the number two. (Thanks S Johnson)
tanner - sixpence (6d). The slang word 'tanner' meaning sixpence dates from the early 1800s and is derived most probably from Romany gypsy 'tawno' meaning small one, and Italian 'danaro' meaning small change. The 'tanner' slang was later reinforced (Ack L Bamford) via jocular reference to a biblical extract about St Peter lodging with Simon, a tanner of hides (hence the Tanner surname, which referred to the job of converting animal skin into leather by soaking it in tannic acid, derived from bark, or gall or bile from animals). The biblical text (from Acts chapter 10 verse 6) is: "He (Peter) lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side..", which was construed by jokers as banking transaction instead of a reference to overnight accommodation. Below in more money history Nick Ratnieks suggests the tanner was named after a Master of the Mint of that name. A further suggestion (ack S Kopec) refers to sixpence being connected with pricing in the leather trade. I have no other evidence of this and if anyone has any more detail relating to the derivation of the tanner please send it . An obscure point of nostalgic trivia about the tanner is (thanks J Veitch) a rhyme, from around the mid-1900s, sung to the tune of Rule Britannia: "Rule Brittania, two tanners make a bob, three make eighteen pence and four two bob
" I am informed also since mentioning this here (thanks to the lady from London) who recalls her father signing the rhyme in the 1950s, in which the words 'one-and-sixpence' were used instead of 'eighteen pence'. If you remember more please tell me . Additionally, coincidentally or perhaps influentially, (thanks R Andrews) apparently British people in colonial India (broadly from about 1850 until India's independence in 1947) referred to a half rupee (eight annas) coin as 'eightanna', which obviously sounds just like 'a tanner'. The eight anna coin is said to have resembled the British sixpence of the time (which would have looked much like a pre-decimalisation sixpence). Britain issued India's coins during colonial rule and so some connection here is plausible. Incidentally, at the end of the 1800s the Indian silver rupee equated to one shilling and fourpence in British currency, or fifteen rupees to one pound sterling. The anna was effectively discontinued when India decimalised its currency in 1957.
tenner - ten pounds (£10).
ten bob bit - fifty pence piece (50p) - a somewhat rare and odd example of old money slang (both 'ten bob', and 'bit') adapting and persisting into modern times. The 50p coin was issued in 1967 to replace the 10/- note (ten shillings, or 'ten-bob note') at which the 10/- note was withdrawn. (This is the odd aspect..) The 1967 issue of the 50p coin was four years before decimalisation, and therefore also four years before the change of the currency/terminology to 'new pence'. So from 1967-71 the 50p coin was officially called ten shillings, hence 'ten-bob bit'. Prior to this there had never been a ten shilling coin, and we might wonder if the term 'ten-bob bit' would ever have emerged if the 50p coin had not been issued under such oddly premature circumstances. Of course the 'ten shilling coin' was officially renamed the '50p coin' when decimalisation happened in 1971, but happily the 'ten-bob bit' slang persisted and is still heard very occasionally today. Incidentally this pre-decimal issue of 'new pence' coins acting as 'old pence' money also applied to shillings (1/-) and florins (2/-)... From 1967 shillings were minted as 5p coins, and two-shillings as 10p coins, however since same-sized pre-decimalisation equivalent shilling and two-shilling coins already existed there was not a marked clash of nomenclature, and or new slang, as arose for the 'ten-bob bit. Separately the word 'bit' has long been slang for different forms of money, usually small coins, and notably in predecimal currency applied also to the 'thruppeny bit' and 'two-bob bit', but generally not to other coinage of the times. See 'bit'. (Thanks to T Casey for helping clarify this.)
tester/teaster/teston/testone/testoon - sixpence (6d) - from the late 1500s up to the 1920s. Rare since then. A teston was originally a French silver coin, struck at Milan by (for) the Duke of Milan, Galeazzo Mario (Maria) Sforza (1468-76), bearing his head. Teston is derived from Latin testa, meaning head. Later (mid-1500s) the word teston was applied to other Italian and French coinage. In England the name teston (also testoon*) was first used for the Henry VII (reigned 1485-1509) shilling, the first English coin to carry a true portrait. The term continued for equivalent coins of Henry VII and Edward VI, during which time the coin reduced in value from twelve pence to six pence and lower (values were less fixed then than now). By the late 1500s the distorted slang term tester (alongside variations above) had developed, coinciding with the coin's depreciation and debasing of the metal, so that tester became specific slang for a sixpennny piece. Interestingly the slang word tester was also later adopted (notably in Australian slang, mid-1800s to 1940s) to mean twenty-five strokes of the lash. Other coin slang words were similarly adopted (mid 1800s) equating to different levels of punishment, associated with maritime service, deportation and prison, such as bob (a shilling - 50 strokes), bull (five shillings - 75 strokes), canary (a guinea or sovereign - 100 strokes). The number of strokes did not match the coin denominations, but there is an obvious rising scale of violence correlation between relative values. The word tester (just sixpence, and just 25 strokes) no doubt appealed because of its additional ironic meaning in this context. It is tempting to imagine a connection between this sense of entry-level physical punishment and the 1900s slang 'a sixpenny one' meaning a single punch in the face or around the ear, often following a warning to dispense such retribution. (Sources mainly OEDs and Cassells. Thanks J Dodgson.)
* The 'oon' ending of testoon was a common suffix for French words adapted into English, such as balloon, buffoon, spitoon, dragoon, cartoon.
thick'un/thick one - a crown (5/-) or a sovereign, from the mid 1800s.
three ha'pence/three haypence - 1½d (one and a half old pennies) - this lovely expression (thanks Dean) did not survive decimalisation, despite there being new decimal half-pence coins. In fact the term was obsolete before 1971 decimalisation when the old ha'penny (½d) was removed from the currency in 1969. Alternatively three ha'pence was called and written 'a penny-ha'penny' or 'a penny-haypenny', or by Londoners 'a penny-aypny' (thanks V).
thrupence/threpence/thrupenny bit/thrupny bit - the pre-decimalization threepenny coin (3d), or before that (1937) referred to the silver threepenny coin. These spellings are the most popular slang/shortenings, most recently referring to the 'three-penny bit', less commonly called 'threepenny piece', the lovely nickel-brass (brass coloured) twelve-sided three-penny coin, introduced in 1937 to replace the preceding smaller silver 'threppence' or 'thrupny piece/bit' or 'joey' initially when the thrupny bit was first minted in 1937, and fully in 1945 when the silver threepence was withdrawn. See joey for detail about the silver thrupence, was also called a thrupny bit, and for a lot longer than the brass version, although not many would remember those times. The brass thrupny bit was withdrawn just prior to decimalization in 1971. See also the origins and other coin uses of the word bit - the word was used for other coins long ago. You will see other variations of spellings such as threp'ny, thrup'ny, thruppence, threpny, etc. Where the version ends with 'pny' (shortening of penny) it would always be followed by the 'bit' suffix. (Thanks I Harrison for suggesting this obvious omission.)
tickey/ticky/tickie/tiki/tikki/tikkie - ticky or tickey was an old pre-decimal British silver threepenny piece (3d, equating loosely to 1¼p). The tickey slang was in use in 1950s UK (in Birmingham for example, thanks M Bramich), although the slang is more popular in South Africa, from which the British usage seems derived. In South Africa the various spellings refer to a SA threepenny piece, and now the equivalent SA post-decimalisation 2½ cents coin. South African tickey and variations - also meaning 'small' - are first recorded in the 19th century from uncertain roots (according to Partridge and Cassells) - take your pick: African distorted interpretation of 'ticket' or 'threepenny'; from Romany tikeno and tikno (meaning small); from Dutch stukje (meaning a little bit); from Hindustani taka (a stamped silver coin); and/or from early Portuguese 'pataca' and French 'patac' (meaning what?.. Partridge doesn't say). Additionally (thanks K Gibbs) apparently the word 'tickey' has specific origins in the SA Cape Malay community, said to derive from early Malaccan slaves who brought with them a charm called a 'Tickey'. Furthermore (thanks R Rickett) in 1960-70s South Africa the extra inner right front 'watch' or 'fob' pocket on a pair of jeans, popularized by Levi, was called a 'ticky pocket', being where pocket money was kept. Let me know if you can add any further clarity to the history of ticky, tickey, etc.
tin - first recorded (says Cassells) as slang for money in the UK, mainly for silver coinage, in the mid 1800s, although the term seems to have become largely obscure by the 1960s. In the US meanwhile, tin came to mean a trifling or small amount of money by about 1920. (Thanks C Nethercroft)
tom/tom mix - six pounds (£6), 20th century cockney rhyming slang, (Tom Mix = six). Tom Mix was a famous cowboy film star from 1910-1940. Tom Mix initially meant the number six (and also fix, as in difficult situation or state of affairs), and extended later in the 1900s to mean six pounds.
ton - commonly one hundred pounds (£100). Not generally pluralised. From the fact that a ton is a measurement of 100 cubic feet of capacity (for storage, loading, etc). In the same way a ton is also slang for 100 runs in cricket, or a speed of 100 miles per hour. Logically 'half a ton' is slang for £50.
tony benn - ten pounds (£10), or a ten pound note - cockney rhyming slang derived from the Labour MP and government minister Anthony Wedgwood Benn, popularly known as Tony Benn. Tony Benn (born 1925) served in the Wilson and Callaghan governments of the 1960s and 70s, and as an MP from 1950-2001, after which he remains (at time of writing this, Feb 2008) a hugely significant figure in socialist ideals and politics, and a very wise and impressive man.
tosheroon/tusheroon/tosh/tush/tusseroon - half-a-crown (2/6) from the mid-1900s, and rarely also slang for a crown (5/-), most likely based in some way on madza caroon (' lingua franca ' from mezzo crown), perhaps because of the rhyming, or some lost cockney rhyming rationale.
tray/trey - three pounds, and earlier threpence (thruppeny bit, 3d), ultimately from the Latin tres meaning three, and especially from the use of tray and trey for the number three in cards and dice games.
two and a kick - half a crown (2/6), from the early 1700s, based on the basic (not cockney) rhyming with 'two and six'.
wad - money. Usually meaning a large amount of spending money held by a person when out enjoying themselves. London slang from the 1980s, derived simply from the allusion to a thick wad of banknotes. Popularity of this slang word was increased by comedian Harry Enfield.
wampum - money - from native American Indian language referring to polished shells or beads currency.
wedge - nowadays 'a wedge' a pay-packet amount of money, although the expression is apparently from a very long time ago when coins were actually cut into wedge-shaped pieces to create smaller money units.
wonga - money. Less common variations on the same theme: wamba, wanga, or womba. Modern London slang. Probably from Romany gypsy 'wanga' meaning coal. The large Australian 'wonga' pigeon is almost certainly unrelated...
yard - a thousand million (pounds sterling, dollars or euros). (Thanks P Lindsey) Yard here is a slang shortening of milliard, an old (1700s) English word for a thousand million (1,000,000,000), originally from French, from mille, thousand. Yard may be pluralized, for example 2 yards, or two yards = 2,000,000,000. In UK/US/Arab numbering and money terminology the word milliard has been replaced by billion, but elsewhere in the world milliard is still used, and a billion refers to a million millions, not a thousand millions. This perhaps explains why the slang 'yard' has grown in popularity among people referring to such big sums, so as to clarify quickly a very large number which might otherwise easily be confused in international communications. In the world of finance obviously confusion on such a vast scale would not be helpful. See the metric prefixes page for fuller explanations of big number words, and decimals/fractions, and the differences between UK/US 'short scale' numbers, compared with European 'long scale' numbers; there are examples of even bigger numbers and different words besides milliard/billion. Apart from the modern slang meaning of yard, the word yard separately came into the US slang language in or a little before the 1920s to mean either 100 or 1,000 dollars, and in certain situations this slang persists, related to the underworld/prison slang of a custodial sentence of a hundred years.
yennep/yenep/yennap/yennop - a penny (1d particularly, although also means a decimal penny, 1p). Yennep is backslang. Backslang evolved for similar reasons as cockney rhyming slang, i.e., to enable private or secret conversation among a particular community, which in the case of backslang is generally thought initially to have been street and market traders, notably butchers and greengrocers. Backslang essentially entails reversing the sound of the word, not the strict spelling, as you can see from the yennep example. Yennep backslang seems first to have appeared along with the general use of backslang in certain communities in the 1800s.
yennaps/yennups - money. Originated in the 1800s from the backslang for penny. See yennep.
zac/zak/zack/sac - sixpence (6d) - Australian and New Zealand slang from the late 1800s for a sixpence, extending more generally to refer to money, and especially a small sum of money or a 5 cents coin. The zak slang meaning for money is also used in South Africa. Possibly derived from Scottish pronunciation and slang 'saxpence'. Like a few other money slang terms zac/zack also refers to a numerical equivalent prison sentence, in this case six months. (Thanks S Johnson)
more old money history and references
Here are some other observations about English money. I'm grateful to Nick Ratnieks for providing the opportunity to start this section. Other contributions gratefully received.
From Nick Ratnieks, Jun 2007: "I didn't spot anything on the history of the groat which was a nice little 4d silver coin I think minted until the 1830s but possibly still existing today as Maundy Money which is a section by itself [now briefly summarised above, thanks for the prompt].
You mention the florin which was an early experiment at going decimal as there were 10 to the pound. I seem to remember that the early ones left off the latin phrase 'dei gratia' and were known as 'Godless florins' and I have a feeling were withdrawn from circulation. For a short period of time in the 1880s there was a 'double florin' - 4 bob - my grandmother had one.
You mention that the lower denomination coins were copper but they were changed to bronze in the great re-coining of 1860 that led to smaller coins. There had been the old Matthew Boulton Mint 'Cartwheel Tuppences' made using James Watt's steam engines and for the colonies there were even half and I believe quarter farthings. And the Gold Noble, a stonking great third of a quid 80 pennies or 6/8d.
[And with reference to the origins of the 'tanner' slang for sixpence] ...John Sigesmund Tanner came to England from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1727 and shortly afterwards joined the Royal Mint where he worked for 40 years becoming the chief engraver...
My brother found an old Daily Mail published on February 26th 1955 and the price was written as 'three halfpence' which is rather wonderful I think! The other thing is retail pricing - I seem to remember up to a certain level shillings were used. My Tuf shoes were 49/11d - I think after that sort of price or 59/11d they tended to use £'s. Then prices in guineas - one of my friends who was a professional guitarist said his first 'decent' guitar bought for him by his dad - a Gibson Les Paul Junior was 69 guineas which is of course £72 9/-. I think there was an element of 'posh' and as I have seen ads for appliances in guineas - the desire to make it seem 'affordable' as well was part of the ruse."
(Thanks Nick Ratnieks, who later confirmed that the crazy price of the Gibson Les Paul was wrong - it was in fact 68 guineas!)
british money, english money, scottish money...
Please note that Scotland, Northern Ireland and the various islands of Britain have produced and continue to produce their own (sometimes very different) designs of coins and banknotes, which are legal tender in all of Britain. As such these different notes and coins are all British currency (even though not all shops and traders everywhere accept them, for reasons of unfamiliarity or a heightened sensitivity to the risks of forgeries).
This webpage chiefly concerns British currency issued by the Bank of England and the Royal Mint, which is legal tender everywhere in Britain, hence the use of the term British, because 'English' would actually be incorrect in this context, and unhelpfully parochial too.
Arguably a more correct description for certain sections of this article would be 'British currency issued by the Bank of England or the Royal Mint' but to keep repeating this would become a real bore, so please forgive the relatively loose use of the words Britain and British - in most situations on this page British equates to the longer phrase above.
This is not to dismiss the huge variety of wonderful designs of coins and banknotes produced by Scotland and other parts of the British Isles. I hope eventually to encompass some of this money and its related details and history on this page.
With that in mind, I'd be grateful to receive pictures or even examples of the real thing, especially high value notes if you have plenty to spare..
Send your pics of interesting and/or beautiful banknotes and coins from Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, etc., and I'll show them on this page, or even start a new section altogether.
Thanks H Camrass for raising this whole issue about British terminology and non-English coins and banknotes.
For starters, here's a cute little 20p piece from Jersey (not actual size...) My son found it in his change recently. It has the Queen's head on the reverse and is dated 2005. What a lovely thing.
Suggestions and comments about money slang and origins are welcome: please send them .
Contributions are displayed below .
Please see additional referencing/usage terms below.
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What is obtained from the seeds of the flax plant? | flax | plant | Britannica.com
plant
Alternative Titles: common flax, Linum usitatissimum
Related Topics
flaxseed
Flax (Linum usitatissimum), plant of the family Linaceae , cultivated both for its fibre , from which linen yarn and fabric are made, and for its nutritious seeds, called flaxseed or linseed, from which linseed oil is obtained. Though flax has lost some of its value as a commercial fibre crop owing to the availability of synthetic fibres, it has grown in popularity as a health food and remains economically significant in a number of countries around the world, including China , Russia , and Canada . (For additional information on the nutrition and uses of the seeds, see flaxseed ).
Harvesting flax near Hrodna, in western Belarus.
A. Perekhod/Tass from Sovfoto
Flaxseed, or linseed, harvested from flax (Linum usitatissimum).
AdstockRF
Flax is an herbaceous annual . When densely planted for fibre, plants average 0.9 to 1.2 metres (3 to 4 feet) in height, with slender stalks 2.5 to 4 mm (about 0.10 to 0.15 inch) in diameter and with branches concentrated at the top. Plants cultivated for seed are shorter and many-branched. The leaves , alternating on the stalk, are small and lance-shaped. The flowers , borne on stems growing from the branch tips, have five petals, usually blue in colour but sometimes white or pink. The fruits are small dry capsules composed of five lobes.
Flax (Linum usitatissimum) in bloom. The plant is grown for its useful fibres as well as for …
© Mykola Ivashchenko/Shutterstock.com
A bast fibre , flax is one of the oldest textile fibres. Evidence of its use has been found in the prehistoric lake dwellings of Switzerland . Fine linen fabrics, indicating a high degree of skill, have been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs. Phoenician traders apparently brought linen from the Mediterranean area to Gaul and Britain , and the Romans introduced linen manufacture throughout their empire. In the 17th century the German states and Russia were major sources of raw material, and the linen industry was established in the Netherlands, Ireland, England , and Scotland. In North America the expansion of the cotton industry reduced the importance of linen.
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| Linseed oil |
Which famous artist painted such worls as 'A girl in the window', 'The man with the golden helmet' and 'Nightwatch'? | Flax - definition of flax by The Free Dictionary
Flax - definition of flax by The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/flax
Related to flax: Flax oil
flax
n.
1.
a. A widely cultivated plant, Linum usitatissimum, having pale blue flowers, seeds that yield linseed oil, and slender stems from which a textile fiber is obtained.
b. The fine, light-colored textile fiber obtained from this plant.
c. Any of various other plants of the genus Linum or of other genera in the family Linaceae.
2. A pale grayish yellow.
[Middle English, from Old English fleax; see plek- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
flax′y adj.
(flæks)
n
1. (Plants) any herbaceous plant or shrub of the genus Linum, esp L. usitatissimum, which has blue flowers and is cultivated for its seeds (flaxseed) and for the fibres of its stems: family Linaceae
2. (Plants) the fibre of this plant, made into thread and woven into linen fabrics
3. (Plants) any of various similar plants
4. (Plants) Also called: harakeke NZ a swamp plant producing a fibre that is used by Māoris for decorative work, baskets, etc
[Old English fleax; related to Old Frisian flax, Old High German flahs flax, Greek plekein to plait]
flax
(flæks)
n.
1. any plant of the genus Linum, family Linaceae, esp. L. usitatissimum, a slender annual with blue flowers that is cultivated for its fiber, used for making linen yarn, and for its seeds, which yield linseed oil.
2. the fiber of this plant.
3. any of various plants resembling flax.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English fleax]
flax′y, adj.
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Which English cathedral has the tallest spire? | Six of the best: beautiful English cathedrals | Daily Mail Online
Six of the best: beautiful English cathedrals
By Emily Payne, TravelMail
Last updated at 17:31 03 October 2008
Lincoln Cathedral was used during the filming of the Da Vinci Code
You don't need to travel to Venice, Paris or India to see breathtaking architecture – Britain's forefathers certainly had talent.
The intricate nature of the nation's cathedrals means they are as jaw-droppingly beautiful now as when they were first built. So, as Salisbury Cathedral celebrates its 750th birthday, we pick out some other show-stoppers worthy of a visit.
Salisbury Cathedral
Its spectacular spire is the tallest medieval structure in Britain. Its beauty lured some of the greatest artists, including Turner, Constable and Whistler, to Wiltshire. And while most cathedrals took centuries to build Salisbury Cathedral was built in just 38 years - by a mere 300 men.
The English Gothic structure is one of twenty cathedrals that were built after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 when William the Conqueror seized control of England and Wales.
Cathedral construction was an emerging skill, and errors of judgement led to the collapse of the central towers at both Winchester and Lincoln. With foundations only four feet deep, Salisbury was lucky to escape a similar fate when the imposing spire was added. The spire now leans 69.85cm to the south and 44.44cm to the west.
Enjoy spectacular views as you climb 332 steps of narrow spiral staircases to reach the summit. From here, gaze up through the medieval scaffold and from the outside look over the city and surrounding countryside.
Salisbury Cathedral boasts Britain's tallest spire
Europe's oldest working clock (AD1386), found in the north nave aisle, has 'ticked' more than 5 million times since it was first built.
Admission: Free, but with a suggested donation of £3
Opening hours: 7:15am to 6:15pm daily, (7:15pm 09th June - 23rd August) with regular services every Sunday.
More information: www.salisburycathedral.org.uk
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral took on the role of Westminster Abbey during the filming of The Da Vinci Code after the Abbey refused to take part. Filming took place mainly within the cloisters and chapter house of the cathedral, and remained a closed set.
Taller than the Egyptian Pyramids, the famous edifice is an imposing tribute to medieval British architecture. It has been through a series of building disasters and mishaps including a fire, an earthquake and a gale in its near 1000 years of existence.
According to 14th century legend, two troublesome imps were sent by Satan to do evil work on Earth. An angel appeared at Lincoln Cathedral and ordered them to stop. One of the imps sat atop a stone pillar started throwing rocks at the angel whilst the other imp cowered under the broken tables and chairs.
The angel turned the first imp to stone allowing the second imp to escape. The imp that turned to stone, the Lincoln Imp, can still be found, frozen in stone, sitting on a stone column in the Angel Choir.
The cathedral offers tours of the main building, the tower and the roof. The peak of its season is the Lincoln Christmas Market, accompanied by an annual production of Handel's Messiah.
Opening hours: summer weekdays 7.15am to 8.00pm, saturdays and sundays 7.15am to 6.00pm. Winter weekdays and saturdays 7.15am to 6.00pm, sundays 7.15 am to 5.00pm
Admission: Adults £4.00, concessions £3.00, children 5 –16 £1.00, children under 5 Free
More information: www.lincolncathedral.com
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester's centrepiece controlled a third of the country's wealth before Henry VIII stripped it of much of its land and privileges.
The awesome building was the last resting place of Saint Swithun who lived in the 9th century. After his death, his bones were said to heal the sick and pilgrims flocked to the cathedral in their thousands.
Winchester Cathedral is the resting place of Saint Swithun
But events took their toll on the building. The Roundheads during the English Civil War smashed the West Window in the 1600s. The locals pieced it together but botched the job, and now it has the appearance of a rather abstract artwork.
Visitors to the cathedral are invited to climb the Cathedral Tower, admire sights over the city as far as the Isle of Wight, explore the crypt which houses the acclaimed Sound II sculpture by Anthony Gormley and unravel the intimate secrets of well-known Winchester resident Jane Austen – who died there in 1817.
An outdoor winter ice-skating rink will operate in the Cathedral grounds from 27th November 2008 to 4th January 2009.
Admission: adults - £5, senior citizens - £4, unbooked groups - £4, children under 16 in their families - free, unemployed and full-time students/language schools - £3
Opening hours: Open daily from 8.30am to 6.00pm except Sunday when it closes at 5.30pm
More information: www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk
Canterbury Cathedral
In 1170 Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in the cathedral and ever since, the Cathedral has attracted thousands of pilgrims, as told famously in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
Its jewel-like stained glass windows date from the late 12th and early 13th centuries. And the Miracle Windows depict stories often involving ordinary local people, whose names are still known today. The cathedral stands surrounded by medieval buildings and ruins. The Romanesque Water Tower was once the centre of the monastic water supply.
Parts of the monastery's granary, bakery and brewery, now occupied by The King's School, still stand today.
Canterbury Cathedral is a historical haven of murder and intrigue
The newest addition to the cathedral gardens – the Herbarium is certianly worth a visit. It's new creation with an old theme, on a site adjacent to the original Monastic Herbarium. The herbs planted here have been used for thousands of years and would undoubtedly have been used by the first monks to heal the sick.
Admission: adults - £7.00, concessions - £5.50
Opening hours: weekdays - 9.00am to 5.30pm in summer, 9.00am to 5pm in winter. The Crypt opens at 10.00am. Sundays - 12.30pm to 2.30pm
More information: www.canterbury-cathedral.org
St Paul's Cathedral
London's dramatic skyline would not be complete without the monumental dome of St Paul's Cathedral. The remarkable structure has been burnt down twice – once in 675 AD and again in the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Sir Christopher Wren was given the task of designing and rebuilding the cathedral - a job that would take him thirty-five years to complete. At the time it was the second largest dome ever built after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Despite being the first British Anglican cathedral to be built during the 1600s, Wren borrowed heavily from the Catholic Renaissance, by adopting such features as the dome and Corinthian columns.
Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt St Paul's in a Renaissance style
The inner dome displays frescoes of scenes from the life of St Paul. These were painted by Sir James Thornhill and can be seen from the Whispering Gallery. Wren died at 91 and a black marble slab in the St Paul's crypt marks his tomb.
Admission: adults - £10, seniors - £9, students - £8.50, family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) - £23.50, children (7-16yrs) - £3.50
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday between 8.30am to 4.00pm. Galleries are open from 9.30am and last admission is at 4.00pm.
More information: www.stpauls.co.uk
Wells Cathedral
It serves the smallest city in England, but Wells Cathedral, built in the late 1100s is not without awe-inspiring charm.
An earthquake damaged the original central tower in the 13th century. The rebuilding took over 60 years to complete but, after just 20 years, cracks began to appear.
In order to save the tower from collapse, the master mason, William Joy, built the 'scissor arches' that can still be seen in the main part of the cathedral and the hidden buttresses in the upper part of the church building.
The cathedral boasts some of the finest medieval stained glass to be found in England, which, miraculously, survived the Reformation and the Civil War.
The 'Jesse' or 'Golden Window' dates back to 1340 and, thanks to its height avoided the stones of the mob. The window traces the ancestry of Christ through Mary to Jesse, the father of King David, in the shape of a genealogical tree.
Admission: Free, but donations are welcome. Adult - £5.50 child/student - £2.50. senior citizen - £4.00
Opening hours: April - September 7.00am to 7.00pm, October - March 7.00am to 6.00pm
| The Salisbury |
Which is the only cathedral in England with three spires? | Instant Video Play: Salisbury Cathedral. The tallest church spire in the country.
Salisbury Cathedral. The tallest church spire in the country.
Details
Salisbury Cathedral. The tallest church spire in the country.
Salisbury Cathedral is one of the leading examples of Early English architecture. The main body of the cathedral was completed in only 38 years, from 1220 to 1258. The cathedral has the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom (123m/404 ft) 4ft higher than the CAA legal limit for drones in the UK. Visitors can take the "Tower Tour" where the interior of the hollow spire, with its ancient wood scaffolding, can be viewed. The cathedral also has the largest cloister and the largest cathedral close in Britain (80 acres (32 ha)). It contains the world's oldest working clock (from AD 1386) and has the best surviving of the four original copies of Magna Carta (all four original copies are in England). In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration. Thanks to Wikipedia for the above information. Music courtesy of Bond.
| i don't know |
Against which country did Russia declare war in 1939? | World War II 1939 | Encyclopedia of War
Encyclopedia of War
World War II 1939
Events of 1939
Three years of mounting international tension - The Spanish Civil War, the Anschluss of Germany and Austria, Hitler's occupation of the Sudetenland and the invasion of Czechoslovakia - culminated in the German invasion of Poland on 1 September. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. While the USA proclaimed neutrality, it continued to supply Britain with essential supplies, and the critical Battle of the Atlantic between German U-Boats and British naval convoys commenced.
Western Europe was eerily quiet during this 'phoney war'. Preparations for war continued in earnest, but there were few signs of conflict, and civilians who had been evacuated from London in the first months drifted back into the city. Gas masks were distributed, and everybody waited for the proper war to begin.
In eastern Europe and Scandinavia there was nothing phony about the war. With the Ribbentrop Pact signed between the Soviet Union and Germany in late August, Russia followed Germany into Poland in September. That country was carved up between the two invaders before the end of the year, and Russia continued this aggression by going on to invade Finland.
Austria was annexed into the German Third Reich on 12 March 1938. There had been several years of pressure by supporters from both Austria and Germany for the "Heim ins Reich " movement The Heim ins Reich Home into the Empire; or Back to Reich initiative was a policy pursued by Hitler starting in 1938 and was one of the main factors leading to the War.
Germany invades poland
v
On September 1, 1939, Germany invades Poland the German attack was code-named Operation White ( Fall Weiss ). The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. From East Prussia and Germany in the north and Silesia and Slovakia in the
south, German units, with more than 2,000 tanks and over 1,000 planes, smashed through Polish lines along the border and pushed on to Warsaw in a massive encirclement attack. After heavy shelling and bombing, Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27, 1939. Britain and France, standing by their guarantee of Poland's border, had declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. The Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland on September 17, 1939. The demarcation line for the partition of German- and Soviet-occupied Poland was along the Bug River.
The Polish armed forces were no match for the German Blitzkrieg "lightning war" the Germans learned valuable lessons from World War I; were large forces got bogged down and and ended in trench warfare and opposing armies battled for control,but anything gained was lost just a quick with of large numbers of troops killed or wounded.
In the late thirties Polish headquarters prepared " Plan Zachód " (Plan West), a plan of mobilization of Polish Army in case of war with Germany. Earlier, the Poles did not regard the Germans as their main threat, priority was given to threat from the Soviets. In terms of air power, the Germans had 850 bombers and dive-bombers and 400 fighters. The Polish Air Force numbered 150
fighters and 210 bombers – Many of these were obsolete and were no match for the modern Luftwaffe that destroyed the Polish Air Force within two days of the first attack.
The Polish Navy consisted of four destroyers, five submarines, two gunboats, a mine-layer and six mine sweepers – which meant that any German attack from the sea could not be repulsed. Despite the terms of Versailles, Germany had built a modern navy that totally outclassed the Polish Navy.
The Polish were out manned and out gunned and had little chance to stop the German advance into Poland. There were even reports of Polish calvary charging German tanks in a desperate attempt to halt the advance but had no affect but these are supposed myths, creations of the Germans and even Italian propaganda and are very far from truth. Polish cavalry was active during the campaign and acted as horse mounted infantry. One of the most successful cavalry charges took place at Krojanty, where elements of 18th Uhlans Regiment attacked and destroyed German infantry battalion only to be counterattacked by German armored unit.
German casualties (8,082 to 10,572 killed, 27,278 to 30,322 wounded and 3404 to 5029 missing) were nothing compared to Polish casualties (66,300 killed, 133,700 wounded and 420,000 taken prisoner). Poles lost 327 out of their 435 airplanes in combat, while 98 flew to Romania. In addition, 26000 civilians were killed during the fighting. Germans lost some 993 to 1000 armored fighting vehicles (mainly destroyed by anti-tank guns), 370 to 400 artillery pieces, 697 to 1300 airplanes (damaged and destroyed) along with 11000 motor vehicles.
Britain and France declare war on Germany
v
Britain and France are at war with Germany following the invasion of Poland two days ago. At 1115 BST the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain , announced the British deadline for the withdrawal of German troops from Poland had expired.
He said the British ambassador to Berlin had handed a final note to the German government this morning saying unless it announced plans to withdraw from Poland by 1100, a state of war would exist between the two countries.
Mr Chamberlain continued: "I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received and consequently this country is at war with Germany."
Similarly the French issued an ultimatum, which was presented in Berlin at 1230, saying France would be at war unless a 1700 deadline for the troops' withdrawal was adhered to.
He continued: "I ask them to stand calm, firm and united in this time of trial. The task will be hard. There may be dark days ahead and war can no longer be confined to the battlefield. But we can only do the right as we see the right and reverently commit our cause to God."
A War Cabinet of nine members has been set up with two new ministers, including Winston Churchill as First Lord of the Admiralty, the post he held at the outbreak of World War I. Lord Hankey becomes Minister without Portfolio.
Anthony Eden will take over as Dominions Secretary with special access to the War Cabinet. Mr Eden resigned from the post of Secretary of Foreign Affairs last year because he disagreed with the policy of appeasement.
The National Service (Armed Forces) Act has been passed making all men between 18 and 41 liable for conscription. The armed forces have already been mobilized for war and in July the first Territorial Army conscripts were called up.
Latest reports from Poland say the Germans have bombed a number of towns and cities, some with little or no strategic importance. About 1,500 are reported to have been killed or injured in the attacks on Friday and Saturday.
In his broadcast to the nation, Mr Chamberlain spoke of his sadness that "the long struggle to win peace" had failed.
He continued: "I cannot believe that there is anything more or anything different that I could have done and that would have been more successful.
The year previous 1938 Mr Chamberlain went to meet Hitler and signed the Munich Agreement, conceding the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Germany; and would return to Britain like a hero but the agreement wasn't worth the paper it was writen on.
Just over a year later it was War and the Allied forces were deployed.
The British had The British Expeditionary Force (BEF), this was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940
The British Expeditionary Force was started in 1938 in readiness for a perceived threat of war after Germany annexed Austria in March 1938 these forces were mainly deployed along the French and Belgium borders but didnt see action until 10 May 1940 when Germany invaded France.
Soviet invasion of Poland-Finland
v
The soviet union invasion of Poland began without a formal declaration of war on the 17 September 1939 roughly sixteen days after the Nazi Germany's invasion the soviets attacked from the east.The Red Army invades Kresy in accordance with the secret protocol,on 17 September,The soviets claimed the were the was acting to protect the Ukrainians and Belarusians who lived in the eastern part of Poland because of the collapse of the Polish state and couldn't guarantee the safety of its citizens.
Now facing a second front the Polish Government ordered the evacuation of all troops to neutral Romanian.
The soviet forces who outnumbered the Polish forces gain their objectives very easily and captured some 230,000 prisoners of war.now the soviets started a campaign to sovietizing the areas under their control.
To keep control of the masses the Red army proceeded with executions and thounsends of arrests now the soviets would deport hundreds of thounsends to Siberia and other remote parts of the Soviet Union this happened in four major waves from 1939-1941 until the were pushed out by the Germans in operation Barbarossa until the Soviets reconquered it in 1944.
The Winter War
The very first attack on November 30, 1939 was an aerial bombardment on the city of Helsinki and all along the Finnish-Soviet border.This united the finns and the establishment of a false government in terijoki with exiled O.W.Kuusinen further United and angered the Finns,The Soviets who were building a large force of four armies which were split up into 16 divisions and a further three to be mobilized,
Compared to the Finnish army of 9 small divisions thats not even accounting for the Armour air and naval units in the conflict.
the major problem the Finnish forces faced was the had to defend a border that was nearly 88 miles in length.
The war was fought on two main fronts the karelia isthmus and the area of lake Ladoga,the Soviets main focus was on the city of Viipuri and would try and split the country in half and then drive from the north at Petsamo,by the end of December the two main fronts came to a standstill and Finns counter attacks kept the Russia bogged down.
The Finns in the north had been pushed back and took the higher ground in a attempt to stop the soviet advance,during this period the Finns attacked supply columns and carried out raids against the Russian lines.after replemsihing supplys in February started artillery barrage that lasted nine days while Russian troops carried out their own raids and started to rotate the troops and the front to try and keep pressure on the Finnish lines.
had seen that the only thing left to do was to negotiate a peace treaty with Moscow, which would turn out cause a new type of difficult.
| Finland |
What is the name of the fat substance used in ointments and cosmetics that is obtained from wool? | Did the Soviet Union Invade Poland in September 1939?
Introduction
Did the Soviet Union Invade Poland on September 17, 1939? Why ask? "We all know" this invasion occurred. "You can look it up!" All authoritative sources agree. This historical event happened.
Here's a recent article in The New York Review of Books (April 30, 2009, p. 17) by Timothy Snyder, Yale University professor, academic expert in this area -- and fanatic anticommunist -- who just has to know that what he writes here is, to put it politely, false:
Because the film (although not the book)* begins with the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 rather than the joint German-Soviet invasion and division of Poland in 1939... the Soviet state had just months earlier been an ally of Nazi Germany... (* "Defiance")
"Behind Closed Doors" (PBS series 2009):
"After invading Poland in September 1939, the Nazis and the Soviets divided the country as they had agreed to do in the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact
"
Wikipedia article: "Soviet invasion of Poland":
"
on 17 September, the Red Army invaded Poland from the east
"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_invasion_of_Poland
Every historian I have read, even those who do not conform to Cold War paradigms, state unproblematically that the Soviet Union invaded Poland in September 1939.
But the the truth is that the USSR did not invade Poland in September, 1939. Even though the chances are at least 99 to 1 that every history book you can find says that it did. I have yet to find an English-language book that gets this correct. And, of course, the USSR had never been an "ally of Nazi Germany.
I will present a lot of evidence in support of this statement. There is a great deal more evidence to support what I say much more than I can present here, and no doubt much more that I have not yet even identified or located.
Furthermore, at the time it was widely acknowledged that no such invasion occurred. I'll demonstrate that too.
Probably the truth of this matter was another victim of the post-WW2 Cold War, when a great many falsehoods about Soviet history were invented or popularized. The truth about this and many other questions concerning the history of the first socialist state has simply become "unmentionable in polite company."
Demonizing I use the word advisedly, it is not too strong the history of the communist movement and anything to do with Stalin has become de rigeur, a shibboleth of respectability. And not only among avowed champions of capitalism but among ourselves, on the left, among Marxists, opponents of capitalism, the natural constituency of a movement for communism.
Some time ago Doug Henwood tweaked me on the MLG list for "defending Stalin."
I could make a crack about what defenses of Stalin have to do with a "sensible materialism," but that would be beneath me.
(MLG list May 17 2009)
Doug thinks he knows something about Stalin and the USSR during Stalins time. He doesn't! But you cant blame him too much, since none of us do. More precisely: We "know" a lot of things about the Soviet Union and Stalin, and almost all of those things are just not true.Weve been swallowing lies for the truth our whole lives.
Ill be brief in this presentation. I have prepared separate web pages with references to much of the evidence I have found (not all there is just too much). Im also preparing a longer version for eventual publication.
The Nonaggression Treaty Between Germany and the USSR of August 1939
For a discussion of the events that led up to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 an excellent account is still Bill Bland, "The German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1939" (1990). I have checked every citation in this article; most are available online now. It's very accurate, but far more detail than the present article requires.
Before we get into the question of the invasion that did not take place, the reader needs to become familiar with some misconceptions about the Nonaggression Treaty and why they are false. These too are based on anticommunist propaganda that is widely, if naively, "believed."
The most common, and most false, of these is stated above in the PBS series "Behind Closed Doors"
the Nazis and the Soviets divided the country as they had agreed to do in the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact
This is completely false, as any reading of the text of the M-R Pact itself will reveal. Just read the words on the page (see below).
The USSR did not invade Poland - and everybody knew it at the time
When Poland had no government, Poland was no longer a state. (More detailed discussion below )
What that meant was this: at this point Hitler had nobody with whom to negotiate a cease-fire, or treaty.
Furthermore, the M-R Treatys Secret Protocols were void, since they were an agreement about the state of Poland and no state of Poland existed any longer. Unless the Red Army came in to prevent it, there was nothing to prevent the Nazis from coming right up to the Soviet border.
Or -- as we now know they were in fact preparing to do -- Hitler could have formed one or more pro-Nazi states in what had until recently been Eastern Poland. That way Hitler could have had it both ways: claim to the Soviets that he was still adhering to the "spheres of influence" agreement of the M-R Pact while in fact setting up a pro-Nazi, highly militarized fascist Ukrainian nationalist state on the Soviet border.
At the end of September a new secret agreement was concluded. In it the Soviet line of interest was far to the East of the "sphere of influence" line decided upon a month earlier in the Secret Protocol and published in Izvestiia and in the New York Times during September 1939. This reflected Hitlers greater power, now that he had smashed the Polish military. See the map at new_spheres_0939.html
In this territory Poles were a minority, even after the "polonization" campaign of settling Poles in the area during the 20s and 30s. You can see the ethnic / linguistic population map at curzonline.html
How do we know this interpretation of events is true?
How do we know the USSR did not commit aggression against, or "invade", Poland when it occupied Eastern Poland beginning on September 17, 1939 after the Polish Government had interned itself in Rumania? Here are nine pieces of evidence:
1. The Polish government did not declare war on USSR.
The Polish government declared war on Germany when Germany invaded on September 1, 1939. It did not declare war on the USSR.
2. The Polish Supreme Commander Rydz-Smigly ordered Polish soldiers not to fight the Soviets, though he ordered Polish forces to continue to fight the Germans.
See rydz_dont_fight.html
3. The Polish President Ignaz Moscicki, interned in Rumania since Sept. 17, tacitly admitted that Poland no longer had a government.
See moscicki_resignation.html
The Rumanian position recognized the fact that Moscicki was blowing smoke when he claimed he had legally resigned on September 30. So the Rumanian government fabricated a story according to which Moscicki had already resigned back on September 15, just before entering Rumania and being interned (NYT 10.04.39, p.12). Note that Moscicki himself did not claim this!
Rumania needed this legal fiction to try to sidestep the following issue. Once Moscicki had been interned in Rumania that is, from September 17 1939 on he could not function as President of Poland. Since resignation is an official act, Moscicki could not resign once he was in Rumania.
For our present purposes, heres the significant point: Both the Polish leaders and the Rumanian government recognized that Poland was bereft of a government once the Polish government crossed the border into Rumania and were interned there.
Both Moscicki and Rumania wanted a legal basis a fig-leaf -- for such a government. But they disagreed completely about this fig-leaf, which exposes it as what it was a fiction.
5. Rumania had a military treaty with Poland aimed against the USSR. Rumania did not declare war on the USSR.
The Polish government later claimed that it had "released" Rumania from its obligations under this military treaty in return for safe haven in Rumania.
But there is no evidence for this statement. No wonder: it is at least highly unlikely that Rumania would have ever promised "safe haven" for Poland, since that would have been an act of hostility against Nazi Germany. Rumania was neutral in the war and, as discussed below, insisted upon imprisoning the Polish goverment and disarming the Polish forced once they had crossed the border into Rumania.
The real reason for Rumania's failure to declare war on the USSR is probably the one given in a New York Times article of September 19, 1939:
"The Rumanian viewpoint concerning the Rumanian-Polish anti-Soviet agreement is that it would be operative only if a Russian attack came as an isolated event and not as a consequence of other wars."
- "Rumania Anxious; Watches Frontier." NYT 09.19.39, p.8.
That means Rumania recognized that the Red Army was not allied with Germany, an "other war." This is tacit recognition of the Soviet and German position that Poland no longer had a government, and therefore was no longer a state.
6. France did not declare war on the USSR, though it had a mutual defense treaty with Poland.
See m-rpact.html for the reconstructed text of the "secret military protocol" of this treaty, which has been "lost" i.e. which the French government still keeps "secret"
7. England never demanded that the USSR withdraw its troops from Western Belorussia and Western Ukraine, the parts of the former Polish state occupied by the Red Army after September 17, 1939.
On the contrary, the British government concluded that these territories should not be a part of a future Polish state. Even the Polish government-in-exile agreed!
See maisky_101739_102739.html These documents are in the original Russian, with the relevant quotations translated into English below them.
8. The League of Nations did not determine the USSR had invaded a member state.
Article 16 of the League of Nations Covenant required members to take trade and economic sanctions against any member who "resorted to war".
No country took any sanctions against the USSR. No country broke diplomatic relations with the USSR over this action.
However, when the USSR attacked Finland in 1939 the League did vote to expel the USSR, and several countries broke diplomatic relations with it. See http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1939/391214a.html
A very different response! which tells us how the League viewed the Soviet action in the case of Poland.
9. All countries accepted the USSRs declaration of neutrality.
All, including the belligerent Polish allies France and England, agreed that the USSR was not a belligerent power, was not participating in the war. In effect they accepted the USSRs claim that it was neutral in the conflict.
See FDRs "Proclamation 2374 on Neutrality", November 4, 1939:
"
a state of war unhappily exists between Germany and France; Poland; and the United Kingdom, India, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Union of South Africa,
" - http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=15831&st=&st1=
- also "152 - Statement on Combat Areas" defines
"belligerent ports, British, French, and German, in Europe or Africa
" - http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=15833&st=&st1=
The Soviet Union is not mentioned as a belligerent. That means the USA did not consider the USSR to be at war with Poland. For the Soviet Union's claim of neutrality see soviet_neutrality.html
Naturally, a country cannot "invade" another country and yet credibly claim that it is "neutral" with respect to the war involving that country. But NONE of these countries declared the USSR a belligerent. Nor did the United States, the League of Nations, or any country in the world.
The Polish State Collapsed
By September 17, 1939, when Soviet troops crossed the border, the Polish government had ceased to function. The fact that Poland no longer had a government meant that Poland was no longer a state.
On September 17 when Molotov handed Polish Ambassador to the USSR Grzybowski the note Grzybowski told Molotov that he did not know where his government was, but had been informed that he should contact it through Bucharest. See polish_state_collapsed.html
In fact the last elements of the Polish government crossed the border into Rumania and so into internment during the day of September 17, according to a United Press dispatch published on page four of the New York Times on September 18 with a dateline of Cernauti, Rumania. See polish_leaders_flee.html
Without a government, Poland as a state had ceased to exist under international law. This fact is denied -- more often, simply ignored -- by anticommunists, for whom it is a bone in the throat.
We take a closer look at this issue in the next section below . But a moment's reflection will reveal the logic of this position. With no government -- the Polish government was interned in Rumania, remember -- there is no one to negotiate with; no body to which the police, local governments, and the military are responsible. Polish ambassadors to foreign countries no longer represent their government, because there is no government. (See the page polish_state_collapsed.html , especially t he NYT article of October 2, 1939 )
The Question of the State in International Law
See state_international_law.html for more details.
EVERY definition of a "state" recognizes the necessity of a government or "organized political authority." Once the Polish government crossed the border into Rumania, it was no longer a "government."
Even the Polish officials of the day recognized this by trying to create the impression that "the government" had never been interned since it had been handed over to somebody else before crossing into Rumania. See the discussion concerning Moscicki and his "desire to resign" on September 29, 1939, also cited above.
So EVERYBODY, Poles included, recognized that by interning themselves in Rumania the Polish government had created a situation whereby Poland was no longer a "state." This is not just "a reasonable interpretation" not just an intelligent, logical deduction but one among several possible deductions. As I have demonstrated in this paper, it was virtually everybody's interpretation at the time. Every major power, plus the former Polish Prime Minister himself, shared it.
Once this is problem is squarely faced, everything else flows from it.
* The Secret Protocol to the M-R Pact was no longer valid, in that it was about spheres of influence in "Poland", a state.
By September 15 at the latest Germany had taken the position that Poland no longer existed as a state (discussed further here ).
Once Poland ceased to exist as a state this Secret Protocol did not apply any longer.
Therefore if they wanted to the Germans could march right up to the Soviet frontier.
Or and this is what Hitler was in fact going to do if the Soviet Union did not send in troops -- they could facilitate the creation of puppet states, like a pro-Nazi Ukrainian Nationalist state.
In any case, once Hitler had taken the position that Poland no longer existed as a state, and therefore that the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact's agreement on spheres of influence in the state of Poland was no longer valid, the Soviet Union had only two choices: either to
Send the Red Army into Western Ukraine and Wester Belorussia to establish sovereignty there; or
Let Hitler send the Nazi army right up to the Soviet border.
* Since the Polish state had ceased to exist, the Soviet-Polish nonaggression pact was no longer in effect.
The Red Army could cross the border without "invading" or "committing aggression against" Poland. By sending its troops across the border the USSR was claiming sovereignty, so no one else could do so e.g. a pro-Nazi Ukrainian Nationalist state, or Nazi Germany itself.
* Legitimacy flows from the state, and there was no longer any Polish state.
Therefore the Polish Army was no longer a legitimate army, but a gang of armed men acting without any legitimacy. Having no legitimacy, the Polish Army should have immediately laid down its arms and surrendered. Of course it could keep fighting -- but then it would no longer be fighting as a legitimate army but as partisans. Partisans have NO rights at all except under the laws of the government that does claim sovereignty.
* Some Polish nationalists claim that the Soviets showed their "perfidy" by refusing, once they had sent troops across the Soviet frontier, to allow the Polish army cross the border into Rumania.
But this is all wrong. The USSR had diplomatic relations with Rumania. The USSR could not permit thousands of armed men to cross the border from areas where it held sovereignty into Rumania, a neighboring state. Imagine if, say, Mexico or Canada tried to permit thousands of armed men to cross the border into the USA!
Polish Imperialism
A word of explanation regarding the Soviet reference to "the fate of its blood brothers, the Ukrainians and Byelo-Russians inhabiting Poland."
At the Treaty of Riga signed in March 1921 the Russian Republic (the Soviet Union was not officially formed until 1924), exhausted by the Civil War and foreign intervention, agreed to give half of Belorussia and Ukraine to the Polish imperialists in return for a desperately-needed peace.
We use the words "Polish imperialists" advisedly, because Poles -- native speakers of the Polish language -- were in the small minority in Western Belorussia and Western Ukraine, the areas that passed to Poland in this treaty. The Polish capitalist regime then encouraged ethnic Poles to populate these areas to "polonize" them, and put all kinds of restrictions on the use of the Belorussian and Ukrainian languages.
Up till the beginning of 1939, when Hitler decided to turn against Poland before making war on the USSR, the Polish government was maneuvering to join Nazi Germany in a war on the USSR in order to seize more territory.
As late as January 26, 1939, Polish Foreign Minister Beck was discussing this with Nazi Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop in Warsaw. Ribbentrop wrote:
... 2. I then spoke to M. Beck once more about the policy to be pursued by Poland and Germany towards the Soviet Union and in this connection also spoke about the question of the Greater Ukraine and again proposed Polish-German collaboration in this field.
M. Beck made no secret of the fact that Poland had aspirations directed toward the Soviet Ukraine and a connection with the Black Sea...
(Original in Akten zur deutschen ausw�rtigen Politik... Serie D. Bd. V. S. 139-140. English translation in Documents on German Foreign Policy. 1918-1945. Series D. Vol. V. The document in question is No. 126, pp. 167-168; this quotation on p. 168. Also in Russian in God Krizisa T. 1, Doc. No. 120.)
Polish Foreign Minister Beck was telling Ribbentrop that Poland would like to seize ALL of the Ukraine from the USSR, for that was the only way Poland could have had "a connection with the Black Sea."
In occupying Western Belorussia and Western Ukraine the USSR was reuniting Belorussians and Ukrainians, East and West. This is what the Soviets meant by the claim that they were "liberating" these areas. The word "liberation" is conventionally used when an occupying imperialist power withdraws, and that's what happened here.
The Polish Government In Exile
At the beginning of October 1939 the British and French governments recognized a Polish government-in-exile in France (later it moved to England). This was an act of hostility against Germany, of course. But the UK and France were already at war with Germany. (The USA took the position of refusing to recognize the conquest of Poland, but treated the Polish government-in-exile in Paris in an equivocal manner. Evidently it wasnt sure what to do.)
The USSR could not recognize it for a number of reasons:
* Recognizing it would be incompatible with the neutrality of the USSR in the war.
It would be an act of hostility against Germany, with which the USSR had a non-aggression pact and a desire to avoid war. (The USSR did recognize it in July 1941, after the Nazi invasion).
* The Polish government-in-exile could not exercise sovereignty anywhere.
* Most important: if the USSR were to recognize the Polish government-in-exile, the USSR would have had to retreat back to its pre-September 1939 borders -- because the Polish government-in-exile would never recognize the Soviet occupation of Western Belorussia and Western Ukraine.
Then Germany would have simply marched up to the Soviet frontier.
To permit that would have been a crime against the Soviet people, of course. And, as the British and French soon agreed, a blow against them, and a big boost to Hitler as well. See should_the_ussr_have_permitted.html
Polish Government Uniquely Irresponsible
No other government during WW2 did anything remotely like what the Polish government did.
Many governments of countries conquered by the Axis formed "governments in exile" to continue the war. But only the Polish government interned itself in a neutral country, thereby stripping itself of the ability to function as a government and stripping their own people of their existence as a state.
What should the Polish government leader have done, once they realized they were completely beaten militarily?
The Polish government should have remained somewhere in Poland if not in the capital, Warsaw, then in Eastern Poland. If they had set up an alternative capital in the East -- something the Soviets had prepared to do East of Moscow, in case the Nazis captured Moscow -- then they could have preserved a "rump" Poland.
There it should have capitulated as, for example, the French Government did in July 1940. Or, it could have sued for peace, as the Finnish government did in March 1940.
Then Poland, like Finland, would have remained as a state, though it would certainly have lost territory.
Or, the Polish government could have fled to Great Britain or France, countries already at war with Germany.
Polish government leaders could have fled by air any time. Or they could have gotten to the Polish port of Gdynia, which held out until September 14, and fled by boat.
Why didn't they? Did Polish government leaders think they might be killed? Well, so what? Tens of thousands of their fellow citizens and soldiers were being killed!
Maybe they really did believe Rumania would violate its neutrality with Germany and let them pass through to France? If they did believe this, they were remarkably stupid. There's never been any evidence that the Rumanian government gave them permission to do this.
Did they believe Britain and France were going to "save" them? If so, that too was remarkably stupid. Even if the British and French really intended to field a large army to attack German forces in the West, the Polish army would have had to hold against the Wehrmacht for a month at least, perhaps more. But the Polish Army was in rapid retreat after the first day or two of the war.
Or, maybe they fled simply out of sheer cowardice. That is what their flight out of Warsaw, the Polish capital, suggests.
Everything that happened afterwards was a result of the Polish government being interned in Rumania.
Heres how the world might have been different if a "rump" Poland had remained after surrender to Hitler:
* A "rump" Poland might finally have agreed to make a mutual defense pact that included the USSR. That would have restarted "collective security", the anti-Nazi alliance between the Western Allies and the USSR that the Soviets sought but UK and French leaders rejected.
That would have
probably eliminating much of the Jewish Holocaust;
certainly preventing the conquest of France, Belgium, and the rest of Europe;
certainly prevented many millions of deaths of Soviet citizens.
* Poland could have emerged from WW2 as an independent state, perhaps a neutral one, like Finland, Sweden, or Austria.
All this, and more if only the Polish government had remained in their country at least long enough to surrender, as every other government did.
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What do 'Grandshire', Plain Bob', 'Stedman' and Treble Bob' have in common? | Resources
The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers
A Miscellany of Ringing Resources
When you are ringing a method you of course need to know your route (the “blue line” or circle of work), but that’s not enough. Imagine driving a memorised route in a car, but with a blindfold on. You know you have to turn right, and you guess when you’ve got there by how long it has taken you. Would a ‘clash’ be inevitable……
Navigating..
When I was first told to learn Yorkshire Major after ringing Cambridge I remember it looked totally illogical and I wondered how I’d ever remember it. Those funny 3-4 places in 4ths & 7ths place bell were a blinking nuisance! Eventually I picked up information bit by bit and then when I started ringing it on higher numbers …..
Why do people say Yorkshire is easier than Cambridge??
The stay is the device which enables a bell to be temporarily halted in the upright position, ready to be swung fulll-circle.
You will see two types of stay in operation. Most diagrams portray the standard stay/slider arrangement but the more complex Hastings stay is quite common…
Hastings Stays
Between 1999 and 2007 the CCCBR Education committee provided a series of regular articles on teaching and learning that were published in The Ringing World on the first Friday of each month. They’re available to buy in book form or to download and view as pdf files.
The Learning Curve
'Ropesight' is a collection of video tutorials providing the key steps in learning the fundamentals of change ringing.
The Craft of Bellringing explores the development of the English style hanging of bells, and covers virtually all aspects of the world of ringing, exploring the craft's rich cultural heritage.
DVDs about ringing
Please feel free to share and use for training purposes.
'Ringing by rules is a useful skill – you probably already do it up to a point if you have learned where you pass the treble in Plain Bob – if you forget what your next dodge is, passing the treble can inform you and that is an example of ringing by rules!
Dixon’s Bob Minor is an exercise in ringing by rule,
Dixon’s Bob Minor
Erin, like Stedman, is a principle rung on odd numbers of bells. This means all bells, including the treble, do exactly the same work in rotation.
Erin is easier to learn and ring than Stedman, but is harder to conduct and that’s probably why it’s not so frequently rung.
Erin
'When I decided to conduct a peal of Major I researched and planned thoroughly, seeking advice from experienced conductors along the way. I thought I would share the resultant “plan” that I used in preparation for conducting Pritchards 5056 Plain Bob Major.
Conducting - Plain Bob Major
'Ringing Stedman often seems to be a precarious affair; e person goes wrong and it’s like a set of dominoes going down. Here are some tips that may help you to avoid joining the mayhem and allow order to be restored when someone makes a trip.
| Campanology |
In which US city was the 192 metre tall Gateway Arch built on the west bank of the Mississippi river in the mid-1960s? | Resources
The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers
A Miscellany of Ringing Resources
When you are ringing a method you of course need to know your route (the “blue line” or circle of work), but that’s not enough. Imagine driving a memorised route in a car, but with a blindfold on. You know you have to turn right, and you guess when you’ve got there by how long it has taken you. Would a ‘clash’ be inevitable……
Navigating..
When I was first told to learn Yorkshire Major after ringing Cambridge I remember it looked totally illogical and I wondered how I’d ever remember it. Those funny 3-4 places in 4ths & 7ths place bell were a blinking nuisance! Eventually I picked up information bit by bit and then when I started ringing it on higher numbers …..
Why do people say Yorkshire is easier than Cambridge??
The stay is the device which enables a bell to be temporarily halted in the upright position, ready to be swung fulll-circle.
You will see two types of stay in operation. Most diagrams portray the standard stay/slider arrangement but the more complex Hastings stay is quite common…
Hastings Stays
Between 1999 and 2007 the CCCBR Education committee provided a series of regular articles on teaching and learning that were published in The Ringing World on the first Friday of each month. They’re available to buy in book form or to download and view as pdf files.
The Learning Curve
'Ropesight' is a collection of video tutorials providing the key steps in learning the fundamentals of change ringing.
The Craft of Bellringing explores the development of the English style hanging of bells, and covers virtually all aspects of the world of ringing, exploring the craft's rich cultural heritage.
DVDs about ringing
Please feel free to share and use for training purposes.
'Ringing by rules is a useful skill – you probably already do it up to a point if you have learned where you pass the treble in Plain Bob – if you forget what your next dodge is, passing the treble can inform you and that is an example of ringing by rules!
Dixon’s Bob Minor is an exercise in ringing by rule,
Dixon’s Bob Minor
Erin, like Stedman, is a principle rung on odd numbers of bells. This means all bells, including the treble, do exactly the same work in rotation.
Erin is easier to learn and ring than Stedman, but is harder to conduct and that’s probably why it’s not so frequently rung.
Erin
'When I decided to conduct a peal of Major I researched and planned thoroughly, seeking advice from experienced conductors along the way. I thought I would share the resultant “plan” that I used in preparation for conducting Pritchards 5056 Plain Bob Major.
Conducting - Plain Bob Major
'Ringing Stedman often seems to be a precarious affair; e person goes wrong and it’s like a set of dominoes going down. Here are some tips that may help you to avoid joining the mayhem and allow order to be restored when someone makes a trip.
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Named after the Queen Consort of George III, which is the largest city in North Carolina? | Charlotte Meaning, What does Charlotte name meaning in German
The United States, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Scotland, Belgium,Northern Ireland
Information about the
Name of Charlotte :
Though the name sounds like royalty now, it wasn't used by those in high rank until the 8th century. Karl is usually a name given to those who are considered of "low birth" or "common". Its lowly beginnings changed with Charlemagne taking the name.
Famous People with
Name Charlotte :
Charlotte Beaumont is an actress commonly known for her role in the drama Broadchurch. She also starred in the film Jupiter Ascending. Charlotte Bronte was a poet and novelist. She was the eldest among the Bronte sisters, all of whom are famous classic literary figures. She wrote the novel Jane Eyre. Charlotte, whose real name is Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr, is a professional wrestler. She was awarded the title 2014 NXT Women's Champion. The daughter of "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, she naturally gained the nickname "Nature Girl".
Variant Baby Names of Charlotte:
Carlie, Carlotta, Carlota, Carla, Carleen, Carline, Carly, Carlyne, Chara, Char, Charill, , Carol, Charlotta, Charlaine, Charle, Charleen, Charlene, Charlesetta, Charlet, Charlett, Charletta, Charlette.
Charlize (Afrikaans), Carolina (Italian), Karolina (Lithuanian), Carlota (Spanish), Karola (Hungarian), Searlait (Irish)
Rhyming Names of Charlotte:
Charlotte with popular German Surnames:
Charlotte Moser, Charlotte Wilhelm, Charlotte Kopp, Charlotte Eigenmann, Charlotte Wagner
Popularity Rank :
Charlotte name was top ranked at 75 position in American during year 1930 and most recently ranked at 9 position in American during year 2015
Name Charlotte has been Most Popular throughout the last hundred plus years and ranked at 211 position. 322773 numbers of people were named Charlotte so far in last 100 years. (SSA)
More about :
The feminine name Charlotte is the French diminutive of Charles, which is the Germanic form of Karl that is derived from a German word that means “man” or from the element hari that means “warrior or army”.
The name became common in Britain during the 17th century. There have been many notable people with the name, like Charlotte Brontë. The British songwriter, singer, and actress Charli XCX has her actual name as Charlotte Emma Aitchison.
Charlotte Numerology :
Personality No. 9. People with the Charlotte desire love & independence. They love arts & music. They are generous, kindhearted, humane & philanthropic. Person with Charlotte having 9 as Personality number love traveling & teaching but hate restraint. They are bold, functional, broadminded & spiritual. They have will power & are determined , but are impulsive, contentious, ill-tempered, rebellious & impatient too.
Menschen mit dem Charlotte Wunsch Liebe & Unabhängigkeit. Sie lieben Kunst und Musik. Sie sind großzügig, gutherzig, menschlich & menschenfreundlich. Person mit Namen Charlotte mit 9 als Persönlichkeitszahl Liebe Reisen & Lehre, sondern Hass Zurückhaltung. Sie sind kühn, funktional, breit gemacht und spirituell. Sie haben Willenskraft und sind entschlossen, sind aber impulsiv, streitsüchtig, schlecht gelaunt, rebellisch und ungeduldig.
More Numerology
More About German Name : Charlotte
Feminine diminutive of CHARLES.Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina, was named after the Queen consort of George III - Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. There is a dessert named the Charlotte, which may have been named after Queen Charlotte.
This name had come into light in 17th century. It is a feminine diminutive of name “Charles”.
Charlotte name was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. A notable bearer was Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855), the eldest of the three Bronte sisters and the author of 'Jane Eyre' and 'Villette'.
Name Analysis of Charlotte
Character Analysis of Charlotte : Persons with the name Charlotte are most often optimistic souls who have a genuine enthusiasm about life and the living of it. They are generally charming, pretty easy-going and are good conversationalists. Their ability to communicate often motivates and inspires others. They do well in areas where they can best utilize their skills.
Love Life of Charlotte : Persons are very devoted to their partner. They are not only a lover but also a companion, a friend .
Name Letter Analysis of Charlotte
C : Persons wear their heart on their sleeve. Lucky ones, since they have a strong instinct about matters of the heartH : Persons are a visionary, but they also tend to make a lot of money and lose it fastA : Persons are their own person: ambitious and freethinkingR : Persons feel things strongly and their rich, intense inner life emanates outwardL : Persons are very heady, and tend to over think rather than experience lifeO : Persons know where the moral high ground is, and always try to take itT : Persons like life in the fast laneT : Persons like life in the fast laneE : Persons are freedom-loving, sensual and enthusiastic
Famous Name Charlotte
Charlotte Jackson
an English television presenter who currently presents on Setanta Sports News. Her main programme is the Lunchtime Live show which she co-presents with Murray Dron.She began her career as a model and in 2005 became a presenter on sportal.com, Football365 and golf365 among other sports related websites- where she wrote and presented sports bulletins before joining Setanta Sports News in 2007.[1] She also regurlarly appears with Tim Shaw on his radio show, Absolution.
Charlotte Name also appears in following Origin(s): French, English, Dutch, German
Charlotte also appears in following countries/origins/languages: American , Anglo , Australian , British , Chinese
Your Opinion About Charlotte Name
Cute Name
| CHARLOTTE |
Espoo, (population 248,000) is the second largest city in which European country? | Charlotte, North Carolina | Article about Charlotte, North Carolina by The Free Dictionary
Charlotte, North Carolina | Article about Charlotte, North Carolina by The Free Dictionary
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Charlotte%2c+North+Carolina
Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia .
Charlotte
(shär`lət) (Charlotte Sophia), 1744–1818, queen consort of George III of England. The niece of Frederick, duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, she was married to George in 1761 and bore him 15 children. When the king became permanently disabled in 1810, she was given charge of his person and his household.
Charlotte,
1896–1985, grand duchess of Luxembourg (1919–64). The second daughter of Duke William of Nassau-Weilburg and a Portuguese princess, Marie Anne of Braganza, she succeeded her sister, Marie-Adelaide, who had abdicated in her favor. In Nov., 1919, Charlotte married Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. During the German occupation in World War II, the grand duchess and her family went into exile, eventually settling in Montreal. She returned home in 1945. In Nov., 1964, Charlotte abdicated in favor of her son, Jean Jean
, 1921–, grand duke of Luxembourg (1964–2000); son of Charlotte, grand duchess of Luxembourg, and Felix, prince of Bourbon-Parma. He fought with Great Britain's Irish Guards in World War II.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Charlotte,
city (1990 pop. 395,934), seat of Mecklenburg co., S N.C.; inc. 1768. The largest city in the state and the commercial and industrial leader of the Piedmont region, Charlotte is the third-ranking U.S. banking center as well as an air, transportation, and distribution hub for the Carolina manufacturing belt. Hydroelectricity from the Catawba River powers industries producing textiles, chemicals, clothing, machinery, food, metals, and printed materials.
The Univ. of North Carolina at Charlotte, Queens College, and Johnson C. Smith Univ. are in the city. The Mint Museum of Art is a reproduction of the U.S. Mint located in Charlotte from 1837 until 1913; there are also modern art and African-American museums and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The city is home to the National Football League's Carolina Panthers and the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Hornets. High-rise office buildings and other construction projects have transformed the city's skyline since the 1980s. Lowe's (formerly Charlotte) Motor Speedway is in nearby Concord Concord
. 1 city (1990 pop. 111,348), Contra Costa co., W central Calif.; settled c.1852, inc. 1906. An eastern suburb in the San Francisco Bay area, it has electronics and petroleum-refining industries. A nearby U.S.
..... Click the link for more information. .
The city (settled c.1750) was named for Queen Charlotte Charlotte
(Charlotte Sophia), 1744–1818, queen consort of George III of England. The niece of Frederick, duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, she was married to George in 1761 and bore him 15 children.
..... Click the link for more information. , wife of George III of England. Its citizens were among the most outspoken in opposition to the British government, and it was at Charlotte that the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence
, resolution alleged to have been proclaimed at Charlotte, N.C., by the citizens of Mecklenburg co. on May 20, 1775. Although North Carolina's seal and flag bear that date, the declaration is widely regarded as a spurious document.
..... Click the link for more information. was signed in May, 1775. In his brief occupation of the city (Sept.–Oct., 1780), British General Cornwallis called it a "hornet's nest of rebellion." In 1971, Charlotte and Mecklenburg co. became the scene of the first major court-ordered busing program (ended 1999) to eliminate school segregation.
Charlotte
a city in the southeastern USA, in the state of North Carolina. Population, 250,000 (1975; including suburbs, 600,000). Charlotte is the center of a major agricultural region that produces tobacco and peanuts. In 1975 industry employed 88,000 persons. Machine building, including the manufacture of electronic and aerospace equipment, is of considerable importance. The city also has metalworking, chemical, textile, tobacco, food-processing, and clothing industries. Charlotte is the seat of the University of North Carolina.
Charlotte
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The Bruce Highway, the longest in Queensland, runs for 1,700km from Brisbane to which other city? | Cairns Map | Map of Cairns for Visitors
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Located 1,700km north of Brisbane, Cairns is a popular holiday destination and the gateway to Tropical Far North Queensland. As the below Cairns map shows, the city is situated on a stunning coastline overlooking the Coral Sea and is famous for its Esplanade, Lagoon and the nearby Skyrail Cairns.
This Cairns map shows a portion of the Captain Cook Highway, the major motorway that runs along the coast and connects to Port Douglas in the north as well as the Bruce Highway in the south, the direct route from Queensland’s capital Brisbane to Cairns. Although flights are available from Brisbane, visitors who have the time are recommended to enjoy the scenic drive up the coast over a couple of days.
Renowned for its fantastic tropical weather, Cairns is perfect to visit year round and attracts thousands of tourists throughout the year. To cater to the influx of visitors to this popular holiday destination, there are a great range of accommodation options which are highlighted on the Cairns map below.
You can use this Cairns map to help plan your time in town including helping you to decide where to stay. Giving you a reference point for where things are located, the map can help you to choose what you would like to be located near including the Cairns Esplanade, Cairns Lagoon and Cairns Casino to name a few popular attractions. Use the markers on the Cairns map to pick a property and see its star rating, name and a brief overview of its accommodation and facilities.
About Us
| Cairns |
Who played oil baron Clayton Farlow in the 80's soap Dallas? | Queensland
Queensland
Queensland Cities, Towns and Regions
Queensland, on the north-east side of Australia, is Australia’s second largest state and covers almost one quarter of the continent. Most of Queensland’s population is based in the south-east corner where you’ll find Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
The Great Barrier Reef, tropical North Queensland and the Whitsunday Islands are popular holiday destinations.
Brisbane, capital of Queensland, is where BCL began as Brisbane City Life. We are still based in Brisbane. See other Queensland towns and regions below or the BCL.com.au sections for Gold Coast , Sunshine Coast and Tropical North Queensland . The two main centres in North Queensland are Cairns and Townsville .
Agnes Water/1770, 4677, Queensland, Australia
Agnes Water and The Town of 1770 are on a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Coral Sea and Bustard Bay mid-way up the Queensland coast, 50km off the Bruce Highway between Bundaberg and Gladstone. Agnes Water township and beach is eight kilometres south or the Town of 1770. Town of 1770 is the… See more
Allora, 4362, Queensland, Australia
Allora is a small township between Warwick and Toowoomba on the New England Highway. It is 25 km north of Warwick and 158 km south-west of Brisbane via the Cunningham Highway. These descriptions are written by BCL readers. Allora is a pretty township nestled part way between Toowoomba and Warwick on the Darling Downs. It… See more
Ayr and Home Hill Queensland, Australia
Ayr is on the north side of the Burdekin River and Home Hill is on the south side. Ayr is approximately 88km south of Townsville; Home Hill is 1270 km north of Brisbane. The Burdekin River is very wide, prone to dramatic flooding. To ensure that Ayr and Home Hill are not cut off during… See more
Ballandean, 4382, Queensland, Australia
Ballandean is just south of Stanthorpe on The Granite Belt, south of the Darling Downs and north of the New England Tablelands in New South Wales. The region is known for its wine and wineries, and the annual Opera in the Vineyard charity event held during the May Day long weekend each year. Postcode: 4382… See more
Bargara, 4670, Queensland, Australia
Bargara is 15 minutes east of Bundaberg and is the largest beachside township on the Coral Coast, with some breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. Bargara suffered considerable damage from ex-tropical cyclone Oswald in January 2013. Bargara Hotels Motels Postcode: 4670 Burnett Shire Council: includes Bargara, Burnett Heads and Yandaran. Bargara State School… See more
Biloela, 4715, Queensland, Australia
Biloela, a thriving rural town on the junction of the Burnett and Dawson Highways is the administrative centre for the Banana Shire. Biloela is in the Callide Valley, in central Queensland, 95km south west of Gladstone. Local agriculture includes grazing, cotton, sorghum and wheat. Coal is mined at the nearby Callide and Boundary Hill mines… See more
Bowen, 4805, Queensland, Australia
Bowen is in the northern region of the Whitsundays, on the east coast of Queensland midway between Mackay and Townsville. It boasts incredible tropical beaches that overlook the Great Barrier Reef. Bowen is famous for its mangos. The Big Mango is home of the Bowen Tourist Information Centre, 4km south of Bowen on the Bruce… See more
Boyne Island/Tannum Sands, 4680, Queensland, Australia
Tannum Sands and Boyne Island are twin coastal towns on Central Queensland's East Coast approx 25 km south of Gladstone. Local industry includes Australia's largest aluminium smelter, Boyne Smelters Ltd. On the Queens Birthday long weekend each year, Boyne Island hosts the Boyne Tannum Hookup Fishing Event. Local Council: Calliope Shire Council Local Schools: Boyne… See more
Bundaberg Queensland Australia
Bundaberg, a picturesque coastal town famous for its sugar production and Bundaberg rum, is approximately 385 km north (4 hours drive) of Brisbane. Bundaberg is on the Burnett River. The Bundaberg Region includes Bundaberg, Bargara, Childers, Fraser Island, Fraser Coast, Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Rainbow Beach and South Burnett. Hervey Bay and Fraser Island are popular tourist… See more
Bundaberg Queensland Hotels and Motels
Bundaberg is a picturesque coastal town situated on the Burnett River. Bundaberg is 360 kilometres north of Brisbane. You can travel north from Bundaberg to Town of 1770 and Gladstone or take a cruise to Lady Musgrave Island on the Barrier Reef. Bargara is a small coastal town near Bundaberg - see Bargara Resorts, Hotels… See more
Charters Towers, 4820, Queensland, Australia
Charters Towers is 132km south-west of Townsville, North Queensland, on the Flinders Highway. It is a former gold-rush town. Charters Towers is a centre for the beef industry and has boarding schools and a school of distance education which cater for remote rural families. Postcode: 4820 Local Council: Charters Towers City Council Local Schools: Charters… See more
Childers, 4660, Queensland, Australia
Childers is a small sugar town 52km southwest of Bundaberg and 310km from Brisbane at the junction of the Bruce and Isis Highway. Childers is popular with backpackers being just inland from Hervey Bay and Fraser Island. Fruit and vegetable farms provide employment to locals and backpackers. The postcode of Childers is 4660 Isis Shire… See more
Chinchilla, 4413, Queensland, Australia
Chinchilla, on the Darling Downs, is approximately 300 km north-west of Brisbane. Coal and gas projects as well as agriculture support the community. Chinchilla is famous for its Melon Festival held every two years. The Warrego Highway (from Ipswich, Toowoomba and Dalby) goes through Chinchilla to Charleville. Postcode: 4413 Local Council: Chinchilla Town Council Chinchilla… See more
Cunnamulla, 4490, Queensland, Australia
Cunnamulla is on the Warrego River, at the crossroads of the Matilda Highway and the Adventure Way. Cunnamulla is approximately 200 kilometres south of Charleville, and 750 kilometres west of Brisbane. The main industries within the region are beef, fat lamb and wool production, apiary, grapes, wildlife harvesting, opal mining and tourism. Cunnamulla is serviced… See more
Dalby, 4405, Queensland, Australia
Dalby, on the Darling Downs, is 83 KM north-west of Toowoomba, 210km north-west of Brisbane. It is the centre of rich grain and cotton growing on vast, flat black-soil plains. Dalby is also famous for its cattleyards. Three highways, The Warrego (from Ipswich and Toowoomba through Dalby to Chinchilla and Charleville), Moonie (to St George)… See more
Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia
The Darling Downs is a vast, fertile plateau on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. Road access from Brisbane is along the main highway to Picnic Point at Toowoomba or further west via the Cunningham Highway and through Cunningham's Gap. Towns on the Darling Downs include Dalby, Pittsworth, Roma, Stanthorpe, and Warwick and… See more
Emerald, 4720, Queensland, Australia
Emerald is in the heart of the Central Highlands, 271km west of Rockhampton along the Capricorn Highway. The Gregory Highway also runs through Emerald - south to Biloela and north to Clermont. Nearby Lake Maraboon and the Fairbairn Dam is a popular for camping, for barbecues, swimming, skiing and boating. Lake Maraboon, is 3 times… See more
Gladstone Queensland Australia
Gladstone, Queensland's largest port, is located 550 kilometres north of Brisbane and 100 kilometres south-east of Rockhampton. Gladstone is placed between the Calliope River to the north and the Boyne River to the south. Both rivers lead into the deep water harbour for which Gladstone owes much of its industrial development. The harbour is protected… See more
Gold Coast Hinterland, Queensland, Australia
The Gold Coast Hinterland offers a good contrast to the beaches of Surfers Paradise with mountains and rainforests including Tamborine Mountain, Lamington National Park and Springbrook National Park. The hinterland region is popular for day trips and short retreats from Brisbane and the Gold Coast. There are lots of cabins, bed and breakfasts and luxury… See more
Goondiwindi Queensland Australia
Goondiwindi (pronounced "gun"diwindi) is beside the MacIntyre River on the Queensland/New South Wales border, at the junction of the Newell, Cunningham, Leichhardt, Barwon, Bruxner and Gore Highways. Goondiwindi is 350km west of Brisbane and approx 800 km north east of Sydney. The postcode of Goondiwindi is 4390 Latitude: 28 32' S (Decimal Degrees -28.546) Longitude… See more
Hervey Bay, 4655, Queensland, Australia
Hervey Bay is often referred to as the whale watching capital of the world, with its impressive annual whale watching season from August to November. The Hervey Bay Whale Festival is held in August. Hervey Bay is 300km north of Brisbane (3 1/2 hours drive, 34 minutes flight) just north of Maryborough. Hervey Bay is… See more
Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia
Kingaroy is a middle-sized country town 225km northwest of Brisbane on the D'Aguilar Highway. The town with its peanut processing plant, peanut silos and surrounding peanut farms is known as the "Peanut Capital of Australia". Kingaroy is also (in)famous for being the home town of former Premier of Queensland, Sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson. Things to do… See more
Mackay Queensland Australia
Mackay is at the mouth of the Pioneer River, on the Queensland coastline halfway between Brisbane and Cairns. It is 400 kilometres north of Rockhampton and the Tropic of Capricorn, and approx 950 kilometres north of Brisbane. The Mackay region produces one-third of Australia's cane sugar. The Mackay Region includes Mackay, Airlie Beach, Bowen and… See more
Maryborough, 4650, Queensland, Australia
Maryborough is on the banks of the Mary River, and on the Bruce Highway, approximately 250km north of Brisbane. Hervey Bay is nearby. Maryborough City Council Maryborough Central State School, Maryborough Special School, Albert State School, Mary West State School, St Helen's State School Note: This is Maryborough in Queensland, not Maryborough in Victoria… See more
Moranbah – Queensland Mining Town
Moranbah is a Queensland coal mining town, established in 1969, on the Peak Downs Highway, 150 km south-west of Mackay on the way to Clermont. As well as its permanent population, Moranbah also has a large population of FIFO (fly-in-fly-out) miners. Moranbah Airport is just south of Moranbah along Goonyella Road. House prices and rents… See more
Mt Isa, Queensland, Australia
Mount Isa, in Outback Queensland, is a large mining community with one of the world's largest silver-lead mines. It is the administrative, commercial and industrial centre for Queensland's vast north-western region. Mt Isa is on the Leichhardt River. See Wikipedia for more. Mount Isa North Queensland Hotels Postcode: Local Council: Mount Isa City Council Local… See more
Pittsworth, 4356, Queensland, Australia
Pittsworth is on the Darling Downs, approx 40 km south-west of Toowoomba and 170 km south-west of Brisbane, at the junction of the Warrego and Carnarvon Highways. Local Council: Toowoomba Regional Council Pittsworth Show Society Pittsworth State School & Pittsworth State High School Pittsworth FM 87.6 Pittsworth's Own Local FM Radio Station… See more
Queensland Bed & Breakfast – Australia
Queensland Regional Bed & Breakfast Accommodation Bed and breakfasts offer a more personal experience than hotels and are more convenient than self-catering. Check prices and availability. Convenient online booking with instant confirmation. Some B&Bs require bookings of two or more nights… See more
Queensland Regional Hotels and Accommodation
This map shows major roads throughout Queensland. Note that major roads outside the main city areas are of varying quality and journeys require some research and planning. Click on the red dots to go to the page for that town. Booking.com charges NO booking fees. You pay the hotel when you stay. Booking.com charges NO… See more
Rainbow Beach, 4581, Queensland, Australia
Rainbow Beach is a small coastal town approximately 239km north from Brisbane and 108 kilometres north of Noosa. Rainbow Beach it has a magnificent beachfront popular amongst surfers. and offers fishing, boating, surfing, prawning and crabbing. Rainbow Beach is a major entry point to the 41,000 hectare Cooloola National Park. A short drive north from… See more
Rockhampton Queensland Australia
Rockhampton, the "Beef capital of Queensland", is on the Tropic of Capricorn. It is 40 kilometres inland from the Pacific Ocean and on Queensland's largest river, the Fitzroy. Rockhampton is approximately 640km north of Brisbane. Rockhampton attractions include cruises along the Fitzroy River, Botanical Gardens and Australia's longest National Trust-classified street. The postcode of Rockhampton… See more
Stanthorpe & The Granite Belt, Queensland, Australia
Stanthorpe is approximately 220km south west of Brisbane is the centre of The Granite Belt, south of the Darling Downs and north of the New England Tablelands in New South Wales. Because of the elevation and distance from the sea, the Granite Belt is the coolest part of Queensland, with four distinct seasons and occasional… See more
Tin Can Bay, 4580, Queensland, Australia
Tin Can Bay is a fishing and boating town on the Cooloola Coast just off the southern tip of Fraser Island. The old town is built on a peninsula that protrudes into Tin Can Inlet providing safe beaches for families and calm waters for recreational boating. Tin Can Bay is 2 1/2 hours drive north of… See more
| i don't know |
Who was the only Crossroads character to appear in both the first and last episodes of the original series (1964-88)? | TV Shows We Used To Watch - Crossroads 1964-88 | The sillies… | Flickr
Paul Townsend By: Paul Townsend
TV Shows We Used To Watch - Crossroads 1964-88
The silliest TV soap ever! Wobbly sets, ludicrous plots, awful acting... but 50 years after its launch, fans are still devoted to Crossroads.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8s26Pk-gkk
The sets were famously wobbly, the characters notoriously flaky and the stories lurched from the unlikely to the downright bizarre.
But the millions of viewers who checked in every weekday at the Crossroads motel for their five-times-a-week teatime fix couldn’t have cared less. They loved every shambolic moment of it — fluffed lines, mistakes and all.
Launched to fill a gap in the schedules 50 years ago, Crossroads ran for almost 5,000 episodes. Its first incarnation lasted until 1988, and it was revived — disastrously — for two years in 2001.
At its peak in the Seventies, it pulled in 18 million viewers and was second only to Coronation Street. Its stars won viewers’ polls and showbiz awards.
However, not everyone was so enthralled. ITV’s regulator, the Independent Broadcasting Authority, twice ordered it to cut its output, first to four, then three, episodes a week to improve its quality. The chairman, Lady Plowden, lamented that Crossroads was ‘distressingly popular’.
It is, however, sadly missed these days, not least by its stars. Jane Asher, who played the motel’s owner (and arch-bitch and sexual predator) Angel Samson, in the revived version, says she loved every minute of it.
So much so, that she even posed in a bath of bubbles and discreetly placed rose petals, while sipping from a glass of Champagne to promote her motel.
‘It was an iconic soap and greatly under-appreciated’, she insists. ‘I watched the original as a teenager, and could easily have got hooked on it. But I was more a fan of The Archers on the radio. But by the second time around the show had really had its day’.
Crossroads first opened its doors in November 1964 — set in the fictional King’s Oak, Birmingham, and charging guests £4 a night for each of its 18 rooms. The show, with the formidable Noele Gordon as the motel’s matriarch, Meg Richardson, was scheduled to run for 30 episodes over six weeks. It was an immediate hit with viewers in spite of its visibly cheap production values.
The budget was reported to be only £10,000 for an entire week’s five episodes, compared with the same amount spent on each episode of rival Coronation Street. The sets had been constructed out of flimsy canvas and board because they had never been meant to last for long. The highest-paid star was Gordon, whose salary was reportedly £200 a week. Some minor characters were persuaded to work for £10 an episode on the grounds that the show would be good exposure for them.
With such a demanding schedule, there was little time for scripts to be re-written and polished, still less for rehearsal, so everything had to be filmed in one take. The expense of editing out mistakes was so great, given the tiny budget, that the producers ordered them to be left in.
Jane Rossington, who was in the show for 24 years as Meg’s daughter, Jill, has the distinction of speaking the very first words in the opening episode, and the final words in the last, and remembers how many bloopers crept in.
She recalls: ‘Noele would sometimes call me Jane, on camera, rather than by my character name, Jill, but there was no time or budget for re-takes. “Oh, no one will notice”, she’d insist.
‘I loved her, but she did speak her lines very slowly and sometimes I would wonder if she was ever going to finish a sentence!’
The story lines were equally erratic. Jill had an on-screen pregnancy that went on for over a year — and, to the shock of viewers, the father was her screen stepbrother. But after the baby was born, it was never mentioned again. The script called for her to marry three times — once bigamously — and to become a drug addict and an alcoholic.
‘Everything that could happen to a person happened to me’, she says, ‘but it was all terrific fun’.
TV critics sneered — ‘amateurish pap,’ said one — but the show attracted viewers of all ages and a huge fan base.
Indeed, the more absurd the plots became, the more they lapped it up.
Meg survived regular murder attempts. Motel Lothario Adam Chance (Tony Adams) would try to seduce most of the female guests. Various members of the staff would go berserk with pots and pans and one of them, cleaner Amy Turtle (Ann George), was briefly arrested as a Russian spy named Amelia Turtlovski.
Characters disappeared for months on end with little explanation. Chef Shughie Mcfee (Angus Lennie) went behind the fridge for some ingredients and was gone for the rest of the year.
Deke Arlon, who played coffee-bar boss Benny Wilmott, was told by Meg to get some sugar. He exited the kitchen and was never seen again.
Dim-witted handyman Benny Hawkins (Paul Henry), rarely seen without his iconic blue beanie, once went out for a spanner and returned six months later.
He was beset with a litany of troubles: falsely accused of murdering his gipsy fiancee Maureen — killed on the morning of their wedding — he was then temporarily blinded and lost his best friend, Miss Diane, the manager (Sue Hanson), when she died of a brain haemorrhage. He subsequently commemorated her by naming his pet donkey after her.
Motel manager David Hunter, played by Ronald Allen, was an incurable gambler for just one week in 1977, his son Chris was a part-time terrorist and his ex-wife Rosemary shot him.
We all remember the shooting of JR Ewing in 1980 - it shook soap fans across the world. But, at the Crossroads Motel, David Hunter's ex-wife, Rosemary (played by Janet Hargreaves), was the first soap character of 1980 to pull a trigger. It shook... er... several soap fans across England.
Suddenly, Rosemary pulled out A GUN!!
"David... say it... tell me you love me... SAY IT!" she whined menacingly. When he refused, she shot him.
Of course, all was well. David was discovered by Meg and made a full recovery, Rosemary underwent psychiatric treatment and was never seen again, and that was that.
According to legend, the reason for David's somewhat informal attire at his engagement party had its roots in a behind-the-scenes mishap. When Janet Hargreaves first pulled the trigger of the gun, it didn't go off. But Ronald Allen had already broken the bag of stage blood, ruining the suit he was wearing.
It seems that the Crossroads wardrobe allowance could not run to another suit!
But motel boss Meg had more than most to endure. One husband tried to kill her by painting the living room with poisonous emulsion and she lost another to a heart attack.
viewers thought they’d lost her in a huge explosion at the motel. The big bang allowed them to start with a new set and motel, but Meg’s days were numbered. She was sacked in 1981, despite thousands of protests, including a petition from a Hell’s Angels chapter. In the story, she sailed off into retirement on an Australia-bound QE2.
In reality, she believed she had become the victim of TV politics: The network’s bosses were said to want to ditch what they deemed to be downmarket shows like Crossroads in favour of ‘quality drama’. Without the soap’s most popular star, the show would lose viewers and thus give them an excuse to drop it, which is what happened.
Another character who was to come to a real untimely end was Meg’s son, Sandy, played by Roger Tonge. He had intrigued viewers by apparently never growing any taller during his 17 years in the show, and retaining a perpetually breaking voice.
The height problem was resolved when scriptwriters invented a car crash which obliged Sandy to spend the rest of his time at the motel in a wheelchair. In a case of life imitating art, Tonge really became confined to a wheelchair when he contracted Hodgkin’s Disease. He died aged 35 in 1981 — and Sandy was never mentioned again.
Virtually anyone who appeared in the series automatically became the victim of some scriptwriter-inspired mishap within six months. There were poisonings, rapes, drug addiction, incest, abortions, nervous breakdowns, kidnapping and even the bomb which blew up the motel.
That didn’t stop soon-to-be famous faces making brief appearances in the motel lobby. David Jason made his TV debut in Crossroads in 1966 as a crook; Elaine Paige checked in as a guest; and Malcolm McDowell was public relations consultant Crispin Ryder in 1965.
Ken Dodd played himself in 1973, Larry Grayson attended a wedding in 1973, Max Wall checked in in 1982, and Dad’s Army veteran Arnold Ridley (Private Godfrey) was a vicar at the motel opening ceremony in 1964.
The £10 million revamp in 2001 was bereft of many of the touchstones of the original, like the imperious Meg, or sad Sandy.
Some of the original cast couldn’t reprise their roles because they had succumbed to cancer: Noele Gordon, in 1985; Roland Allen (David Hunter) in 1991; Ann George (Amy Turtle) in 1989; and Pamela Vezey, who played Kath Brownlow, in 1992.
And if the original cast was scarce, so, too, were many of the quirks that used to make it so endearingly popular.
The sets no longer wobbled, the actors were better rehearsed and remembered their lines; and there was sex.
‘It was all great fun,’ laughs Jane Asher. ‘My character, Angel, was a real super bitch, deeply unpleasant to her staff and her children, ruthlessly ambitious and very glamorous. There was a lot of sex — we would all be exhausted if we had that much sex in real life — but we were quite discreet. It did go out at 5.30pm’.
Not all the cast were happy about the adult content. Kathy Staff, who played cleaner Doris Luke in both the original series and the revival, left in dismay at the raunchy sex scenes. ‘It’s no longer a family-friendly show,’ she complained.
She needn’t have worried. Viewing figures slumped to below 1.4 million, and after two years the revival was axed.
Says Asher: ‘There were rumours that the company wanted to sell the studios in Nottingham where Crossroads was filmed. Whatever the reason, we were surprised they didn’t give it enough time to build up a following.
‘My character was very glitzy and over the top. I didn’t have any input to the stories. I’d like to make that quite clear. They weren’t the most subtle of scripts, I have to say’.
That’s one way of putting it. Another would be that Crosswords was the best worst TV show Britain has ever made.
But despite it all, the show has lived on to enjoy a continuing repeat life on extra-terrestrial TV.
However, the final indignity for the fictional motel is the derisory fees paid by the satellite channels for the re-showings: £1.25 per episode.
2002 Crossroads 'was all a dream'
TV soap Crossroads ended on Friday, with the twist that the entire series had been a figment of a character's imagination..
The show, which was reinstated in 2001 after a 13-year hiatus, is being cancelled because of poor ratings.
The final episode saw the Crossroads hotel boss Angel (Jane Asher) realise her job had all been a dream - as she returned to her real-life job as a supermarket checkout assistant in Birmingham called Angela.
"I've just woken up from an amazing dream and dreamt that I owned a hotel called Crossroads," she told a co-worker.
Shortly afterwards the supermarket's staff were told the store was closing, and the lights went out on the show, with the final words being: "Oh, fudge."
The dream ending echoes the end of one series of US drama Dallas, where Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) stepped out of a shower months after he was supposed to have been dead. His death turned out to be a dream.
A Crossroads spokesman said before the show went out: "The final episode will tie up all the loose ends from all the outstanding storylines.
"Then as a special twist at the end, the scene cuts to Angel checking through a floret of broccoli and chatting to the person on the next till. We hope to give our viewers a smile on their faces as the show finishes."
Characters from the hotel turned out to be customers at the supermarket, including Angel's husband Max (Graham McGrath).
The soap returned to British screens in 2001 with hopes it would become ITV1's flagship daytime soap.
The original Crossroads, which ran from 1964 to 1988, was seen as a TV institution, although wobbly sets were also part of the experience.
But from a high of 3.2 million viewers when it first returned, ratings have continued to decline. Critics were unimpressed.
The show underwent a recent revamp, designed to get rid of unpopular characters and give the soap a new direction.
But the Crossroads hotel announced it was to close for good earlier this year.
Another second daytime soap commissioned at the same time, Night and Day, limps on a late-night slot after also being axed.
| Jill |
Where Everybody Knows Your Name was the title of the theme music of which long-running US sitcom? | TV Shows We Used To Watch - Crossroads 1964-88 | The sillies… | Flickr
Paul Townsend By: Paul Townsend
TV Shows We Used To Watch - Crossroads 1964-88
The silliest TV soap ever! Wobbly sets, ludicrous plots, awful acting... but 50 years after its launch, fans are still devoted to Crossroads.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8s26Pk-gkk
The sets were famously wobbly, the characters notoriously flaky and the stories lurched from the unlikely to the downright bizarre.
But the millions of viewers who checked in every weekday at the Crossroads motel for their five-times-a-week teatime fix couldn’t have cared less. They loved every shambolic moment of it — fluffed lines, mistakes and all.
Launched to fill a gap in the schedules 50 years ago, Crossroads ran for almost 5,000 episodes. Its first incarnation lasted until 1988, and it was revived — disastrously — for two years in 2001.
At its peak in the Seventies, it pulled in 18 million viewers and was second only to Coronation Street. Its stars won viewers’ polls and showbiz awards.
However, not everyone was so enthralled. ITV’s regulator, the Independent Broadcasting Authority, twice ordered it to cut its output, first to four, then three, episodes a week to improve its quality. The chairman, Lady Plowden, lamented that Crossroads was ‘distressingly popular’.
It is, however, sadly missed these days, not least by its stars. Jane Asher, who played the motel’s owner (and arch-bitch and sexual predator) Angel Samson, in the revived version, says she loved every minute of it.
So much so, that she even posed in a bath of bubbles and discreetly placed rose petals, while sipping from a glass of Champagne to promote her motel.
‘It was an iconic soap and greatly under-appreciated’, she insists. ‘I watched the original as a teenager, and could easily have got hooked on it. But I was more a fan of The Archers on the radio. But by the second time around the show had really had its day’.
Crossroads first opened its doors in November 1964 — set in the fictional King’s Oak, Birmingham, and charging guests £4 a night for each of its 18 rooms. The show, with the formidable Noele Gordon as the motel’s matriarch, Meg Richardson, was scheduled to run for 30 episodes over six weeks. It was an immediate hit with viewers in spite of its visibly cheap production values.
The budget was reported to be only £10,000 for an entire week’s five episodes, compared with the same amount spent on each episode of rival Coronation Street. The sets had been constructed out of flimsy canvas and board because they had never been meant to last for long. The highest-paid star was Gordon, whose salary was reportedly £200 a week. Some minor characters were persuaded to work for £10 an episode on the grounds that the show would be good exposure for them.
With such a demanding schedule, there was little time for scripts to be re-written and polished, still less for rehearsal, so everything had to be filmed in one take. The expense of editing out mistakes was so great, given the tiny budget, that the producers ordered them to be left in.
Jane Rossington, who was in the show for 24 years as Meg’s daughter, Jill, has the distinction of speaking the very first words in the opening episode, and the final words in the last, and remembers how many bloopers crept in.
She recalls: ‘Noele would sometimes call me Jane, on camera, rather than by my character name, Jill, but there was no time or budget for re-takes. “Oh, no one will notice”, she’d insist.
‘I loved her, but she did speak her lines very slowly and sometimes I would wonder if she was ever going to finish a sentence!’
The story lines were equally erratic. Jill had an on-screen pregnancy that went on for over a year — and, to the shock of viewers, the father was her screen stepbrother. But after the baby was born, it was never mentioned again. The script called for her to marry three times — once bigamously — and to become a drug addict and an alcoholic.
‘Everything that could happen to a person happened to me’, she says, ‘but it was all terrific fun’.
TV critics sneered — ‘amateurish pap,’ said one — but the show attracted viewers of all ages and a huge fan base.
Indeed, the more absurd the plots became, the more they lapped it up.
Meg survived regular murder attempts. Motel Lothario Adam Chance (Tony Adams) would try to seduce most of the female guests. Various members of the staff would go berserk with pots and pans and one of them, cleaner Amy Turtle (Ann George), was briefly arrested as a Russian spy named Amelia Turtlovski.
Characters disappeared for months on end with little explanation. Chef Shughie Mcfee (Angus Lennie) went behind the fridge for some ingredients and was gone for the rest of the year.
Deke Arlon, who played coffee-bar boss Benny Wilmott, was told by Meg to get some sugar. He exited the kitchen and was never seen again.
Dim-witted handyman Benny Hawkins (Paul Henry), rarely seen without his iconic blue beanie, once went out for a spanner and returned six months later.
He was beset with a litany of troubles: falsely accused of murdering his gipsy fiancee Maureen — killed on the morning of their wedding — he was then temporarily blinded and lost his best friend, Miss Diane, the manager (Sue Hanson), when she died of a brain haemorrhage. He subsequently commemorated her by naming his pet donkey after her.
Motel manager David Hunter, played by Ronald Allen, was an incurable gambler for just one week in 1977, his son Chris was a part-time terrorist and his ex-wife Rosemary shot him.
We all remember the shooting of JR Ewing in 1980 - it shook soap fans across the world. But, at the Crossroads Motel, David Hunter's ex-wife, Rosemary (played by Janet Hargreaves), was the first soap character of 1980 to pull a trigger. It shook... er... several soap fans across England.
Suddenly, Rosemary pulled out A GUN!!
"David... say it... tell me you love me... SAY IT!" she whined menacingly. When he refused, she shot him.
Of course, all was well. David was discovered by Meg and made a full recovery, Rosemary underwent psychiatric treatment and was never seen again, and that was that.
According to legend, the reason for David's somewhat informal attire at his engagement party had its roots in a behind-the-scenes mishap. When Janet Hargreaves first pulled the trigger of the gun, it didn't go off. But Ronald Allen had already broken the bag of stage blood, ruining the suit he was wearing.
It seems that the Crossroads wardrobe allowance could not run to another suit!
But motel boss Meg had more than most to endure. One husband tried to kill her by painting the living room with poisonous emulsion and she lost another to a heart attack.
viewers thought they’d lost her in a huge explosion at the motel. The big bang allowed them to start with a new set and motel, but Meg’s days were numbered. She was sacked in 1981, despite thousands of protests, including a petition from a Hell’s Angels chapter. In the story, she sailed off into retirement on an Australia-bound QE2.
In reality, she believed she had become the victim of TV politics: The network’s bosses were said to want to ditch what they deemed to be downmarket shows like Crossroads in favour of ‘quality drama’. Without the soap’s most popular star, the show would lose viewers and thus give them an excuse to drop it, which is what happened.
Another character who was to come to a real untimely end was Meg’s son, Sandy, played by Roger Tonge. He had intrigued viewers by apparently never growing any taller during his 17 years in the show, and retaining a perpetually breaking voice.
The height problem was resolved when scriptwriters invented a car crash which obliged Sandy to spend the rest of his time at the motel in a wheelchair. In a case of life imitating art, Tonge really became confined to a wheelchair when he contracted Hodgkin’s Disease. He died aged 35 in 1981 — and Sandy was never mentioned again.
Virtually anyone who appeared in the series automatically became the victim of some scriptwriter-inspired mishap within six months. There were poisonings, rapes, drug addiction, incest, abortions, nervous breakdowns, kidnapping and even the bomb which blew up the motel.
That didn’t stop soon-to-be famous faces making brief appearances in the motel lobby. David Jason made his TV debut in Crossroads in 1966 as a crook; Elaine Paige checked in as a guest; and Malcolm McDowell was public relations consultant Crispin Ryder in 1965.
Ken Dodd played himself in 1973, Larry Grayson attended a wedding in 1973, Max Wall checked in in 1982, and Dad’s Army veteran Arnold Ridley (Private Godfrey) was a vicar at the motel opening ceremony in 1964.
The £10 million revamp in 2001 was bereft of many of the touchstones of the original, like the imperious Meg, or sad Sandy.
Some of the original cast couldn’t reprise their roles because they had succumbed to cancer: Noele Gordon, in 1985; Roland Allen (David Hunter) in 1991; Ann George (Amy Turtle) in 1989; and Pamela Vezey, who played Kath Brownlow, in 1992.
And if the original cast was scarce, so, too, were many of the quirks that used to make it so endearingly popular.
The sets no longer wobbled, the actors were better rehearsed and remembered their lines; and there was sex.
‘It was all great fun,’ laughs Jane Asher. ‘My character, Angel, was a real super bitch, deeply unpleasant to her staff and her children, ruthlessly ambitious and very glamorous. There was a lot of sex — we would all be exhausted if we had that much sex in real life — but we were quite discreet. It did go out at 5.30pm’.
Not all the cast were happy about the adult content. Kathy Staff, who played cleaner Doris Luke in both the original series and the revival, left in dismay at the raunchy sex scenes. ‘It’s no longer a family-friendly show,’ she complained.
She needn’t have worried. Viewing figures slumped to below 1.4 million, and after two years the revival was axed.
Says Asher: ‘There were rumours that the company wanted to sell the studios in Nottingham where Crossroads was filmed. Whatever the reason, we were surprised they didn’t give it enough time to build up a following.
‘My character was very glitzy and over the top. I didn’t have any input to the stories. I’d like to make that quite clear. They weren’t the most subtle of scripts, I have to say’.
That’s one way of putting it. Another would be that Crosswords was the best worst TV show Britain has ever made.
But despite it all, the show has lived on to enjoy a continuing repeat life on extra-terrestrial TV.
However, the final indignity for the fictional motel is the derisory fees paid by the satellite channels for the re-showings: £1.25 per episode.
2002 Crossroads 'was all a dream'
TV soap Crossroads ended on Friday, with the twist that the entire series had been a figment of a character's imagination..
The show, which was reinstated in 2001 after a 13-year hiatus, is being cancelled because of poor ratings.
The final episode saw the Crossroads hotel boss Angel (Jane Asher) realise her job had all been a dream - as she returned to her real-life job as a supermarket checkout assistant in Birmingham called Angela.
"I've just woken up from an amazing dream and dreamt that I owned a hotel called Crossroads," she told a co-worker.
Shortly afterwards the supermarket's staff were told the store was closing, and the lights went out on the show, with the final words being: "Oh, fudge."
The dream ending echoes the end of one series of US drama Dallas, where Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) stepped out of a shower months after he was supposed to have been dead. His death turned out to be a dream.
A Crossroads spokesman said before the show went out: "The final episode will tie up all the loose ends from all the outstanding storylines.
"Then as a special twist at the end, the scene cuts to Angel checking through a floret of broccoli and chatting to the person on the next till. We hope to give our viewers a smile on their faces as the show finishes."
Characters from the hotel turned out to be customers at the supermarket, including Angel's husband Max (Graham McGrath).
The soap returned to British screens in 2001 with hopes it would become ITV1's flagship daytime soap.
The original Crossroads, which ran from 1964 to 1988, was seen as a TV institution, although wobbly sets were also part of the experience.
But from a high of 3.2 million viewers when it first returned, ratings have continued to decline. Critics were unimpressed.
The show underwent a recent revamp, designed to get rid of unpopular characters and give the soap a new direction.
But the Crossroads hotel announced it was to close for good earlier this year.
Another second daytime soap commissioned at the same time, Night and Day, limps on a late-night slot after also being axed.
| i don't know |
Who won the first UK series of The X Factor in 2004? | The X Factor (TV Series 2004– ) - IMDb
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British singing competition in which contestants sing cover songs to try and impress judges and voting viewers.
Stars:
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created 27 Jan 2012
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Title: The X Factor (2004– )
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13 wins & 18 nominations. See more awards »
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In this American version of the hit UK show, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges search for a singer who has the "X factor".
Stars: Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato, L.A. Reid
Britain's Got Talent (TV Series 2007)
Comedy | Music | Reality-TV
Amateur singers, dancers, comedians, magicians, ventriloquists and novelty acts perform for a live audience and a panel of three judges. If all three judges buzz them off they must stop their act.
Stars: Anthony McPartlin, Declan Donnelly, Amanda Holden
The X Factor (TV Series 2005)
Music | Reality-TV
Four celebrity singers look among the public lf Australia, in a bid to discover who the next music sensation will be.
Stars: Guy Sebastian, Luke Jacobz, Ronan Keating
Celebrities are abandoned in the Australian jungle. To earn food, they do trials that challenge them physically (climbing caves/trees) and mentally (eating animal parts). Viewers vote their favourites to stay and to take part in challenges.
Stars: Anthony McPartlin, Declan Donnelly, Toby Anstis
The Voice UK (TV Series 2012)
Music | Reality-TV
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X
Aspiring singers perform auditions in front of 4 coaches who have their backs turned to them. If a coach likes the voice they hear, they turn around, and the contestant then gets to decide which one of the coaches they want to work with.
Stars: Will.i.am, Tom Jones, Emma Willis
America's Got Talent (TV Series 2006)
Game-Show | Music | Reality-TV
A weekly talent competition where an array of performers -- from singers and dancers, to comedians and novelty acts -- vie for a $1 million cash prize.
Stars: Nick Cannon, Howie Mandel, Sharon Osbourne
Some acts not seen on the main show, and more footage and interviews from those that were. Plus some relaxation time with the judges and presenters, all done with a knowing wink to the viewers.
Stars: Stephen Mulhern, Amanda Holden, Simon Cowell
A game show hosted by Ant and Dec filled with stunts, sketches, and special guest appearances.
Stars: Anthony McPartlin, Declan Donnelly, Kirsty Gallacher
The Voice (TV Series 2011)
Game-Show | Music | Reality-TV
Four famous musicians search for the best voices in America and will mentor these singers to become artists. America will decide which singer will be worthy of the grand prize.
Stars: Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Carson Daly
Twelve finalists and/or future singers (six men and six women) who were selected from America, compete in a talent contest in which they were asked to sing any song they like on this "Star ... See full summary »
Stars: Ryan Seacrest, Mark Thompson, Randy Jackson
Strictly Come Dancing (TV Series 2004)
Game-Show | Music | Reality-TV
A dance competition where celebrities compete to be crowned the winner. Who is kicked out of the competition each week is decided by the judges scores and viewer votes.
Stars: Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood, Alan Dedicoat
The Chase I (TV Series 2009)
Game-Show
A Game Show where contestants must compete against 'The Chasers' in a variety of questions in order to win money.
Stars: Bradley Walsh, Jenny Ryan, Mark Labbett
Storyline
British singing competition in which contestants sing cover songs to try and impress judges and voting viewers.
It's time to face the music
Genres:
4 September 2004 (UK) See more »
Also Known As:
X Factor UK See more »
Company Credits
Did You Know?
Trivia
Series winners: Steve Brookstein (series 1), Shayne Ward (series 2), Leona Lewis (series 3), Leon Jackson (series 4), Alexandra Burke (series 5), Joe McElderry (series 6), Matt Cardle (series 7), Little Mix (series 8), James Arthur (series 9), Sam Bailey (series 10), Ben Haenow (series 11), Louisa Johnson (series 12). See more »
Goofs
It's obvious the judges make their decision before the contestant starts performing. See more »
Quotes
Simon Cowell : [to a bad auditionee] You couldn't win this competition even if you were the only one in it!
(Wallsend, England) – See all my reviews
OK, first of all, I was NOT gonna watch this show, not after the disaster of Pop Idol and Michelle McManus (yes I got caught up in the hype!) This time, I got hooked! With talent like Tabby, Cassie, VWS, and others, well you had to watch it! I was surprised at one of the Finalists being there, but voted like mad for Steve (cos the ones I wanted had gone!) It was nail-biting TV, and at least with Sharon Osbourne, you got honesty! One of the highlights was her emptying a glass of water over Simon Cowell... or was it two glasses? I'm pleased for Steve, after working the clubs and pubs (been there, seen it, got the T-shirt) he deserves a go at "fame"! No-one really has lost, because Sharon has Tabby and Cassie under her wing, Louis has G4.. no doubt VWS will get a record, Rowetta I think should too!
One last comment about the judges... Love em or loathe em, they do know the business!! Let's hope also that Steve will be more of a success than Michelle McManus, and please, please..... no mention of Hear'Say.
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| Steve Brookstein |
Who plays ex-Detective Sergeant Gerry Standing in the long-running BBC 1 series New Tricks? | The X Factor winners: where are they now? | Radio Times
The X Factor winners: where are they now?
What fate awaits James Arthur? Perhaps the careers of his predecessors can offer an insight...
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12:31 PM, 10 December 2012
The ninth series of The X Factor reached its climax on Sunday with a triumphant James Arthur crowned king of the singers in front of 10,000 fans at Manchester Central. A dream achieved, no doubt – but what next for the Casanova-esque crooner?
Based on the careers of past winners, James could be about to embark on anything ranging from bona fide international superstardom to a life spent touring seaside towns in pantomime...
Series 1 (2004)
Winner: Steve Brookstein
The show’s first victor notched up no end of votes during his time on the programme and scored a number one single with his first post-X Factor release. However, his drawing power evaporated almost overnight and he was dumped by Sony BMG eight months after being signed. Besides a stint performing on a P&O cruise ship in 2007, Steve was most recently spotted in 2010 performing in a 100-capacity Cornish pub, where tickets to see him sing were priced at £2.50.
Series 2 (2005)
Winner: Shayne Ward
After triumphing on The X Factor in 2005, Mr Ward’s debut recording became the fourth-fastest selling UK single of all time and a string of hit singles and albums followed in its wake. Indeed, so successful was Ward that he was reportedly considered as a replacement for Jason Orange in Take That at one stage. However, once the hits started drying up and Syco began to focus on other stars, he was shown the door and was last seen treading the boards alongside Justin Lee Collins in the London heavy metal musical Rock of Ages.
Series 3 (2006)
Winner: Leona Lewis
Unarguably the biggest success story ever to come out of The X Factor, Leona’s career has gone from strength to strength, the singer even having accomplished what all British musicians dream of doing: cracking America. She’s won three Grammy Awards for her music, sold millions of albums both here and across the pond, and notched up a string of worldwide hit singles with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. So, no, unlike some people on this list, she’s not likely to be donning a Widow Twankey costume this December.
Series 4 (2007)
Winner: Leon Jackson
Who he? You might well ask. Leon Jackson scored just one hit single after his time on the show before disappearing without trace. He was dumped by Sony after his third single, Creative, crashed into the charts at No 94 and he’s barely been seen since. Apparently he once performed on stage with Michael Bublé. Erm…yep, and that’s about it.
Series 5 (2008)
Winner: Alexandra Burke
Best known for her rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, which sold more than a million copies in the UK, Burke followed up her initial success with a string of top ten singles, a bestselling album and a few TV stints here and there. She’s got another album coming out next year too, so things turned out hunky-dory for Alexandra after her win.
Series 6 (2009)
Winner: Joe McElderry
Poor old Joe’s more famous for being beaten to the Christmas number one spot in 2009 by an internet campaign that propelled Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name to the top of the charts. After that farrago, his musical career floundered and he found himself on another talent show, winning the second series of Pop Star to Opera Star. He's made something of comeback recently, though, having sold 35,000 copies of last year's Classic Christmas album and notched up appearances in a string of West End shows throughout 2012.
Series 7 (2010)
Winner: Matt Cardle
The singer-songwriter bagged a number one with his first single but cast doubt over the future of his career by publicly blasting Syco for being “very pop” and describing himself as “not pop”. Unsurprisingly, he parted ways with the Sony-owned label in May. But Matt found himself back in the charts in October when his first album for the brilliantly-named So What Recordings, The Fire, made it to number 8 and earned the X Factor champ some plaudits from the critics, who praised his new hard rockin' sound.
Series 8 (2011)
Winner: Little Mix
The Artists Formerly Known as Rhythmix romped home at the end of last year’s X Factor and went on to enjoy a fun-filled 2012. They released their autobiography in August (one wonders how they divvied up the typing) and their debut album DNA came out in November, earning decent reviews and making it to number three on the UK singles chart. Having now been “positioned as a sort of updated Girls Aloud” and with one of their number, Perrie Edwards, dating One Direction’s Zayn Malik, 2013 looks like it’ll be pretty bright for the feisty foursome…
So what’ve we learned from the careers of previous X Factor champions? Firstly, it’s obvious that a win on the show isn’t a cast-iron guarantee of success. Secondly, it doesn’t usually pay to be a man if you end up bagging the top slot on the programme. But most importantly, we’ve learned that after appearing on the show, you’ll always have an audience. Even if that audience is just a saloon bar of punters who’ve paid less to see you than they have for their pints. Oh well, that’s showbiz!
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Which former winner of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Mastermind and Brain of Britain became the seventh member of the Eggheads quiz team in 2009? | Life After Mastermind: January 2013
Busy Saturdays
I’m not asking for sympathy. It’s been a busy old quiz day today, though. What with my current year group at school being Year 11 ( the fifth form in old money ) and in the last term and a half before their GCSEs and other external exams, I’m working pretty hard in the evenings at the moment, and when I’m not doing schoolwork I’m actually at quizzes. As I said, I’m not asking for sympathy, but it is something in the way of an explanation why I haven’t been able to find the time to post during the week during term time over the last 6 months or so. Hence the plethora of posts on a Saturday.
The way it’s worked out I have actually compiled two separate quizzes today. I’ll endeavor to explain why. A fortnight ago I made my first appearance at the Sunday evening quiz at the Dyffryn Arms, which I’m sure that I’ve mentioned before. It’s a lovely little quiz, nice club, nice people, and a good, and at times great set of questions. Pretty much all you could want really. I hadn’t been able to get down to it since early December, through a combination of my illness, John’s illness, my being away, John’s being away , and so forth. While I was there Keith informed me that Graham, one of the two other regular setters , wasn’t going to be able to do the quizzes any more, and asked if I’d be willing to step in . Now, there were a couple of factors that I needed to take into consideration. Firstly, for reasons I will go into shortly, I’ll probably be doing more quizzes down the rugby club on a Thursday for at least a while. Secondly, I’m pretty sure that when I’m question master in the pub on a Sunday, John won’t want to come down and play on his own. No way do I want to do anything which will stop John coming out on a Sunday when he wants to. So it would have been relatively easy to say no. Only, well, it’s flattering when people trust you enough to ask you to make a quiz. I enjoy being Qm pretty much as much as I do playing. Also, when you’ve got a good little quiz going, which has resisted the temptation to go down the bought in quiz route, you really rather want to help them out to keep it going. So I said that I’ll do it from time to time, but I can’t go on a once every three weeks rota. The upshot being that I said that I’d have one ready for tomorrow night, if they wanted it.
Coming back to the Thursday night quiz in the rugby club, well, if you’re a regular you’ll remember me mentioning Brian before. Brian has been the organizer of the quiz for far longer than the 17 years I have been taking part, and the two of us have been the most regular question masters in that time. Other people are good enough to come in and do a quiz from time to time, but when nobody else does, Brian and I step in and share the setting duties between us, week in, week out. It’s not my place to go spreading Brian’s business all over the internet, but the fact is that he isn’t well at the moment, and it’s quite possible that we might not see him for some time. I’ve stepped in as organizer now, and I’ve been fortunate that Howard and Dai Norwich, two of our semi regular setters, stepped in consecutively for the last two weeks. Thursday night it’s me again, and unless there’s a volunteer after that, then it’ll be me again the week after, and so on.
Here’s a funny thing, though. The fact is that when I started setting quizzes for the club way back in 1995, I loved doing it so much, that I wanted to do it every week, and would have if I’d been allowed. I was even more full on about the quiz then than I was now, and I used to really chafe at the bit whenever any other question master other than Brian ( or Alwyn Rees ) used to set the quizzes, thinking that I should be the one doing it because I could do it better. I’m pretty sure that nobody else in the club would have concurred with my appraisal of my own abilities as a setter, but back in those heady, pre-Mastermind days that was how I used to think. They do sometimes say - be careful what you wish for, since it may come true. – Well, I’ve always said that setting the quiz for the club is a labour of love, and I’ll keep on doing it for as long as I’m able, and for as long as there are at least two teams who want to play it. I think I’ve explained before how special my Thursday nights in the rugby club are, and if it means that I have to set the quiz myself then three , four or even more weeks in a row, then so be it. It’s a price worth paying.
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Just a few more first round episodes remain before we move on to the semis. In this week’s show the contestants were : -
Paul Jordan
John Newth
Andrew Ward
Now, Ramdas Mullath did actually contact me before making his first application to the show for the last series. He didn’t get on that time, so I’m delighted that he managed it for this show. None of the contenders feature on my database, so it was difficult for me to guage which if any was the most likely winner. I suppose that if you’re looking for omens, then last year’s series was won by Ray Ward, so maybe Andrew was the one to watch.
Russell began by explaining that 5 times as many men apply for BoB as women – hence the all male show this week – and appealing for any women who might consider applying to the show to please do so.
Paul took his first, but missed a gettable answer that Petra was the world heritage site that had been the capital city of the Nabataeans. John had that.Ramdas took his first to get off the mark , but didn’t know that Anita Loos wrote Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Andrew had that bonus. John Newth missed out on the Katydid, being a species of grasshopper. Andrew took his first three, and led with 4 at the end of the round, but nobody knew the Scottish Advocate General for a bonus. Onto the next round, and Paul kicked off with a couple, but didn’t know that Henry VI part 3 is described as a play about a son that killed his father, and a father that killed his son. Not surprised he didn’t have that. At least it wasn’t his first question. Unfortunately Ramdas didn’t know “Shiney Happy People “ and others were recorded by REM. Andrew Ward won the buzzer race to get the bonus there. John Newth didn’t know that Mack Sennett created the Keystone Cops. Paul had that. Andrew didn’t know that it was Zimbabwe which became independent in 1980, taking its name from a ruined city , and nobody managed a bonus there. Andrew maintained his lead with 5, but Paul was only a point behind. Paul was given a music question as his first in round three, and successfully negotiated it, but he fell on the torch relay, not knowing that Berlin was the first Olympic games to do this, in 1936. First televised as well. My boy Ramdas had it. I’m afraid that he didn’t know the old chestnut that sal volatile is another name for smelling salts. Andrew had that one. John took his first 3, but didn’t know DH Lawrence once lived on Sicily. Paul took a bonus there. Andrew took his first, but didn’t know Erskine May. That meant that Ramdas had 2, but everyone else had 6 at the end of round 3. The fourth round saw Paul take his first four, but fail on a relatively benign question about Gozo and Malta’s little brother Comino. Ramdas got a nasty old pop question to start off, about producers based in Philadelphia. Nobody had it. John didn’t know that Richard Krajicek won Wimbledon in 1996. Andrew got a stinker about Hoops process – and Ramdas took the bonus. Paul now led with 10 points.
The first listener’s question in the Beat the Brains was – what does theobroma – as in theobroma cacao, the latin name of the tree from which chocolate is produced – mean. No idea here in LAM towers, but the brains were close – they said drink of the gods, while the answer was food of the gods. Mean. The second asked what Stirculius was the roman god of ? Manure apparently. Fair enough.
After that the contest began again. Paul didn’t know that the Bailey Brothers first published Who’s Who. Ramdas took his first three , but didn’t know that it was Tolstoy who told Chekov – Shakespeare’s plays are bad enough, but yours are even worse. I don’t remember Tolstoy ever appearing in Star Trek, but I digress. Paul took the bonus. John didn’t recognize Philip Larkin’s “The Whitsun Weddings” but Paul did. Andrew got a snorter for his first, on the Chinese government news agency. Ramdas had it. Paul had a 5 point lead, but Ramdas was now joint second with 7. Paul missed his first on Chateau of Chambord. Ramdas took his first but missed out on Colt, who opened a factory in Pimlico. Paul had his point back there. John got a stinker on the Hollow Earth theory. Andrew got another music starter, where he was asked to recognize a gamelan orchestra. Paul had it. Ramdas was now clear in second with 8, but Paul had 14. He missed the Nutmeg state – Connecticut, which Ramdas had. He himself took a couple, but didn’t know Bragg. John finally got a decent starter, but for his second didn’t know the battered cherub was Joe Gormley – nobody had that one. Andrew didn’t know that a horse’s stifle is it’s knee. Paul had it. Ramdas now had 10, and Paul 15.
The final round saw Paul fail to answer that “The Robe” was the first film in Cinemascope. Ramdas should probably have known cleft palette, which gave John a bonus. Krill escaped John, and Paul had the bonus. Andrew didn’t know the CAPTURE test, which gave Ramdas a bonus. Not enough to catch Paul, and not enough, I fancy to get a highest scoring loser spot, but still a very praiseworthy performance. Well done to Paul, and good luck in the semis.
The Details
University Challenge - Round Two - Match 7
University College, London v. Jesus College, Oxford
For the first time that I can remember in a long time JP didn’t introduce UCL as the godless institution of Gower Street. They were certainly one of the form horses in the first round, having set the highest score against the University of Exeter. Representing them were Adam Papaphilippopoulos, Tom Tyzsczuk-Smith, Tom Parton and their captain Simon Dennis. Their opponents were Jesus College Oxford, who had scored rather less in their own first round match against QMC. Matt Hitchings, Frankie Goodway, Johnny Woodward and skipper Guy Brindley have had a long wait for their second match. I watched their first round in my mother in law’s in Spain, and that was back in August. So let’s not keep them waiting any longer.
It took both teams a bit of a while to figure out that the tourist attraction often photographed in forced perspective was the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it was Johnny Woodward who had it first. This earned a set of bonuses on US History, and two were added to Jesus’ total. I’ll be honest, I didn’t quite get my head around the next question, but it asked for three consecutive letters, which were X – Y – Z. Matt Hitchings, who was going to have a pretty good evening on the buzzer, took it for Jesus. One bonus followed on classical music. Tom Parton recognised a biography of Paul Dirac, which put UCL on the board. Just as well, because they didn’t manage any of a set of bonuses on optics. Matt Hitchings struck again in the next starter, recognising a definition of the word ‘eke’. The bonuses were an interesting set on internet deceptions, which actually provided me with my interesting fact of the week - more about that later. Tom Tysczuk-Smith recognised the flag of Greenland for the next starter – impressive shout that. The bonuses were more flags of islands which are territories administered by other countries, and they had to get the islands, and the administrating countries as well. Tough set – I had none, and neither did UCL. Still, they were going to earn bonuses on the next set, as soon as Adam Papaphilippopoulos answered on the Cape Verde Islands. Two bonuses on John Donne were added to their score, taking them to just 10 points behind Jesus at the 10 minute mark. Jesus led by 50 to 40.
UCL’s Simon Dennis took his first starter when he identified the Chorleywood process as being involved in breadmaking – contender for interesting fact of the week, there. 2 bonuses on the Suez crisis put UCL in fron for the first time in the contest. Tom Tysczuk Smith jumped in too soon on the next bonus on a French philosopher. If he had waited he would surely have known that the lover of Eloise was Abelard. Guy Brindley accepted the windfall, but a tricky set on comets followed, and for the first time in the contest Jesus failed to score on their bonus set.Johnny Woodward scored for Jesus with the next starter, identifying the last recorded words of Ernest Shackleton. A full set of bonuses on the films of Stanley Kubrick made it fairly clear that Jesus were in no mind to just roll over and make it easy for UCL. Up to this point it was a very good contest. Tom Parton recognised the sound of Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven for the music starter. This unleashed a set of bonuses on the Radio 4’s world’s saddest music, and they took two of them. UCL, seemingly moving up a gear, took the next starter as well, when Tom Tysczuk Smith answered a question on cytogenics. Maintaining momentum UCL took two of the bonuses on desert vegetation. Unfazed, Frankie Goodway took the next starter for Jesus on the Grand Remonstrance. 2 bonuses on blood cells reduced the deficit further. Simon Dennis knew that Marianne and Armenian are anagrams of each other, and only one bonus on Scottish traditions followed. In this high quality match, only one starter went begging, which was the next – asking about which SI (base ? ) units were named after scientists. Kelvin and Ampere were required. Adam Papaphillipopoulos knew that Helmut Kohl was the German Chancellor next in the list going backwards, and one bonus on literature meant that UCL had a narrow lead of 125 to 105 at the 20 minute mark.
The second picture starter showed us a natterjack toad. Neither team flew to their buzzers, but Tom Parton took it, and two more species which are the subject of conservation efforts in the UK followed. After an incorrect answer from UCL, Matt Hitchings struck back for his team, knowing that Cyprus was famed for copper in ancient times – hence the name of Copper, derived from Cyprus. 2 scientific terms beginning with syn- brought bonus points. Tom Tysczuk Smith knew about Footnotes in Gaza, and this then earned a bonus on peninsulae. I was pleased with myself for knowing the Oligocene, as did Johnny Woodward. One bonus on the Mann Booker Prize was correctly answered, and still UCL could not shake Jesus from their tails. A good buzz from Tom Parton do identify Technetium helped, though, as did two bonuses on US Universities. Simon Dennis consolidated the lead with another starter on books on American Football. I’m afraid I didn’t note down how many correct answers on the set of Physics bonuses they provided. Yet again, Matt Hitchings hit back with Lines Written Upon Westminster Bridge. ( Earth hath not anything to show more fair – wrote Wordsworth. Don’t get me wrong, I love bridges, especially London’s bridges, but come on ! ) A bonus on EU member states gave Jesus hope. Then a great UC special starter fell to that man Hitchings again. If Cuba is copper ( Cu ) then what is Australia ? Au is gold, of course. Lovely little starter, that. A tricky set on the colours that various elements burn yielded just the one bonus. Time was getting close – as were the scores, but it was Tom Parton who took the last starter, with Double bass. Only enough time remained for one bonus on Irish literature, and that was that.
So UCL go through to the quarters, with 215 to Jesus’ 180. That’s probably fair as well. However, what a performance from Jesus, Oxford, who made such a brilliant fight of the whole show. I’m sorry we won’t be seeing you in the quarters.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
JP offered precious little for the connoisseur in this show. There was his amused reaction to the answer given to the question – Complete the quote – on the internet no one knows you’re ? The answer given was ‘in your underpants’. Probably more likely than the real answer – a dog.
I got a little annoyed about his finishing comments to the Jesus team , though. They played a full part in a great match, and were only just beaten by one of the best teams in the first round, and yet all he could say was,
”Well, it started for you better than it finished, Jesus Oxford.” That’s a bit of a misrepresentation , Jez. They were better than that.
Interesting Fact That I Didn’t Already Know Of The Week
’Sock Puppet’ is internet slang for someone who logs on to a website or online community under an assumed identity for deceptive purposes.
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1. Which famous car was sold for $4 million last week ?
2. Why did a repeat of the Tweenies earn hundreds of complaints last week ?
3. The film cast soundtrack of “Les Miserables” became the first cast soundtrack album to top the charts for 16 years. which was the last ?
4. Which controversial female tennis player passed away last week ?
5. What was the score in the Spurs v. Man Utd. match ?
6. What was the score in the Chelsea v. Arsenal match ?
7. Which? Travel rated which British site the world’s 2nd best for tourists after the Taj Mahal ?
8. How old was Michael Winner, who passed away last week ?
9. Vanessa Mae announced her plans to take up which sport seriously ?
10. Which Olympic athletics medalist criticized fellow Olympians for their TV appearences since the summer ?
11. Which two teams will contest the Superbowl ?
12. David Cameron has said that the UK will send special forces to which country ?
13. David Cameron said that the ULK will have a referendum on membership of the EU in which year ?
14. Which TV and radio personality was arrested on 1 count of rape and 14 of sexual assault ?
15. Whom did the Talbian criticise as arrogant last week ?
16. What was the final aggregate score between Bradford and Aston Villa in the Capital One Cup semi final ?
17. Who lip synched at Barack Obama’s inauguration ?
18. A major exhibition of whose work opened at the Royal Academy ?
19. Where were people told to prepare themselves for nuclear war ?
20. Where did Prince Harry arrive back in the UK last week ?
21. What was the score in the Swansea v. Chelsea second leg semi final lasat week ?
22. Which player seemed to kick the ball boy in the same match ?
23. What was the score between Arsenal and West Ham ?
24. UK citizens have been told by the FO to leave which African city ?
25. Who is the new assistant manager of the Scottish football team ?
26. Which famous painting is on sale for £500,000 ?
27. What was the most popular programme on the iplayer during 2012 ?
28. A plaque will be unveiled in Epsom racecourse this year to commemorate whose death ?
29. Pep Guardiola has joined which team ?
30. Whom did Novak Djokovic defeat in the Australian Open semi final ?
31. Tina Turner is to become a citizen of which European country ?
32. Which comic character did its creators suggest could be gay this week ?
33. Who was denied compensation for several years in prison before his conviction was quashed ?
34. Who lost to Victoria Azarenka in the Australian Open final ?
35. UEFA announced that the 2020 Euros will be hosted by how many countries ?
36. Which famous sports writer passed away aged 75 ?
37. Which Ipswich Town player was found guilty of playing a part in a horse race fixing conspiracy, and banned from UK race courses for 10 years ?
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19. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
In Other News
1. A retrial of which former world leader was called last week ?
2. Which is the most stolen car in the UK ?
3. Which former member of TVAM’s Famous Five passed away last week ?
4. Barack Obama has rejected a 34000 strong petition for what ?
5. What was the score in the Man Utd v. Liverpool match ?
6. What was the score between Man City and Arsenal ?
7. Who said that he doesn’t like detective TV shows ?
8. Who ‘came out ‘ in a speech at the Golden Globes ?
9. Which high street chain was reported as heading into administration last week ?
10. Who won the Golden Globe for best song ?
11. Which anniversary did the FA celebrate last week ?
12. Which Beijing 2008 gold medalist retired last week ?
13. Who posed naked at 66 years of age ?
14. What is the name of Lance Armstrong’s charity to which he apologized last week ?
15. Which is the first UK city to apply a city wide 20mph speed limit ?
16. Which beer was reported last week as having it’s alcoholic content reduced while its price is being raised ?
17. Who is Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup Captain ?
18. Who has been reclassified as the best horse of the modern era, and which other horse has he displaced ?
19. Who is Scotland’s new football manager ?
20. Why did Tesco put Scottish flags on its carrier bags in stores in Wales ?
21. In which two stores was it first reported that beefburgers containing some horsemeat were being sold ?
22. Which video rental firm went bust last week ?
23. Which footballer had a six month driving ban last week ?
24. The family of which criminal has had permission to rebury his remains in consecrated ground ?
25. What was the score in the FA Cup match between Arsenal and Swansea City ?
26. A row brewed over the practice of recording which Radio 2 show last week ?
27. What was announced about the National Lottery last week ?
28. Who have had a new baby via a surrogate ?
29. Why couldn’t an EasyJet flight from Liverpool to Geneva fly last week ?
30. What was not found in Burma last week ?
31. Which former grand slam winner was defeated by Laura Robson in Australia last week ?
32. Why are Boeing Dreamliners being grounded ?
33. Who knocked Venus Williams out of the Australian Open ?
34. Which company claim to have created the world’s first self-moisturising jeans ?
35. BBC Breakfast TV celebrated its 30th anniversary last week. Who was the first guest in 1983 ?
36. Who was reported as saying that children’s TV today is too fast and too noisy ?
Answers
Who or What are the following and why have they been in the news ?
1. 8 year old tragically shot dead in Jamaica
2. 17 year old ‘bucket list’ girl who died from cancer
3. Tetra Ehtyl Lead – controversial fuel additive made only in UK
4. World’s oldest person passed away at 115
5. Second British man to play in Australian Open Tennis singles this year
6. New BDO world darts champ
7. Contracted to play wicketkeeper for Sussex Men’s second XI next season
8. Won best film and best director for Ben Affleck at the Golden Globes
9. Won TS Eliot Poetry prize for “The Stag’s Leap”
10. Pleaded not guilty in court to the murder of April Jones
11. Won court case over BA over the wearing of a crucifix
12. Number One hotel voted for on TripAdvisor
13. New Dido Album to be released in March
14. South African player called up to Wales injury hit rugby 6 Nations squad
15. Title of next novel by Dan Brown
16. Pilot tragically killed in helicopter crash in London
17. BBC Radio 4 newsreader quit after 25 years
18. Cirque du Soleil show panned by critics
19. Presenters of annual Golden Globe Awards
In Other News
Mastermind - Round One - Heat 21
The search for semifinalists goes on. Many are called, but few are chosen. Which is a none too subtle way of introducing the idea that the first of tonight’s contestants was Simon Rundell, a Church of England vicar. Not that any eyebrows should be raised at this, since the 1996 series was won by the Reverend Richard Sturch, whom I met briefly at the Champion of Champions recording. Simon’s subject, well, it wasn’t exactly biblical , being Monty Python. I’m guessing that it had been agreed beforehand that the questions would be limited to the TV series alone, since I didn’t notice any questions about the films or books. I had this one earmarked as my best chance for a decent score tonight, and this was indeed how it worked out, since I managed 9 unwikied. Simon could be quite satisfied with his 12, which meant that he would certainly be in the shakeup.
Second to go was Kate Jamieson. Kate posts from time to time on the Facebook Mastermind club group, and so I was rooting for her to do well. Her specialist subject, The Life and Career of Lord Nelson was a good, old traditional subject which could have been asked in any Mastermind series since 1972 – and I’m sure that it has been several times. Kate started well, but then it seemed as if nerves beset her, and after the first half dozen questions it was a bit of a battle. By the end of the round she had managed 5 points.
Mark Skinner was answering on the original Tintin books by Hergé. – Bet that they ask where the name Hergé came from – I murmured, and thankfully I was right, which provided the first of the 5 points that I was going to earn on this round. Mark gave every impression of being tactically very sound. he had most of the questions right, gaining 13 points, but he made sure that he offered an answer to every single one. That’s good technique if you can keep the presence of mind to do it, and as we know, anything in the teens is a good score.
The last to go in the first round was writer Rob Hemming. He was answering on The Big Five. This was not the old cabal that used to select the Welsh rugby team, but rather the five most difficult animals for big game hunters to hunt on foot. Hmm. Well, anyway, moving on, I scored 5 for the third round running, which actually gave me a better than average first round aggregate of 24 points. Rob fairly snapped out his answers, and for the first 30 seconds or so it looked like we could be heading for a very big score. Oh, don’t get me wrong, 11 is fine, but it wasn’t quite what the round had promised at one stage. Still, he was well in with a chance, depending on whether his GK would prove to be up to scratch.
Kate , sadly, was out of contention by the time she returned to the chair to kick off the GK round. So I was very pleased to see her produce a perfectly respectable double figures round. 10 points put her up to 15. Rob again started as if he meant business, but again he found his run rate slowing after the initial spurt. Still, his 12 meant that the target was set at 23. It wasn’t impossible that he might win with this, but I thought that he looked at least 2 points short of having a realistic chance.
Simon Rundell didn’t start at quite such a rate of knots as Rob had, but what he did do was maintain his momentum. We’ve seen better GK rounds this series than Simon managed, but it wasn’t bad, and it was scored by keeping his head, and picking off the answers that he knew, and as techniques go, that’s a pretty good one. His 13 raised the bar to 25, and he looked to have an even money chance of the win.
I’m always interested to see how a contender will react to being placed within the corridor of uncertainty. Mark was certainly in there, and he missed a bit of a sitter for his first question, which suggested that maybe the pressure had got to him. It hadn’t, though. In many ways he produced a very similar round to Simon’s. Steady, careful, picking off the answers he knew, guessing where he could and passing where he couldn’t. Similarly, he managed to add 13 to his score. Had he only answered 12 he would still have won, but the 13 he managed gave him a clear win, by virtue of the extra point he had scored on the specialist round. Well done, and good luck in the semifinals.
The Details
Britain's Brightest
Britain’s Brightest
OK – before I start let me acknowledge that I do know that this isn’t a quiz, and more than that, I knew it before I started to watch it. You know me, I’m a straight quiz guy myself, so all of my comments about this show should be viewed in this light.
The last time I can remember seeing a sort of mind games show like this was ITV’s “Britain’s Best Brain” from 2009. That show I did audition for. It was quite amusing really. As soon as I informed the guy on the phone that I had won Mastermind his whole attitude towards me changed, and he couldn’t get off the phone quick enough. Now, I’m not saying that the same thing is true of “Britain’s Brightest”. For one thing I’m sure that I saw Alan Gibbs of the Gamblers in the opening sequence, which means that nobody was being turned down because of what they’ve won in the past. I did actually see the contestant call for this one, but decided against it because, well, frankly because although I have a very good general knowledge I don’t really think I’m that much brighter than the average person. Certainly not in the way that brightness is defined in this kind of show, anyway.
On the iplayer this show weighs in at a hefty 1 hour and 13 minutes. It consists of three mini matches between pairs of contestants, then a set of final rounds whittling down the 6 contestants to 4 and a winner. The winner goes automatically through to the final, and 2nd and 3rd place play off to see who survives. I sat through the whole show, and I have a number of observations to make.
The FAQ (faffing about quotient) in the first half hour of the show is massive. Before each mini match we have a filmed introduction where two of the contestants are encouraged to boast about how brilliant they are, and how much better they are going to be than the other contestants. Do we really need this? I am quite sure that they are actually all lovely people in real life, but this doesn’t allow it to come across. Yes, we know they want to win. They wouldn’t be on the show if they didn’t – it’s kind of a given. Then after these you get Claire Balding – and as a sports presenter I think she is terrific, by the way - chatting with them for another couple of minutes. All totally unnecessary padding. As was the filmed insert between the mini matches, and the final section, where we were shown just how bad our general observation is. Not without interest, perhaps, but it just held up the game for me.
I don’t say that the games were not watchable. Alright, I ‘d have been angry if I’d been on the show, and for my first match I got the ‘ guess the age of a bunch of people’ game. But them that is the nature of the show. Intelligence is such a wide field, that the number of different ways you can test different aspect of it is huge, and it’s purely arbitrary I guess whether you get a game which suits you or not. For example, I’d have fancied my chances in a spelling game, which made up the third mini match. I did enjoy the second, as the two contenders had to solve a series of puzzles to escape from a room. This reminded me of some of the games you used to get in “The Crystal Maze”, a show I loved.
In fact, this leads me to an observation that you can make about a lot of game shows. Many of the aspects of this show reminded me of other games on other shows. Bits of it were a little like” the Cube”, for example, and bits of it were like bits of “The Krypton Factor”. To this extent it’s a bit of a Jenny Haniver, a creature stitched together from bits of dead creatures to fool the unsuspecting. Being fair, though, the show did get a lot better in the final rounds. We had mental maths. Then observation. Then a strange round, where contestants had to assemble 4 letter words in 22 seconds. When 22 seconds had passed in their opinion, then they had to stop the clock. If they stopped it on exactly 22 seconds, then they got 10 bonus points. Every second they took over 22 seconds saw them lose one of the precious points they had earned for their 4 letter words. Now, here’s the rub. Sam, the winner of the show, actually earned the 22 second 10 point bonus. Which was enough to mean that he won by 1 point. I’m not saying that he wasn’t a worthy winner. But I am saying that this 10 point bonus actually gave that particular skill a higher tariff than any other. There were no such bonuses in any of the other rounds.
This highlights one of the great difficulties of making a gameshow which claims to test the whole of what makes a person intelligent. How do you make it a fair test of all the different aspects ? Different amounts of points available for different skills can have a huge effect on the outcome of a show. Maybe you remember the Krypton Factor ? The GK round at the end meant that one really good GK quizzer could even win the show despite having been well beaten in all the other rounds. That’s why they tweaked the rules to limit the number of GK questions.
The show actually ends with the 2nd and 3rd place players going head to head. They both have 90 seconds. They pick numbers from a grid which contain puzzles or questions. When it’s their go, they have to give a correct answer while the clock runs down. A soon as they answer correctly they pass it over. You know how it works, you’ve seen it before in other shows. This was the only round where general knowledge was actually a help on some of the questions – for example players in a rugby team minus players in a netball team.
If my review was based solely on the first 40 minutes of the show I would have said that it was a grade A oven ready turkey. However I did get into the final rounds, and I did enjoy the playoff round at the end. I mean personally, I do think that any attempt to find the ‘brightest’ or ‘brainiest’ person in the land is doomed to failure since the whole idea of intelligence is so complex anyway. Still, accepting the show for what it is, I found something to enjoy in it. But I would say this : -
If there is ever a second series : -
* For heaven’s sake cut the padding. We don’t need the filmed inserts, trying to make the contestants out to be mean-eyed, clench-jawed, win-at-all-costs meanies. We’re not brain dead. We know that they would like to win. We don’t need the film in the middle telling us how remarkable the human brain is. If we want that sort of thing we can watch a documentary which will show us properly, instead of farting around in a marketplace. You could trim as much as half an hour off this show, and it would be all the better for it.
* Adjust the rules and the scoring so that there is as near as possible equal weighting between skills. After all you’re trying to find the best all-rounder, aren’t you , not just the person with the best time sense.
* Offer a really serious prize. Heaven alone knows, the unlamented People’s Quiz had its faults, but at least it was offering over £200000 , and this was over 5 years ago. Yes, I know that £50000 seems like a lot of money, and in any normal circumstance it is, but when you claim to be searching for the one most intelligent person in Britain, it really seems a bit cheap for a Saturday Night prime time show.
Well, the BBC has a pretty good track record for giving new shows a fair crack of the whip, so we’ll see. I’ll also be interested to see how they do the final, although I will confess with a heavy heart that I fear a whole new raft of filmed inserts.
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19. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
In Other News
1. A retrial of which former world leader was called last week ?
2. Which is the most stolen car in the UK ?
3. Which former member of TVAM’s Famous Five passed away last week ?
4. Barack Obama has rejected a 34000 strong petition for what ?
5. What was the score in the Man Utd v. Liverpool match ?
6. What was the score between Man City and Arsenal ?
7. Who said that he doesn’t like detective TV shows ?
8. Who ‘came out ‘ in a speech at the Golden Globes ?
9. Which high street chain was reported as heading into administration last week ?
10. Who won the Golden Globe for best song ?
11. Which anniversary did the FA celebrate last week ?
12. Which Beijing 2008 gold medalist retired last week ?
13. Who posed naked at 66 years of age ?
14. What is the name of Lance Armstrong’s charity to which he apologized last week ?
15. Which is the first UK city to apply a city wide 20mph speed limit ?
16. Which beer was reported last week as having it’s alcoholic content reduced while its price is being raised ?
17. Who is Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup Captain ?
18. Who has been reclassified as the best horse of the modern era, and which other horse has he displaced ?
19. Who is Scotland’s new football manager ?
20. Why did Tesco put Scottish flags on its carrier bags in stores in Wales ?
21. In which two stores was it first reported that beefburgers containing some horsemeat were being sold ?
22. Which video rental firm went bust last week ?
23. Which footballer had a six month driving ban last week ?
24. The family of which criminal has had permission to rebury his remains in consecrated ground ?
25. What was the score in the FA Cup match between Arsenal and Swansea City ?
26. A row brewed over the practice of recording which Radio 2 show last week ?
27. What was announced about the National Lottery last week ?
28. Who have had a new baby via a surrogate ?
29. Why couldn’t an EasyJet flight from Liverpool to Geneva fly last week ?
30. What was not found in Burma last week ?
31. Which former grand slam winner was defeated by Laura Robson in Australia last week ?
32. Why are Boeing Dreamliners being grounded ?
33. Who knocked Venus Williams out of the Australian Open ?
34. Which company claim to have created the world’s first self-moisturising jeans ?
35. BBC Breakfast TV celebrated its 30th anniversary last week. Who was the first guest in 1983 ?
36. Who was reported as saying that children’s TV today is too fast and too noisy ?
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Mastermind - Round One - Heat 20
According to my database we had 4 brand new contenders in tonight’s show. I mean, there was a Tim Parry in Leslie’s 1981 series, but I doubt it’s the same chap. Unless of course, you know different. He was to come in a minute. Meanwhile, Phil Bennion kicked us off with the life and films of Marilyn Monroe. I kind of thought that Joe di Maggio would be one of the free gifts in this round, and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact there were either a few easier ones, or I knew more about Marilyn Monroe than I thought. It was probably a bit of both, and I scored 7. Phil seemed pretty secure, and it was only the more obscure stuff about which seemed to give him any problem at all. 11 wasn’t the sort of total to scare the pants off the rest, but it was enough to at least give Phil the chance of a win.
Tim parry had a good, old, traditional Mastermind subject in the shape of David Lloyd George. Prior to the start of the show I felt that this was the subject which offered me the best opportunity of points, and I scored another 7. I was quite amused by John’s answer of ‘close enough’ to Tim’s pronunciation of the name of the Carmarthenshire village where Lloyd George grew up. It didn’t put him off too much, and he too reached double figures with 10. Even show so far.
When I saw the subject being offered by Nell Whiteway, Swallows and Amazons, I did wonder whether she was being allowed to answer questions on just one book. I needn’t have worried. The subject encompassed all of the Swallows and Amazons books of Arthur Ransome. Unfortunately I can’t possibly comment on the difficulty or otherwise of the round, because I have never read any. This probably explains why I scored a big fat zero. Nell, on the other hand showed excellent composure, and for most of the round looked very likely to set a perfect score. She missed out on just one question in the end, but a round of 15 gave her what looked likely to be a very useful lead – all depending on what Peter Gibbs could manage.
It’s relatively rare to see a specialist round where it all goes rather pear shaped these days, and sadly for Peter, his was one. I don’t know if it was chair nerves – quite possibly it was – but the round just never really got going for him, and it looked like a struggle for points all the way through. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does you can only feel sorry for the contender, and hope that the GK round gives them a decent chance to put matter to rights.
Well, I’m happy to say that this was exactly the case with Peter’s round. He managed to put the troubles of the specialist round behind him , finding correct answers to the first 5 on the bounce. He scored 12, to take his score to 17, but the round was actually a little better than that, but suffered simply because Peter wasn’t quite snapping the answers out. Had he gone a little more quickly I reckon he would have had at least another point, and possibly two. Still, at least he can say that he was in the lead at one point of the show now. Tim, unlike Peter before him, really did have a chance of posting a challenging total. Well, as we always say, if you get into double figures then you certainly haven’t done badly. Still, 11 points was only enough to take the total to 21. This wasn’t going to be enough to put pressure on Nell.
Phil did better. His task was quite clear, actually. In order to get a good chance of a highest runner up slot he would need a monster of a score, and it became obvious from early doors that he wasn’t quite going to do that. So the next thing was to try to get the win, by applying pressure. The best – in fact only – way of doing this is by posting as high a target as you can manage. Phil’s score of 14 wasn’t a whopper, but it wasn’t bad. It set the target for Nell at 10 and 2 passes or less. She was still the favourite, but she would have to negotiate the corridor of uncertainty at least. After 30 seconds it looked dodgy. After a minute it looked as if she would be close, but maybe fall short. She could have collapsed at this point, but she didn’t. Nell picked up pace in the last 40 seconds or so, and was through the tape with a couple of questions to spare. In the end her score of 12 for a total of 27 meant that her victory was clear. Well done and good luck in the semis . The Details
Phil Bennion
20. Richie George
In Other news
1. What did English Heritage first of all say it cannot afford, and then say it will try hard to maintain?
2. Which contest was held in Birmingham’s Grand Metropole Hotel ?
3. What was published by the Co-alition ?
4. Who received his brand new Russian passport last week ?
5. Which member of the 1958 England world cup football squad passed away last week ?
6. The construction of a big shopping centre development in York had to be delayed due to what ?
7. What was the score in the Arsenal v. Swansea FA Cup tie ?
8. Who clearly seemed to handball before his goal to knock Mansfield Town out of the FA Cup ?
9. Who suffered a wardrobe malfunction on her way out of “Dancing on Ice” ?
10. Newcastle Utd. were knocked out of the FA Cup by which team ?
11. Who is the new manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers ?
12. Which octogenarian TV and radio presenter was in court accused of sexually assaulting 3 girls ?
13. Which scientific project has ended after 520 days ?
14. Jessica Ennis has publically spoken out against the closure of what ?
15. Who won the ballon d’or ?
16. Britain now have two women in the world’s top 50 female tennis players. Who were the last british pair to do it ?
17. Lionel Messi was criticized for wearing what this week ?
18. Which is the first English council to offer a free school breakfast to all primary school children ?
19. Who missed his date in a French court on a drink driving charge ?
20. What was the score of the first leg Capital One cup semi between Bradford City and Aston Villa?
21. In the 2012 Fifa World 11, all the players come from either Barcelona or Real Madrid except one,. Which club did he come from ?
22. Who is the new Nike Face of Golf ?
23. What was the score in the Swansea v Chelsea Capital One cup semi final first leg ?
24. Which BBC TV journalist suffered a stroke ?
25. What happened to David Bowie’s new single ?
26. Which former DG of the BBC passed away ?
27. Why is John Mcrirrick suing channel 4 ?
28. Who is to be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey next week ?
29. Monopoly is currently carrying out an online vote. About what ?
30. Which chain of camera shops have been forced to close ?
Answers
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news ?
1. The men in court for the horrific Indian bus rape murder
2. Tennis tournament won by Andy Murray
3. 34 year old Aussie cricketer retired after series win over Sri Lanka
4. Chinese Newspaper forced to change an editorial calling for reform into one praising the new leaders
5. Macdonald’s has changed its name to this briefly in Australia to celebrate Australia day
6. Detective Chief Inspector in court for allegedly asking for a bribe from the News of the World
7. Leader of the House of Lords who resigned suddenly
8. New Leader of the House of Lords
9. Britain’s oldest man who passed away at 110 years of age
10. Mother jailed for life for killing her son who failed to learn verses from the Koran
11. Rail Minister criticized for use of expensive government cars
12. New Director of the CIA
13. Title of new single by David Bowie
14. Coroner of the second Amy Winehouse Inquest – recorded the same verdict as the first.
15. In court he admitted stealing a 13lb sea bass from an aquarium and using it to win an angling contest
16. Former GB international sprinter making debut in bobsleigh world cup series
17. Painted the portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge – she likes it, but it has not won universal approval
18. Character being written out of Coronation Street
19. In an autobiography she claims she was continually sexually abused by her film star father Klaus until she was 19
20. Son of darts player Bobby – reached the semi final of the BDO world darts championship.
In Other News
1. Its blue plaque scheme
2. Europe’s Best Elvis contest
3. A Mid Term review. (Fun for all the family )
4. Gerard Depardieu
6. A colony of Great Crested Newts was living there
7. 2 – 2
10. Brighton and Hove Albion
11. Dean Saunders
13. The Russian simulated flight to Mars
14. Don Valley Stadium
16. Jo Durie and Sarah Gomer
17. A spotted suit and bow tie
18. Blackpool
20. 3 – 1 to Bradford
21. Atletico Madrid
23. 2 – 0 to Swansea
24. Andrew Marr
25. It has been disqualified from the singles charts because it is also being given away free with Bowie’s album
26. Alasdair Milne
27. Public humiliation after being ditched – claiming age discrimination
28. Lance Armstrong
29. Which playing piece to ditch, and which to bring in to replace it
30. Jessops
Only Connect Special - The Davids v. The Eggheads
The Crossworders v. The Eggheads
Last year we had a one off special where Mastermind champions took on reigning Only Connect Supreme Champions the Crossworders. The Crossworders saw off that challenge. Well, the Crossworders were rested for this one. Instead, the OC ‘home’ team as it were consisted of the Crossworders’ captain David Stainer, Dave Bill captain of The Gamblers, and David Lea, captain of the Analysts. Three skippers of three winning teams, and three Davids to boot. “I’ve never liked the name. “ Said Victoria. Well, I just hope that husband David Mitchell was watching, since I’m guessing that might have been for his benefit.
Where exactly could Jenny and the team turn to find challengers worthy to take on such a veritable supergroup? To “Eggheads”, no less. Rather ironically the Eggheads team boasted no less than two mastermind champions of their own. The first of these was Pat Gibson, 2005 winner, and winner of the second series of “Are You An Egghead?” On the other side of the skipper was LAM reader and all round good- egg(head) Barry Simmons. Amongst many distinctions, Barry won the first series of “Are You An Egghead ? “. In the middle of the sandwich was original Egghead, and 1983 Mastermind ( and the last person to win Mastermind International )Chris Hughes. No shortage of knowledge, then, on either side. However the Davids had the benefit of more experience on the show than any other team, and that could prove decisive.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
E’s starter off with twisted Flax. This revealed Jurors -3, Petals on Remembrance Poppies : -2 , Premier League teams +8. Time was running out, and the E’s showed their inexperience by not calling for the last clue, and then offering no answer. The last clue was Kings called James – 5. That gave it to me, and I’m sure that it might well have given it to the Es. As it was the Ds had it, working out that this was the difference between England and Scotland – there being 7 Scottish King James, but only 2 of them also being Kings of England. Good set. Horned Viper gave the Ds Coypu in Louisiana – Enlistees in the American Civil War – Author of the Sasser Worm – Saddam Hussein. Neither team had it, and neither did I. The answer ? They all attracted bounties . Not fond of coconut myself, but it takes all sorts. After two very tricky sets to start, the Es picked water, and kicked off with Four Fishermen’s Wives of Cadaque ( Dali ) –Long Grass with butterflies (Van Gogh ) – Black on Maroon ( Rothko ) – Infuriatingly they again let the time run out without even seeing the last clue. had they seen it – Le Bateau (Matisse ) they would surely have had it. Le Bateau was famously hung upside down, and the others were all hung wrongly at one time or another. Lion gave the Ds a set of picture clues. B*Witched – M*A*S*H* and a couple of other things all had asterisks as part of their names , which is easy enough to see as a written clue, but not as a set of pictures. The Es now needed to find some points behind Eye of Horus. They were dwelling too long on the first clue each time, but at least passed on quickly from Apollo 12. Actually I took a flyer on this one. The most remarkable thing about Apollo 12 was that it was struck by lightning seconds after liftoff, and so struck by lightning was my guess. Pan Am flight 214 neither confirmed it nor ruled it out for me. As did Lee Trevino. York Minster did confirm it though. Pat was straight in and the Eggheads were away. Two Reeds gave the music set to the Ds. They went for preserves, having heard jam and marmalade as part of the third and fourth pieces, but it was not the right one. The E’s went for spreads – and both were close. Since the first was the Who’s Heinz Baked Beans, the answer was actually that you can spread them all on bread. So at the end of this opening round Ds led Es by 3 – 1.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth ?
Horned Viper was the Es first choice. Justin Dunelm came first, and immediately Pat threw Barack Obama on the table, should you pardon the expression. They gambled with it, but it was incorrect. The other two clues were Richard Londin, and Sentamu Ebor. Bishops signatures, so if we were rising in precedence, it would suggest either Rowan Cantuar – or – Justin Cantuar if this was recorded more recently. The Ds knew what they were looking for, but surprisingly went for Cantab rather than Cantuar. Hard lines. Water gave the Ds Le Depart 1792 – Le Triomphe de 1810 – La Resistance de 1814. None of us knew that the last would be La Paix – 1815. They are all sculptures on the Arc de Triomphe. Rightly did Victoria describe this one as a hideous question. Eye of Horus for the Es began with the number total on a roulette wheel –which all three knew was 666. Full UNIX file permissions might just as well have been written in hieroglyphs for all that it meant to me. Teletext subtitle came next – which is obviously 888. So all they needed to do was to say phone number of emergency services, or something of the sort ,but even with Victoria reminding them “Remember it’s a sequence “ they didn’t. Instead they offered another 666 – the Number of the Beast. The Ds gave emergency services for the bonus. Don’t be mistaken – the Eggheads are every bit as good as they seem on Eggheads – well, actually they’re even better, but inexperience of this particular show was costing them dear. Twisted Flax offered the Ds Death of the Queen Mother – Iraq and Weapons of mass Destruction – Confidence in the Media and the Police – and neither team could quite see the connection. I certainly couldn’t. The connection was that parliament was recalled for each of them, and the next was rioting in London & other cities. The Es took Lion as their last of the round, and kicked off with 8 =Cu + Sn . Sounded like Copper and Tin to me, but what 8 had to do with brass I didn’t know. 9 = cu – still no idea. Barry got that they were wedding anniversaries, and so they went for 11=Fe – iron for steel. Victoria gave them another bite at the cherry , and Chris added 11 =Fe + C ( carbon). See, I told you they were good. The Ds finished off the round with Two Reeds gave the Ds the picture clues . This was a really clever set. We saw a flower of some kind, a canary, the canary islands. Neither team ( nor I ) got the next, which was dogs. The Canary islands were named after dogs. The canary birds were named after the canary islands. The canary creeper plant is named after canary birds. Great set. The upshot of all this was that the Ds now shared the lead with the Es, who both had 4. Good game.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Ds took the Water Wall, and Travolta, Holmes, Alley and Hubbard gave them famous Scientologists. Cruise, Remote, Quality and Birth gave them a set which could all be followed by the word –control. I’m not sure that they had a clue about the last two lines when they untangled them right at the death , but they still untangled them. The line of Button, Diver , Patch and Gatsby left a last line of Damage – Forgettable – Caraway and Committee. David L took a speculative punt that Gatsby led them to a group of characters in Scott Fitzgerald novels, and was right to do so. Dave B had the answer to the last set, but just too late – that each could be split into two separate words. Still, 7 points on a tough wall was very much not to be sniffed at.
Very quickly the Es untangled Rata – Bono – Forma and Tempore – which can each be preceded by Pro. Harlequin – Saint – Wasp and Saracen are each the singular of the names of English Premier rugby union teams. Just like the Ds, they solved the last two lines with a little but not a lot of time to spare. The first line – Saffron – Lemmy – Fish and Skin , were all single word pseudonyms for singers. Rock – trapper – Shark and Maniac remained. Nobody – except, one suspects, Victoria – knew that they are all styles of poker player. Fair enough.
With 7 points to the Es, you couldn’t have written a script for a better lead in to the grandstand finish, with both teams locked on 11.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
The first category were all known by three initials. Nobody took the first, then the Davids took the next three on the bounce. The Ds took three of the four works of non-fiction, but lost a point as well for getting Eats Shoots and Leaves wrong. Pat found his range in French Phrases, taking them 3 – 1, but time was running out. Barry was terribly unlucky with Peter and The Wolf Characters and their instruments, offering Grandfather Bassoon instead of Grandfather AND Bassoon. Small thing – it didn’t make a difference to the result, but in the vowels you just have to be spot on I’m afraid. That was the end of the game, and the Eggheads had acquitted themselves well, which is no less than you would expect, but nonetheless the Davids had won by 17 to 13. Low scores ? Not at all - this was full-on Grand Final level Only Connect, and that’s as hard as it gets. Great show.
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Wednesday Night
I’ll take a wee break from my round up of the most recent TV and radio quizzes if I may, because I’d like to tell you about Wednesday evening. I’ve mentioned my son Mike before. The previous Wednesday he’d gone to check out a quiz he heard about, and really enjoyed it. He invited me to go with him and play this Wednesday just gone, and I don’t get to see as much of Mike and Ceri as I’d like anyway, so of course I said yes.
My first inkling that maybe the evening wasn’t going to go as I thought came when I drove into Cardiff to pick my middle daughter Zara up for the quiz. She wanted to come, and so I was to pick her up, then rendezvous with Mike and Ceri at their place. All well and good, except for the fact that the Bute Tunnel was closed. And the problem is – well, I only know my way to Zara’s going via the Bute Tunnel. So I was running late when more by luck than judgement I realized I had just driven past the corner shop at the end of her road. We got to Mike’s even later, mainly because I was so agitated that I kept missing turnings. At least after I got to Mike's all I had to do was follow Ceri in her car.
And follow. And follow. It was after we crossed a junction of the M4 several miles away that I realized we were heading well out of Cardiff. The quiz itself turned out to be in a place called Morganstown. It was in a very big pub called the Ty Nant, and it was absolutely jampacked. Still, we found the only free table, squeezed ourselves around it, and Mike began to explain how this quiz worked.
“It’s like this , Dad , “ he explained, “ You buy a different answer sheet for each round you want to play in. Each answer sheet will have a different configuration of the 25 numbers – yours might have number 5 at the top, and mine might have 13 in the same place. You write the answer to each question in the box with the right number. Then when he gives the answer, the first person to – “
”You mean . . . It’s a bingo quiz ?!” I replied .
I think I should explain my incredulity. You see, one of the original reasons why I started LAM in the first place was because I was at a loose end on the Sunday night I started it since the Dynevor Arms in Groesfaen had just decided to switch from a good, honest, straight pub quiz to a bingo quiz, partly because John and I kept winning the money more often than any other team. The way a bingo quiz works is that the numbers for each answer are spread out on your answer sheet in a grid, 5 by 5. Each answer sheet has the same numbers on it, but not in the same order. You write all your answers on the sheet. When the answers are given out, in random order, if you get it right you can cross out the number. Once you complete a line, you shout out house and win the money. So it doesn't matter even if you have all the answers right, you're going to have a lot of different winners all the time. After we heard this we then and there decided that rather than kill the quiz, we’d stop going in the hope that they’d be able to entice some of the former regular teams back, and haven’t been back since.
Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. We were there, and so we might was well make the best of it, and as I said, I always enjoy Mike and Ceri’s company at a quiz. As it was we played very well. We had 23 out of 25 in the first round, 24 out of 25 on the music round, and 25 out of 25 on the last round. For which we didn’t win one penny, because other people had lines come up more quickly than we did. That’s life. Time was when I was all about winning money at quizzes. Nowadays I rarely play in quizzes where there is a money prize though, and even when I play in a quiz where there is a prize, for example in the Dyffryn Arms on a Sunday night, if I win I don’t often take the prize. In most cases the pleasure of playing in the quiz is prize enough. But I do like to know how I’ve done. If I was a true Corinthian ‘playing just for the love of the game ‘ sort of person, then it wouldn’t matter to me. But I’m afraid it does. I like to know how I’ve done , not just in terms of how many questions I’ve answered correctly, but in terms of how many other teams , if any, outscored me, and by how many points. Which was the real problem I had with this bingo quiz. At the end of each round you knew how many questions you’d answered correctly, but you had no idea how well you’d done relative to any other team. Which I would imagine is actually a positive point for some people, but not for me, unfortunately.
I wouldn’t like to give you the idea that I didn’t enjoy the evening, or wish that I’d stayed at home. I did enjoy it, but this was more due to the fact that Mike, Ceri, and my daughters Zara and Jess were with me than the quiz itself. Having now played in a bingo quiz, I can’t say that my opinion of them has changed drastically. If you play in one regularly, and you enjoy it, then that’s great, and I’ve no wish to say anything negative, other than it’s not for me. It’s just how I feel – and the fact that I got lost on the way home had nothing to do with it.
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University Challenge - Round Two - Match 6
Bristol University v. Imperial College
This week’s second round match pitted underdogs Bristol against highflying Imperial College. Bristol’s team of James Xiao, Andy Suttie, Madeleine Fforde and skipper Will Brady beat Wadham College, Oxford 120 to 105 last time out. Their opponents, Imperial College, beat Jesus College Cambridge in the first round. The team of Pietro Aronica, Dominic Cottrell, Henry Guille and captain Martin Evans scored 225 to 80. On paper, then Imperial looked the favourites.
Puetro Aronica took the first points, knowing that Mexico City hosted the Summer Olympics once, and the world cup twice. A set of bonuses on Charles De Gaulle take two bonuses, and got Imperial on the move. Bristol hit straight back when James Xiao buzzed in with dew point. Literary advice was a good UC bonus set but Bristol only managed the one . Henry Guille took the initiative back for Imperial, recognising that the term lotus refers to several different flowers. A Maths set was their reward, and they managed one, after a bit of argument about squaring the circle. Martin and Baker developed the ejection seat. I didn’t know it but Dominic Cottrell did. Performance Art was the bonus subject, and Imperial managed to get precisely the same number of points that I did, namely none. The picture starter showed us Baffin Island, which Martin Evans gratefully accepted. More Canadian Islands saw them fail to capitalise. So, although Imperial were well out in front in terms of starters correctly answered, by the ten minute mark they only led by 55 to 15. As JP would say, plenty of time for Bristol to come back.
Pretty much as soon as JP read the words “Population unchecked . . . “ Martin Evans knew that we must be looking for Malthus. Indeed we were. A good UC set on anagrams followed – eg. A variety of Cabbage enjoyed at Christmas, and a state of near unconsciousness – stupor and sprout. Imperial managed two of these. Andy Suttie took his first starter of the match, and Bristol’s first for a long time, knowing the cut of meat called the saddle. Bonuses on Queen Christina of Sweden brought them 10 more points, and narrowed the gap to 40 points again. Try this one. Two of the first 8 months of the year can be transformed from the French name to their English counterparts ( not including accents ) by changing one letter in each. Dominic Cottrell jumped in too early and lost five. Will Brady had it spot on with April and May. Bonuses on anatomy yielded another ten points. Pietro Aronica knew where the title Defender of the Faith came from, and this gave Imperial a tilt at a set of bonuses on Pushkin. They took two. The Music starter gave Dominic Cottrell the chance to make up for his previous transgression by identifying the dulcet tones of Richard Gere instructing us to give ‘em the old Razzle Dazzle – whatever that might be. The bonuses convinced me that Pierce Brosnan shouldn’t give up the day job any time soon. Imperial took a full set with these. Will Brady , playing a captain’s innings for his team, identified the programme Photoshop. Capital cities near the Tropics provided Bristol with 5 more points. Dominic Cottrell took the next bonus with weltanshauung. Gesundheit. Nobel Prize Winners reintroduced us to Golgi, he of the famous apparatus. A full set was taken.Martin evens knew that Autolycus appears in “A Winter’s Tale”. Political figures born in 1770 gave them two more bonuses, but they missed out on William Huskisson, killed by Stephenson’s Rocket on the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Will Brady supplied two counties of Connaught to keep Bristol in there and fighting. NUMA – the US agency, saw them answer another two correctly. At the 20 minute mark, then, Imperial led by 160 to 90.
An Imperial victory looked on the cards, but there was still quite a lot of play left in the match. The second picture starter showed an engraving which Pietro Aronica recognised as being produced by Gustave Doré. The bonus set, more of the same, was another full house. Right try this one. The smallest cyclic number , what are the six repeating digits of the decimal equivalent of one seventh ? No, of course I didn’t. It was 1-4-2-8-5-7 – and neither team had it, though Will Brady was just one digit out. Martin Evans knew that works including “Baal” and “Mother Courage and her children” were written by Bertold Brecht. The set of bonuses on astronomy were snapped up , and if the game wasn’t over before, it was now. Pietro Aronica knew that the HQ of the League of Nations was in Geneva. The bonuses on sets of composers born in the same year were tricky. I had one of each pair, but only the correct pair on the last. The next bonus saw James Xiao get close to the answer, when we were given a list of Moon walkers, and he suggest they were all from Apollo 17. Dominic Cottrell said that they all went on the moon, but that wasn’t enough for JP , who insisted that the key to the question was that they all walked on the moon. I’d like to think he only turned it down because they were so far ahead, because I’ve seen him allow answers which were no closer than this one before. Yes, I know that it’s not JP who makes the call, it’s the voice in his ear. Anyway, I digress. Neither team knew that it was the Duke of Monmouth who launched his rebellion in 1685. Neither did they know that goniometry in medicine means the range of movement in joints. Andy Suttie knew that the film “Arietty” would be based on The Borrowers. A set on nature gave them two bonuses. Egg on face moment of the show. I didn’t know, and neither did either team, that the two Wagner operas about a father and his son were “Lohengrin” and “Parsifal”. I really should have had that one. Nobody knew that the population of Germany is closest to that of the UK. Bearing in mind the relatively large number of unanswered starters in the last couple of minutes I think JP decided to reach into the ‘giveaway’ pile, and it fell to Will Brady to answer that it was the Owl and the Pussycat who died on Mince and Slices of Quince. A gettable set on battlefields saw them fail to score further. Martin Evans knew about the Enigma variations to earn a set on Botany. It didn’t really matter that much, because we were really into the stage of the contest where any more points for Imperial were just gilding. Now, I had a Science one right ! I said that B, C, N, O , F would be followed by Ne for Neon. Yay ! Members of Parliament only saw enough time for two bonuses before the gong. The final score was 245 to Imperial , and 115 to Bristol. A comfortable win indeed. Hard lines to Bristol, but a performance which means Imperial will be a difficult proposition for any team that encounters them in the quarter finals.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
JP seemingly enjoyed this match. Even when Imperial worked out that cartel and rectal were two parts of an anagram, but offered ‘lecart’ as the French wine , he merely raised his voice slightly “It’s CLARET !” while laughing.
In the music bonuses he greeted Imperial’s correct identification of Pierce Brosnan singing in “Mamma Mia” with the muttered words, “Yes, put us out of our misery, please.”
After Imperial took a full set on Golgi, he observed “Music to your ears, that sort of question !” There speaks someone who read English at Univesity. I know how he feels.
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
In Pushkin’s poem “The Bronze Horseman” the protagonist believes that he is being chased through the streets by a bronze statue of tsar Peter the Great.
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This week’s contestants were : -
Clive Dunning
Gareth Parkin
Rod Riesco
Clive Dunning kicked off the first round. His first four were all gettable, and he duly got them. However he fell on Pevsner, just missing out on a full set, and this one fell to Rod Riesco. Amanda Lindsay took her first two, but didn’t get Fanny Blankers-Koen. Clive Dunning was happy to add that one to his score. Gareth Parkin took his first, but he fell on the poem in which Byron describes the English winter as a season that ends in July, to recommence in August. It was “Don Juan”, and Clive Dunning had it. Rod Riesco took his first couple, but the administrative capital of Bolivia – Sucre – did for him. Clive took that , and amongst what seemed to be a good crop of contenders he was really sticking out as the man to beat. He kicked off the next round, but didn’t know that Lake Wenham in Massachussetts supplied a hell of a lot of ice to the UK. Me neither. Gareth had that bonus. Amanda didn’t know that Podsnap is in “Our Mutual Fried”, and this one went begging. Gareth took his first two, but didn’t know about the fictitious ancient gaelic bard Ossian. Rod had that. For his own set He took a couple, but a sneaky little one about a verse set to a Chinese tune caught all of the brains out. I guessed its writer would probably be Mao, and I was right. Never mind, the round had done Rod a power of good , as he was now only a point behind Clive. To start round three Clive had a nasty one asking which state had “Hang On Sloopy” as its state song. do you know, I get rather irritated when I hear contestants getting ‘pure guess’ questions like this as the 1st of their set. It happens too often for my liking, and it’s not evenly spread between the contestants either. 3rd 4th or 5th of the set, yeah, no problem, but come on. We had that situation a couple of weeks ago where one of the contestants got a string of these as first questions, and ended up with 0 . Sort it out guys, please – it doesn’t do the show any favours. Amanda missed her second on the Old Testament, which gave Rod a bonus. Gareth fell at his first, on a diagram of stars. Rod probably should have known that Kanchenjunga is the world’s 3rd highest peak, but he didn’t, and Gareth nipped in for a bonus. Clive still led by a point, but both Rod and Gareth were close behind.
The first Beat the Brains question was a good old stager, which required the Brains to know that it was Victor Hugo who enquired about the sales of “Les Miserables” by sending a question mark to his publisher. The second asked which Arthur Ransome novel had a question mark in the title. Again, the brains had it with “Great Northern ?”Great work by the brains.
Clive Dunning took up the cudgels again, with one answer, but didn’t know that the month named after the roman festival of purification was February. Amanda didn’t know that the Treaty of Aix La Chapelle ended the War of Austrian Succession. Gareth had that .He didn’t know that ants and nettles have formic acid, which was a bonus for Clive. Rod didn’t know that Antisthenes founded the Cynic School of Philosophy. Yes, I think that I’ve met a few of its former pupils in my time. Clive had stretched his lead to 3 points now. He didn’t know the two new sports sanctioned for Rio in 2014, these being golf and rugby sevens. Amanda didn’t know that Mammoth Cave is in Kentucky . Gareth had a music question about the Tokyo Olympics of all things. He didn’t get it, but Clive did. Rod took his first, but it was Clive who took a bonus with Robert Bolt. With 13 to Rod’s 8, he looked good value for his lead, and it would take a remarkable round to deny him the win.
Clive didn’t know that the country with the international dialing code 55 is Brazil. Another stopper. Amanda had a gettable one to start, but didn’t know bishop John Fisher. Gareth fell at the first with Zermat, which Rod had. For his own set he really should have known that Carly Simon sang “Nobody Does it Better”. He’d narrowed the gap to 4, but we were running out of rounds. Clive didn’t know that the word Rhadmanthine comes from the son of Zeus and Europa. Amanda missed her first, that “Death of a Salesman” was written in the 40s. Bonus for Rod. Gareth missed his first. Rod took one but didn’t know King Louis XII of France. The gap was now down to 3, with Clive leading Rod 14 – 11. One round left, and Clive took his first , he took his second but not his third, on Poland which was partitioned off the map in the 19th century. Amanda didn’t know that Harold Wilson was Lord Wilson of Rievaulx. Gareth had that. He took his own first couple, but Amanda took a bonus on Bill Shankly. Rod took his first, but Kenneth Mac Alpin did for him.
The final scores were : -
New TV Quiz Game - Face the Clock
Face the Clock – Channel Four – 3:30 weekdays
Congratulations go to the makers of “Face the Clock”, the first new quiz I’ve seen in 2013. I know why I’ve been missing this one. 3:30pm is just too early for me to catch. Still, never mind, that is what the internet is for. Now, I can either review this as a straight quiz show, or I can review it as a game show. Well, I’ll probably be bringing in elements of both. It's daytime, it's a half hour slot, so it's not going to be big money, and it's not likely to be that difficult. Come on then, Dave, review it according to what it is, rather than what it's not.
This show, which comes in at a lean and mean 23 minutes or so once you take the adverts out, is fronted by Rory Bremner. Now, here’s a tricky thing. I met Rory at the 2011 telecommunications industry GetConnected Charity Quiz, where he was the special guest question master. We had a chat and I thought he came across as a really nice chap, very chatty, very interested in you, and a good guy. So I’d find it difficult to be horrible about him. Thankfully I don’t have to. The format didn’t give him much opportunity to display his wit, and even less his impressions, but he seemed to get the tone just about dead right I thought.
The gameplay of the show is relatively simple. The show starts with 6 contestants. One of them randomly selects an amount of time, which might be anything up to 2 and a half minutes. The contestants then answer questions for cash, or nominate someone else to take the question. If you’re ‘it’ when the time runs out, then you’re out, and your cash passes to the one who passed you the question. 4 contestants are discarded this way. If you’re thinking – like the Pass the Bomb game on Buzz – then you’re dead right. Except you earn money for correct answers, so it’s worth hanging onto your go for a bit.
So there’s a huge slice of luck in this first part of the show. It doesn’t matter how good you are. If you get a killer pass 2 seconds before time runs out, then you’re out. It changes, though, in the round of two. Both of you get 60 seconds on the clock. The one with the lowest amount of money starts. Questions are asked, and the clock ticks down. When the contestant gets one right, then the clock stops, and the other contestant’s starts. Then when they get one right . . . well, I’m sure that I don’t have to labour the point for you. Now, on this game, it’s fairly simple – best quizzer wins.
Moving onto the final, whatever money the two last contestants have earned becomes the prize fund for the finalist. He or she will get one minute on the clock. They have to answer 5 questions correctly in the time. If they do it in 30 seconds or less, then they get the full amount. Then the money is halved, and it goes down for every ten seconds after that the contestant takes. So again, the people who are going to do best in the final are good quizzers.
Accepting that this is a game as much as it’s a quiz, it’s not a bad show at all. The FAQ (Faffing About Quotient) is fairly low – the duration of the show is so relatively short that they just have to get on with it. That’s a good point. Game play is simple and straightforward, and there aren’t really any unnecessary gimmicks. The game is not without tactics either. OK, the mechanics of the show mean that the best quizzer is not necessarily more likely to make it through to the last two than any other player. OK, the questions are, well, they’re Weakest Link easy, if you know what I mean. But then, it’s that kind of show, it’s not a search to find the best quizzer in the UK. It is what it is, and a relatively undemanding quiz game, which moves quickly, gives you quite a lot of questions for your money, and is certainly watchable is exactly what it is.
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20. Richie George
In Other news
1. What did English Heritage first of all say it cannot afford, and then say it will try hard to maintain?
2. Which contest was held in Birmingham’s Grand Metropole Hotel ?
3. What was published by the Co-alition ?
4. Who received his brand new Russian passport last week ?
5. Which member of the 1958 England world cup football squad passed away last week ?
6. The construction of a big shopping centre development in York had to be delayed due to what ?
7. What was the score in the Arsenal v. Swansea FA Cup tie ?
8. Who clearly seemed to handball before his goal to knock Mansfield Town out of the FA Cup ?
9. Who suffered a wardrobe malfunction on her way out of “Dancing on Ice” ?
10. Newcastle Utd. were knocked out of the FA Cup by which team ?
11. Who is the new manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers ?
12. Which octogenarian TV and radio presenter was in court accused of sexually assaulting 3 girls ?
13. Which scientific project has ended after 520 days ?
14. Jessica Ennis has publically spoken out against the closure of what ?
15. Who won the ballon d’or ?
16. Britain now have two women in the world’s top 50 female tennis players. Who were the last british pair to do it ?
17. Lionel Messi was criticized for wearing what this week ?
18. Which is the first English council to offer a free school breakfast to all primary school children ?
19. Who missed his date in a French court on a drink driving charge ?
20. What was the score of the first leg Capital One cup semi between Bradford City and Aston Villa?
21. In the 2012 Fifa World 11, all the players come from either Barcelona or Real Madrid except one,. Which club did he come from ?
22. Who is the new Nike Face of Golf ?
23. What was the score in the Swansea v Chelsea Capital One cup semi final first leg ?
24. Which BBC TV journalist suffered a stroke ?
25. What happened to David Bowie’s new single ?
26. Which former DG of the BBC passed away ?
27. Why is John Mcrirrick suing channel 4 ?
28. Who is to be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey next week ?
29. Monopoly is currently carrying out an online vote. About what ?
30. Which chain of camera shops have been forced to close ?
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Only Connect Contestant Call - reminder
I had another email from Rachel Griffiths of Only Connect a few days ago, reiterating the call for contestants for the next series, which I am delighted to post here .
With our highest figures in Only Connect history we have fortunately been commissioned for another series of Only Connect that we'll record in March/ April 2013. We value any recommendations from past contestants of the show, so please encourage friends, families and colleagues to apply. I've attached a flyer with details of how to apply for 2013, please feel free to email this on to anyone you think may be interested, or even post it on Facebook or tweet about it! All types of social media are fantastic for us and good old word of mouth works brilliantly too!
If you have any questions then please feel free to get in touch with me at my NEW email address here: [email protected]
Once again, I can strongly recommend anyone the least bit interest to give it a go. It's great fun.
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Another four competitors took on the challenge of the best quiz on the radio. They were : -
Julian Aldridge
Gordon Taylor
Dave Tilley
Now, if you’re a regular LAM reader, and you think that a couple of those names sound familiar, well, you’re right. David Buckle is a Masterminder, having reached the Grand Final in Jesse’s series in 2010. I believe that he was also a finalist in The People’s Quiz in 2007. As for Dave Tilley, he too is a Masterminder, having been a contender in Geoff’s 2006 series, and he is also the captain of the Listeners, the team that came fourth in series 5 of Only Connect. Quite a bit of quiz talent on offer in this show , then.
Julian Aldridge fell at the first with a relatively gentle old chestnut about the queen allegedly buried beneath platform 10 of Kings Cross Station. David B had a go, but it fell to Dave Tilley to offer the correct name of Boudicca / Boadicea. David B took his first two , but couldn’t dredge up Gresham of Gresham’s Law. Dave T. could. Gordon showed good knowledge to take 4 , but didn’t know that a Wheatstone Bridge measures resistance. David B did. Dave didn’t know about the Castel Sant Angelo. So Gordon led with 4, from David with 3 and Dave with 2. Julian didn’t know a rather simple one about the actress whose Oscar winning career spanned the decades between the 30s and 80s, which was another bonus for Dave T. At this stage Julian was looking very much like the sacrificial lamb of this particular contest. David B. answered his first four correctly – but didn’t know that the porcupine is a rodent. A bonus for Gordon, that, but he didn’t know that Marco Polo set out from Acre for part of his journey. Nobody had that. Dave T took his first, but failed on the Mercury project, giving a bonus for David, who now led with 8 points to Gordon’s 5 and Dave’s 4. In round 3 Julian started with a sound clip , of the much missed Ian Dury. That did for him. David knew his original group was Kilburn and the High Roads. He then went on to answer his first, but didn’t know about phenols. Not surprised, me neither. Gordon didn’t know that Neptune’s largest moon is Triton, but Julian did . Somewhat surprisingly Dave T didn’t know that the sister ship of both the Titanic and the Britannic was the Olympic. I say surprising what with all of the ballyhoo for the centenary last year. Sometimes it’s surprising what good quizzers just don’t know. Gordon took the bonus, but David now led by 10 to 6. No break for the Beat the Brains yet. Nobody knew that the last London Thames frost fair was 1814. I only knew it through studying London Bridge for my Mastermind series. Poor old Julian had yet to answer any of his own questions. David B had a music question to start - the theme to the Eurovision Song Contest – composed by Charpentier . I’m guessing that’s not the same man who fought Jack Dempsey for the world heavyweight championship, but I don’t know. I didn’t have a Scooby. Gordon Taylor didn’t know Abel Ganz – and again, that was a gettable point, but nobody had it. Dave Tilley didn’t know that Finbo cheese comes from Denmark – neither did I. So David still led by 10 to 6.
The first listener question was this – The Space Shuttles – all 6 were named after pioneering sailing ships. Which was named after Cook’s ship on his first voyage ? Of course it was Endeavour , and the Brains knew it. The second question was which one was named after the British ship which laid the foundations of oceanography. I guessed Challenger, so did the Brains , and they were right. Well done.
On with round 5. Julian Aldridge got a nasty one on who was the subject of Whistler’s Arrangement in Grey and Black number 2 – number 1 being his old mum. It was Thomas Carlyle. Nasty question, that. David B didn’t know the old chestnut about Wilf Rhodes, the oldest man to play test cricket. Gordon Taylor was played the national anthem of Finland. Dave T probably should have had the Lutine, I would have thought, and David B made no mistake for the bonus. Not a high scoring round, but it was David B edging forward. Julian got another stinker to start, about Robert Delauney, known in LAM towers as Robert Who ? David B. didn’t know Ernest Swinton invented the tank. Gordon took his first 2, but didn’t know that the Plimsoll line mark WNA means Winter North Atlantic. Tricky but gettable. Dave T. took his first, but didn’t know Lincolnshire and Norfolk are on the Wash. So David B took his score to 12, while Gordon was on A. Julian had the old stager CAT scan,but didn’t quite get it. Surprisingly nobody managed a relatively simple bonus on that. David B. got the wrong canal for 1914. Gordon had Panama, and the bonus. For his own question he didn’t know the state capital of Delaware , so Dave T had it. His own question was on semaphore, and nobody had the letter R. Gordon had edged a point closer , but still lagged by 3 going into the last. Julian probably should have known who “Wet, she was a star” referred to – it’s been asked in quizzes so many times. But he didn’t. Dave T. knew it was Esther Williams. David B. didn’t know that Samoa moved across the date line, which Gordon did. He was only three points behind now. But he didn’t get his first, and David B had it on geometry. Game over. Dave T. didn’t know that Lydia was the youngest Bennett in “Pride and Prejudice”. Julian knew that. So the final scores and the result were relatively clear cut: -
Julian Aldridge – 3
Gordon Taylor – 10
Dave Tilley – 7
Well done David – good luck in the semis. Hard lines to Gordon, I think that 10 just won’t be good enough for a place in the semis.
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Only Connect Champion of Champions
The Analysts v. The Scribes
No time to draw breath in our weekly round up of the very best of TV and radio quizzes, as we have this biennial joust between the winners of the most recent two series. It hardly seems like days since Holly Pattenden , Gareth Price and Dom Tait , the Scribes, won the 6th series. Well, it was only shown a few weeks ago. I have written off the Scribes’ chances far too often in the past, so I had a completely open mind as to who would be the most likely winners between them and the Analysts, represented by Paul Steeples, William De Ath, and captain David Lea. I’m fairly confident in saying that in a straight, ordinary quiz, over a couple of hundred questions, the Analysts would win. But this was Only Connect, and there’s nothing ordinary about it..
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The As chose Lion, and received 10 foot gypsum statue – wood plastic head and toy submarine – and I knew what we had here were famous hoaxes – which was confirmed by orang-utan jawbone and human skull, then paper cut outs of fairies. The Analysts had it there. Scribes took flax, and found Mars Climate Orbiter – Stonehenge in This is Spinal Tap, and they had it from that. As anyone who has seen and loved the movie knows, these were measurement mix ups. Which gave the Scribes a useful lead. Water brought the As the pictures. A seemingly unconnected series of pictures showed different ways of getting into Narnia. The As suggested children’s books, which was close, and the Scribes were closer – they mentioned CS Lewis. Not close enough for Victoria, though. Fair enough. Two Reeds hid the music connection , one of which was the end of round music from this very show. Another was Sting’s Fields of Gold. Another was “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin. Neither team got the connection, and neither did I , yet it’s so simple when you know. After all, in which film did we hear “The Entertainer” ? That’s right – the Sting. The OC music is the sting between rounds. Red face moment of the show ( so far. ) The As took eye of Horus and found Professor Layton – Uncle Sam ( I was thinking top hats ) – Alan Sugar ( now I thought pointy fingers on posters ) and Lord Kitchener. The As made no mistake. This left Horned Viper for the Scribes. They had Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Anfield Stadium, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I thought that was pretty straightforward, and so did the Scribes, who were happy to take locations of Eternal flames off these three clues. So they led by 5 to the As’ 2.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth ?
The As chose two reeds. Prefix for nine – followed by he spilled his seed on the ground, which was Onan – followed by Prefix for ten to the power of – 9 which I guessed was nano. If the first was nona, then I worked out that you used the same 4 letters, but put the first one last for each next word. Which would leave you anon. Correct, and the As had worked it out as well. Scribes took water, and received Imbolc – Ostara – Beltane – Hello, though I , celtic / pagan festivals. OK, but what next ? I guessed Samhain, which I think is sort of Halloween, but actually it was midsummer, Difficult one that. Not s hard as the As though. They got the pictures, and these were representations of Egyptian hieroglyphs for numerals. They needed to give the symbol for 1, but nobody knew it was a staff or straight line. The Scribes received SATOR – AREPO – TENET . Nope, I didn’t know. They are the SATOR word square, and the next would be opera. Paul knew the connection, but not the word for a bonus. The As had Secret Diary - Parish news – and we were dealing with Private Eye, and David and the boys knew the last would be the New Coalition Academy newsletter. Good shout off two. The Scribes had Edward Borough – John Neville – Henry VIII. Both teams were working on increasing numbers of wicves, but no. They were the successive husbands of Katherine Parr, with Thomas Seymour being her fourth and last. Still, the round , while not high scoring, had made a difference. The Analysts now led with 7. Still, with the vowels to come after the walls, they needed more than a 2 point lead to be confident of defeating the lightning quick Scribes.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
I thought that the Scribes did brilliantly to quickly see and separate a set of words which can be made into other words by placing a letter a at the start – trophy – venue – corn and steroid. They almost immediately found grain crops, with quinoa – sorghum – amaranth and millet. They knew the other two connections – words preceded by continental – and sporting trophies, and they found them . The continental words were shelf – plate – drift and crust, and the trophies claret jug, dish and belt. This meant that the maximum lead that the As could have would be 2 points. Frankly, if I was playing the Scribes in vowels I’d want a much bigger head start than that .
The As at least wouldn’t have known that their opponents had scored a full house. They were given the water wall, and they quickly found a set of Croatian cities, in Split – Dubrovnik – Zadar and Rijeka. A set of middleweight boxers – Hearns – Hagler – Benn and Eubank followed. Then almost before Ihad a chance to blink they’d unraveled the other two sets – Duran – Sub – The – Talk, and also Leonard – Timer – Pula – Loon . I didn’t know The The , or Sub Sub, but I did know Duran Duran and Talk Talk, the answer being when you double the original word you get the name of a band. As for the last set – I didn’t know it. If you changed one letter you could make each of them into a big cat. So only 7 points meant that the Scribes now took the lead, with 15 to 14.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
The mission for the As was simple. Just beat the Scribes on the vowels. Simple as that. Literary Aunts fell fell 2 – 1 to the As. Films with photographer protagonists fell 3 – 1 to the Scribes. Correct versions of common misquotations fell 2 -1 to the As _ what a good game ! Works of JMW Turner went 1 – 0 to the Scribes, and that was that. Not a lot in it at all, but the As finished with 19, and the Scribes with 21. Superb work guys, and I have no doubt that sooner or later we’ll get to see them take on the Mighty Champion of Champions of Champions, the Crossworders.
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University Challenge Round 2 - Match 5
Magdalen, Oxford v. Manchester University
A high quality contest this one promised to be. Magdalen comfortably took out Sidney Sussex in their first round match, by 205 to 105. The team once again were Will Wright, Rob Mangan, Richard Purkiss and their captain Henry Watson.Manchester on the other hand only won against Lincoln College Oxford on the very last question of their first round heat. Once again, the team were David Brice, Adam Barr, Debbie Brown, and captain Richard Gilbert.
Will Wright opened Magdalen’s account with a series of Treaties of Paris. Poets’ epitaphs proved equally fruitful, providing them with a full set. Manchester skipper Richard Gilbert hit straight back with Mozart’s “Magic Flute”. Bonuses on 1812 saw them also take a full set. Don’t misunderstand me, I enjoyed the Christmas series, but what a pleasure to get back to watching good teams answering harder questions, and doing it well. The Manchester captain took his second starter in a row, identifying a set of people whose first two names started with the initials JM. The set of bonuses on tests saw the first points dropped on the Holmgren test, and also the Land test. Didn’t matter. Adam Barr knew that Bernard Lovell was the driving force behind the Jodrell Bank radio telescope. This gave Manchester three bonuses on English history and Italian opera, of which they answered two correctly. The picture starter showed is the family tree of characters in “Jane Eyre” and asked for the name of Edward Rochester’s first wife. JP seemed very impressed when Will Wright supplied the correct answer. This brought up a set of bonuses of more of the same – more family trees from novels by the Brontes. These actually seemed a lot more difficult than the starter had, so I wasn’t surprised that they missed out. Nobody knew that The Lady and The Unicorn tapestries, apart from their real life incarnations, are also on the walls of the Gryffindor Common room. Fair enough. We were almost at the ten minute mark by this stage, and superior buzzing by Manchester had earned them a lead, with 60 to 35.
Debbie Brown buzzed in with the word ‘occlusion’ to take the next starter. Antarctica proved fairly fruitful, providing them with 2 bonuses. A good old UC chestnut, the term ‘mugwump’ from American politics was the answer to the next starter, but neither team had heard that one before. It’s one of those you either know or you don’t. Debbie Brown, warming to her work, recognized an English translation of the first few words of The Marseillaise to take the next starter. WH Auden was obviously not a great favourite with Manchester, and that set failed to take them through the 100 point barrier. Not to matter. Richard Gilbert took the next starter, identifying words which feature on Roy Liechtenstein’s Whaam!. Bonuses on geophysics brought another 5 points. Manchester were pulling ahead, and Magdalen’s problem was that they were losing the buzzer battle. Either they had to start hitting and hoping, or Manchester would disappear beyond the horizon. The music starter showed a clean pair of heels to both teams. The next starter saw Rob Mangan incorrectly supply Herodotus to lose 5, but actually he was doing the right thing. Magdalen had to start buzzing, and if that meant taking a few risks, then so be it. If you’re going down, at least go fighting. Manchester didn’t know Thucydides. Neither team knew periparty. Really ? Get out of town. A UC special followed. Basically, if you put together the abbreviation for a Tongan currency together with a Colombian one, you get Top Cop. Look, it’s easier than it sounds, ok? Debbie Brown had it for her third starter. This brought the music starters, on composers who had won the Mendelssohn scholarship. One bonus was taken. Will Wright’s perseverance was rewarded when he took the next starter on a quotation by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes. For his pains he earned Magdalen a set of bonuses on bells. A full set took them to 55. A maths thing came next , but neither could answer it. So at the 20 minute mark Magdalen had made at least a wee dent in Manchester’s lead, but at 120 to 55 it still looked pretty commanding.
The next starter on one of the Nobel peace prize winners of 2011 went begging. So did the next on hepatitis A. Rob Mangan took his first starter on countries that joined the UN during the 1970s. Their bonuses on carpets provided no returns for them. We had the second picture starter, and Richard Gilbert recognized a photo of Sir Anthony Hopkins playing van Helsing. The bonuses showed other actors playing the same part. A full set just added to Magdalen’s problems. Richard Purkiss took his first starter for Magdalen, recognizing a series of works by Beethoven. The set on orbits left me by after perhaps the first three words of each question, I’m afraid. They couldn’t take any. Adam Barr knew that a normal somatic cell has 22 pairs of chromosomes excluding the sex chromosomes – at least I think that’s what it said – to bring up bonuses on Royal Appointments. 2 bonuses were taken. Adam Barr also knew that Michael Faraday said that one day one could tax electricity. This brought Manchester to 175, and they looked home and dry. Bonuses on exclamation marks brought them another 10 points. Henry Watson knew that Sir Lancelot is the only other person mentioned by name in “The Lady of Shallot”. English monarchs and their relationship to each other should have been a happy hunting ground, but only provided 5 points. Adam Barr knew a list of phrases all containing the word chicken. The bonuses on Indian states and cities weren’t easy at all, but two of them were answered correctly. Debbie Brown knew a series of attractions in Oslo. Then they were given a set of works which take their names from phrases in Shakespeare. Only the last was taken. Which really was the end, since the gong sounded straight afterwards. A convincing win for Magdalen in the end, by 200 to 90. I think that JP was right to be kind in his comments to Magdalen. They answered pretty well when they could get to the buzzer. However Manchester, for the second time this series, look a class act. In this show they had three buzzers all weighing in with good starters, and they were, to use snooker parlance, contriving to put points on the board every time they visited the table. Well played.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
Well, there really wasn’t a lot until when both teams failed to identify the music starter. Then they both failed on the next starter. Finally the next starter gave Manchester the music bonuses, which earned the withering comment,
”Well, you’ll recall that sometime last week we heard Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto . . . “
Now warmed up, he greeted Will Wright’s correct answer to the next starter with
”Right, after that period of indolence, Magdalen . . . “ Believe me, it wasn’t a case of laziness, Jez. They were trying to get to the buzzers, I can assure you of that.
Interesting fact of the Week That I Didn’t Already Know
We didn’t get the full question, but when somebody official asked Michael Faraday about electricity, and what the point of it was, he replied “One day, sir, you may tax it. “ There spake the voice of experience.
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| Pat Gibson |
Which eponymous Shakespearean character was King of Scotland from 1040 until his death in 1057? | Life After Mastermind: January 2013
Busy Saturdays
I’m not asking for sympathy. It’s been a busy old quiz day today, though. What with my current year group at school being Year 11 ( the fifth form in old money ) and in the last term and a half before their GCSEs and other external exams, I’m working pretty hard in the evenings at the moment, and when I’m not doing schoolwork I’m actually at quizzes. As I said, I’m not asking for sympathy, but it is something in the way of an explanation why I haven’t been able to find the time to post during the week during term time over the last 6 months or so. Hence the plethora of posts on a Saturday.
The way it’s worked out I have actually compiled two separate quizzes today. I’ll endeavor to explain why. A fortnight ago I made my first appearance at the Sunday evening quiz at the Dyffryn Arms, which I’m sure that I’ve mentioned before. It’s a lovely little quiz, nice club, nice people, and a good, and at times great set of questions. Pretty much all you could want really. I hadn’t been able to get down to it since early December, through a combination of my illness, John’s illness, my being away, John’s being away , and so forth. While I was there Keith informed me that Graham, one of the two other regular setters , wasn’t going to be able to do the quizzes any more, and asked if I’d be willing to step in . Now, there were a couple of factors that I needed to take into consideration. Firstly, for reasons I will go into shortly, I’ll probably be doing more quizzes down the rugby club on a Thursday for at least a while. Secondly, I’m pretty sure that when I’m question master in the pub on a Sunday, John won’t want to come down and play on his own. No way do I want to do anything which will stop John coming out on a Sunday when he wants to. So it would have been relatively easy to say no. Only, well, it’s flattering when people trust you enough to ask you to make a quiz. I enjoy being Qm pretty much as much as I do playing. Also, when you’ve got a good little quiz going, which has resisted the temptation to go down the bought in quiz route, you really rather want to help them out to keep it going. So I said that I’ll do it from time to time, but I can’t go on a once every three weeks rota. The upshot being that I said that I’d have one ready for tomorrow night, if they wanted it.
Coming back to the Thursday night quiz in the rugby club, well, if you’re a regular you’ll remember me mentioning Brian before. Brian has been the organizer of the quiz for far longer than the 17 years I have been taking part, and the two of us have been the most regular question masters in that time. Other people are good enough to come in and do a quiz from time to time, but when nobody else does, Brian and I step in and share the setting duties between us, week in, week out. It’s not my place to go spreading Brian’s business all over the internet, but the fact is that he isn’t well at the moment, and it’s quite possible that we might not see him for some time. I’ve stepped in as organizer now, and I’ve been fortunate that Howard and Dai Norwich, two of our semi regular setters, stepped in consecutively for the last two weeks. Thursday night it’s me again, and unless there’s a volunteer after that, then it’ll be me again the week after, and so on.
Here’s a funny thing, though. The fact is that when I started setting quizzes for the club way back in 1995, I loved doing it so much, that I wanted to do it every week, and would have if I’d been allowed. I was even more full on about the quiz then than I was now, and I used to really chafe at the bit whenever any other question master other than Brian ( or Alwyn Rees ) used to set the quizzes, thinking that I should be the one doing it because I could do it better. I’m pretty sure that nobody else in the club would have concurred with my appraisal of my own abilities as a setter, but back in those heady, pre-Mastermind days that was how I used to think. They do sometimes say - be careful what you wish for, since it may come true. – Well, I’ve always said that setting the quiz for the club is a labour of love, and I’ll keep on doing it for as long as I’m able, and for as long as there are at least two teams who want to play it. I think I’ve explained before how special my Thursday nights in the rugby club are, and if it means that I have to set the quiz myself then three , four or even more weeks in a row, then so be it. It’s a price worth paying.
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Just a few more first round episodes remain before we move on to the semis. In this week’s show the contestants were : -
Paul Jordan
John Newth
Andrew Ward
Now, Ramdas Mullath did actually contact me before making his first application to the show for the last series. He didn’t get on that time, so I’m delighted that he managed it for this show. None of the contenders feature on my database, so it was difficult for me to guage which if any was the most likely winner. I suppose that if you’re looking for omens, then last year’s series was won by Ray Ward, so maybe Andrew was the one to watch.
Russell began by explaining that 5 times as many men apply for BoB as women – hence the all male show this week – and appealing for any women who might consider applying to the show to please do so.
Paul took his first, but missed a gettable answer that Petra was the world heritage site that had been the capital city of the Nabataeans. John had that.Ramdas took his first to get off the mark , but didn’t know that Anita Loos wrote Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Andrew had that bonus. John Newth missed out on the Katydid, being a species of grasshopper. Andrew took his first three, and led with 4 at the end of the round, but nobody knew the Scottish Advocate General for a bonus. Onto the next round, and Paul kicked off with a couple, but didn’t know that Henry VI part 3 is described as a play about a son that killed his father, and a father that killed his son. Not surprised he didn’t have that. At least it wasn’t his first question. Unfortunately Ramdas didn’t know “Shiney Happy People “ and others were recorded by REM. Andrew Ward won the buzzer race to get the bonus there. John Newth didn’t know that Mack Sennett created the Keystone Cops. Paul had that. Andrew didn’t know that it was Zimbabwe which became independent in 1980, taking its name from a ruined city , and nobody managed a bonus there. Andrew maintained his lead with 5, but Paul was only a point behind. Paul was given a music question as his first in round three, and successfully negotiated it, but he fell on the torch relay, not knowing that Berlin was the first Olympic games to do this, in 1936. First televised as well. My boy Ramdas had it. I’m afraid that he didn’t know the old chestnut that sal volatile is another name for smelling salts. Andrew had that one. John took his first 3, but didn’t know DH Lawrence once lived on Sicily. Paul took a bonus there. Andrew took his first, but didn’t know Erskine May. That meant that Ramdas had 2, but everyone else had 6 at the end of round 3. The fourth round saw Paul take his first four, but fail on a relatively benign question about Gozo and Malta’s little brother Comino. Ramdas got a nasty old pop question to start off, about producers based in Philadelphia. Nobody had it. John didn’t know that Richard Krajicek won Wimbledon in 1996. Andrew got a stinker about Hoops process – and Ramdas took the bonus. Paul now led with 10 points.
The first listener’s question in the Beat the Brains was – what does theobroma – as in theobroma cacao, the latin name of the tree from which chocolate is produced – mean. No idea here in LAM towers, but the brains were close – they said drink of the gods, while the answer was food of the gods. Mean. The second asked what Stirculius was the roman god of ? Manure apparently. Fair enough.
After that the contest began again. Paul didn’t know that the Bailey Brothers first published Who’s Who. Ramdas took his first three , but didn’t know that it was Tolstoy who told Chekov – Shakespeare’s plays are bad enough, but yours are even worse. I don’t remember Tolstoy ever appearing in Star Trek, but I digress. Paul took the bonus. John didn’t recognize Philip Larkin’s “The Whitsun Weddings” but Paul did. Andrew got a snorter for his first, on the Chinese government news agency. Ramdas had it. Paul had a 5 point lead, but Ramdas was now joint second with 7. Paul missed his first on Chateau of Chambord. Ramdas took his first but missed out on Colt, who opened a factory in Pimlico. Paul had his point back there. John got a stinker on the Hollow Earth theory. Andrew got another music starter, where he was asked to recognize a gamelan orchestra. Paul had it. Ramdas was now clear in second with 8, but Paul had 14. He missed the Nutmeg state – Connecticut, which Ramdas had. He himself took a couple, but didn’t know Bragg. John finally got a decent starter, but for his second didn’t know the battered cherub was Joe Gormley – nobody had that one. Andrew didn’t know that a horse’s stifle is it’s knee. Paul had it. Ramdas now had 10, and Paul 15.
The final round saw Paul fail to answer that “The Robe” was the first film in Cinemascope. Ramdas should probably have known cleft palette, which gave John a bonus. Krill escaped John, and Paul had the bonus. Andrew didn’t know the CAPTURE test, which gave Ramdas a bonus. Not enough to catch Paul, and not enough, I fancy to get a highest scoring loser spot, but still a very praiseworthy performance. Well done to Paul, and good luck in the semis.
The Details
University Challenge - Round Two - Match 7
University College, London v. Jesus College, Oxford
For the first time that I can remember in a long time JP didn’t introduce UCL as the godless institution of Gower Street. They were certainly one of the form horses in the first round, having set the highest score against the University of Exeter. Representing them were Adam Papaphilippopoulos, Tom Tyzsczuk-Smith, Tom Parton and their captain Simon Dennis. Their opponents were Jesus College Oxford, who had scored rather less in their own first round match against QMC. Matt Hitchings, Frankie Goodway, Johnny Woodward and skipper Guy Brindley have had a long wait for their second match. I watched their first round in my mother in law’s in Spain, and that was back in August. So let’s not keep them waiting any longer.
It took both teams a bit of a while to figure out that the tourist attraction often photographed in forced perspective was the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it was Johnny Woodward who had it first. This earned a set of bonuses on US History, and two were added to Jesus’ total. I’ll be honest, I didn’t quite get my head around the next question, but it asked for three consecutive letters, which were X – Y – Z. Matt Hitchings, who was going to have a pretty good evening on the buzzer, took it for Jesus. One bonus followed on classical music. Tom Parton recognised a biography of Paul Dirac, which put UCL on the board. Just as well, because they didn’t manage any of a set of bonuses on optics. Matt Hitchings struck again in the next starter, recognising a definition of the word ‘eke’. The bonuses were an interesting set on internet deceptions, which actually provided me with my interesting fact of the week - more about that later. Tom Tysczuk-Smith recognised the flag of Greenland for the next starter – impressive shout that. The bonuses were more flags of islands which are territories administered by other countries, and they had to get the islands, and the administrating countries as well. Tough set – I had none, and neither did UCL. Still, they were going to earn bonuses on the next set, as soon as Adam Papaphilippopoulos answered on the Cape Verde Islands. Two bonuses on John Donne were added to their score, taking them to just 10 points behind Jesus at the 10 minute mark. Jesus led by 50 to 40.
UCL’s Simon Dennis took his first starter when he identified the Chorleywood process as being involved in breadmaking – contender for interesting fact of the week, there. 2 bonuses on the Suez crisis put UCL in fron for the first time in the contest. Tom Tysczuk Smith jumped in too soon on the next bonus on a French philosopher. If he had waited he would surely have known that the lover of Eloise was Abelard. Guy Brindley accepted the windfall, but a tricky set on comets followed, and for the first time in the contest Jesus failed to score on their bonus set.Johnny Woodward scored for Jesus with the next starter, identifying the last recorded words of Ernest Shackleton. A full set of bonuses on the films of Stanley Kubrick made it fairly clear that Jesus were in no mind to just roll over and make it easy for UCL. Up to this point it was a very good contest. Tom Parton recognised the sound of Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven for the music starter. This unleashed a set of bonuses on the Radio 4’s world’s saddest music, and they took two of them. UCL, seemingly moving up a gear, took the next starter as well, when Tom Tysczuk Smith answered a question on cytogenics. Maintaining momentum UCL took two of the bonuses on desert vegetation. Unfazed, Frankie Goodway took the next starter for Jesus on the Grand Remonstrance. 2 bonuses on blood cells reduced the deficit further. Simon Dennis knew that Marianne and Armenian are anagrams of each other, and only one bonus on Scottish traditions followed. In this high quality match, only one starter went begging, which was the next – asking about which SI (base ? ) units were named after scientists. Kelvin and Ampere were required. Adam Papaphillipopoulos knew that Helmut Kohl was the German Chancellor next in the list going backwards, and one bonus on literature meant that UCL had a narrow lead of 125 to 105 at the 20 minute mark.
The second picture starter showed us a natterjack toad. Neither team flew to their buzzers, but Tom Parton took it, and two more species which are the subject of conservation efforts in the UK followed. After an incorrect answer from UCL, Matt Hitchings struck back for his team, knowing that Cyprus was famed for copper in ancient times – hence the name of Copper, derived from Cyprus. 2 scientific terms beginning with syn- brought bonus points. Tom Tysczuk Smith knew about Footnotes in Gaza, and this then earned a bonus on peninsulae. I was pleased with myself for knowing the Oligocene, as did Johnny Woodward. One bonus on the Mann Booker Prize was correctly answered, and still UCL could not shake Jesus from their tails. A good buzz from Tom Parton do identify Technetium helped, though, as did two bonuses on US Universities. Simon Dennis consolidated the lead with another starter on books on American Football. I’m afraid I didn’t note down how many correct answers on the set of Physics bonuses they provided. Yet again, Matt Hitchings hit back with Lines Written Upon Westminster Bridge. ( Earth hath not anything to show more fair – wrote Wordsworth. Don’t get me wrong, I love bridges, especially London’s bridges, but come on ! ) A bonus on EU member states gave Jesus hope. Then a great UC special starter fell to that man Hitchings again. If Cuba is copper ( Cu ) then what is Australia ? Au is gold, of course. Lovely little starter, that. A tricky set on the colours that various elements burn yielded just the one bonus. Time was getting close – as were the scores, but it was Tom Parton who took the last starter, with Double bass. Only enough time remained for one bonus on Irish literature, and that was that.
So UCL go through to the quarters, with 215 to Jesus’ 180. That’s probably fair as well. However, what a performance from Jesus, Oxford, who made such a brilliant fight of the whole show. I’m sorry we won’t be seeing you in the quarters.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
JP offered precious little for the connoisseur in this show. There was his amused reaction to the answer given to the question – Complete the quote – on the internet no one knows you’re ? The answer given was ‘in your underpants’. Probably more likely than the real answer – a dog.
I got a little annoyed about his finishing comments to the Jesus team , though. They played a full part in a great match, and were only just beaten by one of the best teams in the first round, and yet all he could say was,
”Well, it started for you better than it finished, Jesus Oxford.” That’s a bit of a misrepresentation , Jez. They were better than that.
Interesting Fact That I Didn’t Already Know Of The Week
’Sock Puppet’ is internet slang for someone who logs on to a website or online community under an assumed identity for deceptive purposes.
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1. Which famous car was sold for $4 million last week ?
2. Why did a repeat of the Tweenies earn hundreds of complaints last week ?
3. The film cast soundtrack of “Les Miserables” became the first cast soundtrack album to top the charts for 16 years. which was the last ?
4. Which controversial female tennis player passed away last week ?
5. What was the score in the Spurs v. Man Utd. match ?
6. What was the score in the Chelsea v. Arsenal match ?
7. Which? Travel rated which British site the world’s 2nd best for tourists after the Taj Mahal ?
8. How old was Michael Winner, who passed away last week ?
9. Vanessa Mae announced her plans to take up which sport seriously ?
10. Which Olympic athletics medalist criticized fellow Olympians for their TV appearences since the summer ?
11. Which two teams will contest the Superbowl ?
12. David Cameron has said that the UK will send special forces to which country ?
13. David Cameron said that the ULK will have a referendum on membership of the EU in which year ?
14. Which TV and radio personality was arrested on 1 count of rape and 14 of sexual assault ?
15. Whom did the Talbian criticise as arrogant last week ?
16. What was the final aggregate score between Bradford and Aston Villa in the Capital One Cup semi final ?
17. Who lip synched at Barack Obama’s inauguration ?
18. A major exhibition of whose work opened at the Royal Academy ?
19. Where were people told to prepare themselves for nuclear war ?
20. Where did Prince Harry arrive back in the UK last week ?
21. What was the score in the Swansea v. Chelsea second leg semi final lasat week ?
22. Which player seemed to kick the ball boy in the same match ?
23. What was the score between Arsenal and West Ham ?
24. UK citizens have been told by the FO to leave which African city ?
25. Who is the new assistant manager of the Scottish football team ?
26. Which famous painting is on sale for £500,000 ?
27. What was the most popular programme on the iplayer during 2012 ?
28. A plaque will be unveiled in Epsom racecourse this year to commemorate whose death ?
29. Pep Guardiola has joined which team ?
30. Whom did Novak Djokovic defeat in the Australian Open semi final ?
31. Tina Turner is to become a citizen of which European country ?
32. Which comic character did its creators suggest could be gay this week ?
33. Who was denied compensation for several years in prison before his conviction was quashed ?
34. Who lost to Victoria Azarenka in the Australian Open final ?
35. UEFA announced that the 2020 Euros will be hosted by how many countries ?
36. Which famous sports writer passed away aged 75 ?
37. Which Ipswich Town player was found guilty of playing a part in a horse race fixing conspiracy, and banned from UK race courses for 10 years ?
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19. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
In Other News
1. A retrial of which former world leader was called last week ?
2. Which is the most stolen car in the UK ?
3. Which former member of TVAM’s Famous Five passed away last week ?
4. Barack Obama has rejected a 34000 strong petition for what ?
5. What was the score in the Man Utd v. Liverpool match ?
6. What was the score between Man City and Arsenal ?
7. Who said that he doesn’t like detective TV shows ?
8. Who ‘came out ‘ in a speech at the Golden Globes ?
9. Which high street chain was reported as heading into administration last week ?
10. Who won the Golden Globe for best song ?
11. Which anniversary did the FA celebrate last week ?
12. Which Beijing 2008 gold medalist retired last week ?
13. Who posed naked at 66 years of age ?
14. What is the name of Lance Armstrong’s charity to which he apologized last week ?
15. Which is the first UK city to apply a city wide 20mph speed limit ?
16. Which beer was reported last week as having it’s alcoholic content reduced while its price is being raised ?
17. Who is Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup Captain ?
18. Who has been reclassified as the best horse of the modern era, and which other horse has he displaced ?
19. Who is Scotland’s new football manager ?
20. Why did Tesco put Scottish flags on its carrier bags in stores in Wales ?
21. In which two stores was it first reported that beefburgers containing some horsemeat were being sold ?
22. Which video rental firm went bust last week ?
23. Which footballer had a six month driving ban last week ?
24. The family of which criminal has had permission to rebury his remains in consecrated ground ?
25. What was the score in the FA Cup match between Arsenal and Swansea City ?
26. A row brewed over the practice of recording which Radio 2 show last week ?
27. What was announced about the National Lottery last week ?
28. Who have had a new baby via a surrogate ?
29. Why couldn’t an EasyJet flight from Liverpool to Geneva fly last week ?
30. What was not found in Burma last week ?
31. Which former grand slam winner was defeated by Laura Robson in Australia last week ?
32. Why are Boeing Dreamliners being grounded ?
33. Who knocked Venus Williams out of the Australian Open ?
34. Which company claim to have created the world’s first self-moisturising jeans ?
35. BBC Breakfast TV celebrated its 30th anniversary last week. Who was the first guest in 1983 ?
36. Who was reported as saying that children’s TV today is too fast and too noisy ?
Answers
Who or What are the following and why have they been in the news ?
1. 8 year old tragically shot dead in Jamaica
2. 17 year old ‘bucket list’ girl who died from cancer
3. Tetra Ehtyl Lead – controversial fuel additive made only in UK
4. World’s oldest person passed away at 115
5. Second British man to play in Australian Open Tennis singles this year
6. New BDO world darts champ
7. Contracted to play wicketkeeper for Sussex Men’s second XI next season
8. Won best film and best director for Ben Affleck at the Golden Globes
9. Won TS Eliot Poetry prize for “The Stag’s Leap”
10. Pleaded not guilty in court to the murder of April Jones
11. Won court case over BA over the wearing of a crucifix
12. Number One hotel voted for on TripAdvisor
13. New Dido Album to be released in March
14. South African player called up to Wales injury hit rugby 6 Nations squad
15. Title of next novel by Dan Brown
16. Pilot tragically killed in helicopter crash in London
17. BBC Radio 4 newsreader quit after 25 years
18. Cirque du Soleil show panned by critics
19. Presenters of annual Golden Globe Awards
In Other News
Mastermind - Round One - Heat 21
The search for semifinalists goes on. Many are called, but few are chosen. Which is a none too subtle way of introducing the idea that the first of tonight’s contestants was Simon Rundell, a Church of England vicar. Not that any eyebrows should be raised at this, since the 1996 series was won by the Reverend Richard Sturch, whom I met briefly at the Champion of Champions recording. Simon’s subject, well, it wasn’t exactly biblical , being Monty Python. I’m guessing that it had been agreed beforehand that the questions would be limited to the TV series alone, since I didn’t notice any questions about the films or books. I had this one earmarked as my best chance for a decent score tonight, and this was indeed how it worked out, since I managed 9 unwikied. Simon could be quite satisfied with his 12, which meant that he would certainly be in the shakeup.
Second to go was Kate Jamieson. Kate posts from time to time on the Facebook Mastermind club group, and so I was rooting for her to do well. Her specialist subject, The Life and Career of Lord Nelson was a good, old traditional subject which could have been asked in any Mastermind series since 1972 – and I’m sure that it has been several times. Kate started well, but then it seemed as if nerves beset her, and after the first half dozen questions it was a bit of a battle. By the end of the round she had managed 5 points.
Mark Skinner was answering on the original Tintin books by Hergé. – Bet that they ask where the name Hergé came from – I murmured, and thankfully I was right, which provided the first of the 5 points that I was going to earn on this round. Mark gave every impression of being tactically very sound. he had most of the questions right, gaining 13 points, but he made sure that he offered an answer to every single one. That’s good technique if you can keep the presence of mind to do it, and as we know, anything in the teens is a good score.
The last to go in the first round was writer Rob Hemming. He was answering on The Big Five. This was not the old cabal that used to select the Welsh rugby team, but rather the five most difficult animals for big game hunters to hunt on foot. Hmm. Well, anyway, moving on, I scored 5 for the third round running, which actually gave me a better than average first round aggregate of 24 points. Rob fairly snapped out his answers, and for the first 30 seconds or so it looked like we could be heading for a very big score. Oh, don’t get me wrong, 11 is fine, but it wasn’t quite what the round had promised at one stage. Still, he was well in with a chance, depending on whether his GK would prove to be up to scratch.
Kate , sadly, was out of contention by the time she returned to the chair to kick off the GK round. So I was very pleased to see her produce a perfectly respectable double figures round. 10 points put her up to 15. Rob again started as if he meant business, but again he found his run rate slowing after the initial spurt. Still, his 12 meant that the target was set at 23. It wasn’t impossible that he might win with this, but I thought that he looked at least 2 points short of having a realistic chance.
Simon Rundell didn’t start at quite such a rate of knots as Rob had, but what he did do was maintain his momentum. We’ve seen better GK rounds this series than Simon managed, but it wasn’t bad, and it was scored by keeping his head, and picking off the answers that he knew, and as techniques go, that’s a pretty good one. His 13 raised the bar to 25, and he looked to have an even money chance of the win.
I’m always interested to see how a contender will react to being placed within the corridor of uncertainty. Mark was certainly in there, and he missed a bit of a sitter for his first question, which suggested that maybe the pressure had got to him. It hadn’t, though. In many ways he produced a very similar round to Simon’s. Steady, careful, picking off the answers he knew, guessing where he could and passing where he couldn’t. Similarly, he managed to add 13 to his score. Had he only answered 12 he would still have won, but the 13 he managed gave him a clear win, by virtue of the extra point he had scored on the specialist round. Well done, and good luck in the semifinals.
The Details
Britain's Brightest
Britain’s Brightest
OK – before I start let me acknowledge that I do know that this isn’t a quiz, and more than that, I knew it before I started to watch it. You know me, I’m a straight quiz guy myself, so all of my comments about this show should be viewed in this light.
The last time I can remember seeing a sort of mind games show like this was ITV’s “Britain’s Best Brain” from 2009. That show I did audition for. It was quite amusing really. As soon as I informed the guy on the phone that I had won Mastermind his whole attitude towards me changed, and he couldn’t get off the phone quick enough. Now, I’m not saying that the same thing is true of “Britain’s Brightest”. For one thing I’m sure that I saw Alan Gibbs of the Gamblers in the opening sequence, which means that nobody was being turned down because of what they’ve won in the past. I did actually see the contestant call for this one, but decided against it because, well, frankly because although I have a very good general knowledge I don’t really think I’m that much brighter than the average person. Certainly not in the way that brightness is defined in this kind of show, anyway.
On the iplayer this show weighs in at a hefty 1 hour and 13 minutes. It consists of three mini matches between pairs of contestants, then a set of final rounds whittling down the 6 contestants to 4 and a winner. The winner goes automatically through to the final, and 2nd and 3rd place play off to see who survives. I sat through the whole show, and I have a number of observations to make.
The FAQ (faffing about quotient) in the first half hour of the show is massive. Before each mini match we have a filmed introduction where two of the contestants are encouraged to boast about how brilliant they are, and how much better they are going to be than the other contestants. Do we really need this? I am quite sure that they are actually all lovely people in real life, but this doesn’t allow it to come across. Yes, we know they want to win. They wouldn’t be on the show if they didn’t – it’s kind of a given. Then after these you get Claire Balding – and as a sports presenter I think she is terrific, by the way - chatting with them for another couple of minutes. All totally unnecessary padding. As was the filmed insert between the mini matches, and the final section, where we were shown just how bad our general observation is. Not without interest, perhaps, but it just held up the game for me.
I don’t say that the games were not watchable. Alright, I ‘d have been angry if I’d been on the show, and for my first match I got the ‘ guess the age of a bunch of people’ game. But them that is the nature of the show. Intelligence is such a wide field, that the number of different ways you can test different aspect of it is huge, and it’s purely arbitrary I guess whether you get a game which suits you or not. For example, I’d have fancied my chances in a spelling game, which made up the third mini match. I did enjoy the second, as the two contenders had to solve a series of puzzles to escape from a room. This reminded me of some of the games you used to get in “The Crystal Maze”, a show I loved.
In fact, this leads me to an observation that you can make about a lot of game shows. Many of the aspects of this show reminded me of other games on other shows. Bits of it were a little like” the Cube”, for example, and bits of it were like bits of “The Krypton Factor”. To this extent it’s a bit of a Jenny Haniver, a creature stitched together from bits of dead creatures to fool the unsuspecting. Being fair, though, the show did get a lot better in the final rounds. We had mental maths. Then observation. Then a strange round, where contestants had to assemble 4 letter words in 22 seconds. When 22 seconds had passed in their opinion, then they had to stop the clock. If they stopped it on exactly 22 seconds, then they got 10 bonus points. Every second they took over 22 seconds saw them lose one of the precious points they had earned for their 4 letter words. Now, here’s the rub. Sam, the winner of the show, actually earned the 22 second 10 point bonus. Which was enough to mean that he won by 1 point. I’m not saying that he wasn’t a worthy winner. But I am saying that this 10 point bonus actually gave that particular skill a higher tariff than any other. There were no such bonuses in any of the other rounds.
This highlights one of the great difficulties of making a gameshow which claims to test the whole of what makes a person intelligent. How do you make it a fair test of all the different aspects ? Different amounts of points available for different skills can have a huge effect on the outcome of a show. Maybe you remember the Krypton Factor ? The GK round at the end meant that one really good GK quizzer could even win the show despite having been well beaten in all the other rounds. That’s why they tweaked the rules to limit the number of GK questions.
The show actually ends with the 2nd and 3rd place players going head to head. They both have 90 seconds. They pick numbers from a grid which contain puzzles or questions. When it’s their go, they have to give a correct answer while the clock runs down. A soon as they answer correctly they pass it over. You know how it works, you’ve seen it before in other shows. This was the only round where general knowledge was actually a help on some of the questions – for example players in a rugby team minus players in a netball team.
If my review was based solely on the first 40 minutes of the show I would have said that it was a grade A oven ready turkey. However I did get into the final rounds, and I did enjoy the playoff round at the end. I mean personally, I do think that any attempt to find the ‘brightest’ or ‘brainiest’ person in the land is doomed to failure since the whole idea of intelligence is so complex anyway. Still, accepting the show for what it is, I found something to enjoy in it. But I would say this : -
If there is ever a second series : -
* For heaven’s sake cut the padding. We don’t need the filmed inserts, trying to make the contestants out to be mean-eyed, clench-jawed, win-at-all-costs meanies. We’re not brain dead. We know that they would like to win. We don’t need the film in the middle telling us how remarkable the human brain is. If we want that sort of thing we can watch a documentary which will show us properly, instead of farting around in a marketplace. You could trim as much as half an hour off this show, and it would be all the better for it.
* Adjust the rules and the scoring so that there is as near as possible equal weighting between skills. After all you’re trying to find the best all-rounder, aren’t you , not just the person with the best time sense.
* Offer a really serious prize. Heaven alone knows, the unlamented People’s Quiz had its faults, but at least it was offering over £200000 , and this was over 5 years ago. Yes, I know that £50000 seems like a lot of money, and in any normal circumstance it is, but when you claim to be searching for the one most intelligent person in Britain, it really seems a bit cheap for a Saturday Night prime time show.
Well, the BBC has a pretty good track record for giving new shows a fair crack of the whip, so we’ll see. I’ll also be interested to see how they do the final, although I will confess with a heavy heart that I fear a whole new raft of filmed inserts.
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19. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
In Other News
1. A retrial of which former world leader was called last week ?
2. Which is the most stolen car in the UK ?
3. Which former member of TVAM’s Famous Five passed away last week ?
4. Barack Obama has rejected a 34000 strong petition for what ?
5. What was the score in the Man Utd v. Liverpool match ?
6. What was the score between Man City and Arsenal ?
7. Who said that he doesn’t like detective TV shows ?
8. Who ‘came out ‘ in a speech at the Golden Globes ?
9. Which high street chain was reported as heading into administration last week ?
10. Who won the Golden Globe for best song ?
11. Which anniversary did the FA celebrate last week ?
12. Which Beijing 2008 gold medalist retired last week ?
13. Who posed naked at 66 years of age ?
14. What is the name of Lance Armstrong’s charity to which he apologized last week ?
15. Which is the first UK city to apply a city wide 20mph speed limit ?
16. Which beer was reported last week as having it’s alcoholic content reduced while its price is being raised ?
17. Who is Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup Captain ?
18. Who has been reclassified as the best horse of the modern era, and which other horse has he displaced ?
19. Who is Scotland’s new football manager ?
20. Why did Tesco put Scottish flags on its carrier bags in stores in Wales ?
21. In which two stores was it first reported that beefburgers containing some horsemeat were being sold ?
22. Which video rental firm went bust last week ?
23. Which footballer had a six month driving ban last week ?
24. The family of which criminal has had permission to rebury his remains in consecrated ground ?
25. What was the score in the FA Cup match between Arsenal and Swansea City ?
26. A row brewed over the practice of recording which Radio 2 show last week ?
27. What was announced about the National Lottery last week ?
28. Who have had a new baby via a surrogate ?
29. Why couldn’t an EasyJet flight from Liverpool to Geneva fly last week ?
30. What was not found in Burma last week ?
31. Which former grand slam winner was defeated by Laura Robson in Australia last week ?
32. Why are Boeing Dreamliners being grounded ?
33. Who knocked Venus Williams out of the Australian Open ?
34. Which company claim to have created the world’s first self-moisturising jeans ?
35. BBC Breakfast TV celebrated its 30th anniversary last week. Who was the first guest in 1983 ?
36. Who was reported as saying that children’s TV today is too fast and too noisy ?
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Mastermind - Round One - Heat 20
According to my database we had 4 brand new contenders in tonight’s show. I mean, there was a Tim Parry in Leslie’s 1981 series, but I doubt it’s the same chap. Unless of course, you know different. He was to come in a minute. Meanwhile, Phil Bennion kicked us off with the life and films of Marilyn Monroe. I kind of thought that Joe di Maggio would be one of the free gifts in this round, and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact there were either a few easier ones, or I knew more about Marilyn Monroe than I thought. It was probably a bit of both, and I scored 7. Phil seemed pretty secure, and it was only the more obscure stuff about which seemed to give him any problem at all. 11 wasn’t the sort of total to scare the pants off the rest, but it was enough to at least give Phil the chance of a win.
Tim parry had a good, old, traditional Mastermind subject in the shape of David Lloyd George. Prior to the start of the show I felt that this was the subject which offered me the best opportunity of points, and I scored another 7. I was quite amused by John’s answer of ‘close enough’ to Tim’s pronunciation of the name of the Carmarthenshire village where Lloyd George grew up. It didn’t put him off too much, and he too reached double figures with 10. Even show so far.
When I saw the subject being offered by Nell Whiteway, Swallows and Amazons, I did wonder whether she was being allowed to answer questions on just one book. I needn’t have worried. The subject encompassed all of the Swallows and Amazons books of Arthur Ransome. Unfortunately I can’t possibly comment on the difficulty or otherwise of the round, because I have never read any. This probably explains why I scored a big fat zero. Nell, on the other hand showed excellent composure, and for most of the round looked very likely to set a perfect score. She missed out on just one question in the end, but a round of 15 gave her what looked likely to be a very useful lead – all depending on what Peter Gibbs could manage.
It’s relatively rare to see a specialist round where it all goes rather pear shaped these days, and sadly for Peter, his was one. I don’t know if it was chair nerves – quite possibly it was – but the round just never really got going for him, and it looked like a struggle for points all the way through. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does you can only feel sorry for the contender, and hope that the GK round gives them a decent chance to put matter to rights.
Well, I’m happy to say that this was exactly the case with Peter’s round. He managed to put the troubles of the specialist round behind him , finding correct answers to the first 5 on the bounce. He scored 12, to take his score to 17, but the round was actually a little better than that, but suffered simply because Peter wasn’t quite snapping the answers out. Had he gone a little more quickly I reckon he would have had at least another point, and possibly two. Still, at least he can say that he was in the lead at one point of the show now. Tim, unlike Peter before him, really did have a chance of posting a challenging total. Well, as we always say, if you get into double figures then you certainly haven’t done badly. Still, 11 points was only enough to take the total to 21. This wasn’t going to be enough to put pressure on Nell.
Phil did better. His task was quite clear, actually. In order to get a good chance of a highest runner up slot he would need a monster of a score, and it became obvious from early doors that he wasn’t quite going to do that. So the next thing was to try to get the win, by applying pressure. The best – in fact only – way of doing this is by posting as high a target as you can manage. Phil’s score of 14 wasn’t a whopper, but it wasn’t bad. It set the target for Nell at 10 and 2 passes or less. She was still the favourite, but she would have to negotiate the corridor of uncertainty at least. After 30 seconds it looked dodgy. After a minute it looked as if she would be close, but maybe fall short. She could have collapsed at this point, but she didn’t. Nell picked up pace in the last 40 seconds or so, and was through the tape with a couple of questions to spare. In the end her score of 12 for a total of 27 meant that her victory was clear. Well done and good luck in the semis . The Details
Phil Bennion
20. Richie George
In Other news
1. What did English Heritage first of all say it cannot afford, and then say it will try hard to maintain?
2. Which contest was held in Birmingham’s Grand Metropole Hotel ?
3. What was published by the Co-alition ?
4. Who received his brand new Russian passport last week ?
5. Which member of the 1958 England world cup football squad passed away last week ?
6. The construction of a big shopping centre development in York had to be delayed due to what ?
7. What was the score in the Arsenal v. Swansea FA Cup tie ?
8. Who clearly seemed to handball before his goal to knock Mansfield Town out of the FA Cup ?
9. Who suffered a wardrobe malfunction on her way out of “Dancing on Ice” ?
10. Newcastle Utd. were knocked out of the FA Cup by which team ?
11. Who is the new manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers ?
12. Which octogenarian TV and radio presenter was in court accused of sexually assaulting 3 girls ?
13. Which scientific project has ended after 520 days ?
14. Jessica Ennis has publically spoken out against the closure of what ?
15. Who won the ballon d’or ?
16. Britain now have two women in the world’s top 50 female tennis players. Who were the last british pair to do it ?
17. Lionel Messi was criticized for wearing what this week ?
18. Which is the first English council to offer a free school breakfast to all primary school children ?
19. Who missed his date in a French court on a drink driving charge ?
20. What was the score of the first leg Capital One cup semi between Bradford City and Aston Villa?
21. In the 2012 Fifa World 11, all the players come from either Barcelona or Real Madrid except one,. Which club did he come from ?
22. Who is the new Nike Face of Golf ?
23. What was the score in the Swansea v Chelsea Capital One cup semi final first leg ?
24. Which BBC TV journalist suffered a stroke ?
25. What happened to David Bowie’s new single ?
26. Which former DG of the BBC passed away ?
27. Why is John Mcrirrick suing channel 4 ?
28. Who is to be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey next week ?
29. Monopoly is currently carrying out an online vote. About what ?
30. Which chain of camera shops have been forced to close ?
Answers
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news ?
1. The men in court for the horrific Indian bus rape murder
2. Tennis tournament won by Andy Murray
3. 34 year old Aussie cricketer retired after series win over Sri Lanka
4. Chinese Newspaper forced to change an editorial calling for reform into one praising the new leaders
5. Macdonald’s has changed its name to this briefly in Australia to celebrate Australia day
6. Detective Chief Inspector in court for allegedly asking for a bribe from the News of the World
7. Leader of the House of Lords who resigned suddenly
8. New Leader of the House of Lords
9. Britain’s oldest man who passed away at 110 years of age
10. Mother jailed for life for killing her son who failed to learn verses from the Koran
11. Rail Minister criticized for use of expensive government cars
12. New Director of the CIA
13. Title of new single by David Bowie
14. Coroner of the second Amy Winehouse Inquest – recorded the same verdict as the first.
15. In court he admitted stealing a 13lb sea bass from an aquarium and using it to win an angling contest
16. Former GB international sprinter making debut in bobsleigh world cup series
17. Painted the portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge – she likes it, but it has not won universal approval
18. Character being written out of Coronation Street
19. In an autobiography she claims she was continually sexually abused by her film star father Klaus until she was 19
20. Son of darts player Bobby – reached the semi final of the BDO world darts championship.
In Other News
1. Its blue plaque scheme
2. Europe’s Best Elvis contest
3. A Mid Term review. (Fun for all the family )
4. Gerard Depardieu
6. A colony of Great Crested Newts was living there
7. 2 – 2
10. Brighton and Hove Albion
11. Dean Saunders
13. The Russian simulated flight to Mars
14. Don Valley Stadium
16. Jo Durie and Sarah Gomer
17. A spotted suit and bow tie
18. Blackpool
20. 3 – 1 to Bradford
21. Atletico Madrid
23. 2 – 0 to Swansea
24. Andrew Marr
25. It has been disqualified from the singles charts because it is also being given away free with Bowie’s album
26. Alasdair Milne
27. Public humiliation after being ditched – claiming age discrimination
28. Lance Armstrong
29. Which playing piece to ditch, and which to bring in to replace it
30. Jessops
Only Connect Special - The Davids v. The Eggheads
The Crossworders v. The Eggheads
Last year we had a one off special where Mastermind champions took on reigning Only Connect Supreme Champions the Crossworders. The Crossworders saw off that challenge. Well, the Crossworders were rested for this one. Instead, the OC ‘home’ team as it were consisted of the Crossworders’ captain David Stainer, Dave Bill captain of The Gamblers, and David Lea, captain of the Analysts. Three skippers of three winning teams, and three Davids to boot. “I’ve never liked the name. “ Said Victoria. Well, I just hope that husband David Mitchell was watching, since I’m guessing that might have been for his benefit.
Where exactly could Jenny and the team turn to find challengers worthy to take on such a veritable supergroup? To “Eggheads”, no less. Rather ironically the Eggheads team boasted no less than two mastermind champions of their own. The first of these was Pat Gibson, 2005 winner, and winner of the second series of “Are You An Egghead?” On the other side of the skipper was LAM reader and all round good- egg(head) Barry Simmons. Amongst many distinctions, Barry won the first series of “Are You An Egghead ? “. In the middle of the sandwich was original Egghead, and 1983 Mastermind ( and the last person to win Mastermind International )Chris Hughes. No shortage of knowledge, then, on either side. However the Davids had the benefit of more experience on the show than any other team, and that could prove decisive.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
E’s starter off with twisted Flax. This revealed Jurors -3, Petals on Remembrance Poppies : -2 , Premier League teams +8. Time was running out, and the E’s showed their inexperience by not calling for the last clue, and then offering no answer. The last clue was Kings called James – 5. That gave it to me, and I’m sure that it might well have given it to the Es. As it was the Ds had it, working out that this was the difference between England and Scotland – there being 7 Scottish King James, but only 2 of them also being Kings of England. Good set. Horned Viper gave the Ds Coypu in Louisiana – Enlistees in the American Civil War – Author of the Sasser Worm – Saddam Hussein. Neither team had it, and neither did I. The answer ? They all attracted bounties . Not fond of coconut myself, but it takes all sorts. After two very tricky sets to start, the Es picked water, and kicked off with Four Fishermen’s Wives of Cadaque ( Dali ) –Long Grass with butterflies (Van Gogh ) – Black on Maroon ( Rothko ) – Infuriatingly they again let the time run out without even seeing the last clue. had they seen it – Le Bateau (Matisse ) they would surely have had it. Le Bateau was famously hung upside down, and the others were all hung wrongly at one time or another. Lion gave the Ds a set of picture clues. B*Witched – M*A*S*H* and a couple of other things all had asterisks as part of their names , which is easy enough to see as a written clue, but not as a set of pictures. The Es now needed to find some points behind Eye of Horus. They were dwelling too long on the first clue each time, but at least passed on quickly from Apollo 12. Actually I took a flyer on this one. The most remarkable thing about Apollo 12 was that it was struck by lightning seconds after liftoff, and so struck by lightning was my guess. Pan Am flight 214 neither confirmed it nor ruled it out for me. As did Lee Trevino. York Minster did confirm it though. Pat was straight in and the Eggheads were away. Two Reeds gave the music set to the Ds. They went for preserves, having heard jam and marmalade as part of the third and fourth pieces, but it was not the right one. The E’s went for spreads – and both were close. Since the first was the Who’s Heinz Baked Beans, the answer was actually that you can spread them all on bread. So at the end of this opening round Ds led Es by 3 – 1.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth ?
Horned Viper was the Es first choice. Justin Dunelm came first, and immediately Pat threw Barack Obama on the table, should you pardon the expression. They gambled with it, but it was incorrect. The other two clues were Richard Londin, and Sentamu Ebor. Bishops signatures, so if we were rising in precedence, it would suggest either Rowan Cantuar – or – Justin Cantuar if this was recorded more recently. The Ds knew what they were looking for, but surprisingly went for Cantab rather than Cantuar. Hard lines. Water gave the Ds Le Depart 1792 – Le Triomphe de 1810 – La Resistance de 1814. None of us knew that the last would be La Paix – 1815. They are all sculptures on the Arc de Triomphe. Rightly did Victoria describe this one as a hideous question. Eye of Horus for the Es began with the number total on a roulette wheel –which all three knew was 666. Full UNIX file permissions might just as well have been written in hieroglyphs for all that it meant to me. Teletext subtitle came next – which is obviously 888. So all they needed to do was to say phone number of emergency services, or something of the sort ,but even with Victoria reminding them “Remember it’s a sequence “ they didn’t. Instead they offered another 666 – the Number of the Beast. The Ds gave emergency services for the bonus. Don’t be mistaken – the Eggheads are every bit as good as they seem on Eggheads – well, actually they’re even better, but inexperience of this particular show was costing them dear. Twisted Flax offered the Ds Death of the Queen Mother – Iraq and Weapons of mass Destruction – Confidence in the Media and the Police – and neither team could quite see the connection. I certainly couldn’t. The connection was that parliament was recalled for each of them, and the next was rioting in London & other cities. The Es took Lion as their last of the round, and kicked off with 8 =Cu + Sn . Sounded like Copper and Tin to me, but what 8 had to do with brass I didn’t know. 9 = cu – still no idea. Barry got that they were wedding anniversaries, and so they went for 11=Fe – iron for steel. Victoria gave them another bite at the cherry , and Chris added 11 =Fe + C ( carbon). See, I told you they were good. The Ds finished off the round with Two Reeds gave the Ds the picture clues . This was a really clever set. We saw a flower of some kind, a canary, the canary islands. Neither team ( nor I ) got the next, which was dogs. The Canary islands were named after dogs. The canary birds were named after the canary islands. The canary creeper plant is named after canary birds. Great set. The upshot of all this was that the Ds now shared the lead with the Es, who both had 4. Good game.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Ds took the Water Wall, and Travolta, Holmes, Alley and Hubbard gave them famous Scientologists. Cruise, Remote, Quality and Birth gave them a set which could all be followed by the word –control. I’m not sure that they had a clue about the last two lines when they untangled them right at the death , but they still untangled them. The line of Button, Diver , Patch and Gatsby left a last line of Damage – Forgettable – Caraway and Committee. David L took a speculative punt that Gatsby led them to a group of characters in Scott Fitzgerald novels, and was right to do so. Dave B had the answer to the last set, but just too late – that each could be split into two separate words. Still, 7 points on a tough wall was very much not to be sniffed at.
Very quickly the Es untangled Rata – Bono – Forma and Tempore – which can each be preceded by Pro. Harlequin – Saint – Wasp and Saracen are each the singular of the names of English Premier rugby union teams. Just like the Ds, they solved the last two lines with a little but not a lot of time to spare. The first line – Saffron – Lemmy – Fish and Skin , were all single word pseudonyms for singers. Rock – trapper – Shark and Maniac remained. Nobody – except, one suspects, Victoria – knew that they are all styles of poker player. Fair enough.
With 7 points to the Es, you couldn’t have written a script for a better lead in to the grandstand finish, with both teams locked on 11.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
The first category were all known by three initials. Nobody took the first, then the Davids took the next three on the bounce. The Ds took three of the four works of non-fiction, but lost a point as well for getting Eats Shoots and Leaves wrong. Pat found his range in French Phrases, taking them 3 – 1, but time was running out. Barry was terribly unlucky with Peter and The Wolf Characters and their instruments, offering Grandfather Bassoon instead of Grandfather AND Bassoon. Small thing – it didn’t make a difference to the result, but in the vowels you just have to be spot on I’m afraid. That was the end of the game, and the Eggheads had acquitted themselves well, which is no less than you would expect, but nonetheless the Davids had won by 17 to 13. Low scores ? Not at all - this was full-on Grand Final level Only Connect, and that’s as hard as it gets. Great show.
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Wednesday Night
I’ll take a wee break from my round up of the most recent TV and radio quizzes if I may, because I’d like to tell you about Wednesday evening. I’ve mentioned my son Mike before. The previous Wednesday he’d gone to check out a quiz he heard about, and really enjoyed it. He invited me to go with him and play this Wednesday just gone, and I don’t get to see as much of Mike and Ceri as I’d like anyway, so of course I said yes.
My first inkling that maybe the evening wasn’t going to go as I thought came when I drove into Cardiff to pick my middle daughter Zara up for the quiz. She wanted to come, and so I was to pick her up, then rendezvous with Mike and Ceri at their place. All well and good, except for the fact that the Bute Tunnel was closed. And the problem is – well, I only know my way to Zara’s going via the Bute Tunnel. So I was running late when more by luck than judgement I realized I had just driven past the corner shop at the end of her road. We got to Mike’s even later, mainly because I was so agitated that I kept missing turnings. At least after I got to Mike's all I had to do was follow Ceri in her car.
And follow. And follow. It was after we crossed a junction of the M4 several miles away that I realized we were heading well out of Cardiff. The quiz itself turned out to be in a place called Morganstown. It was in a very big pub called the Ty Nant, and it was absolutely jampacked. Still, we found the only free table, squeezed ourselves around it, and Mike began to explain how this quiz worked.
“It’s like this , Dad , “ he explained, “ You buy a different answer sheet for each round you want to play in. Each answer sheet will have a different configuration of the 25 numbers – yours might have number 5 at the top, and mine might have 13 in the same place. You write the answer to each question in the box with the right number. Then when he gives the answer, the first person to – “
”You mean . . . It’s a bingo quiz ?!” I replied .
I think I should explain my incredulity. You see, one of the original reasons why I started LAM in the first place was because I was at a loose end on the Sunday night I started it since the Dynevor Arms in Groesfaen had just decided to switch from a good, honest, straight pub quiz to a bingo quiz, partly because John and I kept winning the money more often than any other team. The way a bingo quiz works is that the numbers for each answer are spread out on your answer sheet in a grid, 5 by 5. Each answer sheet has the same numbers on it, but not in the same order. You write all your answers on the sheet. When the answers are given out, in random order, if you get it right you can cross out the number. Once you complete a line, you shout out house and win the money. So it doesn't matter even if you have all the answers right, you're going to have a lot of different winners all the time. After we heard this we then and there decided that rather than kill the quiz, we’d stop going in the hope that they’d be able to entice some of the former regular teams back, and haven’t been back since.
Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. We were there, and so we might was well make the best of it, and as I said, I always enjoy Mike and Ceri’s company at a quiz. As it was we played very well. We had 23 out of 25 in the first round, 24 out of 25 on the music round, and 25 out of 25 on the last round. For which we didn’t win one penny, because other people had lines come up more quickly than we did. That’s life. Time was when I was all about winning money at quizzes. Nowadays I rarely play in quizzes where there is a money prize though, and even when I play in a quiz where there is a prize, for example in the Dyffryn Arms on a Sunday night, if I win I don’t often take the prize. In most cases the pleasure of playing in the quiz is prize enough. But I do like to know how I’ve done. If I was a true Corinthian ‘playing just for the love of the game ‘ sort of person, then it wouldn’t matter to me. But I’m afraid it does. I like to know how I’ve done , not just in terms of how many questions I’ve answered correctly, but in terms of how many other teams , if any, outscored me, and by how many points. Which was the real problem I had with this bingo quiz. At the end of each round you knew how many questions you’d answered correctly, but you had no idea how well you’d done relative to any other team. Which I would imagine is actually a positive point for some people, but not for me, unfortunately.
I wouldn’t like to give you the idea that I didn’t enjoy the evening, or wish that I’d stayed at home. I did enjoy it, but this was more due to the fact that Mike, Ceri, and my daughters Zara and Jess were with me than the quiz itself. Having now played in a bingo quiz, I can’t say that my opinion of them has changed drastically. If you play in one regularly, and you enjoy it, then that’s great, and I’ve no wish to say anything negative, other than it’s not for me. It’s just how I feel – and the fact that I got lost on the way home had nothing to do with it.
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University Challenge - Round Two - Match 6
Bristol University v. Imperial College
This week’s second round match pitted underdogs Bristol against highflying Imperial College. Bristol’s team of James Xiao, Andy Suttie, Madeleine Fforde and skipper Will Brady beat Wadham College, Oxford 120 to 105 last time out. Their opponents, Imperial College, beat Jesus College Cambridge in the first round. The team of Pietro Aronica, Dominic Cottrell, Henry Guille and captain Martin Evans scored 225 to 80. On paper, then Imperial looked the favourites.
Puetro Aronica took the first points, knowing that Mexico City hosted the Summer Olympics once, and the world cup twice. A set of bonuses on Charles De Gaulle take two bonuses, and got Imperial on the move. Bristol hit straight back when James Xiao buzzed in with dew point. Literary advice was a good UC bonus set but Bristol only managed the one . Henry Guille took the initiative back for Imperial, recognising that the term lotus refers to several different flowers. A Maths set was their reward, and they managed one, after a bit of argument about squaring the circle. Martin and Baker developed the ejection seat. I didn’t know it but Dominic Cottrell did. Performance Art was the bonus subject, and Imperial managed to get precisely the same number of points that I did, namely none. The picture starter showed us Baffin Island, which Martin Evans gratefully accepted. More Canadian Islands saw them fail to capitalise. So, although Imperial were well out in front in terms of starters correctly answered, by the ten minute mark they only led by 55 to 15. As JP would say, plenty of time for Bristol to come back.
Pretty much as soon as JP read the words “Population unchecked . . . “ Martin Evans knew that we must be looking for Malthus. Indeed we were. A good UC set on anagrams followed – eg. A variety of Cabbage enjoyed at Christmas, and a state of near unconsciousness – stupor and sprout. Imperial managed two of these. Andy Suttie took his first starter of the match, and Bristol’s first for a long time, knowing the cut of meat called the saddle. Bonuses on Queen Christina of Sweden brought them 10 more points, and narrowed the gap to 40 points again. Try this one. Two of the first 8 months of the year can be transformed from the French name to their English counterparts ( not including accents ) by changing one letter in each. Dominic Cottrell jumped in too early and lost five. Will Brady had it spot on with April and May. Bonuses on anatomy yielded another ten points. Pietro Aronica knew where the title Defender of the Faith came from, and this gave Imperial a tilt at a set of bonuses on Pushkin. They took two. The Music starter gave Dominic Cottrell the chance to make up for his previous transgression by identifying the dulcet tones of Richard Gere instructing us to give ‘em the old Razzle Dazzle – whatever that might be. The bonuses convinced me that Pierce Brosnan shouldn’t give up the day job any time soon. Imperial took a full set with these. Will Brady , playing a captain’s innings for his team, identified the programme Photoshop. Capital cities near the Tropics provided Bristol with 5 more points. Dominic Cottrell took the next bonus with weltanshauung. Gesundheit. Nobel Prize Winners reintroduced us to Golgi, he of the famous apparatus. A full set was taken.Martin evens knew that Autolycus appears in “A Winter’s Tale”. Political figures born in 1770 gave them two more bonuses, but they missed out on William Huskisson, killed by Stephenson’s Rocket on the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Will Brady supplied two counties of Connaught to keep Bristol in there and fighting. NUMA – the US agency, saw them answer another two correctly. At the 20 minute mark, then, Imperial led by 160 to 90.
An Imperial victory looked on the cards, but there was still quite a lot of play left in the match. The second picture starter showed an engraving which Pietro Aronica recognised as being produced by Gustave Doré. The bonus set, more of the same, was another full house. Right try this one. The smallest cyclic number , what are the six repeating digits of the decimal equivalent of one seventh ? No, of course I didn’t. It was 1-4-2-8-5-7 – and neither team had it, though Will Brady was just one digit out. Martin Evans knew that works including “Baal” and “Mother Courage and her children” were written by Bertold Brecht. The set of bonuses on astronomy were snapped up , and if the game wasn’t over before, it was now. Pietro Aronica knew that the HQ of the League of Nations was in Geneva. The bonuses on sets of composers born in the same year were tricky. I had one of each pair, but only the correct pair on the last. The next bonus saw James Xiao get close to the answer, when we were given a list of Moon walkers, and he suggest they were all from Apollo 17. Dominic Cottrell said that they all went on the moon, but that wasn’t enough for JP , who insisted that the key to the question was that they all walked on the moon. I’d like to think he only turned it down because they were so far ahead, because I’ve seen him allow answers which were no closer than this one before. Yes, I know that it’s not JP who makes the call, it’s the voice in his ear. Anyway, I digress. Neither team knew that it was the Duke of Monmouth who launched his rebellion in 1685. Neither did they know that goniometry in medicine means the range of movement in joints. Andy Suttie knew that the film “Arietty” would be based on The Borrowers. A set on nature gave them two bonuses. Egg on face moment of the show. I didn’t know, and neither did either team, that the two Wagner operas about a father and his son were “Lohengrin” and “Parsifal”. I really should have had that one. Nobody knew that the population of Germany is closest to that of the UK. Bearing in mind the relatively large number of unanswered starters in the last couple of minutes I think JP decided to reach into the ‘giveaway’ pile, and it fell to Will Brady to answer that it was the Owl and the Pussycat who died on Mince and Slices of Quince. A gettable set on battlefields saw them fail to score further. Martin Evans knew about the Enigma variations to earn a set on Botany. It didn’t really matter that much, because we were really into the stage of the contest where any more points for Imperial were just gilding. Now, I had a Science one right ! I said that B, C, N, O , F would be followed by Ne for Neon. Yay ! Members of Parliament only saw enough time for two bonuses before the gong. The final score was 245 to Imperial , and 115 to Bristol. A comfortable win indeed. Hard lines to Bristol, but a performance which means Imperial will be a difficult proposition for any team that encounters them in the quarter finals.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
JP seemingly enjoyed this match. Even when Imperial worked out that cartel and rectal were two parts of an anagram, but offered ‘lecart’ as the French wine , he merely raised his voice slightly “It’s CLARET !” while laughing.
In the music bonuses he greeted Imperial’s correct identification of Pierce Brosnan singing in “Mamma Mia” with the muttered words, “Yes, put us out of our misery, please.”
After Imperial took a full set on Golgi, he observed “Music to your ears, that sort of question !” There speaks someone who read English at Univesity. I know how he feels.
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
In Pushkin’s poem “The Bronze Horseman” the protagonist believes that he is being chased through the streets by a bronze statue of tsar Peter the Great.
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This week’s contestants were : -
Clive Dunning
Gareth Parkin
Rod Riesco
Clive Dunning kicked off the first round. His first four were all gettable, and he duly got them. However he fell on Pevsner, just missing out on a full set, and this one fell to Rod Riesco. Amanda Lindsay took her first two, but didn’t get Fanny Blankers-Koen. Clive Dunning was happy to add that one to his score. Gareth Parkin took his first, but he fell on the poem in which Byron describes the English winter as a season that ends in July, to recommence in August. It was “Don Juan”, and Clive Dunning had it. Rod Riesco took his first couple, but the administrative capital of Bolivia – Sucre – did for him. Clive took that , and amongst what seemed to be a good crop of contenders he was really sticking out as the man to beat. He kicked off the next round, but didn’t know that Lake Wenham in Massachussetts supplied a hell of a lot of ice to the UK. Me neither. Gareth had that bonus. Amanda didn’t know that Podsnap is in “Our Mutual Fried”, and this one went begging. Gareth took his first two, but didn’t know about the fictitious ancient gaelic bard Ossian. Rod had that. For his own set He took a couple, but a sneaky little one about a verse set to a Chinese tune caught all of the brains out. I guessed its writer would probably be Mao, and I was right. Never mind, the round had done Rod a power of good , as he was now only a point behind Clive. To start round three Clive had a nasty one asking which state had “Hang On Sloopy” as its state song. do you know, I get rather irritated when I hear contestants getting ‘pure guess’ questions like this as the 1st of their set. It happens too often for my liking, and it’s not evenly spread between the contestants either. 3rd 4th or 5th of the set, yeah, no problem, but come on. We had that situation a couple of weeks ago where one of the contestants got a string of these as first questions, and ended up with 0 . Sort it out guys, please – it doesn’t do the show any favours. Amanda missed her second on the Old Testament, which gave Rod a bonus. Gareth fell at his first, on a diagram of stars. Rod probably should have known that Kanchenjunga is the world’s 3rd highest peak, but he didn’t, and Gareth nipped in for a bonus. Clive still led by a point, but both Rod and Gareth were close behind.
The first Beat the Brains question was a good old stager, which required the Brains to know that it was Victor Hugo who enquired about the sales of “Les Miserables” by sending a question mark to his publisher. The second asked which Arthur Ransome novel had a question mark in the title. Again, the brains had it with “Great Northern ?”Great work by the brains.
Clive Dunning took up the cudgels again, with one answer, but didn’t know that the month named after the roman festival of purification was February. Amanda didn’t know that the Treaty of Aix La Chapelle ended the War of Austrian Succession. Gareth had that .He didn’t know that ants and nettles have formic acid, which was a bonus for Clive. Rod didn’t know that Antisthenes founded the Cynic School of Philosophy. Yes, I think that I’ve met a few of its former pupils in my time. Clive had stretched his lead to 3 points now. He didn’t know the two new sports sanctioned for Rio in 2014, these being golf and rugby sevens. Amanda didn’t know that Mammoth Cave is in Kentucky . Gareth had a music question about the Tokyo Olympics of all things. He didn’t get it, but Clive did. Rod took his first, but it was Clive who took a bonus with Robert Bolt. With 13 to Rod’s 8, he looked good value for his lead, and it would take a remarkable round to deny him the win.
Clive didn’t know that the country with the international dialing code 55 is Brazil. Another stopper. Amanda had a gettable one to start, but didn’t know bishop John Fisher. Gareth fell at the first with Zermat, which Rod had. For his own set he really should have known that Carly Simon sang “Nobody Does it Better”. He’d narrowed the gap to 4, but we were running out of rounds. Clive didn’t know that the word Rhadmanthine comes from the son of Zeus and Europa. Amanda missed her first, that “Death of a Salesman” was written in the 40s. Bonus for Rod. Gareth missed his first. Rod took one but didn’t know King Louis XII of France. The gap was now down to 3, with Clive leading Rod 14 – 11. One round left, and Clive took his first , he took his second but not his third, on Poland which was partitioned off the map in the 19th century. Amanda didn’t know that Harold Wilson was Lord Wilson of Rievaulx. Gareth had that. He took his own first couple, but Amanda took a bonus on Bill Shankly. Rod took his first, but Kenneth Mac Alpin did for him.
The final scores were : -
New TV Quiz Game - Face the Clock
Face the Clock – Channel Four – 3:30 weekdays
Congratulations go to the makers of “Face the Clock”, the first new quiz I’ve seen in 2013. I know why I’ve been missing this one. 3:30pm is just too early for me to catch. Still, never mind, that is what the internet is for. Now, I can either review this as a straight quiz show, or I can review it as a game show. Well, I’ll probably be bringing in elements of both. It's daytime, it's a half hour slot, so it's not going to be big money, and it's not likely to be that difficult. Come on then, Dave, review it according to what it is, rather than what it's not.
This show, which comes in at a lean and mean 23 minutes or so once you take the adverts out, is fronted by Rory Bremner. Now, here’s a tricky thing. I met Rory at the 2011 telecommunications industry GetConnected Charity Quiz, where he was the special guest question master. We had a chat and I thought he came across as a really nice chap, very chatty, very interested in you, and a good guy. So I’d find it difficult to be horrible about him. Thankfully I don’t have to. The format didn’t give him much opportunity to display his wit, and even less his impressions, but he seemed to get the tone just about dead right I thought.
The gameplay of the show is relatively simple. The show starts with 6 contestants. One of them randomly selects an amount of time, which might be anything up to 2 and a half minutes. The contestants then answer questions for cash, or nominate someone else to take the question. If you’re ‘it’ when the time runs out, then you’re out, and your cash passes to the one who passed you the question. 4 contestants are discarded this way. If you’re thinking – like the Pass the Bomb game on Buzz – then you’re dead right. Except you earn money for correct answers, so it’s worth hanging onto your go for a bit.
So there’s a huge slice of luck in this first part of the show. It doesn’t matter how good you are. If you get a killer pass 2 seconds before time runs out, then you’re out. It changes, though, in the round of two. Both of you get 60 seconds on the clock. The one with the lowest amount of money starts. Questions are asked, and the clock ticks down. When the contestant gets one right, then the clock stops, and the other contestant’s starts. Then when they get one right . . . well, I’m sure that I don’t have to labour the point for you. Now, on this game, it’s fairly simple – best quizzer wins.
Moving onto the final, whatever money the two last contestants have earned becomes the prize fund for the finalist. He or she will get one minute on the clock. They have to answer 5 questions correctly in the time. If they do it in 30 seconds or less, then they get the full amount. Then the money is halved, and it goes down for every ten seconds after that the contestant takes. So again, the people who are going to do best in the final are good quizzers.
Accepting that this is a game as much as it’s a quiz, it’s not a bad show at all. The FAQ (Faffing About Quotient) is fairly low – the duration of the show is so relatively short that they just have to get on with it. That’s a good point. Game play is simple and straightforward, and there aren’t really any unnecessary gimmicks. The game is not without tactics either. OK, the mechanics of the show mean that the best quizzer is not necessarily more likely to make it through to the last two than any other player. OK, the questions are, well, they’re Weakest Link easy, if you know what I mean. But then, it’s that kind of show, it’s not a search to find the best quizzer in the UK. It is what it is, and a relatively undemanding quiz game, which moves quickly, gives you quite a lot of questions for your money, and is certainly watchable is exactly what it is.
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20. Richie George
In Other news
1. What did English Heritage first of all say it cannot afford, and then say it will try hard to maintain?
2. Which contest was held in Birmingham’s Grand Metropole Hotel ?
3. What was published by the Co-alition ?
4. Who received his brand new Russian passport last week ?
5. Which member of the 1958 England world cup football squad passed away last week ?
6. The construction of a big shopping centre development in York had to be delayed due to what ?
7. What was the score in the Arsenal v. Swansea FA Cup tie ?
8. Who clearly seemed to handball before his goal to knock Mansfield Town out of the FA Cup ?
9. Who suffered a wardrobe malfunction on her way out of “Dancing on Ice” ?
10. Newcastle Utd. were knocked out of the FA Cup by which team ?
11. Who is the new manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers ?
12. Which octogenarian TV and radio presenter was in court accused of sexually assaulting 3 girls ?
13. Which scientific project has ended after 520 days ?
14. Jessica Ennis has publically spoken out against the closure of what ?
15. Who won the ballon d’or ?
16. Britain now have two women in the world’s top 50 female tennis players. Who were the last british pair to do it ?
17. Lionel Messi was criticized for wearing what this week ?
18. Which is the first English council to offer a free school breakfast to all primary school children ?
19. Who missed his date in a French court on a drink driving charge ?
20. What was the score of the first leg Capital One cup semi between Bradford City and Aston Villa?
21. In the 2012 Fifa World 11, all the players come from either Barcelona or Real Madrid except one,. Which club did he come from ?
22. Who is the new Nike Face of Golf ?
23. What was the score in the Swansea v Chelsea Capital One cup semi final first leg ?
24. Which BBC TV journalist suffered a stroke ?
25. What happened to David Bowie’s new single ?
26. Which former DG of the BBC passed away ?
27. Why is John Mcrirrick suing channel 4 ?
28. Who is to be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey next week ?
29. Monopoly is currently carrying out an online vote. About what ?
30. Which chain of camera shops have been forced to close ?
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Only Connect Contestant Call - reminder
I had another email from Rachel Griffiths of Only Connect a few days ago, reiterating the call for contestants for the next series, which I am delighted to post here .
With our highest figures in Only Connect history we have fortunately been commissioned for another series of Only Connect that we'll record in March/ April 2013. We value any recommendations from past contestants of the show, so please encourage friends, families and colleagues to apply. I've attached a flyer with details of how to apply for 2013, please feel free to email this on to anyone you think may be interested, or even post it on Facebook or tweet about it! All types of social media are fantastic for us and good old word of mouth works brilliantly too!
If you have any questions then please feel free to get in touch with me at my NEW email address here: [email protected]
Once again, I can strongly recommend anyone the least bit interest to give it a go. It's great fun.
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Another four competitors took on the challenge of the best quiz on the radio. They were : -
Julian Aldridge
Gordon Taylor
Dave Tilley
Now, if you’re a regular LAM reader, and you think that a couple of those names sound familiar, well, you’re right. David Buckle is a Masterminder, having reached the Grand Final in Jesse’s series in 2010. I believe that he was also a finalist in The People’s Quiz in 2007. As for Dave Tilley, he too is a Masterminder, having been a contender in Geoff’s 2006 series, and he is also the captain of the Listeners, the team that came fourth in series 5 of Only Connect. Quite a bit of quiz talent on offer in this show , then.
Julian Aldridge fell at the first with a relatively gentle old chestnut about the queen allegedly buried beneath platform 10 of Kings Cross Station. David B had a go, but it fell to Dave Tilley to offer the correct name of Boudicca / Boadicea. David B took his first two , but couldn’t dredge up Gresham of Gresham’s Law. Dave T. could. Gordon showed good knowledge to take 4 , but didn’t know that a Wheatstone Bridge measures resistance. David B did. Dave didn’t know about the Castel Sant Angelo. So Gordon led with 4, from David with 3 and Dave with 2. Julian didn’t know a rather simple one about the actress whose Oscar winning career spanned the decades between the 30s and 80s, which was another bonus for Dave T. At this stage Julian was looking very much like the sacrificial lamb of this particular contest. David B. answered his first four correctly – but didn’t know that the porcupine is a rodent. A bonus for Gordon, that, but he didn’t know that Marco Polo set out from Acre for part of his journey. Nobody had that. Dave T took his first, but failed on the Mercury project, giving a bonus for David, who now led with 8 points to Gordon’s 5 and Dave’s 4. In round 3 Julian started with a sound clip , of the much missed Ian Dury. That did for him. David knew his original group was Kilburn and the High Roads. He then went on to answer his first, but didn’t know about phenols. Not surprised, me neither. Gordon didn’t know that Neptune’s largest moon is Triton, but Julian did . Somewhat surprisingly Dave T didn’t know that the sister ship of both the Titanic and the Britannic was the Olympic. I say surprising what with all of the ballyhoo for the centenary last year. Sometimes it’s surprising what good quizzers just don’t know. Gordon took the bonus, but David now led by 10 to 6. No break for the Beat the Brains yet. Nobody knew that the last London Thames frost fair was 1814. I only knew it through studying London Bridge for my Mastermind series. Poor old Julian had yet to answer any of his own questions. David B had a music question to start - the theme to the Eurovision Song Contest – composed by Charpentier . I’m guessing that’s not the same man who fought Jack Dempsey for the world heavyweight championship, but I don’t know. I didn’t have a Scooby. Gordon Taylor didn’t know Abel Ganz – and again, that was a gettable point, but nobody had it. Dave Tilley didn’t know that Finbo cheese comes from Denmark – neither did I. So David still led by 10 to 6.
The first listener question was this – The Space Shuttles – all 6 were named after pioneering sailing ships. Which was named after Cook’s ship on his first voyage ? Of course it was Endeavour , and the Brains knew it. The second question was which one was named after the British ship which laid the foundations of oceanography. I guessed Challenger, so did the Brains , and they were right. Well done.
On with round 5. Julian Aldridge got a nasty one on who was the subject of Whistler’s Arrangement in Grey and Black number 2 – number 1 being his old mum. It was Thomas Carlyle. Nasty question, that. David B didn’t know the old chestnut about Wilf Rhodes, the oldest man to play test cricket. Gordon Taylor was played the national anthem of Finland. Dave T probably should have had the Lutine, I would have thought, and David B made no mistake for the bonus. Not a high scoring round, but it was David B edging forward. Julian got another stinker to start, about Robert Delauney, known in LAM towers as Robert Who ? David B. didn’t know Ernest Swinton invented the tank. Gordon took his first 2, but didn’t know that the Plimsoll line mark WNA means Winter North Atlantic. Tricky but gettable. Dave T. took his first, but didn’t know Lincolnshire and Norfolk are on the Wash. So David B took his score to 12, while Gordon was on A. Julian had the old stager CAT scan,but didn’t quite get it. Surprisingly nobody managed a relatively simple bonus on that. David B. got the wrong canal for 1914. Gordon had Panama, and the bonus. For his own question he didn’t know the state capital of Delaware , so Dave T had it. His own question was on semaphore, and nobody had the letter R. Gordon had edged a point closer , but still lagged by 3 going into the last. Julian probably should have known who “Wet, she was a star” referred to – it’s been asked in quizzes so many times. But he didn’t. Dave T. knew it was Esther Williams. David B. didn’t know that Samoa moved across the date line, which Gordon did. He was only three points behind now. But he didn’t get his first, and David B had it on geometry. Game over. Dave T. didn’t know that Lydia was the youngest Bennett in “Pride and Prejudice”. Julian knew that. So the final scores and the result were relatively clear cut: -
Julian Aldridge – 3
Gordon Taylor – 10
Dave Tilley – 7
Well done David – good luck in the semis. Hard lines to Gordon, I think that 10 just won’t be good enough for a place in the semis.
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Only Connect Champion of Champions
The Analysts v. The Scribes
No time to draw breath in our weekly round up of the very best of TV and radio quizzes, as we have this biennial joust between the winners of the most recent two series. It hardly seems like days since Holly Pattenden , Gareth Price and Dom Tait , the Scribes, won the 6th series. Well, it was only shown a few weeks ago. I have written off the Scribes’ chances far too often in the past, so I had a completely open mind as to who would be the most likely winners between them and the Analysts, represented by Paul Steeples, William De Ath, and captain David Lea. I’m fairly confident in saying that in a straight, ordinary quiz, over a couple of hundred questions, the Analysts would win. But this was Only Connect, and there’s nothing ordinary about it..
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The As chose Lion, and received 10 foot gypsum statue – wood plastic head and toy submarine – and I knew what we had here were famous hoaxes – which was confirmed by orang-utan jawbone and human skull, then paper cut outs of fairies. The Analysts had it there. Scribes took flax, and found Mars Climate Orbiter – Stonehenge in This is Spinal Tap, and they had it from that. As anyone who has seen and loved the movie knows, these were measurement mix ups. Which gave the Scribes a useful lead. Water brought the As the pictures. A seemingly unconnected series of pictures showed different ways of getting into Narnia. The As suggested children’s books, which was close, and the Scribes were closer – they mentioned CS Lewis. Not close enough for Victoria, though. Fair enough. Two Reeds hid the music connection , one of which was the end of round music from this very show. Another was Sting’s Fields of Gold. Another was “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin. Neither team got the connection, and neither did I , yet it’s so simple when you know. After all, in which film did we hear “The Entertainer” ? That’s right – the Sting. The OC music is the sting between rounds. Red face moment of the show ( so far. ) The As took eye of Horus and found Professor Layton – Uncle Sam ( I was thinking top hats ) – Alan Sugar ( now I thought pointy fingers on posters ) and Lord Kitchener. The As made no mistake. This left Horned Viper for the Scribes. They had Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Anfield Stadium, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I thought that was pretty straightforward, and so did the Scribes, who were happy to take locations of Eternal flames off these three clues. So they led by 5 to the As’ 2.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth ?
The As chose two reeds. Prefix for nine – followed by he spilled his seed on the ground, which was Onan – followed by Prefix for ten to the power of – 9 which I guessed was nano. If the first was nona, then I worked out that you used the same 4 letters, but put the first one last for each next word. Which would leave you anon. Correct, and the As had worked it out as well. Scribes took water, and received Imbolc – Ostara – Beltane – Hello, though I , celtic / pagan festivals. OK, but what next ? I guessed Samhain, which I think is sort of Halloween, but actually it was midsummer, Difficult one that. Not s hard as the As though. They got the pictures, and these were representations of Egyptian hieroglyphs for numerals. They needed to give the symbol for 1, but nobody knew it was a staff or straight line. The Scribes received SATOR – AREPO – TENET . Nope, I didn’t know. They are the SATOR word square, and the next would be opera. Paul knew the connection, but not the word for a bonus. The As had Secret Diary - Parish news – and we were dealing with Private Eye, and David and the boys knew the last would be the New Coalition Academy newsletter. Good shout off two. The Scribes had Edward Borough – John Neville – Henry VIII. Both teams were working on increasing numbers of wicves, but no. They were the successive husbands of Katherine Parr, with Thomas Seymour being her fourth and last. Still, the round , while not high scoring, had made a difference. The Analysts now led with 7. Still, with the vowels to come after the walls, they needed more than a 2 point lead to be confident of defeating the lightning quick Scribes.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
I thought that the Scribes did brilliantly to quickly see and separate a set of words which can be made into other words by placing a letter a at the start – trophy – venue – corn and steroid. They almost immediately found grain crops, with quinoa – sorghum – amaranth and millet. They knew the other two connections – words preceded by continental – and sporting trophies, and they found them . The continental words were shelf – plate – drift and crust, and the trophies claret jug, dish and belt. This meant that the maximum lead that the As could have would be 2 points. Frankly, if I was playing the Scribes in vowels I’d want a much bigger head start than that .
The As at least wouldn’t have known that their opponents had scored a full house. They were given the water wall, and they quickly found a set of Croatian cities, in Split – Dubrovnik – Zadar and Rijeka. A set of middleweight boxers – Hearns – Hagler – Benn and Eubank followed. Then almost before Ihad a chance to blink they’d unraveled the other two sets – Duran – Sub – The – Talk, and also Leonard – Timer – Pula – Loon . I didn’t know The The , or Sub Sub, but I did know Duran Duran and Talk Talk, the answer being when you double the original word you get the name of a band. As for the last set – I didn’t know it. If you changed one letter you could make each of them into a big cat. So only 7 points meant that the Scribes now took the lead, with 15 to 14.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
The mission for the As was simple. Just beat the Scribes on the vowels. Simple as that. Literary Aunts fell fell 2 – 1 to the As. Films with photographer protagonists fell 3 – 1 to the Scribes. Correct versions of common misquotations fell 2 -1 to the As _ what a good game ! Works of JMW Turner went 1 – 0 to the Scribes, and that was that. Not a lot in it at all, but the As finished with 19, and the Scribes with 21. Superb work guys, and I have no doubt that sooner or later we’ll get to see them take on the Mighty Champion of Champions of Champions, the Crossworders.
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University Challenge Round 2 - Match 5
Magdalen, Oxford v. Manchester University
A high quality contest this one promised to be. Magdalen comfortably took out Sidney Sussex in their first round match, by 205 to 105. The team once again were Will Wright, Rob Mangan, Richard Purkiss and their captain Henry Watson.Manchester on the other hand only won against Lincoln College Oxford on the very last question of their first round heat. Once again, the team were David Brice, Adam Barr, Debbie Brown, and captain Richard Gilbert.
Will Wright opened Magdalen’s account with a series of Treaties of Paris. Poets’ epitaphs proved equally fruitful, providing them with a full set. Manchester skipper Richard Gilbert hit straight back with Mozart’s “Magic Flute”. Bonuses on 1812 saw them also take a full set. Don’t misunderstand me, I enjoyed the Christmas series, but what a pleasure to get back to watching good teams answering harder questions, and doing it well. The Manchester captain took his second starter in a row, identifying a set of people whose first two names started with the initials JM. The set of bonuses on tests saw the first points dropped on the Holmgren test, and also the Land test. Didn’t matter. Adam Barr knew that Bernard Lovell was the driving force behind the Jodrell Bank radio telescope. This gave Manchester three bonuses on English history and Italian opera, of which they answered two correctly. The picture starter showed is the family tree of characters in “Jane Eyre” and asked for the name of Edward Rochester’s first wife. JP seemed very impressed when Will Wright supplied the correct answer. This brought up a set of bonuses of more of the same – more family trees from novels by the Brontes. These actually seemed a lot more difficult than the starter had, so I wasn’t surprised that they missed out. Nobody knew that The Lady and The Unicorn tapestries, apart from their real life incarnations, are also on the walls of the Gryffindor Common room. Fair enough. We were almost at the ten minute mark by this stage, and superior buzzing by Manchester had earned them a lead, with 60 to 35.
Debbie Brown buzzed in with the word ‘occlusion’ to take the next starter. Antarctica proved fairly fruitful, providing them with 2 bonuses. A good old UC chestnut, the term ‘mugwump’ from American politics was the answer to the next starter, but neither team had heard that one before. It’s one of those you either know or you don’t. Debbie Brown, warming to her work, recognized an English translation of the first few words of The Marseillaise to take the next starter. WH Auden was obviously not a great favourite with Manchester, and that set failed to take them through the 100 point barrier. Not to matter. Richard Gilbert took the next starter, identifying words which feature on Roy Liechtenstein’s Whaam!. Bonuses on geophysics brought another 5 points. Manchester were pulling ahead, and Magdalen’s problem was that they were losing the buzzer battle. Either they had to start hitting and hoping, or Manchester would disappear beyond the horizon. The music starter showed a clean pair of heels to both teams. The next starter saw Rob Mangan incorrectly supply Herodotus to lose 5, but actually he was doing the right thing. Magdalen had to start buzzing, and if that meant taking a few risks, then so be it. If you’re going down, at least go fighting. Manchester didn’t know Thucydides. Neither team knew periparty. Really ? Get out of town. A UC special followed. Basically, if you put together the abbreviation for a Tongan currency together with a Colombian one, you get Top Cop. Look, it’s easier than it sounds, ok? Debbie Brown had it for her third starter. This brought the music starters, on composers who had won the Mendelssohn scholarship. One bonus was taken. Will Wright’s perseverance was rewarded when he took the next starter on a quotation by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes. For his pains he earned Magdalen a set of bonuses on bells. A full set took them to 55. A maths thing came next , but neither could answer it. So at the 20 minute mark Magdalen had made at least a wee dent in Manchester’s lead, but at 120 to 55 it still looked pretty commanding.
The next starter on one of the Nobel peace prize winners of 2011 went begging. So did the next on hepatitis A. Rob Mangan took his first starter on countries that joined the UN during the 1970s. Their bonuses on carpets provided no returns for them. We had the second picture starter, and Richard Gilbert recognized a photo of Sir Anthony Hopkins playing van Helsing. The bonuses showed other actors playing the same part. A full set just added to Magdalen’s problems. Richard Purkiss took his first starter for Magdalen, recognizing a series of works by Beethoven. The set on orbits left me by after perhaps the first three words of each question, I’m afraid. They couldn’t take any. Adam Barr knew that a normal somatic cell has 22 pairs of chromosomes excluding the sex chromosomes – at least I think that’s what it said – to bring up bonuses on Royal Appointments. 2 bonuses were taken. Adam Barr also knew that Michael Faraday said that one day one could tax electricity. This brought Manchester to 175, and they looked home and dry. Bonuses on exclamation marks brought them another 10 points. Henry Watson knew that Sir Lancelot is the only other person mentioned by name in “The Lady of Shallot”. English monarchs and their relationship to each other should have been a happy hunting ground, but only provided 5 points. Adam Barr knew a list of phrases all containing the word chicken. The bonuses on Indian states and cities weren’t easy at all, but two of them were answered correctly. Debbie Brown knew a series of attractions in Oslo. Then they were given a set of works which take their names from phrases in Shakespeare. Only the last was taken. Which really was the end, since the gong sounded straight afterwards. A convincing win for Magdalen in the end, by 200 to 90. I think that JP was right to be kind in his comments to Magdalen. They answered pretty well when they could get to the buzzer. However Manchester, for the second time this series, look a class act. In this show they had three buzzers all weighing in with good starters, and they were, to use snooker parlance, contriving to put points on the board every time they visited the table. Well played.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
Well, there really wasn’t a lot until when both teams failed to identify the music starter. Then they both failed on the next starter. Finally the next starter gave Manchester the music bonuses, which earned the withering comment,
”Well, you’ll recall that sometime last week we heard Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto . . . “
Now warmed up, he greeted Will Wright’s correct answer to the next starter with
”Right, after that period of indolence, Magdalen . . . “ Believe me, it wasn’t a case of laziness, Jez. They were trying to get to the buzzers, I can assure you of that.
Interesting fact of the Week That I Didn’t Already Know
We didn’t get the full question, but when somebody official asked Michael Faraday about electricity, and what the point of it was, he replied “One day, sir, you may tax it. “ There spake the voice of experience.
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In which year was the TUC formed at a meeting in Manchester? Was it 1868, 1889 or 1901? | Main Galleries – People's History Museum : Manchester Museums
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Main Galleries
There have always been ideas worth fighting for. Join a march through time following Britain's struggle for democracy over two centuries.
The main story of the museum is told in two purpose built galleries located on the first and second floor. The galleries have been divided into seven themes and roughly follow a chronological order over the last 200 years. The story starts with the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 and ends in the present day.
Floor One
Revolution
The first theme of Main Gallery One is Revolution.
Two hundred years ago Manchester was at the centre of Britain’s Industrial Revolution. Based on the cotton textile industry, the town became the world’s first industrial city.
Despite high wages in good times, workers endured appalling living and environmental conditions. Little could be done to improve these; there was no political structure and Manchester, for example, had no MP.
On 16 August 1819 a reform meeting held on St Peter’s Field in Manchester attracted over 60,000 mill workers and their families.
Magistrates sent in soldiers to arrest the leaders. There were 18 dead and over 400 seriously injured.
The event became known as the Peterloo Massacre and led to the first reform of Parliament in 1832.
Reformers
This is all about the birth of democratic ideas. This includes the Levellers, the Chartists and individuals such as John Wilkes, Tom Paine, Mary Wollstonecraft, William Cobbett, Francis Burdett and the Cato Street Conspirators.
The Great Reform Act was passed in 1832 giving the vote to some.
Two of the oldest banners in our collection are on display in this section – the Liverpool Tinplate Workers banner from 1821 (the oldest trade union banner in the world) and the White Lion Lodge banner from about 1830 (the world’s oldest surviving miners’ banner).
Manchester Manufacturers developed the Anti Corn Law League whose ideology was free trade and liberalism. They created the Manchester Guardian and the Free Trade Hall in Manchester marks the celebration of the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. Their campaign led directly to the creation of the Liberal Party.
Workers
This covers secret societies (which existed before trade unions were legal and were often large, national organisations).
Tolpuddle Martyrs - six workers arrested and convicted for attempting to form a union in 1834. They were all pardoned in 1836 following a public outcry.
We then follow the growth of the trade union movement and the differences between unions for skilled and unskilled workers. Look at some workers who found it hard to join a union, for example home workers.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) held their first meeting in Manchester in 1868. (The building where this first meeting took place is 103 Princess Street and it used to be the home of the Archive, Textile Conservation Studio and Collections Store. The public galleries of the museum were based there for a few years in the early 1990’s before moving to the Pump House).
Strikes include the strike in 1888 at the Bryant & May match factory in London and the Dock Strike of 1889.
Voters
It is probably no surprise that this section covers all the main political parties and political movements – from socialism to fascism.
Both Engels and Marx founded their joint theories on examples from Manchester – the world’s first industrial city.
Subjects covered include early socialism (plus the Clarion movement), the Conservative and Liberal Parties, the birth of the Labour Party, Communist Party of Great Britain, including the Spanish Civil War, fascism and post war politics including the General Strike.
Another aspect of this section is all about how women had to fight for the right to vote on the same terms as men. Includes the formation of the Manchester Suffrage Society 1867 and the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) founded in Manchester by Emmeline Pankhurst and her sisters in 1903.
Voters is the final section on floor one. The story ends in 1945 at the end of World War II. The story continues on level two.
Floor Two
Main Gallery Two is on the second floor and starts in 1945 at the end of World War II.
Citizens
The first theme in this gallery is all about politics and protest post 1945. Rather than being revolutionaires, reformers, workers or voters, have we become citizens?
This theme looks at Britain after the vote has been secured for all. Politics from 1950 to 1979, then 1979 to almost the present day.
Politics moves to being more issue based rather than about political parties – war and peace, equality, gay rights, green issues, strikes and migration changes as a result of the end of empire.
Time Off?
This section covers how time off was won as well as what people did in their new leisure time.
Working class leisure activities such as football including items from the collection of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), plus music and the musicians union.
Time Off? also includes the Co-op which was formed in Greater Manchester by the Rochdale Pioneers, friendly societies and the ‘saving for a rainy day’ philosophy.
Banners
This area of Main Gallery Two is double height especially to showcase some of the museum’s most impressive and significant banners. Some of the banners are displayed showing both sides which gives a unique view.
An audio visual show helps to create the atmosphere of the culmination of a march or protest with crowds of people, lots of noise and banners fluttering in the wind.
This is where you also have the opportunity to take a look into the country’s only Textile Conservation Studio dedicated to the conservation and preservation of banners and textiles. From the Textile Conservation Viewing Area you can see the conservators working on some very delicate and often beautiful textiles and banners.
Visitor Experience
When visiting the galleries you might notice a few distinctive things about the displays.
The Colours
Many of the historic items in the museum used colour to represent ideas. We decided Red for courage and revolution, green for reform, blue for loyalty, purple for dignity, pink for peace and prosperity, white for purity and gold for ambition. Each theme in the galleries has a different, and appropriate, background colour.
The Light
The light levels in both galleries are set low to protect the delicate textiles and papers on display.
Interactives
Throughout the museum galleries there are a range of interactives to help bring the story to life. These include ‘people in boxes’ - boxes containing items related to a person’s life that you can look at, read and interact with. They are based on real historical people. There are timelines located at various points throughout the galleries – click onto these to find out what other big events were happening in the country at the time. Follow our families throughout the last 200 years and see how their lives have changed. Find out what kind of house they lived in, where did they work, how much leisure time did they have and what did they do in this time. The galleries are not a square box - they have curved corners – we’ve made the most of these by using them as speakers corners. Listen to some of the most impressive speeches made in recent times.
Objects
Almost 1500 historic objects are on display in the new galleries – ranging from large iconic objects such as banners and posters to smaller items such as minutes from meetings, ceramics and badges. Lots of objects are on display for the very first time.
Interpretation
You might notice that the interpretation panels in the museum are written in a different style to some other museums and galleries. This way of writing information is called Ekarv and it is designed to make providing information to you as a visitor as easy and accessible as possible. For those of you with not much time there are introduction panels you can read - ‘history for people prepared to read 50 words’ - reading these will give you a good initial idea of what our story is about.
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| one thousand eight hundred and sixty eight |
In 1468 Orkney was ceded to Scotland in lieu of an unpaid dowry by the king of which country? | Time Line - Chorlton History
Time Line
Recorded in Chronological order
610 A.D. Settlement of the Saxons and founding of the township of Cheorl-tun.
1512. In this year, it is believed, the first Christian Church (Chapel) was built in Chorlton and dedicated to St. Clement.
1603. Alexander Barlow and Alexander Barlow the younger, both of Barlow Hall, knighted by James I. on the day of his coronation.
1620. April 21, Sir Alexander Barlow the younger, of Barlow Mall, buried in the Collegiate Church. Manchester, by torchlight.
1745. November 30, some of the Pretender’s followers encamped on site now practically embraced by Whitelow Road, High Lane, and Manchester Road, and afterwards known as Scotshill.
1780. St. Clement’s Church rebuilt.
1785. August 2, Barlow Hall Estate passed, by purchase, to the Edgerton’s of Tatton.
1789. August 10, Rev. Joshua Brookes, an eccentric character (made famous by Mrs. Linnaeus Banks in “The Manchester Man”, nominated to the perpetual Curacy of Chorlton.
1790. December 23, Rev. Joshua Brookes resigned the living of Chorlton on being appointed to a Chaplaincy in the Manchester Colle¬giate Church.
1817. February 2, Thomas Walker, a great political reformer, who, in 1794, was tried at Lancaster for conspiring to overthrow the constitution, died at Longford Hall.
1835. At the Whit-week Wakes, the last exhibition of the disgusting pastime of bull-baiting, for which Chorlton-cum-Hardy was a recognised resort.
1837. October 15, St. Clement’s Church reopened after enlargement.
1839. March 29, Chorlton formed into a distinct parish. It had pre¬viously been a Chapel in the Parish of Manchester.
1840. September 8, Foundation Stone of Lancashire Independent Col¬lege laid by George Hadfield, Esq.
1842. December 18, Opening of Organ in St. Clement’s Parish Church with full cathedral service, previously the singing had been led by a violincello played by one James Gresty.
1843. April 25, Lancashire College opened under the principalship of the Rev. Robt. Vaughan, D.D.
1857. January 1, First Post Office established in Chorlton, in connection with a small stationer’s shop in Beech Road kept by one William Nixon.
1862. November 17, Manchester Corporation Gas mains ordered to be extended from Upper Chorlton
Road to Brookbank Bridge. The Stretford Gas Company had earlier in the year begun to supply gas to some private houses on the Stretford side of the village.
1864. May 23, Regular daily Bus service began between Chorlton and Manchester.
1865. October 23, Mr. John Ireland commenced duty as Schoolmaster at the National School, Chorlton Green.
1866. June 23, St. Clement’s New Church opened for Public Worship as a Licensed Building.
1868. May 29, Union Chapel, Edge Lane, opened. Preacher : Rev. Joseph Parker, D.D.
1870. August 6, Official opening of Alexandra Park by Alderman Grave, Mayor of Manchester.
1872. March 2, Chorlton Masonic Lodge, 1387 consecrated.
1872. June 15, Foundation Stone of New Wesleyan Chapel in Manchester Road laid by James Fildes, Esq.
1873. July 2, New Wesleyan Chapel, Manchester Road, opened for public worship. Preacher: Rev. John Bedford.
1875. October 13, died at Longford Hall, at the age of 87, Chas. Jas. Stanley Walker, a Magistrate and Notable Character in Manchester life.
1876. August 2, P.C. Cock murdered whilst on duty at West Point.
1876. November 2, First Election of Representatives to the Withington Local Board. 41 gentlemen went to the poll for 15 seats.
1876. November 7, Withington Local Board formed.
1878. July 27, Foundation Stone of Masonic Hall, laid by Dr. Rains, W.M.
1879. March 19, Barlow Hall partially destroyed by Fire.
1879. May 3, National Schools, Chorlton Green (rebuilt) opened.
1879. September 20, Consecration Service at Southern Cemetery by Bishop Fraser.
1879. September 28, First Services in connection with the newly-formed Congregational Church in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, in Masonic Hall.
Preacher: Rev. Jas. A. Macfadyen, M.A., D.D.
1879. October 9, Formal opening of Southern Cemetery by Alderman C. S. Grundy, Mayor of Manchester.
1879. October 14th, First Interment in Southern Cemetery Mrs. Eliza Ann Hughes—conducted by Rev. J. Garrett, D.D.
1879. October 18, First Interment in Nonconformist Section of Southern Cemetery. Mrs. Margaret Davies.
1880. January 1, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Station. Manchester South District Railway opened for Local Traffic.
1880. August 2, Midland Express Trains began running via Chorlton.
1881 August 21, Hulme Grammar School founded from funds left by one William Hulme who died October 29, 1691.
1881. October 14, new iron footbridge erected at Jackson’s Boat. By a curious coincidence, earlier in the day the old wooden footbridge which had been in an unsafe condition for some time was washed away by a destructive flood, which also caused the River Mersey to overflow its banks for the sixth time in 10 months.
1882. February 1, The Home Office forbade the opening of any new grave in Chorlton Green Churchyard.
1882. April 2, Sunday delivery and collection of letters in Chorlton-cum-Hardy began.
1883. April 14. Foundation Stone of Congregational School-Church laid by Jno. C. Needham, Esq.
1883. September 29, Congregational School-Church opened for public worship. Preacher: Rev. J. G. Rogers, B.A.
1883. November 21, Wesleyan Chapel, Manchester Road, partially destroyed by fire.
1884. December 5, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Literary Association’s First meeting. President: Rev. J. A. Macfadyen, M.A., D.D.
1885. June 15, Settlement of Rev. Robert Mitchell as first resident minister of the Congregational Church.
1885. December 2, First Parliamentary Election in the newly constituted Stretford Division.
Contestants: Mr. (now Sir) Wm. Agnew and Sir John Wm. Maclure. Mr. Agnew elected.
1886. February 6, Chorlton Choral Union gave its first public performance in the Wesleyan Chapel. Mr. Geo. Poskitt conducted.
1886 July 8, Mr. Maclure elected for Stretford Division.
1887 January 8, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Penny Savings Bank established. 102 depositors opened accounts.
1887 January 25, Hulme Grammar School opened.
1888. August 5, Josiah Thomas Slugg, Retired Chemist, a prominent Wesleyan, Astronomer and Popular Lecturer, died.
1888. December 11, John Rylands, Millionaire Manchester Merchant. Died at Longford Hall.
1888. December 12, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Amateur Orchestral Society Founded.
1889. May 6, First Public Performance by the Amateur Orchestral Society, in the National Schoolroom. Mr. Robt. S. Prophet, Conductor.
1889 November 21, Rev. Jas. A. Macfadyen, M.A., D.D., died.
1890 February 17, Haydn’s Oratorio “The Creation” given in St. Clement’s New Church by the Chorlton-cum-Hardy Choral Society, its first public performance, under the directorship of Mr. T. M. Ferneley.
1890. June 29, Settlement of Rev. David Walters as pastor of Macfadyen Memorial Church.
1891. April 25, Stone-laying Ceremony at the Public Hall, by Lady Cunliffe Brooks.
1891. September, Whalley Range High School for Girls opened.
1891. October 1, Fallowfield and Chorlton Line opened lor Local Traffic.
Alexandra Park Station opened.
1892. April 23, Chorlton Public Hall opened.
1892. May 2, Great Central Railway through traffic via Chorlton-cum-Hardy commenced.
1892. August 22, First person cremated at the Manchester Crematorium, Mr. Thomas Morgan Brown, of Carlisle.
1892. October 21, Formal opening of the Crematorium, by His Grace The Duke of Westminster, K.G.
1893. April 16, Reading-in and declaration by the Rev. F. K. Thomas, M.A., as Rector of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, in the New Church.
1893. September 13, Corner Stone of Macfadyen Memorial Church, laid by Mrs. Macfadyen.
1894. January 24, Mr. Walter Farrow, A.R.C.O.,assumed the conductor-ship of the Chorlton-cum-Hardy Amateur Orchestral Society.
1894. July, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Horticultural Society’s First Show held.
1894. October 25, Macfadyen Memorial Church opened for public worship.
Preacher: Rev. A. B. Rowland, LL.B.
1894. November 17, First Election of Representatives to the Urban District Council of Withington. For Chorlton cum-Hardy Ward. Messrs. Bingham, Burgess, and Norquoy were the suc¬cessful candidates.
1894. December 30, Old Local Board dissolved.
l894. December 31, New Urban District Council formed.
1895. March 1, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Telephone Exchange opened.
First subscribers: J. Grimes and C. H. Watson.
1895. June 1, Chorlton Green opened as a Public Recreation Ground by James Burgess, Esq.
1895. July 20, Corner stone of New South Transept of St. Clements New Church laid.
1896. April 22, St. Clement’s New Church consecrated by Right Rev. Dr. Moorhouse, Bishop of Manchester
1896. May 16, Beech Road Recreation Ground opened by Earl Egerton of Tatton.
1896 June 10, Last Toll-bar in Whalley Range abolished.
1897 April 26, Mr. John Bostock appointed Conductor of the Amateur Orchestral Society.
1897. December 14, The George Alexander Dramatic Club gave its first public performance in the Chorlton Public Hall: “The Magistrate,” by A. W. Pinero.
1898 January I, Baronetage bestowed on Mr. Jno. Wm. Maclure, M.P.
1899 September 29, Foundation Stone of St. Werburgh’s Church laid by Earl Egerton of Tatton.
1899. November 5, First Services in connection with the newly-constituted Parish of St. Werburgh. Preacher : Rev. J. G. Lovett, B.A., Rector.
1900. January 7, Baptist Church in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, founded by Rev. G. N. Williams.
1900. April 27, Great South-to-North procession of Motor Cars passed through Chorlton-cum-Hardy.
1900. September 13, Postmaster Lucas took charge of Chorlton-cum-Hardy Post Office.
1901. January 20, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Post Office transferred from Barlow Moor Road to new quarters in Wilbraham Road.
1901. January 28, Death of Sir John Wm. Maclure, M.P.
1901. February 9, Wilbraham Road Unitarian Church opened for public worship.
Preacher: Rev. Copeland Bowie.
1901. February 24, Settlement of Rev. Maxwell R. Kirkpatrick at Macfadyen Memorial Church.
1901. February 26, Parliamentary Flection. Mr. (now Sir) C. A. Cripps, K.C., elected.
1901. April 18, on the 68th Anniversary of his call to the Ministry, Rev. Jas. Macpherson died at the age of 87. He was first Principal of the Primitive Methodist College, Alexandra Park, and founder of the Primitive Methodist Church in Chorlton-cum-Hardy.
1902. February 22, Laying of Memorial Stones of Macpherson Memorial Primitive Methodist Church.
1902. June 1, St. Werburgh’s Church opened for public worship.
1902. June 8, James Burgess, formerly member of the Withington Urban District Council, died.
1902. June 19, Rev. Caleb Scott, B.A., LL. B., D.D., retired from the Principalship of Lancashire College.
1902. July 15, Consecration of St. Werburgh’s Church by Bishop Moorhouse, D.D.
1902. September 20, Macpherson Memorial Church opening services Preacher: Rev.Thos. Mitchell.
1902. December 18, Manchester Corporation Electricity Supply first available in Chorlton-cum-Hardy. First private house in Chorlton to be lighted was “ Ebor,” Wilbraham Road; the first business premises “The Chorlton Pharmacy.”
1903 February , Chorlton-cum-Hardy Golf Club formed, under the Captaincy of W. D. Batty, Esq.
1903. February 22, Grand Performance of Gaul’s cantata. “The Holy City,” in St. Clement’s New Church by the Chorlton-cum-Hardy Amateur Orchestral Society, with a choir of 100 voices.
1903. August 22, First Show of the re-named “Chorlton-cum-Hardy Horticultural and Horse Show,” opened by J. IB. Beardoe-(Grundy, Esq., J.P.
1903. October 6, Induction of Rev. Walter F. Adeney, M.A., D.D., as Principal of Lancashire College.
1903. November 8, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Presbyterian Church of England formed.
1903. December 6, Rev. Dr. de Vlieger, M.A.. B.D., Litt. D., appointed minister-in-charge of the Presbyterian Church.
1904. March 17, Last election in Chorlton-cum-Hardy of a member of the Withington Urban District Council prior to its dissolution. No contest, Mr. John Turner elected.
1904. May 4, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Musical Society founded.
1904. August 15, Royal Assent given to bill for Amalgamation of the Withington Urban District area with the City of Manchester.
1904. August 29, Retirement of Mr. John Ireland, Schoolmaster for 39 years at the National School.
1904. September 4, High Lane Council School opened.
1904. October , Settlement of Rev. John Southall as first resident Pastor of the Macpherson Memorial Primitive Methodist Church.
1904. November 1. First Election in Chorlton-cum-Hardy Ward of Members of the City Council.
Six candidates. Messrs. Ed. Farrar, Harry Kemp, and John Turner elected.
1904. November 21, Electric Tram Service from Belle Vue to Seymour Grove, via Upper Chorlton Road, began.
1905. March 28, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Cycling Club founded.
1905. September, Golf Clubs New Club-House (Barlow Hall) and 18 hole course formally Opened by W. D. Batty, Esq.
1906. January 18, Parliamentary Election. Mr. Harry Nuttall elected.
1906. March 19, Last Public Performance given by the George Alexander Dramatic Club, in the Chorlton Public Hall; “The New Clown.”
1906 March 26, Chorlton Gas consumers, formerly supplied by the Stretford Gas Company, connected up with the Manchester Corporation mains.
1906 June 7, Foundation Stone of the McLaren Memorial Baptist Church laid by
Councillor J. H. Thewlis, J.P., Lord Mayor of Manchester.
1906 July 2, Oswald Road Temporary Council Schools opened.
1906. July 31, Rev. J. A. Kershaw, Primitive Methodist, commenced his ministry.
1906. July 30, Station-master Morgan entered upon his duties at Chorlton-cum-Hardy.
1906. October 7, Rev. W. E. George, M.A., began his ministry at the Unitarian Church.
1906 December 17, Amateur Gardeners’ Society founded.
1907. May 9. Electric Tram Service to Chorlton began. First car to the City left Chorlton 5 a.m.
1907. May 29, Opening Services at McLaren Memorial Church. Preacher: Rev.J. H. Shakespeare, M.A.
1907 August 10, Amateur Gardeners’ Society’s first show held in National Schools, Chorlton Green.
1907. September 1, Foundation Stone of Presbyterian School-Church laid.
1907 November 14, Chorlton Operatic Society formed.
January I, Rev. James Hodgson began his ministry at Union Chapel.
1908. January 2S, Commencement of the Corporation Tree-planting Scheme in Chorlton-cum-Hardy. First tree planted in Man¬chester Road.
1908. February 4, Enriqueta Augustina (‘Mrs. John Rylands), the founder of the magnificent Rylands Library, died at Longford Hall.
1908. March 15, Opening Services, Presbyterian School-Church. Preacher: Rev. Dr. Meharry.
1908. April 9. First Public Performance, “The Mikado,” by the Chorlton-cum-Hardy Operatic Society. Musical Director: Mr. T. M. Ferneley.
1908. July 17, Memorial Stone of Oswald Road Municipal Schools laid by Bishop Welldon. Dean of Manchester.
1908. August 1, Whalley Range High School for Girls transferred to Manchester Education Committee.
1908. November 23, Public Free Library, Oswald Road, opened.
1908. December 1, Sudden death of Dr. de Vlieger, Presbyterian Minister.
1909. March 8, Settlement of Rev. Sidney M. Berry, M.A., as Pastor of the Macfadyen Memorial Church.
1909. March 20. Emmanuel Free Church of England, Oswald Road, opened.
1909. April 26, Oswald Road Municipal Schools opened.
1909. October 11, Rev. C. Stuart-Kitchen (Emmanuel Free Church) commenced his ministry.
1909. November 20, Interment at the Southern Cemetery of Alderman J. Evans, the last surviving member of the Committee under whose auspices the Cemetery was laid out and opened.
Copyright © 2008 Anthony F Walker
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The Llanelli riots of August 1911, which left six men dead, were caused by a strike in which industry? | The Great Unrest and a Welsh town – International Socialism
by ISJ
Tim Evans
The trade union leaders, almost to a man, deplored it, the government viewed it with alarm, the Independent Labour Party regretted this untoward disregard for the universal panacea of the ballot box, the Social Democratic Federation asked, “Can anything be more foolish, more harmful, more…unsocial than a strike”; yet disregarding everything, encouraged only by a small minority of syndicalist leaders, the great strike wave rolled on, threatening to sweep everything away before it. 1
In August 1911…a general strike developed on the railways. During those days a dim spectre of revolution hung over Britain. 2
The key confrontation of Britain’s first national railway strike—for better pay and an end to an unfair arbitration system—occurred on Saturday 19 August 1911 in Llanelli, a tinplate-producing town in south west Wales. The strike was part of one of the longest waves of sustained industrial rebellion in British working class history—the “Great Unrest” of 1910 to 1914. Unofficial rail strikes in Manchester and Liverpool spread elsewhere until the union leaders were forced to call a national stoppage. This hit the whole transport network: south Wales, because of its coal, tinplate and steel production and transport links to an insurgent Ireland, was a crucial area for British capitalism. In Llanelli mass picketing brought all rail traffic to a halt. Soldiers were drafted in as tinplate and other workers came onto the streets in solidarity, joining crowds of people from the railway and dockside communities. As strikers attempted physically to prevent a train passing through, soldiers of the Worcester regiment opened fire, killing two men and wounding others.
Instead of being cowed by the carnage, the workers’ districts rose up in anger. Despite accusations of purposeless rampaging by “the mob”, there was a high degree of purpose and direction in the targets attacked. A magistrate who brought in the troops saw his shop looted and arson attacks made on two of his farms. Another magistrate’s shop had its windows smashed. A crowd of 500 attacked the police station where a scab engine driver was being held. Strikers and their supporters engaged in pitched battles with soldiers who tried to clear the streets at bayonet point. Many protesters received bayonet and baton wounds, avoiding hospital for fear of arrest. At the height of the disturbances the soldiers stood back and refused to engage, at one point penned in the railway station while crowds attacked it, smashing all the windows. For hours the authorities seemed paralysed, unable or unwilling to intervene as the trucks and sidings of the Great Western Railway Company were assailed, looted and torched, triggering an explosion which killed another four people. One soldier refused to fire on the crowd, was arrested, escaped from military custody and went on the run, raising the authorities’ fears of a wider mutiny.
These events occurred in a town not especially noted for militancy. Llanelli was not viewed as a potential flashpoint by the authorities. It was said that in 1911 political violence there had been unknown since Liberal Party supporters had lobbed a brick through the windows of the Conservative Club during the 1885 General Election campaign. 3 Although the miners of nearby Trimsaran had been locked out nine months prior to the strike, with rioting in the village in January, Llanelli itself had not been affected by the wildcat strikes on the railways that had been breaking out elsewhere since the beginning of August. So sanguine had the authorities been that 15 local police officers from Llanelli had been sent to Tonypandy, to police the continuing unrest in the coalfields of the Cambrian Combine. And on Wednesday 9 August another 25 officers left to augment police numbers at Cardiff, where seafarers, dockers and transport workers had been on strike.
In Llanelli politics the Liberal Party was hegemonic, epitomised in the personage of W Llewelyn Williams, chair of the Baptists’ Union, barrister, scholar, historian, golf partner of David Lloyd George and the Liberal MP for Llanelli. When the House of Commons debated the shootings, he was nowhere to be found, citing illness as an excuse: the local press complained about his complete silence. In fact his first words on the subject were not uttered until 9 October 1911, when he blamed the uprising on “hooligans and casual labourers”. For the Llanelli establishment, this would be the pattern for the future. The inappropriately-named Tarian y Gweithiwr (The Worker’s Shield)—a Liberal paper—thundered that “[Llanelli] from now on…will not be known as a peaceful town, but as the abode of rioters, thieves and drunkards”. 4 So terrified had the authorities been by events, the military so compromised by its mistakes and inept tactics, that attempts were first made to smear those who had fought back, focusing on the “shameful” rioting and sentencing those found guilty of looting to hard labour. This was followed by a determined campaign to blot out all memories of what had happened. People will have heard of the rioting at Tonypandy in 1910—quite justly seared into Welsh working class consciousness—but not of the arguably more serious battles at Llanelli a year later. The shootings were the subject of an official cover-up. Despite regular calls for a public inquiry and compensation for the families of the dead men, the government stonewalled all appeals. The authorities quite literally got away with murder.
Mass rebellions
In 1911 the continuing industrial insurgency was shaking the British ruling class to its core. 5 The period from 1899 to 1907 had been a period of industrial peace unparalleled between 1891, when statistics started, and 1933. Many commentators believed that in British society the potential for continental-style revolutions had been neutered by the British trade union system and the “traditional common sense of the nation 6 “. The great wave of strikes blew all that away. Driven by rank and file workers, it swept aside a horrified union leadership, and was characterised by direct action, widespread industrial solidarity, community involvement and physical confrontation with the forces of the state. Its far-reaching effects went beyond the purely short-term economic: it was identified as a major precipitating factor in the ongoing breakdown of the Liberal consensus. Tony Cliff and Donny Gluckstein, in their history of the Labour Party, point out that, “Labour’s final emergence from the cocoon of Liberalism owed nothing to its own efforts, or even to those of the left. It arose from the second, and far more serious alternative to Labourism, the ‘Labour Unrest’ of 1910-1914…[in which] the working class returned to the stage of history with a ferocity which terrified the Labour Party as much as the ruling class”. 7 These convulsive struggles might have coalesced into a serious challenge to capitalism, had it not been for the outbreak of war. As it was they shaped working class politics for decades to come.
The strike wave was a class response to a nexus of economic, industrial and political pressures and dashed hopes. The Liberal government had been elected in 1906 on the promise of widespread reforms, in what was a landslide defeat for the Conservatives. It promised a campaign against “landlords, brewers, peers and monopolists”, as well as launching schemes for national insurance and old age pensions. At this time Labour was essentially a trade union sponsored appendage to the Liberal Party, having signed a secret electoral pact with the Liberals three years earlier. This was how it secured its first substantial representation in parliament. But voters were to be hugely disappointed. Wages did not increase, nor did the position of the mass of workers improve. In fact, over the next few years the opposite occurred.
British capitalism was centralising and restructuring itself to meet changing global circumstances. By 1910 a prolonged world economic upswing was drawing to a close. This period represented the peak of British imperialism’s power, which was now being challenged by Germany and America. The loss of Britain’s privileged position, and its falling rates of growth of industrial productivity, forced its ruling class to rationalise its industrial base and cut back on the concessions that had been won by organised workers. The New Unionism of the late 1880s and early 1890s had been a direct response to these new conditions and the class movement of 1910-14 was a qualitative deepening of the process.
The strikes were also, crucially, a protest against capital’s new strategy of incorporating labour and union leaders. Mike Haynes relates the direct and uncompromising nature of the struggles in part to the fact that they were not contained within the existing union organisation. 8 They were a dual revolt, against employers on the one hand, and the established union leaderships and collective bargaining machinery on the other. The new strategies, especially the fundamental innovation of the period, the solidarity strike, were developing as ways of exerting maximum pressure by rank and file workers and excluding the leadership. The rising level of struggle created a sharp polarisation not only between workers in relation to their employers and the state, but also between workers and their official union leaderships.
Bob Holton contrasts the features of earlier periods of working class militancy, such as 1871-73 and 1889-91, with 1910-1914:
There is…a vivid contrast between the London dock strike of 1889, when dockers marched peacefully through the City of London to gain public sympathy, and the 1910 Welsh miners’ strike when miners clashed violently with civil power at Tonypandy and elsewhere… “the evangelistic organising campaigns of the dock strike period” as against the “mass rebellions” of the later explosion… The spirit of compromise fostered within collective bargaining mechanisms was being replaced by direct action. 9
The strikes represented a militant challenge to the bosses, the mainstream leadership of the trade unions and the political system as a whole.
The culture of direct action was liberating. Sabotage and action against blacklegs, employers and magistrates developed within the context of what Haynes calls “a belligerent working class self-confidence”. The slogans and songs used during the course of strikes, free speech campaigns and other public demonstrations clearly express such a mood. In the Black Country strikes of 1913, “strikers marched from factory to factory singing with considerable intimidation what became their theme song ‘Hello, hello, here we are again’.” 10 At Llanelli pickets battling police and the military sang the warlike Llanelli rugby song “Sosban Fach”, as did the crowd which ransacked and trashed the shop of one of the magistrates who had called in the troops. 11 At the all-night mass picket which occupied the town’s level crossings, stopping all rail traffic, proceedings became a “carnival of the oppressed”, with not only songs and speeches but tap-dancing contests and a mock election.
With the arrival of the military at Llanelli railway station the mood changed to defiance. A soldier of the Worcester regiment said that after a warning shot was fired, “the crowd took no notice…and simply jeered and called out, ‘We don’t mind your shots’.” 12 Strikers not only physically blocked the passage of moving trains or boarded them to argue with or attack scabs but also tore up track to make movement impossible, placing obstacles on the line and damaging telegraph systems. This was characteristic of the railway strike on a national level, where official recognition of spreading unofficial action was not enough to head off the “explosive” character of rank and file grievances in many strike centres. “The advice of local officials to remain calm was often rejected by the strikers, many of whom had…no experience of union membership and discipline…there developed many instances of industrial aggression and collective violence”. 13 These included attacks on scab labour, particularly at signal boxes. At Portishead near Bristol 1,000 people attacked a signal box that was still working, with similar occurrences at Llanelli, where blacklegs were chased out of signal boxes and the windows smashed. Confrontation with soldiers took place at many other key points like Liverpool where another two men were shot dead as they attempted to free imprisoned rioters, and Chesterfield, where the station was set ablaze, and the West Yorkshire Regiment repeatedly attacked the crowd with bayonets.
The revolutionaries
The explosive character of the strike was in part an expression of the way in which in 1911 strike activity itself represented a radical challenge to the existing political system, and to the extremely restrictive limits of what constituted political activity in Edwardian Britain. As Haynes points out, at a time when playing street football was a major “crime” of working class youth 14 , the willingness of strikers to engage in street politics, to undertake mass picketing, or to march several miles at a moment’s notice to bring out another factory, constituted major defiance in the face of what was regarded as “acceptable” politics. For many workers this developed into a more conscious and coherent critique of the nature of the system itself. The strategy of independent direct action solved the problem of the cowardice of the conservative trade union leadership, and for many the ideological framework which contextualised and supported this was that of revolutionary syndicalism. This can be characterised as a series of distinctive social movements that existed in many parts of Europe, the USA, Latin America and Australia between the 1890s and the 1920s. In broad terms, syndicalism aimed to overthrow capitalism through revolutionary industrial class struggle and to build a new socialistic order free from economic or political oppression, in which workers would be in control. Change would come neither through parliamentary pressure nor political insurrection leading to state socialism, but would be achieved through direct action and the general strike leading to workers’ control. Rank and file trade union bodies would serve both as organisers of class warfare and as the nuclei of the post-revolutionary society.
The organised syndicalist presence in Britain was not negligible: it included internationally known industrial militants like Tom Mann and Guy Bowman, John Maclean in Scotland, In Wales Noah Ablett, Will Hay, Sam Mainwaring and AJCook, and in Ireland Jim Larkin and James Connolly. In 1912 the arrest, trial and six-month prison sentences handed out to Mann and Bowman under the Incitement to Mutiny Act made syndicalism a household word up and down the country. Sales of the Industrial Syndicalist Education League’s paper, the Syndicalist, reached 20,000 in 1912 and two conferences organised by the paper claimed to represent 100,000 workers. Syndicalism was rooted in the workplace, the picket line and the streets, tending to an “ouvrierism” which stressed an exclusive reliance on mass working class experience and action, rejecting “outside experts” and parliamentary intermediaries. Holton talks of “proto-syndicalist behaviour…forms of social action which lie between vague revolt and clear-cut revolutionary action”. 15 Deian Hopkin takes up this idea, arguing that events at Llanelli showed many workers there sharing “the aspirations of syndicalism without articulating, or even being aware of, its theoretical framework”. 16 Tens of thousands of workers learned from their own experience that the state was on the side of capital, that their own leaders could not be relied on and that solidarity and mass direct action worked. In Llanelli in 1911 class lines were sharply drawn, and the class role of the state’s armed bodies of men was posed particularly starkly. This is not to argue that all or even the majority of workers were somehow syndicalist, but that syndicalist ideas resonated with the daily experience of many.
Syndicalism on the railways
By 1890 south Wales had one of the most densely developed railway networks in the world. But this existed in a context of widespread poverty and hardship for workers. In his account of the Llanelli events, Remembrance of a Riot, John Edwards says that:
In 1911…almost a third of all adult males earned less than 25 shillings a week, about the absolute minimum required to keep a family and three children. Most workers worked 12 hours a day for this kind of money and their daily lives, apart from Sunday, consisted of going from bed to work, and from work to bed…even a small measure of income above the minimum made a striking difference to living standards. 17
Although the railway companies were flourishing and their shareholders receiving very healthy dividends, their employees were less well looked after. Two thirds of the workforce worked for at least 60 hours a week over six days, with most of the others working 72 hours. Rob Griffiths, in his study of the 1911 strike, Killing No Murder, estimates that for this,
A porter, platelayer or general labourer at the Great Western Railway’s Llanelli station…would have been rewarded with 17s…a shunter would be entitled to 20s. Even the engine driver, upon whom so many lives depended, would earn little more than 28s a week—less than the average coalminer. From these miserable sums a total of 1s 2d would then be deducted for sick pay, pensions and widows’ and orphans’ funds—all administered by the company…the directors of the railway companies pointed out that employees benefited from such “indirect advantages” as free or cut-rate travel…and tips. 18
It was dangerous work—between 1897 and 1907 some 5,238 railway employees had been killed and 146,767 injured in industrial accidents. 19
Yet the amount of capital tied up in Britain’s growing railway network had increased from £860 million in 1890 to £1,229 million in 1905: total receipts from freight and passenger traffic had rocketed from £73 million to £250 million a year. 20 In 1907, for example, the companies spent £30 million on wages while making £45 million in profits. 21 In August 1911 the publication of the railway companies’ half-yearly financial reports showed that they were making record profits and handing out substantial dividends. On 10 August the Great Western Railway Company raised the dividend rate on its ordinary stock from 4 percent (already up from 3.5 percent in 1910) to 4.5 percent in the light of “buoyant” profits—an increase which on its own could have funded a 5 percent pay increase of one shilling a week for most GWR employees. 22
The leaders of the rail unions—the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (ASRS), the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) and the General Railway Workers’ Union (GRWU)—had in 1907 accepted a scheme, heavily promoted by the Liberal MP for Caenarfon Boroughs, Lloyd George. The scheme established
several sectional boards in each [railway] company, each board to consider the wages and hours of the grades within its remit; should the workers’ and company’s representatives fail to agree, the matter would be referred to the company’s central conciliation board and then—if necessary—to outside arbitration. Agreements and arbitration verdicts would be binding for at least 12 months, with the overall scheme to run for an “experimental period” of seven years. 23
The rail companies in return were not even obliged to accept the principle of trade union recognition. In the years immediately following their introduction, the conciliation boards became hugely unpopular, being recognised by railway workers for what they were, a mechanism intended to tip the balance of power firmly in the direction of the rail companies. So much were they hated that when the first, unofficial, walkouts took place in early August 1911, railway workers were striking not only for higher pay but for an end to the conciliation boards and the whole arbitration system.
Syndicalist railwaymen were present across Britain before the strike, including Sheffield, Manchester, Wakefield and Gateshead, the most prominent being Charles Watkins of Clay Cross and later Sheffield, a strong supporter of the Industrial Syndicalist Education League (ISEL), a national propaganda and activist organisation, and the Plebs League. In ISEL’s monthly journal, the Industrial Syndicalist, Watkins criticised the 1907 railway settlement for keeping wages down and made an explicitly syndicalist case for revolutionary change—not nationalisation but workers’ control, to be achieved by an aggressive policy of offensive industrial action, undermining the passivity of the trade union leaders by direct action and the taking of the union as well as the railway system under the control of rank and file workers. 24 The experience of the 1911 strike boosted syndicalism on the railways. Dockers’ leader and quasi-syndicalist Ben Tillett spoke at a rally in Llanelli to protest against the shootings, and in 1913 the platform at the mass rally at Swansea to celebrate the second anniversary of the 1911 strike was dominated by syndicalists, notably Guy Bowman and George Hicks.
The “40 political cowards”
The Labour Party at this time was, as we have seen, a trade union pressure group closely allied with the Liberals. The major gain made by the formation of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) was organisationally to detach the trade union leaders from the Liberal Party: they now owed political allegiance to their own creation. Although in one sense this represented the direct entry of the trade unions into politics, it was also a retreat from trade unionism and from the belief that collective organisation could defend itself. For many of the trade union leaders who affiliated their organisations to the LRC, parliamentary activity became a substitute for trade unionism.
The turn by many workers to direct action was a response to the problems this posed. A delegate told the 1912 Trades Union Congress: “Let us be clear as to what syndicalism really is…a protest against the inaction of the Labour Party”. 25 In Lenin’s wonderfully astringent prose, writing in 1907: “In Western Europe revolutionary syndicalism…was a direct and inevitable result of opportunism, reformism, and parliamentary cretinism… Syndicalism cannot help developing…as a reaction against this shameful conduct of ‘distinguished’ Social-Democrats”. 26 Although the 1906 general election had sent 29 Labour MPs to parliament with 346,000 votes behind them, 27 the Weekly Despatch of 10 March 1912 could say that the parliamentary Labour Party “has no effect on the matters most important to Labour; wages did not rise, the price of necessities of life increased… It is enough to state that [the Labour Party] has no influence on those vital issues.” Furthermore, “The fact is that the Labour representatives, from their own point of view, become demoralised when they enter parliament… Their friends in the constituencies who expect so many things from the Labour Party are disappointed… They realise, though, rather late, the Labour Party is but an appendage of the Liberal Party”. 28 As the Liberal chief whip reported in 1910, “Throughout this period I was always able to count on the support of the Labour Party”. 29
This tail-ending of the Liberals created widespread demoralisation among Labour supporters. Whether it was the House of Lords blocking Liberal social reforms, unemployment or the Insurance Act, Labour MPs took positions indistinguishable from or sometimes to the right of the Liberals. The Weekly Despatch of 10 March 1912 reported, “The Labour members…talk valiantly on platforms about their independence…but in the House itself they are as obedient as trained poodles”. 30 A rank and file Labour activist wrote a poignant letter to the radical Labour MP George Lansbury: “We feel the most fearful disappointment, the kind of hopelessness that creeps over us after years of organising to get men into parliament only to be sold at every turn like oxen…if the 40 political cowards [Labour MPs] had the pluck of a mouse all might be different”. 31 A syndicalist leaflet called on strikers, “Fight for yourselves… Leaders only want your votes; they will sell you [a reference to the outcome of the 1911 railway dispute]. They lie, parliament lies and will not help you, but is trying to sell you”. 32 These sentiments had real resonance, and fed the growth of direct action.
Parliamentary socialists?
On the eve of the Labour Unrest the left consisted of three main organisations: the Social Democratic Federation (SDF), the Independent Labour Party (ILP) and the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) which became the Labour Party. The oldest and most radical was the SDF—a “Marxist” organisation but an extreme form of the arid and dogmatic Marxism of the main parties of the Second International embodied by Karl Kautsky and mediated in Britain by the foibles of its founder HM Hyndman. It was incurably sectarian and ignored the value of trade union activity. Having said this, it had survived a number of breakaways—including that in 1903 of the Socialist Labour Party, 33 which played a significant part in the development of syndicalist ideas among industrial militants, particularly in Scotland, despite its even more profound sectarianism—and in 1909 had a membership of over 10,000. The more moderate ILP had been founded in 1893 and now had some 30,000 members. Although formally socialist, its leaders had always been ready to “subordinate their socialism to the task of winning seats in parliament”. 34 They did not regard themselves as a Marxist organisation and contained a wide spread of socialist opinion. George Lansbury, who had an excellent record campaigning for workers’ rights, for example, was a Christian Socialist bitterly opposed to Marxism. Their electoralism led them to act as the midwife to the founding of the Labour Representation Committee in 1901. As we have seen, a parliamentary Labour Party became viable after the 1906 elections in which the LRC won 29 seats.
Although there were important differences between these parties, they were all focused primarily on winning seats in parliamentary and local government elections. Not only were they ideologically committed to parliamentary methods, but their structures had developed to support this. This meant that they were ill equipped to respond to a strike wave which was essentially extra-parliamentary and whose militants denounced parliament as a sham. The parties were “blind to working class actions such as strikes, a politically ‘disruptive’ activity to which they were either indifferent or opposed”. 35 With a largely middle class membership capable of quite anti working class sentiment, they were a part of the labour movement but they did not organise within it. The result was that the left parties entered the strike wave without any organisation capable of capitalising on the revolt. It was out of this failure that dissatisfaction with the lib-Lab policies of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) began to crystallise, together with an awakening among sections of the SDF and ILP of the need for a more determined struggle for socialist objectives. In 1911 a merger of the SDF with a number of ILP branches and Clarion Scout groups led to the official launch of the British Socialist Party (BSP) in January 1912.
The unofficial character of the rebellion of 1910-14 struck at the heart of the carefully constructed alliances on which the Labour Party was based. As Haynes points out, “MPs found themselves faced with the choice of defending the officials whose unions paid them or supporting the actions of the workers whose support they rhetorically invoked.” Although Keir Hardie declared, “Syndicalism is the direct outcome of the apathy and indifference of this House towards working class questions, and I rejoice at the growth of syndicalism”, his was a solitary voice, and many of the current or former union leaders among the Labour Party MPs remained silent. Worse was to come. In 1911 Arthur Henderson, Leader of the Labour Party from 1908-1910, together with other senior Labour MPs, proposed a parliamentary bill to make strikes illegal without 30 days notice. Any worker who went on strike illegally would be fined between £2 and £10 for every day or part of a day they were on strike (at a time when the average weekly wage was £1). Phillip Snowden, elected as Labour MP for Blackburn in 1906 and known as the “English Robespierre” for his radicalism, came out against all strikes and won an accolade from the Wolverhampton Express just as the strike wave in the Midlands was building up momentum: “We are quite at one with Mr Snowden in his condemnation of syndicalism and the general strike”. 36 The role of the PLP as a bulwark against revolt and revolution was made explicit by Lloyd George. “Socialism”, he said, meaning the Labour Party, would destroy syndicalism. “One microbe can be trusted to kill another, and the microbe of socialism, which may be a very beneficient one, does at any rate keep guard upon the other, which is a very dangerous and perilous one. I have, therefore, no real fear of the syndicalist…the best policeman for the syndicalist is the socialist”. 37
Blood on the tracks
In Llanelli the funerals of the shot men were huge affairs, with thousands turning out to pay their respects, and many factories closed as the workers poured onto the streets. On Sunday 10 September the town saw a massive working class demonstration to protest against the use of the military, at which the main, black-edged banner, which had also been carried in a London demonstration, declared that the workers, like others in Britain, had been killed in the interests of capitalism. A crowd of between 5,000 and 10,000 gathered in the town centre—not bad for a town of less than 32,000. In September the impact of the uprising in the local community was reflected in the wave of school strikes, where children from Bigyn, New Dock, Lakefield and Old Road schools walked out and called on others to join them. Even the newspaper boys went on strike. In November a mass meeting held the town’s magistrates responsible for the deaths, condemned the use of troops and called for a public inquiry. The Swansea railwaymen and the miners of the Cambrian Combine passed resolutions in support of the soldier who had refused to fire on the crowd and was awaiting court martial. Yet despite the resonance in many sections of the working class, socialists in the town and elsewhere failed to make the shootings an issue around which the left could unite. There had been an ILP branch in the town from 1906, which had, with little trade union support, managed to achieve a respectable vote of nearly 13 percent in the second general election in 1910, with the radical Labour MP George Lansbury speaking at a Llanelli ILP meeting in May 1911. Yet the efforts of the BSP and socialist Victor Grayson, ILP MP for Colne Valley from 1907 to 1910, to set up a branch in Llanelli in the autumn of 1911 were unsuccessful. Candidates at two by-elections in 1912 stood against the shootings but failed to gain credible votes around the issue. In one, the independent socialist candidate Frank Vivian got 149 votes, against the sitting MP’s 3,836.
Although initially some court appearances in Llanelli of individuals charged with riot or looting were attended by noisy crowds cheering the defendants, gradually the continuing official denunciations of rioting and particularly looting began to have their effect. In the absence of an organisation on the ground which was willing and able to counter the “official” version of events, and argue the case for the uprising, Liberal orthodoxy prevailed. Although the Liberals nationally were in long-term electoral decline, this did not happen more quickly in Llanelli than elsewhere. And, as we have seen, despite Keir Hardie’s criticisms of Churchill’s use of troops, in speeches and in his pamphlet Killing No Murder, the rapid growth of militancy scared the living daylights out of most Labour MPs. The dominant narrative in Llanelli became the bourgeois counter-offensive, in which the Liberals joined forces with the chapels and the newspapers first to smear and then to expunge any memory of independent working class action.
The chapel, despite the decline of the Welsh Methodist revival movement of 1904-5, still had influence among older workers. Based fundamentally on the vested interests of property, it saw militant trade unionism as a threat, and as the organisational expression of the Liberal Party in south Wales it denounced movements towards an independent working class politics. The Free Church Council of Llanelli was quick to denounce the “riotous behaviour that brought such a cloud of dishonour on the good name of our town”. The Llanelly Guardian talked of “a howling, reckless, lawless mob bent on riot, destruction and plunder.”. 38 The attitude of the Liberal Party can be seen in the attitude of the MP W Llewelyn Williams, who condemned the rioters as “casual labourers and hooligans”.
As for the Labour Party, it faced both ways. Largely irrelevant to the progress of the strikes on a national level, party leader Ramsay MacDonald could say in 1912, “If we had been consulted first of all we should have advised the [strikers] to begin with parliamentary action, both on the floor of the House of Commons, and in ministers’ private rooms.” ILP leader Bruce Glasier called striking “culpable, incomprehensible fatuity”, and the May 1912 issue of the ILP’s journal Socialist Review described strikes as “an apocalypse” and supporters of direct action as “mentally defective”! 39
Beyond electoral politics
Yet in the events at Llanelli can be seen aspects of the Great Unrest which went beyond the limits of electoralism, pointing the way towards an insurrectionary challenge both to state power and to the inertia of the reformist leadership in the trade unions and the Labour Party. Two things in Llanelli in particular stand out: solidarity action by other workers and the support of the community in the working class districts. The leading role of the tinplate workers at Llanelli has already been mentioned. The Liberal Party’s support for a reduction in US import tariffs meant that politically it retained the support of many tinplate workers in south Wales. Nevertheless, once the railway workers walked out on Thursday 17 August, the tinplate workers—the foremost industry of the town—came out on the streets in numbers. There were only 500 railway workers in Llanelli: yet over the next two days the mass picket numbered ten times as many. Speeches of solidarity were delivered on the all-night picket from the tinplate workers: they were seen as the most militant in their confrontations with the civil authority. At the height of the confrontation a telegram from the military to the Home Office stated, “The trouble [at Llanelli] comes from the tinplaters, not the railwaymen.” One of the shot men—John John, who was said to have bared his chest and dared the soldiers to fire—was a tinplate worker at Morewood’s mills. The tinplate industry was expanding in Llanelli: new mills were opening in 1911. On average, the tinplate worker’s wage was double that of the railway worker.
Haynes stresses the importance of the “changing consciousness” of this period, and says: “For contemporaries the most notable aspect of the explosion of consciousness was the sympathetic strike.” There was a “new sense of confidence spreading through informal channels…[particularly benefiting] those workers in parts of industry which had never been able to strike before. Here the victories of the strong gave new courage to the weak”. 40 Haynes shows that the average length of strikes in Britain began to fall in this period, especially in the very smallest disputes, where the falls were most dramatic, indicating quicker victories. This registers not just a change in workers’ attitudes but also a fall in employer confidence.
What were being developed in places like Llanelli were high profile, high visibility actions that sustained the militancy and gave power to rank and file workers and their supporters, creating a stronger unity than before. Haynes describes the way this was done: “Mass picketing was commonplace, daily strike meetings, frequent demonstrations led by brass bands in a carnival atmosphere and often directed against specific targets.” On the streets of Llanelli, as elsewhere, resistance was led by the rank and file. It was from the start the mass picket at the railway crossings that determined the ability of the Great Western Railway Company to run trains. The authority even of the joint union railway strike committee, meeting in Copperworks School, was superseded by that of militants on the ground. The core strikers were railway workers, but others involved in the action—tinplate workers and others—were not. Even on the Friday night the chairman of the strike committee appealed unsuccessfully to the mass picket to let trains through. Democratic control was being thrashed out through the process of confrontation with the railway company and the armed forces of the state. As solidarity action extended, bringing in protagonists not employed on the railway, control passed from the hierarchy of the railway strike committee to the activists on the street.
The “official” account of the uprising, in the newspapers and on the pulpits, spoke of a mindless drunken rampaging mob. But what is clear is that, even more so in Llanelli than elsewhere, the targets for retribution were firmly associated with the civil power. This was not “anarchy”: informal groupings were evidently able to decide on a course of collective action, besieging the military in the railway station, storming the police station and attacking the property of the Great Western Railway Company and the magistrates. Clearly decisions were being made at street level, perhaps utilising the “informal channels” Haynes talks about, and attempting to escalate the conflict. For example, a group of young men attempted unsuccessfully to break into the Volunteers Armoury in the Markets area on the Saturday evening: in a number of other British towns Territorial Army weapons were removed for fear they would be turned on regular troops. 41 As the situation polarised, the branch-level union officers were pressurised into attempting to limit the uprising. John Bevan, chairman of the Swansea Branch of the Associated Society of Railway Servants and leader of the strike in Llanelli, was persuaded to intervene after the shootings to dissuade the miners of the Gwendraeth and Amman Valleys from coming to Llanelli in support of the railway workers. 42
Another factor that augmented the control of informal groupings and strengthened the insurgency was the support of the working class communities. Solidarity with the railway workers came not only from the tinplaters and miners but also from the communities of Glanymor and Tyisha around the railway and the docks. Haynes argues that reactions to strikes in this period very often became community reactions not just because strikers came from those communities but because community issues, such as rent strikes, often linked into industrial struggle. This is what fed the dynamic of the uprisings in Tonypandy, Hull and Liverpool. Strikers often assisted the process by taking their demands into the communities, holding house to house collections and evening meetings, involving those not on strike, other workers, women at home and schoolchildren. When the state reacted with violence “this only served to intensify solidarity against what was seen as a hostile force whether represented on the ground by troops or the police”. 43 In Llanelli this solidarity had a memorable effect: a soldier—private Harold Spiers—refused to fire on the crowd. The initial charge against him, of “desertion while in aid of the civil powers”, was commuted to one of going “absent without leave”, and he served only 14 days military imprisonment.
Aftershocks
The consequences of the railway strike in immediate industrial terms were disappointing. The uprising in Llanelli terrified the union leaderships and half an hour before the explosion in the railway sidings on 19 August the strike was called off by union leaders after government mediation. All grievances were to be brought forward to a Royal Commission: in the meantime no wage increases were to be offered and the hated Conciliation Boards were to remain intact. This angered many railwaymen, and areas like Manchester and Newcastle stayed out on strike. Even after a general return to work, dissatisfaction with the settlement continued: the syndicalist critique of conciliatory trade unionism was vindicated by the manner of the settlement.
Militancy continued, as did the growth of support for syndicalism on the railways. Swansea and 101 other ASRS branches unsuccessfully called for a special general meeting to discuss the actions of its officials, and ASLEF branches in Swansea and Llanelli were among those censuring their union’s executive. 44 At the same time joint action by different grades of railwaymen at rank and file level stimulated the movement towards industrial trade unionism as a means of maximising trade union strength. Syndicalist pressure for one union of railway workers played an important part in the foundation of the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR) early in 1913 as an amalgamation of the ASRS and several smaller unions. It was also out of the struggles of 1911 that the Triple Alliance of miners, railwaymen and transport workers came together in an attempt to maximise union power.
Rob Griffiths traces some of the aftershocks of the uprising and the development of the political consciousness of its protagonists. In November 1913 when Dublin transport workers, led by Jim Larkin, were locked out by their employers, Llanelli railwaymen took action alongside workers in Liverpool, Birmingham and Yorkshire in support of the Irish workers and in protest at the inactivity of the British Trades Union Congress. On 7 November driver George James was suspended and then sacked at Llanelli for refusing to drive a train laden with Dublin cargo. A few days later his colleague driver Reynolds took action in solidarity with James and was also dismissed. A member of the NUR executive warned the press: “Llanelly is the one district in South Wales where we have had the most trouble recently. The men there are the most advanced in our ranks, and some of them would strike on the slightest pretext.” Official and unofficial strikes spread across South Wales, the action winning complete reinstatement for both men. 45
The political failure of the militants of 1910-14 to mount a political challenge which could oppose the drive to war in 1914 has been widely discussed. The syndicalist ambiguity about politics, and the orientation of its leadership upon a purely industrial militancy meant that they were unable to fuse this together with other political struggles of the time, for example the rebellion in Ireland and the fight for women’s suffrage. Nor, despite the opposition to the war of individual syndicalists like Tom Mann, had they built up a network of people who, in 1914, could launch political strikes or refuse to handle war-related goods. But in a sense this is to criticise the syndicalists for not being Bolsheviks. Haynes argues that the problem with looking around at groups and individuals at this time to find the “origins of British Bolshevism” is that it claims both too much
and too little:
It claims too much in the sense that no one had found the model of a revolutionary political party that could steer between the twin dangers of sectarianism and simple liquidation into the parliamentary activities of the ILP and the Labour Party. It claims too little in the sense that it obscures what Bob Holton has called “an indigenous dynamic” that was leading a whole series of diverse rank and file elements towards the need for a political party along the lines of that created by the Bolsheviks in Russia. 46
The First World War and the Russian Revolution acted as a catalyst to cause these elements to fuse together. But this should not prevent us from recognising the importance of the militancy of 1910-14 in creating the elements in the first place. It was this, together with the growing revulsion against the war, which created the platform for the next period of revolt in 1919. This took British workers beyond the limits of 1910-14 into being for a time part of a general European revolutionary wave.
Notes
References
Cliff, Tony, and Donny Gluckstein, 1988, The Labour Party: a Marxist History (Bookmarks).
Edwards, John, 1988, Remembrance of a Riot: The Story of the Llanelli Railway Strike Riots of 1911 (Llanelli Borough Council/Harcourt).
Griffiths, Robert, 2009, Killing No Murder (Manifesto Press).
Haynes, Mike, 1984 “The British Working Class in Revolt: 1910-1914”, International Socialism 22 (winter).
Holton, Bob, 1976, British Syndicalism 1900–1914 (Pluto Press)
Hopkin, Deian, 1983, “The Llanelli Riots, 1911”, Welsh History Review, volume 11, number 4 (University of Wales Press), http://bit.ly/llanelliriots
Kendall, Walter, 1969, The Revolutionary Movement in Britain 1900–1921 (Littlehampton Books).
Lenin, VI, 1962 [1907], “Preface to the Pamphlet by Voinov (A V Lunacharsky) on the Attitude of the Party Towards the Trade Unions”, Collected Works, volume 13 (Lawrence and Wishart), www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1907/nov/00.htm
Trotsky, Leon, 1974 [1925], “Where is Britain Going?”, Collected Writings and Speeches on Britain, volume 2 (New Park Publications), www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/britain/wibg/ch01.htm
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Who reigned over England for more than half of the 13th century? | Llanelli Star August 2011 Article Archives | HighBeam Research
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20 questions
August 3, 2011
We asked hurdler DAI GREENE our 20 questions 1. Who was your childhood hero? Ryan Giggs. 2. What are your hobbies? Going to the cinema, going out for coffee and playing computer games. 3. What is...
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Action over street pests ; Your letters
August 3, 2011
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And they're off! Star Cup under way
August 3, 2011
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Appeal for help on key projects
August 3, 2011
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Appeal to act on plant danger
August 3, 2011; Robert Dalling
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Artists sculpt out new exhibition
August 3, 2011
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Bandstand bid
August 3, 2011
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Bank cash boost
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August 3, 2011
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Blessing for pets
August 3, 2011
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August 3, 2011; David Connop Price
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Bont's battle gets a boost
August 3, 2011
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Book event will attract fresh talent
August 3, 2011
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August 3, 2011
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Bumper crowd in store as United come to town
August 3, 2011
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Business club boosted
August 3, 2011
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Cadets get cash for trip
August 3, 2011
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Campaigner's anguish over building's fate
August 3, 2011; Alana Lewis
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Carers' picture project
August 3, 2011
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August 3, 2011
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Cash for cafe
August 3, 2011
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August 3, 2011
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Check out these gigs
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Classroom bid
August 3, 2011
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Cocklers help clean-up
August 3, 2011
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Community News ; Community NewsCommunity News
August 3, 2011
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Cup neck doubt
August 3, 2011; MARK ORDERS
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Dafen can inch closer to title
August 3, 2011
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Death crash driver sent to jail for 'arrogant' act
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Delays in response
August 3, 2011
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Doctor was outstanding ; Your letters
August 3, 2011
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Down the market
August 3, 2011
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Drugs fears
August 3, 2011
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Drummer's bid to liven up nightlife for music lovers
August 3, 2011; Shani Anderson
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Drumming fun to help break down community barrier
August 3, 2011; Alana Lewis
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Elizabeth doubles up
August 3, 2011
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Embrace a life of faith ; Message
August 3, 2011
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Emma's frantic footy challenge for good cause
August 3, 2011; Robert Dalling
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Enjoy beat of Bhangra ; in brief News
August 3, 2011
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Evans shines as Parc-y-dre gain revenge over rivals
August 3, 2011
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Event not a 'thank you' ; Your letters
August 3, 2011
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Exotic plum will be icing on this coconut dessert ; Cooking
August 3, 2011
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Family of heroin victim's sadness at singer's death
August 3, 2011; Alana Lewis
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Family rocked by death of 'unforgettable' Biffo
August 3, 2011; Robert Dalling
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Far mer digs up a record smasher
August 3, 2011
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Fears of park in 'time warp'
August 3, 2011
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Festival boosts park
August 3, 2011
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Fete date for home funds
August 3, 2011
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Fine for leaving rubbish
August 3, 2011
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Firm's help for pooches
August 3, 2011
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Ford turns the Focus on quality and class ; Ford's third-generation Focus estate looks to popularise the concept of small estates. It certainly has technology and impressive quality on its side, as ANDY ENRIGHT reports.
August 3, 2011; ANDY ENRIGHT
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Fouling is a top priority
August 3, 2011
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From the archives ; A glimpse back in time
August 3, 2011
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Fun-filled days full of play
August 3, 2011
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Future fears for hospital ; Your letters
August 3, 2011
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Future in safe hands as Glan eyes up talent
August 3, 2011; Rob Dalling
LLANELLI'S globetrotting goalkeeping coach Glan Letheren has been to St Lucia to find and develop new talent. The former Swansea City stopper, who has previously helped develop goalkeepers all over...
Future threat to village loos
August 3, 2011
PUBLIC toilets in Burry Port have been saved from closure by Carmarthenshire Council. But the future of four other conveniences in the Gwendraeth Valley remains under threat as the cost-cutting...
Gorseinon thrashed
August 3, 2011
IN one of two ties played in the first round of the www.allwalessport Midweek League Knockout Cup, Gowerton beat Gorseinon by nine wickets. In successfully chasing 115-3 off 20 overs, Greg Fisher...
Gower men into cup final
August 3, 2011
GOWERTON swept into the final of the Thomas Carroll Cup with a five-wicket win against fellow South Wales Association division one side British Steel Port Talbot. Steel were all out for 131 in...
Gowerton hammer Ponty as bowlers find top form
August 3, 2011
GOWERTON are a clear second in division one of the South Wales Cricket Association after thumping Pontardawe. The Swansea Valley side were dismissed for a paltry 65 as Gowerton's bowlers produced...
Gran stranded ; Booked ambulance fails to turn up
August 3, 2011; Alana Lewis
A LLANELLI grandmother recovering from surgery was stranded in her own home while she waited for a pre-booked ambulance that failed to turn up. Yvonne Lewis, of Tyisha, waited more than five hours...
Grieving husband's tributes for hospice
August 3, 2011; Alana Lewis
A LOVING husband has described the Ty Bryngwyn Hospice as a safe haven for his ill wife as he backs the Star's Never Stop Caring campaign. Emyr Griffiths, of Pontyberem, has nothing but praise for...
Groups' musical to recall riots
August 3, 2011; Alana Lewis
THEATRE groups in Llanelli are joining forces to bring the railway strikes of 1911 to life in a musical re-enactment later this month. As the town commemorates the 100th anniversary of the...
Guide to building
August 3, 2011
LLANELLI: There could be nearly 4,000 homes built in the area in the next ten years under a new blueprint for development -- we have all the details. ?Full story -- page 11
'Gym must be fit to bear dad's name'
August 3, 2011; Chantelle Rees
A LLANELLI man has got a big reason to make his new business a success -- it's his late father's name above the door. Mikey Davies, of Bryn, has opened a new gym in Dafen Industrial Estate in...
Hall snooker room's a big hit
August 3, 2011
YOUNGSTERS in Burry Port are cue-ing up to use the snooker room at the memorial hall. The facility, which is being run by Carmarthenshire Council's youth team, is helping to keep children and...
Hard work ahead for swim star Davies
August 3, 2011
GOWERTON swimmer Georgia Davies admitted the 4x100m medley squad had 12 months hard work ahead of them to make the London 2012 podium after missing out on a World Championship medal. The...
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Australian classical guitarist born in 1941 and American composer who has won 5 Oscars and 7 BAFTAs. | Schindlers List Guitar Pro tab by John Williams
Artists: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Schindlers List Guitar Pro by John Williams
There are at least four artists with this name: 1) John Towner Williams (film score composer) 2) John Christopher Williams (classical guitarist) 3) John Williams (Irish musician) 4) John Williams (blues/jazz guitarist) 5) John Knowles Williams 1) John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is one of the most widely recognized composers of film scores. As of 2006, he has received 45 music-related Academy Award nominations, an accomplishment surpassed only by Walt Disney. Early scores and compositions are credited as Johnny Williams.
| John Williams |
Leader of the Virginia colony in Jamestown in the early 17th century and a post-war leader of the Labour Party. | John Williams Mp3 Free downloads - www.my-free-mp3.website
Biography Albums Simlar artists
There are at least five artists with this name: (1) John Towner Williams (film score composer)(2) John Christopher Williams (classical guitarist)(3) John Williams (Irish musician)(4) John Williams (blues/jazz guitarist)(5) John Knowles Williams (experimental/indie)---------------------------------------------(1) John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is one of the most widely recognized composers of film scores. As of 2013, he has received 48 music-related Academy Award nominations, an accomplishment surpassed by none.Early scores and compositions are credited as Johnny Williams.Williams is best known for heroic, rousing themes in adventure and fantasy films. This includes some of the highest grossing films of all time, such as the Star Wars movies, the Superman movies, Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, and the first three Harry Potter movies. His richly thematic and highly popular 1977 score to the first Star Wars film was selected by the American Film Institute as the greatest American movie score of all time. Five of his film scores won Oscars.His long career has also included many sensitive dramatic scores (such as Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, and Munich) and quirky character studies (like Catch Me If You Can, the theme for which makes extensive use of jazz, perhaps in homage to Mancini's famous music for The Pink Panther). Also noteworthy are his recent collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman on the score for Memoirs of a Geisha, as well as Williams' other more experimental concert works.Williams has composed the scores for every Steven Spielberg movie, with the exception of The Color Purple (scored by co-producer Quincy Jones) and Duel (Spielberg's first feature film).While skilled in a variety of twentieth-century compositional idioms, his most familiar style may be described as a form of neo-romanticism, influenced by his predecessors and their use of large-scale orchestral music. Korngold (and other Hollywood Golden Age composers), is clearly evident in many of Williams' most famous works.Anyone who has watched the Olympics on television has heard Williams' "Olympic Fanfare and Theme," parts of which (especially the last fifteen seconds of the fanfare) receive extensive playtime every four years.Williams also composed "The Mission," the worldwide-known theme from NBC News.---------------------------------------------(2) John Christopher Williams is a classical guitar player.Born in Melbourne, Australia, on 24 April 1941, to an English father (Len Williams) and an Australian-Chinese mother, Williams was taught initially by his father. At the age of twelve he went to Italy to study under "The Maestro," Andrés Segovia. Later, he attended the Royal College of Music in London, studying piano because the school did not have a guitar department at the time. Upon graduation, he was offered the opportunity to create such a department. He seized the opportunity and ran it for the first two years. Williams has maintained links with the College (and with the Northern College in Manchester) ever since.Williams is best known as a classical guitarist, but has explored many different musical traditions. He has collaborated with Julian Bream and Paco Peña and was a member of the fusion group Sky. He is also a composer and arranger.Williams has commissioned guitar concertos from composers such as Stephen Dodgson, André Previn, Patrick Gowers, Richard Harvey, and Steve Gray. He has also worked with composers from his native Australia, including Phillip Houghton, Peter Sculthorpe, Ross Edwards (composer), and Nigel Westlake, to produce guitar works that capture the spirit of his homeland.He enjoyed a worldwide hit single with his recording of Cavatina by Stanley Myers, used as the theme tune to the Oscar-winning film The Deer Hunter (1979). The piece had originally been written for piano, for another film ten years earlier, The Walking Stick (1970) but re-written for guitar and expanded by Myers at Williams' invitation. In 1973, Cleo Laine wrote lyrics and recorded the song "He Was Beautiful" accompanied by John Williams. A year later, it was a top-five UK hit single for Iris Williams (no relation).At the invitation of producer Martin Lewis he created a highly acclaimed classical-rock fusion duet with celebrated rock guitarist Pete Townshend of Townshend's anthemic "Won't Get Fooled Again" for the 1979 Amnesty International benefit show The Secret Policeman's Ball. The duet was featured on the resulting album and the film version of the show – bringing Williams to the broader attention of the rock audience.The relationship with Lewis led to Williams' classical-rock fusion band Sky being invited to give the first-ever rock concert to be held at Westminster Abbey – a benefit concert for Amnesty that Lewis produced in February 1981.He is visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London.Williams and his artist wife Kathy Panama reside in London and Australia.---------------------------------------------(3) John WilliamsJohn Williams is internationally regarded as one of the foremost players of Irish music today. With five All-Ireland titles to his credit, John is the only American-born competitor ever to win first place in the "senior concertina" category. His additional talents on flute, button accordion, bodhran, and piano distinguish him as a much sought after multi-instrumentalist in the acoustic scene around the world.Born and raised on the Southwest Side of Chicago, John spent his summers during college on the Southwest coast of Ireland in his father’s village of Doolin, Co. Clare. Like Chicago, Doolin became a major musical crossroads for John and countless other local and international musicians to meet and exchange music. Gigging every night in the pubs of Doolin and Lisdoonvarna soon led to performances in Galway, Cork, Dublin, Belfast, Paris, Britanny, Zurich, and New York City (bio http://www.johnwilliamsmusic.com/bio.htm).---------------------------------------------(4) John WilliamsA blues/jazz guitarist in Seattle, Washington, whose music is available at Magnatune.com (bio http://magnatune.com/artists/john_williams).---------------------------------------------(5) John Knowles WilliamsAn experimental/indie musician. Music is available at sweetnuthin.letsneverdie.net/Music/My_Recordings/ or www.myspace.com/JohnKWilliams. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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At which ground in Auckland will the final of the Rugby Union World Cup be played on the 23rd of this month? | New Zealand v Wales: Sam Warburton wants adventure against All Blacks - BBC Sport
BBC Sport
New Zealand v Wales: Sam Warburton wants adventure against All Blacks
By Owen Rawlings
BBC Wales Sport in Auckland, New Zealand
9 Jun
From the section Welsh Rugby
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Sam Warburton has captained Wales a record 45 times
New Zealand v Wales (first Test)
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland Date: Saturday, 11 June 2016 Kick-off: 08:35 BST
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, the BBC Sport app, Connected TV, and live text commentary on the BBC Sport website.
Wales captain Sam Warburton says his side must not be afraid to take risks against New Zealand on Saturday.
Wales have not beaten the All Blacks in 26 matches since 1953 and the world champions are undefeated at Eden Park since 1994.
Flanker Warburton, who starts after a shoulder injury, returns to the ground for the first time since being sent off for a tip-tackle in the 2011 World Cup semi-final defeat by France.
"He who dares wins," Warburton said.
Wales are yet to beat New Zealand on their own turf and the All Blacks have won their last 34 games at the Auckland ground.
Wales' summer fixtures:
18 June: New Zealand (Wellington)
25 June: New Zealand (Dunedin)
The match will be New Zealand's first since beating Australia 34-17 in the 2015 World Cup final.
Steve Hansen's side are favourites to win the three-Test series, but Warburton, 27, says Wales must take the game to the home team.
"There are going to be opportunities in the game where it might be on to go out the back or it might be on for somebody to blitz. If it comes off it pays dividends," he said.
"You're going to have to take a few risks on Saturday, you can't be conservative and expect to win."
Wales coach Warren Gatland added: "When the opportunity arises, we've got to be expansive, we've got to take risks and we've got to play rugby. Often the difference between one side and the other is just a bit of magic."
Sam Warburton was sent off for this tackle on Vincent Clerc in 2011 at Eden Park
Warburton's controversial red card against France in 2011 came as Wales' World Cup dream ended with a 9-8 defeat.
But the British and Irish Lion says returning to the scene of heartbreak will not play on his psyche.
"There's so much water under the bridge since then. That never even crosses my mind," said Warburton.
"This is a brand new challenge, to play the All Blacks out here."
More from BBC Wales Sport
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In which Asian city were the 14th swimming World Championships held in July this year? | Auckland Rugby Union - Home
Home
Level 6 North Stand, Gate B, Walters Rd, Eden Park
PO Box 56-152, Dominion Road, Auckland 1446
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Since 1895 the Wooden Spoon for finishing bottom of cricket's County Championship has been won most often (15 times) by which county? | County Championship : definition of County Championship and synonyms of County Championship (English)
History
Constitution
The official County Championship was constituted in a meeting at Lord's Cricket Ground with representatives of the first-class county clubs on 10 December 1889. "While the secretaries were engaged in making the fixtures the representatives of the eight leading counties held a private meeting to discuss the method by which the county championship should in future be decided. The meeting was, we understand, not quite unanimous, but a majority were in favour of ignoring drawn games altogether and settling the championship by wins and losses." [3] Under this system defeats were subtracted from victories and the county with the highest total were champions. The new competition began in the 1890 season and at first featured Gloucestershire County Cricket Club , Kent County Cricket Club , Lancashire County Cricket Club , Middlesex County Cricket Club , Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club , Surrey County Cricket Club , Sussex County Cricket Club and Yorkshire County Cricket Club .
"Champion County"
Until 1890, the concept of an unofficial championship existed whereby various claims would be made by or on behalf of a particular club as the "Champion County", an archaic term which now has the specific meaning of an unofficial claimant for the County Championship title prior to 1890. In contrast, the term "County Champions" applies in common parlance to a team that has won the official title since 1890.
The most usual means of claiming the unofficial title was by popular or press acclaim. In the majority of cases, the claim or proclamation was retrospective, often by cricket writers using reverse analysis via a study of known results. The unofficial title was not proclaimed in every season up to 1889 because in many cases there were not enough matches or there was simply no clear candidate. Having already been badly hit by the Seven Years War , county cricket ceased altogether during the Napoleonic Wars and there was a period from 1797 to 1824 during which no inter-county matches took place. The concept of the unofficial title has been utilised ad hoc and relied on sufficient interest being shown.
Origin of concept
It is difficult to know when the concept originated. While early matches were often between XIs named after counties, they were not the club teams the usage would imply today. Rowland Bowen states in his history that earliest usage of the term "County Championship" occurred in 1837 re a match between Kent and Nottinghamshire . [4] That may be so re the actual terminology but closer examination of the sources does indicate a much earlier expression of the idea.
The earliest known inter-county match was in 1709 between Kent and Surrey but match results are unknown until the 1720s. The first time a source refers to the superiority of one county is in respect of a match between Edward Stead 's XI and Sir William Gage 's XI at Penshurst Park in August 1728. Stead's XI won by an unknown margin although Gage's XI "needed just 7 (more?) in their second innings". [5] The source says that the game could be called Kent v Sussex as the players were reported as 11 of each county. Sir William Gage was a Sussex landowner and Edward Stead was a resident of Maidstone in Kent. Evidently Mr Stead's Kent team also won two games earlier that season against the Duke of Richmond 's XI (also representative of Sussex). The source states that (Stead's victory over Sir William Gage's XI) was the third time this summer that the Kent men have been too expert for those of Sussex. [5] This clearly implies that Kent was considered to be the champion county at that time.
In 1729, Sir William Gage’s Sussex team defeated Kent on 5 September: "The latter got (within three) in one hand, as the former did in two hands, so the Kentish men threw it up". This may have been the earliest known innings victory. The report goes on to say that Thomas Waymark "turned the scale of victory, which for some years past has been generally on the Kentish side". [5]
That statement indicates that inter-county matches had been played for many years previously and that there was keen rivalry with each team seeking ascendancy: i.e., in effect as champions or at least in terms of " bragging rights ".
Development of county cricket
Inter-county cricket was popular throughout the 18th century although the best team, such as Kent in the 1740s or Hampshire in the days of the famous Hambledon Club , was usually acknowledged as such by being matched against All-England . There were a number of contemporary allusions to the best county including some in verse, such as one by a Kent supporter who celebrated a victory by Kent over Hampshire in terms of (we shall) "bring down the pride of the Hambledon Club".
Analysis of 18th century matches has identified a number of strong teams who actually or effectively proclaimed their temporal superiority. The most successful county teams were Hampshire, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. But there was often a crossover between town and county with some strong local clubs tending at times to represent a whole county. Examples are London , which often played against county teams and was in some respects almost a county club in itself; Slindon , which was for a few years in the 1740s effectively representative of Sussex as a county; Dartford , sometimes representative of Kent; and the Hambledon Club , certainly representative of Hampshire and also perhaps of Sussex. One of the best county teams in the late 18th century was Berkshire , which no longer has first-class status.
Using the same sort of reverse analysis, it is possible to compile a list of the most competitive teams from the recommencement of county cricket in 1825. Rowland Bowen published his ideas about this in the 1960s when he was the editor of the Cricket Quarterly periodical. [4] He began by stating that Sussex was publicly acknowledged as the "best county" in the 1827 season when they played against All-England in the roundarm trial matches , although the team's involvement in these matches had more to do with the fact that Sussex was the prime mover in the " roundarm revolution". Kent, which had a celebrated team at the time, has long been acknowledged as a champion county in most seasons of the 1840s but in other years there is no clear-cut contender.
County clubs
The middle years of the 19th century are the period of county club formation. So, when Sussex "claimed" titles in 1826 and 1827, it was the same loose association based on Brighton Cricket Club that had a successful season in 1792. But claims on behalf of Sussex from 1845 were by Sussex CCC. A similar situation existed with Kent CCC and Surrey CCC. Nottinghamshire is the only other 19th century claimant before the 1860s, starting in 1852, but all of its claims have been made by Nottinghamshire CCC, the club having been founded in 1841.
As the popularity of organised cricket grew throughout England, more county clubs came into contention and, by the mid-1860s, they included Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club , Hampshire County Cricket Club , Lancashire County Cricket Club , Middlesex County Cricket Club and Yorkshire County Cricket Club . At this time and into the 1870s, the press began to advocate some form of league system and various journals and individuals, including W G Grace , began publishing their views about who was the champion in a given season. Grace became interested after Gloucestershire County Cricket Club was founded in 1870, with himself as captain, and made several claims to the championship during the 1870s.
In the 1870s, it became widely accepted that the side with fewest losses should be the champions. Various lists of unofficial champions began to be compiled by the contemporary press and others, but they are not usually in complete agreement.
Qualification rules
An important year was 1873, when player qualification rules came into force, requiring players to choose at the start of each season whether they would play for the county of their birth or their county of residence. Before this, it was quite common for a player to play for both counties during the course of a single season. Three meetings were held, and at the last of these, held at The Oval on 9 June 1873, the following rules were decided on:
That no cricketer, whether amateur or professional, shall play for more than one county during the same season.
Every cricketer born in one county and residing in another shall be free to choose at the commencement of each season for which of those counties he will play, and shall, during that season, play for the one county only.
A cricketer shall be qualified to play for the county in which he is residing and has resided for the previous two years: or a cricketer may elect to play for the county in which his family home is, so long as it remains open to him as an occasional residence.
That should any question arise as to the residential qualification, the same shall be left to the decision of the Marylebone Cricket Club. [6]
Newspaper "leagues"
It was in the 1870s that newspapers began to print tables of inter-county results and then proclaim a champion on the basis of their chosen criteria. In Arthur Haygarth 's Scores and Biographies, reference is often made to "least matches lost" as a means of deciding the champion. This was a method that, in a modified form, permeated through to the official championship when one point was awarded for a win but one was deducted for a defeat. It was discontinued after 1909 as it was deemed to be inherently unsatisfactory and a points per win method replaced it in 1910.
As Derek Birley describes, the papers did not use standard criteria and so there were several seasons in which any title must be considered "shared", as there was no universally recognised winner. With no consistency of approach, the issue inevitably led to argument, counter-arguments and confusion until the matter was taken in hand at the meeting of club secretaries in December 1889 where the official championship was constituted. [7]
The unofficial titles
All "titles" claimed before 1890 are strictly unofficial and are based on (a) contemporary claims made by or on behalf of a particular team and recorded at the time; (b) reverse analysis performed by a writer who was trying to establish the best team in a given season by reference to the known fixtures and results. It must be stressed that the purpose of such lists when published has never been to ascribe any kind of ruling but rather to provoke discussion. The main value of the lists is to indicate which were the most competitive teams during a given period.
First official competition
The final positions in 1890 were based on number of wins minus the number of losses. Later, a points system was introduced but it has been subject to several variations.
Expansion and points systems
In the 1891 season, Somerset County Cricket Club competed in the championship and in 1895 Derbyshire County Cricket Club , Essex County Cricket Club , Hampshire County Cricket Club , Leicestershire County Cricket Club and Warwickshire County Cricket Club all joined; the rules were changed so each side had to play at least 16 matches per season. Until World War II , counties played differing numbers of matches and the points system had to be modified so that the ratio of points to finished games (games minus draws) decided the final positions.
In 1910 the system was modified again so that the order was based on ratio of matches won to matches played, while from 1911 to 1967 a variety of systems were used that generally relied on points for wins and for first innings leads in games left unfinished. Since 1968, the basis has been wins (increased from 10 points in 1968, to 12 in 1976, to 16 in 1981, then back down to 12 in 1999, up to 14 in 2004 and currently 16) and "bonus points", which are earned for scoring a certain number of runs or taking a certain number of wickets in the first 110 overs of each first innings (the number of overs has changed at various times, but has been 110 since 2010). In an effort to prevent early finishes, points have been awarded for draws since 1996.
Of the current 18 sides in County Cricket the remaining joined at the following dates:
An invitation in 1921 to Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club was declined, due to lack of proper playing facilities, and an application by Devon County Cricket Club in 1948 to join was rejected.
Recent developments
All matches prior to 1988 were scheduled for three days, normally of a nominal six hours each plus intervals, but often with the first two days lengthened by up to an hour and the final day shortened, so that teams with fixtures elsewhere on the following day could travel at sensible hours. The exception to this was the 1919 season, when there was an experiment with two-day matches played over longer hours, up to nine o'clock in the evening in mid-summer. This experiment was not repeated. From 1988 to 1992 some matches were played over four days. From 1993 onwards, all matches have been scheduled for four days.
More information about the history of the County Championship can be found here .
Doubts about the future of the competition
By 2008 many voices were heard questioning the future of the County Championship in the light of the shaky financial structure of many counties, poor attendances and the irresistible rise of Twenty20 cricket. Amongst those questioning the whole basis of the competition was Frank Keating of The Guardian who said on 15 April 2008:
"sheepishly stirs another summer of what has tragically become a drawn-out primeval charade, the English County Championship. For decade upon decade it was a cherished adornment of the summer sub-culture, certainly for my generation when heroes were giants and giants were locals. About a quarter of a century ago the championship began fraying and then in no time unravelling. It is now a pointless exercise, unwatched, unwanted, serviced by mostly blinkered, greedy chairman-bullied committees and played by mostly unknown foreign and second-rate mercenaries."
However doubts have been raised over many decades concerning the competition's viability, yet it still survives. The Changing Face of Cricket (1963) by Clarke and Batchelor, made similar predictions about County Cricket.
Despite suggestions that the format could change to 10 games per side in 3 six team regional groups with a knockout phase at the end of the season from 2010 in July 2008 the ECB decided to keep the current format till at least 2013.
Competition format
Points system
The county championship works on a points system, the winner being the team with most points in the first division. The points are currently awarded as follows:
Win: 16 points + bonus points.
Tie: 8 points + bonus points.
Draw: 3 points + bonus points.
Loss: Bonus points.
Bonus points are collected for batting and bowling. These points can only be obtained from the first 110 overs of each team's first innings. [8] The bonus points are retained regardless of the outcome of the match.
Batting
3-5 wickets taken: 1 point
6-8 wickets taken: 2 points
9-10 wickets taken: 3 points
Deductions
Occasionally, a team may have points deducted. These are normally small deductions, between 0.5 and 1 point. Deductions are most commonly handed out for slow over rates or poor pitches. However, in 2005, Surrey were awarded an 8 point penalty for ball tampering. At the end of the 2005 season, Surrey were relegated to the second division, finishing one point behind Middlesex, who remained in the first division. In 2007, Glamorgan were deducted 8 points for an unprepared wicket at Swansea. Also, in 2011, Warwickshire, Hampshire and Kent were deducted 8 points for poor pitches at Edgbaston, the Rose Bowl and Canterbury, respectively.
Results
Kent 2
Yorkshire 1
Lancashire, Middlesex and Surrey have never finished bottom. Leicestershire have shared last place twice, with Hampshire and Somerset.
Records
All records can be found at Cricinfo – Records .
Highest team scores
887 Yorkshire v Warwickshire: Edgbaston, Birmingham 1896
863 Lancashire v Surrey: The Foster's Oval, Kennington 1990
850-7d Somerset v Middlesex: Taunton 2007
811 Surrey v Somerset: Kennington Oval 1899
810-4d Warwickshire v Durham: Edgbaston, Birmingham 1994
803-4d Kent v Essex: Old County Ground, Brentwood 1934
801-8d Derbyshire v Somerset: County Ground, Taunton 2007
Lowest team scores
12 Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire: Spa Ground, Gloucester 1907
13 Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire: Trent Bridge, Nottingham 1901
14 Surrey v Essex: County Ground, Chelmsford 1983
15 Hampshire v Warwickshire: Edgbaston, Birmingham 1922 (Hampshire won game)
16 Warwickshire v Kent: Angel Ground, Tonbridge 1913
20 Sussex v Yorkshire: The Circle, Hull 1922
20 Derbyshire v Yorkshire: Bramall Lane, Sheffield 1939
Most runs in an innings
501* BC Lara: Warwicks v Durham, Edgbaston 1994
424 AC MacLaren: Lancashire v Somerset, Taunton 1895
405* GA Hick: Worcestershire v Somerset, Taunton 1988
366 NH Fairbrother: Lancashire v Surrey, The Oval 1990
357* R Abel: Surrey v Somerset, The Oval 1899
Best figures in an innings
10–10 H Verity: Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire, Leeds 1932
10–18 G Geary: Leicestershire v Glamorgan, Pontypridd 1929
10–30 C Blythe: Kent v Northamptonshire, Northampton 1907
10–32 H Pickett: Essex v Leicestershire, Leyton 1895
10–35 A Drake: Yorkshire v Somerset, Weston-s-M 1914
10–36 H Verity: Yorkshire v Warwickshire, Leeds 1931
10–40 EG Dennett: Gloucestershire v Essex, Bristol 1906
10–40 W Bestwick: Derbyshire v Glamorgan, Cardiff 1921
10–40 GOB Allen: Middlesex v Lancashire, Lord's 1929
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In inches, how high should the net be in a game of table tennis? | Cricket, the Brilliant Game!: January 2009
Cricket, the Brilliant Game!
A blog-site about anything and everything to do with cricket, contains a variety of content relating to cricket and is updated on a regular basis. All visitors are welcome to browse, leave comments and spread the word about my blog. If you have any requests you want me to make within my blog-site please leave a comment detailing your request and I will attend to it as soon as possible :)
Friday, January 30, 2009
Temporary break from publishing
To all my readers,
I will be having a 3 week break from publishing articles and information. I am moving house and I had to get the internet cut off because of that. I will also be starting my course in web and advertising design so will be organising things for that. As soon as I can I will return to publishing as normal.
Thanks for your patience :)
In the International Spotlight...Israel Cricket
The Israel national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Israel in international cricket matches. Despite being geographically part of the Middle East, they are members of the European Cricket Council.
They regularly take part in the European Championship, and are currently ranked as the 12th best non-test team in Europe by the International Cricket Council, having been an associate member of that organisation since 1974.
Beginnings:
As is most often the case, cricket was introduced to Israel by the British. Local enthusiasts managed to keep the game going once the British had left in 1948, but the game was struggling until the mid 1960s, when an influx of Jewish immigrants from cricket playing countries revived the game, mainly South Africa, United Kingdom, and the sub-continent.
The first national league was formed in 1966, which lead the formation of the Israel Cricket Association (ICA) in 1968. The league prospered despite conditions ill-suited to cricket. Games were played on dusty, grass-less football fields, on matting wickets. However, the enthusiasm of the players has overcome these drawbacks.
ICC Membership:
Israel became an associate member of the ICC in 1974, with only Pakistan opposing their membership. Israel competed in the first ICC Trophy in 1979, failing to get past the first round. They also failed to progress beyond the first round in the 1982 tournament and 1986 tournament.
They reached the plate competition of the ICC Trophy in 1990 and 1994 and in 1996 competed in the first European Championship in Denmark, finishing eighth in the eight team tournament. The 1997 ICC Trophy in Malaysia gave them a brief, though unwanted, moment in the spotlight. Malaysia does not recognise the state of Israel, and they faced political demonstrations throughout the tournament from the Islamic Party of Malaysia. They were the first Israeli sports team to play in the country and finished in 21st place.
In 1998, they finished ninth in the European Championship ahead of only Gibraltar and the following year travelled to Gibraltar to take part in a quadrangular tournament also involving France and Italy, losing to France in the third place play-off.
21st Century:
Israel have been playing in Division Two of the European Championships since 2000, finishing fifth in 2000, fourth in 2002 and sixth in 2004. In the 2006 tournament, the Israeli team were again met with protests, due to the then ongoing crisis in the Middle East. Their first match, against Jersey was cancelled and their remaining two group games were met by protests. Their play-off games were then moved to RAF Lossiemouth to be played under armed guard. The second of these games, against Greece was forfeited by the Greeks, who had travel problems. Israel thus finished in seventh place.
In November 2007, Israel were defeated in a relegation match against Croatia, in the first international cricket game played in Israel. The loss meant that they were relegated from the 2nd European division, to the 3rd. Their next competition will be in 2009.
Links to more information on Israel Cricket:
Player Profile(#49)...Shaun Tait (Australia)
Shaun William Tait (born 22 February 1983 in Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia) is a professional Australian cricketer. Tait plays domestic cricket for South Australia and is also a representative for Australia at Test, One Day International and Twenty20 International level. He is a right arm fast bowler.
Bowling style:
Tait's delivery action is unique and marked by significant lateral twisting of the spine. The 'slingy' nature of his action has led to comparisons with former Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson. Dubbed "The Wild Thing", Tait is considered one of the fastest bowlers in the world and delivers the ball with phenomenal speed, at around 150km/h, and occasionally faster. One delivery was measured at 160km/h in an One Day International on 4 February 2007 against New Zealand. Despite his speed, Tait has often been described as "erratic" and is capable of bowling many extras. His unpredictability, however, is seen as a weapon to some, and his exceptional strike rate seems to confirm this. Tait has also been criticised as "expensive", however others have mentioned that this is irrelevant, as his main role as a "strike bowler" is to take wickets rather than keep the run rate down.
After a Twenty20 match against New Zealand on 11 December 2007, in which Tait troubled the batsmen and took 2/22, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori and coach John Bracewell publicly raised doubts over the legality of Tait's bowling action. Tait labelled the comments as a "disgrace" and added that he'd be willing to undergo tests to prove his action is legal. Only two days after Vettori made them, he was dismissed by Tait in the opening match of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.
Domestic career:
Tait has represented South Australia for a majority of his first-class career, however has also played matches for Australia A and Durham. He has taken over 150 first-class wickets at a strike rate of under 50.
At the age of nineteen, Tait made his first-class debut for South Australia against Western Australia on 19 December 2002 at the Adelaide Oval. He only bowled in one innings on his debut, yet finished with respectable figures of 3/77 off 22.2 overs. Tait played 5 games in his first season, taking 20 wickets at an average of 22.55. As a result of his strong first season, Tait was awarded with a place at the Australian Cricket Academy alongside such players as Ben Hilfenhaus and Luke Ronchi.
In the 2003-04 season, an in form Tait was selected in the Australia A team to take on the touring Indians. Tait took 3/85 in the Indians first innings, including the wicket of Virender Sehwag. Tait once again had a strong Pura Cup season, taking 30 wickets at 28.33. This helped earn Tait Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year for 2004. He was further rewarded as he was named in Australia's squad to tour Sri Lanka after Brett Lee was ruled out through injury. While he didn't play a match on the tour, his inclusion signalled that the Australian selectors saw him as a prospect for the future.
In July 2004, Tait was signed by Durham for the second half of the English County Championship season. His first match was against a Somerset side captained by Ricky Ponting. His County debut was a poor one and saw him take 0/113 off 12 overs including 21 no balls. Tait only played one more first-class match for Durham before flying home again.
Tait was rewarded with his first Cricket Australia contract for the 2004-05 season, being included ahead of Queensland fast bowler Andy Bichel. Tait repaid the selector's faith in him by having his best Pura Cup season to date. He took 65 first-class wickets at an average of 20.16, surpassing Clarrie Grimmett's record for most wickets in a season for a South Australian bowler. Perhaps Tait's best performance of the season was his spell of 7/99 against Queensland at the Adelaide Oval in November 2004 in which he claimed the wickets of Australian representatives Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, James Hopes, Jimmy Maher, Andy Bichel and Nathan Hauritz. His record breaking season helped him gain a place on the Australian 2005 Ashes tour. On this tour, Tait made his Test debut, and played one other first-class match against Worcestershire.
Tait missed the opening half of the 2005-06 Pura Cup season with an injury to his right shoulder which he sustained on the 2005 Ashes tour. He struggled on his return taking only 14 wickets at 38.35 in the 4 matches he played. Despite this, Tait was still named a part of the Australia A squad to play in the 2006 Top End Series. While he failed to pick up any wickets against Pakistan A, he managed to take 3/67 in India A's first innings. Tait also had a strong first-class season in 2006-07 taking 29 wickets at 27.10. He also played a first-class match against the touring English side and took 3/87, including the wickets of Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell. Due to his good season, he won the Lord Hampden Trophy for South Australia's best player for 2006-07.
An elbow injury kept Tait out for the opening parts of the 2007-08 Pura Cup season, however upon recovery a match against Queensland at the Brisbane Cricket Ground saw him take his first 10 wicket haul in first-class cricket. He took 3/69 in the first innings and 7/29 in the second, his best ever first-class figures.
International career:
Test cricket:
Tait was named in Australia's Test squad to tour Sri Lanka in 2004 as a replacement for the injured Brett Lee. Tait didn't play a Test on the tour, however after an impressive domestic summer, in April 2005 Tait was named in Australia's squad to tour England for the 2005 Ashes series.
Tait made his Test debut against England on 25 August 2005 at Trent Bridge. Some suggested that Tait should've played in the first Test of the series, but it was injury to Glenn McGrath and the poor form of Jason Gillespie that gave Tait his chance. Tait bowled 24 overs and took 3/97 in his first innings, the best figures of any Australian fast bowler in the match. Tait's first Test wicket was that of Marcus Trescothick. He also picked up the scalps of England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and batsman Ian Bell. While Tait went wicketless in the second innings, he held his spot to play in the final Test of the Ashes series at The Oval, taking 1/61 in the first innings and 1/28 in the second.
Tait injured his shoulder ahead of the Super Series against the ICC World XI, and as a result was ruled out of playing any of the matches. Despite calls from Jason Gillespie and Ian Chappell for his inclusion in the side for the 2006-07 Ashes series in Australia, Tait didn't get a place in the team with the selectors opting for Stuart Clark who proved effective and quashed hope of Tait cracking the side for a while longer.
Tait was selected in the 13 man squad for Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in November 2007, however his ongoing elbow injury forced him out, being replaced by Ben Hilfenhaus, with Mitchell Johnson making his Test debut. Having returned to fitness in December, he once again earned a spot in the Australian squad, this time for the Test series against India. While there was some suggestion that Australia might use Tait in a four pronged pace-attack as early as the first Test, spinner Brad Hogg was selected over for Tait for the first two tests. Tait was eventually chosen above Hogg for the third test, with the WACA wicket expected to suit. Although seam and swing dominated the match, Tait went wicketless in his 21 overs giving away 92 runs at an economy of 4.3.His claims to "bowl over" the Indian team had evidently backfired and he announced that he would take an indefinite break from cricket after this test.
One Day International cricket:
Tait made his One Day International debut on 2 February 2007 against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the 2006-07 Commonwealth Bank Series. Tait claimed 2/68 off 10 overs on debut and his first One Day International wicket was that of Ed Joyce. He was much more economical against New Zealand at the MCG, bowling a miserly 1/26 from 10 overs and clocking 160 km/h on the radar. Tait played no more games for the series, finishing with 3 wickets at an average of 31.33.
Later that month, Tait was selected as a part of Australia's squad to take on New Zealand for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in New Zealand. Tait was selected for the final two games of the series, which were batsman dominated. He took a mere 2 wickets at an average of 62.00 as New Zealand chased down scores of over 300 twice and whitewashed a very understrength Australia.
Despite his lack of matches in the Chappell-Hadlee series, Tait was selected in Australia's 15-man squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. As a result, both his greatest goals in cricket had been achieved, having already played two Ashes tests in 2005.
Tait wasn't originally expected to play a large part in the World Cup, however with Brett Lee ruled out for the tournament due to an ankle injury, a relatively inexperienced Tait assumed Lee's mantle as the spearhead of the bowling attack. Despite the added pressure, Tait performed to much acclaim in the World Cup, finishing the tournament as the equal second leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets at an average of 20.30. Tait's best efforts of the tournament included a Man of the Match performance against England in a Super 8s match at Antigua in which he claimed 3/41 off 10 overs, as well as 4/39 off 10 overs, his best One Day International figures at the time, against a strong South African team in the Semi Final at St Lucia. While Tait went wicketless in a rain affected Final against Sri Lanka, Australia won the match and Tait's efforts throughout the tournament helped Australia secure their third consecutive and fourth overall Cricket World Cup title in the "most dominant campaign" by a team in World Cup history.
Tait missed the Australian cricket team's tour of India in October 2007 due to a complicated recovery after elbow surgery in June 2007 however once he recovered he gained selection ahead of Stuart Clark for the 2007-08 Chappell-Hadlee series in December 2007. In a series in which his bowling action was questioned, Tait performed well, taking 5 wickets at an average of 17.80.
Awards:
Donald Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: 2004
Lord Hampden Trophy: 2007
ICC Emerging Player of the Year: 2007
Australian Cricketers' Association All-star Ford Ranger Cup team: 2007-08
Links to more information on Shaun Tait:
In the International Spotlight...Gibraltar cricket
The Gibraltar national cricket team is the team that represents the British overseas territory of Gibraltar in international cricket. They have been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1969. They are currently ranked sixth amongst European non-Test teams.
History:
Early years:
Cricket has been played in Gibraltar by British servicemen since the late 18th century. A cricket ground is known to have existed north of the Rock of Gibraltar in 1800. Civilians were playing the game as well as servicemen by 1822. The Gibraltar Cricket Club was formed in 1883, and formed the backbone of civilian cricket until well into the 20th Century.
In 1890, a ship carrying the Australia national cricket team on the way to a tour of England, docked in Gibraltar Harbour after a collision with two other ships. The Australians played a game against a Gibraltar Garrison team. The local side were dismissed for just 25, and the Australians won the game, scoring 150/8.
The game was flourishing in the 1930s, with Gibraltar producing many locally born players. However, the Second World War meant a cut back in the game, with many cricket fields giving way to the military, one even being converted into an airfield.
Post-war years:
The 1950s saw an increase in clubs, and the Gibraltar Cricket Association was formed in 1960. They were elected to associate membership of the ICC in 1969. Essex County Cricket Club visited after the conclusion of the 1973 English domestic season, and played a Rock XI in a one day game, winning by 178 runs. Visits by English sides of various ability levels have continued ever since.
In 1982, Gibraltar took part in the second ICC Trophy, without winning a match. They improved on this performance in the 1986 tournament, gaining their first international win against Israel. They performed even better in the next tournament, beating East and Central Africa, Singapore and Israel reaching the plate competition. Israel toured Gibraltar in 1992, winning the match they played against the national side.
Gibraltar finished in 20th place in the 1994 ICC Trophy, and played in the first European Championship in Copenhagen in 1996, finishing sixth after losing to Scotland in a play-off. They finished 19th in the following years ICC Trophy and played poorly in the 1998 European Championship, finishing last in the ten team tournament.
In 1999, Gibraltar hosted a quadrangular tournament also involving France, Israel and Italy, losing in the final to Italy. The European Championship was split into two divisions in 2000, with Gibraltar placed in Division Two, which they won. The following year they travelled to Canada to take part in the 2001 ICC Trophy. A withdrawal by Italy and the non-arrival of West Africa left Gibraltar with just three matches to play against Germany, Namibia and Nepal, losing all of them and not progressing beyond the first round.
Tournament History:
English County Cricket Clubs: Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club (Welsh: Criced Morgannwg) is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire (Welsh: Morgannwg). Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club and they are good so you might as well start betting online . Its limited overs team is called the Glamorgan Dragons. Kit colours are dark blue and red. Shirt sponsorship is by Paramount Office Interiors of St Mellons,Cardiff and Cuddy Group of Neath who are involved in civil engineering and demolition.
The club is based in Cardiff and plays most of its home games at the SWALEC Stadium in Sophia Gardens, which is located on the bank of the River Taff. Matches have also occasionally been played at Swansea, Colwyn Bay and Cresselly (despite the latter towns being in Denbighshire and Pembrokeshire respectively).
Earliest cricket:
Cricket probably reached Wales and Glamorgan by the end of the 17th century. The earliest known reference to cricket in Glamorgan is a match at Swansea in 1780.
Origin of club:
The formation of Glamorgan CCC took place on 5 July 1888 at a meeting in the Angel Hotel, Cardiff.
The club competed in the Minor Counties Championship for many years and then applied for first-class status after the First World War.
Glamorgan CCC played its initial first-class match versus Sussex CCC at Cardiff Arms Park on 18, 19 & 20 May 1921 and thus increased the County Championship to 17 teams. Glamorgan won this first match, by 23 runs, under Captain N.V.H. Riches. Only one more victory was achieved that summer, Glamorgan lost 14 games and finished with the wooden spoon.
Club history:
Glamorgan famously won the county championship in 1948 under the captaincy of Wilf Wooller, whose advocacy of high fielding standards was the key to beating much stronger batting and bowling teams.
Glamorgan was the unintentional venue for a piece of cricket history on 2 September 1968 when, during Glamorgan v Notts at Swansea, the great Gary Sobers hit all six balls in an over from Malcolm Nash for six.
Glamorgan won the championship again under Tony Lewis in 1969 and Matthew Maynard in 1997. Maynard, who retired at the end of the 2005 season, was one of the most destructive batsmen in first class cricket over the past 20 years. The 2005 captain, off spinner Robert Croft proved effective on England tours, and is a useful pinch hitter in List A one day games.
The club has current plans (April 2006) to extend its grounds in the Grade 2 Listed Heritage Park that is Sophia Gardens with a 17,500 seat super-stadium. This is opposed by local residents' groups and earlier plans were objected to by Cadw and local MPs, Councillors and Assembly Members. See the Hit It For Six website.
On 20 April 2006, it was announced that, subject to the development being completed, one of the Tests against Australia in the 2009 Ashes series would be held at Sophia Gardens.
Links to more information on Glamorgan County Cricket Club:
Player Profile(#48)...Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
Shakib Al Hasan, also known as Saqibul Hasan, (Bengali: সাকিব আল হাসান) (born 24 March 24 1987 in Rajshahi) is a Bangladeshi cricketer who made his One Day International debut against Zimbabwe in August 2006. He is a left handed middle order batsman and Slow left-arm orthodox bowler. He emerged from Bangladesh's only educational sports institution.
Hasan is a slow left-arm orthodox, who in only six first-class matches has already taken 28 wickets for his local team, Khulna Division. He has played in 12 under-19 ODIs for Bangladesh, taking 15 wickets and has shown a lot of potential for future success. He took his first Test wicket against South Africa, bowling AB De Villiers. He has become an increasingly important part of Bangladeshi test cricket including taking a record breaking 7 wicket haul and scoring a half century against New Zealand in October 2008. He then got 5-70 and 96 against Sri Lanka in the boxing day test at Dhaka; He was named man of the match.
Revealing his talent on his ODI debut with an undefeated 30*, Hasan is already becoming a key member to the Bangladesh squad. Averaging 31.60, he provides great support to his teammates, like steadying the ship for his partner Shahriar Nafees to score a century. He has one of the highest batting averages on the Bangladeshi team and has played face saving performances in the middle order for Bangladesh many times. He is currently ranked as the best ODI all-rounder in the world according to the ICC ODI rankings.
Links to more information on Shakib Al Hasan:
In the International Spotlight...Cuba Cricket
The origins of the Cuban cricket team began when baseball was introduced into Cuba in the 1860s by Cubans who studied in the United States, American sailors who ported in the country and American settlers during the 19th century; at the same time, at the end of the 19th century, economic immigrants of the Caribbean countries landed in Cuba, brought this sport to the eastern part of the island. In the 1920s, an influx of sugar workers from Jamaica and Barbados brought cricket with them to the plantations on the east of Cuba. Their teams played in leagues and cup competitions in Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Baraguá.
Cuba's first international match in 1952, against a Jamaican team, included Jamaica's current Governor-General, Howard Cooke.
By the late 1990s cricket had spread to Havana, where there are more than 500 players. More than 2,000 juniors and adults play cricket today, with it being taught in some schools. More than 20 teams recently took part in a national under-15 tournament.
Today there is pressure to expand cricket in Cuba with the government stating that it wants to be more closely aligned with other Caribbean countries. In 2002 Cuba became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council.
The president of the Cuban Cricket Commission is Leona Ford. After hearing of a speech she had given, Cooke persuaded Courtney Walsh to become involved and raise equipment for Cuban teams. Donations have also come from South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Guyana, Canada, India and Britain. Former Indian One-day all rounder Robin Singh travelled to Cuba in 2007 forming a coaching team to train young players.
Links to more information on Cuba Cricket:
Player Profile(#47)...Danish Kaneria (Pakistan)
Danish Parabha Shanker Kaneria (Urdu: دانش پرابھا شنکر کنیریا) (born 16 December 1980), is a Pakistani cricketer (leg spin bowler). He was born in Karachi. He made his international debut in 2000 against England at Faisalabad. Kaneria has continued the tradition of Pakistani leg spin bowlers and possesses a very well disguised googly. However his failure to develop an effective straighter delivery has prevented him from reaching his full potential.
In January 2002, he took 7 wickets for 77 runs in the Test match against Bangladesh in Bangladesh, which are his career best figures so far in Test cricket. Earlier, in the same season, he had taken 6 wickets in an innings twice against Bangladesh during Bangladesh's tour of Pakistan. In October 2004, he took 10 wickets against Sri Lanka at Karachi, with a second-innings haul of 7/109, setting up Pakistan's 6-wicket win. More recently he has played an important role in Pakistan's Test wins over West Indies, England and India.
In One Day International cricket, he has been economical so far with an economy rate under 4.8 runs per over. His best bowling in ODIs came against New Zealand in Sri Lanka in 2003. He also had a good series against Zimbabwe in Sharjah just before that. He also impressed in English county cricket taking 32 wickets in seven championship matches for Essex in 2005. Although unable to play English county cricket in 2006 due to Pakistan's tour of England, it has been confirmed that Kaneria would return to play for Essex in 2007.
Success in the one day arena has been more elusive, Pakistan usually opting to play the two spinning all-rounders Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik instead.
Despite representing the Muslim-majority Country of Pakistan, Kaneria is a devout Hindu and is of Marwari heritage. He is only the second Hindu to play Test cricket for Pakistan (the first, his cousin Anil Dalpat, was briefly their wicketkeeper).
Kaneria suffered a broken finger in Essex's LV County Championship Division Two match against Worcestershire at Colchester on August 21, 2008. The bowler was injured attempting to take a catch off Ben Smith. An X-ray confirmed he had broken a finger and may miss the remainder of the 2008 English domestic season.
Links to more information on Danish Kaneria:
English County Cricket Clubs: Essex
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles and the current (2008) shirt sponsor is Shepherd Neame. The one day team colours this season are blue.
The club plays most of its home games at the County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford. It also plays some games at Lower Castle Park in Colchester, and at Garons Park in Southend. The club has formerly used other venues throughout the county including Ilford, Leyton Cricket Ground, Romford, and Billericay.
Essex C.C.C. is presently captained by Mark Pettini, and has a very strong limited-overs team, which has won the National League in both 2005 and 2006, won the Friends Provident Trophy final in 2008, and reached the current Twenty20 Cup finals day.
Records:
English County Cricket Clubs: Durham
Durham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor is Northern Rock.
The club is based at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street.
Granted first-class status in 1991, Durham is English cricket's newest first-class county. The County Ground at the Riverside is also the newest addition to the English Test match circuit; hosting its first match, England v Zimbabwe in the second Test, from 5 June to 7 June 2003.
Durham CCC is playing in Division One of the LV County Championship and division one of the NatWest Pro40 League in 2008. Durham won the County Championship in 2008 for the first time.
Records:
For Durham County Cricket Club's first-class records, see List of Durham first-class cricket records . For Durham County Cricket Club's List A records, see List of Durham List A cricket records .
Earliest cricket:
Cricket probably did not reach Durham until the 18th century. The earliest reference is a game at Raby Castle on or soon after 5 August 1751 between the Earl of Northumberland’s XI and the Duke of Cleveland’s XI. The game was commemorated by a ballad which starts:
"Durham City has been dull so long,
No bustle at all to show;
But now the rage of all the throng
Is at cricketing to go."
As it happens, there was a return game soon afterwards at Stanwick, near Richmond, and that is the earliest reference to cricket in Yorkshire.
The first recorded match of representative cricket in the county took place in 1848 at Sunderland, between an All England XII and a Bishopwearmouth 22. Despite their extra numbers the cricketers of Bishopwearmouth were comprehensively outplayed as All England's scores of 129 and 143 dwarfed their own 56 and 59.
The first team to carry the name of 'Durham County' played an MCC team in 1876 and went on to take on the touring Australians in 1878, winning by 71 runs, and again in 1880, losing by an innings and 38 with the great Fred Spofforth taking 17 wickets for 66.
Origin of club:
Durham CCC was founded as an official entity on 23 May 1882, and the nascent club played its first competitive match on June 12 of that year, beating Northumberland by 4 wickets at the Ashbrooke Ground, Sunderland. The club established an enviable record as a minor county: becoming the first minor county to beat a first-class county in the Gillette Cup; winning the Minor Counties Championship a record-equalling seven times between 1901 and 1984; and putting together a record of 65 matches without defeat between 1976 and 1982 that remains unbroken to the present day.
Durham as a first-class county:
Early in 1989, the Club began the process of applying to become a first-class cricketing county and join the County Championship. First-class status was awarded on 6 December 1991, with Durham becoming the first new first-class county for 70 years. Their first season in the County Championship was the 1992 season.
Durham have not been distinguished by marked success as a first-class county. In the 2004 season they finished bottom of the two-division County Championship, sixth out of ten teams in the one-day National Cricket League and fifth out of six teams in the Northern Division of the Twenty20 Cup.
However in 2005 under the captaincy of Australian Mike Hussey Durham finished second and achieved promotion in both the County Championship and the one-day National Cricket League. Hussey was prevented from returning to the Riverside in 2006 as he is contracted to the Australian international team; and with vice-captain Paul Collingwood away on English international team duty Dale Benkenstein was captain for 2006.
Durham had mixed success in the 2006 season, finishing second in the North Division of the C&G Trophy. However, Durham were poor in the Twenty20 cup, finishing last in the North Division and only managing 2 victories, both against Lancashire. The Pro40 campaign started fairly well, with Durham taking 4 points from the first 4 games with a win, a loss, a tie and a no result. However, several defeats left them needing a win against the champions elect, Essex, in the final game of the season. They managed the victory, but other results did not go their way and they ended up being relegated in 8th place. The Championship season also began with success, but mediocre results in the middle of the season left Durham hanging above the relegation zone by just half a point going into the last game of the season. Durham needed more points than their rivals Yorkshire, but looked in trouble when Darren Lehmann hit a career-best 339 in the first innings. Achieving just one bowling bonus point meant that Durham needed to score 400 without losing more than 5 wickets and then draw the game.
However, one other team could also be relegated. Nottinghamshire needed just 3 points to avoid the drop at the start of the matches, but only managed 1 point as they were soundly beaten by Sussex. This meant that Durham needed only to score 400 (for maximum batting points) and force a draw. At 191-6 this looked unlikely. But a record-breaking stand of 315 between Benkenstein and Ottis Gibson made it possible. Gibson was out for 155, the highest first-class score in his career. Durham then collapsed again to 518 all out, needing work to be done in the second innings. This was provided by Garry Park, who hit a maiden first-class century (100*) as Durham played out a draw, leaving themselves and Yorkshire in the first division.
In recent times, Durham has seen a number of their top players make an impact on the England side. Collingwood (who is the first Durham CCC player to hit a Test century and double century), Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett have all established themselves in the national squad with Phil Mustard the most recent inclusion. The recent addition of Graham Onions may be a sign that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future and is an indication of Durham's admirable youth system.
On August 19th 2007 Durham won their first trophy in First Class County Cricket when they beat Hampshire County Cricket Club in the Final of the Friends Provident Trophy at Lords, which Durham won by 125 runs. Durham broke the record for most runs scored in the final of a 50 overs tournament by scoring 312-5. Hampshire replied with 187 and were bowled out in 41 overs ensuring that Durham won the tie.
Links to more information on Durham County Cricket Club:
English County Cricket Clubs: Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire. Its limited overs team is called the Derbyshire Phantoms. Kit colours are dark and light blue.
The club is based at the County Cricket Ground, previously known as the Racecourse Ground, in the city of Derby. In 2006, for the first time in eight years, County Cricket returned to Queen's Park, Chesterfield with a County Championship game against Worcester and a One Day League game against Surrey. Other first-class cricket grounds used in the past have included Buxton, Saltergate in Chesterfield, Heanor, Ilkeston, Blackwell, Abbeydale Park in Sheffield, Wirksworth and Burton upon Trent (3 grounds), which is actually in Staffordshire. One-day contests have been played at Darley Dale, Repton School, Trent College and Knypersley (also in Staffordshire).
In 2008 the club play in Division Two of both the County Championship and the One Day League. The captain is Chris Rogers and the coach is former England international John Morris. The 2008 shirt sponsor is Printability, printing design consultants based in Chesterfield. UK Security is the sponsor on the reverse.
Honours:
In the International Spotlight...Czech Republic Cricket
The Czech cricket team is the team that represents the country of the Czech Republic in international cricket matches. They became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2000. They are scheduled to make their competitive international debut in Division Four of the European Championship in 2009. They were originally scheduled to play in the same tournament in 2006, but withdrew due to funding problems. The Czech Republic has an ICC backed and sponsored league. The CCU Cup is held from May to July every year. The 2008 CCU winners were Prague Cricket Club. The teams that participate in the CCU Cup are: Prague CC, Vinohrady CC, Prague Bohemians CC and Prague barbarians.
There is no current official national team selection panel. Recently, an unofficial national team from the Czech Republic came second in an ICC supported Euro Twenty 20 tournament which took place at the Carmel & District Cricket Club in Wales. They were beaten by Estonia with 3 balls remaining in the final over after beating Russia and a Cricket Board of Wales team in the group stage, and a team representing Poland in the semi-final.
In August 2008, the Czech Republic hosted the Prague International Twenty 20 cricket cup [4]at their Vypich ground. Teams from Russia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria joined a team representing the Czech Republic in this 2 day Twenty 20 event. Unfortunately, the team from Belarus was unable to attend due to visa complications and there place was filled by a Czech B team. After seeing off Bulgaria and Hungary quite comfortably in the group stages, the Czech Republic surprisingly had a much harder time beating Romania in the semi-final, with Romania requiring only 9 to win with 3 wickets in hand in the last over they ran out of batsmen. In the final, the Czech Republic collapsed to 61 all out against a much improved Russia team from their last encounter in the Euro Twenty 20 tournament and Russia knocked off the required runs within 11 overs, leaving the Czech team runners up in an international final once again.
The Current Team (unofficial): Craig Hampson (c), Josef Jindra, Steve Elder, Tim Hort, Manjeet Malik, Lawrence Acheson, Scott Page, Mik Stary (wk), Sunny Roy, Hugo Banks, Manish Sahijwani, Suditha Udugala, Lukas Fencl.
The Czech Republic national coach is Scott Page.
Links to more information on Czech Republic Cricket:
Player Profile(#46)...Waqar Younis (Pakistan)
Waqar Younis Maitla (Urdu: وقار یونس, born November 16, 1971), nicknamed Wiki, is a former Pakistani cricketer, widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time.
Well known for his ability to reverse swing the ball, he has 373 Test wickets and 416 ODI wickets to his credit. Waqar has the best strike rate for any bowler with over 200 Test wickets.
Personal life:
Waqar attended Sadiq Public School in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, Pakistani College in Sharjah, and Government College, Vehari.
He is married with a son and 2 daughters, and currently lives in Kellyville, New South Wales, Australia and is a coach at a local cricket club.
His Career:
Waqar made his debut for Pakistan against India on November 15, 1989. He made an immediate impression with his pace, and became known in the media as the "Burewala Express". Later, along with Wasim Akram, Waqar opened bowling regularly for Pakistan, becoming a feared and potent attack. His most recognized delivery was an in-swinging yorker. At his peak, he developed into a devastating bowler towards the closing stages of the one day game, famously taking a hat-trick against New Zealand in 1992. Waqar holds the record for the best strike rate among bowlers with 200 or more Test wickets. During the late 90s, he stayed out of the team for quite a long time allegedly due to conflicts with once bowling partner and captain Wasim Akram. His comeback came with him being appointed the Captain of the national side - a position he held till his side failed to make an impact in the 2003 World Cup. He retired after the Pakistan Cricket Board persistently ignored him for national selection.
In March, 2006 he was appointed as the bowling coach for Pakistan. He resigned from this position on January 6, 2007 in protest against the PCB's decision to retain him only for the Test series against South Africa and not for the subsequent series of five ODIs.
Masters of reverse swing:
Waqar is one of a long line of Pakistanis, starting with Sarfraz Nawaz, who have been effective at using the art of reverse swing. In partnership with Wasim Akram, Waqar spearheaded the Pakistan bowling attack in the early to mid 90's. Many attribute Waqar and Wasim to be one of the most effective fast bowling partnerships in the 1990s, due to their ability to swing the ball at high pace. The ability to reverse swing and his explosive speed lead to him becoming one of the most talented fast bowlers in modern cricket.
Waqar explained his ability to reverse swing by the manipulation of an old ball; with one side shiny, one side rough, the ball would move in the opposite direction to conventional swing. This led to Waqar having the ability to swing the ball both ways, and in effect both Wasim and Waqar became successful in taking wickets by this variation of swing bowling. He was also effective in the use of short bowling; Waqar's bowling against South Africa in Sheikhupura, Pakistan, is remembered for his effective use of the short-pitched delivery.
Following their 1992 series versus England, the English media, were suspicious of the then unknown art of reverse swing. This led to cries of foul play and allegations of ball-tampering from some quarters.
Despite his undoubted qualities as a fast bowler, he was expensive at times, and sometimes lacked the consistency of bowlers such as Curtly Ambrose or Glenn McGrath. This may be partly due to the mentality of his former captain, Imran Khan, where wickets were seen as top priority over economy.
International Records:
Waqar is the only bowler to have taken 5 wicket hauls in 3 consecutive ODIs. He has taken 4+ wickets on 27 occasions in ODIs, also a record. In terms of balls bowled, he has taken the fastest 50, 300, 350 and 400 wickets in ODI matches and the fastest 150, 200, 250, 300 and 350 wickets in Test matches.
Although primarily a bowler, Waqar scored 1010 Test runs. As of September 2005, Waqar was the only man to pass the thousand run mark without ever scoring a fifty. Recently, he has become a television cricket commentator for Australia's Nine Network.
From March 2006 to January 2007, he served as the bowling coach for Pakistan, but quit after only being asked to coach the squad during the course of the test series against South Africa and not the ODIs.
Controversies:
In July 2000 Waqar became the first player to be banned for ball tampering, and was fined 50% of his match fee.
Links to more information on Waqar Younis:
One Year Anniversary
It is with great pleasure that I announce the 1st anniversary since the creation of this site. It originally started as just one page to attract people that also liked cricket but turned into a whole site with content that regularly updates and has become a big interest of mine. I have thoroughly enjoyed spending time on this site collating all the information and at the same time learning about the various cricketing countries and players I have put on the site.
This year I plan to revamp this site and create it on my own platform and hosting base as I am studying web and advertising design. I will be able to make the site easier to navigate around and with the vast array of resources and software avaliable at my disposal it will be bigger and better for all of you visitors out there.
So keep your eye out on more up and coming content and future updates :).
In the meantime here are some links to some of my most popular articles:
Introducing... the Twenty20 Champions League
The Twenty20 Champions League is an international Twenty20 cricket competition between clubs from Australia, England, India, Pakistan and South Africa. The Twenty20 Champions League is chaired by Lalit Modi, who is the Chairman and Commissioner of the Indian Premier League and Vice-President of the BCCI. The competition was launched in 2008 as a response to the success of national Twenty20 domestic cricket leagues, most notably the Indian Premier League. The first edition was set to take place from late September to early October 2008 in India, after the tournament organisers resolved various teething problems that had put the inaugural tournament under some doubt, but it was later announced that the tournament would be held from December 3 to December 10, 2008. The tournament was postponed again following terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 and later cancelled, with the first tournament now scheduled for October 2009.
Background:
An international tournament for domestic cricket teams is believed to have been first mooted by Lalit Modi, vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 1996, Lalit Modi is also the chairman and commissioner on the IPL. The launch and subsequent success of Twenty20 cricket some years later was the influence behind a serious effort to get such a tournament off the ground. Twenty20 cricket was launched by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003. Its launch was a result of a long-term decline in the popularity of county championship and domestic limited-overs cricket. By reducing the number of overs per innings to twenty and by placing a three hour limit on matches, the format was designed to attract a younger crowd and to boost attendances. Twenty20 proved a success, with an international version launched in 2005 and a World Twenty20 Competition held in September 2007. This proved much more popular than the 50 over Cricket World Cup had been just five months previously. The following year, the Indian Premier League (IPL) was launched, proving that there could be a market for a big-spending domestic Twenty20 cricket league. The success of Twenty20 and the IPL lead many commentators to suggest that other forms of cricket would suffer, with some worrying about the effect of the popular fast-paced 'slogging' game on players' abilities in Test cricket.
Immediately after the end of the first series of the IPL, the cricket authorities in England, India, Australia and South Africa entered into discussions to create a new international club competition, to capitalize on the this success. The new tournament's £2.5m winning prize was described as "unprecedented" in cricket. A number of different formats for the tournament were considered, with original proposals containing a much lower prize fund. The T20 Champions League's creation was announced on 7 June 2008, along with the announcement of planned restructuring of some of the domestic cricket tournaments involved, including the introduction of franchising in South Africa, England and Australia. Pakistan's participation was always mooted, but not confirmed when the tournament was first launched. Following a series of discussions and the announcement of the creation of a Pakistan Super League from 2009, it was confirmed that two Pakistani teams would compete.
Qualifying:
Although the 2008 tournament was originally rumoured to only include teams from Australia, South Africa, India and England, it was announced on 4 July 2008, that two teams from Pakistan's domestic tournament were also invited. At the same, time England's participation was also put into doubt, following differences between the ECB & BCCI over the inclusion of rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) players. Eventually, it was arranged so that the 2008 Twenty20 Champions League would have consisted of 8 teams from 5 countries. The qualifiers are:
The winners and runners-up of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash in Australia (Victoria Bushrangers and Western Warriors).
The winners and runners-up of the Standard Bank Pro 20 Series in South Africa and Zimbabwe (Pretoria Titans and Natal Dolphins)
The winners of the Twenty20 Cup in England and Wales (Middlesex Crusaders). (Note: Runners-up Kent were not invited to participate in the inaugural tournament because it contained two players who have taken part in the rebel Indian Cricket League, a competition that is not recognized by the BCCI).
The winners and runners-up of the Indian Premier League in India (Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings).
The winners of the RBS Twenty-20 Cup from Pakistan, (Sialkot Stallions in 2007-08).
This format is expected to change to include 12 teams for the 2009 edition.
The Tournament:
The 2008 Twenty20 Champions League was to have been played over an eight day period, consisting of two divisions competing in a round-robin format. This was to have been followed by an elimination round of four teams, the top two of each division, and then the final. If team numbers change for 2009, the format is likely to alter.
Links to more information on the Twenty20 Champions League:
The Slovenian cricket team is the team that represents the country of Slovenia in international cricket matches. The national organising body in Slovenia, the Slovenian Cricket Association, became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2005.
Early days:
It is thought that cricket was introduced to Slovenia in 1974, after Borut Čegovnik, then a 13-year-old boy from the mountain town of Mežica, was introduced to the sport on an extended visit to his penpal in Birchington-on-Sea, Kent. He received extensive coaching from his host's father, and went back to his home with a selection of cricket equipment having decided that cricket was just the thing for his town. Seventeen, mainly single-wicket, tournaments were held between 1974 and 1982, with 24 local boys playing. The game was played in the village until 1982, when several of the ringleaders moved to the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana.
Modern era:
Cricket resurfaced in Slovenia in 1997 when the Ljubljana Cricket Club was formed. The first game was played between a Slovenian President's XI and a visiting club from The Hague. That game was attended by the then Slovenian president Milan Kučan. Friendly games against sides from various countries and the British Embassy continued, and Ljubljana Cricket Club began to compete in Austrian club cricket.
In 2000, the Slovenian national cricket team made its debut in the European Representative Championships. They finished fourth in the tournament, and came second in 2002. They hosted the tournament in 2004, again finishing in fourth place. This tournament was replaced in 2006 by the Division Four of the European Championship, where Slovenia finished in fourth place out of the four teams. They will retain their Division Four place in 2009.
Leading figures:
Robert Crawford (born February 26, 1960) is an English-born Slovenian cricketer. He has represented Slovenia since 2002.
He has played for Slovenia in the ECC Representative Festival of 2002 and the ECC Representative Championship of 2004. Most recently he has appeared with his team in Division Four of the 2006 European Championship. He is an opening batsman and slow bowler.
Borut Čegovnik played for Slovenia in the ECC Representative Championship of 2004 and is the President of the Slovenian Cricket Association.
Brad Eve (born November 11, 1967) is an Australian-born Slovenian cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium-bowler who has played for Slovenia since 2000.
He first played for Slovenia at the ECC Representative Festival of 2000, where in four matches he had an average of less than one run per innings. Two years later he played in the same competition, and, in 2004, he played at the ECC Representative Championship.
Most recently he has played in Division Four of the 2006 European Championship for his adopted country.
Tom Furness (born November 8, 1978) is an English-born Slovenian cricketer. He has represented Slovenia since 2004.
He has played in the ECC Representative Championship of 2004, and most recently appeared with his team in Division Four of the 2006 European Championship. Furness has appeared as an opening batsman since his introduction into Slovenian cricket, and now shares this position with Robert Crawford.
Egon Jakofčič (born October 31, 1967) is a Slovenian cricketer. He has played for Slovenia since 2004.
He first represented the Slovenian team during 2004, when he made five appearances in the ECC Representative Championship, as a lower-order/tailend batsman, and, two years later, appeared in the Belgium-based European Championship, for which Slovenia were placed in Division Four. He is also a right-arm medium bowler.
Robert Jakofčič (born May 19, 1970) is an Australian-born Slovenian cricketer. He has played for Slovenia since 2006.
He appeared as a lower-order batsman in two matches during the 2006 European Championships.
Mark Oman (born September 5, 1966) is an Australian-born Slovenian cricketer. He has captained Slovenia since 2000. He is an opening batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler.
He first represented Slovenia at the 2000 ECC Representative Festival, contributing in his first match to a second-wicket partnership of 72 before a Slovenian batting collapse. He later represented Slovenia at the 2002 Representative Festival and the 2004 Representative Championship, and has most recently played for his adopted country in Division Four of the European Championship.
He has made significant contributions to the development of cricket in Slovenia.
Links to more information on Slovenia Cricket:
| i don't know |
"Which species of python is the longest snake in the world and gets its name from the Latin for ""net-like"" because of the patterns on its skin?" | Reticulate Python - Python reticulatus - Overview - Encyclopedia of Life
Description[ edit ]
P. reticulatus head
This species is the largest snake native to Asia . More than a thousand wild reticulated pythons in southern Sumatra estimated from 1.5 to 6.5 m (4.9 to 21.3 ft) in length and in weight from 1 to 75 kg (2.2 to 165.3 lb). [7] In general, reticulated pythons with lengths of more than 6 m (19.7 ft) are rare, though according to the Guinness Book of World Records it is the only extant snake to regularly exceed that length. [8] A reticulated python of the same length as a green anaconda may weigh only half as much as the bulkier anaconda. [8] One of the largest scientifically measured specimens, from Balikpapan , East Kalimantan , Indonesia , was measured under anesthesia at 6.95 m (22.8 ft) and weighed 59 kg (130 lb) after not having eaten for 3 months. [5] Currently Guinness World Records lists a snake named Medusa in Kansas City, Missouri , U.S. , as the longest snake ever accurately measured in captivity, at 7.67 m (25.2 ft) and 158.8 kg (350 lb). [9] Widely published data of specimens that were reported to be several feet longer have not been confirmed.
Even the specimen once widely accepted as the largest-ever "accurately" measured snake, that being Colossus, a male kept at the Highland Park Zoo (now Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium ) in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , during the 1950s and early 1960s, with a peak reported length of 8.7 m (28.5 ft), recently turned out to be wrong. When Colossus died on April 14, 1963, its body was deposited in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History . At that time its skeleton was measured and found to be 20 ft 10 in (6.35 m) in total length, significantly shorter than the measurement previously published by Barton and Allen. Apparently, they had been adding a few extra feet to the measurements to compensate for "kinks", since it is virtually impossible to completely straighten an extremely large live python. Too large to be preserved with formaldehyde and then stored in alcohol , the specimen was instead prepared as a disarticulated skeleton. The hide was sent to a laboratory to be tanned , but it was either lost or destroyed. [10]
Numerous reports have been made of larger snakes, but since none of these were measured by a scientist nor any of the specimens deposited at a museum, they must be regarded as unproven and possibly erroneous. In spite of what was for many years a standing offer of $50,000 for a live, healthy snake over 9.1 m (29.9 ft) long by the New York Zoological Society (NYZS), known since 1993 as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), no attempt to claim this reward was ever made. [11]
Skull diagram
The color pattern is a complex geometric pattern that incorporates different colors. The back typically has a series of irregular diamond shapes flanked by smaller markings with light centers. In this species' wide geographic range, much variation of size, color, and markings commonly occurs.
The "reticulated" net-like patterning that gives the reticulated python its name
In zoo exhibits the color pattern may seem garish, but in a shadowy jungle environment amid fallen leaves and debris it allows them to virtually disappear. Called disruptive coloration , it protects them from predators and helps them to catch their prey. [12]
The smooth dorsal scales are arranged in 69–79 rows at midbody. There are deep pits on 4 anterior upper labials , on 2 or 3 anterior lower labials , and on 5 or 6 posterior lower labials. [13]
Reticulated pythons are found in Southeast Asia from the Nicobar Islands , northeast India , Bangladesh , Burma , Thailand , Laos , Cambodia , Vietnam , Malaysia , and Singapore , east through Indonesia and the Indo-Australian Archipelago ( Sumatra , the Mentawai Islands , the Natuna Islands , Borneo , Sulawesi , Java , Lombok , Sumbawa , Sumba , Flores , Timor , Maluku , Tanimbar Islands ) and the Philippines ( Basilan , Bohol , Cebu , Leyte , Luzon , Mindanao , Mindoro , Negros , Palawan , Panay , Polillo , Samar , Tawi-Tawi ). The original description does not include a type locality . Restricted to "Java" by Brongersma (1972). [2]
Three subspecies have been proposed, [14] but are not recognized in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). The color and size can vary a great deal among the subspecies described. Geographical location is a good key to establishing the subspecies, as each one has a distinct geographical range.
Habitat[ edit ]
The reticulated python lives in rain forests, woodlands, and nearby grasslands. It is also associated with rivers and is found in areas with nearby streams and lakes. An excellent swimmer, it has even been reported far out at sea and has consequently colonized many small islands within its range. [12] During the early years of the twentieth century it is said to have been common even in busy parts of Bangkok , sometimes eating domestic animals. [15]
Feeding[ edit ]
Their natural diet includes mammals and occasionally birds . Small specimens up to 3–4 m (9.8–13.1 ft) long eat mainly rodents such as rats , whereas larger individuals switch to prey such as Viverridae (e.g. civets and binturongs ), and even primates and pigs . Near human habitation, they are known to snatch stray chickens , cats , and dogs on occasion. Among the largest, fully documented prey items to have been taken are a half-starved sun bear of 23 kilograms that was eaten by a 6.95 m (22.8 ft) specimen and took some ten weeks to digest as well as pigs of more than 60 kg (132 lb). [16] As a rule of thumb, these snakes seem able to swallow prey up to one-quarter their own length and up to their own weight. [17] As with all pythons, they are primarily ambush hunters , usually waiting until prey wanders within strike range before seizing it in their coils and killing via constriction . However, there is at least one documented case of a foraging python entering a forest hut and taking a child. [18]
Danger to humans[ edit ]
Attacks on humans are rare, but this species has been responsible for several human fatalities, in both the wild and captivity. They are among the few snakes that have been suggested to prey on humans. However, there are few authenticated cases of a snake species consuming human beings. Reports of human fatalities and unauthenticated sources of human consumption include:
Two incidents, apparently in early 20th century Indonesia : On Salibabu, a 14-year-old boy was killed and supposedly eaten by a specimen 5.17 m (17.0 ft) in length. Another incident involved an adult woman reputedly eaten by a "large reticulated python", but few details are known. [19]
Franz Werner reported a case from Burma occurring either in the early 1910s or in 1927. [11] A jeweller named Maung Chit Chine, who went hunting with his friends, was apparently eaten by a 6 m (19.7 ft) specimen after he sought shelter from a rainstorm in or under a tree. Supposedly, he was swallowed feet-first, contrary to normal snake behavior, but perhaps the easiest way for a snake to actually swallow a human. [20]
In 1932, Frank Buck wrote about a teenage boy who was eaten by a pet 25 ft (7.6 m). reticulated python in the Philippines. According to Buck, the python escaped, and when it was found, a human child's shape was recognized inside the snake. It turned out to be the son of the snake's owner. [11]
Among a small group of Aeta negritos in the Philippines, six deaths by python have been documented within a period of 40 years, plus one who died later of an infected bite. [18]
On September 4, 1995, Ee Heng Chuan, a 29-year-old rubber tapper from the southern Malaysian state of Johor , was killed by a large reticulated python. The victim had apparently been caught unaware and was squeezed to death. The snake had coiled around the lifeless body with the victim's head gripped in its jaws when it was stumbled upon by the victim's brother. The python, measuring 23 ft (7.0 m) long and weighing more than 300 lb, was killed soon after by the arriving police, who required four shots to bring it down. [11]
On October 23, 2008, a 25-year-old Virginia Beach, Virginia woman, Amanda Ruth Black, appeared to have been killed by a 13-foot (4.0 m) pet reticulated python. The apparent cause of death was asphyxiation . The snake was later found in the bedroom in an agitated state. [21]
On January 21, 2009, a 3-year-old Las Vegas boy was wrapped by an 18-foot (5.5 m) pet reticulated python, turning blue. The boy's mother, who had been babysitting the python on behalf of a friend, rescued the toddler by gashing the python with a knife. The snake was later euthanized because of its fatal wounds. [22]
Considering the known maximum prey size, it is technically possible for a full-grown specimen of Python reticulatus to open its jaws wide enough to swallow a human teenager, but the width of the shoulders of adult Homo sapiens would likely pose a problem for even a snake with sufficient size.
Reproduction[ edit ]
Oviparous , females lay between 15 and 80 eggs per clutch. At an optimum incubation temperature of 31–32 °C (88–90 °F ), the eggs take an average of 88 days to hatch. [23] Hatchlings are at least 2 feet (61 cm) in length. [15]
Captivity[ edit ]
Reticulated python with an unusual color pattern. Various color patterns are found in captive-bred specimens – some brought about by selective breeding .
Increased popularity in the pet trade is due largely to increased efforts in captive breeding and selectively bred mutations such as the "albino" and "tiger" strains. They can make good captives, but keepers should have previous experience with such large constrictors to ensure safety to both animal and keeper. Although their interactivity and beauty draws much attention, some feel they are unpredictable. [24] [25] They do not attack humans by nature, but will bite and possibly constrict if they feel threatened, or mistake a hand for food. While not venomous, large pythons can inflict serious injuries, sometimes requiring stitches.
The huge size and attractive pattern of these snakes has made them favorite zoo exhibits, with several individuals claimed to be above 20 ft (6.1 m) in length and more than one claimed to be the largest in captivity. [26] [27] [28] [29] However, due to their huge size, immense strength, aggressive disposition, and the mobility of the skin relative to the body, it is very difficult to get exact length measurements on a living reticulated python, and weights are rarely indicative, as captive pythons are often obese. [11] Claims made by zoos and animal parks are sometimes exaggerated, such as the claimed 15 m (49 ft) snake in Indonesia which was subsequently proven to be less than 23 feet (7.0 m) long. [30] For this reason, scientists do not accept the validity of length measurements unless performed on a dead or anesthetized snake which is later preserved in a museum collection or stored for scientific research. [11]
There are also dwarf forms of reticulated pythons, typically separate subspecies of the nominate mainland subspecies or crossbreeds thereof, from some islands that are north west of Australia, and where the adults rarely get more than 15 feet (4.6 m) long but are being bred to be much smaller. Males can be at most 5 feet (1.5 m) long, females a little longer.[ citation needed ]
Taxonomy[ edit ]
Leather goods and skins of Burmese python ( Python molurus bivittatus ) and reticulated python at a local shop at Mandalay, Burma
Three subspecies may be encountered, including two new ones:
P. r. reticulatus
P. r. jampeanus
Auliya et al., 2002
– Kayaudi dwarf reticulated pythons or Jampea retics, about half the length, [23] or according to Auliya et al. (2002), not reaching much more than 2 m (6.6 ft) in length. [14] Found on Tanahjampea in the Selayar Archipelago south of Sulawesi . Closely related to P. r. reticulatus of the Lesser Sundas . [14]
P. r. saputrai
Auliya et al., 2002
– Selayer reticulated pythons or Selayer retics. Found on Selayar Island in the Selayar Archipelago and also adjacent Sulawesi . This subspecies represents a sister lineage to all other populations of reticulated pythons tested. [14] According to Auliya et al. (2002) it does not exceed 4 m (13 ft) in length. [14]
The latter two are dwarf subspecies. Apparently, the population of the Sangihe Islands north of Sulawesi represents another such subspecies which is basal to the P. r. reticulatus plus P. r. jampeanus clade , but it is not yet formally described. [14]
The proposed subspecies "dalegibbonsi", "euanedwardsi", "haydnmacphiei", "neilsonnemani", "patrickcouperi", and "stuartbigmorei" [31] [32] have not found general acceptance.
A recent phylogenetic study of pythons [33] suggested that the reticulated python as well as the Timor python are more closely related to Australasian pythons, suggesting that they are an intermediate form between the Australasian pythons and the Afro-Asian genus Python, and should therefore be placed in a separate genus. Reynolds et al. [3] described the genus Malayopython for this species and its sister species, the Timor python, M. timoriensis.
| Reticulation |
Talisker distillery, which has produced a single malt whisly of the same name since 1820, is the only distillery on which Scottish island? | Animals
Animals and Nature People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) founded 1980 from Jeopardy TV show
KINGDOM, Animal, Plant, Mineral
PHYLLUM
Chordata Class: Mammal (Order: primate Family: hominadae Genus: homo; Species: sapiens). Amphibian, Bird, Reptile, Pisces, Cartilaginous fish. About 180 million years ago, mammals evolved from reptile class, named from Latin for "creeping" by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Arthropod Class: arachnid, crustacean, insect, centipede, Only arhtropods and vertebrates have sense of hearing
Echinoderm is sea urchin,
Mollusk Class: snail, clam, octopus.
Animals commonly mentioned
CHORDATA Phylum
MAMMALS Class: 3500 species, backbone, lungs, warm blooded, live born young, hair, milk, diaphragm, brain more developed.
Artiodactyla Order (even-toed ungulates: antelope, deer, camels, pigs, cows, sheep, hippos,) Bovid is any of almost 140 species of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals with characteristic unbranching horns covered in a permanent sheath of keratin in at least the males.
Antelope
Addax also known as the white antelope and the screwhorn antelope, lives in the Sahara desert.
Bongo, is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate and among the largest of the African forest antelope species.
Dik Dik Named for the sound it makes, the dik-dik is the smallest member of this group in the bovid family, This African antelope was named for the sound it makes when alarmed
Eland is largest of all antelopes,
Gerenuk To reach really high foliage the gerenuk, an antelope, stands on hind legs
Gnu 2 of the varieties of this African wildebeest are the brindled & white-tailed
Hartebeest, a large antelope, is native to Africa, Both male & female hartebeests have lyre-shaped horns
Impala
Rhebok The South African rhebok is not an athletic shoe but a species of this
Bison also called a "cattalo", Beefalo animal is the result of breeding domestic cattle and bison
Buffalo, Farmers in southeast Asia use them to work in rice paddies; it's lucky they like to wallow in mud
Camel is an even-toed ungulate (has 2 toes) within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. The two surviving species of camel are the dromedary, or one-humped camel, which is native to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa; and the Bactrian, or two-humped camel, which inhabits Central Asia. Dromedary or Arabian camel is a large, even-toed ungulate with one hump on its back. The 2 species of camel are the Arabian, also called the dromedary & Bactrian two humped. Camel or elephant animals you could be riding if you were sitting on a "howdah"
Cow, young is Heiffer. Because Sam Maverick didn't brand his cattle, he lost them to rustlers. Round up Cattleman's term for gathering the herd, Texas trail named in honor of a Scottish Cherokee trader whose tracks were followed, Chisholm. Bull, male cattle, Originally bred in India, Brahma is the type of bull most often seen in bull riding contests
Angus for beef, scotland, marbling of fat in meat
Hereford, england, white face red body
Holstein black and white most common, Largest-sized breed of dairy cattle, there are more of them in the U.S. than any other dairy breed
Jersey Though they're the smallest-sized major dairy breed, their milk contains the most butterfat
Longhorn Because it grew slowly & produced less meat, this famous Texas breed almost vanished by the 1920s, Famed Texas cattle breed that was brought over by the Spanish explorers
Scottish breeds of cattle include the Galloway, the Ayrshire, and the Aberdeen-Angus.
Deer, stag is male, doe is female, fawn is young. The highly vascular fine-haired skin on a deer's antlers is called Velvet
Caribou reindeer in north america
Moose largest deer, Europeans know this largest member of the deer family as the elk; we call it this
Musk deer secretes the musk used in perfume
Red deer, Wapiti or Elk, The second-largest deer in the world, it's also called the wapiti American Elk
Reindeer, both sexes have antlers The only female deer with antlers, it uses them to dig in the snow for food
Gazelle
Grant's
Dorcas type of this graceful antelope is one of the smallest; it's barely 2 feet tall
Thomson's
Giraffe has 7 cervical vertebra
Okapi Found in Africa, this giraffe relative has a reddish-brown body, white face & striped legs
Goat - Caprine may refer to a goat-antelope
Chamoix Alpine goat-antelope is prized for its hide, which is made into a very soft leather
Hippopotamus close relative of pig, 4 tusks lower jaw, 2 tusks upper. Close relative of the pig, though its name means "river horse" The number of toes on the foot of a hippopotamus; especially the ones in Disney's "Fantasia" is 4, These "river" mammals secrete a pinkish fluid that makes them appear to be sweating blood
Llama - vicuna is one of two wild South American camelids, along with the guanaco, which live in the high alpine areas of the Andes. It is a relative of the llama, and is now believed to share a wild ancestor with domesticated alpacas, which are raised for their coat. Because this smallest relative of the llama produces world's finest wool, it's now endangered. Vicuna, relative of the llama & the alpaca was hunted to near extinction for its wool
Musk Ox
Mountain goat, Ibex
Peccaries, piglike downward tusk
Pigs, Guineas pig, Cavy, sow is female, gilt is young, Farrow is to bring forth young. A female pig that has never been pregnant is called a Gilt. Swill or Slop are the mixture of liquid & solid foods fed to pigs. Swine collective term for pigs & hogs, or a brutish person. Sty 3-letter synonym for piggery, a place where pigs are kept. Pork Bellies, pig parts featured in the commodities market.
Pronghorn, 60m/hr, fastest, sometimes called antelope
Sheep, Dall, ram is male, ewe is female, lamb is young
Wart hog, African wild pig - eats Roots, grasses, berries, birds' eggs, & even small mammals, Warthogs stick this long, thin, tufted tail straight up in the air when they run
Yak, long haired ox of Tibet carries travelers and mail
CARNIVORE (cats (36 species), bears This animal family includes the largest of the carnivores [like the panda, polar bear, grizzly, etc.], weasels, pinnipeds, etc.)
BEARS, ursine, cubs
Brown alaskan are largest, Black, Grizzly, Kodiak largest carnivore, Panda giant bamboo eater, Polar covers its nose with its paw, Spectacle andes, Sloth india, Malaysia sun bear smallest loves honey.
CAT
Bay lynx also known as bobcat from its stubby tail, in canada the population of these tuft eared wildcats depends on the population of snowshoe rabbits.
Cheetah is similar to leopard but smaller can be trained to hunt fastest land animal
Cougar same as Puma
Jaguar is similar to leopard yellow with black spots in in sw us to argentina, largest in US. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere.
Leopard is 3hd largest, snow leopard. leopard same as panther also black panther
Lion main pride mountain Tiglon It's the offspring of a male tiger & a female lion
Manx without tail, isle of man
Ocelot leopard cat of america can be tamed
Puma mountain lion 2nd largest in us
Tiger siberian largest, The largest member of the cat family
Domestic cat have eyes that are round, almond=shaped and slanted
Balinese
Birman
Calico cats are domestic cats with a spotted or parti-colored coat that is predominantly white, with patches of two other colors (often the two other colors are orange tabby and black). Calico" refers only to a color pattern on the fur, not to a breed. It is absent from lists of breeds.
Coon cat Maine
Cymric long tailed version of Manx
Havana brown cat is so named because its coat resembles the color of cigars
Manx cat in earlier times often spelled Manks, is a breed of domestic cat (Felis catus) originating on the Isle of Man in the British Isles
Munchkin, small feet
Siamese is first variety to be recognized, This short-haired Asian breed with almond-shaped eyes was introduced to the West in the 1880s
DOGS chemoreception, olfactory bulb
Coyote The geographic ranges of most predators are shrinking, but the range of this, Canis latrans, has increased
Fox, kit fox, vulpine, vixen is female
Jackal african scavenger dog
Wolf lobo gray wolf
Domestic Not surprisingly, American Kennel Club organization, founded in 1884, maintains one of the world's finest reference libraries on dogs
Akita, "natural dog" of Japan, is said to have been brought to U.S. by Helen Keller, This royal breed of Japan is commonly used there as a police & guard dog
Afghan hunts by vision, not by smell
Beagle LBJ, a breed of small to medium-sized dog scent hounds, developed primarily for tracking hare, rabbit, and other small game.
Bishon Frise Look around Goya's works & you'll spot several bichon frises, which are these
Bouvier Though its name means "Flemish cowherd", a bouvier des flandres is a breed of working dog
Bloodhound droopy-eared dog
Brussels Griffon
Bulldog is a symbol of England where it was developed
Chihuahua is the smallest breed of dog and is named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. This smallest of all dogs comes in all canine colors
Cocker Spaniel This breed of dog was originally used for hunting woodcocks
Dalmatian Pure white at birth, this dog's spots begin to appear when he's about 3 weeks old, Dalmatia, for which a dog breed is named, is from Croatia
Daschund This "badger dog" was bred to keep its legs short so it could follow a badger into his burrow
German Shepherd also known as an Alsatian is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany with its origin dating to 1899. working dog developed originally for herding and guarding sheep. Because of its strength, intelligence in obedience training it is often employed in police and military roles around the world.
Golden Retriever is a medium-sized breed of dog. They were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties.
Great Dane, also known as German Mastiff or Danish Hound, known for its giant size. The Great Dane is one of the world's tallest dog breeds; the current world record holder, measuring (44 in) from paw to shoulder is "Zeus". Great Danes were originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar.
Keeshond, or barge dog, is considered the national dog of Netherlands
Malamute sled dogs were named for these eskimos who, it's said, first bred them
Old English Sheepdog is a large breed of dog which was developed in England from early herding types of dog. The Old English Sheepdog can grow a very long coat, with fur covering the face and eyes. Because its tail is usually clipped, this shaggy dog is also called a bobtail
Poodle is a group, the Standard Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle with many coat colors. Originally bred as a type of water dog, the poodle is skillful in many dog sports, including agility, obedience, tracking, and even herding. A German word meaning "splashing in water" gave us the word "puddle" & this dog's name. The poodle probably originated in Germany, though it's most associated with France
Pomeranian (often known as a Pom or Pom Pom) is a breed of toy dog named for the Pomerania region in Central Europe (today part of northern Poland and eastern Germany).
Saluki This Middle Eastern dog is also called a gazelle hound because it was once trained to hunt gazelles
Shih Tzu is a toy dog breed with long silky hair originated in China. A housepet during the Ming dynasty was this Lhasa Apso relative, whose name is Chinese for "lion"
Schnauzer originated in Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries. The term comes from the German word for "mustache", because of the dog's distinctively bearded snout. Several breeds were crossed to develop the giant schnauzer, including Great Dane
Setter Of the three breeds of this dog, the Gordon is the darkest & heaviest, Irish and English
St Bernard One of these dogs rescued 40 people lost in the snow in Switzerland around 1800
Terrier Unlike the German miniature Schnauzer, most other breeds of this group originated in the British isles. Terrier Name of this class of dogs comes from the Latin for "earth" In "The Wizard of Oz" books, Toto dog has been depicted as a terrier
Airedale Called the "King of the Terriers", its original home was the valley of the river Aire
Dandie Dinmont, a dog in this group, was named after a farmer who raised them in "Guy Mannering"
Hounds Afghans & Salukis belong to this dog group
Mutt A cur or a mongrel
Pedigree ancestral line of a purebred canine
Teacup terrier weighs 2 or 3 pounds.
Skye breed of this dog is known for its alertness
Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog breed of terrier type, developed in the 19th century in the county of Yorkshire, England, to catch rats in clothing mills, also used for rat-baiting. The breed is nicknamed Yorkie
Collie is not a specific breed but is a distinctive type of herding dog, including many related landraces and formal breeds. It originates in Scotland and Northern England. It is a medium-sized, fairly lightly built dog with a pointed snout, and many types have a distinctive white pattern over the shoulders.
Lapdogs are not a specific breed, but is a generic term for a type of dog of small size and friendly disposition.
Pug A dog with a short, flattened nose, or the short, flattened nose itself
Toys - The Pekingese, Chihuahua, & Tonka's "Pound Puppies" fall under this classification of dogs, affenpinscher is grouped as one of these small "plaything" dogs
Civets have scent gland in inguinal region for perfume. Cat-like animal raised for the secretions it produces which are used to make perfumes. Some perfumes are made from the musk of this catlike animal found in Africa & Asia
Hyena It's the spotted variety of this African carnivore, not the striped, that's known for its laugh
Mongoose The Indian species of this cobra killer can be tamed when young
Raccoons kinkajoo central and s america, loatimundi, Tail Rings are raccoon's most distinctive features; most have 5 to 7, In the mistaken belief that it washes its food, it was given the scientific name lotor, meaning "washer"This "masked" North American mammal is related to the giant & lesser pandas of Asia
Weasil ermine is type of weasel also known as armenian rat. When husbands "pop" for an ermine coat, they're actually buying this fur. In winter, when its brown coat turns to white, the short-tailed weasel is called Ermine.
Badger
Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. T
Otter
Sable is a species of marten which inhabits forest environments, primarily in Russia from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia
Skunk
Wolverine This bear-like carnivore, a large member of the weasel family, is also known as the glutton
Seal, Fur, Ross, Weddell species in Antarctica can stay underwater for 40 minutes, Every summer thousands of these animals go to the Pribilof Islands in the north Pacific to breed
Eared seals
Sea Lion has ear flap, can shuffle on land
Fur seal
Typical seal has no ear flap, moves with caterpillar notions
Walrus These animals are the only pinnipeds with tusks
Cetacea (whales, dolphins, porpoise) Whales belong to this order of mammals whose name comes from the Latin for whale, "cetus"
Whales have blowhole as nostril, blubber, flukes either of the two lobes on a whale's tail, eat krill, breech jump out of water, gam or pod is a group of whales. Toothed whales. In 1970 recordings made of whales "singing"
Beluga white whale. A white sturgeon or a white whale Surprisingly, the white, or beluga, species of this mammal can be found in the St. Lawrence River
Killer whale, or Orca, The largest & fastest members of the dolphin family
Narwhal is a medium-sized toothed whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. Have long, straight, helical tusk, actually an elongated upper left canine. Found primarily in Canadian Arctic and Greenlandic waters. Eskimos of Greenland hunt this whale for its single long ivory tusk
Pilot whale
Sperm whale is largest toothed whale, gives ambergis perfume secreted from intestine
Baleen whales filter feeds on small organisms caught by straining seawater through a comblike structure found in the mouth called baleen.
Blue whale (largest animal to have ever existed), Among blue whales, the largest animal ever on Earth, female sex is larger
Bowhead whale and the
Minke whale
Dolphin a dolphin, hearing 2 heartbeats with its sonar, can tell if a woman's is pregnant
Porpoise Bottle nose (john Lily),
Chiroptera (bats) When Lazzaro Spallanzani blinded them, they still flew; when he plugged their ears, they were disoriented
BAT chiroptera echolocation, megachiroptera is old world fruit eating, flying fox relies on sight has 5 ft span. Microchiroptera is small, Vampire bat goes for toes, slow reproduction, 1 pup per year, pollinate seed disperse eat insects. Brown bat eats 1000 mosquitoes an hour. Species of these include the mouse-eared, disk-winged, and fruit bat.
Flying Fox isn't a type of fox, but a type of bat
Edentata [also called Xenarthra] (sloths, armadillos) Most animals known as anteaters are of the order edentata, meaning without Teeth
Armadillo is a small placental mammal that has a bony armor shell, carapace, 9 bands, In Texas the most common variety of these armored mammals is the nine-banded one
Anteater in mexico and south america, Anteaters feed mainly on ants & termites
Sloth in s america. The three-toed sloth is so sedentary that algae organisms, that include seaweed, grow on its fur, providing camouflage. With ancestors as big as elephants, these slow beasts now just hang upside down in trees. This �lazy� mammal of South America eats, sleeps & travels upside down in trees
Insectivora (insect-eaters: hedgehogs, moles, shrews)
Hedgehog rolls into a ball
Mole burrows
Savi's pygmy variety of this animal is said to be the world's smallest mammal
Vagrant shrew is a medium-sized North American shrew. uses echolocation.
Lagomorpha (rabbits, hares, pikas)
Pikas
Rabbits and hares, The disease mixomatosis was introduced to Australia in the 1950s to control them. Name given to both the smallest rabbit & the smallest shrew on the North American continent is Pygmy
Monotremata
Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth
The only surviving examples of monotremes are all indigenous to Australia and New Guinea, although there is evidence that they were once more widespread. Among living mammals they include the platypus and four species of echidnas (or spiny anteaters);
Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates: horses, rhinos, tapirs)
Hinny is a domestic equine hybrid that is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey (called a jenny). During their first year, both male & female horses are referred to as Foal
Mule offspring of a male donkey and a female horse (mare). A female donkey is called a jenny, sterile, male donkey is Jack,
Horse, mare is adult female horse at age 4, filly is female 3 years or younger, colt is male young. Stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Bronco is untrained horse. Foal is an equine, particularly a horse, that is one year old or younger. A horse's coronets aren't found atop its head, but at the top of hooves. Whinney is a synonym for neigh, as Mister Ed could tell you. In all members of the equidae family except the domestic horse, this hair stands erect Mane. Type of gait in which diagonally opposite legs move forward together. Fetlock It's a projection with a tuft of hair on the back of a horse's leg just above the hoof
Appaloosa is black, white spots on rump, This spotted breed originated in the Palouse River region of Washington & Idaho
Arabian - 1 tale says this breed descends from Muhammad's horses that refused water to answer a battle call, This breed called "drinkers of the wind" is still used to develop & upgrade other breeds. These lithe desert horses are the oldest existing breed
Buckskin A yellowish horse with a black mane & tail, or the hide of a male deer
Clydesdale - Noted for their "feathery" legs, these Scottish draft horses were taken to North America in 1842, Bud
Draft horses Suffolk, Shire, & Clydesdale breeds are this type of horse whose name means "pulling"
Falabella, was developed by ranchers in this S. American country Argentina, the smallest bread of horse
Hackney Pony This harness breed shares its name with a 17th century English coach for hire
Lippizaners These horses are trained primarily at the Spanish riding school in Vienna
Mustang - In the 17th century this type of wild horse numbered between 2 & 4 mil.; today, only about 20,000 remain, mostly in the West
Palomino - golden-coated, silver-maned horse, Palomino is a coat color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail.
Pinto horse has a coat color that consists of large patches of white and any other color. The distinction between "pinto" and "solid" can be tenuous, as so-called "solid" horses frequently have areas of white hair. The name of this spotted horse comes from the Spanish word for �painted�
Shire breed developed after Henry VIII Tudor king had all horses under 5' high destroyed
Tennessee Walking horse This "stately" horse has 3 gaits; the flat-foot walk, the running walk & the canter
Thoroughbred The Jockey Club registers only this breed of horse
Pony under 5'8",
Shetland brought to US in 1870s, named for Scottish islands formerly pulled carts in coal mines
Tennessee Walker also known as plantation
Welsh pony was bred to work in the confined spaces of coal mines
Zebras three species of zebras: the plains zebra, the Gr�vy's zebra and the mountain zebra.
Tapirs A pig-like animal whose name sounds like a slender candle
Rhinoceros horns of most animals have a bony core covered by a thin sheath of keratin,the same substance as hair and nails
Gallup is fastest natural gait
Pholidota (the pangolin)
Pangolin has large keratin scales covering its skin, the only mammal with this adaptation It is found naturally in tropical regions throughout Africa and Asia. The name comes from the Malay word, pengguling, meaning "something that rolls up". Like some armadillos, the pangolin rolls into a ball.
PRIMATES (apes, monkeys, lemurs, people) have hair and nails instead of claws
Apes are Old World mammals native to Africa and South-east Asia.
Lesser apes: Gibbon, including the lar gibbon and the siamang.
Greater apes:
Bonobo pygmy chimpanzee.
Chimpanzees most similar to humans,
Gorillas are largest, ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of a human, from 95�99% and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the bonobo and common chimpanzee. A group of gorillas is called a band. Chest beating behavior in gorillas can express exuberance or intimidate
Orangutans found on Sumatra, Borneo, & in "Every Which Way But Loose"
Lemur in Madagascar. The indri is the largest Lemur, but the ring-tailed is probably the best-known
Monkeys in south america, new world
Howler
Marmoset though its voice is shrill, this small monkey's name is derived from Old French "marmouser", to murmur
Squirrel monkey
Spider monkey very acrobatic with prehensile tail
Tamarind
Wooly has thick fur, hangs by tail and eats fruits
Monkeys in old world
Baboon Gelada mountains of Ethiopia - Members of baboon, genus papio, are the largest of all monkeys, The hamadryas species of this large monkey was revered by the Egyptians as a companion of Ptah
Barbary tailless ape on Gibraltar, These apes who live on the Rock of Gibraltar are tailless monkeys, not true apes. A type of macaque, it's the only primate, other than man, found in Europe
Langurs, gray or Hanuman langurs, the most widespread langurs of South Asia, are large and fairly terrestrial, inhabiting forest, open lightly wooded habitats, and urban areas on the Indian subcontinent. Paul Merton show in India.
Macaques aside from humans (genus Homo), the macaques are the most widespread primate genus, ranging from Japan to Afghanistan and, in the case of the barbary macaque, to North Africa.
Mandrill large monkey found in africa, blue ridge on cheeks and red nose, Though this type of baboon has been called the ugliest, at least it's also the most colorful, The males among these baboons have bright blue ridges on their cheeks & brilliant red noses
Rhesus macaque is aggressive - Used in medical research which established Rh factor, their export is now banned by India
Tarsier at 3 times proportional size of any other primate the tarsier has a colossal pair of eyes
Proboscidea (elephants, mammoths, mastodonts, etc.) elephant is land animal with the largest teeth. Trunk, tusk
It was said rajahs gave their rivals these white elephants to create financial burden
Musth or must is a periodic condition in bull (male) elephants, characterized byhighly aggressive behavior and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive
Rodentia (rodents: rats, mice, squirrels, gerbils, hamsters, etc.), largest order, half of all living organisms, From Latin "to gnaw", there are more of this group than all other mammals combined
Beaver has lodge, second largest rodentm Castor, an ingredient in perfume, comes from this "busy" animal
Capybara world's largest, Weighing up to 110 lbs. or more, the capybara is the largest member of this order of mammals
Chinchilla in south america, Chinchillas, which are known for their fur, belong to this order of mammals
Ferret likes rabbits
Myomorph largest within this order
Gerbil
Hamster - This rodent's name is German for "hoarder" since he hoards food in his cheeks
Lemming, arctic mass suicide, When these rodents drown during their migrations, it�s an accident, not suicide
Mole - Star-nosed mole is a small mole found in wet low areas of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States has 11 pairs of pink fleshy appendages ringing its snout, which is used as a touch organ with more than 25,000 minute sensory receptors with which this hamster-sized mole feels its way around. perfectly poised to detect seismic wave vibrations.
Mouse, Vole is field mouse
Rat, Kangaroo rat
Naked mole rat also known as the sand puppy or desert mole rat, is a burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa
Pocket gophers are burrowing rodents, worse enemy of gardeners
pocket mouse
Rats have poor vision but can enhance their perception by using whiskers. In buildings, Norway variety of rats tend to live on lower floors while black kind lives upstairs
Porcupine North American porcupines who gnaw the bark off trees are part of this "gnawing" order, Rodent. This mammal's name comes from the corruption of a French phrase which meant "phony pig"
Squirrel World Book calls this common tree dweller the smartest rodent
Chipmunk
Sirenia (sea cows, manatees)
Dugong
Manatees are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. These mammals are classed as Sirenia since they reminded sailors of mermaids -- sirens of the sea,
Aardvark central and south africa
Subclass Metatheria (marsupials, about 270 species of mammals whose young are in an immature state, most females have pouches)
Kangaroo The macropis rufus; it can lean back on its tail to free its hind feet for use as weapons
Panda Like its giant relative, the lesser variety of this is also a bamboo eater
opossums (plays dead to escape predator) , American, Rat
shrew-like insectivores
bandicoots and bilbies
marsupial moles
(10 families and 117 species) kangaroos, wallaby, wombats, koalas - Dominant mammals of the Mesozoic Era, marsupial order today includes wombats & wallabies. Joey is a young kangaroo, or a musical pal
AMPHIBIAN, breathe through gills in larva state and through lungs as adult, undergo metamorphosis, Tadpole within 2 weeks of being laid, eggs become tadpoles, vegetarian. On land this class of vertebrates can absorb oxygen through the skin, provided it's moist
Frogs, lowest order of vertebrates to have larynx, A baby frog is called either a tadpole or polliwog. Tail absorbed by its body when a tadpole becomes a frog, The frog stores liquid waste in bladder and can reabsorb water from it in dry times. The nictitating membrane is also called the third eyelid.
Bull frog, largest 8"
Goliath
Leopard frog most common
Salamander The mud puppy, or water dog, is a large American variety of this amphibian. Salamanders called newts when aquatic are called Efts when terrestrial
Congo eel
Newts, red spotted is most common, A semi-aquatic salamander
Tadpoles, vegetarian
BIRDS, Decoy, fake wooden bird, have samll brain, poor smell, good eyesight, ornithology, preen feathers This process usually includes taking oil from a gland at the base of the tail & applying it to the feathers, gizzard for ginding food. A bird waterproofs its feathers with oil from its "preen gland", located at the base of its tail. Feathers are made of racus, barbules, barbs & a quill. A bird's Crop is an expanded area of this part of the alimentary canal esophagus between the pharynx & stomach
Cranes and Rails - In 1941, only 15 whooping crane were left, but they now number well over 100. Whooping Cranes are the tallest North American birds
Gallinules, and Coots
Limpkins?
Cuckoos and Turacos, Roadrunner, Ani
Many Cuckoo species are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species, but the majority of species raise their own young.
Ducks, Geese, and Swans
Duck, Canvasback, Cayuga, Teal, drake is male duck. You may pin the tail on the donkey, but a pintail is this type of bird, duck.
Eider duck The down this type of duck produces is used to line nests and for jackets, quilts, pillows and sleeping bags
Green-winged teal, a small duck, is well suited for living in garden ponds
Mallard Most domestic species of duck are descended from this wild duck
Goose, Canada, Mother, Snow. gaggle is a term of venery for a flock of geese that isn't in flight; in flight, the group can be called a skein. gosling is a young goose. Snow geese are found naturally only in north america. The breed named for Canada are sometimes called "honkers", Before the metal-tipped pen, the standard writing instrument was a feather from this bird
Swan, mute,, Female swans are called pens; male swans, cobs
Falcons and Caracaras, Peregrine Falcons have been recorded diving at speeds of 200 miles per hour, making them the fastest-moving creatures on Earth. Some small falcons with long narrow wings are called hobbies, and some which hover while hunting are called kestrels. Feeding mostly on other birds, this blue-gray falcon is the fastest moving animal. Falcons kill their prey by biting into the neck or head
Falconry is name of the sport of hunting birds with other birds
Moving at speeds of 175-180 mph, this "wandering" peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on earth
Frigatebirds, Boobies, Cormorants, Darters, and Allies
Grebes
Grouse, Quail, and Allies
Chicken, Rock Cornish game hen, Rhode Island Red. The male young of these are called cockerels; the female young, pullets. Pea, rose, & cushion are 3 types of this feature found mainly on chickens, crests or cones. A comb is a fleshy growth or crest on the top of the head of gallinaceous birds, most notably turkeys, pheasants, and domestic chickens. Its alternative name cockscomb is because combs are generally larger on males than on females. Developed in the 1850s, the Rhode Island Red made raising chickens a major industry in the U.S. Cackle a shrill cry, made by a chicken after laying an egg
Grouse, blackcock or ruffed grouse - Called �fool hens� because their extreme curiosity makes these wild fowl easy prey for hunter, As a noun, it's a game bird; as a verb, it means to grumble or complain
Pheasant, Golden or ring necked - From Greek, its name means "bird of the Phasis", a river in the Caucasus region of the U.S.S.R. Peafowl are of the pheasant family with Peacock, Peahen and Peachick. Mythology says that Hera was so fond of these birds, she adorned their tails with eyes of her lover Argus, The ring-necked species of this bird was introduced into Oregon from China in the 1880s
Ptarmigan The willow ptarmigan, makes its home in Arctic areas
Quail - Bobwhite quail, the only one native to Eastern U.S., gets its name from its whistle, not its color
Turkey - The children are poults, the mothers, hens & the fathers, toms
Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies
Eagle With an estimated weight of over 2 tons, the largest nest on record was built by these birds, This adjective Aquiline describes an eagle-like nose comes from the Latin word for eagle
Hawk, red shouldered, red tailed
Kite
Osprey
Vulture - scavenger is term for creatures like vultures or hermit crabs that eat carcasses & refuse Some of these birds have bald heads and necks, which prevents feather damage when eating from carcasses
Condor The California species of this New World vulture is North America's largest flying bird
Loons - This "crazy" North American diving bird has been found at depths of 160 feet
Owls have binocular vision, Barn owl has heart shaped face, Burrowing owl, Typical owl. Named for one of its favorite places to nest, Barn owl also lives in trees, towers & old hawk nests
Nightjars, Oilbirds, Frogmouth, Potous Owlet nightjar, Goatsuckers
Emu, second largest, This flightless bird is featured on Australia's coat of arms
Ostrich has two toes, male is black/white, female brown, has most expensive commercial leather
Rhea largest in new world, 3 toes, S america. In Argentina, rheas are rounded up in order to get their feathers of tail feathers, Largest bird of the Pampas it can be tamed & kept as a farmyard pet, This South American bird is often described as a smaller version of the ostrich
Tinamou resembles partridge or quail, s and cent america, strong runner
Parrots, 25 species in Amazon, most are green, If given a Muscat grape, many parrots will ignore the fruit & eat seeds. Apiary is large outdoor cage used for keeping parrots or other birds. Avocados are poisonous to parrots
African Gray is best talker
Cockatoo though these members of the parrot family rarely learn to talk, they can perform stunts:
Kakapo parrot of New Zealand is distinct in being unable to fly
Lories
Macaws are largest parrots, can be trained but not a good talker - Because it lives high up in the trees and can fly 35 mph, the scarlet type of this parrot is a rare sight Found only in Latin America. name might be from "macauba", a tree whose fruit it eats
Parakeet, Budgerigar is australian, greenish yellow body, bright blue on the cheeks and til feathers, wings striped with brown
Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies
Cormorant is related to Pelican "pouched" creature
Gannets and boobies
Heron, Egret white species of heron, Species of this wading bird include the great blue, great white & green-backed
Ibis, white ibis has a red face, scarlet ibis (Toth) is completely red. Ancient Egyptians believed this bird to be a representative of the god Thoth
Pelican, brown and white mouthed are the two main types, Because these baby birds feed from their parents' pouches, some think they're drinking blood
Flamingo A diet of algae, shrimp & crustaceans gives these wading birds their distinctive pink color
Bulbul
Bushtits
Cardinals, Grosbeaks, and Allies. Cardinal red bird is the state bird of 7 states. He shares his name & color with an ecclesiastic.
Chickadees and Titmice
Creepers
Crows Although roosters crow, crows emit this sound Caw.
Raven, relative of the crow is prominent in folklore as a bad-luck sign or omen of death.
Rook is the most common member of this Crow family found in Europe
Dippers
Gnatcatchers
Finches and Allies - In America some 35 species of finches are referred to by sparrow name for small, common birds
Flycatchers
Jays,
Kinglets
Lark It can be a merry adventure, a harmless prank or a bird, An elated person is sometimes said to be "as happy as" this songbird
Leaf Warblers
?Alabama is the "Yellowhammer State", a yellowhammer being a passerine bird in the bunting family
Magpies - The Terrytoons' Heckle & Jeckle are this type of chattering bird
Mockingbirds.
Oriole - Maryland's state bird & state baseball team
Shrikes
Silky-Flycatchers
Sparrows and Allies, These small English birds were first brought to the U.S. in 1850 to eliminate tree worms in Brooklyn
Starlings and Allies
Mynah is a bird of the starling family. This is a group of passerine birds which native to southern Asia, especially in North India. Capable of mimicking human speech.These heavy black birds known for their ability to mimic human speech are a species of starling
Swallows - American Cliff Swallow is a migratory bird that spends its winters in Goya, Argentina but makes the 6,000-mile trek north to the warmer climes of the American Southwest in springtime. The birds have visited the San Juan Capistrano area every summer for centuries. Barn swallow. Not everyone is excited when these birds come back to Capistrano: some residents think they're too messy
Thrashers, and Allies
Wrens
Pigeons and Doves are monogomous, shelter called Cote, young are called squabs. They're immature pigeons sometimes raised for food Squab. The common wild pigeon of North America is often called mourning dove because of its sad cooing. The last known representative of passenger pigeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914
Dove This bird isn't biologically distinct from the pigeon, it's just smaller
Sandgrouse
Plovers, Sandpipers, and Allies
Auks, Murres, and Puffins
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers, Black-back gull, is the largest member of the gull family. With longest migratory flight, arctic tern spends winters in southern & summers in northern polar regions.
In 1848 Seagulls saved the crops of Utah by eating swarms of grasshoppers
Tern Species of this bird include the Caspian, South & Arctic
Plovers and Lapwings
Willet, Whimbrel, Godwit, Snipe -If you spot a snipe, you've seen this type of creature
Stilts and Avocets
Woodcocks' eyes are so far back on their heads, they have 360 degree field of sight
Stork is a symbol of fertility
Swifts and Hummingbirds
Albatross gooney bird black footed
Petrel
Northern Flicker is a medium-sized member of the woodpecker family.
Puffbird
Toucan, Toco is largest and has largest beak
Woodpecker, Sapsucker is yellow bellied. Sapsuckers are the only members of this bird family to habitually injure trees
Flightless birds
Emu in Australia
Kiwi The only member of the genus apteryx, this New Zealand bird is thought to be related to the extinct moa
Ostrich in Africa, These African birds are sometimes raised on farms for their hides, which are made into leather
Penguin This Antarctic bird's name was 1st applied to the now extinct flightless great auk of the Arctic, Contrary to popular opinion, only 2 of the 18 known species of this bird inhabit Antarctica.
The Adelie species of this bird was named for the wife of French explorer
Reah in South America, The largest bird in the New World, this South American bird may stand 5 feet in height
Kookaburra This Australian bird is called the "Bushman's clock" because its laughing cries are heard at dawn & dusk
Lyrebird tail of the male lyrebird shaped like a lyre
Oxpecker likes to ride on the backs of giraffes
Secretary bird The only African bird of prey with terrestrial habits; it can't type or take dictation
Extinct birds They include the solitaire, the giant moa (The moas of New Zealand probably became extinct because Maori people hunted them for food) & the great auk
Dodo Around 1800 the last of these "stupid" birds died on Rodrigues Island. dodo was found on the Islands of Reunion, Rodrigues & Mauritius in Indian ocean
REPTILES have 3 chamber heart, breathe through lungs, lay eggs in leathery shells
ALLIGATORS
True crocodile faster, narrower jaw, kills, asia africa, australa
Alligator and Caimans, hunt in water, US, china, lazy - Caimans are most closely related to these animals Alligators
Gavial asia The gavial looks very much like a crocodile except for the snout or nose
LIZARD, head trunk, tail, The glass snake isn't really a snake, it's a limbless variety of this reptile
Chameleon
Gecko is soft skinned, insect eating, tropical, suction pads. The name of this tropical lizard is imitative of its call, Lizard that's noted for its ability to walk on ceilings
Gila monster is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexican state of Sonora and largest lizard in us. The only 2 venomous species of lizards, Gila monsters & beaded lizard, are native to north america.
Horned lizards is popularly called a "horned toad," "horny toad," or "horned frog", but it is neither a toad nor a frog.
Iguana, world's only marine lizard is an iguana found on Galapagos islands, The largest lizard found in the New World is the common, or green, species of this
Monitor
Komodo is biggest The komodo dragon is native only to Indonesia, discovered 1912
Skink When grabbed by a predator, a skink may ditch tail
SNAKES, herpetology, none in Ireland or Scotland, smeel is Jacobsen's organ, Snakes have a peculiar respiratory system; most of them have only one Lung, Snakes used in Snake Charming acts sway in response to the musician's movements; they can't really hear the music. Venom is usually classified as either hemotoxic, which attacks the blood, or Neurotoxic
Black mamba, fastest moving land snake
Cobra are hooded, asia, africa, King Cobra largest venomous, The hamadryad, the longest poisonous snake, is also known as King Cobra and lives in India and se asia and often eats other snakes, Asp, Among cobras, the Indian cobra has the best developed Hood.
Coral is SE US, tropical america, black, red, yellow bands
Garter is small harmless striped snake in North America varying in color green to black, it's the most common North American snake
Boa bears live young, Anaconda largest in world is in south america, Related to the boa constrictor, Anaconda largest South American snake is also called the water boa, Constrictor
Kingsnakes are colubrid snake members and have quite vibrant patterns on their skins. Kingsnakes use constriction to kill their prey and tend to be opportunistic when it comes to their diet; they will eat other snakes (ophiophagy), including venomous snakes, lizards, rodents, birds and eggs., Harmless king snakes are often mistaken for this venomous snake:
Python has eggs, constrict, asia, africa, australia, longest snake in world, reticulated is a reference to complex color pattern, non venomous
Sea snakes
Viper, True viper, adder - A group of vipers, even if the snakes don't live in a bird's dwelling nest, A pit viper's pits are highly sensitive to this & help it find its prey in the dark
Pit Viper has heat sensing pits
Copperhead eastern forest in usa
Cottonmouth in usa
Water Moccasin or cottonmouht, se us, only aquatic poisonous snake
Rattle snake adds a rattle each time it molts. Heaviest of all poisonous snakes is this North American is diamondback rattler, In Hopi Indian snake dances, priests carry rattlesnakes in their mouths
Sidewinder small, desert
Diamond back
TURTLE - The turtle is the only reptile that has shell, Though all species have bony plates on both jaws, no living turtle has teeth, Some of the largest land turtles are found on Galapagos islands off the coast of Ecuador. The FDA bans sale of most pet turtles since they often carry salmonella gastrointestinal disease bacteria, Most of these sold as pets, until banned by the FDA in 1975, were of the slider or cooter varieties
Hawksbill sea turtle is a critically endangered sea turtle
Land tortoise, box variety comes to human for food, lives in backyard.
Loggerhead
Mud and Musk, Leatherneck is largest
Snapping - The snapping turtle snaps, not just to be mean, but because it can't retreat its head back in its shell
Terrapino freshwater
FISH, bony, ichthyology, heart has two chambers. Barbel is whisker, tactile organ. Feeding frenzy, Fry is young fish A general term for the young of most fish, or how you cook them after you catch them. Milt is fish sperm, viviparous is living young, oviparous is egg. Trolling is Fishing from a moving boat. Identifying gender & luring prey are 2 functions of this light emitting process in fish, bioluminescence.
Alewife is a species of fish. There are anadromous and landlocked forms.
Anchovies
Angelfish some eat algae others pick parasites off other fish
Anglerfish has fleshy bait growing from head
Barracuda This sleek, pike-like fish with razor-sharp teeth is known as the "Tiger of the Sea"
Bowfin
Carp goldfish, Sold in most pet stores, comets & veiltails are varieties of this type of carp
Catfish walking type can travel from pond to pond, feelers, The Walking, Electric & Pencil species of this fish have "whiskers"
Cichlid
Cuttlfish brown ink called sepia
Dolphin
Eels moray conger atlantic type spawns in sargasso sea, electric. It's said ancient Romans not only ate these eels but fed their disobedient slaves to them
Flatfish flounder sole turbo halibut - On a true sole both of eyes are on the right side of the head
Flying fish
Gar elongated breathe air, baks like logs, long nose
Garibaldi
Gobies mudskipper carnivorous, tropical, spiny 2-4"
Goosefish
Grayling, Guppy name of scientist, Trinidad 1866
Grunion Southern California fish that come ashore to spawn & then run back into the ocean
Guppies introduced to stop mosquito spread, This tiny fish was named for the British scientist who introduced it to aquariums in the 1800s
Hag fish eats entrails of other fish
Halibut One of the largest edible fish, these huge flatfish can measure over 5 X 10 feet and can exceed 700 pounds, The Atlantic variety of this popular fish is the largest of all flatfish
Herring sardines, cured, barrelled about 1400 by Dutch, In a 15th century battle the English repulsed the French with barrels of this kippered breakfast food
John Dory
Lamprey eel like, almost causes elimination of trout in great lakes Most lampreys live by attaching themselves to other fish
Lungfish - The opposite of hibernate; lungfish and some snails Estivate (sleep during summer)
Mackerel, Wahoo is a type found in warm seas
Mai Mai hawaiian dolphin fish
Marlin Sailfish 65mph
Fishing off Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, a destination known for its "granders," aka 1,000-pound marlin, one of the biggest blue marlin ever caught, an incredible 1,320-pounder.
Minnow and Carp (goldfish), fantail, common, nymph. While most species of minnow live bait fish are less than 6" long, the Indian mahseer can be 9' long
Monkfish
NeedlefishOpah, large brightly colored silvery
Paddlefish
Pike
Pipefish
Piranha South American Indians use the jaws of these fish as scissors, The Portuguese got the name for this toothed fish from the Tupi Indians who live along the Amazon
Puffers also known as blowfish Also called puffers, these fish are known for their ability to inflate themselves
Remora or sucklefish attached to sharks
Salmon pacific dies after spawning, atlantic does not, Kipper after spawning, Parr young 1 yr old, Sockeye red fleshed of N Pacific, Smolt first goes to sea, Grilse 1st return to freshwater
Scorpion fish
Sea bass
Seahorse This fish swims upright & uses its prehensile tail to anchor itself to coral or algae, Marine creature whose zoological name is Hippocampus
Shad food fish
Snail darter In the 1970s, completion of the Tellico Dam in Tennessee was delayed due to concern over this small fish
Snapper
Sole lemon and Dover varieties
Sprat The last name of a nursery rhyme Jack, or a fish that's so high in fat he couldn't eat itgh
Stickleback male builds nest
Sturgeon isinglass, beluga, caviar black
Sucker
Swordfish
Tetra Neon, Cardinal, Glowlight are aquarium fish
Trout rainbow, steelhead in ocean. Rainbow, brook & lake are species of this fish, a relative of the salmon
Tuna Bluefin largest, Bonito mackerel family related to tuna, Albacore white meat, Yellowfin big eye, The largest species of this fish is the bluefin; the smallest, the skipjack
Walley pike family
Skate
Trout, rainbow species migrate to sea, their color changes to silver, then they are called steelheads
Whale shark, largest fish
FISH, cartilagneous
SHARK Carpet, Bonito, Nurse, Whale largest fish, Catshark, Mackerel, Mako shark prized as gamefish shortfin mako shark is a large mackerel shark., Basking 2nd largest, Requiem or tpical, Angel, Hammerhead, Great white shark largest. Unlike most sharks, the nurse shark does not have to constantly swim. Sharks have no swim bladder so this oil-filled organ helps keep them from sinking Liver. Whale shark, not the great white, is the largest shark; & it eats only plankton & little fish.
Skates and Rays, Electric tay, Sawfish, Guitarfish, Stingray, Eagle ray, Manta ray largest, Devil ray
Lamprey eel like almost caused elimination of trout in great lakes
ARTHROPOD, elongated invertebrates animals with segmented bodies, true appendages, chitinous exoskeleton
ARACHNID is a class of joint-legged invertebrate animals that have eight legs
Harvestmen
Mites, grain mites, harvest mites or chiggers, scabies. Researchers have found more than 40,000 of the dust mite of these microscopic bugs in 1 ounce of mattress dust
Scorpion
Spiders have sometimes eight eyes and eight legs, they spin silk into webs. Opiliones are an order of arachnids commonly known as harvestmen or daddy longlegs. These arachnids differ from true spiders by the extreme length & thinness of their legs- Of 30,000 known species, only Argyroneta aquatica truly lives in this type of environment. 1 of the world's most dangerous spiders is Sydney funnel web. Colors found in names of the "widow" spiders found in the U.S. are black, brown and red. Spiders have eight legs, soft bodies.
Black widow kills mates and eats them, most venomous
Brown recluse violin shape This North American spider is distinguished by a violin-shaped mark on its back
The ogre-faced spider is so called because 1 pair of eyes is unusually large
Tarantula hairy Sometimes called the bird spider, it's the largest of all spiders - Scientists separate these hairy cousins from the "true spiders
Tick, Lyme disease, Rocky mountain spotted fever, Tularemia
Centipede Despite its name, it can have anywhere from 14 to 177 piars of legs
Millipede
CRUSTACEAN Shellfish are not fish, but members of 2 invertebrate classifications, crustacean and mollusk
Barnacle Since 1955 ultrasonic vibrations have repelled these crusty creatures from ship hulls
Crab has 5 pair of legs, Popular varieties on the west coast include the dungeness & Alaska king. Fiddler crab, the male has a large claw & waves it like a violinist's bow
Alaska king
Robber crab climbs on palms to eat coconuts
Spider crab overgrown with algae, for camouflage
Horseshoe crabs resemble crustaceans, but belong to a separate subphylum, and are more closely related to arachnids, e.g. spiders and scorpions.
Crawfish fresh water, eaten in Louisiana
Krill food of Baleen whales
Lobster, American, Spiny, European, Norwegian, While some consider its meaty pincers to be the best part, others prefer the tail
Shrimp, the biggest species of shrimp are called Prawns (jumbo shrimp and collossal shrimp) From Middle English for "shriveled", this "shriveled" crustacean can swim backwards. "Crevette" is the French word for this shellfish
MOLLUSK, soft segmented body, no sense of hearing, The largest members of this phylum are the giant squids & the smallest are snails
Abalone earshaped shell with hole for costume jewelry, lined with moterh of pearl - California sea snail whose ear-shaped shell with a row of holes often ends up as an ashtray
Clams, Pismo, Geoduck, Quahog, Littleneck, Cherystone. Their age & size determine whether they're called littlenecks, cherrystones or quahogs
Snail, - Cowry is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails - The shells of cowries were used for centuries as a currency in Africa.
Conch sea snail - Cameos are carved from the pink shells of this snail whose name is from Greek for "shell, You hold your lips the same way to play a brass instrument or this exotic shell
Escargot These gastropods are sometimes fed aromatic herbs to give them a special savor
Often found clinging to rocks, limpets are a type of this mollusk
Murex snail, purple dye
Mussels, blue, attach to ships. A recipe for moules mariniere would call for these mollusks
Nautilus
Octopus has 8 arms or tentacles suckers, "Joy of Cooking" says these 8-armed creatures can be tenderized by "mercilessly" beating them, Scientists say this relative of the squid has the most highly developed brain among invertebrates
Oysters, lue point, chincatigue, These bivalves are wrapped in bacon, grilled & served on toast to make "Angels on Horseback"
Scallops, curved
Squid 10 arms, Giant squid has largest eye, It's the animal with the largest eye; no wonder it spotted the Nautilus so easily. The giant variety of this sea mollusk may grow to 55 feet long
Hydroids
Jellyfish has no brain, no blood vessel
Portuguese Man O' War is a jellyfish-like marine cnidarian. Its venomous tentacles can deliver a powerful sting. Despite its outward appearance, the Man o' War is not a jellyfish but a siphonophore, which differs from jellyfish in that it is not actually a single organism, but a colonial organism made up of many minute individuals called zooids. Floating sea creature named by sailors for the Iberian fighting ship it resembles. This floating sea creature which resembles a jellyfish was probably named for a type of ship.
Sea anemone
Coral Also known as the "flower animal", the name usually refers to the massed skeletons of these animals
INSECT has 6 legs Of the creatures on Earth that have legs, most of them have 6. Insects have an exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae.
The lac insect secretes a substance used to make this varnish Lacquer
Some insects have 3 of these sense organs, called ocelli, arranged in a triangle on the head Eyes
Ant forms a colony. Larger colonies consist mostly of sterile wingless females forming castes of industrious "workers", "soldiers", or other specialised groups. Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called "drones" and one or more fertile females called "queens". After mating and removing her wings, a queen ant devotes her life to laying eggs. Ants herd aphids and milk honeydew from them.
Army makes temporary bivouacs, eats living, carnivorous,
Carpenter destroys wood, Unlike termites, these ants chew wood to make living quarters, not for food
Fire red color
Harvester grow fungi, Harvester ants collect seeds and store them in underground chambers
Leaf cutter have fungus garden
Aphid less than a quarter inch long, secrete honeydew, protected by ants - Also known as plant lice, these garden pests secrete a "honeydew" that ants eat
Bedbugs
Bees and Wasps, hymenoptera, wax, comb, hive, nectar, pollen, royal jelly, Of the 5 senses, it's the 1 a honeybee doesn't have Hearing
Bee- Mason, Miner, Killer, (hybrid of african honeybee and wild brazilean bee). Drone male only purpose in life is to Mate with the queen & they do it in flight, reproductive, no sting. Worker female visits 2 million flowers for one lb of honey. Queen lives through winter, lays eggs. Common name of an apiculturist is beekeeper. Swarm is A large crowd of bees on the move. The 3 classes of a honeybee colony are drone, queen and worker. When sexually aroused, the carpenter bee will chase jet liners. The venom of African bees is actually less poisonous than European bees, but they attack in large groups
Wasps, spiders worst enemy, hornet, yellow jackets, Mud dauber narrow waisted wasp, Gall wasp. Tarantula hawk is largest North American wasp, it hunts tarantulas like a bird of prey. The cicada killer is a large predatory variety of wasp. This type of wasp gets its name from the abnormal protruding plant growths it causes, Gall wasp
Beetles is largest order - white grub worm is the larval or immature stage of the adult June beetle (also known as the June bug). In spite of its name, ladybug brightly colored beetle can be male or female. Ladybugs These little red beetles will help guard your garden from aphids, scale & spider mites. The dreaded Dutch Elm Disease is spread from tree to tree by beetle.
Scarab
Fireflies and glowworm insects flash yellow lights to find mates
Japanese This bright green beetle, a major plant pest, was brought to the U.S. from the orient circa 1916
Pea and Bean Weevil - The larvae of this "cotton bug" are more destructive than the adults
True Weevil, Billbug larvae feed on cereal grasses, corn,
Cotton Boll Weevil is a beetle measuring an average length of six millimeters, which feeds on cotton buds and flowers. migrated into the US from Mexico in the late 19th century and had infested all U.S. cotton-growing areas by the 1920s, devastating the industry. Since 1978, the Boll Weevil Eradication Program in the U.S. allowed full-scale cultivation to resume in many regions.
Butterflies, egg to larva (caterpillar, Though an insect larva, its name comes from French for �hairy cat�) to pupa (chrysalis From Greek "chrysos", meaning gold, it's the gold-colored pupa of a butterfly), Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. Some moths are able to detect chemical love signals called pheromones up to 7 miles away. As adults, Moths lepidoptera are harmless, but the caterpillars love to feast on your clothes. Metamorphoses The process in which a caterpillar turns into a butterfly
Monarch The viceroy mimics this poisonous �royal� butterfly's appearance to avoid predators, Like a lot of birds, the monarch butterfly migrates in the winter
Owl To frighten predators, the owl butterfly has large spots on its wings that resemble eyes
Queen Alexandra's birdwing at 11 inches, largest, The largest one of these in the world is the Queen Alexandria birdwing, not the monarch
Swallowtail 10 inch australian, pacific
Venezuela owl like eyes on wings to scare insects
Viceroy butterfly
Cicada 17 year locust, In the northern U.S. the number of years between appearances of the insects called periodic cicadas,
Dragonflies incomplete metamorphosis, These brightly colored insects are sometimes called "Devil's Darning Needles" These large bugs named for a monster are probably the fastest flying insects
Damselfly slow flying brightly colored
Flea, human flea can jump 130 times length. The bubonic plague of Medieval Europe was spread by these insects feeding on rats, Bubonic plague is spread by these insects who bite infected rats
Fly Varieties of these insects include bee, soldier, flower, blow & fruit. Have 2 wings.
Anopholes malaria
Tse-Tse sleeping sickness
Mediterranean fruit fly
Grasshopper are diurnal, they are more vividly green than crickets. 2 pair wings, short horned When grasshoppers or other Orthoptera are stridulating, they're producing sound or a song, Some folks eat these leaping insects jellied, roasted or dipped in honey.
Katydid, longer antennae - Having saved early Mormon settlers from an invasion of katydids, seagull is now the state bird
Bush cricket, drum like membrane on leg for sound
Cricket long antenaae, chirp, males rub forewings, number of chirps in 15 sec / 40 equals temp. Need sun to warm up and hop. They are grounded on cloudy or rainy days. These noisy insects are a sign of good luck in China. crickets are nocturnal
The field and house types of cricket chirping insect are raised & sold as fish bait
The smallest of grasshopper insects is the pygmy locust at less than 1/2 inch in length
Lacewing
Lice - Cooties are, in American and Canadian childlore, a kind of infectious disease. Itis also a term used for body lice and for a wooden container used for food
Locust, plague of Egypt, they come every 17 years, Gatherings of locust swarm of grasshopper have covered 2,000 square miles at a time. Though voracious, locusts do not migrate for food, but after an enormous increase in population., Locusts are short-horned or short-antennaed varieties of Grasshoppers
Mantid Praying Mantis may be eaten by female, The Latin name of this insect is mantis religiosa, When hunting, this carnivore whose name means "prophet" raises its forelegs into a pious position
Mayflies
Mosquitoes femlae suck blood
Moths, Gypsy female cannot fly
Of its varieties, the atlas is 1 of the largest & the death's head hawk chirps by blowing its nose
Roaches have gizzards, common types are German, US, Australian, Brown-banded
Cockroach - Around for 400 million yrs., there are now more than 2,000 species of these pesty cricket cousins, they have feelers called antenae. The German type of this ancient household pest is sometimes mistakingly called a waterbug, The German variety of this household pest is also called the Croton bug, after New York City's Croton Reservoir
Silkwoms spin their cocoons by moving their heads in a figure eight pattern. One silkworm is the larva of the bombyx mori moth, mori comes from morus multicaulis, the scientific name of the mulberry tree
Termites build mounds, eat cellulose, Suberranean, Dry wood, Dampwood when filled with eggs, the queen can be over 4 in long, According to the Smithsonian, the old Ford Woody station wagons were often infested with these, To distinguish termites from ants, look at abdomen: an ant has a slim one, like a wasp
ECHINODERM, has no sense of hearing
Sea Cucumber
Sea Star has eyes at tip of arms - This starfish echinoderm, "celebrity" of tide pools, is the only animal that turns its stomach inside out to eat
Sea Urchin
1800 Dodo bird, island of mauritius
1914 Pigeon, passenger extint
Mammoth
Mastodons are more ancient than mammoths, evolving about 20 million years ago and persisting well into historical times. As a rule, mastodons had flatter heads than mammoths, and they were also slightly smaller and bulkier. More important, the teeth of mastodons were well-adapted to grinding the leaves of plants, whereas mammoths grazed on grass, like modern cattle.
Velocoreptor, quick plunderer featured i Jurassic park
Ciplodocus long neck
Igunaddon
Pterodactyl flying reptile
Stegosaurus plated, brain is walnut sized, In 1982, Colorado made this plated dinosaur its state fossil
Triceratops three horned plant eating last to become extinct. Known & named for its 3 horns, this dinosaur became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period.
Tyrannosaurus Rex largest carnivore
Adaptation is changes made to increase survival
Carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises.
Carbon cycle during photosynthesis plants convert carbon into carbohydrate and other molecules, during respiration carbon is released in form of h2o and co2.
Carnivore, herbivore and omnivore
Estivation is another form of torpor, dormancy, or "sleep" during summer.
Food chain sequence of energy transfer among organisms
Habitat is type of region in which an organism lives, Hibernation, Homeostasis
Krebs cycle is molecules of atp formed during cellular respiration
Petrie dish
RNA are nucleotides that contain deoxyribose sugar, phosphoric acid, bases such as guanine adenosine, cytosine, thymine, the structure is called double helix
Relationships, Commensalism is one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed or helped such as egret eating insects stirred by cow. Parasitic mistletoe growing on cottonwood tree. Predation, wolf attacks caribou. Symbiosis, Symbiotic or Mutualism is cellulose digesting organisms in deer's stomach
Respiration is anaerobic glucose into lactic acid or Aerobic glucose to co2
Taxonomy is classification of living organism
Jird, hamster relative, relative of a gerbil, Some species of this ratlike rodent, a popular pet, are called jirds
FUNGI, mycology
Mildew, any fungus that attacks various plants or appears on organic matter especially when exposed to damp, powdery and downy types. Kill an insect & you've committed insecticide; kill the mildew in your shower & you've committed Fungicide
Mold, a downy or furry growth on the surface of organic matter caused by fungi
Mushroom
Shiitake, black mushroom from Japan
Truffles, Perigold France
Yeast unicellular used in leavening
Single cell
Algae, when combined with fungi is a lichen, Among the most primitive plants with chlorophyll, it is the main plant life in both seawater & freshwater
Plankton Greek for "wandering", these minute organisms are considered the pasture of the seas
Protozoa single or group of identical cell in water - Protozoans living in a termite's gut break down Cellulose in the wood the termite eats
amoeba uses pseudopoids, fission, This 1-celled protozoan gets its name from a Greek word meaning "change" Amoeba
bacteria no nucleus, rods, cocci, spiral. Some move to hairlike appendages called flagella, reproduce by binary fission, spliting.
Euglenas are microscopic organisms scientists classify in both of these groups Animal and Plant
Sponge Types of this aquatic creature include chimney, sheep's wool, and common bath does not have nervous system.
Links of interest
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Which comes first in an alphabetical list of the plays of William Shakespeare? | Complete List of Shakespeare Plays
Complete List of Shakespeare Plays
List of Shakespeare Plays: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Photo © Last Resort / Getty Images
By Lee Jamieson
Updated September 11, 2016.
It is believed that Shakespeare wrote 38 plays in total between 1590 and 1612. This list of Shakespeare plays brings together all 38 plays in the order in which they were first performed.
The exact order and dates of the first performances of Shakespeare’s plays are difficult to prove – and are therefore often in dispute. For arguments sake, the dates used in this list of Shakespeare plays are approximate.
Chronological List of Shakespeare Plays:
Henry VI Part II (1590-1591)
Henry VI Part III (1590-1591)
Henry VI Part I (1591-1592)
Richard III (1592-1593)
The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593)
Titus Andronicus (1593-1594)
The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)
Love’s Labour’s Lost (1594-1595)
The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
Henry IV Part I (1597-1598)
Henry IV Part II (1597-1598)
continue reading below our video
10 Best Universities in the United States
Henry V (1598-1599)
As You Like It (1599-1600)
Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)
Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)
All’s Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
| All's Well That Ends Well |
What sort of creature is the Shikra. Is it a bird, an antelope or a fish? | Complete List of Shakespeare Plays
Complete List of Shakespeare Plays
List of Shakespeare Plays: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Photo © Last Resort / Getty Images
By Lee Jamieson
Updated September 11, 2016.
It is believed that Shakespeare wrote 38 plays in total between 1590 and 1612. This list of Shakespeare plays brings together all 38 plays in the order in which they were first performed.
The exact order and dates of the first performances of Shakespeare’s plays are difficult to prove – and are therefore often in dispute. For arguments sake, the dates used in this list of Shakespeare plays are approximate.
Chronological List of Shakespeare Plays:
Henry VI Part II (1590-1591)
Henry VI Part III (1590-1591)
Henry VI Part I (1591-1592)
Richard III (1592-1593)
The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593)
Titus Andronicus (1593-1594)
The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)
Love’s Labour’s Lost (1594-1595)
The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
Henry IV Part I (1597-1598)
Henry IV Part II (1597-1598)
continue reading below our video
10 Best Universities in the United States
Henry V (1598-1599)
As You Like It (1599-1600)
Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)
Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)
All’s Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
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Which chemical compound is sometimes called baking soda or bread soda? | Science of Bread: Bread Science 101 | Exploratorium
Chinese Taro Root Buns
From Chinese baozi to Armenian lavash, bread comes in thousands of forms. What do they have in common? On the most basic level, they all involve cooking a mixture of milled grains and water.
Armenian lavash
Imagine a continuum of breads, ranging from the thinnest flatbreads to the fluffiest brioche. Some are amazingly simple: Matzoh, for example, is nothing more than flour and water, baked until crisp. Raised breads, on the other hand, involve the complex interactions between flour and the leaveners that give them their porous, tender quality.
Leaveners come in two main forms: baking powder or soda and yeast.
Matzoh
Baking powder or baking soda work quickly, relying on chemical reactions between acidic and alkaline compounds to produce the carbon dioxide necessary to inflate dough or batter (more on this later). Baking powder and baking soda are used to leaven baked goods that have a delicate structure, ones that rise quickly as carbon dioxide is produced, such as quick breads like cornbread and biscuits.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or baker's yeast. Photos courtesy of Peter Hollenhorst and Catherine Fox.
Yeast, on the other hand, is a live, single-celled fungus. There are about 160 species of yeast, and many of them live all around us. However, most people are familiar with yeast in its mass-produced form: the beige granules that come in little paper packets. This organism lies dormant until it comes into contact with warm water. Once reactivated, yeast begins feeding on the sugars in flour, and releases the carbon dioxide that makes bread rise (although at a much slower rate than baking powder or soda). Yeast also adds many of the distinctive flavors and aromas we associate with bread. For more on yeast, check out our fun yeast activity .
But leavening agents would just be bubbling brews without something to contain them. Heres where flour comes in. There are lots of different types of flour used in bread, but the most commonly used in raised bread is wheat flour. This is because wheat flour contains two proteins, glutenin and gliadin, which, when combined with water, form gluten. As you knead the dough, the gluten becomes more and more stretchy. This gum-like substance fills with thousands of gas bubbles as the yeast goes to work during rising.
gluten animation
To learn more about gluten, check out the gluten animation .
Starch, a carbohydrate that makes up about 70% of flour by weight, also gets in on the act. When starch granules are attacked by enzymes present in flour, they release the sugars that yeast feeds on. Starch also reinforces gluten and absorbs water during baking, helping the gluten to contain the pockets of gas produced by the yeast.
Sometimes, a baker will let the dough rise several times, allowing the gluten to develop more completely and the yeast to add more of its flavors. When the dough is finally cookedeither in an oven, over a fire, or in a steamer, depending on what kind of bread youre bakingthe yeast inside it continues feeding, and the pockets of gas in the dough continue to expand. As the temperature of the cooking dough rises, the yeast eventually dies, the gluten hardens, and the dough solidifies. Et voilà! Bread!
For more about bread science, check out these links !
| Sodium bicarbonate |
Which member of the woodwind family of musical instruments, a sort of half-sized flute, gets its name from the Italian for small? | The difference between baking soda and baking powder
The difference between baking soda and baking powder
May 22, 2014 by Matt Shipman, North Carolina State University
This is what happens when baking soda and acid (in this case vinegar) interact. Credit: Kate Ter Haar, via Wikimedia Commons.
What's the difference between baking soda and baking powder? Short answer: acid. But it can make a big difference for baked goods, so let's explain.
Baking soda has only one ingredient: sodium bicarbonate . Sodium bicarbonate is a base that reacts when it comes into contact with acids, like buttermilk, yogurt or vinegar. This reaction produces carbon dioxide (CO2) in the form of bubbles, like a liquid foam (think of the grade school experiments involving fake volcanoes, vinegar and baking soda ). When making baked goods, the process is called "chemical leavening," because the trapped CO2 gas makes the dough or batter rise.
But when baking soda comes into contact with an acid, it pretty much reacts immediately. And that's a problem.
For many baking recipes, you want an extended reaction, so that the rising doesn't take place all at once.
Baking powder addresses this problem because it is "double acting" – it has different ingredients that create CO2 gas at different stages of the baking process.
All baking powders contain sodium bicarbonate (just like baking soda). But baking powder also contains two acids. One of these acids is called monocalcium phosphate. Monocalcium phosphate doesn't react with the sodium bicarbonate while it's dry. But as soon as the baking powder is stirred into a wet dough or batter, the two ingredients begin to react, releasing bubbles of CO2 and causing chemical leavening.
But to extend the chemical leavening process, baking powder also contains a second acid, either sodium acid pyrophosphate or sodium aluminum sulfate. Neither of these acids react with sodium bicarbonate until they are both: A) wet (i.e., stirred into the batter) and B) hot.
In other words, sodium acid pyrophosphate and sodium aluminum sulfate won't start reacting with the sodium bicarbonate until after you've put the dough or batter in the oven. This means that the batter rises for a longer period of time, making lots of bubbles (and a fluffier cake, muffin, or whatever).
At some point during the baking process, the liquid foam of rising batter becomes a solid foam, because the batter "sets." This is one reason eggs are so common in baking recipes.
The proteins in eggs become irreversibly denatured when exposed to heat (i.e., the proteins unfold and cannot refold into their original shape). These altered egg proteins essentially give the liquid foam a solid structure, allowing it to hold its shape.
By comparison, in recipes that use yeast as a leavening agent, the gluten proteins in flour serve a role similar to that of egg proteins in most chemically-leavened baked goods in the sense that they help to trap air bubbles until the dough sets. (That's why bread flour has more protein than cake flour.)
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People travel to Goat Island in New York State, USA, to get spectacular views of which natural phenomenon? | Fun Things To Do in Niagara Falls - Attractions & Must See - VirtualTourist - Page 8
Niagara Adventure Theater on the American Side
"Legends come to life during this spectacular 45-minute movie Niagara: Legends of Adventure. While you enjoy the comfort of a dry seat the thunderous sound of Niagara Falls is delivered straight to you through digital Dolby surround sound and the 275-seat auditorium with stadium seating ensures that you’re right where you want to be – in the middle of the action. Feel the power see behind the mist and learn about the myths and mysteries of one of the most famous natural wonders on the planet. You’ll hear about early settlers and explorers who took on Niagara Falls and the daredevils who made it famous."""
Niagara Falls Day Trip from Boston by Air
"Niagara Falls is simply amazing. The powerful combination of 3 separate waterfalls that make up Niagara must be experienced in person to realize their magnificence. On this self-guided day trip you will take a 1 hour flight from Boston to Niagara Falls USA. Before your in-flight coffee is cold you'll be landing right outside the Falls. A short transfer will put you in the heart of the Niagara Falls action – you’ll be in front of the famous Maid of the Mist. This tour includes a ticket on this famous sightseeing cruise getting you right up close to the thundering falls! (Substitute Niagara Theater in the winter)After a (sometimes wet) cruise stroll the city to visit various aerospace and science museums casinos
Niagara Falls Day Trip by Air
"Niagara Falls is simply amazing. The powerful combination of 3 separate waterfalls that make up Niagara must be experienced in person to realize their magnificence. On this day trip you'll be picked up from your New York City hotel in the morning and whisked to the airport for a 1-hour flight to Niagara Falls USA. Before your in-flight coffee is cold you'll be landing right outside the Falls.Another short transfer will put you in the heart of the Niagara Falls action – you’ll be in front of the famous Maid of the Mist. This tour includes a ticket on t getting you right up close to the thundering falls! After a (sometimes wet) cruise stroll the city to visit various aerospace and science museums casinos observatories and much more. For the only panoramic view of all three Niagara Falls
| Niagara Falls |
Ynys Gybi is the Welsh name for which island? | Niagara Falls Travel: Find Tours, Things to Do, Hotels for Your Niagara Falls Trip
Old Fort Niagara
First built by the French in 1726 and later expanded in 1755, Old Fort Niagara situated along the Niagara River at Lake Ontario near Youngstown, New York is the oldest constantly operating military site in North America. The historic destination that opened as a museum in 1934 has 18th Century structures, history re-enactments, musket firing demonstrations, artisans, many exhibits and the original War of 1812 Flag. Fort Niagara was briefly used as a trading post and utilized during the French and Indian War, American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. It is a U.S. National Historic Landmark.
Skylon Tower
The 775-foot structure offers remarkable views of the world-famous Niagara Falls with its Revolving Dining Room Restaurant, Summit Suite Buffet Restaurant, two observation decks and Yellow Bug elevators. Skylon Tower was designed by B+H Architects costing approximately $7 million and opened in 1965. It also has stores, fast food restaurants and an entertainment complex. Skylon Tower now offers the 3D/4D Movie “Legends of Niagara Falls." The Toronto and Buffalo skylines also can be observed from this mighty Niagara Falls landmark.
Whirlpool State Park
This captivating New York state park's amazing 125-foot whirlpool moves counterclockwise 30-35 miles per hour and is caused from a change in the Niagara River's flow. Whirlpool State Park's street level allows for great views of the rapids and whirlpool and has a gorge natural history room, picnic area and playground. Its river level offers the best area for fishing and hiking with many fossils to view in the gorge. The Niagara Whirlpool is thought to have been created 4,200 years ago.
Bridal Veil Falls
Named for its appearance, Bridal Veil Falls is situated between Goat Island and Luna Island in one of the world's most famous natural phenomenons Niagara Falls. The falls, which along with the American Falls are located in the U.S., reach heights of 181 feet from the Niagara River. Wooden decks are located at the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls to bring visitors as close as possible to its incredible beauty.
American Falls
This section of the grand Niagara Falls located completely in the U.S. state of New York will delight spectators with its majesty and beauty. The water rushes over the falls at approximately 140,000 gallons per second to make this natural marvel a must-see. The American Falls rock formation, which resembles that of the letter "W", borders the Niagara Falls two other sections of Horseshoe Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. The geological wonder that began forming after the Ice Age continues to take shape today.
Horseshoe Falls
These powerful and spectacular falls are almost entirely in Canada with 90 percent of the Niagara River flowing over them at a rate of 600,000 gallons per second. Situated between Goat Island and Table Rock, Horseshoe Falls are the largest of the three waterfalls that make up the magnificent Niagara Falls and became active more than 12,000 years ago. Also known as Canadian Falls, they received their name because of their horseshoe shape first recognized in 1721 and are approximately 173 feet tall.
Maid of the Mist
Established in 1846 as a ferry service, this Niagara Falls tour boat allows passengers an exciting up-close view of the world's most popular waterfalls. Maid of the Mist begins in the Niagara River traveling past the American and Bridal Veil falls and then to the more intense Horseshoe Falls. Guests are provided with a poncho by the Maid of the Mist Steamship Co. as they could get wet. Famous passengers on the boat ride throughout the years have included United States President Jimmy Carter, Princess Diana and her sons William and Harry, actress Marilyn Monroe, actor Robert Redford and music group One Direction.
Goat Island
Situated right in the middle of Niagara Falls between Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls, this Niagara River island offers fantastic views of the falls especially from Terrapin Point located on its northwestern edge. Goat Island, formerly called Iris Island, received its current name because local John Stedman used to keep goats on it. Bridges connect the island to the mainland and nearby Luna Island. The destination also contains the Tesla Monument dedicated to inventor Nikola Tesla.
| i don't know |
Which island in the Indian Ocean has the highest population of any French island and sends five deputies to the National Assembly in Paris? | Interesting Facts About Reunion Island - Fun Facts About Reunion Island
Fun & Interesting Facts about Reunion Island
Reunion Island is one of the overseas départements of France.
Reunion Island is one of the twenty-six regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic.
Reunion Island was discovered by the Portuguese in the early 16th century and was uninhabited at that time.
The capital of Reunion Island is Saint-Denis.
Reunion Island was claimed by the French in 1643 and named as Bourbon. French established their first colony on the island, in 1662.
The island was renamed as Reunion Union in 1793
Reunion Island remained a French colony throughout, except for a brief occupation by British, from 1810 to 1815.
Sugarcane industry dominates the economy of Reunion Island.
The main exports of Reunion Island include sugar, seafood, rum, and vanilla.
The official currency of Reunion Island is Euro.
Majority of the people in Reunion Island are Catholics, followed by Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists.
Reunion Island is quite mountainous and volcanic in origin.
Piton des Neiges, at 10,069 ft (3,069 m), forms the highest point in Reunion Island.
The lowest point in Reunion Island is formed by Indian Ocean, at 0 ft (0 m).
Reunion Island was the first region in the world to use the euro, mainly because of being located in a time zone to the east of Europe.
Administratively, Reunion Island has been divided into 4 arrondissements, 24 cantons, and 24 communes.
Reunion Island serves as a useful stop for yachts sailing from the Mauritius to South Africa.
Juan de Nova, Europa, Bassas da India, Iles Glorieuses and Tromelin are the uninhabited islands near Madagascar, administered by the Reunion Commissioner.
Reunion Island is divided, by its mountain range, into the lush, rainier windward side in the south and the drier leeward side in the west.
Reunion Island sends five deputies to the French National Assembly and three senators to the French Senate.
Reunion Island is a part of the Indian Ocean Commission.
The culture of Reunion Island is a blend of European, African, Indian, Chinese and insular traditions.
Reunion Creole, derived from French, is the most widely spoken language in Reunion Island.
Official language of Reunion Island is French.
How to Cite
| Reunion |
The Torres Strait lies between Australia and which island? | Background Note: Mauritius
Background Note: Mauritius
Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public Affairs
Description:
Historical, Political and Economic Overviews of the Countries of the World
Date:
Geography
Area:
1,865 sq. km. (720 sq. mi.), about the size of Rhode Island; east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
Dependencies:
Rodrigues Island and the Agalega Islands and Cargados Carajos Shoals; Mauritius also claims sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, where the US naval base of Diego Garcia is located.
Cities (1990):
..Capital--Port Louis (pop. 132,460). Other cities--Beau Bassin and Rose Hill (91,518), Curepipe (65,414), Vacoas-Phoenix (56,452), Quatre Bornes (65,207).
Terrain:
Volcanic island surrounded by coral reefs. A central plateau is rimmed by mountains.
Climate:
Avg. annual growth rate (1991):
1%.
Indo-Mauritians 68%, Creoles 27%, Sino- Mauritians 3%, Franco-Mauritians 2%.
Religions:
Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim. Languages: Creole (common), French, English (official), Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri.
Education:
Years compulsory--6 (primary school). Attendance (primary school)--virtually universal. Literacy--adult population 80%; school population 90%.
Health (1991):
Infant mortality rate--20/1,000. Life expectancy--male 66 yrs; female 74 yrs.
Work force (March 1991):
407,618. Manufacturing--32%. Agriculture and fishing--17%. Government services--14%. Other-- 37%.
Government
March 12, 1968 (became a republic in 1992).
Constitution:
March 12, 1968.
Branches:
Executive--president (chief of state), prime minister (head of government), Council of Ministers. Legislative-- unicameral National Assembly. Judicial--Supreme Court.
Administrative subdivisions:
10.
Major political parties:
Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM), Mauritian Labor Party (MLP), and Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD).
Suffrage:
Four horizontal stripes--red, blue, yellow, green.
Economy
None.
Manufacturing (including export processing zone):
24% of GDP. Types--labor-intensive goods for export, including textiles and clothing, pearls, cut and polished diamonds, semi-precious stones, optical goods, cut flowers, leather products, electronic goods, watches, toys, and other consumer goods.
Agriculture:
11% of GDP. Products--sugar, sugar derivatives, tea, tobacco, vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
Tourism sector:
11% of GDP. Main countries of origin-- France (including the nearby French island Reunion), South Africa, and West European countries.
Trade (1991):
Exports--$1.3 billion: sugar, textiles and clothing, tea, molasses, jewelry, leather products, canned tuna, and anthuriums. Major markets--EC and US. Imports--$1.6 billion: foodstuffs, refined petroleum products, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, manufactured goods, and textile raw materials. Major suppliers--EC, South Africa, Kuwait, Japan, China, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Australia, India, Taiwan, New Zealand, Southeast Asian countries, and US.
Fiscal year:
15 rupees=US$1.
PEOPLE AND HISTORY
While Arab and Malay sailors knew of Mauritius as early as the 10th century AD and Portuguese sailors first visited in the 16th century, the island was not colonized until 1638 by the Dutch. Mauritius was populated over the next few centuries by waves of traders, planters and their slaves, indentured laborers, merchants, and artisans. The island was named in honor of Prince Maurice of Nassau by the Dutch, who abandoned their colony in 1710. The French claimed Mauritius in 1715 and renamed it Ile de France. It became a prosperous colony under the French East India Company. The French Government took control in 1767, and the island served as a naval and privateer base during the Napoleonic wars. In 1810, Mauritius was captured by the British, whose possession of the island was confirmed 4 years later by the Treaty of Paris. French institutions, including the Napoleonic code of law, were maintained; French still is used more widely than English. Mauritius' Creoles trace their origins to the plantation owners and slaves who were brought to work the sugar fields. Indo-Mauritians are descended from Indian immigrants who arrived in the 19th century to work as indentured laborers after slavery was abolished in 1835. Included in the Indo-Mauritian community are Muslims (about 15% of the population) from what is now Pakistan. The Franco-Mauritian elite controls nearly all of the large sugar estates and is active in business and banking. As the Indian population became numerically dominant and the voting franchise was extended, political power shifted from the Franco-Mauritians and their Creole allies to the Hindus. Elections in 1947 for the newly created Legislative Assembly marked Mauritius' first steps toward self-rule. An independence campaign gained momentum after 1961, when the British agreed to permit additional self-government and eventual independence. A coalition composed of the Mauritian Labor Party (MLP), the Muslim Committee of Action (CAM), and the Independent Forward Bloc (IFB)- -a traditionalist Hindu party--won a majority in the 1967 Legislative Assembly election, despite opposition from Franco- Mauritian and Creole supporters of Gaetan Duval's Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD). The contest was interpreted locally as a referendum on independence. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, MLP leader and chief minister in the colonial government, became the first prime minister at independence, on March 12, 1968. This event was preceded by a period of communal strife, brought under control with assistance from British troops.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Mauritian politics are turbulent and characterized by coalition and alliance building. Alone or in coalitions, the MLP ruled from 1947 until June 1982. The Mauritian Militant Movement/Mauritian Socialist Party (MMM/PSM) alliance won the 1982 election. In 1983, defectors from the MMM joined with the PSM to form the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) and won a working majority. In July 1990, the MSM realigned with the MMM and in September 1991 national elections won 59 of the 62 directly elected seats in parliament. As promised in its electoral program, the MSM/MMM alliance amend- ed the constitution, making Mauritius a republic within the Commonwealth. Since March 12, 1992, the chief of state has been a Mauritian-born president, replacing Queen Elizabeth II. Under the amended constitution, political power still derives from the parliament. The Council of Ministers (cabinet), responsible for the direction and control of the government, consists of the prime minister (head of government), the leader of the majority party in the legislature, and 24 other ministers. The unicameral National Assembly has up to 70 deputies. Sixty-two are elected by universal suffrage, and as many as eight "best losers" are chosen from the runners-up by the Electoral Supervisory Commission by a formula designed to give at least minimal representation to all ethnic communities and under-represented parties. Elections are scheduled at least every 5 years. Mauritian law is an amalgam of French and British legal traditions. The Supreme Court--a chief justice and five other judges--is the highest judicial authority. There is an additional right of appeal to the Queen's Privy Council. Local government has nine administrative divisions, with municipal and town councils in urban areas and district and village councils in rural areas.
Principal Government Officials
President--Cassam Uteem Vice President--Sir Rabindrah Ghurburrun Prime Minister--Sir Anerood Jugnauth Ambassador to the United States--Chitmansing Jesseramsing Ambassador to the United Nations--Satteanand Peerthum Mauritius maintains an embassy at 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-244-1491).
ECONOMY
The Mauritian economy is based on export-oriented manufacturing, sugar, and tourism. Structurally, it has a strong private sector and state-owned enterprises. The economy grew at an average rate of 6% over the last decade, reaching full employment in the late 1980s. Growth started to decline in 1988, as the economy started to experience some of the problems associated with success. Skilled labor shortages now are evident in industry, and a small amount of labor is imported. Degradation of the environment, drug trafficking and abuse, and poor housing are the country's most pressing socioeconomic problems. Unemployment--less than 2% in 1991--is not a problem, due to the rapid expansion of the export processing zone (EPZ) during the last 10 years as well as to the government's success in curbing post-World War II population growth.
Manufacturing.
During the second half of the 1980s, manufacturing emerged as the most important sector in the Mauritian economy, surpassing the traditional sugar sector in terms of gross foreign exchange earnings, job creation, and contribution to GDP. Non-sugar manufacturing accounted for about 21% of total value added in 1991, compared to 17% in 1985. In addition, the share of non-sugar manufactured exports in the total export earnings rose from under one-half in 1985 to two-thirds in 1991. The performance of the manufacturing sector is largely influenced by the evolution of the EPZ, which is heavily concentrated in textile products. In 1991, about 63% of EPZ firms engaged in textile production (mainly garments and knitwear) and accounted for almost 90% of EPZ employment and over 75% of total EPZ exports. Other EPZ products include leather products, watches, optical goods, cut and polished gems, toys, canned tuna, and cut flowers.
Sugar.
Despite the rapid growth of the EPZ sector in the past several years, sugar still plays a key role in the Mauritian economy. Sugarcane occupies about 45% of Mauritius' total land area and 90% of its cultivated land. The industry accounts for about 10% of GDP (including milling), 15% of employment in larger establishments, and 30% of gross foreign exchange earnings. Sugar is the most important commodity in net foreign exchange earnings, as it has a lower import content (about 20%) than that of manufactured exports (about 70%) in the EPZ sector. Under the Lome Convention, Mauritian exports have guaranteed access to the European Economic Community market at a remunerative price for up to 507,000 metric tons, equivalent to about 75% of local production.
Tourism.
Tourism is the third most important source of foreign exchange earnings after the EPZ and sugar. In recent years, the industry has witnessed remarkable growth, both in terms of gross earnings and tourist arrivals. From 1983 to 1990, the number of tourists increased from 124,000 to 292,000, and gross earnings increased from $34 million to $233 million.
Vulnerabilities and Diversification.
Despite the impressive economic performance of Mauritius, there remain several underlying structural weaknesses in the economy due to the country's overdependence on exports of textile products and sugar and to vulnerability to climatic conditions and unforeseen fluctuations in export prices. As Mauritius enters the second phase of its industrial development, the government plans to reduce these vulnerabilities through aggressive industrial and export market diversification. Accordingly, the government is now promoting investment in electronics, light engineering, computer software, pharmaceuticals, plastics, leather, jewelry, and printing and publishing operations, while at the same time consolidating the textile sector. The government also has taken measures to develop Mauritius as a regional financial center. In 1989, the government set up both the offshore banking center and the Port Louis Stock Exchange. Seven offshore banks operate in Mauritius. The stock exchange started with only 5 companies but, over the last 2 years, has expanded its activities and now has 19 public companies on the "official list." The government also launched an Offshore Business Center in 1991 to promote the establishment of offshore companies in business activities including fund management, consultancy, and services. The success of the next phase of Mauritius' economic development will depend on the availability of skilled labor at all levels and on the country's ability to attract investment in more sophisticated and capital-intensive technologies and higher value-added activities.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Strong ties between Mauritius and the West are due to Mauritius' political heritage and dependence on Western markets. Mauritius has sought to establish close links with the European Community and its member states, particularly the United Kingdom and France, which exercises sovereignty over neighboring Reunion. Considered part of Africa geographically, Mauritius has a solid relationship with other African states and, in 1976, chaired the meeting of the Organization of African Unity. It was chosen as the site for the Secretariat of the Indian Ocean Commission in February 1988. The government has espoused positions often promoted by third world countries. India and Mauritius share close relations based on cultural and ethnic ties. Foreign embassies in Mauritius include Australia, the United Kingdom, China, Egypt, France, India, Madagascar, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, and the United States.
DEFENSE
Mauritius does not have a standing army. All military, police, and security functions are carried out by the 6,000-member National Police force. The 1,200-member Special Mobile Force (SMF) and the 500-member National Coast Guard are the only two para-military units in Mauritius. Both units are composed of police officers on lengthy rotations to those services. The SMF is organized as a ground infantry unit and engages extensively in civic works projects. The Coast Guard has three coastal patrol craft and an airplane for search and rescue missions and surveillance of territorial waters. The Special Supporting Unit is a 300-member riot-control force. Military advisers from the United Kingdom and India work with the SMF, the Coast Guard, and the Police Helicopter Unit, and Mauritian police officers are trained in the United Kingdom, India, and France. In January 1991, the Mauritian Government approved Mauritian participation in the US International Military Education and Training Program (IMET), opening the way for Mauritian officers to receive military training in the United States.
US-MAURITIAN RELATIONS
Official US representation in Mauritius dates from the end of the 18th century. An American consulate was established on the island in 1794 but closed in 1911. It was reopened in 1967 and elevated to embassy status upon the country's independence in 1968. Since 1970, the mission has been directed by a resident US ambassador. Relations between the United States and Mauritius, recently highlighted by the June 1991 official visit of Prime Minister Jugnauth to Washington, are good. US trade with and investment in Mauritius are relatively small but growing. Most categories of Mauritian textiles, a major export, are under US import restraints; Mauritius has a modest US sugar quota as well. In 1991, Mauritius imported US goods valued at $15.3 million. The same year, the United States imported $130.9 million in Mauritian products, mostly knitwear and other textiles and sugar. In FY 1991, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) provided $3 million under the Mauritius Industrial Diversification Project, mainly in the form of technical assistance. In addition, USAID provided $165,000 under the FY 1991 US Self-Help Fund Program and $300,000 for population/family planning programs, including supply and training in the use of contraceptives.
Principal US Officials:
Ambassador--vacant Deputy Chief of Mission--David B. Dunn The US embassy in Mauritius is located in the Rogers House, 4th floor, J. Kennedy Street, Port Louis (tel. 230-208-2347; FAX 230- 208-9534).
TRAVEL NOTES;
Customs:
Visas are not required for US citizens, but travelers should have onward or return tickets. Immunization certificates are not required unless the traveler arrives in Mauritius from an infected area.
Currency, exchange, and banking:
Travelers may bring in any amount of foreign notes or travelers checks.
Health:
Mauritius has no major health hazards. Local clinics and pharmacies are adequate. Precautions should be taken before consuming raw fruits and vegetables or tap water.
Telecommunications:
Reliable international mail, telephone, FAX, and telegraph services are available. Mauritius is nine time zones ahead of eastern standard time.
Transportation:
Regular flights serve Europe, East and Southern Africa, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia. Rental cars and taxis are readily available. Traffic moves on the left. Bus service is regular and inexpensive throughout Mauritius. Most roads, though paved, are narrow, twisting, and poorly lit at night.
HOW TO ORDER BACKGROUND NOTES IN PAPER
Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of Public Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington, DC November 1992 -- Editor: Marilyn J. Bremner Department of State Publication 8023--Background Notes Series -- This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted without permission; citation of this source is appreciated. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.(###)
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Which is the largest of the 7,107 islands that make up the Philippines? | Top 10 Largest Islands of the Philippines
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Top 10 Largest Islands of the Philippines
Most Filipinos can easily tell that the Philippines is an archipelago consisting of 7,107 islands. Philippine islands come in all sizes and shapes. Some even disappear during high tide. In this blog post, let us share with you a brief introduction about the Philippines by showcasing our country's ten largest islands through photos. If you are ready, let the island hopping begin!
Mayon Volcano
#01 Island of Luzon -- With a land area of 104,688 km², Luzon is the largest island of the Philippines. It is located on the northern part of the archipelago and is the main island of the Luzon group of islands. Luzon is home to 30 of the provinces of the Philippines. The country's capital city of Manila is also located here.
One of the most majestic icons of the island is the Mayon Volcano, located in the province of Albay , an active volcano renowned for its perfect cone shape. Other famous destinations in Luzon include two UNESCO World Hertitage Sites, the Hispanic Town of Vigan in the province of Ilocos Sur and the Rice Terraces in Batad and Bangaan located in the province of Ifugao; as well as the Walled City of Intramuros in the capital Manila and the town of Donsol in the province of Sorsogon, known as the best spot to experience swimming with the whale sharks.
Maria Cristina Falls
#02 Island of Mindanao -- The main island of Mindanao has a total land area of 97, 530 km² which makes it the second largest island of the Philippines. It is the main island of the Mindanao group of islands located on the southern area of the archipelago. 21 provinces of the Philippines are located on this island.
Among the natural wonders of the island is the Maria Cristina Falls located in the province of Lanao del Norte . It powers a hydroelectric power plant that serves as the main supplier of electricity in Mindanao. Another popular destination in Mindanao, especially for mountain climbers, is Mount Apo. This is the highest mountain in the Philippines located between Davao City and the provinces of Davaol del Sur and Cotabato. Mindanao is also a major producer of world-class quality pineapples (in the provinces of Bukidnon and South Cotabato) and bananas (in the province of Davao del Norte).
Marabut, Samar
#03 Island of Samar -- We now take you to the Visayas group of islands starting off with Samar. It is the largest among the islands in the Visayas region, located on the eastern side of the Philippines. The land area of the island measures 12,849 km² making it the third largest island of the Philippines. In 1965, the island was separated into three provinces, Western Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar, with Western Samar subsequently renamed to Samar.
In 1901, during the Philippine-American Way, the US Army took three church bells from the Balangiga Church (see photo below) as trophies of war. Up to the present time, those bells are still in the possession of the US Army despite efforts by the Philippine government to recover the bells and return them to their home in the town of Balangiga, in the province of Eastern Samar. The town of Marabut, Samar province is known for its natural rock formations. The province of Samar is also gaining popularity among caving enthusiasts from Europe, US and Canada.
The Ruins
#04 Island of Negros -- Another island located in the Visayas region, Negros ranks as the fourth largest island of the Phipines. This 12,706 km² island is divided into two provinces, Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental. The name of the island came from the Spanish word negros (the black ones) referring to the black natives who inhabited the island.
The island is the main producer of sugar in the Philippines. A famous destination in Negros is the ruins of a mansion owned by a barón del azúcar (sugar baron) located in the province of Negros Occidental. Other notable spots in Negros is the City of Silay (in the province of Negros Occidental) where Spanish colonial era houses line the streets of the city, and the City of Bais (in the province of Negros Oriental) which offers the best dolphin watching experience in the country.
Note: Several sources state that the land area of Negros is 13,328 km² which means that Negros may be larger than Samar. This is a highly debated issue and no official statement from the Philippine government can yet resolve this inconsistency. In the meantime, we will stick with what is popularly know among Filipinos.
Puerto Princesa Underground River
#05 Island of Palawan -- Between the West Philippine Sea and the Sulu Sea lies the elongated island of Palawan. It is the main island of the province of Palawan . The island has a land area of 12,189 km² which makes Palawan province the largest in the country, but only places the island as the fifth largest island of the Philippines.
Palawan is the site of the world famous Puerto Princesa Underground River (see photo below), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and proclaimed as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2012. On the northern end of the island is the town of El Nido famous for its white sand beaches, lagoons and marble and limestone cliffs. It is known as the Philippines' Last Frontier.
Miag-ao Church
#06 Island of Panay -- Right at the center of the Philippine archipelago lies a triangular shaped island called Panay. The 12,011 km² island of Panay is the sixth largest island of the Philippines. Four Philippine provinces share this island: Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo.
In the town of Miao-ao in the province of Iloilo stands an 18th century Baroque church built by the Augustinian missionaries. Officially called Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva , it was included in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in 1993 as one of the four Baroque Churches of the Philippines. Roxas City, the capital of the province of Capiz , is a favorite destination for seafood lovers. The abundance of marine life earned the city its nickname Seafood Capital of the Philippines.
White Beach of Puerto Galera
#07 Island of Mindoro -- Located between the islands of Luzon and Palawan is the island of Mindoro, the seventh largest island of the Philippines. With a land area of 10,572 km², the island is divided into two provinces, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro.
White Beach, located in the town of Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, is a favorite weekend destination to many Filipinos from Metro Manila due to its close proximity to Luzon. Mindoro is also know for the tamaraw, an endemic species of the island related to the water buffalo. It is now considered an endangered species.
Leyte Landing Memorial
#08 Island of Leyte -- Another island in the Visayas region located south-west of the island of Samar and north-east of the island of Mindanao is the island of Leyte. Two provinces, Leyte and Southern Leyte, share this 7,368 km² island which ranks it as the eighth largest island of the Philippines.
Leyte played an important role in the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese forces in 1944 where General Douglas MacArthur of the US Army landed in the Philippines to fulfill his promise. Life-size statues of Gen. MacArthur and his fleet stand in the town of Palo, Leyte, marking the spot where they landed. Other famous destinations in Leyte are Lake Danao located in Ormoc City, Leyte and the tallest bridge in the Philippines, the Agas-Agas Bridge in the town of Sogod, Southern Leyte.
Magellan's Cross Shrine
#09 Island of Cebu -- It was on this island where the Spaniards established their first settlement in the Philippines that later made the entire archipelago part of the Spanish Empire. The island of Cebu, measuring 4,468 km² in area, is located in central Visayas and ranks as the ninth largest island of the Philippines. The island is where the province and the city of Cebu got their names.
A shrine was built in Cebu City to house Magellan's Cross, the cross planted by Magellan on their arrival in Cebu in 1521. Another important Catholic religious image is to be found in Cebu, the image of Santo Niño de Cebú (the Holy Child of Cebu), said to be the oldest Catholic image in the Philippines. The wooden image was a baptism gift given by Ferdinand Magellan to the principal wife of the local rajah. Festivals are celebrated around the Philippines in honor of Santo Niño de Cebú.
Chocolate Hills
#10 Island of Bohol -- Located in the southern portion of the Visayas region, the island is the main island of the province of Bohol. The island of Bohol, with an area of 3,269 km², is the tenth largest island of the Philippines.
The island is famous for its unique geological formation, the Chocolate Hills. Considered as a National Geological Monument, this natural wonder attracts tourists from within and outside the country. Another attraction in Bohol is the Philippine Tarsier, a tiny primate endemic to the Philippines.
Milestone
Following a weekend trip to Puerto Galera last January 5-6, 2013, Pinas Muna is proud to announce that it has finally visited the Top 10 Largest Islands of the Philippines. If you are planning to discover and learn more about the Philippines, why not start with these ten islands.
What's Next
Done with the top 10 largest islands? Then here are the next 10 islands for your itinerary:
Top 11-20 Largest Islands of the Philippines
11. Masbate Island (3,268 km²)
12. Catanduanes Island (1,523 km²)
13. Basilan Island (1,265 km²)
14. Marinduque Island (920 km²)
15. Busuanga Island (890 km²)
16. Jolo Island (869 km²)
17. Dinagat Island (769 km²)
18. Polilio Island (629 km²)
19. Tawi-Tawi Island (581 km²)
20. Guimaras Island (560 km²)
By
| Luzon |
Which Pacific Island group changed to driving on the left in 2009 and also moved to the west of the International Dateline in 2011, thereby losing a day? | Travel Guide | WayPH.com
Travel Guide
Archive for Category: Travel Guide
15 Jan
0
Have you ever wondered why the Niagara Falls in Canada is such a popular place for honeymooners? It is not just because it is majestic. Waterfalls represent vigorous and beautiful life, and spending the first few moments of your married life amidst so much beauty and hope augers well for any couple. You don’t have […]
17 Oct
0
Although the province of Cebu has quite a number of waterfalls to offer its millions of local and foreign guests, it is the one located in Barangay Matutinao in Badian that gets the most attention of all. Kawasan Falls is a three-tiered cascade that starts right at the foot of the Mantalungon Mountain Range, where […]
19 Sep
0
Located just west of the island of Cebu, there lies an island (Bantayan) subdivided into three municipalities: the central and western part is occupied by Bantayan (same name as the island), the northern part being of Madridejos, and on the eastern side, the Santa Fe. Thirty minutes of travel by boat away from the Santa […]
01 Aug
1
Sagada may have now become popular for the Mt. Kiltepan Sunrise due to the popular film, That Thing Called Tadhana, but the town certainly has a lot more to offer to its visitors. A trip to Sagada will never be complete without experiencing extreme activities such as spelunking. Spelunking, or caving, in Sagada is another […]
0
When it comes to waterfalls in the Philippines, Cebu isn’t exactly the first place that comes to mind. However, you would be surprised to find out that the island actually has a few hidden treasures just waiting to be discovered. The southern town of Samboan, for example, is considered as the waterfalls capital in Cebu. […]
0
Summer is already here and what better way to spend it than to explore the 7,107 beautiful islands of the Philippines – or at least four of it. Surigao del Sur is not just home to the captivating Enchanted River and Tinuy-an Falls. It is also home to another best-kept secret: the Britania Group of […]
2
The Philippines is an archipelago surrounded by numerous bodies of water, both big and small. With so much geological diversity, it might surprise you to see a special feature you have never seen elsewhere in the country. One such place is the Laswitan Falls and Lagoon, located in Cortes, Surigao City, Surigao del Sur. This […]
1
Located somewhere around the town of Socorro within the province of Surigao Del Norte where the Bucas Grande Islands are home to, this group of islands is also known by its other name, the Sohoton Cove National Park. What to see in Bucas Grande/ Sohoton Cove? Bucas Grande may not be as big nor as […]
3
Who says you would need to already be a spirit and dead even before you get to see heaven’s own stairways? Just like many of nature’s majestic views, this waterfalls—named as Aliwagwag. Set in a region as lived by the Mandaya tribes of Cateel, the waterfalls was said to be a gift to the tribe […]
0
Considered one of the hottest destinations in the Philippines for travellers- El Nido, Palawan. It is known for its incredible natural beauty—with pristine beaches and a thriving system that caters to tourists looking for a taste of tropical paradise, you should definitely consider booking a flight here and seeing for yourself why the Philippines is […]
2
The beauty of Mother Nature is just within reach at Hagimit Falls. Samal Island, being a very popular getaway for in Davao is not just home to beautiful white sand beaches but also to a pristine waterfall. Hagimit falls is popular to locals and even tourists visiting Davao City. The flowing water coming from the […]
1
Many people say, and this has been tested by many vacation-goers time and time again, that visiting a place can be made even more special and fun if you share it with good company. However, a slight miscalculation in choosing who to bring along with you could also lead to catastrophes wasting your time, effort […]
03 Mar
1
Being an archipelago composed of thousands of islands, it is not surprising to note that the Philippines boast of majestic coastlines that would surely make the Philippines among the worthy contingent for the beach capital of the world. Boracay Island Party and beach rolled into one – a perfect description of Boracay in Aklan. For […]
1
There is something about bodies of water that mystically draw people to them – and Blue Lagoon has this same magic and lots more. Many are just mesmerized by the beauty of Blue Lagoon. No wonder why many people from in and out of the country brave hours of travel to the Maira-Ira Point of […]
1
Be mesmerized by the enthralling scenery of Saud Beach Saud Beach as you visit Ilocos. It is nestled at the northern tip of Luzon just approximately around two hours from Laoag City where the closest airport to Ilocos is situated. Notably, Saud Beach is likened to that of Boracay owing to its long stretch of […]
3
In the outskirts of the Philippines lie countless tourism gems that are just waiting to be explored. One of which is Dahican Beach Resort which is dotted in Mati City of Davao Oriental. Dahican boasts of its remarkable fusion of natural splendour, offering pristine, long stretch of white sand beach, sparkling, clear waters, rich marine […]
2
It is no longer a secret that majority of the most beautiful places to explore in the Philippines are situated in the farther reaches of the country. And one of the several untainted tourism jewels that are yet to be recognized are those nestled in Mati City. Undeniably Mati is a great mixture of natural […]
6
Mind you, it wasn’t my first time to climb the tallest and most majestic mountain of the Philippines, but I was still thrilled to give in to one of my friend’s invitation to explore the mountain during this year’s Lenten season. Maybe what made me say yes this time was the different trail to be explored and of […]
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Which chemical element is named after the island of Cyprus where it was extensively mined in the Roman era? | Copper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Copper
For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation) .
29
Cu is stable with 34 neutrons
65Cu
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Copper ( IPA : /ˈkɒpə/, /ˈkɑpəɹ/) is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Cu ( Latin : cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with excellent electrical conductivity , and finds extensive use as an electrical conductor, heat conductor, as a building material, and as a component of various alloys .
Copper is an essential nutrient to all high plants and animals. In animals, including humans, it is found primarily in the bloodstream , as a co-factor in various enzymes , and in copper-based pigments . In sufficient amounts, copper can be poisonous and even fatal to organisms.
Copper has played a significant part in the history of mankind, which has used the easily accessible uncompounded metal for nearly 10,000 years. Civilizations in places like Iraq , China , Egypt , Greece and the Sumerian cities all have early evidence of using copper. During the Roman Empire, copper was principally mined on Cyprus , hence the origin of the name of the metal as Cyprium, "metal of Cyprus", later shortened to Cuprum. A number of countries, such as Chile and the United States , still have sizeable reserves of the metal which are extracted through large open pit mines. Nevertheless, the price of copper rose rapidly, increasing 500% from a 60-year low in 1999, largely due to increased demand. This metal has come into the limelight on account of high volatility in prices. According to New Scientist (May 26, 2007) the earth has an estimated 61 years supply of copper left.
Contents
[ edit ] Notable characteristics
Copper just above its melting point keeps its pink luster color when enough light overshines the orange incandescence color.
Copper exists as a metallically bonded substance, allowing it to have a wide variety of metallic properties.
Copper is a reddish-colored metal , with a high electrical and thermal conductivity ( silver is the only pure metal to have a higher electrical conductivity at room temperature). [1] In oxidation copper is mildly basic . Copper has its characteristic color because it reflects red and orange light and absorbs other frequencies in the visible spectrum, due to its band structure . This can be contrasted with the optical properties of silver , gold and aluminium .
Copper occupies the same family of the periodic table as silver and gold, since they each have one s-orbital electron on top of a filled electron shell . This similarity in electron structure makes them similar in many characteristics. All have very high thermal and electrical conductivity, and all are malleable metals.
In its liquified state, a pure copper surface without ambient light appears somewhat greenish, another characteristic shared with gold. Silver does not have this property, so it is not a complementary color for the orange incandescence color. When liquid copper is in bright ambient light, it retains some of its pinkish luster. Due to its high surface tension, the liquid metal does not wet surfaces but instead forms spherical droplets when poured on a surface.
Copper is insoluble in water (H2O).
There are two stable isotopes , 63Cu and 65Cu, along with a couple dozen radioisotopes . The vast majority of radioisotopes have half lives on the order of minutes or less; the longest lived, 67Cu, has a half life of 61.8 hours. See also isotopes of copper .
Numerous copper alloys exist, many with important historical and contemporary uses. Speculum metal and bronze are alloys of copper and tin . Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc . Monel metal, also called cupronickel , is an alloy of copper and nickel . While the metal "bronze" usually refers to copper-tin alloys, it also is a generic term for any alloy of copper, such as aluminium bronze , silicon bronze, and manganese bronze.
Copper is germicidal, via the oligodynamic effect . For example, brass doorknobs disinfect themselves of many bacteria within eight hours [1] . This effect is useful in many applications.
The purity of copper is expressed as 4N for 99.99% pure or 7N for 99.99999% pure. The numeral gives the number of nines after the decimal point when expressed as a decimal (eg 4N means 0.9999, or 99.99%).
[ edit ] Applications
Native copper specimen
Copper is malleable and ductile , a good conductor of heat and, when very pure, a good conductor of electricity .
It is used extensively, in products such as:
Piping , including, but not limited to, domestic water supply
Electronics:
[ edit ] History
Copper, as native copper , is one of the few metals to naturally occur as an uncompounded mineral. Copper was known to some of the oldest civilizations on record, and has a history of use that is at least 10,000 years old. A copper pendant was found in what is now northern Iraq that dates to 8700 BCE. By 5000 BCE, there are signs of copper smelting , the refining of copper from simple copper compounds such as malachite or azurite . Among archaeological sites in Anatolia, Çatal Höyük (~6000 BCE) features native copper artifacts and smelted lead beads, but no smelted copper. But Can Hasan (~5000 BCE) had access to smelted copper; this site has yielded the oldest known cast copper artifact, a copper mace head.
Ancient Copper ingot from Zakros , Crete is shaped in the form of an animal skin typical for that era.
Copper smelting appears to have been developed independently in several parts of the world. In addition to its development in Anatolia by 5000 BCE, it was developed in China before 2800 BCE, in the Andes around 2000 BCE, in Central America around 600 AD, and in West Africa around 900 AD. [7] Copper is found extensively in the Indus Valley Civilization by the 3rd millennium BC. [8] In Europe, Ötzi the Iceman , a well-preserved male dated to 3200 BC , was found with a copper-tipped axe whose metal was 99.7% pure. High levels of arsenic in his hair suggest he was involved in copper smelting. There are copper and bronze artifacts from Sumerian cities that date to 3000 BC, and Egyptian artifacts of copper and copper- tin alloys nearly as old. In one pyramid, a copper plumbing system was found that is 5000 years old. The Egyptians found that adding a small amount of tin made the metal easier to cast, so bronze alloys were found in Egypt almost as soon as copper was found. In the Americas production in the Old Copper Complex , located in present day Michigan and Wisconsin, was dated back to between 6000 to 3000 BCE. [9]
The use of bronze became so pervasive in a certain era of civilization that it has been named the Bronze Age . The transitional period in certain regions between the preceding Neolithic period and the Bronze Age is termed the Chalcolithic ("copper-stone"), with some high-purity copper tools being used alongside stone tools. Brass was known to the Greeks, but only became a significant supplement to bronze during the Roman empire.
In Greek the metal was known by the name chalkos (χαλκός). Copper was a very important resource for the Romans, Greeks and other ancient peoples. In Roman times, it became known as aes Cyprium (aes being the generic Latin term for copper alloys such as bronze and other metals, and Cyprium because so much of it was mined in Cyprus ). From this, the phrase was simplified to cuprum and then eventually Anglicized into the English copper. Copper was associated with the goddess Aphrodite / Venus in mythology and alchemy , owing to its lustrous beauty, its ancient use in producing mirrors, and its association with Cyprus , which was sacred to the goddess. In alchemy the symbol for copper was also the symbol for the planet Venus .
[ edit ] Copper mining in Britain and the United States
See Copper extraction for the article on copper mining techniques.
Copper has been mined for many centuries. By 2000 BC, Europe was using copper-tin alloys or ‘bronze’. The Bronze Age is taken as 2500 BC to 600 BC.
West Mine at Alderley Edge
The Staffordshire Moorlands (e.g. Ecton Mine)
Isle of Man , which is between England and Northern Ireland
At Great Orme in North Wales, such working extended for a depth of 70 metres. [10] At Alderley Edge in Cheshire , carbon dates have established mining at around 2280 - 1890 BC (at 95% probability). [11]
Miners at the Tamarack Mine in Copper Country , Michigan, USA in 1905.
Copper mining in the United States began with marginal workings by Native Americans and some development by early Spaniards. Europeans were mining copper in Connecticut as early as 1709. Perhaps the oldest operating large-scale copper mine was the historic Elizabeth Mine in Vermont. Dating to the 1700s, "the Liz" produced copper until it was closed in 1958. Westward movement also brought an expansion of copper exploitation with developments of significant deposits in Michigan and Arizona during the 1850s and then in Montana during the 1860s.
Copper was mined extensively in Michigan 's Keweenaw Peninsula with the heart of extraction at the productive Quincy Mine . Arizona had many notable deposits including the Copper Queen in Bisbee and the United Verde in Jerome. The Anaconda in Butte, Montana became the nation's chief copper supplier by 1886.
Copper is mined in many other areas of the United States, including Utah , Nevada and Tennessee .
[ edit ] Biological role
Copper is essential in all plants and animals. Copper is carried mostly in the bloodstream on a plasma protein called ceruloplasmin . When copper is first absorbed in the gut it is transported to the liver bound to albumin . Copper is found in a variety of enzymes , including the copper centers of cytochrome c oxidase and the enzyme superoxide dismutase (containing copper and zinc). In addition to its enzymatic roles, copper is used for biological electron transport. The blue copper proteins that participate in electron transport include azurin and plastocyanin . The name "blue copper" comes from their intense blue color arising from a ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) absorption band around 600 nm.
Most molluscs and some arthropods such as the horseshoe crab use the copper-containing pigment hemocyanin rather than iron -containing hemoglobin for oxygen transport, so their blood is blue when oxygenated rather than red. [12]
It is believed that zinc and copper compete for absorption in the digestive tract so that a diet that is excessive in one of these minerals may result in a deficiency in the other. The RDA for copper in normal healthy adults is 0.9 mg /day. Because of its role in facilitating iron uptake, copper deficiency can often produce anemia -like symptoms.
[ edit ] Toxicity
All copper compounds, unless otherwise known, should be treated as if they were toxic . Thirty grams of copper sulfate is potentially lethal in humans. The suggested safe level of copper in drinking water for humans varies depending on the source, but tends to be pegged at 1.5 to 2 mg/L. The DRI Tolerable Upper Intake Level for adults of dietary copper from all sources is 10 mg/day. In toxicity, copper can inhibit the enzyme dihydrophil hydratase , an enzyme involved in haemopoiesis .
Symptoms of copper poisoning are very similar to those produced by arsenic . Fatal cases are generally terminated by convulsions, palsy, and insensibility.
In cases of suspected copper poisoning, Ovalbumin is to be administered in either of its forms which can be most readily obtained, as milk or whites of eggs . Vinegar should not be given. The inflammatory symptoms are to be treated on general principles, and so are the nervous.
A significant portion of the toxicity of copper comes from its ability to accept and donate single electrons as it changes oxidation state. This catalyzes the production of very reactive radical ions such as hydroxyl radical in a manner similar to fenton chemistry . [13] This catalytic activity of copper is used by the enzymes that it is associated with and is thus only toxic when unsequestered and unmediated. This increase in unmediated reactive radicals is generally termed oxidative stress and is an active area of research in a variety of diseases where copper may play an important but more subtle role than in acute toxicity.
An inherited condition called Wilson's disease causes the body to retain copper, since it is not excreted by the liver into the bile . This disease, if untreated, can lead to brain and liver damage. In addition, studies have found that people with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia had heightened levels of copper in their systems. However it is unknown at this stage whether the copper contributes to the mental illness, whether the body attempts to store more copper in response to the illness, or whether the high levels of copper are the result of the mental illness.
Too much copper in water has also been found to damage marine life. The observed effect of these higher concentrations on fish and other creatures is damage to gills, liver, kidneys, and the nervous system. It also interferes with the sense of smell in fish, thus preventing them from choosing good mates or finding their way to mating areas.
[ edit ] Miscellaneous hazards
The metal, when powdered, is a fire hazard . At concentrations higher than 1 mg/L, copper can stain clothes and items washed in water.
World production trend
See Copper extraction for the main article.
In 2005, Chile was the top mine producer of copper with at least one-third world share followed by the USA, Indonesia and Peru, reports the British Geological Survey .
Copper can be found as native copper in mineral form. Minerals such as the sulfides : chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), bornite (Cu5FeS4), covellite (CuS), chalcocite (Cu2S) are sources of copper, as are the carbonates : azurite (Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2) and malachite (Cu2CO3(OH)2) and the oxide: cuprite (Cu2O).
Most copper ore is mined or extracted as copper sulfides from large open pit mines in porphyry copper deposits that contain 0.4 to 1.0 percent copper. Examples include: Chuquicamata in Chile and El Chino Mine in New Mexico . The average abundance of copper found within crustal rocks is approximately 68 ppm by mass, and 22 ppm by atoms.
Native Copper Placer Nuggets
Native copper
The Intergovernmental Council of Copper Exporting Countries (CIPEC), defunct since 1992, once tried to play a similar role for copper as OPEC does for oil , but never achieved the same influence, not least because the second-largest producer, the United States , was never a member. Formed in 1967, its principal members were Chile , Peru , Zaire , and Zambia .
The copper price has quintupled since 1999, rising from $0.60 per pound in June 1999 to $3.75 per pound in May 2006, where it dropped to $2.40 in February 2007 then rebounded to $3.50 in April 2007. [2] .
[ edit ] Compounds
Common oxidation states of copper include the less stable copper(I) state, Cu+; and the more stable copper(II) state, Cu2+, which forms blue or blue-green salts and solutions. Under unusual conditions, a 3+ state and even an extremely rare 4+ state can be obtained. Using old nomenclature for the naming of salts, copper(I) is called cuprous, and copper(II) cupric.
Copper(II) carbonate is green from which arises the unique appearance of copper-clad roofs or domes on some buildings. Copper(II) sulfate forms a blue crystalline penta hydrate which is perhaps the most familiar copper compound in the laboratory. It is used as a fungicide , known as Bordeaux mixture.
There are two stable copper oxides, copper(II) oxide (CuO) and copper(I) oxide (Cu2O). Copper oxides are used to make yttrium barium copper oxide (YBa2Cu3O7-δ) or YBCO which forms the basis of many unconventional superconductors .
Add aqueous sodium hydroxide . A blue precipitate of copper(II) hydroxide should form.
Ionic equation:
Cu2+(aq) + 2OH−(aq) → Cu(OH)2(s)
The full equation shows that the reaction is due to hydroxide ions deprotonating the hexaaquacopper (II) complex:
[Cu(H2O)6]2+(aq) + 2 OH−(aq) → Cu(H2O)4(OH)2(s) + 2 H2O (l)
Adding aqueous ammonia causes the same precipitate to form. It then dissolves upon adding excess ammonia, to form a deep blue ammonia complex, tetraamminecopper(II).
Ionic equation:
Cu(H2O)4(OH)2(s) + 4 NH3(aq) → [Cu(H2O)2(NH3)4]2+(aq) + 4 H2O (l)
A more delicate test than the ammonia is the ferrocyanide of potassium , which gives a brown precipitate with copper salts.
| The Copper |
Who has played Dot Cotton in Eastenders since 1985? | Silicon
Silicon
As carbon is the element of life, silicon is the element of the earth
Contents
Introduction to Silicon
Silicon is an word known to the public, at least in the phrase "Silicon Valley," and is associated with computers, although the public probably does not know what a chemical element is, or how silicon is used in computers, or where it comes from, or how it behaves. The earth is constructed of silicon, and we use it every day in the form of glass and pottery. What carbon is to the living world, silicon is to the non-living. Its study is, therefore, interesting and wide-ranging, leading into many areas of technology and science. In this article, I shall strive to present the fundamentals of the most important of these areas, so that a useful understanding of silicon can be developed in those who seek it. Not only is there a great amount of information about silicon, but study brings up new questions at every turn. I am certain that somebody knows the answers to most of these questions, but I do not, and must leave them for further research. Indeed, the authorities often do not agree, figures may vary, and ignorance is glossed over in many cases. I shall do the best I can, and admit my ignorance where it appears.
In this large article, I shall first discuss the physical and chemical properties of silicon and its oxide silica. If it were not for the semiconductor applications of pure silicon, silica would be by far the more important topic. The earth is more precisely constructed of silica; except possibly for the core, the whole earth is mainly silica, with a few impurities. Then, the use of elemental silica as a semiconductor will be discussed, and how several familiar semiconductor devices made from it work. After this, the large field of silica minerals and their structures will be explained. Then, the relation of silica to life will be explored, concentrating on the diatom and the diatomite it has left, which is an important industrial mineral. Silicate minerals weather to clay, which not only forms the soils in which plants grow, but also gives us pottery, bricks and cement. Silicon also gives us glass, a substance that is probably always in our view in daily life, and which is not only useful, but also beautiful. The lore of silica is a rich garden that yields many tasty fruits. The links in the Contents will allow you to sample any subject that interests you. This article is brand new, and will be revised to eliminate errors and misprints, and to include new things that I learn.
The name silicon comes from the Latin silex, silicis, the word for "paving stone." The genitive is given to show where the "c" comes from. Flints made a very good, durable paving stone, so the word came to be associated with flints. Flints are made of silicon dioxide, so the name was acquired by this important substance, "silica." Silica is very difficult to decompose into silicon and oxygen, so was long supposed to be a simple substance, an "element," along with similar compounds, such as alumina, Al2O3, or magnesia, MgO. As sand, it has been known from time immemorial. The Greek for sand, psammites, and the Latin, arena, have not found their ways into chemical terminology as the flint has.
When Humphrey Davy decomposed soda and potash into metallic sodium and potassium by electrolysis just after 1800, powerful reducing agents became available. A reducing agent is a reagent that supplies electrons, which can turn a metal ion into the metal itself, as Fe++ + 2e- → Fe. Potassium is just about the most powerful reducing agent that exists, and can be used to reduce nearly every other element. Davy, and in Paris Gay-Lussac and Thénard, competed to decompose previously undecomposable substances and discover new elements. Davy won with boron in 1809, closely followed by the French pair. Though Davy suspected silica was a compound, Gay-Lussac and Thénard won the race for silicon in 1811. What they got was not all that impressive, and Berzelius, in 1824, finally exhibited relatively pure silicon, and is credited with the discovery.
What these workers did was dissolve silica in hydrofluoric acid (the only acid that attacks it) to get silicon fluoride: SiO2 + 4HF → SiF4 + 2H2O. The gaseous silicon fluoride was then passed through molten potassium, where the silicon was reduced: SiF4 + 4K → Si + 4KF. The potassium fluoride could then be washed away, leaving a brown powder, amorphous silicon. It is not actually amorphous, just microcrystalline. The actual reactions are not this neat, and other compounds are formed, such as fluosilicates, which means that the silicon is not very pure. It was not until 1854 that pure, crystalline silicon was produced. This is a silvery-gray, metallic-looking substance that is, nevertheless, rather brittle and low in density.
Most silicon now is made by reduction of SiO2 with C in the electric furnace. With carefully selected pure sand, the result is commercial brown silicon of 97% purity or better. This is the silicon used for semiconductors, but it must be further purified to bring impurities below the parts-per-billion level. Both sand and the brown silicon are the starting points for the synthesis of silicon compounds.
Silicon belongs to the IVA family in the periodic table, which consists of carbon, silicon, germanium, tin and lead. Its atomic number is 14, and its atomic weight is 28.086. Its isotope Si28 has an abundance of 92%. It melts at 1440°C, and boils at 2355°C. Its density is 2.36 g/cc. The outer electron configuration of each of these atoms is s2p2. Carbon and silicon are nonmetals, white tin and lead are metals, and germanium and gray tin are typical semiconductors. Of course, the important use of elemental silicon is as a semiconductor, so this matter will be discussed in its own section below. These five atoms are very different in their physical and chemical behaviors, despite being in the same column in the periodic table.
Silicon is often compared to carbon, and differences are what is significant, not similarities. Each has a valence of 4, but there the similarity ends. Carbon will share one, two or three electrons with another carbon, forming single, double and triple covalent bonds. The lengths of these bonds are typically 0.154, 0.133 and 0.120 nm. The radius of a carbon atom can be taken as 0.077, based on the single bond. Multiple bonds are also formed with other atoms, such as N, O, S and P. This leads to the great richness of carbon chemistry. Carbon will not let go of its four valence electrons, but is willing to share them.
Silicon, on the other hand, will share an electron with another silicon, showing a radius of 0.117 nm, but will not make multiple bonds. The fact that it is about 50% larger than a carbon atom makes the difference. Silicon, likewise, will not let go of its four valence electrons, and does not even like to share them very much if the alternative of sharing them with an oxygen atom is possible. Both carbon and silicon find that hybrid sp3 tetrahedral orbitals are the most stable, with the angle between bonds equal to 109° 28', the tetrahedral angle. Silicon prefers above all else to surround itself with four oxygen atoms as if in the orthosilicate ion (SiO4)----. This ion actually exists in water solution, forming the weakly ionized orthosilicic acid, H4SiO4, with ionization constant K1 = 2 x 10-10. The orthosilicate ion, which we shall call the silica tetrahedron, is shown in the diagram at the right. All you can see of it are the oxygen atoms; the silicon is safe in the middle.
Molecules of orthosilicic acid can condense at their vertices by the elimination of H2O to form Si-O-Si linkages. Each silcon atom is surrounded by four oxygens, in each of which it has a half-interest, so the composition is expressed by SiO2, the usual formula given for silica. Note carefully that there are no SiO2 molecules here, just a giant macromolecule that is the crystalline silica. If not given a lot of time, the tetrahedra will condense in a sort of mess that is not actually crystalline, but a glass. With time and luck, or if allowed to grow on a pattern, the tetrahedra will arrange themselves in the form of a crystal, perhaps the hexagonal crystal of the mineral quartz. The density of quartz is 2.65 g/cc. Silicon specializes in these large macromolecules, of which the silica tetrahedron is the building block.
The analogous compounds CO2 and SiO2 are very different. The first is a gas, or a soft solid at low temperatures, always consisting of CO2 molecules, in which the carbon and oxygen are connected by double bonds. It is soluble in water, forming carbonate ions. The second is a hard, crystalline solid not softened by heat below 1700°C, and very resistant to chemical attack. Silica is one large molecule, not an assembly of SiO2 molecules. I have not heard exactly what happens in the gaseous state.
If there is no oxygen around, the silicon atom must be satisfied by others of its own kind. The Si-Si covalent bond is 0.117 nm long, and is strong. The crystal formed is the same as in diamond, a face-centered cubic lattice. Its density is 2.36 g/cc. Large crystals are not as reactive as the brown powder of amorphous silicon (which is also fcc, but finely divided). The crystal is silvery gray, and shiny like a metal, but is lighter that you would expect from its appearance. One handbook mentions a "graphitic" silicon, but all other sources I have consulted are silent on this subject. If it were not for the electrons, pure crystalline silica would be transparent.
Silicon can be convinced to combine with halogens and hydrogen if there is no oxygen around. This combination must usually be brought about indirectly, and water must be excluded. Silicon forms silane, SiH4, which is analogous to methane, CH4. However, the two gases are quite different. Methane can be bubbled through water, but silane is immediately hydrolyzed: SiH4 + 3H2O → H2SiO3 + 3H2, since silicon has a hunger for oxygen. There are analogues to the alkanes, such as Si2H6, Si3H8, and so on, where there are Si-Si bonds. The last-mentioned compound, and all higher ones, are pyrophoric, bursting into flame even with only atmospheric oxygen available.
Treatment of brown silicon with chlorine makes SiCl4. This substance melts at -70°C, and boils at 60°C. It is tetrahedral, with bond length 0.201 nm, slightly less than expected. The contraction of about 0.016 nm in the bond length is evidence of additional stability conferred by resonance with slightly ionic structures in which electrons are moved from chlorine to chlorine. In water, SiCl4 + 3H2O → H2SiO3 + 4HCl. If SiCl4 is mixed with NH4OH, we get a dense white smoke of the metasilicic acid and ammonium chloride, that is used for military purposes and in skywriting. SiCl4 liquid is nonconducting, showing that it is not ionic.
SiF4 is curious in that its melting point is -90°C, but its "boiling point" is -95°C. What this means is that the solid sublimes to SiF4 molecules before it melts. The solid does not consist of SiF4 molecules, but of a giant molecule in silicon style. SiF4 is covalently bonded, and does not give fluoride ions in solution--instead, the molecule hydrolyzes, as we would expect, making metasilicic acid and fluosilicic acid (instead of hydrofluoric). Fluosilicic acid, H2SiF6, is a strong acid where the silicon is in the center of an octahedron of fluorines, instead of a tetrahedron of oxygens. The silicofluoride ions are stable in solution, and form salts. The silicofluoride octahedron is the only thing that can be on equal terms with the silica tetrahedron. SiF4 is evolved when silica dissolves in HF.
There are also numerous compounds with both hydrogen and halogens, such as trichlorosilane, SiHCl3. This compound is made when brown silicon is treated with anydrous HCl. It decomposes on a hot surface to elemental silicon, chlorine and hydrochloric acid. In the purification of silicon, it can be distilled to high purity, and then decomposed to silicon with impurities at the parts-per-billion level, satisfactory for many purposes.
Sand will also react directly with carbon in the electric furnace to produce silicon carbide, SiC, or carborundum: SiO2 + 3C → SiC + 2CO. This reaction proceeds because the gaseous carbon monoxide expelled. Commercial carborundum is black and impure, but still is very hard, 9.2 Mohs. When pure, it is a transparent, greenish crystal. It occurs in two modifications, α-SiC which is hexagonal in structure, and β-SiC, which is face-centered cubic, the diamond structure, and apparently the hardest form. Its electrical conductivity is 107-200 Ω-cm, so it can be used for electrodes. Its density is 3.217 g/cc, and it sublimes at 2700°C. Carborundum was discovered by E. G. Acheson in 1891, and was the first of the artificial abrasives.
Ferrosilicon, an alloy of iron and silicon, is produced if iron oxide is added to the sand and coke in the electric furnace. This alloy does not have to be especally pure, since it is thrown into molten iron to deoxidize it. The silicon combines with any oxygen present, as we might expect. Extra silicon remains and alloys with the iron. A few percent gives an excellent steel for magnetic cores, and in cast iron it aids the castability.
Sodium oxide, Na2O, reacts rapidly with water to make the strong base NaOH: Na2O + H2O → 2NaOH. NaOH dissociates completely in water to give OH- ion, and because of this is called a base. Sulphur trioxide, SO3, also reacts rapidly with water to make the strong acid H2SO4: SO3 + H2O → H2SO4. This molecule dissociates in water to give H+, and because of this is called an acid. Chemistry texts often point out that this ion is hydrated. This is no surprise: all ions in water are hydrated. If we mix the two, we get sodium sulphate and water, which is neither acidic nor basic. Therefore, we call sodium basic and sulphur acidic, representing two principles that will react with each other.
Calcium oxide, lime, CaO, gives Ca(OH)2 in water. Incidentally, this is called slaking the lime and releases much heat. Calcium hydroxide is a weak base, but we have no trouble classifying calcium as basic. Silicon oxide, SiO2, does not actually react with water, but we can imagine that it would form H2SiO3, a feeble acid, and so classify silica as acid. When the two meet in a fused state, they react to form Ca2SiO3, which has a lower melting point than either reagent. In general, acidic and basic oxides react to give a slag that is usually of relatively low melting point. This reaction is used to remove silicates in the smelting of iron. Limestone is added, which burns to lime, evolving carbon dioxide, and then the lime reacts with the silica to form a slag in which the iron is insoluble, and which can be drawn off separately. The use of the terms acid and base in this case, where there is no water to be seen, can be made reasonable by the preceding argument.
Orthosilicic acid can lose water to form metasilicic acid, H2SiO3, which we have encountered several times already. Silica is attacked by alkalis, SiO2 + 2NaOH → Na2SiO3 + H2O. If we now treat this with HCl, we get Na2SiO3 + 2Hcl → H2SiO3 + 2NaCl. The metasilicic acid is here called "water glass," since it forms a gelatinous precipitate that is insoluble in water. Water glass is actually formed from chains of silica tetrahedra in an irregular and indefinite pattern. The formula gives only the composition, not the molecule. This is, as we realize, typical of silicon. This gel can be used to seal the pores in eggs to preserve them longer, or as an adhesive. If heated, water is driven out of the abundant pore space, and the result is the familiar silica gel used as a desiccant. When it gets full of water, it can be renewed by simple heating. Sodium silicate is made commercially by fusing sodium carbonate, sand and carbon. Water glass is then produced by acidifying the product.
Silicon makes giant molecules, as we have seen. To get some perspective on atomic sizes, consider a picogram (a millionth of a microgram) of silica. This would fit in a cube 722 nm on a side, so it would be at the limit of the optical microscope if you wanted to see it, and almost as small as a colloidal particle. However, this speck would still contain 1010 SiO2 units, 10,000 million of them! Silica vapor could easily consist of clumps of SiO2 units, say hundreds of them in each fragment, but I have not heard of anyone who has investigated. The boiling point of 2230-2590°C makes measurements a little difficult. Crystalline silicon has 5 x 1022 atoms per cc.
There is another oxide of silicon, silicon monoxide, SiO. It forms cubic crystals of density 2.13 g/cc that are transparent, with index of refraction 2.0. Polycrystalline SiO is used as an optical thin film, usually to improve reflectivity. It melts somewhere above 1700°C, and boils at 1880°C. I have seen little information on its structure and technology. Apparently it can autooxidize according to 2SiO → Si + SiO2.
A silicone is a silicon-oxygen chain with hydrocarbon radicals attached to the silicons, as in methylsilicone, (CH3)3Si-O-(CH3)2Si-O-...-O-Si(CH3)3. The hydrocarbons make the molecule look like a hydrocarbon to its surroundings, while the strong silicon-oxygen chain makes it very stable at high temperatures. The viscosity of a silicone oil increases much less rapidly than that of a hydrocarbon oil when the temperature decreases, say a factor of only 70 from 100°C to -35°C, while a hydrocarbon oil's would increase by a factor of 1800. The chains can be cross-linked and polymerized by oxygen or other means to give rubbery solids that are equally inert. These remarkable compounds are strictly artificial, never found in nature.
Silicon and its compounds are not poisonous or otherwise hazardous, except for rare compounds like the silanes. Most, indeed, are almost completely insoluble. One exception is the industrial disease silicosis, which affects workers exposed to silica dust over a considerable period. The workers involved are mainly stoneworkers and miners, and the disease can be prevented by wearing respiratory filters. Some years ago, a Denver TV reporter found to her horror that children's playgrounds often contained deadly silica, and that nobody was doing anything about it.
Silicon and Electronics
For electronic applications, we are interested in elemental silicon as a conductor of electricity. By adding controlled amounts of impurities we can determine the sign of the charge carriers and their density. By doing this in well-defined limited areas, we can construct electronic devices that rectify, amplify, are sensitive to light, emit light, and store and move electric charge on command.
The silicon must be a single crystal with few defects, and of extreme purity, with impurities at the sub-parts-per-billion level. To produce this semiconductor silicon, we start with brown commercial silicon of about 97% purity. The silicon is treated with anhydrous hydrogen chloride to produce a chlorinated silane, which is fractionally distilled to high purity, and decomposed on a hot wire. The silicon is scraped off and cast into a polycrystalline rod. This relatively pure silicon is then suspended vertically and a molten zone is passed repeatedly from top to bottom. The heat comes from induction of a current by a radio-frequency current in a movable coil surrounding the sample. Impurities tend to prefer the molten zone to the silicon solidifying behind it. At the finish of the refining, the end of the rod containing the impurities is sawed off. This zone refining produces ultra-pure silicon. A seed crystal is placed at the lower end of the polycrystalline bar, and zone melting allows the growth of a single crystal based on the orientation of the seed crystal. In all of this processing, the silicon has never touched a crucible wall or the equivalent, and remains pure. The cylindrical crystal is then cut into thin slices, or wafers, for the fabrication process that follows.
Other materials have been used for semiconductor devices. The first transistors and diodes were made from germanium. Gallium arsenide, GaAs, an example of a compound semiconductor, has been used for specialized devices. Similar compound semiconductors must be used for optoelectronic devices, such as light-emitting-diodes, for which silicon is not suitable. Silicon, however, has remained by far the most widely used semiconductor because of its unique advantages. Among these are (1) it is elemental, so composition is not a problem; (2) it forms a tough, adhering insulating oxide, SiO2, that can be used for isolation and protection; and (3) a large variety of impurity atoms are available for controlling its conduction properties.
The charge carriers in a metal that is a good conductor are electrons, which seem to move almost as if they were free particles, but confined to the volume of the metal by a high potential barrier on the order of 8 or 10 eV. At absolute zero, when the metal ions are in their regular lattice positions, the ions have no effect on the electron motion, except perhaps for changing their effective mass. In any real metal, there are impurities and defects with which the electrons may collide, and above absolute zero the vibrating ions also hinder the electrons. These realities cause electrical resistance. The number of states which the electrons may occupy is limited, and there are usually so many electrons that all the states are filled up to an energy called the Fermi level, which is about 5 eV. This effect is called degeneracy (not a very good term, but it is the one used).
In any crystal lattice, metal or otherwise, electrons free to move about occupy states classified by their energy. The periodicity of the crystal lattice causes gaps in the allowed energies, separating them into bands. This only applies to the electrons that can roam throughout the crystal, the valence electrons. The electrons in the inner shells of the ions stay where they are and have no other influence. The band in which the valence electrons move is called the valence band. In a metal, this band is mainly empty. The electrons may be degenerate at ordinary temperatures, but they still move like free electrons.
In a silicon crystal, the valence electrons are the four outer electrons that form the covalent bonds between the silicon atoms. The possible states in the valence band are completely full. There are lots of electrons, but they can go nowhere. As soon as they would move, another electron would take their place, and the net effect would be zero. In this state, the silicon is an insulator. This is almost true in pure silicon at low temperatures. The next higher band of electron states is called the conduction band. It is, in this state, completely empty. The distance in energy between the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band is, in silicon, 1.12 eV.
As the temperature rises, electrons are jostled about by the vibrating ions. At room temperature, the jostling only amounts to 0.025 eV, so it is not very likely that an electron will be knocked upstairs. This is one of the advantages of silicon, since it would require a very high temperature before many electrons were jolted into the conduction band by thermal agitation. Once this happens, we lose control of the conduction characteristics by adding impurities, and the semiconductor becomes useless. In germanium, the energy gap is only 0.67 eV, so germanium gave up at much lower temperatures than silicon does. This is an important reason why silicon has almost completely replaced germanium in semiconductors. Diamond has a band gap of 5.4 eV, so it would be useful to high temperatures, and make excellent devices. Unfortunately, it is very hard to grow perfect diamond crystals, and difficult to find impurities that will control its conduction properties.
The conductivity produced by charge carriers thermally excited across the energy gap in a semiconductor is called intrinsic. Let's suppose for a moment that we have ni electrons in the conduction band, and an equal number of places in the valence band where they used to be, called holes. If we apply an electric field, the electrons move one way, and the holes move the other way, both contributing to the current in the direction of the field. So far as semiconductors are concerned, holes act like positive charges with positive mass, very much like particles.
There is always a chance that an electron in the conduction band will encounter a hole in the valence band and fill it, or recombine. Two intrinsic charge carriers are lost in this process. The rate of recombination is proportional to the product of the concentrations of electrons n and holes p: charge pairs lost per second per unit volume = npr(T), where r(T) is some function of the temperature T. This is balanced by thermal generation of pairs at the rate g(T), which does not depend on the concentrations. In equilibrium, then, npr(T) = g(T), or np = g(T)/r(T) = f(T). In our intrinsic semiconductor, n = p = ni. f(T) does not depend on the concentration, and is a constant in a particular crystal, so we have in all cases np = ni2. For silicon at 300K, ni = 1.4 x 1010 per cc. Extreme purity of the semiconductor is necessary to achieve a figure this low.
Now suppose we introduce a substitutional impurity in the silicon lattice that has one more valence electron than silicon. Examples are P or As, either of which will fit pretty well. Impurities that are deliberately added to control the characteristics of the semiconductor are called dopants. P or As can be added in amounts up to 1021 per cc before coming out of solution, which is many more than we will need. Four of the valence electrons do the job of making the tetrahedral bonds to the other silicon atoms, while the fifth is left idling. It happens that it only requires about 0.4 eV to kick the fifth electron away into the conduction band, and this is easily done by thermal agitation at room temperature. This gives us a way of putting exactly the number of electrons we want into the conduction band. Accordingly, the impurity is called a donor. The diagram shows the filled valence band, the empty conduction band, and the donor levels, five of which are ionized and have given electrons to the conduction band. At the same time, from the equilibrium equation, p = ni2/n will be very small. The majority carriers, electrons in this case, will far outnumber the minority carriers, the holes in the valence band, which can be neglected in a first approximation. Silicon with a pentavalent dopant is called N-type silicon.
On the other hand, we may use a dopant that has only three valence electrons, such as B, Ga or Al. This causes a lack of one electron in one of the covalent bonds made by the dopant. It requires only about 0.4 eV to jolt an electron into the deficiency, leaving a hole in the valence band to wander around. We can add up to 5 x 1020 boron atoms in the crystal without causing a lattice disturbance, which again is sufficient for our purposes. As many holes as we want can be introduced as majority carriers, while minority carriers, the electrons, fall to a low concentration n = ni2/p. These dopants are called acceptors because they accept an electron to create a mobile hole. These levels are only just above the valence band in the figure, and have accepted four electrons. The holes are shown in the valence band. Silicon with a trivalent impurity is called P-type silicon.
There are many ways to construct semiconductor devices. I shall describe the widely-used planar process here, in its original form. It has been greatly developed and refined to produce smaller and smaller devices, but the principles are the same. The surface of the wafer can be oxidized to create a tightly-adhering layer of SiO2 by heating it in an atmosphere of oxygen. This layer is called simply oxide. Such a layer passivates or protects the silicon, and also serves as a mask for the application of dopants. Suppose we want to make a certain area of the wafer P-type by doping with boron. The oxide is coated with a photoresist, which is exposed to ultraviolet light through a photographically prepared mask. The area we want to dope is protected from the UV, while the rest is polymerized and hardened. Now the unpolymerized resist is washed off, leaving our region uncovered. The exposed oxide is etched away with dilute hydrofluoric acid, leaving the bare silicon exposed. Now the remainder of the resist can be removed chemically.
The wafer is then exposed to an atmosphere of a gas that will deposit boron atoms on the surface. Heating accelerates diffusion of the boron into the wafer. Most dopants diffuse very slowly in oxide, so the oxide layer of about 1μm thickness protects the rest of the silicon. Ga and Al diffuse well in oxide, so they cannot be used in this process. P, As or Sb can be used as dopants if an N region is desired. Finally, the oxide layer can be removed, and the process repeated to form areas with other characteristics. This use of the oxide as a diffusion mask is one of the great advantages of silicon. The wafer material we start with is called the substrate.
Interconnections can be made with Al metal. The wafer is given a thick coat of oxide, 1 or 1.5 μm thick, and then a layer of Al about 0.5 μm thick is evaporated all over. A mask is prepared, and resist exposed through it, just as for diffusion. The unexposed resist, corresponding to the areas where we do not want Al, is washed off. The unwanted Al is then dissolved in dilute acid, and all the electrical connections are made. The resistance of a conductor of length l and width w is R = 0.05(l/w) Ω, where the resistance "per square" of the Al is 0.05Ω (this is the resitivity times the thickness). Another conductor is heavily doped polycrystalling silicon, called poly.
As an example of what we can now do, consider a P-type region diffused into an N-type substrate. A side view is shown in the diagram. At a certain depth, there is a sudden change from P to N, called a PN junction, without any disruption to the crystal structure. If we make the P end positive, and the N end negative, an electric field points from P to N. It drives the holes toward the junction in the P region, and the electrons toward the junction in the N region, so the current flows in the same direction, P to N. When the holes meet the electrons at the junction of the P and N materials, they recombine, while new holes are created at the P terminal and new electrons at the N terminal (it is possible to make connections so that this takes place). The PN junction is forward-biased and carries current easily. The arrow in the diode symbol points from P-type to N-type, in the direction of easy current flow. The P-type material is the anode, the N-type the cathode.
Now reverse the polarity, making the P region negative and the N substrate positive, as shown on the right-hand side of the diagram. The electric field that results drives the holes and electrons away from the junction on each side. This creates a depletion layer with no charge carriers of either sign. Current cannot pass through this layer. As the carriers move away from the junction, they uncover the negative acceptors and the positive donors, so an electric field is created that cancels the applied field. The donors and acceptors are, of course, fixed in the lattice and cannot move. The current cannot continue, for there is no way to get new holes at the junction for the P material, and no way to get new electrons for the N material. The semiconductor now acts like an open circuit. The voltage across it is equal to the applied voltage. That is, the PN junction rectifies.
Diodes can be (and usually are) made by the planar method. We can start with an N-type wafer, then diffuse a P-type region into it. The substrate becomes the cathode, while the P region becomes the anode. A thousand of these can be made at one time on a wafer, and cut apart afterwards. Mass production is a feature of the planar process. Individual diodes, or whole microprocessors, can be made in large numbers with processes common to all, greatly reducing the expense.
When we apply forward bias and current flows, holes and electrons must recombine in large numbers near the PN junction. Holes are driven into the N region, where they become minority carriers, and electrons into the P region, where they likewise are in the minority. Recombination takes place to restore equilibrium. In silicon, the energy released by recombination is given up to the lattice. In some other materials, such as gallium phosphide, the recombination also can take place with the emission of light, at a wavelength corresponding roughly to the band gap, according to Bohr's formula hν = eV. Now we have a light-emitting diode, an LED. The wavelength emitted is given roughly by λ = hc/eV = 1240/V, if λ is in nm and V is in volt. Gallium arsenide, GaAs, has a band gap of 1.35 eV, so it will emit around 920 nm, in the infrared. Gallium phosphide, GaP, with a band gap of 2.24 eV, will give about 553 nm, a green light at the maximum spectral sensitivity of the eye.
If there is a reverse bias instead, the current through the PN junction is very small. The area from which the charge carriers have been swept, and in which there is a strong electric field, is called the depletion layer. If light passes through this region, there is a good chance that it will create an electron-hole pair, and the two charges will be quickly swept away before they can recombine again. A photocurrent results, and the PN junction is now detecting light; it is called a photodiode. The maximum wavelength that will make charge carriers is given by the same formula as for emitters. Silicon, with a band gap of 1.12 eV, will be sensitive to wavelengths shorter than 1110 nm. A GaAs emitter, at 920 nm, will be a good match for a Si detector, at 1110 nm, and this pair is used often in practice, as with TV remote controls.
A simple device easily created with planar technology is the field-effect transistor, or FET. This device controls a current by means of a voltage applied to it. Since no current is drawn by the control circuit, no power is required to operate it, and the power gain is effectively infinite. A side view is shown in the diagram, together with the circuit symbol. We start, for example, with a P-type substrate with a resistivity of about 5 Ω-cm, and diffuse two heavily-doped N regions into it. These regions are the main terminals of the device, called source and drain though they are actually alike and either can be chosen as the source. Whichever way we apply a voltage between them, no current will flow because there will be a reverse-biased junction at one electrode or the other. Conventionally, the drain has the reverse-biased junction.
A thin layer of oxide, perhaps only 0.1 μm thick, is deposited between the two electrodes, and on top of it is evaporated an Al gate electrode. If we apply a positive voltage with respect to the source to the gate, an electric field appears under it in the P-type substrate. This field drives away holes and attracts electrons to the thin layer just under the gate. At some voltage, electrons will predominate and the type of the region will be inverted from P to N. This means that the reverse-biased junction at the drain will disappear, and this will allow current to flow from drain to source (electrons from source to drain, as the names indicate). The transistor has now "turned on" and conducts. This control is exerted purely by the voltage at the gate electrode. The device is usually called a MOSFET, whether metal or polysilicon is used for the gate electrode. Microprocessors and memory chips are all MOSFET's.
Field-effect transistors were sought by workers even before there was silicon or any other solid-state device, but surface effects and impurities always frustrated their efforts, and the most they could devise were rectifiers. The galena and pyrites crystals of crystal sets are solid-state rectifiers. When how to use germanium (and later, silicon) for diodes became clear in the mid-20th century, transistor action on a different principle was discovered in 1948. The first devices used point contacts, like the crystal sets, but soon the much superior junction devices were invented. With a crystal set, you poke around with the catwhisker trying to find a crystallite that is doped just the right way to be P-type.
A junction transistor consists of two N-type regions separated by a very narrow P-type layer, called the base. A planar junction transistor is shown in the diagram. In a point-contact transistor, the N regions are metal whiskers touching the base close together, and act in the same way that we shall describe. By making the base positive with respect to one of the N-type regions, which we shall call the emitter, we can cause a large current of electrons to move from the N-type emitter into the P-type base. Meanwhile, we have made the other N-type region, the collector, positive with respect to the base, so that no current would normally flow, because the junction is reverse-biased. Emitter and collector correspond to the source and drain of an FET. The essential thing is to have a forward-biased emitter junction very close to a reverse-biased collector junction. In the collector junction there is a strong field pushing electrons into the N-type collector region. There are usually no electrons to speak of in the P-type base, so there is usually no collector current, just a small leakage current from thermally generated electrons. However, when we forward-bias the emitter-base junction, all of a sudden there are lots of electrons milling about the P-type region, and they are much more likely to fall into the collector than anything else. Some do recombine, and this requires a small current into the base to supply the holes lost this way. Most, however, just continue on into the collector. Therefore, the collector current is proportional to the small current that flows into the base, but much larger, by a factor of 100 or so, called the transistor's beta. This transistor action provides a very large power amplification, in which a small power can control a much larger power. This device is called a bipolar junction transistor, or BJT.
One final detail we should discuss is the matter of charge carrier mobility. An electric field E pushes on a charge e with force eE, accelerating it. The charge loses all this energy when it collides with a vibrating ion. It can only build up to a terminal velocity v depending on how long it moves without colliding, called the relaxation time τ. Then, on the average, v = (e/m)Eτ, proportional to E, by Newton's second law. The mobility is the constant of proportionality μ, so that v = μE, and its units are cm/sec/V/cm. Once we have the mobility, we can calculate the conductivity of a semiconductor, since the current density j = nev = neμV, where n is the charge carrier density. The conductivity is then σ = neμ, which is a measure of the carrier density. In silicon, electrons have mobility 1900 cm2/V-s, holes 500 cm2/V-s.
The P-type substrate for an FET mentioned above was said to have a resistivity of 5 Ω-cm. Using σ = neμ, we find that this corresponds to a doping density of 6.25 x 1016 cm-3, which is rather lightly doped. There are 5 x 1022 silicon atoms per cc, so only one in a million is replaced by a boron. A hundred times this is a rather high doping level.
Silicon and Minerals
Oxygen and silicon alone constitute 74% of the mass of the earth's crust. If the composition of the whole earth were known, they would probably be even more predominant. Approximate percentages are O 46%, Si 28%, Al 8%, Fe 5%, Ca 4%, Na 3%, K 3%, and Mg 2%, for a total of 99%. All other elements make up the remaining 1%. It is hot within the earth, but not molten in the usual sense. The contents of the mantle grind around in slow convection, while the foam is scraped off the top to make the crust. The crust is only 33 km thick on the average, and is the only part we know directly. The lighter metals, Al, Na and K, are concentrated at the top, in rocks called the "sial," while the heavier metals, Fe, Mg, Ca are concentrated at the bottom, in the "fema." Silicon predominates at every level. The lighter rocks have been crushed down into mountain roots by continental drift, where they may form molten blobs called magma where a lot of rock chemistry occurs. Erosion brings these areas to the surface as batholiths of granitic rocks, surrounded by the tortured writhing of gneisses, showing us what once happened deep in the crust.
All these rocks are mainly silicates, which form perhaps 80% of all minerals. The simple minerals, many of which are metallic ores, like galena and pyrites, are rare and have been concentrated in local deposits. By far the majority of minerals have crystallized from liquid and solid solutions of mixed silicates, so what we observe is the result of a process that produces infinite variety, controlled by a few basic principles. I will try to explain the principles, with a few examples of how they give rise to the observed rocks, without getting lost in the confusing variations that make igneous mineralogy so complex and puzzling.
An igneous rock is one that has crystallized from a liquid magma, or has been formed by diffusion and recrystallization below the melting point. The mantle of the earth (the thick layer between the crust and the core that makes up most of the volume of the earth) is not composed of melted rock, as was once assumed, but rather magmas are created locally by the grindings of plate tectonics, which also provides active fluids that dissolve and modify rocks. Old magmas are exposed by erosion as batholiths here and there, and their rocks have intruded surrounding rocks, dissolving and wedging into every crack. Rocks that show evidence of later modification by heat, pressure and the action of these active fluids are separately classified as metamorphic. Igneous and metamorphic rocks are quite distinct in structure from those that are composed of material weathered from pre-existing rocks, and deposited in the ocean or on dry land, where they have become cemented, hardened and consolidated into sedimentary rocks like sandstone, shale and limestone. Sandstone and shale are mostly silica, but the limestone represents the carbon dioxide that was once present in the atmosphere.
The basic structural element of silicates is the silica tetrahedron, formed by a central Si atom surrounded by four O atoms, each with an unpaired electron. This unit can be written SiO4----. It can form four bonds, covalent or electrovalent, with other atoms. This orthosilicate ion is stable and can actually exist, as in orthosilicic acid, H4SiO4. However, it normally forms covalent bonds with an adjacent Si atom, so that the Si atoms are connected by an oxygen bridge: -Si-O-Si-. This is a strong bond. This can be considered as formed from condensation of two -OH groups attached to Si atoms: -Si-OH + HO-Si- → -Si-O-Si- + H2O. If every Si atom has four such bonds, then the structure can be represented by (SiO2)n. Normally, we write just SiO2, but this molecule does not actually exist, at least in the solid, so the formula shows only the ratio of Si to O, which is 1 to 2.
If our melt contained only silicon and oxygen, then obviously silica would be the result on cooling. Comparing silicon and carbon, you might expect that the solid would have a diamond structure (as indeed crystalline elementary silicon does) but silica does not behave like this. There are more stable forms of more complex structures. The familiar quartz crystals are of a structure called α-quartz, which forms hexagonal crystals. It is a very complex structure with over 100 atoms in the unit cell, in which the silica tetrahedrons form a kind of spiral. It is so difficult for the atoms to arrange themselves in this structure that molten quartz solidifies as a glass, called fused quartz. Using special crystal-growing techniques, α-quartz crystals can now be grown in the laboratory, and have replaced the natural crystals, which were growing rare in the required sizes. Nevertheless, it is not an easy thing. Natural crystals have required 100,000 years or so to grow.
Quartz is also found in crystal forms that are stable at higher temperatures. Cristobalite is cubic, and tridymite is hexagonal. Both have structures similar to those of ice, a curious thing because quartz was once considered petrified ice! Keatite, coesite and shishkovite are more recently discovered crystal forms, that do not occur in the normal course of events. The last two are found in meteor impact craters, where they were produced by the high pressures and temperatures. The crystal structure of quartz is a very complex matter. Quartz is birefringent and optically active, properties used in the handling of polarized light. It is piezoelectric, meaning that distortion of the crystal produces electrical polarization, used in the crystal resonators that can control the frequency of electrical oscillations. The "quartz" legend on the face of a wristwatch means that there is such a crystal inside. It is also pyroelectric, meaning that heating produces electrical polarization, for which a use is yet to be discovered. All these topics are worthy of exploration, but would require an article of their own devoted to the optical and electrical properties of quartz. Crystalline quartz is often colored by impurities, making a variety of attractive gems, such as purple amethyst (Fe+++), yellow citrine (iron hydrates), pink rose quartz (Mn++), and blue quartz (needlelike colloidal particles of TiO2). Microcrystalline quartz also occurs in many attractive forms, such as variegated agate, red jasper, chalcedony, layered black-and-white onyx, red-and-white sardonyx, green chrysoprase, green with red drops heliotrope or "bloodstone," and orange-red carnelian, a variety of chalcedony including limonite and hematite, which are iron oxides.
Opal is a curious form of silica that includes some water. Its formula is usually written SiO2·nH2O. It consists of small, regular spheres of cristobalite, cubic silica, about 300 nm in diameter, cemented by hydrated silica gel. The fact that the size of the spheres is comparable to the wavelength of light, and that they are arranged regularly, creates interference that causes an attractive play of color. Mother-of-pearl, or nacre, secreted by oysters and abalone, has a similar iridescence and color, but is calcium carbonate, layers of thin aragonite films. However, a grain of silica is often the irritant at the center of a pearl. Precious opal is white or black and has a good play of iridescent colors, but common opal may be less showy and lack iridescence. The best comes from Australia. Fire opal from Querétaro is red, but not iridescent. Siliceous sinter deposited at hot springs, geyserite, petrified wood, and diatomite, which will be discussed in the next section, are composed of opaline silica. Opal may deteriorate on exposure to air due to loss of water.
The natural magma, however, also contains aluminium Al and other cations, such as postassium K. If an extra electron is given to the Al atom, it can form four tetrahedral bonds just as silicon can, and we can make alumina tetrahedra (AlO2)- that are very similar to the silica tetrahedra, except that they have a (-) charge. These alumina tetrahedra can make covalent bonds with silica tetrahedra, or with other alumina tetrahedra. Anything we can build with silica tetrahedra can be built with a mixture of silica and alumina tetrahedra, provided only that we neutralize the negative charge by adding the same amount of positive charge. This can be done quite simply by the unit (KAlO2) which substitutes exactly for the unit (SiO2). A phase with the constitution (KAlO2)(SiO2)3 commonly crystallizes out. The formula may be written in the less evident form KAlSi3O8. This mineral is orthoclase, a potassium feldspar commonly found in granites.
Granite is formed from a melt (just our name for the original substance; it does not have to have been actually molten) rich in quartz, which at high temperatures is a homogeneous solid solution. When it cools, the components are no longer miscible, and it separates out into distinct phases. These may be quartz, and the potassium feldspar we have just mentioned. A granite is mainly feldspar, perhaps pink in color, with large masses of quartz embedded in it. Granites are a plutonic or abyssal rock, meaning that they have crystallized in a leisurely manner deep in the earth, so that the individual crystals can grow large enough to be easily recognized by the eye. The granite is then phanerocrystalline. If it crystallized in intrusive sills and dikes, that is in hypabyssal conditions, the crystals are of microscopic size, and we have a rhyolite. If it had partially crystallized before being intruded, it would be a granite porphyry, of large crystals in a microcrystalline groundmass, or a granophyre if the groundmass also had visible crystals. If it flowed out over the ground, and cooled quickly, under extrusive conditions, it would be a black glass, obsidian. If it were blown into the air as a foam, it would form pumice. Geologists are very interested in the appearance of the rock and its crystal size, greatly multiplying the descriptive names that are used for the same mixture of minerals. Mineralogists like to have one rock, one name for ease of labelling their collections, and look askance at the collective terms that are so useful to us.
If the magma also contained Ca and Na, the units (CaAl2O4) and (NaAlO2) might also appear in the solid phases. The radius of the Ca++ ion is 0.099 nm, and the radius of the Na+ ion is 0.095 nm, while the K
+ radius is 0.133 nm, considerably larger than either. It is clear that the calcium and sodium units could substitute for one another without anyone's being the wiser, but that potassium would have a squeeze in a calcium-sodium structure. This, in fact, does happen, and the potassium feldspars, and those with sodium and calcium, form separate phases. (NaAlO2)(SiO2)3 is called albite, while (CaAl2O4)(SiO2)3 is called anorthite. There is everything in between, as well, depending on how much sodium and how much calcium happens to be around. This series is called plagioclase feldspar, and names have been given to the compositions commonly seen. The granite, then, probably contains some plagioclase feldspar as well as the orthoclase.
The magma probably also has some iron and magnesium in it as well. These ions crystallize in a phase that is usually biotite mica, small black, brown or dark green scaly plates. "Mica" is Latin for crumb, referring to these flaky bits. The minerals we have so far described have been tectosilicates, 3-dimensional structures like geodesic domes, with the K, Na and Ca of the feldspars inside. The silicon:oxygen ratio in tectosilicates is 1:2, as in silica, and all oxygens are shared. The net formal charge is 0, so aluminium tetrahedra must be added to include cations. Magnesium and iron ions would rattle around in these spaces, so a new tighter structure is favored. Imagine the silica tetrahedra as sitting on their bases in a plane, and rearrange them in your minds as forming hexagonal rings, the vertices having condensed together. The whole plane can be tessellated in this way, and the composition is (Si2O5)--. If magnesium is used to get neutrality, then the unit is (MgSi2O5), and the layers are electrically neutral. This is very similar to the soft mineral talc, which adds a Mg(OH)2 for each two of the above units. The mineral comes apart in thin sheets, which is typical of talc. Silicates based on sheets of tetrahedra are called phyllosilicates, from the Greek "phyllon," "leaf."
The phyllosilicate net is shown at the right, and should be considered as extending in all directions in the plane. All the silica tetrahedra are shown with one orientation, but the unbonded oxygens could point to either side, and could be random or ordered. The black dots show the locations of the silicon atoms. In a ring, there are 6 silicons, 12 oxygens belonging exclusively to the ring, and 6 shared oxygens. The silicon:oxygen ratio is then 2:5 for this structure. It is also possible for some of the silica tetrahedra to be replaced by aluminium tetrahedra. For all silica tetrahedra, the net charge of a ring is -2, which must be balanced by cations in the crystal structure. Each aluminium tetrahedron adds an additional -1 to the formal charge. There is electron resonance to give additional stabilization, so the negative charges are not associated with any particular unbonded oxygens.
Our magma, however, must take care of its aluminium and iron somehow, but is low in magnesium, so the micas form. The micas include alumina tetrahedra in the construction of the sheets, which have a negative overall charge. They are held together by positive ions between the negative sheets. The micas still come apart in flakes, splitting apart along the weaker interfaces between sheets, but the sheets are harder and more coherent than those of talc. Now we finally have a complete granite: mostly pink orthoclase, with some plagioclase, free silica in transparent crystals, and dark flecks of biotite or clear scales of muscovite. Rocks of this general composition are called felsic, from feldspar and silica, their principal components. Felsic rocks contain more than 65% silica.
Silica tetrahedra can also be put together in chains. Such silicates are called inosilicates. A single chain, with silica tetrahedra connected at one point, has the composition (SiO3)--, with a silicon:oxygen ratio of 1:3. Such a chain is shown at the left. There are plenty of opportunities for cross-linking to make a solid crystal, but the chains still tend to cleave easily along their length. These minerals are called pyroxenes, of which a simple example is enstatite, (MgSiO3). This formula looks like just magnesium silicate, a simple salt, but it is not--it is a crystal with this unit. Enstatite is a common mineral, cleaving easily in the direction of the chains, and sometimes found in fibrous masses. It is hard, heavy and green or olive-colored.
Corresponding side links of the chain can be condensed, forming one double chain, as shown in the figure at the right. Minerals with this structure are amphiboles, also inosilicates, and the unit is (Si4O11)-6, with silicon:oxygen ratio 4:11. In tremolite, the negative charge -12 of two chain units is neutralized by CaMg5. If the Ca++ is replaced by Fe++, the result is actinolite. In either case there is an extra Ca(OH)2 in the molecule. Tremolite and actinolite are members of a series, like the plagioclase feldspars. Actinolite is green and fibrous, giving us nephrite jade. Jadeite, the other form of jade, is a pyroxene in which NaAl neutralizes two chain units.
Tremolite is often fibrous, and was the material originally called asbestos. In Greek "asbestos" means "unquenchable, irrepressible" as an adjective, and "unslaked lime" as a noun, which seem exactly opposite to the characteristics of the mineral fiber. It was a wonderful substance, that could be picked apart into a fiber of which a cloth could be woven that could not be ignited or damaged by acids. It was later found that the metamorphic rock serpentine (see below) also has a similar fibrous phase called chrysotile that made a better asbestos. Unfortunately, chrysotile dust causes a virulent form of cancer, a fact discovered late in the 20th century, after asbestos, a very useful substance, had been widely used. Tremolite is not dangerous.
Orthosilicates are an important type of silicates. The formulas look like salts of orthosilicic acid, Mg2SiO4, but the crystals are not, of course. They consist of silica tetrahedra, (SiO4)----, in which the tetrahedra are joined not by condensation at the corners, but by cations that hold the oxygens of two silicons in each hand. If the unit is (MgSiO4), the crystal is olivine, which may be the most common mineral of all on earth, if the earth's mantle is indeed made of it. Fe++ can easily substitute for Mg++, since their radii are 0.083-0.075 nm and 0.078-0.065 nm, respectively. Again we have a series like that of plagioclase. The magnesium end is forsterite, the iron end fayalite. Olivine is the generic name for the whole series of minerals, and its crystal lattice is orthorhombic. A specimen of transparent forsterite with the characteristic color is shown at the left (image ©Amethyst Galleries). The green is due to ferrous iron.
The forsterite end gives us the beautiful gem peridot, of deep olive-green color. Stones with a yellow-green color are called chrysotile, not to be confused with its anagram chrysolite, which is asbestos. The hardness is nearly Mohs 7, equal to quartz. Optically, it is a positive biaxial crystal, with indices of refraction 1.6359, 1.6507, 1.6688, greater than that of beryl (1.58) or quartz (1.5442ω, 1.5533ε), about that of ruby and sapphire (1.77), but much less than that of zircon (1.92) or diamond (2.42). The orthorhombic crystals are distinctly pleochroic. The angle between optic axes is 2V = 85° 16'. The Geological Museum in London once had on display a perfect, faceted peridot of 136 carats, the most beautiful gem I have ever seen. Most gem peridots are at most 30 or 40 carats. The pleochroism was evident, and gave a subtle variation of color. Gem peridot has been found predominantly in St. John's Island in the Red Sea, in a deposit of dunite, a mysterious rock from the deeps that is mainly olivine. It is named after the Dun Hills in Australia, I am told. I have not been able to find the Dun Hills in my atlases. St. John's Island may now be Shadwân Island at the north end of the Red Sea. Another source says it is the island of Zebirget off the port of Berenice in Egypt (equally ex-atlas). Other sources are said to be Burma, Queensland, Brazil and the Navajo country of New Mexico and Arizona. Much modern peridot is said to be reworkings of earlier stones. Artificial forsterite has been made as a high-temperature refractory material. It is made by fusing olivine rock with magnesia, to bring the magnesium content up to that of forsterite.
Olivine has been detected in interstellar dust by means of an infrared absorption near 9.7 μm. This was done by Krätschmer in 1979. This helps the case for olivine as a primary constituent of planets.
The minerals we have just discussed crystallize from a melt that is poor in aluminium and alkali metals (otherwise feldspars would form instead of pyroxenes), but richer in magnesium and iron. Instead of granite, we get gabbro, containing plagioclase and pyroxene. Its hypabyssal equivalent is basalt, instead of rhyolite. The feldspars give light-colored rocks, the pyroxenes dark-colored rocks. The classification of rocks by silica content is explained in the table at the right. The percentages are calculated for the oxides; for example, silica is calculated as SiO2. Forsterite is considered as 2MgO·SiO2, so its percentage of silica is 43%. Olivine is an ultramafic rock. Albite, a plagioclase feldspar, is 69% silica, and so is felsic. The classification mainly refers to rocks that are an assembly of minerals, rather than to the minerals themselves.
Olivine and dunite are found in characteristic assemblies of rocks called ophiolite suites. In Greek, "ophis" means snake, and this is an allusion to the typical occurrence of serpentine, a metamorphic rock that is produced from olivine, pyroxene and similar mafic and ultramafic rocks by heat and pressure, in the assembly. Serpentine occurs as chrysotile, antigorite and lizardite, and is commonly greenish like olivine. We have already talked about its fibrous form, chrysotile. These rocks are found at spreading centers on the edges of continental plates, where basic magma from the mantle is brought to the surface. The mid-Atlantic ridge is one such place, Cyprus is another, and the Red Sea overlies another line of spreading that has separated Africa and Arabia, and continues down the Rift Valley of Africa. The occurrence of lizardite on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, and dunite in Australia, may be relics of earlier spreading centers. Before plate tectonics, the origin of these rocks was a subject of great perplexity.
Silicate minerals show clearly that what is important about an atom are only its size and charge, and that they are assembled into compounds any way that gives the least free energy. What results depends on the constitution of the melt. There is no calcium analog to forsterite. Calcium, at 0.099 nm, seems to be too much larger than magnesium at 0.065 nm. Zinc, on the other hand, has a radius of 0.074 nm, which is close enough, and there is an analog to forsterite, which is the fluorescent mineral willemite. We have series of minerals in which one ion replaces another, Ca-Na and Mg-Fe for example, making minerals that are carefully distinguished by the mineralogist, but are really the same thing to a good approximation. Zn fits in with Mg and Fe, but it is too rare to make much of an impact. Oxygen and fluorine negative ions are the same size, but differ in charge. F often substitutes for OH, notably in micas. SiF4 can't make macromolecules, so Si always prefers the oxygen.
Silica and the Sea
Life burgeoned in the sea, but this world is still largely unknown to the general public, except for the large sea life they plunder and eat. The occupants of the sea are the plankton that float passively at the surface, the nekton that swim in its volume, and the benthos that lie on the bottom. Plants exist only among the plankton, since they are dependent on sunlight to drive photosynthesis, constituting the phytoplankton, the "plant-plankton." They are the source for all the food in the ocean, which covers 70% of the area of the planet. All other life eats them, smaller things that eat them, and whatever drops to the bottom. Phytoplankton is largely ignored in ecological arguments, though it must play a major role not only in biology but also in atmospheric and oceanic science. It is well out of sight, and hence out of mind.
Plants contain chlorophyll, contained in organelles inherited from earlier, simpler organisms who could not survive in the new oxygen-rich atmosphere created by the forms of life that released it to the atmosphere as a waste product, and poisoned themselves. The chlorophyll manufactured complex compounds of carbon from which energy could be derived by oxidation. Animals ate what they could find of these substances. Movement and sense organs were stimulated by the search for food. Much of this life was single-celled or acellular, microscopic and soft, not preserved in the fossil record.
Cellular plants usually made use of strong, rigid cell walls constructed from cellulose to give them the ability to grow large and complex. Animals used chitinous or cartilaginous substances for the same purpose, as framework to grow on, or as protective enclosures. Then animals found they could survive more comfortably by eating smaller animals that grazed on phytoplankton, and spare themselves the trouble of filtering huge amounts of water. The response to predation was the favoring of armored coverings, and none proved better than calcium carbonate, which could be extracted from the sea water (the richness of the atmosphere in carbon dioxide led to thick deposits of calcareous sediments, and sea water was full of carbonates).
This occurred at the beginning of the Cambrian era, and suddenly the fossil record is full of calcareous shells, which were easily preserved in conditions favorable to calcareous sediments. It should be remembered that the presence of a fossil is evidence of the existence of an organism, but the absence of a fossil is by no means evidence of the absence of an organism.
The foraminifera, of which globigerina is an example, were acellular animals that chose a carbonate skeleton to grow in and around. Their fossils are found beginning in the Ordovician. However, another protozoan that chose a siliceous skeleton, the radiolarians, is found from the Cambrian on. These fossils, or tests, look like spiky balls full of holes, from which the pseudopodia of the animal projected. The porifera, sponges, were multicelled animals with undifferentiated cells and no sensory organs. Some chose to grow on siliceous spicules, which also left a fossil record beginning in the Cambrian. It is easy to call these animals "primitive" as if they were just an inferior stage of development, but it should be remembered that they still exist today, which shows that they are well-adapted to their environment, and very successful.
Now we come to our main subject, the diatoms. Diatoms are microscopic plants, algae, that belong to the phytoplankton, plants that float wherever the sea takes them. In the Jurassic, they appear for the first time in the fossil record, since they then developed tests, or shells, or valves, or more precisely frustules (Latin, "little morsels"), of opaline silica. The "opaline" means that it contains some water in its structure. They probably had always been around, since they are essential to life in the sea. There are other algae that help diatoms with photosynthesis, but diatoms are the primary sea plant, living in astronomical numbers in oceans and fresh water. Every drop of sea water (and many drops of fresh water) will contain diatoms. They prefer higher latitudes, upwelling currents and continental shelves, and float at depths less than 70 metres, where they have sunlight and nutrients. The land of the earth produces about 40 million tons of carbohydrates from photosynthesis, but the sea produces 80 to 120 million tons, mainly due to diatoms. Beneath a square metre of surface of the Gulf of Maine, for example, there are from 7 to 8 billion diatoms. One diatom can have 100 million descendants in a month. They are astonishingly prolific and efficient, making the sea as productive as an equal area of tropical rain forest. They are one of the dominant factors in the CO2 economy of the world, though seldom regarded.
Diatoms are the foundation of the food chain in the sea. They are eaten by copepods and other small zooplankton. The small crustacean Calanus grazes on diatoms, herring eats the crustaceans, and people eat the herring. Problems with the diatoms, calanus, or herring can interrupt the supply of fish. Herring was made extinct in the Baltic by overfishing long ago. This probably encouraged the crustaceans, who ate all the diatoms, and the whole chain collapsed. There is still no herring in the Baltic. Any economy of the sea must take the diatoms into account.
Although our main interest here is in silica-using diatoms, as far as photosynthesis in the sea is concerned we should not neglect the minute cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus, discovered as late as 1988, which probably accounts for half of the marine photosynthesis. I have no idea how these tiny cells (500-700 nm diameter) are eaten, since they would be difficult even to filter unless clumped, but they are no doubt the foundation of an important food chain. These cyanobacteria, one of the earliest forms of life, are also the most successful, it would appear.
The frustules of a diatom are in two parts, like a pillbox and its lid, that fit into one another, as shown in the diagram below. They are not hinged like the shell of a clam. This allows the plants to multiply by cellular division. Half of the protoplasm sticks to one half of the frustule, half to the other, and they come apart. Each half grows a new part of a frustule that inserts into the other, which forms a lid. The cells get a little smaller each time. Sexual reproduction creates spores that grow into a full-sized diatom to maintain the average size of the plant. This two-part frustule is the reason for the name "diatom" (Greek, "cut in two"). Although the protoplasm contains green chlorophyll, coloring agents in the shell give the plant a beautiful golden color, so they are the family of the chrysophyta, "golden plants."
The shapes of the frustules are either pennate, with bilateral symmetry, or most commonly centric, with radial symmetry, as illustrated in the figure. The pennate forms may even be motile to a degree, but all the centric forms are sessile. There is no reason for them to want to move, since sunlight and water are all they need. Their decoration can be elaborate. The centric forms usually have a central pore and radial lines, while the pennate forms have a medial line and decorated edges. 5- and 10-fold symmetry is often seen. These attractive forms can be examined under a microscope. It is estimated that there are 6000 to 10000 species of diatoms living at the present time, so they are eminently successful in what they do.
When the diatoms are finished with the frustules, they sink to the bottom, where they form diatomaceous ooze, if they are not dissolved. Diatoms like sunlight, salinity appropriate to their species, cool water, phosphate and nitrate nutrients, and, of course, silica. Sea water on the average contains from 0.02 to 4.0 ppm of silicon by weight, in water of standard 19% chlorinity. Diatoms are happier near the upper limit, where they can thrive. When frustules sink to the bottom, they take their silica with them, so it must constantly be supplied to the oceans. Where silica is plentiful, and the other requirements are met, diatoms will thrive, and make thick deposits of their shells. This rock is called diatomite, or "fossil flour," which has many uses, and is highly valued.
Diatoms can also live in fresh-water lakes. These lakes normally have very little silica, but vulcanism can supply volcanic ash and silica-laden hot waters, which run into the lakes and encourage diatoms. Something of this nature happened in the U. S. West, and especially California, in the Tertiary, which produced huge deposits of diatomite both in lakes, and in the ocean border. An arm of the sea reached in near Lompoc, just north of the Santa Inez Mountains, and with the nearby volcanic action, a thousand metres and more of diatomite was deposited in the Upper Miocene and Lower Pliocene, the largest deposit in the world.
Diatomite is 85-92% SiO2, most of the rest being clay. When pure, it is brilliant white, but also can be yellowish or buff. Less pure rock is called diatomaceous earth or Kieselguhr. It has 75% porosity, more or less filled with water that can be driven out by heating. It can be quarried in blocks, that can be used directly for heat insulation. Its voids give it a high thermal resistance. Each cubic inch contains 40 million frustules or more, all of which are nicely sharp and all surface and pore space. The nature of the frustules is important in the application of the diatomite. It is a gentle abrasive, so it is used in silver polishes. In paint, it gives a matte finish as each frustule roughens the surface. It has excellent absorptivity for liquids. It was used as an absorbent for nitroglycerine, rendering it insensitive to shock, in Alfred Nobel's dynamite.
Its most important industrial use is probably as a filtering agent. A suspension in water is first passed through a screen, depositing a layer of diatomite on the screen. Then the suspension to be filtered moves through the prepared layer, leaving behind all but the finest matter. One source says that it even filters colloidal solutions, which pass through ordinary filter papers. This filtration is suitable for the "hard jobs" in clarifying liquids.
This is a suitable place to talk about the other siliceous rocks, most of which are biogenetic. The term organogenetic sometimes found is clumsy, looking more like "tool-made" than "made by life." The Cretaceous Chalk of England is a famous rock, mostly white calcium carbonate from foraminiferal tests. However, it also contains silica, now in the form of the familiar dark flint nodules, which typically occur in bands. The thick beds were originally deposited as a siliceous chalk, the silica from opaline sponge spicules, and the chalk from foraminifera. Percolating waters replaced the opal in the spicules with calcium carbonate, and redeposited the silica as much less soluble silica concretions, called flints. This separation into two purer constituents is not rare in sediments. They are roughly brick-sized elongated and rounded stones that remain covering the ground after the chalk weathers and erodes. They have been used like bricks, indeed, for walls and buildings, and even churches, since they are very durable.
Flint is deserving of special study, especially in the ways it has been used by man. Flint was prized by neolithic man for its conchoidal fracture, by which sharp, hard edges could be produced for tools and weapons. It was the earliest mined substance, since good flints for making tools are not common. The flint mines in the chalk of Norfolk, in England, are famous. Flint-mining technology was later adapted for the mining of coal and metals. Flint was used for edged tools and weapons of all kinds, and great skill was involved in its shaping, called "flint-knapping." Egypt, a country poor in metals, used flint ploughs, showing how meaningless the term "neolithic" is as except as a rough cultural indicator. Flint was the origin of technology.
Flint and steel are well-known as fire-starters. When struck together, fat sparks are produced (probably from the steel, heated from impact and then burning in air) that are caught in tinder. The glowing bit of tinder is put on dry grass and wood shavings, and coaxed into flame by gentle breaths. This was a much easier way to start a fire than any available alternative. The flintlock musket was invented around 1630, in which a spring-loaded flint hammer strikes steel to send sparks into the firing pan, where there is fine gunpowder, the priming charge, that ignites the granular gunpowder in the chamber. Flintlocks were still used in the early 19th century. The United States Army cooled its heels in Piqua, Ohio waiting for flints in one phase of the War of 1812, on its way to Lake Erie. The "flints" in cigarette lighters are not flints, but an alloy of 70% mischmetall (50% cerium with 50% rare earth metals, mainly lanthanum), and 30% iron, patented by Auer von Welsbach in 1903, that gives off sparks copiously when struck by steel. Flint and steel are used in the "sparkers" used to ignite a gas torch with one hand.
Flint is a kind of chert, though chert is bedded, rather than occurring in nodules. Flints may be blackened on the outside, but when broken show a white center that is almost pure silica. Chert is also a biogenetic rock associated with limestones, but occasionally occurs alone in thick beds. Like flint, it is fine-grained or microcrystalline quartz or chalcedony. There has been a great geological controversy over the origins of flint and chert. Some hold that it is syngenetic, or created at the same time as the rock in which it is found, while others maintain that it is epigenetic, or formed later. It is probable that some flints began as silica gel blobs formed in the alkaline carbonate deposits, and so are syngenetic, but most flints appear to have formed later, as described above. Petrified wood and similar bodies where silica has replaced the original material, are clearly epigenetic. The mechanism of this faithful metasomatic replacement is unknown. As in so many other cases, both origins are probably involved under different circumstances. Bedded chert probably began as radiolarian or diatomaceous ooze, but time and metamorphism have erased the original fossils. It is difficult for the silica concentration to rise to the point where silica would precipitated out of solution. No such case is known, except for the siliceous sinter that forms at hot springs.
Radiolarite is like diatomite, except that the known examples are from the palaeozoic, and are hard and indurated, not soft and powdery like the Tertiary diatomites. Radiolarite has been used for whetstones and grinding stones.
Silica and Clay
When a felsic rock weathers, water leaches out the potassium and sodium of the feldspars, which crumble into a soft phyllosilicate called clay, containing mainly aluminium, silicon and oxygen. The flakiness of clay minerals are the reason for the fissility of shales. Where for some reason they have not become aligned in layers, the result is nonfissile mudstone. The crystals of silica are little affected by weathering, and remain as loose sand. Mixed with organic matter, humus, the result is soil in which plants can grow. Long weathering in humid tropical or semitropical areas may even leach out the silica, leaving only ferric and aluminium hydroxides, which are even more insoluble. This poor, reddish soil devoid of most nutrients is called laterite from its resemblance to brick clay (which, of course, it is not). Bauxite, the ore of aluminum, is a lateritic deposit consisting mainly of aluminium hydroxide. When basaltic rock weathers, the equivalent of clay is greenish chlorite, also a flaky mineral.
As our example of a clay, let's take the valuable kaolin, a pure form of clay that forms a slippery white mud, named after its original source in China. It is composed of six-membered rings of silica tetrahedrons, rendered electrically neutral by Al+++ and OH- ions strategically arranged. Its formula may be written Al2Si2O5(OH)4, or Al(OH)3·HAlSi2O6, or even Al4Si4O10(OH)8, which shows the Si to O ratio of 4 to 10 typical of the phyllosilicates. A "hydrated aluminium silicate" is a good description. It is, at any rate, a layered silicate like the micas. Clay usually is a complex mixture of related compounds with numerous impurities, but kaolin is a good representative of the family. Kaolin is called "pottery clay" because it is plastic, but it is mostly used for paper sizing, and only a minor fraction is used for pottery. Large amounts come from the weathered granite of Cornwall in south western England, where the clay separated in purification makes tall, conical white hills.
An exotic clay is bentonite, found in the Upper Cretaceous Benton Formation near Denver, and also in northeastern Wyoming and other places. It is formed from the weathering of volcanic ash (whose major ingredient is feldspar), and occurs in irregular lenses in formations near the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in this region. Its major constituent is montmorillonite, a common clay mineral similar to kaolinite, in a colloidal form. Montmorillonite is a non-plastic clay with a maximum particle size of 1 μm. Its distinction is that it has a great appetite for water, of which it is starved during its long dry burial in impermeable shales. When water can get to it, it will swell faster than a thirsty horse in a pond. It can adsorb 10 to 30 times its volume, and swell accordingly, the water coating the phyllosilicate sheets. A large amount thrown into water makes a gummy mass that is good for plugging leaks, since it is nearly impermeable. It was used for this purpose during the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in 1937, when a water leak threatened to undermine some important towers. Bentonite was forced into the sand under pressure, reducing the leak from 30,000 gpm to 250 gpm almost immediately. This makes it useful to plug leaks while drilling oil wells, but a rather unsatisfactory foundation for a house or runway. However, undaunted brave people keep building houses and airports on bentonite. Denver International Airport is built on bentonite in a tornado alley, but so far, so good.
Montmorillonite is also know as fuller's earth. It was used in the process known as fulling, which was the cleaning of wool from fats, performed in a slurry of montmorillionite by pounding. Now that good detergents are available, other methods are used. Cats like to bathe in montmorillonite if they can find a suitable clay to roll in. It cleans much more effectively than soap and water, and is much easier on the cat.
It was discovered that one could shape useful vessels from clay mud, and heat them in a furnace, or kiln, by the gases from a fire, and that they would harden into a porous stone and could be used for holding liquids and for cooking (if only by dropping hot rocks in them). The impurities in the clay form compounds, like slags, that melt at lower temperatures than the clay itself, and cement together the particles of the object. Kaolin is too pure to do this by itself. Pottery clay is carefully mixed from clay--the "right" clay--and sand, and perhaps other ingredients, to give the best product. Pottery that has been baked in this way is called "biscuit." It is usually red or buff colored from the iron impurities, which are oxidized in the heat of the kiln.
To give the objects a durable, nonporous surface, they must be glazed with some glassy substance melted so that it will flow over the surface and fill the porosity. This glaze must have a melting point lower than that of the slags binding the biscuit, so that the objects will not soften and sag when they are fired. Decoration may be applied to the biscuit object, and then the glaze, in the form of a liquid slip, is applied to the surface. The object is fired again, to melt the glaze. The heat often changes the colors of the decoration as well as the glaze, as substances oxidize. Glazes are made from salt, NaCl, and metal oxides, such as those of tin or lead. Chemical changes occur when the object is fired. The salt becomes something else, so the glaze does not dissolve in water. The glaze can be clear, showing the decoration or the color of the biscuit beneath, or may be colored. Borax with metal oxides produces good colored glazes.
A mix of white orthoclase, kaolin and quartz fuses at 1100-1300°C to a white, vitrified, translucent material called porcelain, long a Chinese trade secret. By using phosphates from burnt bones in a pottery clay, a similar material called bone china can be manufactured. The secret of making porcelain was finally decoded in Meissen, near Dresden, in the 18th century. Good porcelain is also made in Golden, Colorado using a local clay. Besides its use in fine tableware and ornaments, porcelain is useful in laboratory ware and as electrical insulators. Unlike glass, porcelain does not adsorb moisture that would spoil its insulating properties.
The clay may have a humbler destiny, as construction brick. Brick was originally made from clayey earth and a binder such as straw, mixed with just the right amount of water and pressed into molds. When the brick dries in the sun, the clay becomes hard and coherent. This makes a very satisfactory construction material, familiar as adobe in the Southwest. Such bricks were generally used in all parts of the ancient Mediterranean world until the first century BC. Egyptian palaces were made of them, as well as peasant's homes. In time, all melt into shapeless heaps of earth, since adobe is not preserved in the long haul. Homes in Greece and Rome were also of adobe, even substantial buildings. Only temples were in the expensive and hard-to-work, but very durable, stone.
Curiously, right now in Denver homes are built of plywood covered with tarpaper, which is inferior even to adobe, and are externally decorated with veneers that make them appear to be substantial buildings. They will rot and collapse even faster than the Egyptian palaces. They must be considered only temporary buildings.
A more durable material, rivalling stone in durability, can be made by baking the bricks in a kiln, like pottery. Baked brick was known in Babylonia, and used for limited purposes, but its widespread use in Europe was introduced by the Romans. The proper clay must be chosen, and it is mixed with water to make a stiff mud that is molded into the bricks. The Romans preferred a brick that was a relatively thin square, while we use a brick that is about 2"x4"x8". The bricks are fired, or burnt, in a kiln at a higher temperature than pottery, so they become strong, and usually red from oxidation of iron. Bricks for external use must be vitrified on the surface so they will not absorb water which will shatter the brick when it freezes.
Tiles are just bricks, but made in special shapes adapted for different duties. There are wall tiles for decoration, floor tiles for paving, and roof tiles for roofing. Ordinary bricks were also used for paving, even for streets, a service they performed very well and attractively. Corsicana, Texas, was called "The Bricks" on account of its paved streets. Bricks from Coffeyville, Kansas paved station platforms on the Santa Fe. Tall chimneys of brick kilns marked the outcrop of excellent brick clay in an arc from Oxfordshire to Huntingdonshire north of London. Brick is a warm, pleasant and human building material. Ignatz the mouse heaved brickbats at his admirer, Krazy Kat. A brickbat, incidentally, is half a brick, fitting neatly into the hand and of use in labor disputes and political demonstrations.
Bricks are laid using mortar, which is slaked lime, Ca(OH)2, mixed with sand. Lime, CaO, is made by roasting, or "burning," limestone. A thin layer of mortar is spread to seat the bricks. The bricks absorb water from the mortar, and the rest of the water evaporates. The calcium hydroxide, some converted into calcium carbonate by the carbon dioxide in the air, crystallizes into a tangle of crystals that bind the bricks firmly by preventing relative sliding motion. Brick walls depend on weight for stability. They would not do on the space station. Mortar will not set in large amounts, like cement, only in thin sheets.
Denver was plagued by fires in its early, jerry-built history, but the abundance of good brick clay in the vicinity allowed Denver to rebuild and grow in brick. Many houses even had tile roofs. After the second world war, building codes were cut and shaped to maximize the profits of the builders, and this meant cheap wooden houses, as mentioned above. Unless the brick houses are torn down for space to build impressive million-dollar shacks, they will long outlast them. Much Roman brick survived its first use, and was reclaimed for use in later buildings. Some of Denver's recent wooden palaces were covered by an impermeable stucco-like sheathing. Water got behind it, and now the wood will rot out in less than a decade unless replaced.
The Romans also invented a substance like mortar, but which would set in large volumes and even under water, and made an inexpensive substitute for stone. This material, Portland cement, is made by roasting finely crushed limestone and clay in long, rotating cylindrical kilns. The limestone and clay are considered as bringing the constituents CaO, Al2O3, and SiO2. These ingredients are mixed as a wet slurry in exactly the right amounts to produce the desired substances, which are: (1) Ca3Al2O6, called Ca3A; (2) Ca3SiO5, called C3S; and (3) Ca2SiO4, called C2S. The slurry is introduced at the top of the kiln, it soon is dried by the hot gases, and and tumbles downward until it fuses into clinker in the heat. The clinker from the kiln is ground to a very fine powder, since the reactions occur only on the surfaces of the particles, and everything inside is wasted.
It is called Portland cement because a Yorkshire bricklayer named Aspdin roasted limy road dust with river mud to make a powder that, when mixed with water and sand, would harden to a reasonable imitation of the excellent and expensive Portland stone from Southern England. He received a patent in 1824 for this discovery. Smeaton had used a less perfect cement at the Eddystone Rock lighthouse in 1756 by burning a clayey limestone. Cement does not set by drying. The water combines chemically with the cement.
When cement powder is mixed with water, reactions start immediately. Compound C3A hydrolyzes to give calcium and aluminum hydroxides. Crystallization of these hydroxides gives the initial strength of the cement, up to about 24 hours from pouring. Meanwhile, the hydroxides are working on compound C3S to form complex calcium aluminum silicates that increase the strength of the cement for up to about 7 days. C2S works the slowest, giving the increase in strength from 7 days to 28 days, when the cement is considered to be fully set. Changing the relative amounts of the three ingredients controls the setting time and other characteristics of the cement. A little gypsum, CaSO4 may be added to retard the initial set and give sufficient time to place the cement. Heat is given off when cement sets, and this must be allowed for so that the cement does not crack. A typical cement has an analysis of 60-70 CaO, 20-24 SiO2, 3-8 Al2O3.
Cement is not usually used by itself, but in the cheaper but equally effective form of concrete, in which it is mixed with aggregate. Aggregate consists of coarse stones or gravel, and a finer material, sand. It is best for the sizes of the aggregate to be graded so that the voids are filled as well as possible. Concrete can be mixed on-site, but advantage is taken of the fact that if freshly-mixed cement is kept agitated, it will not set until the agitation stops. The crystals that would give the initial hardness are continually disturbed, and new material is continually supplied from the surfaces of the grains of cement. The distinctive trucks with the rotating tanks are evidence of this. If you stopped the rotation with the tanks full of concrete, you would have a tank full of solid concrete in a short time, but as long as it rotates, you can pour it.
An excellent construction material known as cinder block is made from cement mixed with rough cinders, and poured into forms. What is used now that coal fires are not as common, I do not know. Cinder was the slaggy material that resulted from reactions between sandy and limy material in the coal ash in a hot fire. The best was in small, sharp pieces that would interlock. It had many excellent characteristics, and was useful product that could be had for the effort of carrying it away. It made good footpaths, and much athletics took place on the "cinder track." Cinder block is much cheaper than brick, and lighter, and much more durable than wood. Why it is not more widely used is a mystery to me. It can be tarted up just as attractively as plywood and tarpaper can.
Silica and Glass
I had thought of titling this section "Silica and Sand" but sand is usually silica, so it seemed redundant. Glasses are substances that are not crystalline, but tangled webs of long molecules. Silica loves to make long molecules, so it is used in glass for this purpose. A glass is a hard solid at lower temperatures, then softens at higher temperatures, usually above red heat, when it becomes soft and can easily be worked. At still higher temperatures, at white heat, it liquefies, and can be cast or a blob put on the end of a hollow tube so it can be blown into hollow shapes. Glass, like pottery, has been an outlet for artistic skills, and is of great beauty in addition to utility.
We think of glass as transparent, but this is a secondary characteristic. A glass must be quite pure to be transparent, or even translucent. One might wonder why glass can be so perfectly transparent, when it is a disorderly random tangle of silica chains. It is not hard to believe that an ordered crystal, like quartz or salt, could be transparent if the lattice spacings are smaller than a wavelength, and this can be shown mathematically. It is also true that a random structure can also be transparent, if the randomness is uniform on the average over distances of a wavelength or so. Gases, indeed, are an example of this, as is water. As Rayleigh showed, the blue of the sky is scattering from the fluctuations in density, not from the molecules as individuals. The disorder in glass is over distances less than a wavelength (about 500 nm), and so pure glass is transparent. Disorder over larger distances, or the inclusion of larger particles, makes a glass first translucent and milky, and finally opaque.
I have a beautiful glass bottle, an unguentarium, that is two thousand years old. It is 90 mm long by 15 mm in diameter, and weighs 6 g. It looks like a test tube with a somewhat bulbous end, and the glass is colorless. Clear glass was developed by the Romans, and was rather common. It was even used for windows, as we now use glass. Afterwards, houses just had holes in the wall in Western Europe, where the wind certainly did blow through, or at best oiled paper. Most Roman glass that is seen in museums is of common, crude objects that would have been cheap at the time and were discarded in trash, and so are easy to find. If you go to Colchester, for example, you will see in the Roman Museum there some fine Roman glass, that is clear, brilliant, symmetrical and very attractive, as good as that made today. Today, "pressed glass" made from cast glass is very beautiful, comparable to the much more expensive cut glass, but available for pennies.
One glass is made from quartz alone. Quartz (pure sand is used, not the large crystals) melts at 1800°C, and when it cools cannot figure out how to get back into the hexagonal quartz structure. This is a homogeneous and isotropic substance known as fused quartz or quartz glass. Fused quartz softens at 1665°C and anneals at 1140°C. These are very high temperatures, so fused quartz is difficult to work. Its density is 2.2 g/cc, its hardness Mohs 4.9 (not nearly as hard as quartz). Its bulk modulus is 5.3 x 106 psi, shear modulus 4/5 x 106 psi, Young's modulus 10.4 x 106 psi, and Poisson's ratio 0.16. In tension its strength is at most 7 ksi, but in compression it is very strong, 160 ksi. Its dielectric constant is 3.75, its index of refraction 1.4585. Its specific heat is 0.18 cal/g-K, its heat conductivity 0.0033 cal/cm-s-K. A very useful property is that its coefficient of linear expansion is only 5.5 x 10-7 per °C. Borosilicate glass (Pyrex) has a coefficient of 33, and ordinary glass 90. Fused quartz will, therefore, withstand thermal stress very well. One indispensable property of quartz is that it is transparent to the ultraviolet, so it can be used for envelopes of ultraviolet lamps for sterilizing, exposing photoresist, erasing programmable read-only memories, exciting fluorescence, and other such duties.
Ordinary glass is called crown glass, or soda-lime glass, or simply soft glass. It is made by fusing sand, sodium carbonate and lime. An average composition by oxides is SiO2 73, Na2O 15, CaO 7, MgO 4, Al2O3 1. It softens at below red heat, and so is easily worked in the Bunsen flame, as in making chemical apparatus. It even melts in the flame, so it can be flame-polished. It is called crown glass not because it is used in crowns, but from the early method of manufacture, which came down from Roman times. A large globe of hot, soft glass is blown, and then the closed end is cut off with glass scissors. In this state it looks like a crown. It is then rotated rapidly to flatten it, and cooled as a round plate. Window panes are cut from it. The "bull's eye" piece where the blowpipe is broken off is less desirable as a window, but makes a good decoration and is even simulated these days. Elizabethan window panes were small and set in lead mullions to make a large window. Large, flat panes were not available until the 19th century.
The blowpipe was introduced by the Romans, as well as most of the associated techiques for the hand manufacture of glass objects. Blown glass is not only easy to make, but gives far wider scope to artistic expression than earlier methods, such as casting. A blowpipe is an iron pipe about four feet long, with a mouthpiece at one end. The "gaffer" collects a "gather" from the pot of molten glass in the furnace, and then shapes it by blowing and rotating, and by the use of iron tools. The work is reheated at the furnace to keep it plastic. The Greco-Romans were known for cement and building techniques, but an equally great contribution was the technology of glass.
In borosilicate glasses, boron trioxide, B2O3 replaces all the soda and lime. This reduces the coefficient of thermal expansion by a factor of 3, so the glass will resist thermal stress, and also increases its resistance to chemical attack. In most parameters, it resembles fused silica, except that it softens at 700°C, a red heat, making it much easier to manage than fused silica, which requires a thousand degrees more.
Flint glasses were developed originally for decorative purposes, to have indices of refraction greater than the usual 1.5 for crown and borosilicate glasses. The name refers to the original use of flints to supply the silica, but this is not an essential matter, and flints were used in making other kinds of glass as well. In flint glass, lead oxide, PbO replaces the lime, and potassium carbonate K2CO3 some of the soda. A high-lead glass might be SiO2 70, PbO 12, Na2O 10, K2O 6, CaO 2. The problem is keeping the lead in solution. An index of refraction of over 1.7 can be attained.
Flint glass has less dispersion relative to its index of refraction than crown glass. Dispersion is the change in refractive index with wavelength. For all glasses, the index increases at shorter wavelengths. In lenses, this causes chromatic aberration, which was very troublesome in early telescopes with simple lenses. If a strong positive lens of crown glass is followed by a weak negative lens of flint glass, the net power may be positive, while the chromatic differences are equal and opposite and cancel each other. Such a lens is called an achromat. Optical glasses have been intensively developed and improved. For an introduction to this subject, see Jenkins and White.
Colored glass is not only very attractive, but has uses as signal lenses as well. Clear glass can be colored by transition metal ions in solution, which are well-known chromophores, or by colloidal suspensions. The colloid particles must be smaller than a wavelength of light, or they would make the glass cloudy. Transition metal ions generally come from dissolved oxides. The principal metals used are Ni, Co, Fe, Mn and Cr. The colors produced depend on the oxidation state of the metal ion, and on the composition of the glass. Cobalt gives a deep blue, which is much prized. Fe++ gives a green color, but Fe+++ makes yellow. Adding FeO to glass gives a green color, and makes the glass strongly IR-absorbing. Such glass can be used as "heat filters" in slide projectors. Iron is a common impurity in sand, so inexpensive "bottle glasses" may be greenish. The glass insulators used on American telegraph and power lines were of greenish glass. Glass, incidentally, does not make a good electrical insulator because of its propensity of picking up a surface film of water that is conductive. There are several ways to make a red glass. Colloidal suspensions of selenium or gold may be used. Cuprous oxide reacts to form Cu++ ion and colloidal Cu, producing red by two mechanisms. Another source says that the copper must be in the Cu+ state to give red; cupric copper gives the usual green. Selenium works better in potash glass than in soda glass. A little selenium and cadmium sulphides added to molten glass give a good result.
Colloidal gold in glass gives a deep red color. This ruby glass was first made by Kunkel in 1679, when he added Purple of Cassius (a gold precipitate on gelatinous stannic hydroxide, a sensitive analytical test for gold) to molten glass. It can also be made by adding AuCl3 to the glass; the heat is enough to reduce the gold. The same thing happens in aqueous solutions. As little as 0.1% of gold gives a good color. A little stannous oxide will prevent the coagulation of the gold particles. If the particles become larger, the color turns to blue.
In colored glass, the color seen by transmission is the complement of the color that is absorbed by the ion or scattered by the colloid. If all the shorter wavelengths are absorbed, then the color will be red. If the green is absorbed, the result is purple. The energy absorbed by a transition ion is lost to the lattice by emission of phonons or other non-radiative process. Gustav Mie became interested in the explanation of the red color of colloidal suspensions of gold in 1908, and this led to his famous theory of scattering by small particles. Gold particles are hydrophobic (so they are not hydrated). The sol formed by particles 0.04 μm in diameter has a peak absorption at 530 nm, and is red by transmitted light. There is a little yellow-green scattering, but mainly an absorption in the green and shorter wavelengths, with good transparency in the red. A diameter of 0.14 μm gives the blue gold sol in which scattering is large in the red. The optical properties of the gold are important in the effect, not just the size of the particles. The effect does not depend greatly on the transparent medium, whether water or glass.
Opaque or translucent glass that is used for decoration may be colored by other means as well. Borax is well known for reacting with metal oxides in glass to produce good colors. Glasses can be made opaque and white by adding oxides that give suspensions of materials of a different index of refraction. SnO2, TiO2, CaF2, As2O3, Ca3(PO4)2 and cryolite are typical additions. Opaque glass applied to a metal or other substrate by fusion is known as enamel, and is an important artistic medium. As was mentioned above, pottery glaze is a glass. The mixture applied to the substrate to be fused into enamel is called a frit. This enamel should not be confused with the paint of the same name, which imitates it with an organic film.
Glass, pottery and gems show that there is much beauty in silicon, as well as the everyday utility of semiconductors, stone and cement. The study of silicon leads into many areas of pure science, including the structure and dynamics of the earth, life in the seas and on land, semiconductors, colloids and other areas that we have touched on in this article.
M. Prinz, et al., editors, Simon and Schuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1978). Excellent colored illustrations.
C. S. Hurlbut, Jr., Dana's Manual of Mineralogy, 16th ed. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1952).
R. L. Bates, Geology of the Industrial Rocks and Minerals (New York: Dover, 1969). pp. 360-370. Includes an excellent short account of diatomite.
A. Bar-Lev, Semiconductors and Electronic Devices, 2nd ed. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984). Any good textbook for the undergraduate course in physical electronics gives a satisfactory introduction to semiconductors, mainly silicon. Beware of authors who do not understand the subject very well.
F. A. Jenkins and H. E. White, Fundamentals of Optics, 4th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1976). Optical glass is discussed on pp. 176-182.
R. B. Leighou, Chemistry of Engineering Materials, 4th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1942). Chapters XI-XVI.
H. C. van de Hulst, Light Scattering by Small Particles (New York: Dover, 1981). Gold sols are discussed on pp. 397-400.
C. P. Idyll, Abyss (New York: Crowell, 1976). p. 73f (diatoms).
Excellent photographs of diatoms can be seen at Diatoms .
Picture of olivine kindly furnished by Amethyst Galleries, Inc. . This is an excellent website and specimens can be purchased online. This is probably the best mineral website, and the company should be supported for making it available.
Composed by J. B. Calvert
Created 30 November 2002
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Which Faulty Towers character was played by Ballard Berkeley? | BBC - Comedy - Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
The British sitcom by which all other British sitcoms must be judged, Fawlty Towers withstands multiple viewings, is eminently quotable ("don’t mention the war"), and stands up to this day as a jewel in the BBC's comedy crown.
Fawlty Towers was famously inspired by a seethingly rude hotel proprietor John Cleese encountered whilst away filming with the Monty Python team. Unwittingly, Donald Sinclair became the blueprint for Basil Fawlty, the epitome of frustrated, social climbing middle-Englanders.
Cleese had experimented with the character in an episode of Doctor At Large (with Timothy Bateson playing the petty hotel manager Mr Clifford) and out of this, a car-thrashing comedy legend was born.
The setting was a pretty ordinary 'hotel', with Fawlty constantly struggling to inject a touch of class into his tawdry surroundings.
His escapades included trying to hide a rat from a hygiene inspector, keeping a dead customer hidden and pretending to a party of his friends that his wife Sybil was ill during their anniversary party (when in fact she's walked out on him).
Basil was the perfect vehicle for Cleese's comic talents: mixing the biting verbal tirades against his wife and guests with the physical dexterity utilised to charge about between self-induced disasters.
Prunella Scales, as Sybil, was also magnificent: nonchalantly gorging on chocolates in bed, gossiping into the phone to her friend Audrey and spitting the word "Basil" out as if it were venom.
The most loveable character has to be Manuel, whom Andrew Sachs imbued with both sincerity and vulnerability: much more than the stock foreign idiot, he nevertheless ended up being pummelled by Basil on a regular basis.
Co-writer Connie Booth's contribution to this show is often overlooked partially because whilst her character (Polly) was important in terms of providing sanity, it's the least comic role in the central quartet.
Semi-regular characters included the down-to-earth chef Terry; charming elderly ladies Miss Gatsby and Miss Tibbs and best of all, eccentric old colonial Major Gowen (a stupendous turn from Ballard Berkely).
Credit must also be given to the one-off characters when the actors involved seized the top drawer material they were presented with and gave performances above and beyond the call of duty.
Notable among these were Bernard Cribbins as a fastidiously irritating guest whose comeuppance had us cheering for Basil; Bruce Boa’s overbearing, arrogant American demanding a Waldorf salad and Joan Sanderson's deaf but imperious Miss Richards: justifiably becoming a TV legend despite just half an hour’s screen time.
Part of the success of the show can be attributable to the fact that it ran for a mere twelve episodes, so never ran out of steam.
Overseas companies have sought to remake the show countless times, but frankly, such imitations have only looked pale in comparison to the original.
The 1970's production values don't detract one bit from the consistently farcical, funny scripts and the excellent performances.
It was justifiably voted number one in the BFI's 100 Greatest British Television Programmes in 2000.
| Major Gowen |
In the 2004 film Starsky and Hutch, if Ben Stiller played Starsky, who played Hutch? | Censorship row as BBC cuts racist lines from classic Fawlty Towers episode | Daily Mail Online
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It is the episode of Fawlty Towers best remembered for the line ‘Don’t mention the war’ and John Cleese’s silly walk when impersonating Hitler.
The references have proved controversial before, but when The Germans was repeated on BBC2 on Sunday evening it wasn’t our European neighbours that the corporation was worried about offending.
Instead, the episode was edited to omit racist language – only for some viewers to then complain that the BBC was ‘airbrushing history’.
Scroll down to see the clips
'Don't mention the war': John Cleese as Basil Fawlty giving an Adolf Hitler impression to German guests, with Polly in the background played by Connie Booth
The Germans episode of Fawlty Towers was voted number 11 in Channel 4¿s One Hundred Greatest TV Moments in 1999
In one scene one of the hotel’s permanent residents, Major Gowen, uses derogatory terms to describe black people. It was included in the episode’s first airing in October 1975, but this time around the major’s words were edited out.
The scene involves Basil Fawlty and the major, played by actor Ballard Berkeley, exchanging their normal pleasantries before the conversation moves on to Basil’s wife Sybil and women in general.
The major tells Fawlty about the time he took a woman to see India play cricket at the Oval. He then says: ‘The strange thing was, throughout the morning she kept referring to the Indians as niggers. “No, no, no,” I said, “the niggers are the West Indians. These people are wogs”.’
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Several years ago there were concerns that the episode would never be shown again because of the offensive words. However, recent editions of The Complete Fawlty Towers DVD, distributed by BBC Worldwide, have not been edited and included the segment that was cut by the BBC on Sunday.
Some fans took to the BBC’s Points Of View message board yesterday to say they ‘despaired’ at the ‘unnecessary’ editing.
One wrote: ‘You can’t airbrush history away and I doubt if anyone but the terminally thin-skinned could be offended by the major, a character we’re clearly supposed to laugh at rather than with.’
Ballard Berkeley as the Major Gowen, who makes the offensive remark. Viewers said that the 'bigoted character' was meant to be laughed at - not with
Another posted: ‘The point is that the major is a racist old bigot, incongruous with modern society – even in the Seventies. The audience isn’t supposed to agree with him, they’re supposed to laugh at him. The whole episode is about xenophobia in various forms – it’s social satire. I instinctively dislike the airbrushing of history.’
A third viewer wrote: ‘So how sad BBC you have finally succumbed and lost the guts to transmit the episode of Fawlty Towers “The Germans” in its original form. The major’s speech of his experience of going out with a woman to the Oval is one of the funniest things ever.
‘You edited it because it includes the W-word and the N-word. Let’s face it, the whole episode and much of Fawlty Towers is racist by today’s standards and misogynistic, but above all it is hilarious.
‘We are all grown up, you know. We, the vast majority of us, can laugh at this without being racists.
‘It’s about time you grew up BBC, and trusted your audience. We know what is acceptable and what is not and what is funny and why, and the fact it is of a time which is now long past. We understand context, the major is a figure of fun, he doesn’t whip up hatred.’
Fawlty Towers was written by and starred Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth. The Germans was the sixth episode of the 12 that were made and was voted number 11 in Channel 4’s One Hundred Greatest TV Moments in 1999.
The series has continued to entertain families since being made in the 1970s and was in 2000 voted by industry professionals to be the best British series of all time.
A BBC spokesman said: ‘We are very proud of Fawlty Towers and its contribution to British television comedy.
‘But public attitudes have changed significantly since it was made and it was decided to make some minor changes, with the consent of John Cleese’s management, to allow the episode to transmit to a family audience at 7.30pm on BBC2.’
CENSORED Cleeses's 'Hitler Walk' was previously deemed one of greatest moments of TV
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Which 1999 horror film tells the story of three students who disappeared in Maryland whilst making a documentary film about a local legend? | The Blair Witch Project (1999) - Connections - IMDb
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Connections
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Jump to: Followed by (4) | Spin-off (3) | References (16) | Referenced in (245) | Featured in (23) | Spoofs (1) | Spoofed in (94)
Followed by
It's the video game from the film.
References
Häxan (1922)
Haxan is an unusual sort of documentary about witches, while BWP is a pseudo-documentary about a witch, and also the production company of BWP is named Haxan.
The Haunting (1963)
Similar premise and plot: a group of amateur paranormal investigators carry out an initially sceptical study of a local legend, but apparently (though ambiguously) fall victim to it. The nature of the antagonist is never made clear, it is only manifested through enigmatic signs (mainly sounds), and the possibility is left open that it was nothing more than a combination of paranoia in some group members and one of them losing his / her mind (although equally the possibility of the insane member having been possessed by the "entity" is left open).
Gilligan's Island (1964) (TV Series)
While in the woods the characters sing the theme song.
| The Blair Witch Project |
The first episode of which sitcom sequel was broadcast on BBC2 on January 9th 1986 (NB This answer contains the connection)? | Urban Legends - Haunted History Society Australia
Haunted History Society Australia
URBAN LEGENDS
Introduction
As a researcher, it is important to have a basic understanding of urban legends as they will assist with paranormal research. You will be surprised how many paranormal reports will have elements of a urban legend in them.
So what is a "urban legend"? A urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern folklore consisting of apocryphal stories that those who tell the stories usually believe them to be true. Like all folklore, urban legends are not necessarily false, but have been distorted, exaggerated or sensationalized over time. Despite the name urban legend, a typical urban legend does not usually originate in the urban areas. rather the term is in reference to a modern legend.
Some times urban legends are repeated in news stories and in resent years distributed by the internet and social media. You often hear people say this story happened to a "friend of a friend" (FOAF) has become a commonly used term when recounting these stories.
Some urban legends have changed very little over years with only minor changes to suit regional or cultural variations.
According to Wikipedia the term urban legend as used by folklorists has appeared in print since at least 1968. Jan Harold Brunvand, Professor of English at the University of Utah introduce the term to the general public in a series of books published in 1981. He used his collection of legends, "The vanishing Hitchhiker, "American Urban legends" & their meanings (1981) to make a couple of points; first that legends and folklore do not occur exclusively in primitive or traditional societies and second that one could learn much about urban and modern culture by studying such tales and stories.
Many urban myths are framed as complete stories with plots and characters. The appeal of a typical urban legend is elements of mystery, horror, suspense, fear or humor. Many urban legends are represented as warnings or cautionary tales, others are versions of misinformation.
I am going to put forward a number of urban legends and a couple that I believe will become urban legends in the future.
The Bell Witch
The Bell Witch legend has been around for nearly 200 years. It is one of the most well-known hauntings in Americas history. There are historical truths to this story and something very strange and scary happened to the Bell family in 1817. But with the passing of generations, I believe the story may have been distorted or sensationalized. But the Bell Witch legend is one of the few stories that has a factual background and there is the possibility that there was some type of anomalous phenomena involved.
According to the Bell Witch legend, the first reports of the haunting occurred in 1817, when John William Bell encountered a small animal in a cornfield on his large farm in Roberts County, on the Red River, near Adams, Tennessee. The animal had the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit, then vanished when Bell shot at it. The incident was followed by a series of strange beating and gnawing noises manifesting outside the family residence. Betsy Bell, the families youngest and only daughter who was still living at the family home (Her older sister Esther had married in July 14, 1817) claimed to have been assaulted by an invisible force. John William Bell, later in life suffered facial seizures, often rendering him speechless, he died on December 20 1820. A small vial of unidentified liquid he allegedly ingested was found near his body. When some of the contents were force fed to the family cat, the animal died. The vial was the deposed of in the fireplace.
Pat Fitzhughs retelling of the Bell Witch Legend concludes with a statement to the effect that some people believe the spirit returned in 1935, the year when the witch claimed it would return (170 years past 1828) and took up residence on the former Bell property. Others sources say that 1935 brought nothing out of the ordinary to the Bell Property.
A early account was written 1887 by historian Albert Virgil Goodspeed in his "History of Tennessee" about the the Bell Witch haunting (Page 833).
He wrote:
A remarkable occurrence, which attracted wide spread interest, was connected with the family of John Bell, who settled near what is now Adams station about 1804. So great was the excitement that people came from hundreds of miles around to witness the manifestations of what was popularly known as the "Bell Witch". This witch was supposed to be some type of spiritual being having the voice and attributes of a woman. It was invisible to eye, yet it would hold conservation and even shake hands with certain individuals. The feats it performed were wonderful and seemingly designed to annoy the family. It would take sugar from the bowls, spill the milk, take the quilts from the beds, slap and pinch the children and then laugh at the discomfort of its victims. At first it was supposed to be a good spirit, but its subsequent acts, together with the curses with which it supplemented its remarks, proved the contrary. A volume might be written concerning the performance of this wonderful being, as they are now described by contemporaries and their descendants. That all this actually occurred will not be disputed, nor will a rational explanation be attempted.
Who or what was the Bell Witch? Like most stories, details can vary from version to version. But the most common and prevailing account is that it was the spirit of Kate Batts, a mean old neighbour of John Bell who believed that she was cheated by him in a land purchase. On her deathbed, she swore that she would haunt John Bell and his descendents. The story is picked up by the "Guidebook for Tennessee", published in 1933 by the Federal Government's Work Project Administration.
In popular culture:
* Bell Witch: A movie made in 2002 was shot in Tennessee and released to video in 2007.
* An American Haunting: Movie based on the Bell Witch legend released in 2006..
* Book: Other Worlds published under the name of Barbara Michaels (Pen name of Barbara Mertz) in 1999
includes a detailed version of the Bell Witch events.
BLOODY MARY
Bloody Mary, is a legend that has a number of variants, which date back to the 1960s, if not earlier. As with many folk-stories, it is very difficult to pin down its origins. Folklorists did not begin collecting the stories until around 1970.
The ghost story goes something like this (depending what version you hear): The malevolent spirit called up by the "Bloody Mary" ritual is always said to be female, usually a female whose face was disfigured as a result of a violent death (could by car accident or murdered, dependents on which version). In one version, Mary was a beautiful woman in life, who was very proud of her looks - to the point of self-obsession (thus the spirit is summoned to appear in a mirror). In most versions of the Bloody Mary legend, the evil woman could be summoned by chanting "Bloody Mary" into a mirror anywhere from three to hundred times in a darkened room lit only by a candle (13 times seems to be the popular number chanted). The bathroom is the popular setting to test the legend but other rooms could be used. After the correct number of chants were given, the spirit would then appear in the mirror and claw the eyes out of the chanter and death would follow. Other versions of the story have the spirit driving the chanter insane or pulling them into the mirror. Who Bloody Mary is remains a mystery. There is a version of the story that states Bloody Mary was Mary Worth, who was horribly disfigured in a car accident. There is another version that Bloody Mary was a witch who was burned at the stake and returned for her revenge.
Popular Culture:
Movie: "Candy man" made in 1992 was based on the Bloody Mary legend, using the basic plot. When the
characters chanted "Candy Man" in the mirror five times, he would appear and murder them with his
hooked hand.
Movie: "Urban Legend" was realized in 1998 borrowing the Bloody Mary plot. The third move in the series
was released in 2005 and was titled " Bloody Mary" which was based on the actual Bloody Mary
legend.
THE CURSED VIDEO TAPE
The video tape urban legend has come into popular culture over the last 20-30 years. Here is a story that I found that fits in with the cursed video tape legend.
There is a video tape that will kill the observer within 48 hours after watching it. The story may sound like this. A group of college girls were having a slumber party and one of the girls goes to rent a video. The girl can't agree on a video, she asks for help, the person at the desks states that she has just what she wants, and heads to the back room. Meanwhile the girl sees a video with out a cover laying on the counter. As the girl reaches out to grab the video, the lady returns with the other video and tells the girl not to touch the video on the counter as she hands the other tape to her. While the lady is not looking, the girl swipes the "home movie tape".
Back at the house, the girl tells the others about the video tape she swiped, the others laugh, finding it amusing that the girl stole a home video tape. The girls put the tape in the recorder and the power goes out but the video keeps on playing. The video starts playing and shows a woman being burnt at the stake for practicing witchcraft and voodoo. She utters a curse that all who witness her death will face the same fate in two days time. The VCR then turns off. As promised, the girls died 48 hours after watching the video tape. They all died in unrealistic places such as the pool, ice-rink etc.
Popular Culture:
Movie: "Ringu" made in 1998 was considered to the most frightening horror film to come out of Japan, there
was a sequel in 1999.
Movie: "Ring 1" & "Ring 2". Movie from the USA based on the Japanese horror film "Ringu" in 2002 the sequel
was released in 2005. Movie plot involves a cursed video tape, when watched by the viewer dies
after a week.
CEMETERY URBAN LEGENDS
People love a good spooky cemetery story around the campfire or on Halloween night. Here are a couple of the more popular stories that people tell.
PERSON TRAPPED IN A CRYPT TURNS WHITE HAIRED OVER NIGHT:
A person is given a dare to spend a night in a crypt in a local cemetery and is found in the morning totally insane and their hair has turned white. This story can vary from fraternity or sorority initiation or a dare between a group of kids. It usually takes place in a gated above-ground crypt. The person is locked in with the dead and left overnight. No one knows what actually happens to the person because they never speak again, their hair turns white and they go insane.
The origins of this legend comes from various parts of the USA but no true origins can be found except to say it has been past down through the years.
TRAPPED IN A CEMETERY AND IS FOUND DEAD:
A person makes a bet with a group of friends that he/she (more often a female) can spend a night in the cemetery. The person is then found dead in the morning, laying across the arms of a large statue, usually of an angel with its arms out-stretched. There are other versions of this legend that include a stature of a old woman seated with her arms out-stretched, a woman standing with her arms out-stretched. Variations can also include a gang, fraternity or sorority or high school kids. The person is found dead, with no sign of injury or has been found sitting on the lap of a seated stature with crushed ribs, presumably by the arms of the statue. But at the end it is the same result, the person dead in the arms of a statue.
The origins of this urban legend comes from various parts of the USA.
CURSED MOVIES
Poltergeist
There are a number of films that people believe are cursed. Strangely, they are mainly horror films that have affected cast and crew. It is rumored that cast members and crew died because of the curse. These stories are now becoming urban legends but the deaths are all true, I suppose it is how the deaths are interpreted, just coincidence or a real curse. I will let you be the judge.
The Spielberg films "Poltergeist I, II, III" was reported to be cursed with the deaths of several cast members. An unusual amount of deaths occurred around the three Poltergeist films including three of the stars. Some believe it was cursed because of its content.
Two of the stars from the first film have died at young ages. Dominique Dunn aged 22, who played the older daughter Dana Freeling, died in 1982 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, California. She had been choked into a coma by her boyfriend. Heather O'Rourke who played Carol Anne Freeling died at the age of 12 years in early 1988 at the Children's Hospital in San Diego. What was thought to be a bout of flu launched her into cardiac arrest during the drive to the hospital as bacterial toxins, set loose by a bowel obstruction, made their way into her bloodstream. Her heart was successfully restarted and she was flown by helicopter to a larger children's hospital. The toxins caused too much damage and she died on the operating table. She had been in all three Poltergeist movies, dying just before the release of Poltergeist III.
Also, two seasoned actors died during this time, 53 year old Wil Sampson, who played Taylor in the Poltergeist II died in June 3rd 1987, in a Houston Texas Hospital after receiving a heart / lung transplant six weeks earlier. The cause of death was attributed to several pre-operative malnutrition and post-operative kidney failure, along with a fugal infection. Also to die was Julian Beck, aged 60 years, who played the evil preacher Cane in the second film died from Stomach cancer on September 14th 1985 at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Like Heather O'Rourke he died during the period between filming and release, but in his case the film in question was Poltergeist II, O'Rourke died before the release of Poltergeist III.
There is also rumors of strange things happening on the set but there is very little information on these happenings.
The Exorcist
"The Exorcist", released in 1973 was considered the scariest movie of all time and won three Academy Awards after its release. Most people think the Exorcist was a fictional story but it was based on a similar incident that occurred to a 13 year old boy in New England.
Many strange things happened during the filming, including accidental deaths, a fire on the stage and even the rumored mental breakdown of the young Linda Blair (Regan). Some people said that there was an actual demon was trying to stop the filming. It was rumored that between four and nine people died during the filming of the movie. Jack McGowen had just wrapped up filming a small part for the film when he died from a heart attack. Another rumor states that a man that Regan said would die was killed during the filming. There was also the rumor that Max Von Sydow's brother and Linda Blair's grandfather died. A night watchman for the set, a crew member that refrigerated the bedroom for the exorcism scenes and a camera man's newly born baby were also apart of the unexplained deaths.
There were also reports of strange behavior and panic by the cast and crew during the filming. It was also said that the set caught fire one night when there was no one there. It still remains a mystery what caused the fire.
There were also rumors of strange happening at the screening for the film. It is said that people vomited, fainted and were breaking into hysterics. It is said that the Exorcist has had some of the strangest audience reactions of all time. Although there were no incidents on the films sequels, the original director for the prequel Exorcist "The Beginning", John Frankenheimer, died before the filming began
The Crow
"The Crow" was released in 1994 and became a cult favorite, based on the comic book, starring Brandon Lee. The film is about a fiancee, name Eric Draven who is brutally murdered on night, a year later, the crow brings back his soul to seek vengeance and earn his eternal peace.
During the filming rumors that the film was cursed started to appear. A carpenter was severely burned after the crane in which he was riding struck a high voltage lines, then a disgruntled sculptor who had worked on the set drove his vehicle through the studios plaster shop, causing extensive damage. Later another crew member drove a screwdriver through his hand and a truck full of equipment mysteriously caught fire.
Then there was the mysterious death of Brendon Lee (Erick Dravon). They were filming a flash-back scene to show how he actually died. He was going to be shot with a 44 magnum which was not a prop but a fully functioning firearm. The gun was loaded with blanks, they are as loud a real bullets but when fired only the harmless cardboard wadding which they are packed is ejected from the barrel. But when the gun was fired, Brandon Lee fell to the ground with a large wound in the abdomen. Apparently the metal tip of one of the dummy bullets had somehow pulled loose from its casing and killed Brandon Lee.
Even the television series "The Crow; Stairway to Heaven" could not escape the so-called curse. A veteran stunt co-coordinator Marc Akerstream was killed while working on an explosive stunt involving a rowboat near the shore. All was going to plan but when the stunt exploded a piece of debris shot up into the air, cleared the trees and struck Akerstream on the head. He was taken to a nearby hospital but died later.
The Omen
"The Omen" was released in 1976 and became a world wide hit. It follows the story of an American ambassador who learns that his son is the anti-Christ.
This is another film that many believed had been cursed. On the first day of filming, a crew member was in a car accident, which destroyed a company vehicle. Harvey Bernhard was driving Richard Donner to his apartment, as Donner was getting out of his car, another vehicle came around the corner, ripped the car door off trapping Donner between the vehicles. The film crew shot a scene at the Windsor Safari Park that involved lions. The day they had finished filming the lions, a guard was killed by two of the lions.
A flight from L.A to London with Gregory Peck on it was stuck by lighting and an engine was knocked out. Eight hours later, a jet with the screenwriter, David Seltzer on board was also hit be lighting. The film crew had hired a private jet which they were going to use for some ground scenes but was canceled when the charter had booked the plane for another purpose and the Omen's crew flight was cancelled. The Jet took off with a group of business men aboard. The jet crashed onto a road hitting a car, which then hit another car. killing all concerned including the jet pilot's wife and child who were in the second car.
After the filming of "The Omen", the special effects director, John Richardson, went to Holland to make "Bridge Too Far", with his girlfriend. He was involved in a car crash and his girlfriend was beheaded just like David Warner was in "The Omen".
During the filming of "Damien Omen II", the best friend of William Holden was stabbed while they were on holiday. Also, the entire cast came down with a very rare form of influenza, even though there was no outbreaks reported.
CREEPY CLOWN STORIES
THE CLOWN STATUE:
Creepy clown stories have been around for many years. Most stories involve a babysitter looking after the children while the parents have a night out. Depending on the story, the clown could be a sex offender or a escaped criminal or patient.
Here are a couple of the more common creepy clown stories.
A girl in her teens, is babysitting for a family in Newport Beach, California. The family is wealthy and has a very large house with lots of rooms. The parents are going out for a late dinner and movie. The father tells the babysitter that once the children are asleep in bed she should go into a particular (he does not want her wandering around the house) and watch television there. The parents leave and the babysitter gets the kids to bed and she goes to the room to watch television. She tries to watch the television but is disturbed by the clown stature in the corner of the room. She tries to ignore it but finds it to disturbing and freaks out. She finally rings the father to ask if she can switch rooms as the clown stature is freaking her out. The father, in a serious voice, says "Get the kids and go next door and call 911 (USA). The babysitter asks what is going on. The father repeats, "Just go next door and call the police and then call me back". She takes the children next door and calls the police. When the police were on their way, she rings the father back and asks, "what is really going on?" He responds by telling her that they don't have a clown statue, he then explained that the children had been complaining about a clown watching them as they slept. He and his wife thought the kids were having nightmares.
The police arrived and arrested the clown who turned out to be a midget,. A midget clown who was a homeless person dressed in a clown costume. He had somehow gotten into the house and had been living there for several weeks. He went into the children's bedroom at night and watched them while they slept. As the house was so large, he was able to avoid detection, living off their food etc. He had been in the television room just before the babysitter entered. So when the babysitter entered he had no time to hide, so just froze and pretended to be a statue.
CHAIN LETTER VERSION:
A variant of the clown urban legend was circulated online as a chain letter email in 2006 (it states : "if you don't send to the others within 5 minutes, the clown will be standing next to your bed at 3.00am with a knife in its hand"). This email makes the "midget clown" out as a murderer who escaped from prison. Remember, if you ever do get a similar email, just delete it as it is nothing more than a bad practical joke.
The email reads:
Subject: Clown.
"A few years ago, a mother and father decided they needed a break, so they wanted to head out for the night on the town. When the babysitter arrived, the two children were already fast asleep in bed. So the babysitter just got to sit around and make sure everything was okay with the children.
Later that night, the babysitter got bored and so she wanted to watch TV but she couldn't watch it downstairs because they didn't have cable downstairs (parents didn't want their children to watch too much garbage) so she called them and asked if she could watch cable TV in the parents' room. Of course, the parents said it was okay, but the babysitter had one final request. She asked if she could cover up the large clown statue in their bedroom with a blanket or cloth, because it made her feel nervous. The phone line went silent for a moment, and the father said... "Take the children and get out of the house.....we'll call the police.....we don't have a clown statue.....". The children and the babysitter were murdered by the clown. It turned out the clown was a killer who escaped from jail."
DOPPELGANGERS
On of the creepiest and intriguing legends is the doppelganger. The doppelganger is the German word for "Double Walker". It is the identical version of oneself that is thought to accompany every person. This particular phantom symbolizes bad luck and even death. In Norse Mythology, a "vardoger" is a ghostly double who precedes a living person and is seen preforming their actions. There are many theories of what a doppelganger is. One theories is that everyone has a double body, one good and one evil. Assuming you are the good one, the other would be the evil one. Another explanation is that the other "self" is trapped in another time & dimension. I will let you judge whether the doppelganger is just an urban legend or some type of scary paranormal phenomena.
EMILIE SAGEE'S EXPERIENCE:
One of the most famous and documented cases involving a Doppelganger was a series of incidents that happened to a woman named Emilie Sagee. It was documented by Author Dale Owen. The story was told to him first hand by Julie Von Guldenstubbe, the second daughter of Baron Von Guldenstubbe. Julie was 13 years old at the time and was a student at a school in Germany in 1845. The French Headmistress at the school said that Emilie Sagee was known for her kindness and charm. She was well liked by her student body as well as regarded as a honest and trustworthy person. In the middle of the class one day, while Emilie was witting an assignment on the blackboard, what appeared to be an apparition appeared right next to her. The students were in the room and stared in amazement. As quickly as the apparition appeared, she disappeared.
Another incident that occurred during the same year was witnessed by the entire student body of 42 students. The students were assembled in their classroom as they were preparing for their sewing and embroidery class. Emilie was outside of the class window attending a small garden that the students had planted. The supervising teacher was called away into the hallway after another headmistress called to ask her a question. Very slowly, Emilie's doppelganger appeared in her chair that she normally sat in. All 42 students witnessed it and some ran to the window and clearly saw Ms Sagee still picking flowers from the garden. One of the students was so curious that she was brave enough to go up to the phantom double and attempted to touch it. It was documented that she felt an odd resistance in the air surrounding it. Emile Sagee claimed to never have seen her doppleganger herself.
QUEEN ELIZABETH I:
The Queen of England, Elizabeth I was shocked to see herself (doppleganger) laid out on her bed, she died shortly after.
PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY (poet):
Percy Shelley is considered one of the great poets of the English language is said to have encountered his own doppleganger in Italy. It silently pointed towards the Mediterranean Sea as it approached him one clear day. He told relatives and friends what he had witnessed. Not long after the incident, just before his 30th birthday in 1822, Shelley died in a sailing accident. He drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN:
Abraham Lincoln saw what he thought was an illusion of sorts after his election. He saw his reflection in a mirror and also saw the phantom twin standing next to him. The twin looked a lot paler and weaker compared to the real Lincoln. It bothered him so much he mentioned it to his wife the same night. She said that she believed the paleness of the other face was an omen that he wouldn't live through his second term. This was adapted from Washington in Lincoln's times (1895) by Noah Brooks, who claimed that he had heard it from Lincoln himself in 1864 at the time of the re-election and claimed that the story was confirmed by Mary Todd Lincoln.
SPOOKY DOLL STORIES
THE PORCELAIN DOLL:
A rich teenage girl was walking through a department store with her mother and saw a beautiful porcelain doll, which would look great in her collection. She asked her mother to buy it for her, which she did. As soon as the girl got home, she unpacked the doll and set it up on a stand above her bed. She then left her bedroom and went out with her friends. When she got home, it was late and she was very tired and went to her bedroom to put on her pajamas and go to bed. When she woke up the next morning she found a note from her mother, telling her that they'd be out of town until next Sunday. She had a stretch and a yawn and noticed that her cheek was sore, but didn't pay much attention to it. She then went to school. This went on for a few days until she woke up and her cheek was extremely sore. She went over to the mirror and noticed a large ugly lump on her cheek. Thinking it was just a big pimple, squeezed it...and felt something moving. Suddenly spiders began pulling themselves out of the lump in her cheek, She scream but there was no one home, She tried to kill the spiders but there were thousands of them and she died from the poison in their bites. Apparently, there was a nest of spiders in the porcelain doll she had gotten.
THE CHINA DOLL: (This story is not suitable for children to read)
A woman's husband had sent her a china doll while he was traveling in the Orient, which she put in a glass case in her bedroom. The doll had lovely black hair, real human hair, and was dressed in a red silk kimono. When the husband came home, the woman got pregnant, but she didn't love her husband and didn't want the baby (she only stayed for her husband's money). So she made herself have a miscarriage, and hide the evidence (fetus) inside the hollow china doll. The blood of the fetus, combined with the china doll's human hair and innate Eastern mystical properties, caused the china doll to come to life. No one noticed the china doll's hair was starting to grow down the silk kimono, that the dolls cheeks were rosier and the finger nails were growing and getting sharper behind the folds of the kimono. No one noticed that the doll's eyes followed the woman as she moved around the room and they glowed at night when the lights were turned off.
The woman did sense something out of the ordinary, finally deciding to move the doll down stairs out of the bedroom. After a few weeks, the woman was finding it hard to sleep, imagining that she could hear scratching, rustling, whispering noises coming from downstairs, that seemed to be calling "Momma..Momma!". She noticed scratches on the wooden chairs, which her husband said must have been mice but the exterminator he called said there were no signs of rodents. The woman tried to lock the doll in a closet but her husband protested as it was so expensive and a piece of art and wanted it out on display. Every day there were a few more scratches on the stairs and every day they got deeper... and reached one step higher.
One night as she was trying to get asleep, she imagined she heard scratching and rustling outside her bedroom door. She screamed for her husband to turn on the light, but by the time he turned the light on there was nothing there...except for some long scratches at the bottom of the door and the faintest whispers from downstairs.
The next night the woman took a couple sleeping pills and went back to bed with the door shut tight and locked for good measure. She finally got some sleep - and as she slept, the china doll stirred. Opening the glass case quietly, the china doll moved to the bottom of the stairs. Using her long sharp finger nails, pulled herself up the stairs until she was at the top of the landing. She whispered... "Momma...I'm coming!" and made her way to the bedroom door. She used her talon-like claws again to climb up the door, inserted one nail in to the door lock and jiggled it open and then slipped around to woman's side of the bed. The china doll climbed on to the bed and pulled back the bed covers exposing the sleeping woman's body. The dolls eyes started to glow red as she raised her hands and with her finger nails clawed open the woman's stomach. Near paralyzed by drugs, pain and terror, the woman screamed and screamed as the doll climbed back into her belly whispering..."Momma I'm home!".
HITCHHIKERS
VANISHING HITCHHIKER:
This is the most common of the hitchhiker legends, the "vanishing hitchhiker". It usually goes something like this:
It is a dark, stormy night, a person driving sees a figure at the side of the road and decides to give them a lift. Usually the hitchhiker is a young woman in some sort of trouble; a prom date dumped her, .her car broke down, car crash. The woman gets into the backseat of the car and they chat away as they drive. The driver gets to the house, only to discover that the passenger has disappeared without a trace from the backseat. The driver knocks on the door of the house, maybe to make sure the young woman is okay, and the door is answered by the girl's parent. Eventually it comes out the girl died some years ago and every year on the anniversary of her death (or birthday) the girl hitches a ride back to her home by a stranger.
There are other versions of the vanishing hitchhiker legend. Sometimes the girl makes it home safely, but the driver finds something left behind in the car by the hitchhiker and goes back to return it only to learn the truth about the hitchhiker. Another variant to this legend is a driver lends the hitchhiker (young woman) a jacket or some type of clothing, and goes back the next day to retrieve it. Often the driver finds the jacket hung over a grave of the dead girl (hitchhiker).
THE HELL HOUNDS
The "hell hound" is a demonic dog found in mythology, folklore and fiction but there have been a number of modern encounters with the hell hound that some say are very real, so again I will let you be the judge.
The hell hound has been described as unnaturally large, black in colour, glowing eyes, super strength and speed, ghostly characteristics and some times even has the ability to speak. They are said to guard the entrance to the world of the dead or undertake other duties that are related to the afterlife or the supernatural such as finding lost souls or guarding supernatural treasures.
The most famous hell hound is Cerberus, the hound of Hades from Greek Mythology. They also appear in Celtic mythology and British Mythology but have also been reported in modern times of phantom black dogs.
Here are a few examples of modern sighting of this mysterious black dog:
HELL HOUND OF THE MONS:
A common legend from World War One is the story of Angels and Mons. In August 1914, during the retreat of the British Expeditionary Force from the Belgian city of Mons, it seemed impossible to break through the German army which out numbered the British soldiers two to one. Arthur Machen, a writer of supernatural tales, published a report of an eye witness in a newspaper. He said Saint George was seen fighting of Germans, together with a band of 15th century bowmen. It was then found out it was all made up. But during those dark days, Mons was made famous by another much darker and sinister legend. In November 1914, Captain Yeskes and four of his London Fusilliers went on patrol in No-Man-Land. Several days later, their bodies were found with bite marks at their throats. And in the British trenches, a weird blood-curdling howl was heard...the howl of the Hell hound of the Mons.
PHANTOM BLACK DOGS:
On the 19th April 1972, in Gorleston Norfolk, at 4.45am, coast guard Graham Grant saw a very large black dog-like animal running along the beach. He stood watching it for a few minutes until it suddenly disappeared.
Mark Chester, a 16 year old from Atlanta, Georgia and his friend, Jeff, were driving one evening in 1979 when he saw a black labrador Retriever in front of him. As he watched it, it trotted out in front of him. When it was about three-quarters of the way across the road, it suddenly vanished. His friend saw it too. Fifteen years later, Mark could still recall the sighting was adamant that what he had seen was real.
In 1981, Irene Cole and her husband were driving along the Stanner Road in Herefordshire. They were approximately a mile (1.6 kms) or so along when they saw a huge black dog sitting in the middle of the road. Her husband swerved to avoid it, and the dog simply vanished from view.
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT
My prediction is that the film "The Blair Witch Project" will become a urban legend, if it isn't already. I have talked to a number of people and I was surprised how many people believed it to be true. I believe the Blair Witch Project was based on the "Bell Witch" (first story on this page).
The Blair Witch Project is an American horror film that was released in 1999. The story is presented as a documentary pieced together from amateur footage, filmed in real time. The film was produced by Haxan Films Production Company. The film was the first film to be marketed primarily on the internet and had a budget between $500,000 - $700,000 and grossed a massive $248, 639,099 world wide, making it the second highest grossing independent film. Not bad for a low budget horror flick.
The Blair Witch Project is not a movie about ghosts, witches or has any special effects - this film captured the genuinely creepy fears, raw emotions and bone chilling terror of three individuals being lost in a unfamiliar environment.
The Plot: In 1994 film students Heather Donohue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard set out to produce a documentary about the fabled Blair Witch. They travelled to Burkittsville, Maryland, formerly Blair, and interviewed the locals about the legend of the Blair Witch. The locals told them about a hermit named Rustin Parr who kidnapped seven children and brought them to his house in the forest and took them two at a time into his basement. He felt as if their eyes were staring at his soul, so he would kill one child while the other face a corner. He would then kill the child in the corner. He eventually turned himself into the police, later pleading insanity, saying the spirit of a witch killed in the 18th century had convinced him to kill the seven children. The three young documentary makers also interviewed an eccentric older woman who told them that she encountered the Blair Witch as a young girl.
On the second day, the students began to explore the woods in North Burkittsville to look for evidence of the Blair Witch. A fisherman warns them that the woods are haunted. The students hike to Coffin Rock, where five men were found ritualistically murdered in the 19th century, and camp for the night. On day three, they walk deeper into the forest, despite being uncertain of their exact location on the map. They locate an old cemetery with seven small cairns. They set up camp nearby and then return to the cemetery after dark. One student accidentally disturbs a cairn and Heather attempts to repair it. A bit later, they hear mysterious cracking sounds in the darkness but they are unable to locate the source. They assume it must have animals or even someone following them.
Day four, they attempt to return to their vehicle but fail to find it before dark and are forced to set up camp again. That night, they again hear the cracking noises but can't see anything. The next morning, they find three small cairns have been built around their tent during the night. As they try to find their way out of the forest, Heather realizes that her map is missing and later Mike reveals that he kicked it into the creek, out of frustration, the previous day. The other two attack Mike in a fit of intense rage. They then all realise that they are totally lost and decide to head south. They soon discover a multitude of humanoid stick figures made of woven sticks and branches suspended from trees (Viewers at that stage would not have known by Heather had cut one of the figures down before they had left). That night, they hear more strange noises, including sounds of children and other unknown entities brushing against the side of the tent. They flee the tent in panic and hide in the dark woods until dawn. Upon returning to the tent, they find their possessions have been rifled through and Josh's equipment is discovered covered in slime, causing him to panic. As the day passes by, they mysteriously pass a log that was identified as a log they had passed earlier, despite travelling south all day. Again, they set up camp completely demoralized at having wasted the entire day. The next morning, Josh had disappeared. After trying to find him in vain to find him, Mike and Heather eventually break camp and moved on. That night, they hear Josh's screams in the darkness, but are unable to find him. The next morning, Heather finds a bundle of sticks and fabric outside the tent. On inspection, it is revealed to contain blood-soaked scraps of clothing and what appeared to be Josh's bloody human hair, teeth and (what looks like) a tongue, but Heather does not mention to Mike.
That night Heather makes a tape of herself apologizing to the others and her family and breaks down crying...while saying: "We're going to die out here.". Later, they hear Josh's cries for help again and follow them to an abandoned house in the woods. Mike runs throughout the house while Heather attempts to follow. Mike believes he can hear Jose in the basement. He follows the sound - after what seems to be a struggle, he then goes silent and drops the video camera to the floor. Heather catches up and notices Mike is not answering her calls. She enters the basement looking for both men, and her camera sees a glimpse of Mike facing the corner. Heather drops the camera and her screams finally fall silent...
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK
The story of Picnic at Hanging Rock is getting urban legend status, there is much confusion and misunderstanding surrounding the story by the general public.
The plot: The story begins in a English girls' school in the Australian bush. The school is headed by Mrs Appleyard and unbending figure head of authority. Her staff included the mathematics mistress Miss Greta McCraw ,who disappears on the rock with three pupils, Masculine de Portier, who teaches French and deportment, and Miss Lumley who is always trying to please Miss Appleyard. The central character is Miranda, a student - her circle of friends included Irma, Marion, Rosamund and Sara. Edith hovers around the edge of this group looking for acceptance. Sara, an orphan, who is a kind of charity pupil and is disliked by Mrs Appleyard. She is not allowed to the join the outing at the rock because she has not memorized an assigned poem.
The girls ride to Hanging Rock, 500-foot tall volcanic rock formation about 11km northeast of the college. Miss de Portier and Miss McCraw are the supervisors. Mr Hussey drives the girls in his wagon to the rock. For some reason everyone's time piece and wrist-watches all stop at noon when they arrive. Miranda cuts a cake to honour St. Valentine's Day. In mid-afternoon, four of the girls, Miranda, Irma, Marion and Edith, decide to go and explore the rock, in defiance of Mrs Appleyard's specific instructions. After a brief nap on a plateau, they get up and seemly appear to be under a spell. Three of them move towards an inner recess. Edith cries out to them not to go. She screams and runs downwards. One of the teachers, Miss McCraw, left the picnic unnoticed and begins to climb the rock.
Although due back at 8.00pm, it wasn't until 10.30pm when Mr Hussey's wagon arrives back at the school - they then tell Mrs Appleyard about the mysterious disappearance. Edith remains hysterical and unable to explain what had happened...only that she saw Miss McCraw heading up towards the plateau without her skirt. The police investigation was led by Sgt Bumpher and Constable Jones lead them to a young Englishman Michael Fitzhubert, who was having lunch at the rock with his family, his uncle Colonel Fitzhubert and Mrs Fitzhubert. Michael and Albert, the Fitzhubert party's young valet, spent part of the lunch watching the picnic. But they offered no clues to the investigation.
The nearby town of Woodend become restless as news spreads about the disappearance. The town folk are angry and want answers. Michael became obsessed with finding Miranda, after getting Albert to accompany him back to the rock for another search but finds nothing. The next morning, Albert returns to the rock and finds a delirious Michael, whom he helps back to the ground. Albert follows Michael's trail and discovers Irma, unconscious but unharmed. At the Fitzhubert home, where Erma is being treated for dehydration and exposure, she tells the police that she has no memory of what happened on the rock or the fate of the others. The servants note to themselves that her corset has gone missing, a clue that is never solved in the original book or the movie but is discussed in the 1987 update with the extra chapter "The Secret of Hanging Rock".
Michael and Albert began to have terrible nightmares about a great evil that is lurking around Hanging Rock. The school ran as usual but soon parents started to notify Mrs Appleyard they would be withdrawing their daughters from the school. One day, during gym class, Irma turns up to tell the girls that her parents are taking her to Europe. The girls at first greet her with silence , then begin screaming at her that she must tell them what happened and attack her. Miss de Portier has to pull them off and Irma runs away.
Mrs Appleyard starts to drink in excess and becomes more abusive than ever towards Sara, telling her that her guardian has not paid her tuition and she will be sent back to the institution. She then lies to the rest of the staff that Sara's guardian has taken her away overnight. The next day, Sara's body is found in the greenhouse by the school gardener. It was thought she had either jumped or was pushed from the second floor window. When the gardener rushes to Mrs Appleyard's office, he finds her fully dressed with all her things packed. Albert told Michael that he had a dream that his orphan sister came to him in his dreams. Sara is then revealed to be Albert's sister.
After Sara's body is discovered, Mrs Appleyard disappears before the police could interview her about the circumstances surrounding Sara's death. A few days later, Mrs Appleyard is found dead beneath Hanging Rock. She jumped off the rock to her death.
What a spin tingling story - I suggest get the book and watch the film.
The novel "Picnic at Hanging Rock" by Joan Lindsay was first published in Australia in 1967. It tells the story of the mysterious disappearance of three school girls and their teacher during a picnic at geological formation known as Hanging Rock in Australia on Valentines Day in 1900. The reason for their disappearance whether it was human, natural or supernatural is never discovered but their disappearance has a profound effect on their community. Picnic at Hanging Rock (the film) was directed by Peter Wier, adapted from the novel of the same name in 1975. It became one of the first Australian films to reach an international audience, receiving international acclaim and commercial success.
It is interesting that the original conclusion to the novel remained unpublished until 1987 when the final chapter was released, this was the wishes of Joan Lindsay's and the publishers made the a wise decision to pull out the last chapter in 1967. This was done to give the reader the sense of mystery and to give the idea that the story could be true and unsolved. Joan Lindsay asked the the final chapter only be released three years after her death. The last chapter was titled "The Secret of Hanging Rock". This chapter solves the mystery of what happened to the three student and their teacher. It indicated that the girls met a supernatural ending. Find the book and enjoy the ending.
There is much debate whether "Picnic at Hanging Rock" is fact or fiction. The truth is that it is a fictional story that is so well written that it gives the impression that it must be fact. Hanging Rock is a true site in Victoria, Australia. The author does give the impression that the story is fact, by mentioning a newspaper report of 1914 at the end of the book, giving the impression there are actual articles on the disappearances. The reality is that these articles do not exist. There have been many searches for articles, police records and any other information relating to the story. Again no records exist. All the characters are created for the novel. The places are childhood memories of Joan Lindsay. The college is fiction, based on a school from Lindsay's childhood. The novel was set on Valentines Day, Saturday February 14th 1900. The actual day was a Wednesday. The characters in the story never existed, there are no records of their births or deaths or any information to say any of these people existed. Although there is a exhibit to the story of Picnic at Hanging Rock located at the site itself that gives the impression that it is a true story. It does not mention anywhere that the story is a very well written fictional story published in the 1960s.
REFERENCES:
Wikipedia: Picnic at Hanging Rock.
The truth behind Picnic at Hanging Rock: Castle of Spirits.
Wikipedia: Bell Witch.
| i don't know |
Which cartoon strip by Charles M Schulz first appeared in the Washington Post and New York Times on this day in 1950? | 'Peanuts' Creator Charles Schulz Dies
'Peanuts' Creator Charles Schulz Dies
Amusing, Wistful Comic Strip Ran for Nearly Half a Century
By Adam Bernstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 14, 2000; Page A01
Charles M. Schulz, 77, whose "Peanuts" comic strip ran for 49 years and featured an immensely popular repertory of blithely neurotic children and a beguiling beagle whose antics were resolved in wistful but distinctly adult punch lines, died Saturday at his home in Santa Rosa, Calif., after a heart attack.
Schulz, who died a day before his final Sunday strip appeared, had been diagnosed with colon cancer in November. He suffered a series of strokes during emergency abdominal surgery the same month.
During the run of "Peanuts," Schulz developed a plethora of pop-culture icons seen by hundreds of millions of readers worldwide. His characters included the dog Snoopy, who fancied himself a World War I flying ace; the hapless Charlie Brown, who could spend a week of strips with his kite entangled in a "kite-eating" tree; young Linus and his ever-present security blanket; Lucy, who tartly dispensed advice for a nickel from a makeshift psychiatrist's "booth" that resembled a lemonade stand; and the single-minded, classical-piano prodigy Schroeder.
The cartoon strip, which made its debut Oct. 2, 1950, was distributed by Scripps Howard-owned United Feature Syndicate. It was syndicated to more than 2,600 newspapers around the world, appeared in about 25 languages and reach an estimated audience of 355 million. The Washington Post, which was among the first newspapers to carry the strip, ran it until the end.
President Clinton, in a statement released after Schulz's death, said that the artist and his characters would live on in the memories of their fans. He added, "On the day that our newspapers print his very last 'Peanuts' strip, it is especially poignant that we mourn the passing of Charles Schulz himself."
Schulz was as popular with critics as he was with the public. He won the Reuben Award, the cartoon world's highest award, from the National Cartoonists Society in 1955 and 1964. His peers at the International Pavilion of Humor in Montreal dubbed him International Cartoonist of the Year in 1978. In 1990, the government of France named Schulz a commander of arts and letters.
Other measures of the fame and influence of Schulz and his creations include the appearance of the "Peanuts" gang on the covers of Time and Life magazines and a popular musical based on the strip. Charlie Brown and company also appeared in television animated specials that received Emmy and Peabody awards and whose broadcast has become a seasonal tradition.
An Italian priest once translated "Peanuts" into Latin, featuring "Snoopius."
An entire industry of "Peanuts"-related merchandise swept the nation. Everything from jewelry to lunch boxes, as well as dolls, clothing and greeting cards featured the gang. Snoopy even became something of a corporate spokesman. One result of all this was an income for Schulz in 1995 and 1996 that Forbes magazine estimated at $33 million.
In the final strip printed yesterday, he wrote: "I have been fortunate to draw Charlie Brown and his friends for almost 50 years. It has been the fulfillment of my childhood ambition. Unfortunately, I am no longer able to maintain the schedule demanded by a daily comic strip. My family does not wish Peanuts to be continued by anyone else, therefore I am announcing my retirement."
He added he was grateful for his editors' loyalty and the "love expressed to me by fans of the comic strip." The last daily strip ran Jan. 3.
Schulz maintained that he drew his strip to amuse the reader, and to a great extent he kept that simple promise by chronicling the pure joys and traumas of childhood in a tone that was consistently droll, good-natured and without pretense.
But the comic strip also successfully captured more disquieting themes, and it was perhaps not coincidental that "Peanuts" received its widest attention in the troubled 1960s. Schulz's Time magazine cover appeared in 1965 and the Life cover two years later. It was during this decade that "Peanuts" even reached outer space. In 1969, NASA named its Apollo 10 mission lunar module after Snoopy.
Schulz's friends and associates said the cartoonist captured in "Peanuts" the anxiety of an age underscored by evolving social and political unrest. His innocent children were fraught with adult-proportioned disappointments, yet their perpetual optimism, and such values as faith, friendship and wonder, sustained the strip with a timeless gentle humor and irreverence.
Linus, for example, hopes his limitless sincerity will cause the Great Pumpkin to arrive on Halloween; it never comes, but every October, he sits and waits in the pumpkin patch while other children go trick-or-treating.
In the 1960s, there were books explaining the cartoon as a religious parable, such as "The Gospel According to 'Peanuts' " and "Parables of Peanuts." In 1967, "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" began its off-Broadway run.
The cartoon also sold hundreds of millions of copies of softback books. Schulz went on to make such Emmy Award-winning television specials as "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" (1973), "You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown" (1975) and "Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown" (1980).
"What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?," in which "Peanuts" characters discuss D-day, won a Peabody Award in 1983. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" won Emmy and Peabody awards in 1965.
For the broadcast specials, Schulz paired with animator and director Bill Melendez and executive producer Lee Mendelson. Mendelson wrote in the 1970 book "Charlie Brown & Charlie Schulz" that "Charlie Brown has become the symbol of mid-century America not only because of his great humor but also because Charlie Brown is . . . a basic reflection of his time. People everywhere have a new awareness of feelings, a need to communicate, and a need to struggle against what often appear to be insurmountable problems."
"Sermon" is not an inappropriate word to describe "Peanuts," said Robert L. Short, a Presbyterian clergyman who wrote the bestselling "The Gospel According to Peanuts" and two later titles that used "Peanuts" to explain religious doctrine.
Short said in an interview that Schulz was pleased with the attention to religious nuance. Short considered the cartoonist a deeply religious man--he belonged to the Church of God and called himself a secular humanist--who "did not want to offend" readers with grandiose expressions of his faith.
One cartoon featured Charlie Brown pitching a baseball and saying, "Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the pestilence that walketh in darkness." Then a ball whizzes by, knocking him down. The final frame features Charlie Brown following up the words from Psalm 91: "But those line drives will kill you!"
"Peanuts," Short added, "really is a good expression or mirror of Schulz himself. Kind, gentle and decent."
Schulz said he developed much of his material by listening to his children. But the content of "Peanuts" also was influenced by his upbringing and early manhood, which was colored by depression, the death of his mother to cancer when he was 20 and losing his first love to another man just as his strip began syndication. (His former girlfriend would become Charlie Brown's "little red-haired girl," a figure his biographer, Rheta Grimsley Johnson, likened to "Beethoven's Immortal Beloved and Shakespeare's Dark Lady of the Sonnets.")
Reflecting on childhood, Schulz once said: "Being a kid is not easy. It's a fearful world out there, and the playground is a dangerous place. Going to school every day is not easy. If it isn't the teacher, it's the bully. Most adults forget about these struggles and ignore the problems little kids have. As an adult, you learn how to get around these problems and how to survive. But little kids are struggling with that survival."
One classic Charlie Brown routine has Lucy goading Charlie Brown into kicking a football. Every year, she removes the ball as Charlie Brown is about to kick it, and he falls on his back.
In "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," Lucy promises not to remove the ball, showing as evidence a "signed document." Charlie Brown says, "I guess if you have a signed document in your possession, you can't go wrong."
When Lucy pulls the ball away, Charlie Brown falls. Lucy says, "Peculiar thing about this document. It was never notarized."
Schulz said in a 1967 interview with Psychology Today magazine that the football situation, besides being amusing, was heightened by the girl one-upping the boy. He added, "Charlie Brown will always keep hoping."
Mort Walker, whose "Beetle Bailey" strip also started syndication in 1950, said "Peanuts" was quite novel for the era when it first appeared. "Up to that time, in all the strips about kids, the kids were rotten little kids," Walker said in an interview. "They were mischievous and always in trouble with their parents.
"And there was this tragic atmosphere about [Schulz's] characters," Walker added. "Charlie Brown was a failure. He couldn't win a baseball game, couldn't fly a kite, couldn't get the little red-haired girl. Which I think reflected Charlie's own childhood."
Charles Monroe Schulz was born in Minneapolis and grew up in St. Paul, Minn. When he was 2 days old, his uncle bestowed on him what would become his lifelong nickname, "Sparky," referring to the horse Sparkplug in the "Barney Google" cartoon.
A less-than-average student, Schulz increasingly felt uneasy in a classroom setting, and he withdrew from his peers. Inheriting a love of cartoons from his father, Schulz practiced drawing Popeye on school notebooks. But he noted in later interviews that drawings he submitted to his high school yearbook were rejected.
As a high school senior, Schulz enrolled in Art Instruction Inc., a correspondence art school in Minneapolis. After joining the Army and leading a machine gun squad in Europe toward the end of World War II, he worked lettering comics for Timeless Topix, a Catholic cartoon magazine, and taught at Art Instruction.
In the late 1940s, he contributed drawings to the Saturday Evening Post and started a once-weekly cartoon called "Li'l Folks" for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Although it was in single-panel format, "Li'l Folks" was a precursor to "Peanuts" in its content: It presented children who make sophisticated observations, and there was a character called Charlie Brown, named after one of Schulz's friends from art school.
Schulz withdrew his cartoon after the Pioneer Press would not relocate it from the women's page to a more visible spot.
He persuaded officials at United Feature Syndicate in New York to accept his work. They renamed it "Peanuts," over Schulz's objection that the new name sounded dismissive. The syndicate insisted, pointing out that "Li'l Folks" was too similar to United Feature's already-popular "Li'l Abner" comic strip.
"Peanuts" began Oct. 2, 1950, and was featured in seven North American newspapers. The first year was disappointing: "Peanuts" ranked last in the New York World Telegram's reader survey of cartoons. But it received wider exposure in 1952 as a collection in a book, thanks to a key "Peanuts" fan, John Selby, the editor-in-chief of Rinehart and Co. publishers.
The strip gained popularity in the 1950s. After Schulz's first Reuben Award, in 1955, came a consistent stream of marketing; the first toy was a plastic Snoopy doll in 1958.
In the earlier years, the strip appeared to be in constant change, with Schulz adding and subtracting characters. Good Ol' Charlotte Brown, a louder version of her male namesake, came and went in 1954. Sally Brown, Charlie's sister, arrived in 1959 and stayed for good.
Woodstock, a tiny yellow bird who speaks an undecipherable language and is Snoopy's pal, showed up in 1970 and was named for the landmark counterculture music festival. A precursor of Woodstock appeared in 1967, with Snoopy saying to the "bird hippie": "I don't see why he gets so upset. No one understands my generation, either."
Among the strip's many permutations, Schulz's most popular creation was Snoopy, especially when he first appeared as the World War I flying ace on April 16, 1966. "It was just because Snoopy looks so funny in goggles," Schulz explained. "It started as one week's takeoff on World War I movies. You know the great line: 'Captain, you can't send men up in crates like this to die.' Then I discovered I had something good going, and I let Snoopy's imagination go wild. Snoopy is funny. He leads his little life out of his doghouse."
The strip is renowned for its accuracy. For example, Schulz researched Beethoven's music and reproduced parts of the composer's scores when drawing Schroeder, the pianist who believes Beethoven is the president of the United States. "I picked Beethoven because he is sort of pompous and grandiose," Schulz once told Time magazine. "I like Brahms better."
Schulz, a tall, trim, silver-haired man who was as athletically inclined as Charlie Brown was not, was regarded as affable and generous in his community. He played baseball, tennis, golf and hockey, and in 1969 he built Redwood Empire Ice Arena for residents of Santa Rosa.
In the early 1990s, Schulz also contributed $1 million to the International Museum of Cartoon Art in Boca Raton, Fla., said Walker, who helped start the museum there.
Schulz doted on simple pleasures; one of his most abiding aphorisms was, "Happiness is a warm puppy," a title he also gave a 1960s cartoon collection. Yet his comic strip, like his life, seemed limned with a deep sadness he never could escape.
Such deep-rooted feelings produced one of his more vivid examples of self-exploration in an essay he wrote for the introduction to a "Peanuts" 35th anniversary-essay collection.
"The most terrifying loneliness is not experienced by everyone and can be understood by only a few," Schulz wrote. "I compare the panic in this kind of loneliness to the dog we see running frantically down the road pursuing the family car. He is not really being left behind, for the family knows it is to return, but for that moment in his limited understanding, he is being left alone forever, and he has to run and run to survive."
Schulz's marriage to the former Joyce Halverson ended in divorce.
Survivors include his wife, Jeannie Forsyth Schulz, whom he married in 1974 and who lives in Santa Rosa; and five children from his first marriage.
© Copyright 2000 The Washington Post Company
| The Peanuts |
Operation Typhoon, launched on this day in 1941, was a German strategic offensive designed to capture which capital city? | Local Cartoonist Exhibits Drawings and Recalls the Advice of Charles Schulz - Ashburn, VA Patch
Local Cartoonist Exhibits Drawings and Recalls the Advice of Charles Schulz
Ashby Ponds resident and cartoonist George Fulton shares his experience meeting Charles Schulz, creator of "Peanuts"
By Jessica McKay (Star Patcher) - September 8, 2014 1:09 pm ET
(Ashburn, Va.) - Sixty-four years ago this October 2nd, Charles Schulz’s famed comic strip “Peanuts” appeared for the first time in newspapers nationwide including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe. Around that same time, Ashby Ponds resident George Fulton first began drawing cartoons while in elementary school. Today, this longtime hobby has become quite a distinguishing feature of Fulton’s retirement at the Ashburn retirement community, where his cartoons are in high demand.
While in high school, Fulton drew cartoons for his school newspaper and continued doing so in college at the University of Arizona. Originally an art major, Fulton ultimately switched his focus to business/advertising and continued drawing as a hobby. While he has experimented with many types of media including watercolors, Fulton has found that he still enjoys drawing cartoons the most.
While living in Santa Rosa, Calif. in his early 30s, Fulton drew a 5-piece comic strip. Seeking advice on the comic strip from his friend and fellow cartoonist, Gus Arriola (who drew the Sunday Gordo cartoons), Arriola suggested that he reach out to Charles Schulz. Schulz answered his telephone and the two set up a time to review the comic strip at Schulz’s home in Santa Rosa. “We spent an hour together discussing his career with ‘Peanuts’ and my cartoons,” said Fulton. “It was one of my greatest thrills in terms of art.”
Schulz penciled-in critiques on Fulton’s comic strip; that strip is one of the many Fulton cartoons currently on display in the Ashby Ponds art gallery. “He wasn’t happy with my printing,” said Fulton. At the top of Fulton’s comic strip, Schulz handwrote a suggested font style. Accompanying the showcased comic strip is a letter to Fulton written by Schulz’s wife in November 2006 on paper with a distinct Snoopy watermark. At her request, Fulton sent several cartoons for display to the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa.
The cartoons showcased at Ashby Ponds are just a few of the dozens Fulton has completed. Since he retired, Fulton believes he draws about 20-25 cartoons per year—a significant commitment considering any single cartoon may demand about eight hours of attention. He starts off by sketching with pencil and then uses a small felt-tip pen to provide the outlines. Fulton will then scan the cartoon and utilize Photoshop to sharpen the details before printing and using pencils for shading on his light table in his apartment home at Ashby Ponds.
Fulton notes that while a few of his cartoons were published here and there, he cites that he was not concerned about money or fame when it came to his cartoons. It remains a hobby today, as he draws cartoons for friends, family, and neighbors at Ashby Ponds. “Any proceeds I might receive will go directly to the Benevolent Care Fund,” said Fulton. The Benevolent Care Fund at Ashby Ponds provides financial support to residents who, despite careful planning, outlive their financial resources.
In between crafting cartoons and honing his bocce game at Ashby Ponds, Fulton still hopes to visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum one day in honor of the man who left an indelible ‘mark’ on his work and in his life.
About Ashby Ponds: Ashby Ponds , one of 18 retirement communities managed by Erickson Living, is situated on a scenic 132-acre campus in Ashburn, Virginia (approximately 30 miles west of Washington, D.C.). The community is home to over 750 residents and has over 120 resident-run and resident-driven clubs and groups, an indoor pool, a fitness club, transportation services, 24-hour security, and flexible dining options. More information about Ashby Ponds can be found at www.ericksonliving.com .
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| i don't know |
What was the real christian name of the comedian Grougho Marx, born on this day in 1890? | Groucho Marx - Biography - IMDb
Groucho Marx
Biography
Showing all 132 items
Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (2) | Spouse (3) | Trade Mark (5) | Trivia (58) | Personal Quotes (58) | Salary (2)
Overview (4)
5' 7½" (1.71 m)
Mini Bio (2)
The bushy-browed, cigar-smoking wise-cracker with the painted-on moustache and stooped walk was the leader of The Marx Brothers . With one-liners that were often double entendres, Groucho never cursed in any of his performances and said he never wanted to be known as a dirty comic. With a great love of music and singing ( The Marx Brothers started as a singing group), one of the things Groucho was best known for was his rendition of the song "Lydia the Tattooed Lady."
- IMDb Mini Biography By: John Nehrenz
From the late 1940s through 1961, he was the highly successful host of You Bet Your Life (1950) a quiz show on radio and television. His son, Arthur Marx , is a successful writer of biographies and TV scripts. Arthur complained about his father always being "on". If he asked Groucho about something serious or personal, Groucho would reply with one-liners.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: <[email protected]>
Spouse (3)
( 4 February 1920 - 15 July 1942) (divorced) (2 children)
Trade Mark (5)
He is best known for playing characters who were wisecracking sharpies who always sported a cigar, a mustache made of dark greasepaint and walked with a half crouch.
In Marx Brothers movies, he almost always played characters with unusual first names, a middle initial and unlikely last names; i.e.: Rufus T. Firefly, Hugo Z. Hackenbush and Otis B. Driftwood.
Smoking a cigar
His thick eyebrows, glasses, big nose and mustache
Quirkily High-Pitched Voice
Trivia (58)
Was told by studio executive Walter Wanger to lose the greasepaint moustache as it was an "obvious fake". (Source: Joseph Adamson III in his book Groucho, Harpo, Chico and sometimes Zeppo (1973)
He was to have played the title role in a TV movie of L. Frank Baum 's "The Magical Monarch of Mo" with a teleplay by Gore Vidal , which was never produced.
Brother of Harpo Marx , Chico Marx , Gummo Marx and Zeppo Marx .
Died three days after Elvis Presley . Unfortunately, due to the furor over the former's death, the media paid little attention to the passing of this comic genius.
When talking about Margaret Dumont , the actress who frequently played the dowager who acted as a punching bag for Groucho's verbal insults, he claimed the secret to their chemistry is that she never understood what he was saying.
Once during the run of "I'll Say She Is" (the brothers' first Broadway play), his brother Harpo Marx tried to play a practical joke on him by chasing a chorus girl onto the stage while Groucho was in the middle of his act. Not to be outdone, he simply pulled out his watch and said "The Five Fifteen is right on schedule".
Had a fifth brother, Gummo Marx , who performed with the other brothers in vaudeville. He left the act before the brothers started to make movies. He remained close to Groucho for the rest of his life.
He suffered from insomnia, which he claimed was due to a financial loss in the stock market. When he suffered from insomnia, he used to call people up in the middle of the night and insult them.
The FBI had a file on him after he made some jokes about communism.
Shortly after his death, his children found a gag letter written by Groucho that stated that he wanted to be buried on top of Marilyn Monroe .
Father of Arthur Marx , Miriam Marx , and Melinda Marx .
A famous gag toy was modeled after his face - the dark black glasses with big orange nose and mustache "disguise" toy (known as the "Beagle-Puss" in the gag shop market.).
There are at least two versions of how Julius Henry Marx got his more famous nickname. One is that it came from his general disposition. The other, that, during the Marx Brothers' early days in vaudeville, he was the keeper of the act's "grouch bag" or money purse. Groucho, himself, said, on one occasion, "my own name, I never did understand."
George Fenneman , Groucho's announcer on You Bet Your Life (1950), was once asked if Groucho ever embarrassed him on the air. "Each and every show," Fenneman replied.
Nephew of actor Al Shean .
In the 1950s Groucho was invited to take a tour of the New York Stock Exchange. While in the observation booth, he grabbed the public address system handset and began singing "Lydia the Tattooed Lady". Upon hearing silence coming from the trading floor, he walked into view, was given a loud cheer by the traders, and shouted, "Gentlemen, in 1929 I lost eight hundred thousand dollars on this floor, and I intend to get my money's worth!" For fifteen minutes, he sang, danced, told jokes, and all this time, the Wall Street stock ticker was running blank.
Groucho's show "You Bet Your Life" (on radio from 1947 to 1956 over ABC, CBS, and finally NBC) was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.
At the time of his death he was not aware that his brother Gummo Marx had passed away four months earlier. His family believed that it was a kindness not to tell him.
Son of Sam Marx and Minnie Marx (nee Schoenberg).
In 1989, the Republic of Abkhazia (in the former Soviet Georgia) proclaimed independence. To show the world they were rejecting their Communist past, they issued two postage stamps of Groucho Marx and John Lennon (as opposed to Karl Marx and V.I. Lenin ).
Long-time companion of Erin Fleming .
There's a famous club in London called the Groucho, frequented by actors and celebrities. It got its name from the famous Groucho quote that he would not join any club that would accept him as a member.
Smashed a violin onstage at Carnegie Hall, in a mock "tribute" to Jack Benny .
Father-in-law of Sahn Berti
His double album "An Evening with Groucho" (A&M: 1972), recorded at a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall, was a surprise best-seller and a Grammy nominee for Best Comedy Recording. His accompanist on that occasion was the then unknown Marvin Hamlisch .
Grandfather of actress Jade Marx-Berti .
Was the quiet, introverted middle brother of 5, and suffered the middle sibling condition. He never got as much attention as his older brothers ( Chico Marx & Harpo Marx ), who were wild and charming, or his two younger brothers ( Zeppo Marx & Gummo Marx ), who were cuter. The plus side of this outsider status was that he developed a cutting wit to get attention.
Was never much of a womanizer in real life (as were his older brother, Chico Marx & Harpo Marx ), having joked later in life about his disastrous attempts at courting as a young man.
Was good friends with rock star Alice Cooper , often inviting him over at 11:00 pm to watch TV. A drawing of Groucho can also be seen on the cover of "Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits" album. In 1978, when the original giant white letters of the famous "HOLLYWOOD" sign were auctioned off in order to raise money for new replacement letters, Alice bought an "O" in memory of Groucho.
His cremated remains are entombed at Eden Memorial Park, San Fernando, California, USA.
He was voted, as one of The Marx Brothers , the 62nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by "Entertainment Weekly".
Was a close friend of "The Exorcist" author William Peter Blatty .
Was intended to make a joke on the set of William Friedkin 's The Exorcist (1973) by appearing in Father Merrin's clothes when Ellen Burstyn opened the door. However, the idea was dropped due to scheduling conflicts.
He was portrayed by Lewis J. Stadlen in the Broadway show "Minnie's Boys," which ran at the Imperial Theatre for 80 Performances from Mar 26 to May 30, 1970. Stadlen won a 1970 Theatre World Award for his performance.
Was named, as The Marx Brothers , the #20 Greatest Actor on The 50 Greatest Screen Legends List by The American Film Institute.
Was a big fan of Gilbert & Sullivan ( W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan ) operettas and used to stage Gilbert & Sullivan sing-along evenings at his home. During the 1950s he appeared as Ko-Ko on NBC-TV in an acclaimed abridged version of "The Mikado.".
Carried on extensive correspondence with such literary giants as T.S. Eliot and Carl Sandburg . He also was well-known for attaching a hilarious P.S. to his most serious letters. According to Dick Cavett , Groucho added this P.S. to a lengthy account of his memories of Charles Chaplin from vaudeville days: ""Did you ever notice that Peter O'Toole has a double-phallic name?"
The success of The Marx Brothers at MGM was due to the genius of Irving Thalberg . Upon his untimely death, the quality of their films declined mainly because studio chief Louis B. Mayer did not care for them or their act.
The famous phrase "Well, who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?" is often referred to as a Groucho quote, but it was actually delivered by Chicolini ( Chico Marx ) in Duck Soup (1933) while impersonating Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho).
Great-uncle of Gregg Marx , Laura Guzik and Brett Marx
Knew Charles Chaplin during his vaudeville days.
Was in attendance at The Beatles 1964 Hollywood Bowl concert, and there is existing footage of him applauding.
His son Arthur Marx was once smoking a corncob pipe in his room when he heard his father coming down the hall. In a panic, he stuffed the still-lit pipe into a drawer. Groucho came in, sniffed the air and left without a word. A moment later he was back with a briar pipe and a pouch of tobacco. "This will be better than that corncob you're using," he said. Arthur asked if his father was angry and Groucho said, "Nonsense. Smoking won't hurt you. I've been smoking for years, and aside from the fact that I feel terrible all the time it hasn't hurt me, either!".
Came fifth in a Channel Four (UK) poll in 2005 to find the all-time favourite comedians' comedian.
In the Broadway play "A Day in Hollywood--A Night in the Ukraine," which opened on May 1, 1980, and closed on Sep 27, 1981 (for 588 performances), a Groucho-type character, Moscow lawyer Serge B. Samovar, was played by David Garrison .
Came to regret never going beyond grammar school. To compensate, he became a voracious reader in adulthood, famed for his literary knowledge. Furthermore, in addition to the aforementioned regular correspondence to noted authors, he wrote several books himself.
When he died in 1977, he left an estate valued at $2 million.
His father was a tailor.
He sang "Everybody Works But Father" in both English and German on The Dick Cavett Show (1968).
He was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: for Radio at 6821 Hollywood Boulevard and for Television at 1734 Vine Street.
W.C. Fields said that The Marx Brothers was the only act he couldn't follow on the live stage. He is known to have appeared on the same bill with them only once, during an engagement at Keith's Orpheum Theatre in Columbus, OH, in January 1915. At the time the Marx Brothers were touring "Home Again", and it didn't take Fields long to realize how his quiet comedy juggling act was faring against the anarchy of the Marxes. Fields later wrote of the engagement (and the Marxes), "They sang, danced, played harp and kidded in zany style. Never saw so much nepotism or such hilarious laughter in one act in my life. The only act I could never follow . . . I told the manager I broke my wrist and quit".
Appears on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp, issued 11 August 2009, in the Early TV Memories issue honoring You Bet Your Life (1950).
Appeared as Johnny Carson 's very first guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) where he introduced Carson to his newfound audience (October 1, 1962).
Maternal grandfather, Lafe Schonburg, was a magician and ventriloquist who toured Germany for over 50 years with his wife and three children, one of whom was Groucho's mother Minnie. The Schonburgs emigrated to the United States in 1860. Lafe Schonburg died in Chicago, IL in 1919 at the age of 101.
He along with his brothers star in five of the American Film Institute's 100 Funniest Movies: Duck Soup (1933) at #5, A Night at the Opera (1935) at #12, A Day at the Races (1937) at #59, Horse Feathers (1932) at #65 and Monkey Business (1931) at #73.
His famous quote, "I don't want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members," first appeared in the gossip column of the Hearst newspaper's Erskine Johnson on October 20, 1949. Johnson claimed it came from Marx's resignation letter to the Friars Club.
Personal Quotes (58)
[on resigning from the Friars Club] I do not care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members.
[when told that a swimming pool was off-limits to Jews] My son is half-Jewish; can he wade in up to his knees?
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
Marriage is a wonderful institution. But who wants to live in an institution?
I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
While shooting elephants in Africa, I found the tusks very difficult to remove. But in Alabama, the Tuscaloosa...
I started smoking as soon as I went on the stage. I'd make cigars out of the Morning World when I was a kid. Eventually I smoked Havanas. A cigar makers' organization once said that I was the most famous cigar smoker in the world. I don't know if that's true, but once while visiting Havana, I went to a cigar factory. There were four hundred people there rolling cigars, and when they saw me, they all stood up and applauded.
Because we were a kid act, we traveled at half-fare, despite the fact that we were all around 20. Minnie insisted we were 13. "That kid of yours is in the dining car smoking a cigar," the conductor told her, "and another one is in the washroom shaving." Minnie shook her head sadly. "They grow so fast . . . "
You're only as young as the woman you feel.
If you want to see a comic strip, you should see me in the shower.
Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms.
It looks as if Hollywood brides keep the bouquets and throw away the grooms.
I drink to make other people interesting.
There's one way to find out if a man is honest: ask him. If he says "Yes", you know he is crooked.
Behind every successful man stands a woman. And behind her stands his wife.
I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.
My mother loved children--she would have given anything if I had been one.
From the moment I picked your book up until I put it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it.
Politics doesn't make strange bedfellows--marriage does.
In America you can go on the air and kid the politicians, and the politicians can go on the air and kid the people.
The only game I like to play is Old Maid...provided she's not TOO old.
A moose is an animal with horns on the front of his head and a hunting lodge wall on the back of it.
[in the late 1960s, on how it felt to be an elder statesman of comedy] Like an old jerk.
When I heard about [the Broadway play] "Hair", I was kind of curious about the six naked primates on stage. So I called up the box office and they said tickets were $11 apiece. That's an awful price to pay. I went into the bathroom at home and took off all my clothes and looked in the mirror for five minutes. And I said, 'This isn't worth $11'.
People are most likely to listen to reason when in bed.
Military justice is to justice what military music is to music.
Quote me as saying I was misquoted.
Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me?
[asked in 1975 if he'd seen any recent movies] I saw Jaws (1975). But I think it would have been funnier if a guppy had swallowed the boat instead of a shark.
One of the best hearing aids a man can have is an attentive wife.
I was so long writing my review that I never got around to reading the book.
She got her good looks from her father--he's a plastic surgeon.
Wives are people who feel that they don't dance enough.
The husband who wants a happy marriage should learn to keep his mouth shut and his checkbook open.
[on Samson and Delilah (1949) starring Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature ] Well, there's just one problem. No picture can hold my interest where the leading man's tits are bigger than the leading lady's.
Alimony is like buying hay for a dead horse.
A woman is an occasional pleasure, but a cigar is always a smoke.
He [Groucho's father] had absolutely no training, and if you had ever seen one of his suits, you'd realize what an accurate statement that is. You see, Pop never used a tape measure. He didn't believe in it. He said he could just look at a man and tell his size, with the result that frequently he'd make a pair of pants with one trouser leg seven or eight inches longer than the other.
I'd have liked to have gone to bed with Jean Harlow . She was a beautiful broad. The fellow who married her was impotent and he killed himself. I would have done the same thing.
[on Bob Hope ] Hope? Hope is not a comedian. He just translates what others write for him.
[on Margaret Dumont ] She was a wonderful woman. She was the same off the stage as she was on it -- always the stuffy, dignified matron. And the funny thing about her was she never understood the jokes. At the end of Duck Soup (1933) Margaret says to me, "What are you doing. Rufus?". And I say, "I am fighting for your honor, which is more than you ever did." Later she asked me what I meant by that.
Jerry Lewis hasn't made me laugh since he left Dean Martin .
[on Charles Chaplin ] The greatest compliment I ever got was from Chaplin. He came up to me and said, "I wish I could talk like you on the screen". I said, "I think you're doing alright". He had made $50 million by that point. He was the best comedian we ever had.
There has never been a good comedian that didn't have a good straight man. Audiences don't *think* the straight man means anything, but it's very important.
[on Harry S. Truman 's upset defeat of Thomas E. Dewey in the 1948 Presidential elections] The only way a Republican will get into the White House now is to marry Margaret Truman .
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.
[after a visit to W.C. Fields ' home] He had a ladder leading up to his attic. Without exaggeration, there was $50,000 worth of liquor up there. Crated up like a wharf. I'm standing there and Fields is standing there, and nobody says anything. The silence is oppressive. Finally, he speaks: "This will carry me for twenty-five years".
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them . . . well, I have others.
I've been around so long, I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin.
[Telegram to Judy Garland after losing the Best Actress Award to Grace Kelly ] Dear Judy, This is the biggest robbery since Brink's.
[on the passing of his brother Harpo Marx ] Having worked with Harpo for 40 years, which is longer than most marriages last, his death left quite a void in my life. He was worth all the wonderful adjectives that were used to describe him. He was a nice man in the fullest sense of the word. He loved life and lived it joyously and deeply, and that's about as good an epitaph as anyone can have.
I've always been terrified of dying broke or of being a failure. I've never taken a bit of success for granted. When it came, I was always sure it wasn't going to last.
[Feuding with Warner Bros. Pictures, which had objected to the use of "Casablanca" in an upcoming Marx Brothers movie] I just don't understand your attitude. Even if you plan on re-releasing your picture, I am sure the average movie fan could learn in time to distinguish between Ingrid Bergman and [ Harpo Marx ]. I don't know whether I could, but I certainly would like to try. You claim that you own "Casablanca" and that no one else can use that name without your permission. What about "Warner Brothers"? Do you own that, too? You probably have the right to use the name "Warner", but what about "Brothers"? Even before us there had been other brothers--the Smith Brothers, the Brothers Karamazov . . .
[about Charles Chaplin ] He was a strange little man--this Charlie Chaplin. The first time I met him he was wearing what had formerly been a white collar and a black bow tie. I can't quite explain his appearance, but he looked a little like a pale priest who had been excommunicated but was reluctant to relinquish his vestments.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.
[After a fan tells him how excited he is to meet the famous Groucho Marx] I have known him for years and I can tell you, it's no pleasure.
Sex at my age is like trying to shoot pool with a rope.
[After being advised he should wear a frock coat and a painted mustache for every broadcast of "You bet your life"] The hell I will, that character is dead.
Salary (2)
| Julia (gens) |
Which US President suffered a massive stroke on this day in 1919 which severely incapacitated him for the remainder of his Presidency? | Happy Birthday Groucho Marx – Waldina
October 2, 2015
Happy Birthday Groucho Marx
Today is the 124th birthday of Groucho Marx. I think of him often, especially quotes of his. I try my best to live by this one:
I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.
Obviously, his more humorous quotes are brilliantly crafted and memorable, such as:
I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.
and
Either he’s dead or my watch has stopped.
The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.
NAME: Groucho Marx
BIRTH DATE: October 2, 1890
DEATH DATE: August 19, 1977
ORIGINALLY: Julius Henry Marx
BEST KNOWN FOR: Comedian and film actor Groucho Marx was one of the Marx Brothers. He spent nearly seven decades making people laugh with his snappy one-liners and sharp wit.
Comedian, actor, singer and writer Groucho Marx was born Julius Henry Marx on October 2, 1890, in New York City. Groucho Marx spent nearly seven decades making people laugh with his snappy one-liners and sharp wit. He once described his comedy as “the type of humor that made people laugh at themselves.”
While he originally aspired to be a doctor, Marx started his career as a singer. One of his earliest efforts proved to be disastrous, however. As part of the Le May Trio, Marx got stuck in Colorado for a while after another group member took off with his pay. He had to work at a grocery store to earn enough money to make it back to New York.
Marx’s father Samuel never had much success as a tailor, and the family struggled financially. His mother Minnie hoped that she might find prosperity through her five children. She became the quintessential “stage mother,” guiding her children’s theatrical acts and even performing herself. The act eventually featured Groucho and his brothers Leonard, Adolph and Milton.
Groucho received his colorful nickname from fellow vaudeville performer Art Fisher because of his personality. Fisher also coined amusing names for Marx’s brothers, renaming Leonard “Chico,” Adolph “Harpo” and Milton “Gummo.” Milton left the act to fight in World War I and was replaced by youngest brother Herbert, known as “Zeppo.” Both Herbert and Milton later became theatrical agents.
The Marx Brothers had a career breakthrough in 1914 while performing in Texas. During a show, some of the audience left to go see a runaway mule. When they returned, the Marx Brothers put aside their usual routines to make fun of the audience. Groucho’s quick-witted quips won over the crowd. The switch to comedy proved to be their ticket to success.
By the 1920s, the Marx Brothers had become a hugely popular theatrical act. Groucho had developed some of his trademarks by this time. He often wore a long coat, a painted-on mustache, thick glasses and held on to a cigar on stage. In addition to just liking cigars, Marx explained that they proved useful, too. He said that “if you forget a line, all you have to do is stick the cigar in your mouth and puff on it until you think of what you’ve forgotten.”
The Marx Brothers had a string of Broadway hits, starting with 1924’s I’ll Say She Is, which Groucho helped write. The following year, they returned to the stage with The Cocoanuts , a spoof on land speculation in Florida. The Marx Brothers hit it big again in 1928 with Animal Crackers.
In great demand, Marx appeared on Broadway in Animal Crackers at night while filming the film version of The Cocoanuts during the day. Around this time, he nearly suffered a complete mental breakdown. His hectic schedule and his enormous financial loss in the 1929 stock market crash had taken a toll on the performer and left him with a lifelong struggle with insomnia.
Working with producer Irving Thalberg, the Marx Brothers created one of their most popular movies: A Night at the Opera (1935). As the decade drew to a close, the Marx Brothers continued to make more films, but none matched the success of their earlier efforts. Their last film together was 1949’s Love Happy.
Even before the Marx Brothers split up, Groucho had been exploring other career opportunities. He wrote the 1930 humorous book Beds, and followed it up in 1942 with Many Happy Returns, his comic attack on taxes. On the radio, Groucho worked on several programs before landing a hit in 1947 with You Bet Your Life . He hosted the quirky game show, which focused more on his quick wit than on contestants winning prizes.
You Bet Your Life moved from radio to television in 1950, and Marx entertained America with his wisecracks for 11 years, also winning a 1951 Emmy. After that program ended in 1961, he appeared on Tell It to Groucho, a short-lived game show the following year. Then Marx largely retreated from the limelight, making only sporadic appearances on television and in films.
Later in life, instead of performing, Marx wrote a follow-up to his 1959 autobiography Groucho and Me. This time around, he focused on love and sex in 1963’s Memoirs of a Mangy Lover . The thrice-married comedian had a lot to say on those topics. Marx had been married to first wife Ruth from 1920 to 1942. The couple had two children together, Miriam and Arthur. He had his third child, Melinda, with his second wife, Catherine Gorcey. His third marriage to Eden Hartford lasted from 1953 to 1969.
A prolific correspondent with friends and associates, Marx had his personal writings published in 1967 as The Groucho Letters. He returned to the stage in 1972 with a one-man show at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. Crowds turned out to see the performer, then in his 80s. He had trouble hearing and his voice was much weaker than it was in his prime. Still, he managed to charm and entertain the audience. Two years later, Marx received a special Academy Award for his stage and screen efforts.
By 1977, Marx was in decline both physically and mentally. He struggled with health problems, and his family battled with his companion Erin Fleming over control of his affairs. After spending nearly two months in a Los Angeles hospital, Marx died of pneumonia on August 19, 1977. “He developed the insult into an art form,” The New York Times mused on his death. “And he used the insult, delivered with maniacal glee, to shatter the egos of the pompous ??and to plunge his audience into helpless laughter.”
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
The Story of Mankind (8-Nov-1957) · Peter Minuit
A Girl in Every Port (13-Feb-1952)
Double Dynamite (25-Dec-1951) · Emile J. Keck
Mr. Music (8-Dec-1950) · Himself
Love Happy (12-Oct-1949) · Det. Sam Grunion
Copacabana (1-Nov-1947) · Lionel Q. Deveraux
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Who led the Muslim forces who captured Jerusalem on this day in 1187, thus ending 88 years of crusader rule of the city? | A Timeline of the Third Crusade & Aftermath: 1187 - 1197
By Austin Cline
Updated August 25, 2016.
Launched in 1189, the Third Crusade was called because of the Muslim recapture of Jerusalem in 1187 and the defeat of Palestinian knights at Hattin . It was ultimately unsuccessful. Frederick I Barbarossa of Germany drowned before he even reached the Holy Land and Philip II Augustus of France returned home after a short period of time. Only Richard the Lion Heart of England stayed long. He helped capture Acre and some smaller ports, only leaving after he concluded a peace treaty with Saladin .
Timeline of the Crusades: Third Crusade & Aftermath 1187 - 1197
1186 Reynald of Chantillon breaks a truce with Saladin by attacking a Muslim caravan and taking several prisoners, including a sister of Saladin. This infuriates the Muslim leader who vows to kill Reynald with his own hands.
March 03, 1186 The city of Mosul, Iraq, submits to Saladin.
August 1186 Baldwin V, young king of Jerusalem. dies of an illness. His mother, Sibylla, sister of King Baldwin IV, is crowned Queen of Jerusalem by Joscelin of Courtenay and her husband, Guy of Lusignan, is crowned King.
This is contrary to the previous king's will. The forces of Raymond of Tripoli are based in Nablus and Raymond himself is in Tiberias; as a consequence, the entire kingdom is effectively split in two and chaos reigns.
1187 - 1192 The Third Crusade is led by Frederick I Barbarossa, Richard I Lion Heart of England, and Philip II Augustus of France. It would end with a peace treaty giving Christians access to Jerusalem and the Holy Places.
March 1187 In response to his sister being taken prisoner and a caravan being captured by Reynald of Chantillon, Saladin begins his call for a holy war against the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
May 01, 1187 A large reconnaissance force of Muslims cross the Jordan river with the intent of provoking the Christians into attacking and thus allowing a larger war to commence. The incursion is designed to last just a single day and, near the end, several dozens Templars and Hospitallers charged the much larger Muslim force. Nearly all of the Christians died.
June 26, 1187 Saladin launches his invasion of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem by crossing into Palestine.
July 01, 1187 Saladin crosses the Jordan River with a large army intent on defeating the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. He is observed by Hospitallers in the fortress of Belvoir but their numbers are too small to do anything but watch.
July 02, 1187 Muslim forces under Saladin capture the city of Tiberias but the garrison, led by Count Raymond's wife Eschiva, manage to hold out in the citadel. Christian forces camp at Sephoria in order to decide what to do. They don't have the strength to attack, but they are inspired to move forward by the image of Eschiva holding out. Guy of Lusignan is inclined to remain where he is and Raymond supports him, despite the likely fate of his wife if she is captured. Guy, however, is still plagued by the belief of others that he is a coward and late that night Gerard, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, convinces him to attack. This would be a serious mistake.
July 03, 1187 Crusaders march from Sephoria in order to engage Saladin's forces. They brought no water with them, expecting to replenish their supplies at Hattin. That night they would camp on a hill with a well, only to discover that it was already dried up. Saladin would also set fire to the brush; the drifting smoke made the tired and thirsty Crusaders even more miserable.
July 04, 1187 Battle of Hattin: Saladin defeats the Crusaders in an area northwest of Lake Tiberias and assumes control of most of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Crusaders should never have left Sephoria - they were defeated as much by the hot desert and lack of water as they were by Saladin's army. Raymond of Tripoli dies of his wounds after the battle. Reynald of Chantillon, Prince of Antioch, is personally beheaded by Saladin but the other Crusader leaders are treated better. Gerard de Ridefort, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller are ransomed. After the battle Saladin moves north and captures the cities of Acre, Beirut, and Sidon with little effort.
July 08, 1187 Saladin and his forces arrive at Acre. The city capitulates to him immediately, having heard of his victory at Hattin. Other cities which also surrender to Saladin are treated well. One city which resists,Jaffa, is taken by force and the entire population sold into slavery.
July 14, 1187 Conrad of Montferrat arrives at Tyre to take up the Crusading banner. Conrad had intended to land at Acre, but finding it under Saladin's control already he moves on to Tyre where he takes over from another Christian leader who is far more timid. Saladin had captured Conrad's father, William, at Hattin and offers a trade, but Conrad prefers to shoot at his own father rather than surrender. Tyre is the only Crusader Kingdom that Saladin is unable to defeat and it would last for another hundred years.
July 29, 1187 The city of Sidon surrenders to Saladin.
August 09, 1187 The city of Beirut is captured by Saladin.
August 10, 1187 The city of Ascalon surrenders to Saladin and Muslim forces re-establish control over the region. By the following month Saladin would also control the cities of Nablus, Jaffa, Toron, Sidon, Gaza ,and Ramla, completing a ring around the prize, Jerusalem.
September 19, 1187 Saladin breaks camp at Ascalon and moves his army towards Jerusalem.
September 20, 1187 Saladin and his forces arrive outside of Jerusalem and prepare to assault the city. Defense of Jerusalem is led by Balian of Ibelin. Balian had escaped capture at Hattin and Saladin personally gave permission for him to enter Jerusalem in order to retrieve his wife and children. Once there, however, the people beg him to stay and take up their defense - a defense that consists of three knights, if one includes Balain himself. Everyone else had been lost in the disaster at Hattin. Balian not only gains Saladin's permission to stay, but Saladin also ensures that his wife and children are given safe conduct out of the city and taken to safety in Tyre. Actions like this help ensure Saladin's reputation in Europe as an honorable and chivalrous leader.
September 26, 1187 After five days of scouting the city and the immediate surrounding area, Saladin launches his assault to retake Jerusalem from the Christian occupiers. Every male Christian had been given a weapon, whether they knew how to fight or not. The Christian citizens of Jerusalem would rely on a miracle to save them.
September 28, 1187 After two days of heavy battering, the walls of Jerusalem begin to buckle under the Muslim assault. St. Stephen's tower falls partially and a breach begins to appear at St. Stephen's Gate, the same place where the Crusaders had broken through nearly a hundred years earlier.
September 30, 1187 Jerusalem is officially surrendered to Saladin, commander of the Muslim forces besieging the city. In order to save face Saladin demands that a heavy ransom be paid for the release of any Latin Christians; those who cannot be ransomed are kept in slavery. Orthodox and Jacobite Christians are permitted to remain in the city. To show mercy Saladin finds many excuses to let Christians go for little or no ransom at all - even buying the freedom of many himself. Many Christian leaders, on the other hand, smuggle gold and treasure out of Jerusalem rather than use to free others from slavery. These greedy leaders include Patriarch Heraclius as well as many Templars and Hospitallers.
October 02, 1187 Muslim forces under the command of Saladin officially takes control Jerusalem from the Crusaders, effectively ending any major Christian presence in the Levant (also known as Outremer: the general region of the Crusader states through Syria, Palestine, and Jordan). Saladin had delayed his entry into the city by two days so that it would fall on the anniversary of when Muslims believe that Muhammed ascended from Jerusalem (the Dome of the Rock, specifically) to heaven to be in the presence of Allah. Unlike the Christian capture of Jerusalem almost a hundred years earlier, there is no mass slaughter - merely debates about whether Christian shrines like the Church of the Holy Sepulcher should be destroyed to take away Christian pilgrims' reason for returning to Jerusalem. In the end, Saladin insists that no shrines are to be touched and the holy sites of Christians should be respected. This stands in sharp contrast to Reynald of Chantillon's failed attempt to march on Mecca and Medina for the purpose of destroying them in 1183. Saladin also has the walls of Jerusalem destroyed so that, if the Christians ever take it again, they would not be able to hold it.
October 29, 1187 In response to the recapture of Jerusalem by Saladin, Pope Gregory VIII issues the Bull Audita Tremendi calling for the Third Crusade. The Third Crusade would be led by Frederick I Barbarossa of Germany, Philip II Augustus of France, and Richard I the Lionheart of England. In addition to the obvious religious purpose, Gregory has strong political motives as well: the squabbling between France and England, among others, was sapping the strength of the European kingdoms and he believes that if they could unite in a common cause, it would divert their warring energies and reduce the threat that European society would be undermined. In this he is briefly successful, but the two kings are able to set aside their differences for only a few months.
October 30, 1187 Saladin leads his Muslim army out of Jerusalem.
November 1187 Saladin launches a second assault on Tyre, but this one fails as well. Not only had Tyre's defenses been improved, but it was now filled with refugees and soldiers had been allowed to go free from other cities Saladin captured in the region. This meant that it was filled with eager warriors.
December 1187 Richard the Lionheart of England becomes the first European ruler to take up the cross and agree to participate in the Third Crusade.
December 30, 1187 Conrad of Montferrat, commander of the Christian defenses of Tyre, launches a night raid against several Muslim ships participating in the siege of the city. He is able to capture them and chase away several more, effectively eliminating Saladin's naval forces for the time being.
January 21, 1188 Henry II Plantagenet of England and Philip II of France meet in France to listen to Archbishop of Tyre Josias describe the loss of Jerusalem and most of the Crusader positions in the Holy Land . They agree to take up the cross and participate in a military expedition against Saladin. They also decide to impose a special tithe, known as the "Saladin Tithe," to help fund the Third Crusade. This tax amounts to one tenth of a person's income over a three year period; only those who participated on the Crusade were exempt - a great recruiting tool.
May 30, 1188 Saladin lays siege the fortress of Krak des Chevaliers (headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller in Syria and the largest of all the Crusader fortresses even before most had been captured by Saladin) but fails to take it.
July 1188 Saladin agrees to release Guy of Lusignan, king of Jerusalem. who had been captured at the Battle of Hattin a year before. Guy is under oath not to take up arms against Saladin again, but he manages to find a priest who declares the oath to an infidel invalid. The Marquis William of Montferrat is released at the same time.
August 1188 Henry II Plantagenet of England and Philip II of France meet again in France and nearly come to blows over their various political disagreements.
December 06, 1188 The fortress of Safed surrenders to Saladin.
1189 Last known Norse visit to North America occurs.
January 21, 1189 Troops for the third crusade, called in response to the victories of Muslims under the command of Saladin, began to gather under King Philip II Augustus of France, King Henry II of England (shortly followed by his son, King Richard I), and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I. Frederick drowned the next year on the way to Palestine - German folklore developed that asserted he was hidden in a mountain waiting to return and lead Germany to a new and brighter future.
March 1189 Saladin returns to Damascus .
April 1189 Fifty-two warships from Pisa arrive at Tyre to aid in the city's defense.
May 11, 1189 German ruler Frederick I Barbarossa sets off on the Third Crusade. The march through Byzantine land has to be made quickly because Emperor Isaac II Angelus has signed a treaty with Saladin against the Crusaders.
May 18, 1189 Frederick I Barbarossa captures the Seljuk city of Iconium (Konya, Turkey, located in central Anatolia).
July 06, 1189 King Henry II Plantagenet dies and is succeeded by his son, Richard Lionheart. Richard would only spend a small amount of time in England, leaving the administration of his kingdom to various appointed officials. He was not very concerned about England and didn't even learn much English. He was much more concerned with protecting his possessions in France and making a name for himself that would last through the ages.
July 15, 1189 Jabala Castle surrenders to Saladin.
July 29, 1189 Sahyun Castle surrenders to Saladin, who leads the assault personally, and the fortress is renamed Qalaat Saladin.
August 26, 1189 Baghras Castle is captured by Saladin.
August 28, 1189 Guy of Lusignan arrives at the gates Acre with a force far smaller than that in the city's Muslim garrison, but he is determined to have a city to call his own because Conrad of Montferrat refuses to turn control of Tyre over to him. Conrad is supported by the Balians and the Garniers, two of the most powerful families in Palestine, and lays claim to the crown Guy wears. Conrad's house of Montferrat is related to the Hohenstaufen and an ally of the Capetians, further complicating the political relationships among the leaders of the Crusade.
August 31, 1189 Guy of Lusignan launches an assault against the well-defended city of Acre and fails to take it, but his efforts attract most of those streaming into Palestine to participate in the Third Crusade.
September 1189 Danish and Frisian war ships arrive at Acre to participate in the siege by blockading the city by sea.
September 03, 1189 Richard the Lionheart is crowned king of England in a ceremony at Westminster. When Jews arrive with gifts, they are attacked, stripped naked, and whipped by a mob which then moves on to burn down houses in the Jewish quarter of London. Not until Christian houses catch fire do authorities move in to restore order. In the following months Crusaders slaughter hundreds of Jews throughout England.
September 15, 1189 Alarmed by the growing threat of the Crusaders camped outside of Acre, Saladin launches an attack on the Crusader camp which fails.
October 04, 1189 Joined by Conrad of Montferrat, Guy of Lusignan launches an attack on the Muslim camp defending Acre which nearly succeeds in routing Saladin's forces - but only at the expense of heavy casualties among the Christians. Among those captured and killed is Gerard de Ridefort, Master of the Knights Templar who had previously been capture and then ransomed off after the Battle of Hattin. Conrad himself was nearly captured as well, but he was rescued by his enemy Guy.
December 26, 1189 An Egyptian fleet reaches the besieged city of Acre but it unable to lift the sea blockade.
1190 Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem dies and Guy of Lusignan claims sole rule of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Both of their daughters had already died of disease a few days before, which means that Sibylla's sister Isabella was technically the successor in the eyes of many. Conrad in Tyreal so claims the throne, however, and confusion over who rules divides the Crusader forces.
1190 The Teutonic Knights are established by Germans in Palestine who also create a hospital near Acre.
March 07, 1190 Crusaders slaughter Jews in Stamford, England.
March 16, 1190 Jews in York England committed mass suicide in order to avoid having to submit to baptism.
March 16, 1190 Jews in York are massacred by Crusaders preparing to set off for the Holy Land. Many killed themselves rather than fall into the hands of the Christians.
March 18, 1190 Crusaders on a rampage kill 57 Jews in Bury St. Edmonds, England.
April 20, 1190 Philip II Augustus of France arrives at Acre to participate in the Third Crusade.
June 10, 1190 Wearing heavy armor, Frederick Barbarossa drowns in the Saleph River in Cilcia, after which the German forces of the Third Crusade fall apart and are devastated by Muslim attacks. This was especially unfortunate because unlike armies in the First and Second Crusade, the German army had managed to cross the plains of Anatolia without serious loss and Saladin was very concerned about what Frederick might accomplish. Eventually, a mere 5,000 of the original 100,000 German soldiers make it to Acre. Had Frederick lived, the entire course of the Third Crusade would have been altered - it likely would have been a success and Saladin would not have become such a revered hero in Muslim tradition.
June 24, 1190 Philip II of France and Richard the Lionheart of England break camp at Vezelay and head off for the Holy Land, officially launching the Third Crusade. Together their armies are estimated to total over 100,000 men.
October 04, 1190 After a number of his soldiers are killed in anti-English rioting, Richard I Lionheart leads a small force to capture Messina, Sicily. The Crusaders under Richard and Philip II of France would be staying in Sicily for the winter.
November 24, 1190 Conrad of Montferrat marries a reluctant Isabella, sister Sibylla, deceased wife of Guy of Lusignan. With this marriage questions about Guy's claim to the throne of Jerusalem (which he only held because of his original marriage to Sibylla) were made more urgent. Eventually the two are able to resolve their differences when Conrad recognizes Guy's claim to the crown of Jerusalem in exchange for Guy turning control of Sidon, Beirut, and Tyre over to Conrad.
February 05, 1191 In order to quell a long-simmering feud, Richard Lionheart and Tancred, king of Sicily, meet together at Catania.
March 1191 A ship loaded with corn arrives for the Crusader forces outside of Acre, giving the Crusaders hope and allowing the siege to continue.
March 30, 1191 King Philip of France leaves Sicily and sets sail for the Holy Land to begin his military campaign against Saladin.
April 10, 1191 King Richard Lionheart of England departs from Sicily with a fleet of over 200 ships, setting sail for what is left of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. His journey is not nearly so calm and quick as that of his colleague, Philip of France.
April 20, 1191 Philip II Augustus of France arrives to aid the Crusaders besieging Acre. Philip spends much of his time building siege engines and harassing the defenders on the walls.
May 06, 1191 Richard the Lionheart's Crusader fleet arrives in the port of Lemesos (now Limassol) in Cyprus where he begins his conquest of the island. Richard had been travelling from Sicily to Palestine but fierce storm scattered his fleet. Most of the ships collected at Rhodes but a couple, including those carrying the bulk of his treasure and Ferengaria of Navarre, the future Queen of England, were blown to Cyprus. Here Isaac Comnenus treated them shabbily - he refused to allow them to come ashore for water and the crew of one ship that wrecked was imprisoned. Richard demanded the release of all prisoners and all stolen treasure, but Isaac refused - to his later regret.
May 12, 1191 Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre, first-born daughter of King Sancho VI of Navarre.
June 01, 1191 The Count of Flanders is killed during the siege of Acre. Flemish soldiers and nobles had played important roles in the Third Crusade since the first reports of the fall of Jerusalem had been heard in Europe and the Count had been one of the first to take up the Cross and agree to participate in the Crusade.
June 05, 1191 Richard I the Lionheart departs Famagusta, Cyprus, and sets sail for the Holy Land.
June 06, 1191 Richard Lionheart, king of England, arrives at Tyre but Conrad of Montferrat refuses to allow Richard to enter the city. Richard had sided with Conrad's enemy, Guy of Lusignan, and so is made to camp on the beaches.
June 07, 1191 Disgusted with his treatment at the hands of Conrad of Montferrat, Richard Lionheart leaves Tyre and heads for Acre where the rest of the Crusading forces are besieging the city.
June 08, 1191 Richard I the Lionheart of England arrives with 25 galleys to aid the Crusaders besieging Acre. Richard's tactical skills and military training make a huge difference, allowing Richard to take command of the Crusader forces.
July 02, 1191 A large fleet of English ships arrives at Acre with reinforcements for the siege of the city.
July 04, 1191 The Muslim defenders of Acre offer to surrender to the Crusaders, but their offer is rebuffed.
July 08, 1191 English and French Crusaders manage to penetrate the outermost of Acre's two defensive walls.
July 11, 1191 Saladin launches a final assault on the 50,000 strong Crusader army besieging Acre but fails to break through.
July 12, 1191 Acre surrenders to Richard I the Lionheart of England and Philip II Augustus of France. During the siege 6 archbishops, 12 bishops, 40 earls, 500 barons, and 300,000 soldiers are reported killed. Acre would remain in Christian hands until 1291.
August 1191 Richard I the Lionheart takes the large Crusader army and marches down the coast of Palestine.
August 26, 1191 Richard I the Lionheart marches 2,700 Muslim soldiers out of Acre, onto the road of Nazareth in front of the forward positions of the Muslim army, and has them executed one by one. Saladin had for more than a month delayed on fulfilling his side of the agreement that had led to the surrender of Acre and Richard means this as a warning of what would happen if the delays continue.
September 07, 1191 Battle of Arsuf: Richard I the Lion Heart and Hugh, Duke of Burgundy, are ambushed by Saladin in Arsuf, a small town near Jaffaabout 50 miles from Jerusalem. Richard had prepared for this and the Muslim forces are defeated.
1192 Muslims conquer Dehli and later all of Northern and Eastern India, establishing a Dehli sultanate. Hindus would suffer many periods of persecution at the hands of Muslim rulers.
January 20, 1192 After deciding that a siege of Jerusalem during the winter weather would be unwise, Richard the Lionheart's Crusading forces move into the ruined city of Ascalon, demolished by Saladin the previous year in order to deny it to the Crusaders.
April 1192 The population of Cyprus revolts against their rulers, the Knights Templar. Richard the Lionheart had sold Cyprus to them, but they were cruel overlords known for their high taxation.
April 20, 1192 Conrad of Monteferrat learns that king Richard now supported his claim on the throne of Jerusalem. Richard had previously supported Guy of Lusignan, but when he learned that none of the local barons supported Guy in any way, he chose not to oppose them. In order to prevent a civil war from breaking out, Richard would later sell the island of Cyprus to Guy, whose descendants would continue to rule it for another two centuries.
April 28, 1192 Conrad of Montferrat is murdered by two members of the sect of the Assassins who had, for the previous two months, posed as monks in order to gain his trust. The Assassins had not sided with Saladinagainst the Crusaders - instead, they were paying Conrad back for his capture of a shipload of Assassin treasure the year before. Because Conrad was dead and his rival Guy of Lusignan had already been deposed, the throne of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem was now vacant.
May 05, 1192 Isabella, Queen of Jerusalem and wife of the now deceased Conrad of Montferrat (killed by assassins the month before), marries Henry of Champagne. A quick marriage was urged by the local barons so as to ensure political and social stability among the Christian Crusaders.
June 1192 Crusaders under the command of Richard the Lion Heart march on Jerusalem. but they are turned back. The Crusader efforts were seriously hampered by Saladin's scorched-earth tactics which denied the Crusaders food and water during their campaign.
September 02, 1192 The Treaty of Jaffa puts an end to hostilities of the Third Crusade. Negotiated between Richard I the Lion Heart and Saladin, Christian pilgrims are granted special rights of travel around Palestine and inJerusalem. Richard had also managed to capture the cities of Daron,Jaffa, Acre, and Ascalon - an improvement over the situation when Richard first arrived, but not much of one. Although the Kingdom ofJerusalem was never large or secure, it was now still very weak and did not reach inland more than 10 miles at any point.
October 09, 1192 Richard I the Lion Heart, ruler of England, departs the Holy Land for home. On the way back he is taken hostage by Leopold of Austria and he doesn't see England again until 1194.
March 03, 1193 Saladin dies and his sons begin to fight over who will take control of the Ayyubid Empire which consists of Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and some of Iraq . Saladin's death is probably what saves the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem from being quickly defeated and allows Christian rulers to remain a while longer.
May 1193 Henry, king of Jerusalem. discovers that Pisan leaders had been conspiring with Guy of Cyprus to take over the city of Tyre. Henry arrests those responsible, but Pisan ships begin raiding the coast in retaliation, forcing Henry to get expel the Pisan merchants altogether.
1194 The last Seljuk Sultan, Toghril bin Arslan, is killed in battle against the Khwarazm-Shah Tekish.
February 20, 1194 Tancred, king of Sicily, dies.
May 1194 Death of Guy of Cyprus, originally Guy of Lusignan and once king of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Amalric of Lusignan, Guy's brother, is named his successor. Henry, king of Jerusalem. is able to make a treaty with Amalric. Three of Amalric's sons are married to three daughters of Isabella, two of which were also Henry's daughters.
1195 Alexius III deposes his brother Emperor Isaac II Angelus of Byzantium , blinding him and putting him in prison. Under Alexius the Byzantine Empire begins to fall apart.
1195 Battle of Alacros: Almohad leader Yaqib Aben Juzef (also known as el-Mansur, "the Victorious") calls for a Jihad against Castile. He gathers a massive army that includes Arabs, Africans, and others and marches against the forces of Alfonso VIII in Alacros. The Christian army is vastly outnumbered and its soldiers are slaughtered in large numbers.
1196 Berthold, Bishop of Buxtehude (Uexküll), launches the first armed conflict of the Baltic Crusades when he sets a Crusading army against local pagans in Livonia (modern Latvia and Estonia). Many are forcibly converted during the following years.
1197 - 1198 German Crusaders under the command of Emperor Henry VI launch attacks throughout Palestine, but fail to achieve any significant goals. Henry is the son of Frederick Barbarossa, a leader of the Second Crusade who tragically drowned on the way to Palestine before his forces could accomplish anything and Henry had been determined to finish what his father had started.
September 10, 1197 Henry of Champagne, king of Jerusalem. dies in Acre when he accidentally falls from a balcony. This was the second husband of Isabella's to die. The situation is urgent because the Crusader city ofJaffa is being threatened by Muslim forces under the command of Al-Adil, Saladin's brother. Amalric I of Cyprus is chosen as Henry's successor. After marrying Isabella, the daughter of Amalric I of Jerusalem. he becomes Amalric II, king of Jerusalem and Cyprus. Jaffa would be lost, but Amalric II is able to capture Beirut and Sidon.
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Born on this day in 1951, how is the pop singer Gordon Sumner better known? | 1000+ images about Salah Ed-Din on Pinterest | Crusaders, Mohamed ali and Muslim
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Saladin (1137/1138–1193) was a Muslim military and political leader who as sultan (or leader) led Islamic forces during the Crusades. Saladin's greatest triumph over the European Crusaders came at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, which paved the way for Islamic re-conquest of Jerusalem and other Holy Land cities in the Near East. During the subsequent Third Crusade, Saladin was unable to defeat the armies led by England's King Richard I (the Lionheart), reuslting in the loss of much of...
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Bigwig, Fiver and Hazel are the main characters in which 1972 novel? | SparkNotes: Watership Down: Analysis of Major Characters
Analysis of Major Characters
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols
Hazel
Hazel is the protagonist of Watership Down, and he is the leader of the band of rabbits who leave their home to found a new warren. Although Hazel is young and not very big, he possesses many traits that make him a good leader. Never too hasty with his judgments, he always risks his own life rather than those of the other rabbits. Although brave, he is not foolhardy, and his every action is geared toward the benefit of the entire group. Hazel also sticks up for the smaller rabbits, such as Pipkin and Fiver. He will not leave anyone behind or accept any losses, but when things do go wrong he does not dwell on them. Hazel has an extremely quick mind, and although he see neither as clearly as Blackberry nor as deeply as Fiver, he makes decisions rapidly and confidently and he inspires faith in the rest of the rabbits. Furthermore, Hazel knows how to use the rabbits so that each will benefit the rest of the group the most. He listens to Fiver because he knows his brother can sense things that the rest of them cannot. He seeks the advice of Blackberry, the smartest rabbit, when he cannot figure something out. But Hazel also never counts anyone out, and he takes ideas from whomever suggests them, as long as he believes they will work. Hazel comes up with tricks that are reminiscent of El-ahrairah, and he looks at things from his own perspective. He suggests that the rabbits befriend other animals, and both Kehaar and the mice perform several favors in return. Finally, Hazel trusts his fellow rabbits and believes in them, which sometimes makes all the difference.
Fiver
Hazel's brother, Fiver is small and nervous, but only because he sees far beyond what most rabbits see. Fiver knows that something bad will happen to the home warren, and Hazel trusts his brother enough to leave. Fiver guides the group through their travels, although he acts indirectly, through his brother. Hazel looks to Fiver for guidance, and when Fiver has a bad feeling about something the other rabbits rarely ignore him. In the warren of the snares, the only reason they do not heed Fiver until Bigwig is snared because they do not want to; they are too happy eating well and living easy to pay any attention to Fiver, and even Hazel does not want to listen. Nonetheless, Fiver saves the group. He is not enthralled by the easy life in the new warren because he does not care for it. Fiver wants to be free; he wants a home where the rabbits can live in peace and quiet and defend themselves from natural evils. Fiver seeks a normal rabbit life—nothing more, nothing less. Although he is a very unusual rabbit who uses very unusual means, he helps the group find their way.
There are times—such as when the rabbits have to cross the bridge—when the group is afraid, but Fiver trusts his instincts and his feeling that there is nothing to be afraid of. While the other rabbits are afraid of the unknown, especially man-made things, Fiver trusts his instincts. Although he is not at home among bridges and boats and cars, he knows that just because these things are unfamiliar does not mean that they are any worse than what the rabbits already know. In fact, he points out that the rabbits often face more danger from rabbits and familiar circumstances than from the unknown. Fiver is able to guide the others because he knows what he is looking for and he cannot be seduced by danger hidden amongst familiar surroundings.
Bigwig
Bigwig is the strongest and toughest of Hazel's rabbits, and he does most of their fighting. Although Hazel does his best to avoid confrontations, there are still many instances when the group would be lost if not for Bigwig. He has the courage to stand up to any enemy, but also the good sense to run when necessary. Large, strong, and experienced, Bigwig manages to infiltrate the Efrafa warren and break out with a large group of does. Although it was extremely difficult for Bigwig to do so, he holds up under pressure and even manages to convince Woundwort that he is loyal. Despite all of the dangers surrounding the escape, Bigwig decides that he will not leave without Blackavar because he feels bad about the way the rabbit is treated. Bigwig is brave and fierce, but he is also just, and he does everything he can to help those who are weaker than him. Although Bigwig cannot come up with plans as elaborate as the ones Hazel or Blackberry devise, he uses cunning rather than force at critical moments. During his fight with Woundwort, with perhaps the fate of the entire warren at stake, Bigwig figures out a way to gain the edge that he needs to defeat a stronger, bigger opponent, using his brain, not his brawn.
General Woundwort
Though General Woundwort is the antagonist in Watership Down, he nonetheless has some likable qualities. Like Bigwig, he is strong and fearless, and he takes greater risks than any of the rabbits who fight with him. Yet Woundwort has no pity, and he never thinks of nonviolent solutions to problems. Violence is the General's undoing in the end, and Bigwig is only able to defeat him in battle because he knows that Woundwort will be the first to come through, and therefore will fall victim to his trap. Woundwort thinks incredibly quickly and can organize his troops brilliantly in the heat of battle. He stands up to creatures that no rabbit would ever face; in fact, he never does act very much like a rabbit. Woundwort's violent and confrontational nature causes him to lose the fight at Hazel's warren, and it permits him from accepting Hazel's intelligent offer of a compromise.
| Watership Down |
Who was the youngest of King Lear's three daughters? | Watership Down / Characters - TV Tropes
Shrouded in Myth : Hazel-rah.
Take a Third Option : Several times. In fact, one of the main reasons why he makes such a good leader is his willingness to think outside the box and try new solutions.
The Men First : If the group as a whole can't escape he'll remain with the ones that can't, to protect them as best he can.
Wide-Eyed Idealist : Many characters view him as this; even his own followers sometimes think he's too naive in his belief in the good of everyone. However, when it comes down to it he's usually right when he decides to trust someone.
Fiver
Voiced by: Richard Briers (movie), Anthony Falvey (TV series)
Hazel's brother, a prophet whose visions spur Hazel to leave.
The Cassandra : Subverted, somebody actually listens and some of them leave Sandleford Warren before it's too late. Furthermore, after the others realize his warning about the danger of Cowslip's Warren is on the money, his counsel effectively becomes Word of God to them.
Cowardly Lion : While he cowers, shakes in fear and has to be coaxed going everywhere, it's also surprisingly a Moment of Awesome when he goes down to the farm in broad daylight, risking men as well as innumerable other enemies, because he's the only one convinced that Hazel's wound was not fatal.
Dissonant Serenity : His little chat with Vervain. Dear God. Fiver says this all in a very calm, serene, soft voice... while Vervain sees him surrounded by ghosts of 'rabbits done to death months before in the tunnels of Efrafa...' Creepy Good .
Fiver: I am sorry. Believe me, I am sorry for your death. But you cannot blame us, for you came to kill us if you could.
Dream Land / Another Dimension : Fiver discusses the concept with Hazel, as Fiver travels in this land in a vision to find out what�s happened to Hazel after he goes missing. No one doubts its existence because in Lapine mythology El-ahrairah moves between this place and "Another" at will, and Fiver is well aware of its existence from his visions, and claims that this spirit world is, in its own way, just as dangerous as the mundane one most rabbits know.
Fainting Seer : He's usually disoriented after visions. The one at the climax of the book leaves him unconscious.
Herald : Fiver's visions call Hazel to action.
Intellectual Animal : He's not on Blackberry's level. But he's almost always the only other rabbit to understand the concepts Blackberry tries to explain.
Indeed, sometimes the others refer to him and Blackberry collectively as "the clever rabbits."
Waif Prophet : He was the runt of the litter.
You Are Number 6 : His name, "Hrair-roo," is essentially their word for The Runt at the End - he's "littlest of many," the smallest of his litter.
Bigwig
Voiced by: Michael Graham Cox (movie), Stephen Mangan (TV series)
An ex-member of the Sandleford Owsla, Bigwig is the best fighter of the group.
The Big Guy : One of three Big Guys, in fact, but he's definitely the Biggest.
You Shall Not Pass : And unlike many examples, he survives.
Blackberry
Voiced by: Simon Cadell (movie), Sue Elliott Nicholls (TV series)
A friend of Hazel, Blackberry is the closest thing the group have to a mechanical genius.
Big Brother Mentor : He's the person Hazel turns to for advice.
Gender Flip : The TV series made him a doe, for some reason .
Intellectual Animal : Not by very much, but enough.
The Professor : Has a dim grasp of buoyancy, leverage and other technical matters that go completely over most rabbits' heads.
The Smart Guy : He's the rabbit that discovers the concept of floating. This bit of insight comes in handy later in the book.
Pipkin
Voiced by: Roy Kinnear (movie), Elliot Herderson-Boyle (TV series)
The smallest and most timid of the rabbits, Pipkin is a friend of Fiver who is persuaded to go along on the journey.
Character Development : Though it mostly happens in the background, and in small ways, Pipkin does change and develop a lot over the book, starting out as afraid of everything and gradually becoming a loyal and steadfast companion.
Cheerful Child : The TV series not only portrays him as very young, but removes his timid nature as well, making him this.
Cowardly Lion : Timid and easily scared he may be, but thanks to his fierce loyalty to Hazel and Fiver he'll show surprising courage at times.
Friend to All Living Things : Excluding "Elil" (predators) Pipkin is known to be exceptionally good at befriending animals of other species in the TV series.
Tagalong Kid : More in the TV series than in the book.
Took a Level in Badass : Replace "Pippin" with "Pipkin" and you get the idea.
Undying Loyalty : Towards Hazel. At one point Hazel is considering a suicide-mission into Efrafa to rescue Bigwig and Pipkin responds simply "I will go with you."
Towards Fiver, as well. He's willing — heck, he begs — to try to save Fiver, despite knowing he would likely be killed in the attempt.
Dandelion
Voiced by: Richard O'Callaghan (movie), Phill Jupitus (TV series)
A fast runner and gifted storyteller, whose stories of El-ahrairah keep the spirits up among the rabbits (as well as giving the reader insight in Lapine mythology).
Adaptational Comic Relief : He acts much more goofy in the TV series.
Composite Character : In the TV series, he has taken on most of Bluebell's character traits.
Spoony Bard : Averted. Although he's their most entertaining storyteller, he's invaluable to Hazel's group for his exceptional speed. (Exceptional even for a rabbit.) In the climax, it's explicitly stated that he had to run faster than even he ever had before to stay ahead of it, meaning that if he had not been there, and Hazel had to make do with a slower rabbit (i.e. any other rabbit), that rabbit would have been caught and killed, the plan would have failed, and the warren would have been destroyed.
Those Two Guys : With Hawkbit in the TV series.
Silver
Voiced by: Terence Rigby (movie)
One of Bigwig's friends from the Sandleford Owsla, who is almost as big and good at fighting, but more placid and less hotheaded. He has gray fur, hence the name.
The Big Guy : He's the muscle of the team when Bigwig is incapacitated, not available, or just not willing to follow orders.
Deadpan Snarker : Even moreso than Bigwig. Silver might actually be the snarkiest of the rabbits, with a biting comment for most situations. He's particularly unpleasant to Strawberry when the (former) Poisonous Friend asks to join them.
Determinator : He certainly has shades of this, particularly when it comes to the defeat of Efrafa.
Noble Fugitive : Although Silver is the nephew of Threarah (the Chief Rabbit of the warren where the story begins), he joins Hazel's exodus and proves himself a skilled fighter and reliable follower.
Buckthorn
Described as a "decent, straight-forward fellow," Buckthorn is an outskirter from Sandleford with a tough, sturdy and sensible nature.
The Big Guy : Along with Bigwig and Silver.
Gentle Giant : Of the three Big Guys, Buckthorn is the gentlest and least inclined to fight.
Simple-Minded Wisdom : Though he doesn't play the classic trope completely straight, since nobody thinks of him as an idiot and Hazel in fact deliberately labels him as the most sensible one in his crew. At the end of the book, he and Strawberry become Groundsel's chief advisors in the new warren.
The Worf Effect : Twice gets injured in a non-critical fight to demonstrate the dangers of the situation (first by rats during the journey, then in the escape from Efrafa).
Hawkbit
Voiced by: Lee Ross (TV series)
One of the outskirters from Sandleford who joins Hazel's crew. Described (by Hazel) as a rather slow, stupid rabbit, he is the first to complain and express doubt in Hazel's abilities as leader, but soon develops into a loyal follower — after which he's barely even mentioned by the narrative for the rest of the book. In the TV series, he has a dramatically increased role as the resident Eeyore .
Ascended Extra : He's an extremely minor character who is left out of every single adaptation of the book except the TV series, where he's one of the main characters.
Deadpan Snarker : Not in the book, but in the TV series he's developed a notable talent for sarcasms.
The Eeyore : He grows out of it in the book. In the series, not so much.
Sour Supporter
Speedwell and Acorn
Two outskirters from Sandleford who join Hazel's crew. Apart from a few scenes and lines here and there, they don't get very much attention in the original novel — though Speedwell got A Day in the Limelight in the sequel, Tales From Watership Down.
Cloudcuckoolander : In Speedwell's Story the story he tells makes Speedwell come across as this.
A Day in the Limelight : Speedwell's Story from the sequel, a nonsense tale which Speedwell tells the other rabbits, is easily the book's Funny Moment (and usually the one part that even fans who didn't like the sequel enjoy).
Deadpan Snarker : Speedwell has traces of this.
Generic Guy : Acorn doesn't get much characterization.
Killed Off for Real : Not in the original novel, but in the sequel Acorn dies.
Red Shirt : Along with Hawkbit, they're really only in the story to fill out the number of rabbits — though it can be argued that Speedwell, thanks to the sequel has been upgraded to Mauve Shirt .
Those Two Guys : Or those three guys, with Hawkbit.
Holly
Voiced by: John Bennett (movie)
Ex-captain of the Sandleford Owsla, he initially tries to stop the group from leaving but survives the massacre and joins the group.
The Good Chancellor : Reliable, unambitious and not prone to mischief.
Head-in-the-Sand Management : He was the Threarah's Captain of Owsla and tried to stop anyone from deserting the warren.
Heel�Face Turn : In the beginning of the book, Holly tries to arrest Bigwig and Silver. He eventually ends up joining the group.
My Master, Right or Wrong : In a way he is the "good side" version of Campion, always sticks by his chief and is very efficient. He stuck by the Threarah, and when the Threarah died he stuck by Hazel.
Number Two : Described in the novel as a born second-in-command. He was the Threarah's Captain of Owsla and kept discipline in the Sandleford Warren. While serving Hazel he is still a loyal, no-nonsense, officer.
Zen Survivor
Bluebell
Another ex-member of the Sandleford Owsla, Bluebell survives the Sandleford Massacre and is the only one of Holly's group to make it to Watership Down.
Adapted Out : Despite being a major character in the latter parts of the novel, as well as the sequel, he has yet to appear in any of the adaptations. The cartoon series gives several of his character traits to Dandelion, though.
Ascended Extra : Within the novel itself. He's literally a nameless extra in the first part of the book, but upon his re-introduction along with Holly in the second part, he gets not only a name and a characterization, but becomes one of the major characters. In the sequel he's also a constant presence, constantly joking and lightening the mood for the other rabbits when things get difficult.
Heel�Face Turn : He follows Holly's, though unlike Holly he is not named and gets no characterization in the initial confrontation with Bigwig.
The Jester : Though he annoys many of the rabbits with his jokes, Holly notes that if it wasn't for Bluebell's joking, both of them would have given up and died long before reaching Watership Down.
Motor Mouth : He's a chatterer, constantly joking and rambling on about nonsensical things — though his constant talking has a clear purpose, namely to relieve tension and encourage the others to forget how dire their situation really is.
Plucky Comic Relief : Pretty much his main function as The Jester .
Rhymes on a Dime : It becomes a minor Running Gag in the novel that Bluebell makes up some nonsense poem and Hazel, in Deadpan Snarker mode, finishes it with a biting final rhyme.
Spoony Bard : Perhaps even more so than Dandelion.
The Storyteller : When Dandelion isn't available, or in the mood, for telling stories, Bluebell is the one who steps in.
The Threarah
Voiced by: Ralph Richardson (movie)
The Chief Rabbit of the Sandleford colony; he dismisses Fiver's visions out of hand in the beginning of the book and pays the price for it.
Accidental Misnaming : Keeps calling Hazel "Acorn" to the point where it's hinted he's doing it on purpose.
Asskicking Equals Authority : Mentioned more than actually shown, but the Threarah is noted as being a very dangerous fighter.
Corporal Punishment : Hits Bigwig for allowing Hazel to waste his time.
Dead Guy Junior : One of Fiver's children is named Threar, after him.
Genius Bruiser : Was this in his prime; his physical strength combined with his wits and his capabilities to think outside the box was what made him Chief Rabbit in the first place. At the time of the story, he's getting old, but isn't quite the Retired Badass just yet.
Head-in-the-Sand Management : Can seem like this to the reader when he refuses to listen to Fiver's warnings, but as Holly later explains, his reasons for doing so were actually quite sound — most self-proclaimed prophets are frauds, and even if Fiver is genuine the warren will lose more rabbits from a mass evacuation than from a flood or hunters. Tragically, the oncoming disaster is more massive than the Threarah can imagine or Fiver can explain coherently.
Spell My Name with a "The" : He's always referred to as the Threarah, though nobody can really say why — the narrator theorizes that it might be "because there happened to be only one threar, or rowan, near the warren, from which he took his name."
Toadflax
One of the officers of the Sandleford Owsla; he's a jerk and a bully — which unfortunately seems to be rather common for Sandleford Owsla members. He escapes the warren with Holly and Bluebell but his brain has been addled by the humans' poisons and he dies shortly after.
The Bully : He picks on outskirters like Fiver and Hazel mainly because he's bigger and stronger than them.
Final Speech : One of the few characters in the novel to get one, in which he displays an accurate understanding of why the humans destroyed the colony:
Holly (narrating): Bluebell had been saying that he knew the men hated us for raiding their crops and gardens, and Toadflax answered: "That wasn't why they destroyed the warren. It was just because we were in their way. They killed us to suit themselves." Soon after that he went to sleep, and a little later, when we were alarmed by some noise or other, we tried to wake him and realized he was dead.
Hair-Trigger Temper : Notorious for knocking you down first and asking questions later.
Jerkass : This is his primary characteristic.
Cowslip's warren
Cowslip
Voiced by: Denholm Elliott (movie), Stephen Fry (TV series (Season 1-2)), Anthony Jackson (TV series (Season 3))
A prominent rabbit in his unnamed warren, Cowslip is the rabbit who takes the group to the warren.
Berserk Button : The wires.
The Fatalist : He emphasizes dignified acceptance of death as one of the main principles of his warren, and sees it as useless to try and avoid dying.
Intellectual Animal : Along with the rest of his Warren. Their warren actually as a mural, which is something the other rabbits can in no way comprehend.
The Scottish Trope : Never mention the wires, and if someone disappears, never ask where they have gone.
Sissy Villain : Prissy and physically unimpressive, but still manages to threaten the heroes through his deception.
Wicked Cultured : Poetry, rudimentary cave art, and other human-like mannerisms. And in every dramatization he speaks with a posh accent .
Strawberry
Voiced by: Robert Harper (TV series (Season 1-2)), Paul Panting (TV series (Season 3))
A rabbit who befriends the Sandleford group. He joins them when they depart.
Default to Good : After Nildro-hain, his mate, dies, Strawberry joins the heroes because he realizes that they're his best chance to stay alive, and he doesn't want to stay in the place that would ignore the fact that his mate died.
The Heavy
Killer Rabbit : One of the few rabbits who has managed to slay a weasel, by himself.
Knight Templar : Publicly he orders everyone in Efrafa around for their safety, but he's actually just driven by a lust for power.
Ignored Epiphany : In the book he has the chance to make peace with the Watership Down rabbits, he considers it for a few moments before stubbornly deciding to forget it.
In The Series he gets a Heel Realization after he witnesses Campion's Heroic Sacrifice for him out of loyalty. Just when he is about to consider changing his ways, Effrafa is destroyed in a counterattack by the Watership Down rabbits. Thus he decides to remain a villain as he believes that's what the world wants him to be.
"If destruction be my legacy, then let it begin!"
I Owe You My Life : He spares Campion in Darkhaven for saving his life even allowing him to leave in spite of his betrayal.
Large and in Charge : Woundwort is probably the largest and strongest rabbit in the entire novel and he rules Efrafa with an iron fist.
Line-of-Sight Name : Takes up the name "Wheat-stalk" when infiltrating Redstone, and "Chaff" for Vervain.
My God, What Have I Done? : After losing the battle against Watership Down and being haunted by the memory of Campion's death he finally has an epiphany. Unfortunately it doesn't last too long as mentioned above.
"He saved me... So he didn't hate me, did he? He hated what I'd done... to my people. To establish an empire you need force... to maintain it you need kindness. Oh what have I done...?"
Names to Run Away from Really Fast : The irony being that, while the word "wound" certainly bears negative connotations, the woundwort plant is actually a widely-used medicinal herb.
Never Found the Body : General Woundwort's body is never found, so Efrafans are convinced that he didn't die, but went away to find a more worthy warren. Eventually, he becomes a legendary bogeyman figure in the rabbit mythology.
"Mother rabbits would tell their kittens that if they did not do as they were told, the General would get them - the General who was first cousin to the Black Rabbit himself. Such was Woundwort's monument: and perhaps it would not have displeased him."
Right for the Wrong Reasons : In the TV series, he goes mad with power thinking he can scare off the human poacher while the others see this as a suicide mission. Predictably he gets caught however the noise he makes coincidentally causes a police officer to find and arrest the poacher allowing Woundwort to escape.
Villainous Valor : A severe case, possibly even a mental illness. Even his determination to keep Efrafa hidden from humans is based not on fear, but on his knowledge of humanity's abilities.
Visionary Villain : Although this is explicitly rejected by Adams in a crucial scene, when Hazel tries to convince him they can co-exist peacefully:
At that moment, in the sunset on Watership Down, there was offered to General Woundwort the opportunity to show whether he really was the leader of genius and vision which he believed himself to be, or whether he was no more than a tyrant with the courage and cunning of a pirate. For one beat of his pulse the lame rabbit's idea shone clearly before him. He grasped it and realized what it meant. The next, he had pushed it away from him. The sun dipped into the cloud bank and now he could see clearly the track along the ridge, leading to the beech hangar and the bloodshed for which he had prepared with so much energy and care.
"I haven't time to sit here talking nonsense," said Woundwort.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds : Knowing his backstory, it's hard not to feel sympathy for the little rabbit kitten crying over his dead mother.
Worthy Opponent : Regards Campion as this, which is why he lets him stick around
Hyzenthlay
Voiced by: Hannah Gordon (movie)
A smart and sensible doe from Efrafa, one of Bigwig's main helpers in the revolt against Woundwort. Like Fiver, she is a prophet who sometimes has visions of the future, though unlike him she isn't always certain she's right.
Action Girl : Less so in the novel than in the film, though she has her moments.
Adaptation Name Change : In the TV series, she's named Primrose.
The Cassandra : In an interesting variant, she manages to dismiss her own visions as being too ludicrous, even though they turn out to be completely accurate.
The Chick : She's the primary female character, as Clover drops out of the third act.
Defector from Decadence : Hyzenthlay helps lead the does out of Efrafa.
Love Interest : Not so much in the original book; she bonds with Bigwig and it's implied, rather than outright stated, that she eventually becomes Hazel's mate, but this is notably downplayed. In the TV series, she is definitely Hazel's Love Interest. In the film, she appears to be Bigwig's Love Interest. Of course, these are rabbits we're talking about here...
Captain Campion
Voiced by: Nigel Hawthorne (movie), Rob Rackstraw (TV series)
A prominent rabbit in Efrafa, Campion is an enemy of the Watership Down rabbits and an important soldier of Woundwort.
Big Brother Instinct : Feels this way towards Primrose after seeing her plight.
Vervain
Voiced by: Derek Griffiths (movie), David Holt (TV series)
The chief of Efrafa's Owslafa (Council Police) and, according to Woundwort, the most hated officer in Efrafa.
Break the Cutie : In the TV series, tries to invoke this on Primrose much to the disgust of Campion who threatens to kill him if he ever treats another rabbit like that.
Dirty Coward : In the TV series, even Spartina a doe challenging him to a fight frightens him.
Defiant to the End : In the TV series, he is about to drown and the only ones who can save him are the Watership Down rabbits but he arrogantly refuses to beg for his life. Fiver convinces the others to spare him anyway on the grounds that if they let him die they'd be no better than him.
"I won't beg for my life! Go, leave me in peace!"
The Dragon : Not really for the heroes, but in Efrafa he is certainly this.
Even Evil Has Standards : He does show a hint of sympathy upon watching Redstone get destroyed by bulldozers, on the pretense that "they're still rabbits" whether their allies or foes.
Evil Chancellor : Made out as such in the TV series.
Jerkass : He has few, if any, positive qualities.
Pet the Dog : In the TV Series, after the fall of Efrafa he agrees to be "the best of friends" with fellow rabbit Aspen to cheer him up, though he does it more out of necessity than anything else.
What Have I Done : The only time he ever shows a hint of remorse is when he leaves Aspen to die at the hands of a weasel while he runs away.
Blackavar
Voiced by: Clifton Jones (movie), Stephen Gately (TV series)
A former member of Efrafa, constantly being punished for his escape attempts. He finally manages to escape with the Watership Down rabbits.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome : Disappears with no mention in season 3 of the series
Tranquil Fury
Groundsel
An Efrafan officer, who despite his obvious hero worship of Woundwort, is a skilled, sensible and decent rabbit. He eventually becomes Chief Rabbit of a third warren, which in Tales from Watership Down gets the name Vleflain.
Heel�Face Turn : He surrenders to the Watership rabbits towards the end and eventually becomes the Chief Rabbit of Vleflain, a new warren that's established between Watership and Efrafa and is populated by rabbits from both warrens.
Hero-Worshipper : To Woundwort (even after his Heel�Face Turn he speaks of Woundwort with awe), although he is far more competent and practical-minded than most other examples of this trope.
Reasonable Authority Figure : As Chief Rabbit of Vleflain.
Thethuthinnang
An Efrafan doe, Hyzenthlay's friend and co-conspirator. Implied to later on become Bigwig's mate.
Generic Girl : She doesn't really get much of a personality and has very little screen-time.
Red Shirt : She doesn't have much of a role in either book and is notable mostly for being one of the Efrafan does that are named.
Satellite Character : To Hyzenthlay — possibly to Bigwig.
Nelthilta
A very young and rather silly Efrafan doe, who basically opposes the authority figures for the thrill of it. Originally lauded by Bigwig for being one of the few non-officer Efrafans who still has a bit of fighting spirit, but proves to be too ditzy and unable to take things seriously to be entirely reliable.
Brainless Beauty : She's noted as being very pretty, but rather short on brains.
Deadpan Snarker : "May we have permission to go, sir? The company of officers absolutely overpowers us, you see: we find a little of it goes an awfully long way."
The Ditz : Hyzenthlay warns Bigwig against trusting her too much because she never realizes the gravity of a situation.
The Stool Pigeon : Still thinking it's all a big game, she gives one too many gleeful hints of the upcoming escape to the officers of Efrafa, upon which she is imprisoned and tortured into giving out the details.
Vilthuril
An Efrafan doe who's a friend of Hyzenthlay and Thethuthinnang, and who becomes Fiver's mate. She's stated to be one of the few rabbits who understand Fiver's burden and is hinted to have visions herself. This hint is more or less confirmed in the sequel, where she has a larger role.
The Power of the Sun : As the God of the Sun.
El-ahrairah
An Anglicized rendering of the rabbit term elil-hrair-rah, "thousand-enemies-prince." The rabbit folk-hero, El-ahrairah is the protagonist of most if not all of their stories.
Batman Gambit : He's an expert at these.
Composite Character : Of all the best Chief Rabbits.
Cursed with Awesome : "All the world will be your enemy, Prince of a Thousand Enemies. And when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you; digger, listener, runner, Prince with the swift warning. Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed."
Expy : In-universe, the narrator speculates that Br'er Rabbit might be an Expy of El-ahrairah.
"Uncle Remus might well have heard of him, for some of El-ahrairah's adventures are those of Brer Rabbit."
Folk Hero : The rabbits' most famous one.
Heterosexual Life-Partners : With Rabscuttle.
Honorific : His name itself is one ('Prince with a thousand enemies'), but he also has the honorific 'Lord of the Starlit Ears.'
Jerk with a Heart of Gold : Sometimes lapses into true Jerkass status, especially in the first story, but as a rule he is genuinely concerned with the well-being of his people.
Locked into Strangeness : When Frith restores his body in 'El-Ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé', his new ears have a glow of starlight.
Meaningful Name : His full name in the lapine language is Elil-hrair-rah. Elil means "Enemy", Hrair is any number bigger than four (but normally taken to mean "a thousand"), and Rah is an honorific applied to chief rabbits. So his name means "Prince with a Thousand Enemies".
The Men First : Although some of his adventures are merely for his own amusement, most of them start with his warren in trouble. This gives him a more sympathetic motivation than most tricksters.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! : His arrogance is what curses the rabbits to be hunted in the rabbit mythology.
Obfuscating Stupidity : A common ploy of his, as mentioned above.
Rascally Rabbit : It's why he's the idol and hero of all rabbits.
The Trickster : Considered a role model for it.
Rabscuttle
Captain of El-ahrairah's Owsla, as well as his closest friend and ally.
Deadpan Snarker : Not the most prominent of examples, but he can sling sarcasms with the best of them when in that mood.
Undying Loyalty : He follows El-ahrairah to the land of the dead and back without hesitation.
Prince Rainbow
Frith's deputy and right-hand man on earth, who has "the power of the sky and the power of the hills." He tries to keep El-ahrairah in check, which lands him the role of antagonist in some stories, but in others he's more friendly and even helps El-ahrairah out with good advice.
Energy Beings
Hero Antagonist : He opposes El-ahrairah in many of his stories, but he's really just trying to do his job as Firth's deputy on Earth, and El-ahrairah keeps causing trouble for him.
Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist : He's genuinely trying to keep the peace and be a good ruler for everyone in Frith's stead, though he develops a personal vendetta against El-ahrairah, who just keeps making trouble.
Well-Intentioned Extremist : At least from the rabbits' point of view, a lot of his attempts to keep El-ahrairah in check are unnecessarily cruel.
The Black Rabbit of Inlé
Voiced by: Joss Ackland (movie)
The rabbit Grim Reaper .
Dark is Not Evil : Mortal rabbits regard him with terror and awe, although they concede that he is not one of the elil: he was assigned his duty by Frith.
The Black Rabbit: I have no wish to make you suffer. I am not one of the Thousand.
The Dreaded : The Black Rabbit of Inlé is not evil, but in the book he is terrifying. In his presence even El-ahrairah cannot think straight, and therefore loses all of the Black Rabbit's games.
The Grim Reaper : Not malicious, but merciless.
Moon Rabbit : He is associated in rabbit-lore with the moon and shares its name.
No Sell : El-ahrairah's efforts to defeat the Black Rabbit are completely futile.
Reasonable Authority Figure : The Black Rabbit is a servant of Frith and bears no malice whatsoever toward El-ahrairah or any rabbit. While he brooks no argument when it is a rabbit's time to die, he simply calls their name; he is neither cruel nor taunting, avenges any rabbit who is killed before their time, and never causes them pain when he takes them.
Uncanny Valley : Invoked. Dandelion's description makes him rabbit-shaped, but not a rabbit. He digs a burrow like any rabbit, except that it's through solid stone: he sniffs like any rabbit, but 'thrusts his nose forward, like a dog' rather than wiggling it side-to-side.
Hufsa
A rabbit who is planted in El-ahrairah's warren as a spy for Prince Rainbow, and thwarts many of El-ahrairah's plans before he's found out.
Cassandra Truth : El-ahrairah invokes this in order to get rid of him. How do you discredit a spy? By implying to everyone that he's crazy, and then have him "prove" to them that he is when he tells of the many unbelievable situations he's been in, that you secretly set up.
The Quisling : To rabbits, his name is synonymous with "traitor."
King Darzin
A recurring villain in the El-ahrairah stories; probably an animal of some sort but his species is never confirmed — Dandelion, when telling the story, even directly says that there's no animal alive today who knows what sort of creature King Darzin really was.
Evil Overlord : The closest thing the rabbits' stories have to one.
Uncertain Doom : Nobody knows his, or his people's, final fate — all that's certain is that they are no longer around.
Rowsby Woof
A bad-tempered and incredibly stupid dog who serves as the villain for one of the El-ahrairah stories.
Dogs Are Dumb : A prime example.
Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain : Rowsby Woof is easily the least threatening and most comical of all El-ahrairah's villains.
Small Name, Big Ego : Renowned as a tremendous ratter, Rowsby Woof has become incredibly conceited and arrogant with the praise, believing himself to be the finest dog in the world.
Tuckerization : "Rowsby Woof" was also the name of a celebrated violin instructor at the Royal Academy of Music; One of Adams's daughters was having trouble with one of his pieces, so he told her he'd "take care of him" by writing him into a story as a stupid guard dog.
Yona the Hedgehog
A minor character in several of the El-ahrairah stories; an unrepentant gossip who sometimes causes trouble for El-ahrairah by informing his enemies of his plans, but who occasionally helps him out as well.
A Dog Named "Dog" : "Yona" is the Lapine word for "Hedgehog."
Gender Flip : Is depicted as female in the TV series.
Lovable Traitor : As opposed to Hufsa, who gets no sympathy from the rabbits, Yona is on fairly decent terms with them, even after having spilled their secrets to King Darzin.
Other
Kehaar
Voiced by: Zero Mostel (movie), Rik Mayall (TV series (Season 1-2)), Anthony Jackson (TV series (Season 3))
A black-headed gull, Kehaar is befriended by Hazel and becomes a very important ally.
Polly Wants a Microphone
Predator Turned Protector : While he's not exactly a true predator of the rabbits, in the TV series he becomes very protective of the Watership Down rabbits after they save him to the point where his fellow gulls call him out on becoming soft.
Precision F-Strike : When he's first approached by the rabbits, his first reaction is "Piss off!"
Put on a Bus : As a way of Holding Back the Phlebotinum , he leaves for the Big Water after helping the rabbits escape from Efrafa, and so isn't there to help them in the last battle. In the movie, his departure doubles as Shoo Out the Clowns .
Speech-Impaired Animal : He's using his own dialect of the pidgin 'hedgerow' speech and isn't too proficient with it. Presumably he's fully fluent in Black-Headed Gull.
The Hutch Rabbits
Voiced by: Mary Maddox (movie), Joanne Rodriguez (TV series) (Clover)
David Holt (TV series) (Boxwood)
Clover, Boxwood, Laurel and Haystack are four tame rabbits from Nuthanger Farm, who are freed by Hazel and the others to become part of the Watership Down warren.
Generic Guy : Apart from being tame rabbits and not knowing a lot about life as wild rabbits, they don't really have much in the ways of characterization. Only Clover gets an actual personality.
Locked Up and Left Behind : Happens to Laurel during the escape; he's the only one of the hutch rabbits who's caught by the humans and returned to his hutch. The other rabbits leave him behind because they know that they have no fighting chance against humans — and besides Laurel isn't going to suffer at their hands.
Odd Name Out : Perhaps as a reference to the fact that they're tame rabbits, Clover and Haystack are the only rabbit does in the book whose names are translated to English rather than kept in Lapine.
The Mouse
Voiced by: Jane Horrocks (TV series (Season 1)), Maria Darling (TV series (Season 2))
The first non-rabbit animal befriended by Hazel; he is saved from being eaten by a kestrel when Hazel warns him and allows him into the burrow. He later on helps the rabbits out on a couple of occasions providing what turns out to be vital information.
Ascended Extra : Is a main character in the TV series, where he is turned into a female and given the name Hannah.
Gender Flip : In the TV series.
Yes-Man : To the rabbits, which ironically enough makes them less inclined to listen to him, because he tends to tell them what he thinks they want to hear rather than the actual truth.
Flyairth
A doe introduced in Tales from Watership Down; she was originally Chief Rabbit of a doe-dominated warren called Thinial, but was overthrown and expelled from it because her obsessive fear of the White Blindness was consuming her.
Action Survivor : Very much so.
Breakup Breakout : In her backstory, she and a rabbit named Prake established Thinial. Somewhere in the backstory Prake just vanished into thin air, leaving the whole story about Flyairth.
Humans Are Bastards : The most vocal supporter of this view in either book; while most other rabbits do regard humans as cunning, unpredictable and impossible-to-understand enemies, Flyarth is convinced that any human spotting any rabbit will at once try to infect said rabbit with the White Blindness.
Take a Third Option : Like Hazel and Woundwort, she is good at thinking outside the box and come up with new solutions, which is why she's an effective Chief Rabbit at Thinial — at least until her growing obsession with the White Blindness starts losing her supporters.
Well-Intentioned Extremist : She's willing to do anything to avoid an outbreak of the White Blindness.
Stonecrop
A young, but big and strong buck introduced in Tales from Watership Down, who was born in a hutch, but who escaped to the wild. Having grown up in a sheltered environment, he lacks the other rabbits' survival instincts and fear of predators — which would normally have meant he wouldn't last for long, but since he smells so strongly of Man, predators don't dare come near him.
Berserk Button : He functions as one for most of the other rabbits; his strong smell of human means they automatically dislike and distrust him. Several of them even try to kill him, and Hazel loses a lot of respect and support when he doesn't want to let them do it.
Big Damn Heroes : He single-handedly rescues the entire warren of Vleflain by chasing away a group of attacking weasels, which is how he's ultimately accepted by the rabbits.
The Big Guy : Despite not having much experience in the wild, he's definitely big, strong and tough.
Fearless Fool : He refuses to run from any danger, and fearlessly charges a group of weasels (who luckily for him run away because of his smell).
:: Indexes ::
| i don't know |
Which Marvel Comic's super-hero, a member of The Avengers group, is the alter ego of an originally frail young man called Steve Rogers? | Avengers - Marvel Universe Wiki: The definitive online source for Marvel super hero bios.
Avengers
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Accuracy
Marvel Universe
Base of Operations
Stark Tower , midtown Manhattan; Infinite Avengers Mansion , created by Hank Pym and exists in Underspace; formerly Avengers Mansion (a.k.a. Avengers Embassy), 890 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York; a deep space monitoring station in the asteroid belt between the planets Mars and Jupiter; Avengers Headquarters , Manhattan; Avengers Compound , Palos Verdes, California; Avengers Island (a.k.a. Hydrobase); Avengers Park , Manhattan; Avengers Emergency Headquarters , somewhere outside New York City.
First Appearance
Official Handbook Bibliography
Current Members:
Luke Cage , Captain America (Bucky Barnes), Amadeus Cho , Iron Man (Anthony Stark), Jocasta , Mockingbird (Bobbi Morse), Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Stature (Cassandra Lang), Thor , Vision , Giant-Man (Ant-Man/Giant-Man/Goliath/Yellowjacket, Henry Pym), Wolverine (James Howlett)
Former Members
Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Ares , Beast (Hank McCoy), Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Black Panther (T'Challa), Black Widow (Natasha Romanova), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Captain Britain (Kelsey Leigh), Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Crystal (Crystalia Maximoff), Darkhawk (Chris Powell), Demolition Man (Dennis Dunphy), Doctor Druid (Anthony Druid), Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange), Echo (Maya Lopez), Falcon (Sam Wilson), Firebird (Bonita Juarez), Firestar (Angelica Jones), Gilgamesh , Hellcat (Patsy Walker), Hercules (Heracles), Hulk (Bruce Banner), Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Invisible Woman (Susan Richards), Iron Fist (Danny Rand), Jack of Hearts (Jonathan Hart), Justice (Vance Astrovik), Living Lightning (Miguel Santos), Machine Man (X-51/Aaron Stack), Mantis , Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards), Moon Knight (Marc Spector), Moondragon (Heather Douglas), Quasar (Wendell Vaughn), Rage (Elvin Holiday), Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), Scarlet Witch (Loki), Sandman (William Baker), Sentry (Robert Reynolds), Sersi , She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters), Silverclaw (Lupe Santiago), Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter), Starfox (Eros), Stingray (Walter Newell), Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie), Swordman (Jacques Duquesne), Thing (Benjamin Grimm), Thunderstrike (Eric Masterson), Tigra (Greer Nelson), Triathlon (Delroy Garrett Jr.), Two-Gun Kid (Matt Hawk), U.S.Agent (John Walker), War Machine (James Rhodes), Wasp (Janet Van Dyne), Wonder Man (Simon Williams)
Other Members (Honorary, Reserve, etc.)
Moira Brandon , Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Charlie-27 , Deathcry , Iron Man (alternate-timeline teenage Tony Stark), Rick Jones , Magdalene , Major Victory (Vance Astro, alternate future Vance Astrovik), Marrina (Marrina Smallwood), Martinex (Martinex T'Naga), Masque ( Whitney Frost , bio-duplicate, deceased), Nikki (Nicholette Gold), Starhawk (Aleta Ogord), Starhawk (Stakar Ogord), Swordsman (Phillip Jarvert), Whizzer (Bob Frank), Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara), Yondu (Yondu Udonta)
They are Earth's mightiest heroes, formed to fight the foes no single hero could withstand. The Avengers are the most prestigious and powerful super-hero team in the world, an ever-shifting assemblage of super-beings, adventurers and crime fighters devoted to protecting the planet from menaces beyond the scope of conventional authorities.
Contents
6. Current Rosters
Early Days
The group began with the random teaming of Thor , Iron Man , Ant-Man , Wasp and Hulk , who joined forces to thwart the Asgardian menace Loki in response to a call for help from Hulk's teen sidekick, Rick Jones . Pym suggested the heroes remain together as a team, and his partner Wasp suggested they call themselves "something colorful and dramatic, like...the Avengers." The name stuck, and a legend was born.
Iron Man provided the group with financing and high-tech equipment in his dual identity as rich industrialist Tony Stark, donating his Manhattan residence to serve as their headquarters, Avengers Mansion . Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis , stayed on as the mansion's principal servant and chief of staff, becoming a valued friend, confidant and advisor to the group. Stark also drew up a charter and by-laws to guide the team, and sought A-1 security clearance from the federal government, but he encountered resistance from the team's first National Security Council liaison, Special Agent Murch , and the general public regarded the new team somewhat uneasily. Much of this early skepticism focused on the monstrous Hulk, who soon quit the team in a fit of rage, but the group's image improved dramatically after they recruited long-lost war hero Captain America , who became the inspirational cornerstone of the Avengers. Thanks largely to his presence, the team won its A-1 security status and rapidly became the most respected super-hero team of its generation. This newfound prestige was sorely tested when the remaining founders retired from active duty for various personal reasons, leaving "Cap" alone to lead a roster of unlikely new recruits, all former criminals: the outlaw archer Hawkeye , and mutant terrorist twin siblings Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch . The public was baffled, but Iron Man hoped that rehabilitating them might make up for the team's early failure with the Hulk. The new roster proved him right, and "Cap's Kooky Quartet" did the founders proud. All four of them went on to long service records with the Avengers. Hawkeye in particular became a valued mainstay of the team second only to his mentor, Cap.
Rise to Prominence
Avengers membership proved very fluid over the years. Thor, Iron Man, Pym and Wasp would all return for further tours of duty, though the unstable Pym did so in a series of alternate identities as Giant-Man, Goliath (an identity also used temporarily by Hawkeye), Yellowjacket and Doctor Pym. The four returning founders would all serve stints as team leader, too, and the group produced a series of impressive leaders over the years, notably Captain America, Wasp, Hawkeye and Iron Man. New recruits during the team's early years included the Swordsman (exposed as a double agent and expelled), Hercules , the Black Panther , the android Vision , and the Black Knight . Alien hero Captain Mar-Vell became one of the team's staunchest allies during the cosmic Kree-Skrull War . The Black Widow joined the team after years as an unofficial ally. A reformed Swordsman rejoined alongside his enigmatic lover Mantis , though he died protecting her from Kang and she soon left Earth to fulfill her prophesied destiny as the Celestial Madonna. Moondragon , Beast , Hellcat and Two-Gun Kid became members, though all but Beast opted for reserve status; the group attracted associates such as the aging speedster Whizzer , Wonder Man , the robotic Jocasta , the time-spanning 31st century Guardians of the Galaxy , and Ms. Marvel (later Warbird), all of whom helped the team oppose the mad man-god Korvac and his wife Carina .
By this time, the paranoid and combative federal agent Henry Peter Gyrich had become the team's new government liaison. He imposed reductions and modifications of the team's membership, during which time Falcon and Ms. Marvel joined, but he was eventually reassigned. The team worked more smoothly with subsequent liaisons such as Raymond Sikorsky , who later betrayed them by aiding a government conspiracy against the Vision, and lifelong Avengers fan Duane Freeman , who was killed by Kang. A humbled Gyrich would later redeem himself by serving admirably as the Avengers liaison to the United Nations. Meanwhile, the team continued to add new members such as Wonder Man, Tigra , She-Hulk , a new Captain Marvel , and Starfox . Rambeau in particular proved to be one of the team's most formidable and respected members.
West Coast Expansion
The group's expansion accelerated after they opened a second headquarters on the West Coast , Avengers Compound , manned by both Avengers veterans and new recruits like Hawkeye's wife Mockingbird , War Machine (who also served as an alternate Iron Man), Thing , Moon Knight , U.S.Agent , Firebird , Human Torch , Living Lightning , Julia Carpenter as Spider-Woman, Machine Man , and Darkhawk . The western roster was led first and longest by Hawkeye, but the expansion team gradually deteriorated under later leaders and was shut down after major losses of resources and personnel. Regardless, the original eastern roster continued to grow, adding recruits such as Sub-Mariner , Doctor Druid , The Captain (actually a temporarily re-costumed Captain America), Demolition Man , Gilgamesh , Mister Fantastic , Invisible Woman , Quasar , Sersi , Spider-Man , Stingray , Rage , Sandman , Crystal , Thunderstrike (who also served as an alternate Thor), Justice , Firestar , Triathlon , Silverclaw , the new Ant-Man and Captain Britain . Some of these served long stints, others only briefly, but all made some sort of mark with the team, as did more informal associates such as Marrina , a new Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara), a new Swordsman (Phillip Jarvert), Magdalene , Deathcry , Masque , and an alternate-timeline teenage Iron Man .
The group suffered setbacks, going through many changes of leadership and several changes of headquarters, losing various members and even disbanding more than once (most notably following disastrous conflicts with Terminatrix and Onslaught ), but the team always regrouped in some form or another, continuing to evolve and grow. Few heroes refused offers of Avengers membership, though allies who did decline the honor included Daredevil , Jessica Jones , Spider-Woman , Silver Surfer , Archangel , Iceman , Dazzler , Black Cat , Doc Samson , Shroud and Songbird .
Avengers Disassembled and the New Avengers
It required a threat from within to ultimately vanquish the original Avengers. The Scarlet Witch, whose mind had slowly been damaged by her reality-altering powers, caused a series of events which resulted in the apparent deaths of Hawkeye, Vision, Jack of Hearts and Ant-Man. The Avengers Mansion was completely destroyed, and Tony Stark's fortune was, at the time, too depleted to rebuild, and the remaining members disbanded.
Months later, much like the original inception of the team, a random gathering of heroes sparked the reformation of the Avengers. After teaming with Iron Man, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Spider-Woman (Drew), Daredevil and Sentry to contain a mass breakout at the super-criminal prison known as the Raft , Captain America invited his six allies to join him in rebuilding the Avengers. Most of them accepted, though Daredevil declined and the unstable Sentry had gone into seclusion. Leading intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D. was reluctant to sanction a new Avengers team, but Captain America reminded them that his "full champion license" status with the government gives him the authority to assemble any team he requires for any given mission, so he required no approval from the authorities to reassemble the Avengers. Iron Man offered the top floors of his new Stark Tower skyscraper to serve as the team's high-tech headquarters (staffed again by ever-faithful Jarvis), and the group resolved to capture the forty-odd Raft escapees-starting with Sauron , the prisoner whose liberation by Electro had touched off the jailbreak.
Capturing Electro and tracking Sauron to the Savage Land , the new Avengers teamed with Wolverine to oppose an illegal Vibranium mining operation run by Sauron's Savage Land Mutates and an apparently rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. faction. In the end, a retaliatory strike by the mainstream S.H.I.E.L.D. organization wiped out the entire mining operation except for a recaptured Sauron, conveniently eliminating almost all evidence and witnesses apart from the Avengers. Shaken by this, and by their discovery along the way that the Raft had been stockpiling supposedly deceased super-criminals held in reserve for unknown purposes, the Avengers have secretly dedicated themselves to rooting out the institutional corruption behind these events and have recruited Wolverine, whose espionage background and ruthless attitude are seen as assets for the team.
Realizing the potential danger of a loose canon Sentry, Iron Man held a secret conclave with the Illuminati and organized a large team to track down the hero. The Sentry warned the Avengers of his alter ego, the Void, who assaulted the Avengers and the other heroes. With the help of Emma Frost , the Sentry gained control of the Void. The Sentry accepted membership into the Avengers, which they hoped would prevent him becoming another Scarlet Witch situation. Returning to Stark Tower, the Avengers were stunned to find the Sentry's Watchtower located directly above theirs.
Tracking down the Silver Samurai (one of the escaped criminals from the Raft) to Japan with the help of Ronin , the Avengers found Hydra trying to strike a deal with the Hand and Clan Yashida . After defeating the forces of the Hand and Hydra, the Avengers confronted the Silver Samurai, who planned to stay in Japan to serve as a protector. Ronin returned to Japan to make sure that Samurai stayed out of trouble. Shortly after leaving, Spider-Woman freed Madame Hydra and accidentally nearly killed Captain America. When the Avengers interrogated her, she revealed that long before the Avengers had recruited her, she had lost her powers. Hydra approached her with the chance to regain her abilities provided she become a double agent for them in S.H.I.E.L.D. When Nick Fury learned this, he agreed to reinstate Spider-Woman into S.H.I.E.L.D. provided that she play a double agent for him. Spider-Woman regained her powers and things went smoothly until Nick Fury went underground and left Spider-Woman with no one to trust. The Avengers realized the situation, but before they could act, they were forced to go public since the Watchtower had alerted the public to their presence.
House of M and Civil War
Soon after this, Professor Charles Xavier and Dr. Strange called a meeting with the Avengers and the X-Men to determine the fate of the Scarlet Witch, ultimately triggering a reality-altering event after which the world's mutant population was largely de-powered. The Avengers subsequently fought a being comprised of the mutant energy of the de-powered mutants. The Superhuman Registration Act seems poised to split the team in twain, but, since the idea of the Avengers has always been particularly resilient, it seems unlikely that the current rift will be permanent.
Current Rosters
| Captain America |
Becky Sharp was the central character in which mid 19th century novel? | Steven Rogers (Earth-616)/Expanded History | Marvel Database | Fandom powered by Wikia
Steven Rogers (Earth-616)/Expanded History
[ show ]
Preface
A number the incidents recounted of Steve Rogers' life are cited to have occurred in specific decades relative to the era of publication. However, it should be noted that the so-called "modern era" of the Earth-616 universe operates on a Sliding Timescale . As such these events could not have occurred in the times they appeared due to the fact that it would drastically age the character. Fury is unique in that he has operated in two distinct time frames, the 20th Century and the "Modern Era" which is measured on the Sliding Timescale.
Steve's history from his date of birth in 1920 until his disappearance in 1945 are considered to have happened in "real time". As such the length of time between his disappearance at the end of World War II and when he was revived should be considered relative to the sliding time scale and the actual year the reader is in.
Early Life
Steve Rogers as a child [1]
Steve Rogers was born July 4, 1920, to poor Irish immigrant parents, Sarah and Joseph Rogers. The boy grew up as a frail youth during the Great Depression in America . Rogers' father died when he was a child and his mother died from pneumonia a number of years later, when he was in his late teens. Moving into a rooming house and taking a job as a delivery boy, Steve struggled to survive. [2] Growing up as a child, Steve was constantly picked on by other children due to his frail and sickly body. [3] Not giving up his love of drawing, he once won the gold medal in the Creative Arts annual "Art of the Future" contest. [4]
World War II
Steve Rogers before Operation: Rebirth [5]
Seeking an escape from his ever day life, Steve enjoyed going to the movies. One day in the fall of 1940, he was horrified by newsreels about the Nazi's invasion of Europe and became determined to join the army in order to do his part to protect America from the potential Nazi threat. [6] [2] [7] [8] [5] [9] [10] [3]
Operation: Rebirth
Steve then began volunteering to join the United States military, but due to his frail body he was was rejected under class 4-F, making him ineligible to become a soldier. [6] [8] [5] [10] During one such occasion, Steve was forced to evade Nazi spies. [11] After his last rejection for military service, Steve's devotion to serving his country attracted the attention of General Chester Phillips who offered Steve an opportunity to help. [12] [6] [13] [5]
This opportunity was Operation Rebirth a secret military project to create a breed of super soldiers. Following his acceptance into the project, Steve met with the creator of the experiment scientist Abraham Erskine . [12] [6] [2] Steve then underwent initial tests and met project member Cynthia Glass who was, unknown to him, a Nazi spy. [12] [2] [14] [5] [10] [15] [16] When Nazi's attempted to attack the secret base, Steve was protected by Dominic Fortune , a soldier of fortune who was originally a candidate for the project but was turned down due to his questionable lifestyle. [7]
Steve Roger's transformation into Captain America [17]
In the winter of 1940 the final preparations were made and Steve Rogers underwent the final test. He was injected and made to ingest Erskine's formula and then was bathed in Vita Rays which caused his body to transform into the peak of human perfection. By this time, the project was infiltrated by Nazi agent Heinz Kruger who fatally shot Erskine, and he himself was slain by the newly empowered Steve Rogers. Without any complete copies of the super-soldier formula available in writing, Steve Rogers was the only man to receive the complete treatment at that time, but there would be others eventually. [18] [17] [12] [19] [9] [3] Right after the project, an attempt by Nazi spies to steal a urine sample from Steve Rogers was foiled. [20]
After saying goodbye to his childhood friend Arnie Roth [21] Steve began a battery of training to hone his fighting skills and military strategy. [2] [22] During this time, General Phillips located a journal belonging to Steve's ancestor who lived during the American Revolution. This ancestor was a hero who wore an American themed costume and operated under the name Captain America . The military decided to model Steve after his ancestors other identity. [23] [8] By March of 1941, Steve Roger's learned of his polar opposite the Nazi Red Skull . It was shortly after this that Steve was given his American flag themed uniform. [2] [24] [22]
Captain America's first operations included saving Colonel Hansen from assassination, [2] and stopping Nazi saboteurs, [7] smashing an operation to sabotage an aircraft plant. [2] Also during this time he meet scientist Emil Stein, [25] fell in love with Cynthia Glass, [15] and witnessed death on the battlefield for the first time. [26] After requesting modifications to his uniform and shield, [2] Steve was sent to Wakanda to collect a sample of Vibranium that was then be used in the creation of a brand new disc shaped shield to replace his original triangular shield. [27] Also during this period he stopped Nazi saboteurs from destroying the Liberty Ship yards. During this mission he was the assisted by the costumed hero known as the Angel , [2] [22] [10] and lastly he put a stop to Nazi spies attempting to detonate Bolder Dam. [2]
Captain America (with original shield) and Bucky circa 1941 [18]
During the Spring of that year, Captain America with his new uniform met with President Roosevelt and was presented his new shield, he was then displayed to the public for the first time. [2] [8] [28] Cap was then then given a cover identity as a military Private and stationed at Camp Lehigh under the command of Sgt. Mike Duffy . In order to protect his double identity Rogers acted like a bumbling soldier. At Camp Leigh he meet and became fast friends with company mascot James "Bucky" Barnes . When James discovered Steve's double identity the military authorized James to be Captain America's costumed sidekick Bucky as an opposite to the Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany. [18] [17] [12] [29] [30] [31] While on an early mission, Captain America -- in his inexperience -- failed to save an Allied recon mission which almost costs the life of an orphan caught in the battlefield. [32] Shortly thereafter, Captain America learned that Cynthia Glass was a Nazi spy while he and Bucky stopped the axis operatives on the Maryland coast. [33] [17] Not long after this the Atlantean prince known as the Sub-Mariner kidnapped President Roosevelt, Captain America went after him and convinced Namor that the Nazis were the real threat to his undersea kingdom, securing Captain America's earliest ally during the war. [34]
1941
Captain America and Bucky's first public mission was to investigate supposed fortune tellers Sando and Omar , which they expose as Axis spies. During this mission they first met FBI agent Betty Ross , another early ally. Also during this period they had an encounter with Nazi assassin Rathcone and clashed with Red Skull imitator George Maxon who seemingly died in combat. [18] During these early days, Steve took an interest in Private Bobby "Shrimie" Shaw , whose weakly stature reminded Steve of himself before Operation Rebirth. [35]
Captain America and Bucky's many early adventures included battling an embezzler named Benson and his Oriental Giants , freeing millionaire Henry Baldwin from Nazi Germany. During this mission they clashed with Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering in the process. They also faced the Nazi assassin known as the Wax Man in the United States. [36] Having survived his initial encounter with Captain America, George Maxon (still posing as the Red Skull) attempted once more to eliminate his foe with stolen plans for a massive drill tank leading to Maxon's death. During this time, Captain America also foiled actor and Nazi sympathizer Craig Talbot from ruining a film shoot, and captured the museum thief known as the Butterfly . [37] Subsequent clashes included battles against Nazi operatives the Unholy Legion , money counterfeiters, and the mad scientist Dr. Grimm . [38]
While in New York City Captain America broke up a Nazi attempt to prevent a lend-lease shipment from reaching England. During this operation Captain America was assisted by reporter Jeff Mace . The encounter would inspire Mace to take on the costumed identity of his own, calling himself the Patriot . [39] Around this time, Cap's sidekick Bucky had formed a team of young adventurers known as the Young Allies . When Bucky and his friends were trapped in China while trying to assist a British spy, Captain America and the Human Torch came to their rescue, the first of many times Captain America and the Torch worked together during the war. [40] Learning that George Maxon was only posing as the Red Skull, Captain America and Bucky went to Nazi Germany to confront the real Skull. During their mission both were captured and Cap was brought before the real Red Skull. Injected with a serum to bend Cap's will, Captain America was told a version of the Red Skull's origins before the serum took effect. [41] The Red Skull then sent Captain America to London with a Nazi raiding party to eliminate the head of American intelligence in the region. Bucky (having freed himself and was posing as a Nazi soldier) attempted to snap Captain America out of the Nazi's control. [42] Bucky succeeded, and Captain America foiled the plot at the last minute. They were then dispatched to a Prisoner of War camp and prevented an escaped Nazi prisoner named Wolfgang from using a new prototype "Vanishing Ray" on the military. [43] Put on guard duty along the Bowery docks, Captain America and Bucky protected the area from the Lord of Death and his army of homeless zombies he called Hollow Men . [44]
Captain America in Madripoor circa 1941 [45]
Cap was next sent on a solo mission to the nation of Madripoor to investigate sightings of Nazi operative Baron Strucker in the area, Captain America stumbled upon a deal being made between Strucker and the Japanese ninjas known as the Hand . Cap worked together with Canadian adventurer Logan and Russian mercenary Ivan Petrovitch to rescue the young assassin in training Natasha Romanov who was being offered to the Hand. Succeeding in this mission, Captain America offered Logan a chance to be his partner, an offer that Logan refused. [45] Unknown to Captain America, his involvement in this mission attracted the attention of Logan's secret employer Romulus . [46]
Returning to the United States and working with Bucky again, Captain America took down the original Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime in Virginia, then destroyed Captain Okada's Dragon of Death in Hawaii, and then smashed a nation wide German Bund with the aid of the Sentinels of Liberty fan-club. Steve and James next travelled to the French territory known as Devil's Island to visit their friend Tom Jason a pilot who was being held prisoner there. Seeing that Nazi jailer Pepo Laroc was torturing Jason, Captain America and Bucky went into action to free their friend. [47] Also during this time, Captain America captured the Nazi saboteur known as the Creeper . [48] Next Captain America and Bucky foiled the Camera Fiend's attempt to steal the British royal jewels when they were put on display in New York, in San Francisco they rescued Chinese dignitaries from the Fang , and uncovered the secret identity of the killer known as the Hangman , bringing him to justice. [49] Later, the Red Skull returned and attacked Camp Lehigh directly, once more being stopped by Captain America and Bucky. The pair also foiled the Black Toad's attempt to blackmail the Brooklyn Badgers baseball team, and then stopped the Fiddler a Nazi assassin who used his musical instrument to kill his targets. [50] Assigned to escort sensitive documents to Singapore, Steve Rogers and Bucky's plane crashed in the Malay Archipelago. There as Captain America and Bucky they foiled Nazi spy Kurt Mueller's attempt to steal the plans, narrowly escaping execution at the hands of the Dhaka Tribe under Mueller's command. [51]
Returning to the United States, Captain America was one of many heroes on the scene to stop the Sub-Mariner's latest attack on New York City, assisting the flood stricken citizens. Captain America helped the Human Torch in the capture of the Sub-Mariner [52] and they turned him over to officials in Washington D.C. [53] Resuming his independent activities, Captain America and Bucky then protected the Ruby of the Nile from Ra the Avenger , exposed the Nazi spy Pierre Dumort during war games at Camp Leigh. Later they rescued Karen Lee from the Black Witch , [54] captured the murdering White Ghost , put a stop to the death cheating criminal Nick Pinto . They also foiled two similar cases of murdering painters, the first calling himself the Black Talon [55] and the other the Mad Painter . [56] Shortly after this, Cap and the Human Torch once again came to the aid of the Young Allies, this time helping them defend the island of New America from the Black Talon who had recently allied himself with the Nazis. [57] Later, Captain America and Bucky prevented Countess Mara from stealing a rapid fire grenade launcher, they also saved Gotham City from Net-Man , and solved the mystery of the Hound of Cardiff Moore . [58]
In November of 1941, Captain America was sent on a mission to the Djbera, Africa, in order to see to the surrender of Nazi defector Major Hans Guetterez. Unknown to Cap, Bucky was given orders to investigate sightings of Baron Strucker in the area and assassinate him. Their plane was shot down and crashed in the desert, leaving them open to enemy attack. They were rescued by a squad of British S.A.S. led by Nick Fury and joined by Logan. [59] Captain America learned from Fury about Bucky's additional mission, and all parties were unaware that Logan had come to learn what he could about Captain America for Romulus, who attempted to take Cap up on his earlier offer of partnership earning him the ire of Bucky. Attacking the Nazi base in Djbera and accepting Guetterez's surrender Captain America then went after Bucky after he slipped away in the battle followed by Logan. [60] Working with Logan, Cap located Strucker who had just founded the first incarnation of the terrorist organization known a Hydra . When Bucky was brought out to be executed, he eliminated who he thought was Strucker, leading to the Hydra agents to attack. Cap and Logan came to Bucky's rescue and were assisted by Nick Fury and the S.A.S. In the aftermath of the battle they learned that the man whom Bucky had killed was a Strucker imitator and they all set out to find the real Baron Strucker. [61] Logan and Bucky later found Strucker and took him prisoner. Cap was unaware that Logan's orders changed and he was to insure that Strucker remain free. When Bucky attempted to warn Cap of this as they flew away, they were shot out of the sky by Nazi agents led by Baron Zemo and with the assistance of Logan, helped free Strucker. Furious at this betrayal, Captain America battled Logan until Bucky was able to force the Nazis into retreat with cover fire. During the firefight, Logan took a rife blast to the chest and was left for dead, however he would ultimately survive and cross paths with Captain America many times in the future. [62]
Returning to the United States, Captain America and Bucky worked to stop Nazi impostors replacing American soldiers to commit acts of violence to shake American morale, ended a family feud between the Rand and Codger families instigated by George Brinner , stopped jealous murderer Jacques Laval , [63] and Nazi rabble rouser the Reaper . [64] Also during this period Captain America narrowly avoided having his double identity exposed by Sgt. Duffy. [65] Put on guard duty of a defence factory, Captain America and Bucky failed to stop Nazi agent the Teutonic Knight from stealing plans for a flying airship called the "Flying Arsenal". [66] Following that incident, Captain America and Bucky clashed with Dr. Crime a criminal who utilized a shrinking formula, defend Oroccan president Alvarez from his rival Rozzo , [67] and stopped an Imperial Japanese spy named Mysto the Magician . [68]
As the month of December approached, Captain America and Bucky used intelligence gathered by American operative John Steele about a meeting on American shores between Nazi spies and Atlantean traitor U-Man . Attacking the meeting with the assistance of the Angel, Captain America and Bucky failed to stop U-Man from escaping but managed to capture one of his minions. [53] This minion was brought back to Washington D.C. and brought to the still imprisoned Sub-Mariner. Namor forced his subject to reveal plans of a two pronged attack on American soil. On December 7th, 1941, Captain America met with the Human Torch and his partner Toro and ordered them to assist on pushing back a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. While they were doing so, Captain America, Bucky and Sub-Mariner opposed an Atlantean rebel attack on America's Eastern shores. While the highly publicized attack on Pearl Harbor caused massive losses, Captain America and his allies on the East coast managed to crush the invasion there and prevent it from becoming public knowledge. The attacks eventually led to the United States official entry into World War II. [69]
On December 22nd, 1941, Captain America and Bucky prevented an act of sabotage on the Liberty Shipyard. They were then sent to a nearby hospital by the FBI to learn how Project: Rebirth scientist Doctor Anderson was seriously wounded. Learning that Nazi scientists forced him to create a Super Soldier Serum derivative to empower Nazi agent Master Man , Captain America and Bucky joined the Human Torch, Toro, and the Sub-Mariner in preventing Master Man from assassinating British Prime Minister Winston Churchill who was arriving in America for a state visit. The plot was foiled when the serum within Master Man's body wore off restoring him to his normal strength and making him an easy defeat. Churchill commended the heroes on their teamwork, and suggested that they work together under the name the Invaders . [70] On Christmas Eve of that year, Captain America was ordered to undergo false memory implants in the event that he was captured and interrogated by Nazi agents. Going though with the operation on December 27th, 1941 Captain America was implanted with false memories of his parents (a father named "Walter" who was a diplomat, a mother named "Elizabeth" and a younger brother "Mike" who was killed during the Pearl Harbor attacks) Cap would not remember these memories to be false until many years later. [71] Shortly after the memory implants, President Roosevelt gave his authorization for the Invaders to operate as an official Allied force. [69] Soon Captain America and Bucky became aware of comic books that were being published about their adventures for propaganda purposes. Although they did not like the comics, they tolerated them due to the moral boost they provided to those who read them. [3]
Captain America and the original Invaders circa 1941-42 [70]
On their first official mission, the Invaders travelled to Britain to investigate who the mysterious Nazi operative known only as Brain Drain -- the mastermind behind the Master Man project -- was. Finding a strange woman named Hildy in the ruins of an air raid carrying a strange ring, Cap and the Invaders soon learned that she was associated with Brain Drain. She led the heroes into German territory where they were attacked by three beings who claimed to be Teutonic Gods Donar , Froh and Loga . [72] While the other Invaders were busy fighting these foes, Captain America and Hildy were captured by Brain Drain's men and brought before their leader. Captain America soon learned that Hildy and the other men outside were not gods at all, but aliens of the Tekeli-Li race manipulated by Brain Drain. Regaining her memories and using the strange ring (really their nuclear energy source), Hildy and her comrades sacrificed their lives to destroy Brain Drain's hideout and all their alien technology. Captain America and the Invaders fled the scene while the base exploded in a massive nuclear explosion. [73]
1942
Returning to the United States with the Invaders, Captain America and his teammates learned that U-Man was plotting another attack on Winston Churchill as it made its return trip to the United Kingdom by boat. This prompted the Sub-Mariner to race off with Bucky to stop him alone. [74] Cap and the other Invaders followed after him, stopping U-Man and rescuing both Winston Churchill and Namor's reporter friend Betty Dean . [75] [76] After this, the Human Torch and Toro went missing on a mission in the Swiss Alps, Cap and the other Invaders went searching for them. This led to a clash with Basil Frankenstein who used his ancestor's science to create a monster for the Nazis. [77]
Going solo again, Captain America led troops on a landing in Tunisia , and noted that his friend Bobby Shaw, although stuck in the motor pool while others went into combat, attempted to look his best during post-battle commendations. [35] With Bucky, Cap rescued visiting Chinese Prince Tsaihoon from the League of Unicorns , and later saved Betty Ross from the Looter , a modern day pirate. [78] Reuniting with the Invaders, Captain America participated in a war bond parade when he and his fellow Invaders were captured by the Red Skull and brainwashed to attack American defence plants. [79] When the Skull learned that Bucky had formed a new group of heroes known as the Liberty Legion he sent the enslaved Invaders to destroy American landmarks. Captain America was sent to Liberty Hall in Philadelphia, and was forced to flee from the Patriot and Miss America who came to stop him. [80] Furious at this failure, the Skull sent Cap and the others to destroy Yankee Stadium, challenging the Liberty Legion to stop them. During the battle, the ship carrying the equipment that kept the Invaders under the Skull's control was destroyed by Toro freeing Cap and the others. [81]
Returning to England with the Invaders, Captain America and the others investigated the appearance of Baron Blood , a Nazi vampire, and met the Falsworth clan: Jacqueline , Lord Montgomery , and his brother John. Montgomery was the World War I hero known as Union Jack and John was secretly Baron Blood. [82] During their subsequent hunt for Baron Blood, they invited Montgomery to join the Invaders as Union Jack, despite Jacqueline's protests. [83] Ultimately, the Invaders revealed Baron Blood's true identity and impaled him through the chest in a cave killing him. However in the course of the battle Jacqueline was severely drained of her blood, prompting the Invaders to rush her to the hospital. During the course of this crisis, Jacqueline began developing feelings for Captain America, unaware of the Human Torch's unrequited feelings toward her. [84] Taking Jacquelyn to a war hospital, [85] Captain America held off an attack from Professor John Gold in his Blue Bullet armor. Cap helped incapacitate Gold's armor while the Torch saved Jacquelyn's life with a transfusion that gave her super-speed powers. She later joined the team as Spitfire. [86]
Learning that the attack was prompted due to the fact that Gold's brother Jacbo a Jewish scholar, was imprisoned in a Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, Poland was being used as leverage to force John to do their bidding. Cap and the Invaders agreed to rescue Jacob. They travelled to Poland where they were turned away by Jacob as did not wish to abandon his work and studies into the Golem of Jewish myth. Soon afterword the Invaders were captured by Nazi forces. [87] Cap and the others found themselves in the clutches of the Nazi agent known as the Face who attempted to learn the secrets of Captain America's indestructible shield. Cap and the others were then rescued by Goldstein, who had transformed himself into a living embodiment of the Golem. With the Face's operation destroyed the Invaders left Jacob in Poland to fight for his people. [88]
Upon the Invaders return to England, they were surprised to find a new group of local superheroes calling themselves the Crusaders had formed in their absence. While the Crusaders unintentionally upstaged the Invaders, neither team was aware that the Crusaders were formed by a Nazi named Alfie seeking to assassinate the King of England. [89] When the Crusaders were chosen to guard the King during the christening of a new battleship, Crusader member Dyna-Mite learned of the truth and with the help of Cap and the Invaders saved the King and exposed Alfie's plot. [90] Following this battle, the Invaders were gathered by the British military and given a base within Big Ben. There Captain America, the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner were put on a mission to stop the Hyena , the Shark and Agent Axis in the United States. Captain America went to capture Agent Axis, leading him to Liberty Island on the shores of New York City. There he clashed with Agent Axis who had stolen Cap's original triangular shield. During the fight, Captain America's disc-shaped shield was stolen by Agent Axis. Left with his original shield, Captain America attempted to stop Agent Axis when he was suddenly plucked out of time. [91]
Captain America, the Human Torch and Namor were all taken as pawns in a cosmic game between Kang a 40th century warlord from Earth-6311 and the cosmic entity known as the Grandmaster pitting them against Yellowjacket , the Vision and Black Panther , heroes from the future and part of a team of heroes known as the Avengers . They then fought in Nazi occupied France but the battle was eventually won by the Avengers, who felled the three Invaders thanks to the Visions phasing powers. [92] When the Avengers attempted to explain the situation to Captain America and the others they were then pulled back forward in time, leaving Cap and the others to fight Nazi forces alone. They were then pulled out of the area by the Grandmaster who transported them to where Agent Axis, Hyena and Shark had gathered together. With their memories of the experience fading, the three heroes defeated their foes and recovered what was stolen from them. Cap eventually forgot his encounter with the Avengers, a group he would join many decades later. [91]
Captain America, Bucky and Namor were then dispatched to the German countryside to investigate sightings of the Red Skull and Baron Strucker in the area. What they found was the remains of a strange ritual conducted by the Thule Society using Atlanteans as sacrifices to summon an object of great power. Tracking the Skull to Antarctica, the three heroes clashed with a massive creature that was summoned by the sacrifice. They killed the creature but not before the Skull and Baron Strucker could escape. The heroes were unaware that the Red Skull had summoned the powerful Hammer of Skadi , a weapon that would be used against Captain America and his allies decades later. [93] Returning to his unit at Camp Lehigh, Captain America and Bucky stopped Japanese agent the Vulture who attacked their convoy on the way to Camp Mohave, and later exposed Nazi spy Yellow Claw who was killing soldiers at Camp Lehigh. [94] Also during this time, Captain America clashed with Baron Zemo shattering a vat of Adhesive X and causing Zemo's mask to be glued to his head. This incident would earn Captain America the constant ire of Zemo who became determined to kill the star-spangled hero from that moment on. [95]
Reunited with his fellow Invaders in England, Captain America investigated the kidnapping of Private Biljo White by Nazi agents. Biljo was the creator of the popular "Major Victory" comic book whose title hero had origins that were similar to Captain America's. Suspecting he might know the secret of Operation: Rebirth, Cap led the Invaders to Hitler's stronghold the Berchtesgarden where they were captured by the newly repowered Master Man. [96] Through information gained from Private White, Nazi spy Julia Koenig was empowered and was given the name Warrior Woman. When the Invaders broke free and attempted to escape they were easily overpowered by the two Nazi super-soldiers and Captain America was thrown off the roof of the Berchtesgarden and left for dead. [97] Cap was saved by the Destroyer who explained his origins and assisted Captain America in storming Hitler's castle. Freeing Private White the learned that the rest of the Invaders were being brought to Berlin where they were to be executed following the wedding of Master Man and Warrior Woman. [98] Rushing to Berlin, Captain America and Spitfire were both captured by the Nazis. The Destroyer (now taking over his father's identity of the Union Jack) then came to the heroes rescue. [99] Freed, Captain America and the Invaders clashed with Master Man and Warrior Woman while Hitler attempted to escape with Captain America's shield. [100] However, Hitler and his crew was ejected from the bomber by Dyna-Mite as they were escaping and the Invaders commandeered the vessel and Cap recovered his shield. Using the bomber to escape Germany, the Invaders were forced to splash down in the Channel River. [101] Recovered by a navy ship, Captain America and the Invaders rushed Toro, who was wounded in the battle, to a hospital there Cap and the others learned of Toro's origins. [102]
Cap and the Invaders were next dispatched to Egypt to prevent it from falling under Nazi control. There they clashed with the super-powered Scarlet Scarab who wished to remove the British from his homeland. [103] It was not until the Scarab realized that Nazis would take over in the British's place did he assist the Invaders in turning back a Nazi invasion force. [104] Returning to England, Captain America and the other Invaders found that Dyna-Mite had abandoned his previous identity to take on the guise of the Destroyer. Cap and the Invaders next went to California to follow up on Bucky's quest to find Dr. Hijiri Sabuki to heal Toro. [105] Arriving there, Cap and the others learned that Bucky, Toro, Dr. Sabuki, his daughter Gwendolyne and a hospital intern named Davey Mitchell were all captured by Agent Axis. Finding Agent Axis's hideout, the Invaders found that Gwen and Davey were empowered by his equipment. [106] With the assistance of the newly formed Kid Commandos , Cap and the Invaders captured Agent Axis and proved to Captain Simmons that the youths were useful to the war effort. [107]
Going solo again, Captain America and Bucky joined Sgt. Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos to prevent an invasion of England through Nazi occupied France in which the Nazis were forcing slave labourers to dig the tunnel. [108] [109] Briefly during this mission, Captain America's body was possessed by the spirit of his future self who was seeking a slice of a mystical apple in order to save all existence. [110] [111] Returning to the United States, Captain America and Bucky thwarted two similar plots to unnerve the American people by Nazi spies. The first was orchestrated by Fritz Krone using an army of "Earthmen" (really Nazis in armored suits) to invade New York. The other was inspired by actor Orson Well's reading of War of the Worlds, in which Nazi agents disguised as Martains invaded Gotham City. [112] Later, the pair also stopped Japanese agent the Vampire . [113]
Returning to England, Captain America and the Invaders clashed with the Teutonic Knight who used previously stolen plans to create a Nazi warship. [66] After destroying the airship, Cap and the Invaders prevented Baron Strucker from assassinating Winston Churchill at his home. [114] The Invaders next were charged with delivering tanks directly to Joseph Stalin . During this mission they were attacked by Thor who was pulled forward in time by Hitler and a time travelling Dr. Doom and duped into working with the Nazis. [115] The Invaders prevented Thor from assassinating Stalin and convinced him of the Nazi's evil ways, prompting the hero to return to his own time. [116] Returning to England, Captain America and the Invaders investigated why the Destroyer had turned against the Allies, revealing that Master Man had been posing as the hero. [117] Captain America, the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner were then ordered to return to the United States to stop attacked on American defence plants by the Nazi agent Iron Cross . They soon learned that Iron Cross had captured Professor Schneider and most of the Liberty Legion. [118] With the aid of the Whizzer the Invaders clashed with Iron Cross [119] and rescued Schneider and the Liberty Legion, while incapacitating Iron Cross' armor. [120]
Captain America, Human Torch and the Young Allies Circa 1942 [40]
Returning to camp, Captain America and Bucky expose the Legion of the Devil operating out of Valley Point. Later, Captain America was captured by a recently escaped Red Skull who learned Captain America's secret identity and masqueraded as the hero committing crimes to discredit his friend. Cap was later freed by Bucky and in the ensuing clash, the Red Skull ended up falling off an air plane to his seeming death. [121] However, the Red Skull survived and began another plot. Captain America, Torch and Betty Ross later assisted the Young Allies in stopped the Skull from releasing a poison gas on Washington D.C. The Skull once more seemingly perished when the heroes pushed the Skull off a cliff, [122] however the Skull survived. Asking the Whizzer and Miss America to join their ranks, Cap and the Invaders headed to San Diego to investigate spy activities there. [123] There they stumbled upon a plot by Lady Lotus to capture the Kid Commando's Golden Girl. The group also clash with U-Man once more, [124] then they prevented a revived Baron Blood from causing plane crashes at Idlewilde Airfield. [125] Cap and the Invaders then save a hypnotized Human Torch from the clutches of Lady Lotus's team of super-humans called Super-Axis . [126] After watching newsreel footage of some of his wartime battles, [127] Captain America and Bucky clash with ape-man Killer Kole , prevent the Spook from manipulating the stranded Sub-Earth Men from starting a war with the United States, and prevent the destruction of the universe by the mad Professor Clement Mott and his Cosmic Depressor device. [128] Cap and Bucky also exposed the Holy Ring cult's conspiracy to disrupt the United States government. The pair were deployed to Egypt where they spent some time exploring the pyramids there. [129]
Later, Captain America was selected to lead the Specialized Unit, Enhanced Soldiers (dubbed the Crazy S.U.E.'s) a unit of super-human and gifted soldiers who in turn had comics published by Timely Comics written about them as wartime propaganda to encourage support in the war. During their first meeting, Captain America told the mixed unit that they should learn to work as a team. However, tempers flared when the racist Captain Strong and Slow Motion Jones got into a fight, witnessed by Cap and Bucky and broken up by the Sue's second in command Sargent Byrd . [130] On June 19th, 1942 Captain America and the Invaders are put on security detail during a meeting between Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. During this meeting, Cap and the other heroes prevent two Nazi operatives using a size changing formula from killing the two world leaders. [131] On June 22nd of that year, Captain America led the Invaders in preventing a U-Boat attack on New York by the members of Battle-Axis . [132] Following Battle-Axis to California, Captain America and the Invaders attempted to stop them from capturing the Golem, and an oscillotron while taking on Blazing Skull and Silver Scorpion onto their team. [133] Tracking down Battle-Axis to their secret hideout, Cap and the Invaders learned that the groups leader Dr. Death intended to cause a massive earthquake to decimate the west coast. When attempting to stop the villains, Cap and the others were felled by the Vision who was manipulated by Dr. Death to assist in his operative in exchange for a way back to his home dimension. [134] Captain America managed to break himself and his fellow Invaders free and foil the plans of Battle-Axis, but the villains managed to escape. In the aftermath of the battle, the heroes helped the Vision return to his home dimension. [134] Later, Captain America and Bucky were a part of a squad of heroes descending on a German fortress as part of an unspecified military mission. [135]
Returning to the Untied States, Captain America and the Invaders defended the Brooklyn shipyards from what they believed to be an attack by the briefly time displaced Thor Corps . [136] [137] Dispatched to the California coast, Captain America and Bucky thwarted a Japanese invasion of the west coast led by the so-called Mock Mikado . [138] Captain America and Bucky were then sent to Japan to rescue Betty Ross and destroy the Paw's massive rocket launcher that could fire rockets across the Pacific ocean. [129] Captain America then joined the Human Torch in assisting the Young Allies in thwarting another Japanese invasion attempt organized by the Nazi agent known as the Owl . [139] Captain America and Bucky next clashed with the Crocodile in the southern swampland before being deployed to Berlin to rescue General Spence from Herr Demon . [140] Returning to London, Captain America and Bucky clashed with Dr. Destiny and his army of "Clammy Things", battled the Cult of Black Magic in Egypt, and the Fakir in India. [141] They next returned to the Untied States to smash an alliance between Dr. Crime and the Nazis. [142] The duo also exposed the supposed return of the mythical Medusa as a hoax perpetuated by Nazi spy Anton Harvey . [143]
On August 7, 1942, Captain America led the Crazy Sue's in an airdrop on Guadacanal where they clashed with Japanese forces. They were initially penned in due to bad intel landing them in a heavy combat zone, however thanks to Captain Flame , Japanese forces were driven back with minimal casualties. [130] While the Crazy Sue's continued to push through the Pacific Theater, Cap was called back to focus on other efforts. [144] Deployed to Europe once more, Captain America and Bucky led a group of troops to investigate the creation of Sleeper robots in the Swiss Alps, [11] and later teamed up with costumed adventurer Citizen V to prevent Baron Zemo from unleashing his Particle X weapon. [145] Returning to the United States, Captain America and Bucky foiled an attempt by the Creeper to sour relations between the United States and the nation of Alslavia and later clashed with the wizard known as Balthar a pawn of a demon calling himself Satan . [48] Captain America and Bucky next exposed fortune teller Dr. Eternity as a Nazi spy. [64] Following this adventure, Captain America and Bucky soon travelled into the Microverse to help the kingdom of Mita defend itself from the tyrant named Togaro . [146] While Captain America put an end to Togaro, he was unable to prevent Mita's destruction and the death of most of its people. [147] Captain America however, was more successful in stopping Nazi operative Hans Stryker , [148] and the Nazi assassin known as the Ring . [64]
While defending a British shipyard Captain America, Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner were attacked by Nazi forces and the Torch was captured during the attack. Unknown to the heroes at the time, the Nazis had convinced Namor's mother Princess Fen that the United States posed a threat to Atlantis, and in exchange for being able to conduct their ghastly experiments in Atlantis they would defend her from the supposed American "threat". Examining the Torch's body, they brainwashed him and boosted his powers to extreme levels and set him to attack just as Captain America and Namor had arrived to convince the Atlanteans to turn against the Nazis, "confirming" the Nazis claims. Captain America was then taken prisoner. [149] After three days, Captain America managed to break free from his cell and learned what the Nazis had done to the Torch. Searching for him, he found that the Nazis were using Atlantis to conduct horrific experiments on human test subject. Going to warn Namor and Fen of this, Captain America was attacked by the Torch. When it was realized that the Nazis had controlled the Torch all along, Fen forced the Nazis to surrender and Captain America revealed the Nazis plan to them. However, before they could stop the Nazis, they unleashed their Firebrand Squadron , androids they built by reverse engineering the Torch's technology. The Squadron went to the surface to destroy American ships approaching Atlantis. [150] Luring the Firebrand Squad into a ship that Cap ordered the American troops to attack, the Torch made an attempt to convince the rogue creations to fight their programming and think for themselves. However, as the ship sank and the Firebrands refused to listen to reason, the Torch used his powers to destroy them. With the Nazis in Atlantis having surrendered, Captain America and Namor force the scientists who experimented on the Torch to restore his normal powers and repair the damage done to him. [151]
By October of that year, Captain America, Bucky, the Human Torch and Toro to Shanghai, China, to help liberate young Chinese genius Zhang Chin . [152] Finding the boy, Cap and the others managed to evade Japanese forces and get to the extraction point where the Sub-Mariner was waiting for them. [153] In early November, Cap accompanied the Invaders onto the Russian front where they joined Russian forces led by Vasily Karpov . Participating in an attack on Nazi forces in the town of Kalach, they uncovered Master Man and the Red Skull hiding there with a new ray weapon. Outgunned, the Skull set the weapon to explode and fled with Master Man leaving Cap and the others to save as many villagers as possible while the town burned to the ground. [154] Later when Bucky was captured while he and Cap where behind enemy lines, Captain America rescued his sidekick from Hitler and the Red Skull. [155]
1943
At the start of 1943, Captain America, Bucky, the Torch and Toro were in Poland assisting with the resistance movement there. They briefly clash with Master Man when Toro accidentally compromised their cover when attempting to prepare a surprise for Bucky's 18th birthday. [156]
Back in the States, Captain America and Bucky foiled Izan's attempt to replace Air Raid wardens with spies, battled the Turtle Man and his army of escaped convicts in Louisiana, and exposed phony mystic Prince Ba'rahm . [157] Later they clashed with Nazi commander the Eraser , [158] the Vampire known as Count Varnis on Vampire Mountain, and Nazi saboteur the Eel . [159] On the trail of Baron Blood once more, Captain America was bitten by the vampire and was briefly transformed into a vampire himself, until he is cured by the Invaders who administered an antidote devised by enslaved Jewish scientist Dr. Leo Jacobson . [160] Dispatched to New Guinea, Captain America and Bucky prevent Japanese agent Kuhomai from assassinating General Douglas MacArthur . [161]
Ordered back to the United States on January 7, 1943, Captain America and Bucky fail to stop Master Man from murdering scientist Nikola Tesla and steal the plans for his Teleray technology. With the aid of Baron Zemo's wife Hilda , Captain America and Bucky foil Zemo's attempt to combine the Teleray with his own Deathray to destroy bombers heading toward Berlin. Although they succeed in destroying the weapon and the plans, it was at the cost of Hilda's life. The death of Hilda earned Captain America the hatred of her and Heinrich's son Helmut . [162] Returning to the States, Captain America and Bucky clashed with Karr the Mummy an agent of the demonic Modebl . [146] Later, when Captain America learned of a secret Japanese tunnel that lead into the United States, he attempted to warn the Young Allies only to learn that they had already destroyed it. [163] After, Captain America posed for painter Kerwin Stockwell and got involved in the life of his assistant Jenny Grimaldi . When Jenny's supposedly deceased husband suddenly returned alive and well after being declared killed in action, Captain America and Jenny soon learned that the man was really a Nazi spy, prompting Captain America to stop him before he could steal secret government plans. [160]
Shipped off to Russia, Captain America and Bucky uncovered a Nazi plot to storm the battlements at Murmansk. [147] While back in the States, they defend Camp Lehigh from Nazi invaders and their biologically engineered Killer Beasts , [164] then on vacation in Quebec City, Canada, Cap and Bucky rescued General Bedoin from Nazi spies. Returning to the United States Cap and Bucky were captured by Nazi spies and smuggled into Nazi Germany, where they broke free and destroyed a Nazi aircraft factory with the help of French Resistance fighters who were being held prisoner there. [165] Later in Panama, the pair prevented Baron von Widemouth from blowing up military installations there. [166] Later, Captain America and Bucky accepted a challenge to face the Torso a mad scientist hired by the Axis leaders to eliminate the hero. The Torso faired no better than other villains who faced Captain America and perished as a result. Back out on the Pacific, Captain America and Bucky clashed with the Japanese controlled Birdmen of Pa-Pi-Ru-Gua . [167] Captain America was later seen freeing prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp, and later clashing against Nazi forces with the Invaders. [168]
Back in the United States once more, Captain America stumbled upon the "assassinations" of Nazi puppet master the Great Varda and faked his own death to stop the agent. [169] Back on the battlefront, Captain America clashed with the Red Skull when the villain was testing out a new death ray. During the battle he saved the life of future filmmaker Leonard Spellman . [170] Captain America and Bucky then clashed with Nazi sympathizer Professor Schultz who implanted the brain of his colleague Olaf Olsen into the body of a well preserved Dinosaur , battled the Phantom Engineer and the Headless Monster . [171] Later deployed to the Italian front, Captain America lead the troops of Camp Lehigh in combat, but was forced to leave Bobby Shaw behind when he couldn't muster the bravery to cross through enemy fire. [35] Stateside once more, Captain America and Bucky faced the Laughing Death before travelling to the Pacific and expose a Japanese spy posing as local witch doctor Tu-Ra-Bi-Ka and thwarting Von Broot from inciting tensions between the United States and Barabia . [172] Returning to the Pacific, Captain America and Bucky next saved American troops that had been captured and tortured by Japanese commander Kioto . [173]
Going solo again, Captain America clashed with Agent Axis, [174] battled Japanese forces on the pacific, [175] and assisted Peggy Carter and the First Thirteen French resistance movement obtain the plans for a Japanese built heat detecting device. This was Cap's first encounter with Peggy Carter, a woman whom he eventually fell in love with, even though he did not know her name. [176] Returning to the United States, Cap and Bucky defeat the Vulture and his Batmen , [177] prevented General Nikki's attempt to smuggle the so-called "Cylinder of Doom" into the United States, [178] and helped the Young Allies defeat Herr Executioner . [179] Cap later recommended Bobby Shaw to become a member of the Fighting First. [35] After he stopped a U-Boat attack on an American ship. [175] Reuniting with Bucky, the pair then clashed with Fungi a Nazi biological agent, destroyed a hidden U-Boat base in Europe, battled the Coughing Killer , [180] and clashed with Nazi forces aboard a U-boat, [181] prevented the Mole-Man from blowing up 10 Downing Street in London. [182]
Captain America infrequently wore this variant of his uniform on the battlefield during the war [183]
In March they went from London to Suffolk, Cap and Bucky were given orders to stop a Nazi dig along the French countryside under the supervision of the German's new "wunderkind" named Atticus Trask , who was working on a new type of Sleeper robot for the Nazis for an operation called "Contingency X". Unknown to Cap and Bucky at the time was that Atticus was a time traveller from the future who had went back in time to use his family's Sentinel technology to build a new breed of Sentinels to eliminate Mutants , a race of super-humans that would become predominant in his future time, and in particular the heroic X-Men . Before Cap and Bucky could launch their sneak attack, their surprise was ruined by the sudden arrival of another time traveller, the mutant mercenary known as Cable , who had come to this era to stop Atticus. Convinced of Cable's purpose, Cap and Bucky assisted him as Atticus activated his Sleeper Sentinels. However, the robots were no match for the trio of heroes. The Sentinel Sleepers were destroyed, and their records on the future X-Men burned. Cable thanked Cap for his help but kept tight lip about what the future had in store. However Captain America correctly deduced that the Allies won the war since Cable was not speaking with a German accent. Cable attempted to sow confusion, Cable said goodbye to Cap in German before returning to his future time. Despite the ambiguity of their departure, Cap was more determined than ever to help win the war. [184] Cap and Bucky were next dispatched to Turkey where they stopped a Nazi agent calling himself the Ali Baba , and helped French freedom fighters defeat yet another Axis operative calling himself the Vulture . [182]
After clashing with the Red Skull again, [35] Captain America and Bucky travel to China where they learn that supposed Chinese traitor Mother Wong was really an allied informant, capture the Mongoose in North Africa with the aid of his old friend Betty Ross who was now a member of the Women's Axillary Army, and stopped the Japanese suicide bombers calling themselves the Symbols of Doom . [185] After stopping the Red Skull's latest campaign of sabotage, [186] Captain America and Bucky next clashed with Japanese agent Nogatmi [187] in New York, a Japanese spy posing as the goddess Kali in India, stopped the Great Rosso's murder spree, followed by assisting in the liberation of southern Italy from Nazi occupation. [188] [Info Gap 1] Later, Captain America and Bucky clashed with the Gargoyle in Florida, stopped a Nazi spy posing as the Man in the Steel Mask from taking over Mexico with a giant Aztec idol, and stopped counterfeiter Peter Stromboli from flooding the American market with phony bills. [189]
During this time, Captain America and Bucky were given orders to investigate suspected spy activities at Democracy Pictures, a film company that was working on a Captain America serial to play in theaters. When Glenn Reeper , the actor playing Captain America in the serial, was injured the real Captain America took his place. During the course of the production, Captain America exposed special effects artist Lyle Dekker as a Nazi agent working for the Red Skull. [190] Following the Dekker incident, Captain America and Bucky travelled to Australia and stopped Dr. Necrosis from tainting the blood supply at the Red Cross with the deadly "White Gangrene" disease, stopped Nazi operative the Leopard Woman from poisoning the New York City water supply, and clashed with General von Savage in France. [191] [Info Gap 2] Back in the United States, Captain America and Bucky captured Prince Suli a wanted jewel thief, [192] stopped the Red Skull's attempt to convert the United States into a fascist country one small town at a time, [193] and joined the Invaders on a mission in Nazi occupied France clashing with the Red Skull and Master Man once more. [194]
In December 1943, Captain America and the Invaders travelled into Italy to investigate the Nazi's latest project in Monte Cassino dubbed "Operation: Time Ghost" with a group of military soldiers. During a clash with Nazi forces, Captain America, the Human Torch, Toro, Bucky, the Sub-Mariner, and an American Private Paul Anselm found themselves transported to the modern era by the Cosmic Cube . Materializing in the middle of New York City, the Invaders interrupted an attempt by the Thunderbolts to apprehend Spider-Man for his continued violation of the Superhuman Registration Act that was being enforced at the time in that era. Thinking that the Thunderbolts were Nazi agents, Captain America and the Invaders easily trounced them before fleeing into the night to figure out what happened to them. [195] Learning that they were somehow transported to the future, Captain America and the Invaders were soon confronted by Iron Man and the Mighty Avengers who had come to contain the Invaders before they could learn too much about the future and risk altering history. Believing that the Might Avengers were Nazi agents as well, Captain America and the Invaders fought back however all but the Sub-Mariner were captured and taken aboard the SHIELD helicarrier for containment. [196] Eventually, Captain America was broken out of his cell by Bucky and they attempt to escape clashing with the helicarrier's Life Model Decoys , soon learning that they were miles above Washington D.C. [197]
As the battle raged on, Captain America's shield was recovered by Bucky, who accidentally tosses it off the helicarrier on a miss-throw. After freeing the Torch and Toro, Captain America and the other Invaders were assisted by the arrival of Dr. Strange's New Avengers who had come to return the time displaced heroes to their own time to prevent a reality altering time wave from changing history, as well as the arrival of that eras Captain America (unknown to them all, Bucky's future self). [198] When the New Avengers attempt to extract the Invaders from the battle, they failed to rescue Captain America and the returned Sub-Mariner who were once more subdued by Iron Man and the Might Avengers. Detained once again, Captain America was told by Iron Man that they were being contained in order to prevent more damage to the timeline, telling Cap that even if there was a possible benefit to altering history it may have unforeseen results, convincing Captain America to being trusting Iron Man. [199] In order to help clear their memories of the future, Captain America and Namor were placed in a virtual reality simulator. However, when the Human Torch returned to free the LMD's he believed to be enslaved and his friends, but was unaware that he was being manipulated by the intelligent robot Ultron who was seeking full sentience through feeding on the Torch's body. They trick the Torch to interrupt the virtual reality simulation that his friends were in under the pretence that they were trapped within. [200] While the Ultron controlled LMD's feast on the Human Torch's blood, the trapped Captain America was freed by his future counterpart. Seeing the future Captain America's mechanical arm, Captain America believed him to be another robot and attacked him. [201]
When the fight was interrupted by Ms. Marvel , Wonder Man and Sentry and the risk to Namor's life in the VR simulation, Captain America stood down and accepted the truth of the situation. After Ultron was stopped by the Human Torch, the New Avengers returned to the helicarrier with Paul Anselm and the Cosmic Cube to return the time displaced Invaders home. Before leaving they said goodbye to Paul's future self whose feelings of regret where what prompted the Cosmic Cube to transport the Invaders to the future. Upon learning that the heroes intend to wipe out their memories before being returned to the past, the younger Paul snatched the Cube in order to save his friends who were gunned down in battle prior to their trip into the future. This caused the temporal wave to sweep across the present erasing everything in its path. Dr. Strange managed to use his magical powers to send Captain America, Sub-Mariner, the Human Torch, Toro, Bucky, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, the Wasp , Spider-Woman , Luke Cage , Spider-Man, and Wolverine back in time to the year 1943 to restore the proper order of history. [202] Arriving in New York circa 1943, Cap and the others soon found that the Red Skull had somehow gained control of the Cosmic Cube and used it to take over the world. With the heroes from the future disguised as heroes from the 1940s, they fled Nazi occupied New York in an Atlantean submarine, they travelled to Europe where they found that the Red Skull had used the Cube to create a defence perimeter around the country dubbed the "Aryian Wall". [203] They all travel to Wakanda where they met with the Black Panther, Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos. Using a Wakandan drill device, they tunnelled into Nazi Germany to find their allies Union Jack and Spitfire to find that they had just been slain by the Red Skull's newly created Dogs of War . [204]
Unable to stop the Dogs of War from warning the Red Skull of the heroes arrival, Captain America led them into battle against a gathering of Nazi agents including U-Man, Baron Blood, Master Man, Warrior Woman, Iron Cross, and Thor. [205] When the heroes gained the upper-hand, the Red Skull struck most of the them dead. When he attempts to slay Captain America with the Cosmic Cube failed, the Skull found that its growing sentience was preventing him from doing so. After slaying the Wasp and Bucky for attempting to wrest the Cube from his control, the Red Skull fought over the device with Captain America. The struggle ended with the Cube being knocked into the hands of Paul Anselm who used it to resurrect all the heroes that the Red Skull had slain and restore history to its proper order. All present from the 1940s were left with no memories of the entire battle including Captain America. [206] President Roosevelt told Captain America, Bucky and Nick Fury that Santa Claus was captured by Hitler in order to destroy the morale of the United States of America. They eventually located Hitler, who was holding a Mauser to Santa's head. [207]
1944
With history restored to normal, Captain America and Bucky resumed their solo adventures. While in Europe, they saved an America liaison from the clutches of torture expert Dr. Agony , stopped the Japanese agents called the Seven Sons of Satan in India, and the Red Skull's attempt to use a device that utilized the northern lights to wipe out allied machines. [208] Reuniting with the Invaders, Captain America clashed with a Nazi robot that was unleashed upon Bunbrook Bomber Station in England. When the heroes were knocked out they were secretly saved by Walter Destine who was stationed at the base. [209] Next, Captain America and Bucky foiled Japanese agents from exploiting land owned by Death Valley Pete, destroyed a secret paradise hidden in the Northern ice where a Japanese scientist was creating an army of Cellmen to invade America, and clashed with the insane Dr. Emil Natas who claimed to have clashed with the two heroes in past lives, via reincarnation. Natas was slain in the encounter, and his claims that he, Captain America and Bucky have been reincarnated in multiple lives are likely fabrications. [210] Travelling to Massachusetts, Captain America and Bucky stopped the Ghost Harpooner from murdering the crew of the Moby Dick, defended the Crawford Bomber plant from Japanese agents the Death Riders , and stopped Nazi agent Carl von Brummel from bombing American ships departing from New York. [211] When Nazi agents kidnapped French national and radio personality Jules Durrain, Captain America and Bucky rescued him so he could continue to inspire the French people to revolt against their Nazi oppressors. [212]
Cap was next sent with the Invaders to investigate Nazi activities in Wakanda, [213] clashing with the Black Panther. [214] Later, Captain America was deployed to Nazi occupied France to assist Allied Forces there. [215] After, Captain America and Bucky were called back to Castle Frankenstein by Anna Frankenstein who was attempting to lead them into a trap with her Nazi benefactor so that they could slay the heroes with their own monster . Cap and Bucky survived the encounter, however Anna, her lover and their monster did not fare so well. [216] Returning to the United States, Cap read about the Young Allies victory over the Mad Mechanic in the Swiss Alps. [217] Cap and Bucky then defended General Haywood and guests from the Jester of Death , prevented an ambitious lighthouse keepers assistant from selling a powerful meteor fragment to the Axis powers. Later they rescued a secret civilization on a floating island from Nazi subjugation. [218]
In April 1944, Captain America and Bucky were sent to Nazi Germany to assist Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos on a secret mission. Infiltrating the Red Skull's castle, they rescued Howard and Maria Stark from the Skull, who was trying to force Howard to build atomic weapons for the Nazis. [219] Travelling with Bucky to Vichy, France, Cap rescued the people there from the Nazis and their murderous Gargoyles . Back home, Cap and Bucky stopped death row inmate Tiger Duncan from escaping prison, and later stopped his still living brain when it took possession of the prison doctor and forced him to murder the men responsible for his execution. In New York, Cap and Bucky helped uncover the so-called Schoolmaster's murder class hidden in a secret room of the Greystone building. [220] With the Invaders, Captain America assisted in capturing the German battleship called the Deutchland, turning it over to the British authorities. Cap then returned to the United States and exposed a Nazi Bundt in Baltimore. Stopping them from burning their notes, he also learned that some of their members were secretly part of Baron Strucker's fledgling Hydra organization. Cap, Namor and the Torch were then tapped by the FBI and the Whizzer to help stop Strucker from building an atom bomb ahead of the Manhattan Project. [221] When thugs hired by Hydra attacked a Texas munitions plant to steal weapons casing, they soon found it was a ruse to throw them off Hydra's trail. Realizing that they will next try to steal the shipment of plutonium headed to the Manhattan Project, Captain America had the Whizzer pose as the soldier transporting the "plutonium" (really just a harmless radium sample). Sure enough, Hyrda managed to capture the Whizzer and whisk him away to their secret base aboard the commandeered Dragon of Death. [222] When the Whizzer broke free, he signalled the Invaders with the location of the Dragon of Death and they smashed into the vessel causing structural damage. While Cap went after Baron Strucker, Strucker set the vessel to sink. Cap reached Strucker's office to find that the Nazi had left leaving a mocking message that he would change the future. Cap was rescued from drowning by the Sub-Mariner who dragged Cap to safety before the Dragon of Death exploded. [223] As the spring continued, Captain America returned to England during a lull in the fighting and checked up on Bobbie Shaw, learning that he had taken to bragging to make himself look braver than he was to his fellow soldiers. [35]
In June of 1944, Captain America and Bucky infiltrated a Nazi base along the beaches of Normandy and took out their automatic cannons before the beginning of the D-Day invasion. [12] He then joined Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos on one of the first waves of attacks [224] and later led his own ship of troops to attack. [183] He later fought through the region with the Invaders, [225] and Bucky [226] scoring many major victories for the allies. [160] Following those battles, Captain America and the Invaders celebrated their victories with the Crazy Sue's. [227]
Cap then returned to England where in his civilian guise he joined Sgt. Duffy's unit on an attack on Nazi occupied France. During the battle there, he discovered communications stating that Bucky was captured by Nazis in Britain who took him to Greymore Castle. Changing into Captain America and stealing a Nazi plane, Cap flew back to England. [228] Arriving at Greymore Castle, Cap fought Nazi forces until Major Uberhart held Celia Rawlings hostage forcing Cap to stand down and was gassed. [229] With the assistance of Cecilia's brother Cedric , Uberhart had constructed a V2 rocket in the castle and intended to launch it at 10 Downing Street with Captain America inside. Cap however revived and fought off the Nazis attempting to place him in the ship. After Cecilia sacrificed her life trying to stop Uberhart, Cap and Bucky defeated him and with the help of a repentant Cedric launched the V2 at Nazi forces in France. Cap and Bucky fled Greymore Castle just moments before it exploded. [230]
Returning to France, Captain America continued to fight against Nazi forces with Bucky and Peggy Carter, [9] and saved a troop of American soldiers from Nazis. [231] While fighting Nazis with Bucky, Captain America was briefly separated by his partner. Bucky was unaware of this as he was joined by Cap's time displaced future self who had lost his present day memories due to exposure to Gamma rays. The modern day Cap was reunited with Bucky just moments after the Hulk and She-Hulk pulled the future Cap out of that time period, leaving Bucky to wonder who he was fighting with. [232] Briefly returning to the United States, Cap and Bucky fought the evil Dr. Botan and his plant/human hybrids. [233] Back in France, Captain America and Union Jack were sent to the French town of Chanson to assist the 82nd Airborne Division in securing the area. Pinned in by Nazi forces, the two heroes drew inspiration from the locals who returned to their home feeling safe that the two national heroes had come to deliver them from the Nazis. Cap and Union Jack found the hope to fight off the Nazis and have the perimeter cleared before Allied Forces could relieve them. [160]
In July, Captain America led another beach side attack on Nazi forces, this time along with Bobby Shaw. When Bobby admitted he could not swim, Cap pulled Bobby to shore but was forced to leave him behind when he had to lead the other troops into battle. Shaw finally showed some bravery when Cap got him to help lead some troops into an access tunnel of a Nazi dugout. While Cap fought off Nazi forces they learned the place had been rigged to explode and prepared to escape. During the battle Bobby took the brunt of a grenade blast and was mortally wounded. With time running out, Bobby convinced Cap that there was no helping him prompting Cap to flee, never looking back as the explosion killed Bobby. Cap did not think about Bobby again until many decades later. [35] On the 14th, Captain America was called back to Wendower Air Field in Utah along with Crazy Sue member Taxi Taylor and his android T-Mech for new instructions on the Sue's battle in Nazi occupied France. Captain America suspected that something more was going on and was informed by Colonel Ledford that the Crazy Sue's were being primed for a larger plan called Project: Alberta. Cap accepted new mission directives to observe, and report on Captain Flame, and push him to his limits. [234] The full extend of Project: Alberta, and the plans for the Crazy Sue's has not been recorded. [note 1] [Info Gap 3]
Cap and Bucky were ordered by General MacArthur to learn what they could about a planned Japanese attack on US soil. Smuggling into Tokyo, they discovered General Yokima's tunnel that would bring an invasion force to the US and destroyed it. Stateside, Cap and Bucky failed to stop the murder of millionaire J.T. Flemming but caught his killer, and in Europe saved General Haywood and Sgt. Duffy from the Baron of Horror Castle . [235] Captain America was next put on a mission to Prussia with John Steele by Nick Fury to investigate strange reports coming out of the area. There they learned that the Nazis were working together with the Shadow Council transforming locals into horrifying human/animal hybrids. [236] Splitting up to learn more, Cap was attacked by a giant worm creature but the Prince of Orphans came to Cap's aid. Their fight took them outside the fortress. When they finally slew the beast and came back they found that the castle had been destroyed and there was no trace of John to be found anywhere. Cap did not learn what happened to John Steele until many decades later. [237] Later, Captain America led American troops in attacking one of the Red Skull's strong holds where he was attempting an occult ritual, clashing with Master Man. [238]
While fighting Japanese forces in the pacific with the Invaders, Captain America got in the way of the Red Skull and Warrior Woman's attempt to capture the Sub-Mariner in order to learn the location of Atlantis. Taking Cap prisoner instead, the Red Skull tortured Cap in an attempt to get the secret out of him. Cap refused to talk and was locked in a cell. With the aid of Russian spy Karinna Rose , Captain America broke out of his cell and clashed with the Skull and Warrior Woman and was ultimately saved by the Invaders who sent the Skull and his minions fleeing. [239] During a lull in the fighting, Cap met with Peggy Carter in France, who promised to wait for him no matter what. [240] Cap then continued to fight alongside Peggy Carter and the Free French resistance. [9] During the final battles that led to the liberation of France, Captain America fought side-by-side with Peggy seemingly for the last time. Cap asked Peggy to quit the fight as it was "no place for a woman" but Peggy refused to shirk her duty. When Peggy was captured and faced a firing squad, Captain America came to her aid fighting through Nazi forces and taking down their primary base. Hailed as a hero, Captain America was carried away, his protests to find Peggy ignored as he was being carried away. Peggy, stricken with amnesia wandered away unaware that Cap was searching for her. The entire battle was recorded, an was remarked as one of the most iconic scenes of the war captured on film, comparable to the flag raising at Iwo Jima. [241]
In August of that year Captain America and the Invaders continued to assist the Allied Forces, taking part in Operation Dragoon to liberate France from Nazi occupation. The battle took him to Buchenwald where Cap saw the remains of the 600 men and women of the Maquis freedom movement who were slaughtered for resisting the Nazi oppression. [242] Cap continued to fight Nazis in France, [243] also assisting the Crazy Sue's in battling Nazi forces [227] leading to eventual victory. During the victory parade, Captain America was celebrated as a hero, unaware that his old foe the Red Skull watched him in secret and began plotting anew. [244] Although France was liberated, there were still Nazi elements still active in the region. When Nick Fury learned that Baron Zemo was meeting with an early incarnation of Hydra, he gathered Captain America, Peggy Carter and another super-soldier known as Codename: Bravo on a mission to infiltrate the Hydra base. To this end, they enlisted the aid of a young boy named Jimmy Jupiter who could access an other dimensional realm called Nowhere , allowing Codename: Bravo and Allied troops to sneak into the Hydra base through the Hydra agent's dreams. [245] However while Cap and Peggy were dealing with enemy forces, a spy bludgeoned Jimmy over the head with a typewriter, landing him in a coma and trapping Codename: Bravo, his troops, and the Hydra agents in Nowhere. [246]
Cap also briefly joined the Crazy Sue's in travelling the European countryside battling Nazi forces in Belgium. They were rescued from deep enemy fire once more by Captain Flame, [227] Cap's subsequent travels with the Crazy Sue's during this period is mostly unrecorded. [note 2] During further conflict in the region, Cap was pushed out of the way of German bombs by Bucky. [183] Cap's assistance in the liberation of France inspired many, including a man that insured that successive generations of his family all participated in the military. [247] Later, Captain America and Bucky were returned home to make a guest appearance at a North American Aviation defence factory. There he met with female factory workers who were devoted to their job, not out of any sense of patriotism, but to insure their husbands returned from war faster. [248]
While in the Untied States, Captain America and Bucky exposed the so-called Shadow Monster as a Nazi spy. They were then shipped off to the South Pacific where they stopped Baron Histo and his Kamikaze piloted missiles, and in the Pacific destroyed Doctor Tokotio's submarine the Sea Dragon, before it could sink a convoy of troop ships headed for the Pacific Theater. [249] Returning to the United States, Captain America and Bucky began investigating the strange disappearance of Paul Malone who went missing while on a South American exploration and learned that his uncle had become obsessed with the local tribes people and sought to eliminate all whites in favour of this tribe. [250] Later, Captain America and Bucky foiled a sabotage plot by the Japanese spy known as Monstro . [251] In September of '44, Captain America and Bucky led American troops through Arnheim, in the Netherlands to try and capture the Red Skull. There they had to fight through Allied troops who were turned into mindless zombies loaded with explosives by the Skull. [30] Clashing with the Skull, Captain America protected Bucky and his troops from a grenade tossed by the Red Skull, allowing the Skull to escape. [252] Later that fall, while acting in his civilian guise, Steve was injured in battle providing cover for his retreating troop while fighting in Vernville. He was taken prisoner and taken to Dritten Castle in West Germany. He was treated by a nurse named Emilia Becker, a German who returned to her homeland from the United States to care for her ill father. A prisoner of war, Steve rallied with other captured Allied soldiers and staged a jail break. Caught in the act of escape, Steve promised Emilia that he would come back for her before fleeing into the night. Many days later they were rescued by Allied Forces. Sometime after that, Steve returned to Dritten as Captain America finding the town a bombed out husk following Allied air strikes. He found no trace of Emilia and her family, learning a very harsh lesson: Never make any promises during a war. [253]
Later that year, Captain America was sent on a secret mission with in Nazi occupied Poland. He was to assist Dr. Ernst Fleisher in defecting from the Nazis and destroy anti-gravity vehicles that Fleisher created with the assistance of Polish rebel fighter Lior Eschel . Cap did not believe the story about the anti-gravity devices until his plane was destroyed by just such a ship. Bailing out in time, Cap managed to find Lior and saw that the area was under the command of a enhanced Nazi soldier named Der Metzger (The Butcher). It turned out that Lior had sold Cap out to the Nazis, and he was captured at the cost of Lior's life. After being examined, Cap was tossed in a cell where he met with Fleisher. Breaking himself and Fleisher out of their cells, Cap proceeded to destroy the hover crafts. Fleisher was killed in the crossfire and Cap beat Der Metzger within an inch of his life. Cap then helped the Polish slaves escape before the base exploded destroying all the technology and killing Der Metzger. [254] Returning to India, Captain America and Bucky had to rescue of Sgt. Duffy who went after the Prophet of Hate in order to be a hero in the eyes of his girlfriend back home. The Prophet of Hate claimed to be a resurrected religious leader who tried to unite the people of India against Allied Forces. However, Cap and Bucky exposed him as a Japanese spy and rescued Duffy. Returning to the United States, Cap and Bucky investigated a series of strange ship sinkings supposedly by giant octopus creatures. With the aid of Betty Dean, Cap and Bucky exposed the entire incident as an elaborate hoax perpetuated by the owners of the East Shipping Company in order to cash in on the insurance. Also during this time, Captain America and Bucky prevent the terrorist-for-hire known as Black Hand from destroying the plans for the P-31 Bomber. [255]
In October of that year, Captain America and Bucky came across some intel that the Red Skull was in the process of obtaining an occult artefact. Travelling into Nazi Germany, they found that Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos were attempting to prevent the Skull from using the object as well. They attempted to stop the Skull from obtaining the stolen Eye of Agamotto but the villain inadvertently transported himself and his minions into the demonic Dark Dimension . With the help of the Ancient One , the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth and the Eye's owner; Cap, Bucky and the Howlers were sent into the Dark Dimension to retrieve the Eye. In the Dark Dimension, the Skull had made a pact with it's ruler the powerful demon Dormammu to have the opportunity to destroy his enemies in exchange for the Eye and some power when Dormammu eventually took over the Earth. However, the heroes bested the Skull and the Nazi was banished from the Dark Dimension. They then bargained with Dormammu to let them return to their own dimension lest any battle incidentally unleash the nearby Mindless Ones against Dormammu's people. [256] Later, Cap rejoined the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch and invaded a Nazi concentration camp in Europe where, unknown to them, Jews were being experimented on by the mutant geneticist Mr. Sinister . Sinister unleashed his creation N2 (created from Namor's DNA) and while the creature defeated Namor and the Torch, Captain America was able to slay it. While the heroes freed the survivors, Sinister escaped undetected. [257]
As winter began that year, Captain America and Bucky joined the Howling Commandos in an operation that took them into Nazi Germany to try and recover an all Africa-American squad that had been captured and were being used by the Red Skull in his biological experiments. The mission was a failure, and all the captured soldiers were presumed to be killed in action. [258] Returning to the US, Captain America and Bucky clashed with the thieves known as the Skeletons of the Glowing Death , defended an bomber factory from Nazi Major von Kaulus and his Swamp Creature , and put an end to the career of the so-called Cat Woman . [259] Later, Captain America and Bucky apprehend Lupo and his three killer apes, [260] and shut down Japanese saboteur Yellow Claw and his Mole Men . [261] Joining Allied Forces in Bastogne, Belgium, Captain America and Bucky came across the lone survivor of a troop of soldiers that were slaughtered by the Fenris Wolf of Asgardian myth. When the creature attacked Cap and Bucky, they put up a good fight but it was not until the timely arrival of the thunder god Thor that the creature stopped and returned it to Asgard. [262] Back in the States, Captain America and Bucky went after "Terrible Tom" Garett . However they soon found that Garett had allied himself with a mystic named Terdu who cast a spell to bring Captain Kidd, Jack the Ripper , as well as Jesse and Frank James to the present help with his crimes. Clashing with these time displaced criminals, Cap and Bucky forced them back to their own time, leading to Terdu's death and Garett's surrender. [263] [Info Gap 4]
On December 6, 1944 Cap and Bucky rejoined the Crazy Sue's battling Nazi forces in Saarlaurtern, Germany. During the clash the Victory Boys were killed in combat, and the group once more relied on Captain Flame to save them from trouble. [264] Any further operations with the Crazy Sue's and Cap's involvement with this group remain unrecorded. [note 3] Cap then reunited with the Howling Commandos to participate in the Battle of the Bulge. They fought off a squad of Nazis, rescuing the life of Private Stan Klein who was one of the sole survivors of his unit, and was holding off Nazi forces while keeping an injured soldier alive. Cap was able to return to Stan a picture of his girlfriend back home that was lost in the battle field. Captain America then expressed to Stan that his bravery was an inspiration. [265] On Christmas Eve of 1944, the Invaders returned to England to celebrate the holidays during a lull in the fighting. Bucky and Toro decided to go to a Christmas dance, and invited Cap to join them. Cap initially refused, having committed to learning new codes and plans. However, Bucky's words that the "war can wait until tomorrow" convinced Cap to be Steve Rogers for the night and have some fun and go to the dance. [266]
1945
Briefly returning to the United States in the New Year, Captain America and Bucky exposed Laird Carson of killing his niece in a complex inheritance plot on January 2nd. [267] Captain America and Bucky then rejoined the Invaders in battling Nazi forces in the Netherlands. [268] Searching for Nazi scientist Arnim Zola they tracked him down to a small Nazi village and clashed with Nazi operatives Iron Cross, U-Man, Master Man, and Warrior Woman. They soon learned that Zola had infected the villagers with a virus that caused them to mutate into highly contagious creatures driven by rage. Those attacked would then become infected with the virus. Worse, Zola had developed a missile that would carry the virus to enemy targets threatening to infect all of Europe. The Invaders fought off the Nazi super agents and seemingly slew Zola and destroyed his weapon. However, when they attempted to force a surviving Nazi scientist to administer a cure, he informed the heroes that Zola purposely did not create one. With no other choice, the Invaders then wiped out those infected in order to prevent the contagion from spreading across Europe. [269] Unknown to the Invaders at the time, one of the partially infected villagers managed to escape and plotted revenge against the Invaders, a plan that would not see fruition until many decades later. Zola did not perish either, transferring his mind to a new body, and would continue to clash with Captain America many times in later years. [270]
Back in the United States, Captain America and Bucky exposed yet another inheritance scheme, this one by the widow of Silas Matison who attempted to kill off her other surviving family members and stall in order to collect her husbands entire fortune. Cap was later famed for crimes committed by Butch Cantwell who wore a bullet proof Captain America costume. Cap managed to convince the authorities to stand down long enough to capture his impostor and clear his name. Cap and Bucky later took down the Snake Skulls , a group that used Puff Adder venom to kill wealthy men and claim their fortunes. [271] In early February, Captain America and Bucky went to Bastogn, Belgium to investigate reports of Vampirism that that was plaguing the villagers and American troops alike. Fearing that Baron Blood may have returned from the dead, Cap and Bucky clash with American actress Mary Arnett who was in the area for a USO show, who seemed to be the vampire active in the area. After slaying Arnett, Cap and Bucky learn that the vampire was really a little girl who was transformed into a vampire by a Nazi operative before they were pushed out of the region. Cap and Bucky were forced to slay the creature in order to protect the people of the area. [272]
In March of that year, on the eve of Bucky's 20th birthday, Captain America interrogated a Nazi operative in England to learn what Baron Zemo's activities in Europe were. After gaining the information needed, he took Bucky out to a nearby bar to celebrate his sidekick's birthday. [156] Later, while on a solo mission Captain America rescued a number of captured WAAC's, including Adriana Soria , the future Spider-Queen. [273] Back in the United States, Captain America and Bucky clashed with the crime lord known as Crimorto and smashed his national crime wave. Later, in New York, when a Nazi bomb claimed the lives of a number of American troops, Steve and Bucky went to identify the bodies to see if the missing Sgt. Duffy was among their numbers. They discover a plot by Nazi spy Professor Todt to use dead bodies as bombs to blow up American ships as they leave port and dismantled it as Captain America and Bucky. They also found Duffy alive and well. [274] Deployed to China, Steve and Bucky were put on guard duty along the Great Wall of China. There, with the aid of Lao-Chung , Cap and Bucky fight back a Japanese invasion force. After the learn that Lao-Chung was a defender of the Great Wall centuries ago from the Mongols, and the man that helped them that day was a ghost. [275] Returning to the United States, Captain America and Bucky travelled to Seattle and solved the "Totem Pole Murders" perpetuated by an insane Native American tribe. [276]
Learning that Arnim Zola had somehow survived, Captain America and Bucky returned to Europe to look for him. While clashing with Nazi forces they encountered the time displaced Deadpool and Hydra Bob who were attempting to get back to their own time. While Deadpool convinced Cap that he was a Canadian super-soldier, Bucky was not so convinced. However, time-blips protected Deadpool and Bob from altering history, and altered with Cap and Bucky's memories, confusing them and preventing them from being deviated from their mission. Finding Zola's secret hideout the quartet battle one of Zola's creation while Zola fled. Defeating the creature, a time-blip restored its memories before Zola experimented on it. Before Deadpool could put the man-monster out of its misery, Bucky shot Wilson in the head. Moments later Deadpool and Bob were pulled forward in time leaving Captain America and Bucky to wonder who they really were. [277] Back in France in his civilian guise, Steve Rogers crossed paths with Peggy Carter (who was also in disguise). They passed as strangers, neither one recognizing the other. [278]
On March 25, 1945 Captain America and a group of 23 soldiers were air dropped over Rhein, Germany in order to capture a strategically vital dam and keep it covered until reinforcements arrived. The attack did not go as planned and some of the American troops were killed before the area was secured. One lone Nazi soldier was captured, and despite some of the troops desire to kill the Nazi, Captain America ordered them to follow the Code of War outlined in the Geneva Convention and keep him as a prisoner of war. Clashing with Nazi forces, Captain America stood down on a flag of truce to communicate with the Nazi Lieutenant in command. When Captain America attempted to negotiate a prisoner exchange, the Nazi lieutenant was not interested and a battle erupted that saw some of the American troops injured. Returning back to where their prisoner was kept, Cap convinced the Nazi to provide medical attention, earning the Nazi the grudging respect of Cap's unit. When a commanding officer who followed the rules of war arrived to take the prisoner, a fair exchange was made. However, the lieutenant ordered his men to gun down his commanding officer and the freed prisoner leading to an intense battle. Eventually reinforcements arrived and the area was won to the Allies. [279] Back in the United States with Bucky, Captain America exposed the Satyre's plot to drive people out of the town of Hamilton in order to claim the oil hidden there, and later stopped the robberies of the super strong Dr. Colosso . [267]
Returning to Europe, Bucky confides in Cap that he is afraid of heights ever since his father died in a parachute accident. Cap told Bucky there is no shame in that and the pair drop into Nazi territory to free a Nazi defector. They are initially captured, but they managed to break out with the prisoner they sought to free. [33] Working with the Howling Commandos again, Cap and the Howlers are surrounded by Nazi agents. Pretending that he doesn't understand German, [note 4] he and the Howlers fought back and decimated their attackers. [280] Going solo again, Captain America and a unit of soldiers were pinned by Nazi forces. With no air strikes to help the out, Cap borrowed a motorcycle owned by courier Ray Coulson and used it to storm the Nazi dug-in. [281] By the Spring of 1945, Cap saw more Nazi atrocities when he led a battalion on a mission to liberate the Jewish prisoners of the Diebenwald concentration camp. When the commanding officer in charge of the camp tried to hold young Anna Kapplebaum hostage, Captain America saved her life. [282] On April 12, 1945, Captain America learned about the death of President Roosevelt. He told Bucky that they must fighting the war and only mourn the Presidents loss after the fighting is over. [283] They then went to investigate reports of Zemo attempting to steal a new prototype drone plane. Later when Bucky was injured in battle and was recuperating in hospital, they talked about their futures. While Bucky had dreams of living the American Dream, Cap decided that he will continue fighting as Captain America so long as he is allowed to do so. [33] Back in action, Captain America was put under the command of a literal army of super-humans in Europe to plan an attack on the Kohnstein rocket factory where the Red Skull is also storing occult artefacts. When planning the operation, Cap's meeting was interrupted by the Phantom Reporter , who -- fed up of being referred to as a "tourist" by the super-powered heroes due to his lack of powers -- demanded that he come along. Seeing the Reporter's bravery Captain America agreed to let him tag along on the mission. During the attack on the rocket base, the Red Skull escaped and an explosion buried Cap in debris. Cap was then rescued by the Phantom Reporter. In the aftermath, while the Skull escaped the Allies managed to obtain the Spear of Destiny , the object that the Red Skull had stored there. [284] Later that month, as Allied Forces began bombing Berlin, Captain America was air dropped in the area along with the Spirit of '76, the Patriot, and the Russian agent known as the Red Guardian to stop the Red Skull from hiding Hitler's greatest secret. While the Spirit of 76, Patriot and Red Guardian fought Nazi soldiers, Captain America went after the Red Skull. [285] Their fight led to an underground bunker which was compromised by Allied Bombs burying the Red Skull in debris while Cap fled. [286] The Red Skull was exposed to a gas that put him in suspended animation, to be revived many decades later, [287] while the briefcase containing Hitler's secret was not found until sometime after that. [285]
Suspended Animation
Moments before the drone plane exploded [288]
In April that year, Steve and James were deployed to Leipzig, Germany, where during some downtime they began to contemplate what they would do after the war ended. Steve was resigned to do whatever his country asked of him, when they were assigned their last mission during the war. A mission that would radically change the life of Captain America forever. They were assigned to guard a secret allied drone plane. [289] When Nazi agents broke into the hanger, Cap and Bucky were present to stop them. [290] [33] However, this was a distraction that allowed Baron Zemo to enter the facility. [291] Activating his Humanoid creation to assist him, and both were attacked by Captain America and Bucky. Despite the two heroes efforts they were both bested in combat. [33] [291] Zemo then dressed the heroes in standard military uniforms. [291] The two heroes came to and found themselves captive on a secret Nazi island base on the Channel River, and were tortured by Baron Zemo. [292] Waking up sometime later, Cap managed to free himself. Unknown to him he was assisted by his future self, and the Avenger Hawkeye who found themselves briefly transported back to this time. [291] He and Bucky and then stole a motorcycle as Zemo launched the drone plane with a bomb on board on a course to bomb Allied Forces. [33] [293] [288] Bucky jumps onto the drone plane in an attempt to disarm the bomb, and Cap joined him, and tried to convince Bucky to let go. Bucky's arm got caught in the plane and it then exploded. [289] [294] [293] [33] [288] Both men fell into the English channel. [293] [295] [288] [127] while Baron Zemo escaped [296]
Zemo then broadcast news of his defeat of Captain America and Bucky, which was overheard by Colonel Vasily Karpov who recovered Bucky's mangled body, [297] while Cap was recovered by General Lyle Dekker. Cap was taken to Dekker's secret base off the coast of Newfoundland. There, Cap broke free and attempted to escape by plane but was shot down. Exposed to a special nerve gas as he crashed, Cap landed in the Atlantic and floated north [295] where his body was frozen in ice and entered a state of suspended animation. [298] While the Daily Bugle reported the supposed deaths of Captain America and Bucky, [299] the public was soon convinced that their national hero and his sidekick lived on. This was due to President Harry Truman appointing the William Nasland and Yankees Batboy Fred Davis Jr. to take up the identities of Captain America and Bucky. [298] Nasland acted as Captain America until 1946 when he was killed battling the android Adam II . Nasland was replaced by Jeff Mace, the Patriot, as the next Captain America. [300] Mace had a long run as Captain America with Davis as his sidekick until he retired in 1950. [301] In 1954, the role of Captain America was taken up by college professor William Burnside and his student Jack Monroe taking up the part of Bucky. [302] However, improper use of the Super Soldier formula in both men led to them being driven insane and placed in suspended animation. [299]
Meanwhile, Steve Roger's frozen body was discovered by a tribe of Inuit that lived near Fairbanks, Alaska. Thinking that the man frozen in ice was a god, it was brought back to its village where it was worshiped as a god for many years. [303]
Modern Age
Revived
Namor uncovers Captain America. [304]
Many years later, Captain America's old ally the Sub-Mariner was once again an enemy of humanity and was fleeing from the Avengers a group of super-heroes that had just recently formed at that time. [305] [306] Namor had fled to Alaska where he came across the Inuit tribe that was still worshiping the frozen body of Captain America. Not recognizing his old wartime ally, Namor terrorized the natives and then tossed the frozen body into the ocean. [288] [307] [306] [19] [308] As the frozen form began to float south it began to thaw out and Cap's body was recovered by the Avengers who were shocked when they removed the tattered ruins of a soldier's uniform to find the costume of Captain America underneath. When Cap revived it was screaming Bucky's name and he fought against the Avengers until he realized that his situation had drastically changed. The group exchanged information, learning what happened to Captain America in 1945, the Avengers told him that the war had long since ended and the Allies had won and that he had been frozen for decades, and offered to bring him back to the United States. [288] Initially, Captain America found this story hard to believe and the Avengers also had their doubts to the validity of the claims made by their new passenger. [289]
Pulling Captain America from the ice [308]
When the group initially arrived at shore in New York City, they asked Captain America to wait below deck of their ship while they addressed the media. However after some time down below, Cap grew impatient and went up, finding no sign of the Avengers anywhere, only an apparent statue of the heroes instead. [288] [289] Cap then began exploring this strange new future world. It was not long on this exploration that Captain America heard someone crying for help and interrupted a mugging in process. While he stopped the muggers, their frightened victim pulled a gun and shot him in a panic and left Cap bleeding in the streets. [289] Steve managed to pull himself up and get to a hospital, at which point he decided that everything he was experiencing was some kind of crazy dream. However he was impressed to see the cultural diversity among the patients there. Thanks to his remarkable healing abilities, Cap soon left the hospital where he was found by Rick Jones , the Avengers sidekick who sought Cap's help in locating the team -- although Jones had a hard time believing that Rogers was the real Captain America. [288] [note 5] However Cap managed to convince Rick that he was the genuine article by displaying his athletic prowess and shield tossing skills. Using the internet the pair managed to track down a strange photographer who was recorded using a strange device on the Avengers before they were turned into a statue. Left alone with the computer, Captain America looked up the fate of President Roosevelt, learning that he had died before the war ended, convincing him that he was experiencing reality and not a dream because he could not dream something so tragic. With the help of Rick's Teen Brigade they managed to track down the strange man to his hotel room. [288] [note 6] The man they sought soon turned out to be an alien of the D'Bari race named Vuk who was working for the Sub-Mariner to get revenge against the Avengers. [288] [309] [note 7] Captain America agreed to help Vuk free his ship in exchange for restoring the Avengers to normal. Vuk agreed and in the process of freeing his ship they were attacked by the Sub-Mariner once more. As Captain America and Namor battled each other, neither man recognized the other due to recent memory problems. Ultimately Namor fled when Vuk managed to free his ship and escape. In the aftermath of the battle, Iron Man offered Captain America a spot among the Avengers. [288] [note 8] [19]
Man Out of Time
Captain America joins the Avengers [288]
Shortly after Captain America's admission into the Avengers, he was approached by Gabriel Jones of military intelligence whom Cap fought alongside with in the war. After Jones confirmed Captain America's identity with military records, he was given military back pay as well as his belongings that were in military possession. [310] As Iron Man showed Captain America around the Bronx, he had his doubts that Cap could hack it in this era. This was compounded by the fact that public was also not ready to accept that Steve was the original Captain America either. They soon found themselves attacked by robots sent by an alien race bent on invading the Earth. [311] [note 9] Captain America proved Iron Man wrong when he not only destroyed both robots, but also stopped Iron Man himself when he was hypnotized and forced to fight his comrade. [23] Captain America later joined the Avengers in assisting the Sentry against his foe the Void . [312] [note 10] Cap was also pulled into the Avenger's hunt for their former teammate the Hulk who was on the rampage. [313] They traced the Hulk back to Avengers Mansion but were trounced by their foe. Following after the Hulk, Cap and the Avengers briefly clashed with another group of heroes the Fantastic Four . However, the two groups put aside their differences and pooled their resources to stop the Hulk, but the gamma spawned brute managed to escape capture. [314]
Despite his identity being confirmed by the military the Avengers still had their doubts about the true identity of Captain America and both Iron Man and Giant-Man conducted a series of tests to confirm his identity. [315] [316] Cap, not sure he fit in this era, had also learned that the Fantastic Four's Mister Fantastic had also been experimenting with time travel. After expressing an interest to return to his own era and saving Bucky's life, Iron Man refused to let Cap go back in time due to the risk of knowing too much about the future. Instead, Iron Man -- in his identity of millionaire Tony Stark -- took Steve out for the evening to show him all the benefits of the modern age as well as proud moments in American history. After seeing a display of Captain America successors, Steve decided that he could quit his job with a clear conscious and went to see the President of the United States to resign. However the President merely reiterated what has been told to Cap before: sending him back into the past was just too dangerous. However this time, it was an order from the Commander-in-Chief of the United States, someone that Rogers would obey without question. [315] [note 11]
Captain America next went to Arlington Cemetery where he noticed that Bucky did not have his own tombstone and mourned for the loss of his former partner. He was visited by Thor who told him that mourning Bucky's death does his memory a great disservice. Still convinced that Bucky was possibly still alive he began trying to get access to government records only to find none existed. [317] Returning to Avengers Mansion, Captain America reconnected and started became acquainted with Rick Jones, [316] and soon began focusing his time on training Rick Jones how to fight. [318] [319] He also tried to piece his life back together but found it difficult re-establishing himself due to his credentials being years out of date. However after stopping muggers in Brooklyn he found that there were some people who not only supported him, but believed he was needed now more than ever. [320] Soon the Avengers were called in to investigate a rock formation growing out of the ground in Nevada and Cap joined them in their investigation. [318] This led to a battle with the subterranean creatures known as the Lava Men . [318] [316] [317] The invasion of the Lava Men was eventually turned back thanks to some unforseen help from the Hulk who escaped capture once again. [318] [262] Following this mission, Captain America still struggled to try and recover his lost memories. However he had a tombstone for Bucky placed in Arlington and paid his respects before the same thing at the Vietnam War Memorial. [321]
Letting Go of the Past
Tony Stark briefly added technological enhancements in Captain America's shield [95]
About this time Captain America allowed Tony Stark to add technological upgrades to his shield, including a magnetic clasp. It was also during this period that Cap's old wartime foe Baron Zemo -- having survived the years hiding out in South America -- learned of his return. Seeking revenge against his old foe, Zemo formed the Masters of Evil a group of super-villains consisting of the Black Knight , Radioactive Man , and the Melter . The group terrorized New York City incapacitating all those they passed with Zemo's Adhesive X. However Captain America and the Avengers, with assistance form the Teen Brigade battled the Masters. [95] [322] [317] Facing Zemo for the first time in years caused memories of Bucky's death to come flooding back to Cap and he attacked mercilessly, but Zemo managed to evade capture. [321] [95] The incident with Zemo left left fresh wounds leaving Steve with a thirst for vengeance against his old foe. [323] With is memories slowly returning Cap attempted to find other links to his past. His first attempts to locate Peggy Carter came to a dead end. He did however reconnect with General Jacob Simon. Cap and Simon spent time together and the elderly veteran educated Steve on the darker side of history that Stark glossed over. When Jacob later died, he left Cap a signed portrait which Captain America gave him during the war. Shortly after this Cap was given an Avengers communicard and was instructed on its operation. [317] Cap later joined the Avengers in apprehending novice super-villain the Weather-Maker . [324]
Captain America Jr. [325]
Captain America and the Avengers were later pulled forward in time a few years in the future by the dimensional hopping hero known as Access . They were pulled forward along with members of the Justice League of America heroes from a distant cosmos to stop an alliance between Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and Darkseid and his Apokoliptians beings from that other dimension. However upon their arrival, Cap and the Avengers were coerced by the hypnotic Amazing Grace to battle the Justice League. [326] However thanks to the intervention from the modern era Kal-El (New Earth)|Superman the heroes shook off this influence and worked together to stop the invasion of New York with the aid of the Teen Titans and the original X-Men . [327] In the final battle, Access used his powers to merge two heroes from each universe into a new gestalt. Captain America was merged with Captain Marvel Jr. to become Captain America Jr. . These amalgamated heroes defeated Magneto and Darkseid and their forces. With the crisis over the heroes were restored to normal and returned to their own times where their memories of the experience faded away. [325] After an Avengers meeting, [328] Captain America came to the aid of the novice hero Spider-Man , helping him stop the Hulk who was once again rampaging through New York City. [329] He also took time to get to know his other teammates, paying a visit to the home of Giant-Man and his partner the Wasp . [330]
This reprieve soon came to a quick end when Baron Zemo returned with a new Masters of Evil consisting of the Asgardian exiles the Enchantress and the Executioner . Rick was also attempting to be Captain America's sidekick, even going so far as getting a Bucky costume, a move that deeply upset Captain America. Cap then decided to face up against Zemo again, tracking him down to South America. Cap followed Zemo all the way back to New York where the other Avengers defeated the Enchantress and Execution but their foes managed to escape once again. [331] After further training with the Avengers, [332] Cap engaged in a brief search for Spider-Man when the hero was temporarily in hiding. [333] Shortly thereafter two of Spider-Man's foes, Kraven the Hunter and the Chameleon attempted to break into the Stark Industries facility only for Kraven to be captured by Iron Man. In order to avenge this defeat the Chameleon disguised himself as Captain America, and convinced Iron Man that he had infiltrated the Avengers. this led to a battle across the city between the real Captain America and Iron Man. Ultimately, the Chameleon was captured and exposed by Giant-Man and the Wasp and the two heroes ended hostilities toward each other. [334] [335]
Captain America on V-Day circa 1945 [317]
Not long after this the 30th century time traveler known as Kang the Conqueror arrived in the modern age and ordered the surrender of the world. The United States government responded by deploying the Avengers, with Captain America accompanying. [336] [323] [317] During the initial attack by the Avengers, Kang was able to overpower the heroes with his advanced weaponry and then attempted to take them prisoner. [336] [323] Captain America however fought free and tried to attack Kang one-on-one. Sensing that Captain America was displaced from time Kang decided to banish him back to the year 1945 on V-Day, unknowingly granting Steve what he sought after all along: a way to return home. [317] As Steve began trying to acclimatize himself to the 1940s he soon found that he could not fit into his old way of life and came to realize that he was letting the Avengers down by staying behind. Using his Avengers Identicard, Cap programmed a warning alarm for the moment after he was sent back in time and then hid it and a note to Rick Jones in the framed Captain America photo of General Jacob Simon. This went off at that moment in the future and Rick found the note, and got into contact with the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards who used his Time-Platform to bring Cap back to the present. [337] By this time, Rick and the Teen Brigade had pretended to side with Kang to gain access to his ship and they began freeing the Avengers. [336] [323] He was joined by Captain America, [337] and the reunited Avengers attacked Kang once again, easily disarming him and forcing him to return to his own era. [336] [323] [337] In the aftermath of the battle, Iron Man made Captain America the filed leader of the Avengers, and Cap soon learned to let go of his desire to return to the past. [337] However this acceptance soon turned to other darker desires, as after a parade thrown in the Avengers honor, Captain America became determined to avenge the death of Bucky by taking down Baron Zemo, even contemplating killing his long time foe in order to do so. [323]
Seeking Vengeance
Captain America in action [338]
After reacting to the latest news about Spider-Man, [339] Captain America was left alone on monitoring duty at Avengers Mansion. The Mansion was later attacked by a mobster named Bull and his men who thought they could steal the Avengers secrets, seeing Captain America as the weakest link in their group. They were unprepared for Cap's superior fighting skills and acrobatics and were easily trounced and turned over to the police. [340] Shortly thereafter Baron Zemo and his Masters of Evil struck at the Avengers again. This time ionically empowering financially ruined industrialist Simon Williams into the super-human known as Wonder Man. Wonder Man was then sent to infiltrate the Avengers and have them seek a cure for the ionic powers that were actually killing him. Wonder Man later led Cap and the Avengers into a ambush by the Masters of Evil. But during the course of the battle Wonder Man realized where his true allegiances were and appeared to sacrifice his life to save the Avengers, although Zemo and his cohorts escaped once again. [341] [note 12] When the Mole Man threatened to destroy New York City, Cap and the Avengers tried to go into battle against him but were convinced to step aside by the Fantastic Four who defeated their oldest foe. [342] When the villain known as Sundown was threatening New York City, Captain America joined the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Daredevil , Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange in forcing Sundown to stand down and turn himself over to the authorities. [343] Later, Cap allowed Rick Jones to go to the aid of his old friend the Hulk who was captured by the military after being framed by the Chameleon. [344]
When Rick returned he continued to press the Avengers for full membership and Cap to be his sidekick. Still grieving over the loss of Bucky, Cap refused to do so. This was all witnessed by another time traveler calling himself Immortus who sought to lure the Avengers into a trap. Teaming up with the Masters of Evil, Immortus lured Rick into a trap with the promise of super-powers. Instead, Immortus used Rick as a hostage to lure Captain America, banishing the boy to the Tower of London circa 17th Century. When Captain America followed after Rick, he found himself displaced to that era as well. [345] [note 13] Captain America found Rick and helped free him and then forced Immortus to return the pair to their own era. [338] By this point the rest of the Avengers had caught up with Cap and were engaged in a battle against the Masters of Evil. When the battle was turning into a loss the Enchantress cast a spell turning back time in order to prevent their alliance with Immortus, erasing everyone's memories of events. [345] [346] [338] The Avengers next traveled to Europe to stop the being known as Lucifer from setting off a massive bomb. Unknown to then the X-Men's leader Charles Xavier was already attempting to stop Lucifer. Detecting that the bomb was linked to Lucifer's heart, Xavier had his X-Men hold the Avengers at bay until the circumstances could be explained. Cap and the Avengers then conceded to the X-Men, allowing the young mutants to deal with the crisis in their own way. [347] Later when Captain America was putting on a self-defense demonstration, Baron Zemo had the fighters replaced with his Army of Assassins to try and capture his foe. Cap soon realized the danger and easily trounced the army of foes, vowing to take down Zemo once and for all. [348]
Captain America and the Avengers next continued their hunt for the Hulk, hoping to convince him to rejoin the Avengers. Zemo and his Masters got to the Hulk first, convincing the brute to join them in attacking the Avengers. The battle ended abruptly when the Hulk turned on the Masters after Rick's life was put at risk and Zemo and his minions once again fled and the Hulk evaded capture as well. [349] Cap and the Avengers were then targeted by Kang the Conqueror once again. Kang constructed a robot duplicate of Spider-Man who lured the heroes into a trap within an Aztec temple in Mexico. However the group was saved by the real Spider-Man who learned of his impostor and defeated him in battle. [350] Wanting to thank Spider-Man for his help upon returning to New York, Captain America assisted the wall-crawler in stopping the Sandman from robbing a bank. The pair soon had to fight together to save the Sandman's life when he was targeted by the Enclave of Rogue Scholars , time travelers who believed that the Sandman was destined to kill two thirds of the Earth's population. As it turned out the Enclave were the ones responsible for hyper-evolving the Sandman to a power level where such a genocide was possible. However Spider-Man and Captain America assisted the Enclave in restoring Sandman to normal. With the threat over the Enclave returned to their own era and Spider-Man and Captain America parted company. [351] [note 14] After having done some research on Spider-Man, Captain America tracked him down again and assisted the web-slinger in taking down his foe Electro . In the aftermath of the battle he reiterated his trust in Spider-Man before rejoining the Avengers to battle the Masters of Evil once again. [352]
Captain America next went on a solo mission to a conflict zone somewhere in Southeast Asia to rescue Jim Baker , the relative of a man who saved Cap's life during World War II. Cap battled General Wo -- Aka Sumo -- to free Jim and returned him to the United States. [353] [note 15] Captain America and the Avengers soon had another crisis on their hands when the Mole Man and the Red Ghost teamed up to destroy the surface world. [354] After Cap and the Avengers fended off an invasion of the Mole Man's Moloids , [355] the heroes foiled the two villains plot and rescued Giant-Man, whom their foes had captured. [354] Cap was tricked into putting on a demonstration of his skill but whom he thought were the wardens of Ryker's Island prison. It actually turned out to be the prisoners who escaped form their cells. Their leader Deacon believed that the magnetic components in Captain America's shield could release the locking mechanisms that would allow them to escape. The crooks were all easily bested by Captain America, who revealed that he recently removed all the Stark enhancements from his shield due to the fact that they threw off his aim. [356] [note 16]
Cap and the Avengers next started focusing on shutting down operations of the Maggia crime family. This garnered the attention of their leader Count Neferia who at the time was posing as a legitimate business man. Inviting the Avengers to his castle, he captured them and then had duplicates commit acts of treason to make the heroes wanted criminals. [357] Cap himself was held prisoner and tortured and mocked by Count Neferia directly. [358] The Avengers were eventually freed thanks to Rick Jones and his Teen Brigade. Although the Avengers helped topple Neferia's criminal operations and clear their names, the Wasp was shot and required immediate medical attention. [357] [358] When the Avengers learned that the only man who could cure the Wasp was Dr. Svenson of Norway, they soon learned that Svenson was a prisoner of the Kallusians , aliens hiding below the Earth's North Pole from their mortal enemies the Yirbek . Cap and the Avengers rescued Svenson and exposed the Kallusians to the Yirbek forcing both races to flee the Earth. Svenson was then brought back to the United States where he performed the life saving surgery on the Wasp. [359] After the entire episode, Captain America came to the conclusion that because of his hatred toward Baron Zemo he was getting sloppy in the field and confided in Iron Man that unless he stopped Zemo once and for all, then he was not fit to lead the Avengers. Iron Man then cautioned Captain America that he was needed among the Avengers in order for them to maintain their government security clearance with the National Security Agency . [358] Shortly thereafter Captain America and the other Avengers were invited to the engagement party of the Fantastic Four's Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl . [360]
Bucky Avenged
Baron Zemo is dead [361]
Soon Baron Zemo made his final salvo against Captain America and the Avengers. Freeing the Black Knight, and the Melter he increased the ranks of the Masters of Evil and launched an all out attack. During the initial assault he kidnapped Rick Jones and brought him back to his secret hideout in Bolivia. [362] [358] [note 17] Captain America decided to go after Rick alone, despite Iron Man's protests for him to stay for the sake of the team. [363] Captain America flew to Bolivia where he rescued Rick from Zemo's men who were torturing him. During the final battle against Zemo, Zemo's Death-Ray struck the side of a cliff, burying him in an avalanche, finally ending his tyranny once and for all. [362] [363] [note 18] Captain America and Rick then left the ruins of Zemo's fortress and started working their way through the jungle to get back home. [364] [361] [note 19] After weeks on the trail fighting through many jungle dangers, [364] [365] Cap and Rick ended up in the town of Turriabla, where Cap got ahold of an American newspaper that reported that the Avengers had admitted the reformed criminal archer known as Hawkeye into their ranks. [361]
By the time Captain America and Rick returned to New York City they found that there was a throng of reporters waiting outside Avengers Mansion. Sneaking in, Captain America learned that Iron Man, the Wap, Giant-Man and Thor were planning on taking leaves of absence in order to deal with their personal affairs and that they had gathered three new replacements: Hawkeye, and the mutant twins the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver , former members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. [364] [366] [365] [367] With the new recruits criminal pasts, Iron Man stressed the need for Captain America to remain on the team to appease the government. After some consideration, Captain America agreed to lead the Avengers onward into a new era. [367]
Cap's Kooky Quartet
Cap's Kooky Quartet [364]
However there were initial signs that this new line up of Avengers was off to a rough start, namely the rebellious Hawkeye and the hot-headed Quicksilver. Both of whom sought to replace Captain America as leader of the Avengers. When long time Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis expressed his doubts over this new team, Cap reassured him that they had potential to be as great as the original team. [368] Soon the original Avengers paid their leave, Captain America brought his new charges before the press gathered outside and introduced the first new line up of the Avengers. [364] [365] [367] [369] [370] While the press conference started off with much fanfare, the crowd soon turned on them when thanks to protesters for the nation of Santo Marco . When the crowd got ugly, Cap rushed his new charges inside. It was here that Cap decided that the team would begin searching for the Hulk in the hopes of convincing him to rejoin the team, asking Rick to assist them unaware that he was slowly drifting away due to the fact that he was not made a full fledged Avenger over the new comers. Learning that the Avengers were looking for the Hulk, the Radioactive Man lured Captain America into a trap, capturing him. When the others learned that Cap was captured, they came to his rescue, freeing the Star-Spangled Avenger and defeating Radioactive Man. The resulting victory won over the public, at least for the time being. [371] It was around this point where Captain America briefly reconnected with his old wartime ally, Nick Fury, and accessed government documents in an effort to learn everything he could about those who took his place after the war. [3]
Continuing his hunt for the Hulk alongside the Avengers, Cap was tricked into searching the deserts of the southwest by the Mole Man who sought revenge against the Avengers for his past defeat. Cap led his new charges against the so-called Minotaur . Although they defeated the Minotaur and the Mole Man and escaped his lair, their search for the Hulk was a complete bust, and the plan abandoned. [372] However, Steve began to feel that he had no life outside of the Avengers and soon began longing for other pursuits. These considerations were cut short when Cap and the Avenger were tricked into travelling to the communist controlled nation of Sin-Cong. There they battled the Commissar who appeared to be a high ranking officer of a communist nation. Cap and his comrades defeated the Commissar, revealing that he was nothing more than a robot, leading the people of Sin-Cong to revolt and drive the communist militia out of their land. [373] [note 20] Cap later accompanied his fellow Avengers to the wedding of the Fantastic Four's Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Girl, which led to a reunion of sorts between Cap and the original Avengers. The wedding festivities were marred when Latverian dictator Dr. Doom used an Emotion Changer device to force an army of super-villains to attack the wedding. [374] Captain America battled Plantman , [375] the Cobra , Executioner, and Enchantress before falling into a massive brawl between the gathered heroes in attendance and Doom's army of super-villains. The battle was quickly ended when the Watcher gave Reed Richards a Time Displacer device which he used to banish the villains away, allowing the wedding to go on without further interruption. [374] [375] [322]
Fighting side-by-side with Nick Fury [376]
By this time Cap's old ally Nick Fury was the director for the anti-espionage organization known as SHIELD . When Fury learned that an army was seeking to attack the United States from Bedloe Island, he contacted Captain America to assist him on the mission. Facing the invaders, Fury quickly learned that they were all mentally linked and sent Cap to obtain the help of Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four to exploit this weakness. [377] Going to the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building headquarters, Cap was provided with a Electro-Amplifier Rifle and returned to Fury's aid. The pair then defeated the invaders and destroyed their mind-paralyzer device. However their foes minds were wiped clean, leaving the identity of their leader a mystery to them at that time. [376] [note 21] After this mission with Fury, Captain America wrote a letter to Nick asking to join up with SHIELD, hoping this would fill the void that was missing in his life. Around this time the soldier-of-fortune known as the Swordsman attempted to gain membership with the Avengers by a show of force, but Cap and his teammates were able to send him fleeing. But, thanks to unforeseen interference by the terrorist organization known as Hydra , Cap's letter ended up in the hands of the Swordsman who used it to lure Captain America into a trap with a phony response. Holding Cap hostage on the top of a construction site, the Swordsman ordered the other Avengers to surrender to him. Not willing to let his teammates surrender, Cap jumped off the building instead. [378] Cap was saved by his teammates, but when they attempted to apprehend the Swordsman, he was teleported away by Iron Man's old foe the Mandarin . After equipping the Swordsman with new weapons he used a phony hologram message from Iron Man to convince Cap and the others to admin the Swordman into the Avengers. The Swordsman then planted a bomb that would destroy the heroes. However when the Swordman was about to be double crossed he attempted to disarm the bomb. Caught red handed by Captain America and Hawkeye, the Swordsman fled, using the exploding bomb to cover his escape. [379]
Tensions between Captain America and Hawkeye continued to grow as the team faced a new threat from the Enchantress and her new champion Power Man who began a campaign to discredit the Avengers. After a series of blunders by the Avengers thanks to their machinations, the mayor of New York ordered the Avengers to disband. [380] When Cap tried to rally the Avengers together, he found that they were at the breaking point and decided to leave. With the group in shambles, Cap then began investigating Power Man and the Enchantress. Disguising himself as an entertainment promoter, he tricked Power Man into gloating about how he and the Enchantress manipulated events. This was caught on a recorder, and when Cap revealed himself, he held his own against Power Man until the other Avengers came to his aid and helped defeat their foes although the Enchantress managed to escape. But even though the Avengers were cleared of any wrong doing and had reformed, Captain America had had enough of the infighting and bickering among his team and quit himself. [381] Steve then got a civilian job as a trainer for a boxing champion until he learned that the Avengers had mysteriously vanished. Quitting his job and returning to his Captain America identity, Cap returned to Avengers Mansion and began investigating. Using Iron Man's "Recreator" device he learned that his teammates were captured by Kang the Conquerer and brought to the 40th century as his prisoners. Cap then challenged Kang and was transported to the future as well. There he found that Kang was holding a nation ruled by Princess Ravonna hostage as well. When Steve freed his fellow comrades and fought back against Kang, the future despot ordered his minions to attack the kingdom. [382] Captain America provided strategy for Ravonna's people and with the assistance of the Avengers, they held back Kang's forces for a short time before being captured. But when Kang decided to spare Ravonna, one of his minions named Boltag, turned on him and took over his army seeing this mercy as a weakness. Kang grudgingly found himself forced to side with Captain America and the Avengers to fight back against his own armies. In the aftermath, the heroes won and Kang agreed to let them go. However as the Avengers were being transported back to their own era, Bolta tried to shoot Kang in the back, but Ravonna sacrificed herself in order to save her life. A sacrifice that Kang would come to blame the Avengers for in the future. [383]
Captain America crashed NATO headquarters in Europe [384]
Upon their return to their own time, the Avengers were targeted by Dr. Doom, who sought to defeat the heroes as a precursor to his next battle against the Fantastic Four. Tricking the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver into thinking their biological parents lived in Latveria, Captain America and the Avengers traveled there to follow up on this news. Falling right into Doom's trap the Avengers found themselves arrested with no chance for aid lest the an international incident was incited. Cap and his fellow Avengers then broke free from their prison and defeated Dr. Doom in battle, distracting the monarch long enough for them to flee the country and return home to the United States. [385] Although Captain America began proving himself as a competent leader, Hawkeye still sought to gain leadership of the group. [386] After telling his fellow Avengers some of his wartime adventures, Steve suddenly recalled that it was soon going to be "Der Tag" a date which his old foe the Red Skull was to unleash his mysterious Sleeper robots upon the Earth to destroy it. With a list of former Nazi war criminals, Cap rushed to Germany to try and stop the Sleepers from being activated. He was too late to stop the activation of the first Sleeper. [286] [note 22] Cap tried to stop the first Sleeper but its weapons proved to be too powerful. Cap was forced to follow it until it met with the second Sleeper that had just recently been released. When the two Sleeper robots combined, Cap managed to climb aboard as it flew away, but he was forced to jump away when NATO forces began to attack it. [387] Gaining the aid of NATO forces, Cap followed after the Sleepers until it linked to a third Sleeper robot -- an effigy of the Red Skull's face. Realizing that it was heading toward the North Pole to drill to the center of the Earth and destroy the planet, Captain America was flown over the Sleeper gestalt and hopped aboard. Using a flame thrower he managed to compromise the Sleeper robots causing them to crash into the ocean where they exploded harmlessly, saving the world from annihilation. [384] Upon returning to the United States from his mission, Steve found that his memories of his romance with Peggy Carter during the war were returning, although he could not remember her name. Incidentally, these memories resurfacing also coincided when Cap crossed paths with Peggy's niece Sharon , aka Agent 13 and agent of SHIELD, as she was attempting to transport a sample of Inferno 42. Cap found her resemblance to Peggy impeccable and could not decide if this was his old wartime sweetheart or some relative. This was interrupted by the soldier-of-fortune known as Batroc the Leper who was hired by the terrorist organization known as THEM to steal Inferno 42. As the two fought it out, the canister containing the chemical was broken threatening to destroy New York City. In order to save himself along with the city, Batroc grudgingly agreed to help Captain America go after Sharon. [240] [note 23] Captain America managed to recover Inferno 42, but not before Sharon was affected by it and needed medical attention. With Batroc and THEM obtaining a phony sample, Cap allowed them to escape so he could see the girl to the hospital, leaving Cap to ponder the mystery of the woman's identity. [388]
Familiar Faces
Shortly thereafter the Avengers received a distress call from their old ally the Wasp who was a prisoner of the Atlantean barbarian known as Attuma , who was planning on using a tidal wave device to flood the surface world. Cap, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch went to the Wasp's rescue only to find themselves prisoners of Attuma themselves. [389] [note 24] They were then rescued by the timely arrival of Hawkeye, and defeated Attuma, but in the aftermath of the battle they found that the Wasp had gone missing. [390] Back at headquarters they were contacted by Henry Pym , who revealed that he was the Avenger formally known as Giant-Man, and asked for their help finding the Wasp. After meeting with Pym they were informed by a being calling himself the Collector that the Wasp was his prisoner. Pym rejoined the Avengers ranks, taking on a new costumed identity of the Goliath. Unaware that the Collector sought to capture the Avengers for his collection, they followed the call to the Collector's hideout. There they were forced to battle the Collector and his minion the Beetle . Although they freed the Wasp, the Collector and Beetle escaped and Goliath -- who had stayed in his giant-size beyond the physical limit -- found himself trapped at giant size. [391] When they returned to headquarters Captain America got Goliath medical attention but they learned that he was trapped in giant-size, potentially forever. After Goliath fled to brood over his condition, Captain America and the others were attacked by Power Man and the Swordsman, both pawns of the Hawkeye's former girlfriend the Black Widow who had been brainwashed by a communist nation to do their bidding. Cap and the others were rescued thanks to the timely return of Goliath who defeated their foes, but the Black Widow and her cohorts managed to escape. [392]
This was still a time of great loneliness for Steve Rogers, who struggled with the memories of his wartime lover and puzzled over what her fate was. [241] Still he carried out his Avengers duties, such as when he and the team were called upon to review of America's global defense measures. [393] The Avengers then saw another change in their membership when the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were led to believe that their powers were fading and they needed to return to their homeland of Transia to have them restored. Overhearing this, Captain America allowed them to take a leave of absence to do so. Meanwhile, Goliath ran off to South America to visit his colleague Dr. Anton in the hopes of finding a cure. Cap also allowed Hawkeye to go after the Black Widow alone before hearing news reports that Goliath and Dr. Anton had gone missing. [394] Before going on a mission to search for Goliath, Captain America was finally visited by Nick Fury who sought to learn what Cap knew about the organization known as THEM. During this meeting they were attacked by an android created by THEM's science division Advanced Idea Mechanics who the pair easily defeated. Learning that Cap had no information regarding the organization he left, but not before giving Cap a SHIELD A-1 priority card making it easier for the Star-Spangled Avenger to contact Fury in the future. [395] Tracking Goliath in South America, Captain America and the Avengers found him in the lost city of El Dorado where he and Dr. Anton were caught in the middle between a power struggle between the so-called Keeper of the Flame and Prince Rey to control a massive cobalt fueled flame. The heroes seemingly extinguished the cobalt flame, leaving the El Doradians with nothing to fight over and returned home. However on the way home Goliath was told that the only person who could cure him was Henry Pym. [396]
Prisoner of the Sons of the Serpent [397]
Growing tired of Goliath being depressed, Captain America forced him to admit that only he could cure his condition, giving Goliath the motivation to cure himself. When Pym's lab assistant Bill Foster was attacked by the racist organization known as the Sons of the Serpent , the Avengers became determined to shut the organization down. After using his SHIELD connections to learn what he could, Captain America and the Avengers appeared before a live news conference and denounced the Serpents. Later on while searching for the group, Captain America was taken prisoner aboard their cloaked airship. [398] The Serpent's leader then attempted to convince Captain America to join their cause. When Cap refused, and subsequent attempts to brainwash him also failed, they had an impostor take his place. The Serpents then blackmailed the Avengers into publicly allying themselves in order to save Cap's life. However, Hawkeye found the location of their secret headquarters and freed Cap, and the pair crashed the auditorium where the announcement was to be made. The real Captain America exposed his impostor and then captured the Serpent's leader who was revealed to be General Chen , a military leader of a communist country who formed the Sons of the Serpent in order to divide America based on racial prejudice for the purposes of creating anti-American propaganda. [397]
Return of the Red Skull
The Red Skull returns [399]
Soon thereafter Advanced Idea Mechanics recovered and revived the body of the Red Skull, who had been in a state of suspended animation since his last conflict with Captain America. Using AIM resources he sent an army of minions equipped with "hypno-helmets" to make their presence invisible to everyone but Captain America. To this end they attacked Cap in public to make him look like he was losing his mind. However, Captain America easily deduced this was the case and with the help of Stark Industries technology used a device to scramble the hypno-helmets, Cap foiled a plot to frame him for murder. [287] After recovering an AIM soldier from an escape pod, Captain America learned that the Red Skull sought to gain control of their latest invention, the Cosmic Cube , which allowed whoever wielded the weapon to shape reality to their own whim. Captain America was too late to stop the Red Skull from obtaining the Cube. [399] However, when the Red Skull attempted to use the Cube to banish Cap to another dimension, the Captain played on the Skull's ego, convincing him to allow Cap to live as his slave. While the Skull gloated, Cap attacked. During the struggle the Skull willed the Cube to cause an earthquake which both the Skull and the Cosmic Cube inadvertently fell into. [400] [note 25] While the Skull appeared to drown and the Cube seemingly washed out to sea for good, both could come back to haunt Captain America again and again over the years.
Captain America was next targeted by AIM's latest invention the Adaptoid . Disguising itself as the Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis, the Adaptoid drugged Captain America. While Cap was bombarded with hallucinations from his past, the Adaptoid easily defeated him and then took his form, hoping to take the place of Captain America. [401] The Adaptoid's attempt to take Captain America's place also coincided with a break-in by a criminal calling himself the Tumbler who wanted to prove himself by pitting his acrobatic skills against Captain America. Although the Tumbler was able to hold his own against the Adaptoid, the real Captain America freed himself and easily felled both foes. [402] After the Tumbler was turned over to the authorities and the Avengers returned to headquarters, Captain America made the error of showing the seemingly inert Adaptoid to his teammates. This allowed the Adaptoid to mimic all their abilities. Once Cap was alone again the Adaptoid -- now calling itself the "Super-Adaptoid" -- attacked his target once again. Cap was out classed against a foe that could imitate all the powers of his teammates and the Super-Adaptoid dumped Captain America into the Hudson River. Thinking Captain America dead, the Super-Adaptoid fled the scene thinking that it had completed its mission, under estimating Captain America's ability to survive. [403] When the original Avengers returned to the fold to elect a new team member, Captain America petitioned Spider-Man to join their group. Although it was a welcome invitation, Spider-Man's attitude caused things to get heated and the heroes almost came to blows before Spider-Man was sent on a test to prove his worthiness among the Avengers ranks. Sent to capture the Hulk, Spider-Man eventuality decided against it when he briefly encountered the Hulk's alter-ego, scientist Bruce Banner, and couldn't bring himself to capture the brute. Spider-Man declined Avengers membership, puzzling the whole group including Captain America. [404]
Captain America vs. Batroc the Leaper [405]
Captain America was next called to the hospital where Sharon Carter was recovering, this turned out to be a trap laid by the terrorist organization Hydra and Batroc the Leaper. The latter was seeking a rematch against Captain America. However when the Hydra agents tried to kill Captain America, Batroc's honor was offended and he helped Cap take the terrorist agents down before fleeing the scene. [405] Shortly there after Cap took on a mission for SHIELD to infiltrate the Yashonka Arms Research Center in a communist nation. There he prevented communist forces from completing their new weapon the Z-Ray. [406] Back in the United States Cap was framed for a series of robberies by a criminal calling himself the Planner . The Planner had done so in the hopes of stealing Captain America's shield, which he believed still contained various Stark technologies. This proved to be his undoing and the Planner was captured and Captain America cleared his name. [407] Returning to the Avengers, Captain America came to the aid of the Wasp and Goliath who were being attacked by the costumed villain known as the Living Laser . The Laser easily escaped capture, capturing the Wasp, Captain America and Hawkeye. [408] The Laser then fled with the Wasp, whom he was smitten with, leaving Cap and Hawkeye to die in a laser trap. Thanks to Cap's shield the pair escaped. With the Goliath, they then tracked the Living Laser to the island of Costa Verde where he was aiding in a political coup. Although they were all captured, the Avengers were freed thanks to Goliath and his newly restored size changing powers. The Laser was quickly defeated and a democracy was soon established in Costa Verde. [409] [note 26] Back at Avengers Mansion, Cap and the Avengers were tricked into travelling to Transia by the Ultroid known as Ultrana who was disguised as the Scarlet Witch. They quickly found themselves prisoner of the alien known as Ixar who hoped to exploit Earth's super-heroes to give his Ultroids super-human powers to use against another alien race he was warring with. [410] Although captured by Ixar and his forces, the Avengers were freed thanks to Hawkeye and his girlfriend the Black Widow who threatened Ixar's life if the Avengers were freed. With Ixar defeated, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver returned with the Avengers back to headquarters. [411] Back at Avengers Mansion, Cap stopped a fight between Hawkeye and Goliath over giving the Black Widow membership in the Avengers. [412] He then put the group through a rigorous fight trianing, [413] before dismissing to take a break while he went on monitor duty. [412]
It was then when Captain America received a distress call by someone who appeared to be his former partner Bucky, asking him to go to Sea Gull Island off the coast of Nova Scotia. Cap went unaware that he was being led into a trap by his old foe the Red Skull. When Cap arrived he was taken aboard a hidden base where he was forced to fight his old foes the Swordsman and Powerman before the Skull revealed himself. [414] [note 27] The Skull then forced Cap to battle a series of robots, including one designed to resemble Bucky -- the very robot that lured him into the trap to begin with. When Captain America destroyed all the robots, the Skull then trapped him in an enclosing room. [415] When Cap freed himself from this trap, the Skull had fled in a ship. Cap managed to fight his way on board, but before he could stop the Skull, his foe imprisoned downtown Manhattan in a massive bubble and threatened to destroy it unless Captain America agreed to become the Skull's slave for 24 hours. When Cap agreed, he was forced to pledge allegiance to the Red Skull on national television. [416] Although the world thought Captain America had turned traitor, Cap managed to call in the Avengers and send them on a mission to search for the Cosmic Cube before the Skull could find it. Although they failed to capture it, the device was seemingly lost for good. [417] Meanwhile, the Red Skull's massive ego allowed for the 24 hours to mostly elapse until the Skull forced Cap to tell him the location of the Navy's new XTP-1 nuclear submarine. When Cap told him where it was the Skull tried to kill him. Cap freed himself and attempted to warn the sub crew only to find them under the hypnotic control of the Red Skull. Cap freed them from this control and convinced them to help him retake the Red Skull's ship. As the Skull attempted to claim the XTP for himself, Cap set it to self destruct, seemingly slaying the Red Skull in the process. [393] [note 28]
After clearing his name, Captain America learned that his fellow Avengers were battling the ancient alchemist known as Diablo who was forcing Goliath to assist him in creating an army of Dragon Men androids. Cap's timely arrival enabled the team to quickly defeat Diablo and foil his plans. [418] [note 29] During his absence with the team, the Black Widow had become an agent of SHIELD and was captured in China by her former employers. After settling back in at the mansion, Hawkeye and new Avengers ally Hercules then went after her. When Cap learned this, he ordered the Avengers to gather for a rescue mission. [419] [note 30] After attacking the secret headquarters where their allies were being kept prisoner, Captain America clashed with his Russian counterpart the Red Guardian . However when the Red Guardian's masters blasted Captain America in the back with a stun ray, the Red Guardian seemingly sacrificed his life to save Cap out of a sense of honor. Cap, the Avengers and their captured allies managed to flee safely back to the United States. [408] [note 31]
SHIELD Operative
Captain America vs Nick Fury [420]
Once back state-side, Captain America began having a closer working relationship with SHIELD. He later participated in a sparring session with Nick Fury for the benefit of new SHIELD recruits. [420] Cap and Fury's strange battle with the invaders at the Statue of Liberty came back to him when Fury began investigating leads. The pair told their story to FBI agent Jimmy Woo . [377] Once they finished relating their story, Woo informed them that they likely clashed with his long time adversary the Yellow Claw . [376] [note 32] However, Captain America left this case to Nick Fury to solve, departing after looking over Fury's new specially modified car. [421] [note 33] Captain America rejoined the Avengers shortly after and they battled an army of robots from the Raggador galaxy with the help of their ally Thor. [422]
Captain America and Agent 13 [423]
Captain America later became more determined than ever to learn what he could about the female SHIELD agent who resembled his wartime lover. He sought out Nick Fury at SHIELD's headquarters that was hidden below a nondescript barber shop. There he stopped an AIM android from trying to assassinate Fury. Although he succeeded he learned that he may have put Sharon's life in danger as she had infiltrated AIM to spy on the organization. [424] Cap attempted to infiltrate AIM's submarine headquarters but was captured. Sharon helped Cap break free and the two fought off the forces of AIM. While running for cover, Cap learned that Sharon was attempting to learn the identity of AIM's new leader, a being known only as MODOK . However the pair were captured soon thereafter. [423] Imprisoned by AIM, Cap and Sharon soon learned that MODOK was a massive cyborg with enhanced mental powers that even the members of AIM feared. When Cap fought back against MODOK, his minions turned on him incapacitating the MODOK. Captain America and Agent 13 then captured the AIM agents and fled while MODOK used his mental powers to destroy AIM headquarters, seemingly slaying himself in the process. [425] [note 34] Returning to the Avengers, Captain America was tipped off by Nick Fury that Iron Man's old foe the Mandarin had gathered an army of super-villains to try and take over the world. To answer this threat, every member of the Avengers reunited to deal with the threat. Captain America sent Iron Man, Goliath and the Wasp to stop the Swordsman and Powerman in South America; Hercules and the Scarlet Witch to stop the Executioner and Enchantress in the Middle East; and Thor and Hawkeye to Africa where prevented the Living Laser from reactivating the robot known as Ultimo . Meanwhile, Captain America and Quicksilver infiltrated the Mandarin's space station where they kept the villain at bay until the rest of the Avengers showed up. Their enhanced numbers proved no match for the Mandarin who fled before he could activate his doomsday weapon. The Avengers subsequently destroyed the space station and the deadly weapon on board. [426]
Brief Retirement
Despite his recent victories, Captain America began reflecting on the possibility of retiring his costumed identity hoping to pursue a relationship with Agent 13, even though he did not know her real name. Following on the heels of their victory against the Mandarin, the city of New York made an honorary Avengers day. The festivities were marred by an attack by the Super-Adaptoid whom had returned to destroy Captain America once and for all. The android lost the battle when trying to mimic more than two of the Avengers powers at once, shorting itself out in the process. [427] Continuing to brood over his life, Captain America agreed to go to a baseball game with Quicksilver. They returned to the mansion when the game was rained out and arrived in time to stop Goliath and the Wasp's old foe Whirlwind from trying to slay their comrades. Although the battle was a victory, Whirlwind managed to escape. [428] Shortly thereafter the SHIELD helicarrier was taken over by Agent Nine, a rogue SHIELD agent attempting to turn the helicarrier over to the Red Skull. It was during this clash that Cap came across SHIELD personnel files taken by Agent Nine that revealed Agent 13's true name to him. Steve also revealed his true name to Sharon during this battle. They succeeded in stopping Agent Nine who was killed by Sharon while trying to escape. This showed Cap a side of Sharon he seldom saw, that of a hardened SHIELD agent that was willing to kill in order to complete a mission. [429] [note 35]
Steve Roger retires as Captain America [430]
After learning each others real names, Steve took Sharon Carter on a date and proposed to her, but she turned him down unable to give up her duties to SHIELD. Having had enough of putting his personal life behind him, Steve completed one last mission, capturing mobster Gunner Gates. [430] After making his announcement to the Avengers, [431] he publicly revealed his true identity and retired as Captain America, much to the protest of Nick Fury and Tony Stark. Unwilling to listen, Steve even mailed his shield to Fury for safe keeping. [430] Not long after his retirement, a series of imitators began getting into trouble while dressed up as Captain America for varying reasons from trying to replace Captain America, to publicity stunts and attempts to impress their peers. Because Cap revealed his true identity, criminal elements were gunning for him, making these imitators open to attack as well. Steve was soon targeted by an assassin calling himself the Sniper. Steve was forced to leave his apartment when he spotted yet another Captain America impersonator who was being attacked by mobster. He saved his imitator while a undercover SHIELD agents got the drop on the Sniper and apprehended him. In the aftermath of this incident, Nick Fury convinced Steve that he was the only man who could be Captain America and Steve decided to come out of retirement. [432]
Back in Action
Captain America vs the Black Panther [433]
Captain America went back into action almost immediately, taking down the Mauler and his mob. Soon after he was contacted by the current Black Panther , whom requested Captain America's aid stopping an old foe. [434] Taking a craft to the nation of Wakanda, Captain America and the Black Panther then went seeking out those invading his kingdom. He learned that this invader was using a satellite that reflected rays from the sun into a destructive beam. When they were captured, Cap was shocked to find that their foe appeared to be Baron Zemo. [433] [note 36] [435] Cap and the Panther tried to break free, but were incapacitated with a "hypno-light" missile that made it impossible for them to fight back. Taken to their lair, they learned that their foe planned to target nuclear weapons sites that he was waiting for from a spy named Irma Kruhl -- unaware that this was really Sharon Carter in disguise. He then ordered "Kruhl" to eliminate Cap and the Panther. [436] [note 37] Unwilling to kill the man she loved, Sharon purposely missed and then convinced "Zemo" that they should spare their foes until later. This gave Captain America and the Black Panther enough time to shake off the effects of the hypno-light effects and fought their way to freedom. Sharon broke her cover in order to help the two heroes escape. Destroying the Destructoid robot sent against them, Cap got close enough to "Zemo" to unmask him, revealing that it wasn't his old foe after all but his former pilot, Franz Gruber. Furious at being deceived, "Zemo's" minions turned on him and shot Gruber dead. With their leader dead, Cap, the Panther, and Sharon took Gruber's minions prisoner and SHIELD destroyed the satellite. As they returned to Wakanda, Cap suggested to the Black Panther that the monarch take his place in the Avengers. [307]
Back in the United States, Captain America went after escaped Nazi war criminal Werner Von Krimm, only to be stopped by Nick Fury, who informed Cap that he had learned that Von Krimm was going to meet with the Red Skull who had just recently uncovered a fourth Sleeper robot. Thanks to a SHIELD homing device, Cap was able to track the Red Skull to his most recent hideout. Captain America's interference prevented the Red Skull from using a specially made crystal key to put the Sleeper under his control and the robot began rampaging on its own. As Cap and his arch-nemesis fled the rampaging Sleeper the island was destroyed. Cap was washed out into the ocean, but he managed to grab the crystal key. [437] Captain America and Sharon were reunited and send on a mission to try and stop the fourth Sleeper. After fighting through the Red Skull's forces, they confronted the creature. While Cap battled the robot, Sharon's love for the Captain affected the crystal key, causing the Sleeper to disintegrate, ending his threat. [438] Taking note of Cap's romance with Sharon Carter, the Red Skull had his minions capture Sharon and bring her to his hideout on Exile Island . When Captain America went after Sharon, he fought his way onto Exile Island, but during the ensuing battle the Red Skull secretly managed to affix a piece of "nuclear tape" to the back of Cap's neck. This device could cause Captain America a great deal of pain, as well as detonate a nuclear weapon planted somewhere in Washington D.C. should Cap not do the Skull's bidding. After battling the Skull's Exiles , he freed Sharon and escaped unaware of the trap the Skull had planted on him. [439] [note 38] Soon the Red Skull revealed his trap, and forced Captain America to surrender and return to Exile Island. There Cap was forced to battle the Exiles once more, however SHIELD managed to find the nuclear bomb and disarm it, rendering the nuclear tape inactive as well. Realizing that he was free from the Red Skull's control, Cap fought back as a SHIELD attack force stormed Exile Island. Finding himself in a losing battle, the Red Skull and his Exiles fled as SHIELD took Exile Island. [440]
Closure
Soon after Steve Rogers was contacted by documentary film makers who sought to have Cap narrate a wartime documentary about his own exploits. Seeing footage of himself and Buck in action brought back painful memories and Cap declined once again. He was soon contacted by the military to locate a stolen siesmo-bomb that was stolen by one of America's enemies and was at risk of going off in New York City. During his search he was attacked by Batroc the Leaper, the Swordsman and the Living Laser who were also seeking to obtain the weapon. Cap defeated his foes and when explaining the danger to Batroc, he fled allowing Cap to locate the weapon and disarm it. [441] Cap came to the aid of SHIELD when Chinese mercenaries attacked one of their facilities but he failed to stop them from stealing the latest designs for a new model of Life Model Decoy. Learning that movie studio Infinity Productions was releasing films that were showing Captain America commit acts of murder, Cap went to Los Angeles to investigate. There he uncovered a LMD of himself which was being use to create Chinese propaganda. The new LMD technology proved defective and the decoy self-destructed battling Cap while SHIELD shut down the studio ending the plot to discredit Captain America. [442] [note 39]
Captain America and the Avengers materializing in the year 1945 [291]
By this time Captain America began seeing psychologist Doctor Faustus who was secretly trying to drive Captain America insane with drugs that gave him powerful nightmares. He also used actors and elaborate sets to make Captain America believe he was reliving parts of the war, particularly scenes where Bucky blamed Cap for his death. Becoming suspicious of the psychologist, Cap pretended to be cracking up for Faustus to prescribe another medication that would rapidly age Cap. Seeing through this, Cap had SHIELD analyze the drug, revealing the truth and laid a trap for Faustus. Cap then revealed his ruse and defeated the Doctor, who was turned over to SHIELD custody. [443] However, Cap was still troubled by memories of Bucky and wanted to make sure once and for all his partner had died during the war. He then called his fellow Avengers to a state-side castle formally owned by Dr. Doom so that they could use the Time-Platform there to travel back to that fateful day in 1945. With the Wasp monitoring the controls in the present, Captain America and the rest of the Avengers traveled back to 1945 and began observing as temporal wraiths, Captain America and Bucky's battle against Baron Zemo. After the past Captain America and Bucky were tied to the drone plane that would seemingly take Bucky's life, suddenly the modern day Captain America and the Avengers materialized fully in that era. There they briefly battled Baron Zemo and his "Humanoid" creation. Soon they began to fade out of synch with time. Before this could complete itself, Cap was able to toss his shield and sever the ropes that bound his past self and Bucky to the drone. However the modern day Cap watched helplessly as the same tragedy repeated itself, convincing Cap at that time that Bucky was truly dead. They soon returned to what they believe to be their own era, and learned that the reason why they materialized in the past was due to the Was strangely falling asleep at the controls. [291] [note 40]
However Captain America and the Avengers soon found that they were not in their native reality, the alternate reality of Earth-689 , a world where the original Avengers had captured an imprisoned every super-human on Earth and ruled in an almost dictator like fashion under the commands of a time traveler calling himself the Scarlet Centurion . [444] [445] After their initial clash with this group of Avengers, Cap and his team learned the truth and learned that in this reality Dr. Doom's time machine had been disassembled. Cap went to recover a piece of the device, clashing with and defeating that reality's version of Thor in the process. Having collected all the parts they needed, the Avengers were then attacked by the Centurion himself and defeated him. The Avengers then returned to their native reality of Earth-616 without further issue. [444] [446] [note 41] Leaving the Avengers once again, Captain America learned that Sharon Carter was captured by the villain known as the Trapster who sought to learn the secrets of Project: Fireball for the Red Skull. However Cap's appearance was manipulated by Sharon who allowed the Trapster to capture an LMD of herself in order to learn the identity of his employer. [447] While putting on a charity match in Madison Square Gardens, Captain America was attacked by the costumed hero known as Daredevil , who was not in his right mind at the time. When his temporary lapse in sanity corrected itself, Daredevil fled the fight leaving Captain America to speculate why he was attacked. [448] [note 42]
The Strange Death of Captain America
Captain America, in his capacity as a founding member of the Avengers, was called back to the group along with Thor and Iron Man to decide if the android known as the Vision should be admitted to the group. Doubtful at first considering that the Vision originally tried to kill Goliath and the Wasp, the group learned that the Vision was an android created by the robot known as Ultron with the brain patterns of the long dead Wonder Man to get revenge against the Avengers. Learning that the Vision was free from Ultron's control, Cap and the others agreed to allow the Vision to join the group. [449] [note 43] Cap spent his time back with the group to learn of all the changes since his absence. [450] Later when SHIELD took the Vision in for questioning, the Avengers asked Captain America to use his connections within the organization to have the Vision freed, although the Vision was eventually released back to the Avengers, Cap's hands were tied at the time. [451] After spending time with Nick Fury to reminisce about his past, [12] Captain America received an invitation to the wedding of the Wasp and the mysterious new costumed hero calling himself Yellowjacket , who had also claimed to have murdered Goliath. [452] However when he returned to the Mansion to get answers, he learned that Yellowjacket was really Henry Pym, who had developed another personality due to leadership pressures. Further, the Avengers were going along with the ruse as per the advice of a SHIELD psychologist. Despite Cap's protests the wedding carried on as planned, [453] but was soon crashed by the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime who sought to get revenge against Thor. This proved to be a fatal error and the gathered Avengers quickly defeated their foes. [452] [454] In the aftermath of the battle, Pym's mind was restored to normal. [452] [455] Cap was on hand when both the Black Panther and Vision proved themselves to both the NSA and SHIELD by taking down the Wakandan assassin known as Death Tiger and the Super-Adaptoid respectively. Confident that the Avengers could look after themselves, Captain America returned to his solo activities. [453]
Captain America and Rick Jones as Bucky [456]
One night while out on the streets, Captain America stumbled upon a battle between the Hulk and the military. This reunited him with his one-time sidekick Rick Jones who had spent the past months trying to keep tabs on the Hulk. During the fracas Rick was injured and Captain America pulled him to safety. Back at Avengers Mansion, Rick recovered from his injuries and put on Bucky's uniform once more. Although this once again upset Cap, Rick convinced Cap to allow him to take on this mental and resume his role as his sidekick. [456] [note 44] Soon after taking on Rick as a new sidekick, Captain America was alerted to Hydra activity in the sewers nearby. Cap and the new Bucky managed to stop Hydra from poisoning the city water supply, but thanks to Bucky getting into danger Hydra and their new leader Madame Hydra managed to escape. [456] [293] Answering a phony call purporting to be from Nick Fury, Cap was attacked at a penny arcade by Hydra forces. Surviving the attack, it made Steve realize the public knowledge of his true identity put both him and Rick at risk. However he continued training Rick, but the pressure put on both thanks to the memory of Bucky continued to loom over the pair. Later when Rick was captured by Hydra, Steve went after him. He used this as an opportunity to confuse the public as to his true identity. After defeating Hydra's Mankiller robot, Steve tossed an inflatable body wearing his uniform and a latex mask molded out of his face into the line of fire. Hydra agents shot the dummy as it landed into a nearby harbor. When police arrived at the scene, they found only the remains of Captain America's uniform and a bullet riddled latex mask and were left to believe that not only was Captain America dead, but the identity of Steve Rogers was also a false one. [457]
Captain America fakes his death [457]
After the nation mourned the loss of Captain America, [456] a funeral was carried up in effigy as a body was not found. Hydra infiltrated the funeral in order to capture Nick Fury and the Avengers in attendance. Not in attendance was Rick Jones who followed the Hydra agents to Drearcliff Cemetery where the attempted to bury their foes alive. However this attempt was crashed by Captain America himself, who was alive and well. Cap quickly defeated their foes and Madame Hydra was seemingly slain in the ensuing battle. [458] [note 45] Captain America and Bucky then followed the Hydra agents to their secret headquarters hidden beneath the ruins of a torn down tenement building. [459] There they battled through various Hydra agents and traps until they confronted who they thought was the current Supreme Hydra. They were captured by the "Supreme Hydra" who then revealed himself as early Avengers foe the Space Phantom . The Space Phantom revealed that he had partnered with another Avengers foe, the Grim Reaper and that in order to eliminate his foe Captain America, the Space Phantom agreed to have the Vision's mind transplanted into Cap's body. In order to facilitate this process, the Space Phantom needed Cap to have peace of mind. Knowing that Steve's greatest worry was public knowledge of his identity, the Space Phantom used his advanced technology to wipe out everyone's memories of Captain America's true identity. He also erased Cap and Bucky's most recent memories and sent them back to the graveyard in order to prepare for the final phase of his plan. [460] [note 46] [461] With the true identity of Captain America now a secret, Captain America departed from Rick at the cemetery to re-established his civilian identity. [458]
Identity Crisis
Steve Rogers attempts a cover identity [462]
Trying to forge a new identity, Steve kept his deception a secret to everyone, including his fellow Avengers. He then paid a visit to SHIELD to check on Sharon Carter, only to learn that she was trying to stop an AIM operation on her own, upset over the news that Captain America had supposedly died. Cap, Rick as Bucky, and Nick Fury came to her rescue. After saving Sharon from AIM's Walking Stiletto robot, he demanded that she quit risking her life and resign from active SHIELD duty. When Sharon refused, Cap felt rejection and told her he would never ask again before leaving. Later, using hair dye and make-up, Steve disguised himself and attempted to find a new place to live, and ended up getting a room in a cheap hotel due to the fact that he hadn't thoroughly established a new civilian guise. Not long after settling into his new identity he was attacked by the Red Skull who had recovered the Cosmic Cube and sought to get final revenge against Captain America. [462] [note 47] Initially the Red Skull was content attacking Cap directly before banishing him to another dimension until an even better idea occurred to him. Using the power of the Cube, the Skull swapped bodies with Captain America and then teleported Sharon Carter into the room. The Red Skull, now in Cap's body, convinced Sharon that he defeated the "Red Skull" driving him insane. [463]
Transformed into the Red Skull by the Cosmic Cube [463]
The Red Skull then used the Cosmic Cube to transport his enemy to a nearby government testing lab. While the "Red Skull" was accused of trying to steal government secrets and was fleeing the police, "Captain America" based in his newfound fame. Cap managed to flee back to Avengers Mansion to try and convince his teammates as to what happened. Meanwhile, the faux Captain America told Rick to go away, and the youth quit being his sidekick. Then as a final coupe de grasse, the Skull used the Cube to teleport Cap to Exile Island where his Exiles were seek revenge against the Red Skull for previously betraying them. [464] [note 48]
Captain America and the Falcon [465]
Upon his arrival on the island, Cap was quickly attacked by the Exiles but managed to escape thanks to the intervention of a passing falcon . Running to cover, Cap removed the Red Skull's mask and obscured his features with clay in the hopes of not being recognized. While traveling the island, Cap encountered a young man named Sam Wilson a falcon trainer native to Harlem who answered an add in the paper for a falcon trainer put by the Exiles and soon found himself fighting against them on behalf of the islands natives. Seeing someone with much potential, Cap began training Wilson in combat and created for him the costumed identity of the Falcon. [466] [note 49] After rigorous training, Cap and the Falcon attacked the Exiles head on, forcing them off the island. [467] Having observed this from the Cosmic Cube, the Red Skull decided to destroy his foe once and for all. He teleported Cap and the Falcon to him. Taking back his original form and restoring Captain America to normal, the Red Skull unleashed the full power of the Cosmic Cube upon the two heroes. However, Cap and the Falcon manage to hold their own. Ultimately the Skull's downfall came from AIM whose leader MODOK ordered technology to be made to destroy the Cosmic Cube. As the Cube was being destroy, the defeated Red Skull attempted to use it once last time to escape and was seemingly atomized in the process. [468] [note 50]
Game of Galaxies
After he and the Falcon had parted company, Captain America sought out Sharon Carter again only to learn that she was away on a mission by Nick Fury for the next few days. In order to keep himself occupied, Cap agreed to go under cover to investigate AIM activity at Manning University. Under the identity of Roger Stevens, Cap took on a job opening as a physical education teacher and exposed AIM's attempts to steal some atomic equations from the university by taking advantage of the student protests occurring on campus. After stopping the AIM operatives on site and helping quell the discord on campus, Cap quit as the phys-ed teacher. [465] Later Cap joined Nick Fury and Iron Man in taking down another Hydra cell that was still in operation, unaware that they were being assisted by a rogue LMD that took the real Iron Man's place. Shortly thereafter, Iron Man was forced to wear an older suit of armor to combat an Iron Man LMD, suffering a heart attack in the process. When Iron Man was found by the Avengers and unmasked. [469] When the Avengers rushed Tony Stark to the hospital for treatment, Captain America and Thor soon joined their teammates at the hospital. Soon the hospital was attacked by one of Kang's Growing Men who kidnapped Stark. When the Avengers chased after the android, they found themselves transported to Kang's lair in the 40th Century. Kang explained to the Avengers that he had entered into a competition with the cosmic being known as the Grandmaster . Should Kang win he would get the power over life or death to revive his lover Ravonna, but if he lost the Earth would be obliterated. Cap brokered to have Stark returned to their own time for medical attention and agreed to help. Soon Cap, the new Goliath and Thor were transported to modern day Earth to combat the Grandmaster's champions, the Squadron Sinister . [470]
The trio of Avengers were soon joined by Iron Man and they were each tasked with stopping a different member of the Squadron from stealing a different world monument. Captain America was transported to Liberty Island where he prevented Nighthawk from stealing the Statue of Liberty. However the first part of the competition was ended in a forfeit when Goliath's attempt to stop the Whizzer from stealing Big Ben was interrupted by another costumed hero known as the Black Knight . The four Avengers, along with the Black Knight's Ebony Blade were teleported away by the Grandmaster. [471] While Yellowjacket, the Black Panther and the Vision were transported back to the year 1944 to battle the Invaders (including that eras Captain America) the modern day Captain and the other Avengers were placed in stasis. They were soon freed when the Black Knight used the mystical connection to his sword to pull himself into the future. After freeing the captive Avengers, they confronted Kang just as their teammates won the bout in 1944 and were returned to Kang's era. With Kang having won the challenge, the Grandmaster granted Kang with the power of life over death. Seeing this as an opportunity to finally slay his long time foes, Kang decided to use his power to try and kill the Avengers. Since the Black Knight was not a member of the Avengers at the time, the power did not work on him and he knocked out Kang before he could slay his allies. The Grandmaster then stripped Kang of his power and returned the Avengers to their own era. Upon their return Cap and the Avengers unanimously agreed to induct the Black Knight into the ranks of the Avengers. [92] Following this, Captain America addressed the media, telling them that Tony Stark had survived his surgery following his most recent heart attack. [472]
Notations
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What was the surname of the title character in H.G.Wells; novel The Invisible Man? | The Invisible Man Setting and Character Descriptions
The Invisible Man Study Guide
Literary Elements
Setting
England in the 1890's. Iping and the surrounding area Much of the action initially occurs around or in a couple of pubs and an inn, thus taking advantage of the natural opportunity for people to spread rumors, speculate on mysterious issues, and expand on each other’s stories.
Character List
Griffin
The Invisible Man. He is an albino college student who had changed his area of study from medicine to physics and had become interested in refractive indexes of tissue. During his studies he stumbled across formulas that would render tissue invisible. Eventually he tries the formula on himself, thinking of all the things he could do if he were invisible. Unfortunately, the conveniences are far outweighed by the disadvantages; Griffin turns to crime as a means of survival.
Mr. Marvel
The first character whom Griffin tries to use as an accomplice. Mr. Marvel is short, fat, and a loner. He is the area tramp. Griffin perhaps also thinks that he is a little stupid and will thus not be able to resist and will not be believed if he tries to tell anyone about his predicament.
Dr. Kemp
A former associate of Griffin’s in his college days. Griffin had been a student and knew Kemp to be interested in bizarre, and idiosyncratic aspects of science. It is to Kemp’s house that Griffin goes in his final attempt to find an accomplice and live a more normal life. Kemp, however, has no particular sense of loyalty to a former student and is not prepared to participate in Griffin’s grand schemes. He is also more deceitful than Griffin knows and betrays the invisible man even while pretending to accept his confidences.
Minor Characters
The Halls
Proprietors of the Coach & Horses. Mrs. Hall is the one who is primarily in charge. She is happy enough to leave Griffin alone so long as her money is coming in on time. Her husband is more suspicious but does not interfere until Griffin’s behavior starts to become obvious.
Teddy Henfrey
A clock repairman who happens to visit the inn for a cup of tea. Mrs. Hall takes advantage of him to try to find out about her strange guest. Because the stranger will not talk, Teddy convinces himself that the man is someone of a “suspicious” nature. Teddy begins the rumors about the man being wanted by the police and merely wrapping himself up to conceal his identity.
Fearenside
A cartman who delivers luggage from the station whenever he is needed. He notices darkness through a torn pant leg where there should be pink flesh and starts the stories of Griffin being either a black man or a piebald.
Cuss
A general practitioner who attempts to get an interview with Griffin. He is the first to realize he actually see emptiness where there should be flesh and bone. He also tells an outrageous story to his companions in town after Griffin terrifies him by pinching his nose with an invisible hand.
Mr. And Mrs. Bunting
Bunting is the vicar. Cuss takes his story to Bunting. The next evening Bunting and his wife hear noise in their house after they have gone to bed. They are able to hear someone sneeze, and their money disappears right before their eyes.
Other people in the town who appear briefly in the story but have no particular characterization:
Huxter; Wadgers
| Griffin |
Which well-known fictional character, who first appeared in print in the 90's, has the rare ability to speak Parseltongue, the language of snakes? | The Invisible Man Characters - eNotes.com
The Invisible Man Characters
link Link
Griffin
Griffin, the Invisible Man. He arrives at a village inn and takes a room. Wearing dark glasses and bushy side whiskers, and having a completely bandaged head, he causes much curiosity in the village. Later, it develops that these are a disguise for his invisibility. Getting into trouble over an unpaid bill, he escapes and begins to terrify the people with his mysterious thefts. Wounded, he flees to a former acquaintance’s rooms. He reveals that, to get money for his experiments in invisibility, he robbed his father of money belonging to someone else; as a result his father committed suicide. Going thoroughly mad, he sends his former friend a note announcing that he plans to kill a man each day; his friend is to be the first victim. After a grotesque struggle, the Invisible Man is held by two men and struck with a spade by another man. As he is dying, his body slowly becomes visible.
Dr. Kemp
Dr. Kemp, a physician. Griffin knew him when both were university students. To Kemp, Griffin reveals his story. Later, he says that he plans to use Kemp’s rooms as a base for his reign of terror, and he threatens Kemp’s life. Kemp goes to the police, with whose aid he finally succeeds in destroying Griffin.
Mr. Hall
Mr. Hall, the landlord of the Coach and Horses Inn, where Griffin takes a room.
Mrs. Hall
Mrs. Hall, his wife. The Halls are the first to be puzzled by unexplainable activities on the part of their guest. Unintimidated, however, Mr. Hall swears out a warrant for Griffin’s arrest after the lodger becomes abusive because of ill feeling over an unpaid bill. After a struggle, Griffin at last unmasks and escapes in the ensuing horror and confusion.
Colonel Ayde
Colonel Ayde, chief of the Burdock police. Kemp goes to him with his information about Griffin. Ayde is wounded by his own revolver, which Griffin has snatched from his pocket.
Marvel
Marvel, a tramp whom Griffin frightens into aiding him. Griffin’s turning on Marvel is the occasion for some eerie scenes of pursuit.
Mr. Wicksteed
link Link
The mad and foolish Griffin is the main character of The Invisible Man. A poor man, he seeks wealth and power. Although his motivation is understandable, he is a scoundrel who invites little sympathy. Gifted with a wonderful intellect, he degrades it by making it serve his baser nature. Capable of great achievement, he narrows his world to one no larger than that of the tramp Thomas Marvel. The other characters are primarily stereotypes who populate a country village. Incapable of understanding the significance of Griffin's achievement, they respond to his deviltry as they would to a maddened animal. Dr. Kemp serves as a listener to Griffin's explanation of the secret of invisibility and as the enlightened intellect who can understand the marvel of Griffin's accomplishments while also recognizing that Griffin is a menace who must be controlled by society.
Critics have sometimes been puzzled by the popularity of a novel that in the main presents unsympathetic characters. The Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges may penetrate the mystery of the popular success of The Invisible Man when he notes that the story is "symbolic of processes that are somehow inherent in all human destinies. The harassed invisible man who has to sleep as though his eyes were wide open because his eyelids do not exclude light is our solitude and our terror." Griffin's experience represents the stripping away of illusions when technological progress does not live up to expectations and the old verities of society cannot cope with what such progress brings. The narrative is full of tension, and The Invisible Man's end is moving, even as it is mystifying: "His hair and beard were white," notes Wells after Griffin has died and become visible, "not grey with age, but white with the whiteness of albinism, and his eyes were like garnets. His hands were clenched, his eyes wide open, and his expression was one of anger and dismay." A man cries, "Cover his face!"
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Who is the elder sister of Stella Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire? | SparkNotes: A Streetcar Named Desire: Character List
A Streetcar Named Desire
Plot Overview
Analysis of Major Characters
Blanche DuBois - Stella’s older sister, who was a high school English teacher in Laurel, Mississippi, until she was forced to leave her post. Blanche is a loquacious and fragile woman around the age of thirty. After losing Belle Reve, the DuBois family home, Blanche arrives in New Orleans at the Kowalski apartment and eventually reveals that she is completely destitute. Though she has strong sexual urges and has had many lovers, she puts on the airs of a woman who has never known indignity. She avoids reality, preferring to live in her own imagination. As the play progresses, Blanche’s instability grows along with her misfortune. Stanley sees through Blanche and finds out the details of her past, destroying her relationship with his friend Mitch. Stanley also destroys what’s left of Blanche by raping her and then having her committed to an insane asylum.
Read an in-depth analysis of Blanche DuBois.
Stella Kowalski - Blanche’s younger sister, about twenty-five years old and of a mild disposition that visibly sets her apart from her more vulgar neighbors. Stella possesses the same timeworn aristocratic heritage as Blanche, but she jumped the sinking ship in her late teens and left Mississippi for New Orleans. There, Stella married lower-class Stanley, with whom she shares a robust sexual relationship. Stella’s union with Stanley is both animal and spiritual, violent but renewing. After Blanche’s arrival, Stella is torn between her sister and her husband. Eventually, she stands by Stanley, perhaps in part because she gives birth to his child near the play’s end. While she loves and pities Blanche, she cannot bring herself to believe Blanche’s accusations that Stanley dislikes Blanche, and she eventually dismisses Blanche’s claim that Stanley raped her. Stella’s denial of reality at the play’s end shows that she has more in common with her sister than she thinks.
Stanley Kowalski - The husband of Stella. Stanley is the epitome of vital force. He is loyal to his friends, passionate to his wife, and heartlessly cruel to Blanche. With his Polish ancestry, he represents the new, heterogeneous America. He sees himself as a social leveler, and wishes to destroy Blanche’s social pretensions. Around thirty years of age, Stanley, who fought in World War II, now works as an auto-parts salesman. Practicality is his forte, and he has no patience for Blanche’s distortions of the truth. He lacks ideals and imagination. By the play’s end, he is a disturbing degenerate: he beats his wife and rapes his sister-in-law. Horrifyingly, he shows no remorse. Yet, Blanche is an outcast from society, while Stanley is the proud family man.
Read an in-depth analysis of Stanley Kowalski.
Harold “Mitch” Mitchell - Stanley’s army friend, coworker, and poker buddy, who courts Blanche until he finds out that she lied to him about her sordid past. Mitch, like Stanley, is around thirty years of age. Though he is clumsy, sweaty, and has unrefined interests like muscle building, Mitch is more sensitive and more gentlemanly than Stanley and his other friends, perhaps because he lives with his mother, who is slowly dying. Blanche and Mitch are an unlikely match: Mitch doesn’t fit the bill of the chivalric hero, the man Blanche dreams will come to rescue her. Nevertheless, they bond over their lost loves, and when the doctor takes Blanche away against her will, Mitch is the only person present besides Stella who despairs over the tragedy.
Read an in-depth analysis of Harold “Mitch” Mitchell.
Eunice - Stella’s friend, upstairs neighbor, and landlady. Eunice and her husband, Steve, represent the low-class, carnal life that Stella has chosen for herself. Like Stella, Eunice accepts her husband’s affections despite his physical abuse of her. At the end of the play, when Stella hesitates to stay with Stanley at Blanche’s expense, Eunice forbids Stella to question her decision and tells her she has no choice but to disbelieve Blanche.
Allan Grey - The young man with poetic aspirations whom Blanche fell in love with and married as a teenager. One afternoon, she discovered Allan in bed with an older male friend. That evening at a ball, after she announced her disgust at his homosexuality, he ran outside and shot himself in the head. Allan’s death, which marked the end of Blanche’s sexual innocence, has haunted her ever since. Long dead by the time of the play’s action, Allan never appears onstage.
A Young Collector - A teenager who comes to the Kowalskis’ door to collect for the newspaper when Blanche is home alone. The boy leaves bewildered after Blanche hits on him and gives him a passionate farewell kiss. He embodies Blanche’s obsession with youth and presumably reminds her of her teenage love, the young poet Allan Grey, whom she married and lost to suicide. Blanche’s flirtation with the newspaper collector also displays her unhealthy sexual preoccupation with teenage boys, which we learn of later in the play.
Shep Huntleigh - A former suitor of Blanche’s whom she met again a year before her arrival in New Orleans while vacationing in Miami. Despite the fact that Shep is married, Blanche hopes he will provide the financial support for her and Stella to escape from Stanley. As Blanche’s mental stability deteriorates, her fantasy that Shep is coming to sweep her away becomes more and more real to her. Shep never appears onstage.
Steve - Stanley’s poker buddy who lives upstairs with his wife, Eunice. Like Stanley, Steve is a brutish, hot-blooded, physically fit male and an abusive husband.
Pablo - Stanley’s poker buddy. Like Stanley and Steve, Steve is physically fit and brutish. Pablo is Hispanic, and his friendship with Steve, Stanley, and Mitch emphasizes the culturally diverse nature of their neighborhood.
A Negro Woman - In Scene One, the Negro woman is sitting on the steps talking to Eunice when Blanche arrives, and she finds Stanley’s openly sexual gestures toward Stella hilarious. Later, in Scene Ten, we see her scurrying across the stage in the night as she rifles through a prostitute’s lost handbag.
A Doctor - At the play’s finale, the doctor arrives to whisk Blanche off to an asylum. He and the nurse initially seem to be heartless institutional caretakers, but, in the end, the doctor appears more kindly as he takes off his jacket and leads Blanche away. This image of the doctor ironically conforms to Blanche’s notions of the chivalric Southern gentleman who will offer her salvation.
A Mexican Woman - A vendor of Mexican funeral decorations who frightens Blanche by issuing the plaintive call “Flores para los muertos,” which means “Flowers for the dead.”
A Nurse - Also called the “Matron,” she accompanies the doctor to collect Blanche and bring her to an institution. She possesses a severe, unfeminine manner and has a talent for subduing hysterical patients.
Shaw - A supply man who is Stanley’s coworker and his source for stories of Blanche’s disreputable past in Laurel, Mississippi. Shaw travels regularly through Laurel.
Prostitute - Moments before Stanley rapes Blanche, the back wall of the Kowalskis’ apartment becomes transparent, and Blanche sees a prostitute in the street being pursued by a male drunkard. The prostitute’s situation evokes Blanche’s own predicament. After the prostitute and the drunkard pass, the Negro woman scurries by with the prostitute’s lost handbag in hand.
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Which famous fictional character retired to a small farm on the Sussex Downs in 1903 and took up the hobby of bee-keeping as his main occupation? | SparkNotes: A Streetcar Named Desire: Key Facts
A Streetcar Named Desire
full title · A Streetcar Named Desire
author · Tennessee Williams
time and place written · Late 1940s, New Orleans
date of first publication · 1947
publisher · New Directions
tone · Ironic and sympathetic realism
setting (time) · 1940s
setting (place) · New Orleans, Louisiana
protagonist · Blanche DuBois
major conflict · Blanche DuBois, an aging Southern debutante, arrives at her sister’s home in New Orleans hoping to start a new life after losing her ancestral mansion, her job, and her reputation in her hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. Blanche’s brother-in-law, a macho working-class guy named Stanley Kowalski, is so filled with class resentment that he seeks to destroy Blanche’s character in New Orleans as well. His cruelty, combined with Blanche’s fragile, insecure personality, leaves her mentally detached from reality by the play’s end.
rising action · Blanche immediately rouses the suspicion of Stanley, who (wrongly) suspects Blanche of swindling Stella out of her inheritance. Blanche grows to despise Stanley when she sees him drunkenly beat her pregnant sister. Stanley permanently despises Blanche after he overhears her trying to convince Stella to leave Stanley because he is common. Already suspicious of Blanche’s act of superiority, Stanley researches Blanche’s past. He discovers that in Laurel Blanche was known for her sexual promiscuity and for having an affair with a teenage student. He reports his findings to Blanche’s suitor, Mitch, dissuading Mitch from marrying Blanche.
climax · After Stanley treats Blanche cruelly during her birthday dinner, giving her a bus ticket back to Laurel as a present, Stella goes into labor. She and Stanley depart for the hospital, leaving Blanche alone in the house. Mitch arrives, drunk, and breaks off his relationship with Blanche. Blanche, alone in the apartment once more, drowns herself in alcohol and dreams of an impossible rescue. Stanley returns to the apartment from the hospital and rapes Blanche.
falling action · Weeks after the rape, Stella secretly prepares for Blanche’s departure to an insane asylum. She tells her neighbor Eunice that she simply couldn’t believe Blanche’s accusation that Stanley raped her. Unaware of reality, Blanche boasts that she is leaving to join a millionaire suitor. When the doctor arrives, Blanche leaves after a minor struggle, and only Stella and Mitch, who sits in the kitchen with Stanley’s poker players, seem to express real remorse for her.
themes · Fantasy’s inability to overcome reality; the relationship between sex and death; dependence on men
motifs · Light; bathing; drunkenness
symbols · Shadows and cries; the Varsouviana polka; “It’s Only a Paper Moon”; meat
foreshadowing · In Scene Ten, Williams takes a brief detour away from events in the Kowalski household to show a street scene involving a prostitute, her male admirer, and a Negro woman. The man follows the prostitute solicitously, there is a struggle offstage, and then the Negro woman runs away with the prostitute’s handbag. This scene foreshadows Stanley’s rape of Blanche, which occurs offstage at the scene’s end. Stanley’s raiding of Blanche’s trunk in Scene Two also foreshadows the rape.
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Which ground was the venue for the first ever cricket Test Match between England and Australia in 1877 ? | Melbourne Cricket Ground - Melbourne - ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 - Australia and New Zealand Official Site
Brunton Ave, East Melbourne VIC 8002
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One of the most iconic stadiums in the world, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) holds a special place in Australian sport.
This multi-purpose stadium has hosted the 1956 Olympic Games and 2006 Commonwealth Games as well as international cricket, rugby, rugby league, football and AFL matches. The stadium is home to the state cricket team, the Victorian Bushrangers and Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League.
The MCG was built in 1853 and hosted the first ever Test Match in 1877 between Australia and England, making it the birthplace of Test cricket. It was also the venue for the first-ever One Day International in 1970-71 between Australia and England and hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup final in 1992 between England and Pakistan.
The grounds also house the Australian National Sports Museum, offering the nation’s finest collection of sporting history.
Conveniently, the MCG sits in close proximity to Melbourne’s central city, requiring just a short train or tram ride to reach the arena.
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Which motor racing circuit was used for the cycling raod races at the 2012 London Paralympic Games? | The first ever Test
The first ever Test
The first ever Test Published: 15 March 2013
James Lillywhite (middle row, centre) with the first England Test side
By Will Roe in The Cricket History Blog
Today marks the 136th anniversary of the first ever Test match between England and Australia.
Played at Melbourne Cricket Ground on May 15 1877, England - captained by James Lillywhite - lost by 45 runs.
It was not the first time an England side had toured Australia but in November 1876, when Lillywhite's team set off for the southern hemisphere, it was the first to visit as a business venture rather than following an invitation.
England's association with MCC would not start until 27 years later, when the first England team to tour under the MCC banner was the 1904-1905 tourists to Australia led by captain Sir Pelham Warner.
Lillywhite, a slow left arm bowler who played county cricket for Sussex, had toured Australia on six occasions and was given the captaincy for the inaugural Test match.
It was a timeless Test consisting of four ball overs, but it was completed within five days, including a rest day on the Sunday.
The match started with England's Alfred Shaw bowling the first ever delivery in Test cricket to Australia's Charles Bannerman, after the hosts won the toss.
Bannerman went on to score the first ever Test century, after compiling 165 before retiring hurt, in a total of 245 during Australia’s first innings.
49-year-old James Southerton, who was joint top wicket taker in the first innings with 3-61, was the oldest player on either side and to this day remains the oldest Test debutant ever.
In response England posted 196 with Surrey’s Harry Jupp (63) top scoring. He was lucky to do so however, after standing on his stumps before even scoring a run. Neither umpire noticed as the Australians appealed in vain, while 4,000 spectators at the MCG booed in disapproval.
In fact, Jupp was not meant to even play due to an eye infection but had to take the field as England's twelve-man squad had been reduced to eleven after they returned from the New Zealand leg of their tour.
Wicket-keeper Ted Pooley was in a Christchurch jail after becoming embroiled in a betting scandal.
England fared better second time around, dismissing the hosts for 104 in their second innings in front of a 12,000 strong crowd on the Saturday.
But set 154 to win, England crumbled to 108 all out, with English-born slow bowler Tom Kendall taking 7 for 55 as Australia won the first ever Test match.
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Which US Football team moved from the Three Rovers Stadium to the newly built Heinz Field in 2001 ? | Three Rivers Stadium - 必应
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Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball ( MLB ) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League ( NFL ). Built as a replacement for Forbes Field, which opened in 1909, the $55 million ($354.9 million today) multi-purpose facility was designed to maximize efficiency. Ground was broken in April 1968 and an oft behind-schedule construction plan lasted for 29 months. The stadium opened on July 16 ... (展开) , 1970 when the Pirates played their first game. In the 1971 World Series, Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first World Series game played at night. The following year the stadium was the site of the Immaculate Reception. The final game in the stadium was won by the Steelers on December 16, 2000. Three Rivers Stadium also hosted the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team for a single season each. After its closing, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001, and the Pirates and Steelers each moved into newly built stadiums: PNC Park and Heinz Field, respectively.
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major ...
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The Olympic Stadium in which city was completed in 1938 and has hosted two World Athletic Championships, three Europeans and one Olympics, but not the one it was built for? | Three Rivers Stadium | American Football Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
Football: 59,000
Baseball: 47,952
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers , the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise and National Football League (NFL) franchise respectively.
Built as a replacement to Forbes Field , which opened in 1909, the US$55 million multi-purpose facility was designed to maximize efficiency. Ground was broken in April 1968 and an oft behind-schedule construction plan lasted for 29 months. [1] The stadium opened on July 16, 1970 when the Pirates played their first game. In the 1971 World Series, Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first World Series game played at night. The following year the stadium was the site of the Immaculate Reception . The final game in the stadium was won by the Steelers on December 16, 2000. Three Rivers Stadium also hosted the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team for a single season each. [2] [3]
After its closing, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001, and the Pirates and Steelers each moved into newly built stadiums.
Contents
Edit
A proposal for a new sports stadium in Pittsburgh was first made in 1948; however, plans did not attract much attention until the late 1950s. [4] The Pittsburgh Pirates played their home games at Forbes Field , which opened in 1909, [5] and was the oldest venue in the National League (Chicago's Wrigley Field was next-oldest, having been built in 1914). [4] The Pittsburgh Steelers, who had moved from Forbes Field to Pitt Stadium in 1964, were large supporters of the project. [4] For their part, according to longtime Pirates announcer Bob Prince, the Pirates wanted a bigger place to play in order to draw more revenue. [6]
In 1958, the Pirates sold Forbes to the University of Pittsburgh for $2 million. The university wanted the land for expanded graduate facilities. [6] As part of the deal, the university leased Forbes back to the Pirates until a replacement could be built. [7] An early design of the stadium included plans to situate the stadium atop a bridge across the Monongahela River. It was to call for a 70,000 seat stadium with hotels, marina and even 100 lane bowling alley. [8] Plans of the "Stadium over the Monongahela" were eventually not pursued. [9] A design was presented in 1958 which featured an open center field design—through which fans could view Pittsburgh's "Golden Triangle". [10] A site on the city's Northside was approved on August 10, 1958, due to land availability and parking space, [10] the latter of which had been a problem at Forbes Field. [4] The same site had hosted Exposition Park, which the Pirates had left in 1909. [11] The stadium was located in a hard-to-access portion of downtown, making it hard in later years to get in before games and leave after games. [6] Political debate continued over the North Side Sports Stadium and the project was often behind schedule and over-budget. [10] Arguments were made by commissioner Dr. William McCelland that the Pirates and Steelers should fund a higher percentage of the $33 million project. Due to lack of support, however, the arguments faded. [10]
Ground for Three Rivers Stadium was broken on April 25, 1968. [10] Due to the Steelers' suggestions, the stadium's design was changed to enclose center field. [10] Construction continued, though it became plagued with problems such as thieves stealing materials from the building site. [10] In November 1969, Arthur Gratz asked the city for an additional $3 million, which was granted. [12] In January 1970, the opening target date of the stadium was set for May 29, however, because of a failure to install the lights on schedule, opening day was pushed back to July 16. [12] The stadium was named due to its location at the confluence of the Allegheny River and Monongahela River, which forms the Ohio River. It would sometimes be called The House That Clemente Built after Pirates' right fielder Roberto Clemente. [13]
Design and alterations
File:Pittsburgh Stadium.JPG
Three Rivers Stadium was similar in design to other stadiums built in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Riverfront Stadium , the Houston Astrodome , and Busch Memorial Stadium , which were designed as multi-purpose facilities to maximize efficiency. [14] [15] Due to their similar design these stadiums were nicknamed "cookie-cutter" ballparks. [6] The sight lines were more favorable to football; almost 70 percent of the seats in the baseball configuration were in foul territory. [6] It originally seated 50,611 for baseball, [6] but several expansions over the years brought it to 58,729. [16] In 1993, the Pirates placed tarps on most of the upper deck to create a better baseball atmosphere, reducing capacity to 47,687. [6] [17] [18] The stadium originally contained Tartan Turf, though it was replaced by a number of other surfaces including AstroTurf. [19] The field originally used "Gamesaver vacuum vehicles" to dry the surface, though they were replaced by an underground drainage system. [19] In 1975, the baseball field's outfield fences were moved ten feet closer to home plate, in an attempt to boost home run numbers. [19] The bullpens were moved to multiple locations throughout the stadium's history; however, their first position was also their final one—beyond the right-field fence. [19]
Due to Three Rivers Stadium's multi-purpose design, bands including Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones & The Who hosted concerts at the venue. [20] [21] In 1985, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band hosted the largest concert in Pittsburgh history, when they performed for 65,935 onlookers. [22] And in 1992, the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrated their second Stanley Cup victory at the Stadium. [21] The stadium hosted various Jehovah's Witnesses conventions, including international conventions in 1973 and 1978, and a centennial conference in 1984. A Billy Graham Crusade took place at Three Rivers in June, 1993. [23] The venue also served as the premiere of the 1994 Disney film Angels in the Outfield which, despite being based around the then-Disney owned California Angels, paid homage to the original 1951 film, which featured the Pirates in heavenly need. [24]
Three Rivers Stadium had a beverage contract with Coca-Cola throughout its history. It was during the Steelers' stay in Three Rivers that the now famous "Mean Joe" Greene Coke commercial aired, leading to a longstanding relationship between the two. When Heinz Field opened, Coca-Cola also assumed the beverage contract for that stadium (the Pirates signed a deal with Pepsi for PNC Park), and also became the primary sponsor for the Steelers' own hall of fame, the Coca-Cola Great Hall.
Demolition
Edit
In September 1991, planning began to build a new baseball park for the Pittsburgh Pirates. [25] As talks continued, a proposal to re-model Three Rivers Stadium into a full-time football stadium was made. [26] However, Steelers ownership did not support the idea, stating that a new venue would be needed for the franchise to remain competitive. [27] On July 9, 1998, the Allegheny Regional Asset District board approved an $809 million plan which would fund the Pirates' PNC Park and the Steelers' Heinz Field . [28] Ground was broken for the new stadiums in 1999. [29] [30] On October 1, 2000, the Pirates were defeated 10–9 by the Chicago Cubs in their final game at Three Rivers Stadium. [18] After the game, former Pirate Willie Stargell threw out the ceremonial last pitch. [31] Two months later on December 16, 2000, the Steelers concluded play at Three Rivers Stadium, with a 24-3 victory over the Washington Redskins . [32]
Three Rivers Stadium was imploded on February 11, 2001 at 7:59 a.m. on a chilly 21 °F day. Over 20,000 people viewed the implosion from Point State Park. Another 3,000-4,000 viewing from atop Mount Washington and an uncounted number of people viewed the demolition from various high points across the city. Mark Loizeaux of Controlled Demolition, Inc. pushed the button that set off the 19-second implosion, while Elizabeth and Joseph King pushed the "ceremonial old fashioned dynamite plunger". [33] The demolition cost $5.1 million and used 4,800 pounds of explosive. [34] [35] With the newly constructed Heinz Field only 80 feet away, effects from the blast were a concern. Doug Loizeaux, vice president of Controlled Demolition, Inc., was happy to report that there was no debris within 40 feet of Heinz Field.
Stadium usage
Edit
Three Rivers Stadium opened on July 16, 1970, when the Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 3–2, in front of 48,846 spectators. [17] [36] The first pitch was thrown by Dock Ellis—a strike—to Ty Cline. [37] The first hit in the stadium was by Pittsburgh's Richie Hebner, in the bottom of the first inning. [37] The Pirates lifted their local blackout policy so that local fans could see the inaugural game. [38] In the Pirates' lowest season of attendance, 1985, an average of 9,085 people attended each game. [39] The average attendance would peak in 1991, when Pittsburgh attracted 25,498 spectators to an average game. [39] Game one of the 1970 National League Championship Series, at Three Rivers Stadium, was the first postseason baseball game to be played on an artificial surface. [9] The following season, the Pirates advanced to the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. Three Rivers Stadium hosted game four, in which the Pirates defeated the Orioles in the first ever World Series game played at night. [9] Pittsburgh hosted its third Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1974. The National League won the game by a score of 7–2. Pirates' pitcher Ken Brett was the game winning pitcher. [40] Twenty years later, the midsummer classic returned to Three Rivers Stadium. In front of 59,568 spectators, the largest crowd to ever attend a baseball game at the stadium, [17] the National League won 8-7 in the 10th inning. On July 6, 1980, the Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 5-4 in 20 innings—the most innings ever played at the stadium. The longest game at the stadium was played on August 6, 1989, when Jeff King hit a walk-off home run 5 hours and 42 minutes into the 18-inning contest, as the Pirates once again beat the Cubs 5-4. [41] On September 30, 1972, Pirates' right-fielder Roberto Clemente got his 3,000th hit at Three Rivers Stadium, three months before his death. [9]
Bobby Bonilla hit one of the only thirteen home runs ever hit into the upper deck of Three Rivers Stadium, and one of the six to the right-field side. Willie Stargell is the all-time leader in upper deck shots at the stadium, hitting four of the remaining five right-field blasts; Mark Whiten hit the other. The left-field upper deck had been reached by Jeff Bagwell twice, and Bob Robertson, Greg Luzinski, Howard Johnson, Glenallen Hill and Devon White (his home run struck the facade) once each. [42]
Steelers
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The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first game in Three Rivers Stadium on September 20, 1970—a 19–7 loss to the Houston Oilers . [18] Throughout their 31 seasons in Three Rivers Stadium, the Steelers posted a record of 182–72, including a 13-5 playoff record. The Steelers sold out every home game from 1972 through the closing of the stadium, a streak which continues through 2008. [43] The largest attendance for a football game was on January 15, 1995, when 61,545 spectators witnessed the Steelers lose to the San Diego Chargers . [18] On December 23, 1972, Three Rivers Stadium was site to the Immaculate Reception , which became regarded as the greatest play in NFL history. [44] Three Rivers Stadium hosted seven AFC Championship Games from 1972 to 1998, [18] [45] the Steelers won four. [46] In the 1995 AFC Championship Game , the Steelers' Randy Fuller deflected a Hail Mary pass intended for Indianapolis Colts receiver Aaron Bailey as time expired, to send the franchise to their 5th Super Bowl. [45] [45] A Steelers symbol recognized worldwide, The Terrible Towel debuted on December 27, 1975 at Three Rivers Stadium. The Steelers would move to Heinz Field after it was closed. [47]
The Three Rivers Stadium is also part of a sequence from The Song Remains the Same (1976), a documentary of Led Zeppelin's 1973 tour. Many other Pittsburgh landmarks are also shown, including the Fort Pitt Tunnel, the old Pittsburgh International Airport (1952-1992) and Fort Pitt Bridge.
References
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What was the name of the circuit on which the Dutch Formula One Grand Prix was held from 1948 until its last running in 1985 ? | Dutch Grand Prix Formula One | @guidof
Dutch GP F1 History
How about the Dutch Grand Prix Formula One?
The Dutch Grand Prix (Grote Prijs van Nederland) was a Formula One automobile race held at Circuit Zandvoort, near Zandvoort, the Netherlands, from 1952 to 1985. It was a part of the World Championship from 1952, and designated the European Grand Prix twice, 1962 and 1976, when this title was an honorary designation given each year to one grand prix race in Europe.
1952 was the year of the very first Dutch Grand Prix when it was part of the third Formula One World Championship; this and the next year’s races were won by Italian Alberto Ascari.
More information on this first Dutch Grand Prix on second-a-lap.blogspot.se .
In 1955 saw yet another demonstration of Mercedes-Benz’s dominance, with Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio and Briton Stirling Moss dominating the proceedings; Moss followed Fangio closely all the way. The 1958 race was won by Moss in a Vanwall. 1959 saw Swede Jo Bonnier win his only Formula One championship event and 1960 saw Dan Gurney have an accident and a spectator was killed; the race was won by Jack Brabham in a Cooper.
From 1963 to 1965 saw Briton Jim Clark win all three events, and 1967 saw the introduction of the Lotus 49 with its brand new Ford-Cosworth DFV engine. The DFV won on its debut with Clark driving; this engine became the most successful and widely used engine among private teams until 1985. 1970, however, saw the 49’s successor, the 72 – which was just as advanced a design as the 49 had been 3 years earlier – win comprehensively with Jochen Rindt behind the wheel. Tragedy struck, however – Briton Piers Courage, driving a Frank Williams-entered De Tomaso crashed heavily near the notoriously fast Tunnel Oost corner after a wheel came off and hit him on the head, which killed him. The car, with Courage still in it, then caught fire and burned to the ground.
1971 – Pitlane at Dutch GP with winner Jacky Ickx
1971 saw Jacky Ickx win in a Ferrari after a spirited battle with Mexican Pedro Rodriguez in a BRM in rain-soaked conditions. There was no 1972 race, however. It was originally on that year’s calendar, but the drivers refused to race at Zandvoort, because the facilities and conditions of the circuit were out-of-date with Grand Prix racing at that time.
1973 – Jacky Stewart wins in Holland
1973 – Stewart victory tainted by Williamsons horrific death
Zandvoort had been extensively modified during its absence from the Grand Prix calendar. For the 1973 race, in an indirect celebration of the efforts put forth, there was a special atmosphere at that weekend and everyone was happy, especially the organizers. But in the eighth lap of the race, Briton Roger Williamson – in only his second ever Formula One race – crashed heavily near Tunnel Oost and was killed after his car caught fire while scraping along the tarmac. The race was won by Tyrrell driver Jackie Stewart (who broke Jim Clark’s record for the most career Grand Prix victories that weekend) and his teammate François Cevert finished 2nd; but no one felt like celebrating; it was one of the darkest moments in the history of the sport.
1974 – Lauda leading at Zandvoort
1974 saw the re-emerging Ferrari team dominate with Austrian Niki Lauda winning.
Holland was host to the eighth round, and Lauda took his fourth pole of the year, with teammate Regazzoni alongside, and the McLarens of Fittipaldi and Hailwood next up. Lauda led from the start, will Hailwood jumping up to second. But Regaazzoni took only two laps to regain second, and Hailwood was soon passed by Depailler and Fittipaldi. Depailler held third until he struggled with oversteer, and so Fittipaldi was through. Lauda won, with Regazzoni making it a 1-2 for Ferrari, with Fittipaldi getting third.
1975 – Hunt in his Heskeths leading over Lauda in Ferrari
1975 – James Hunt wins ahead of Niki Lauda and Carlos Reutemann
1975 saw Briton James Hunt win his first championship Formula One race in his Hesketh.
Pole went to Lauda, with teammate Regazzoni alongside, and Hunt’s Hesketh third. The race started on a damp track and Lauda took the lead, with Scheckter up to second ahead of Regazzoni. The order was unchanged until the drivers had to pit for dry tyres. Hunt and Jarier pitted early, and their gamble paid off as they were first and second, with Lauda, Scheckter and Regazzoni third, fourth and fifth respectively. Lauda passed Jarier for second midway through the race, and started closing on Hunt. Jarier almost immediately retired with a tyre failure, and Scheckter who inherited third had his engine blow up with just 12 laps left. Hunt held off Lauda to take his first career win, with Regazzoni completing the podium.
1976 – Start of Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort with Rpnnie Peterson leading
1976 – James Hunt wins with Marlboro Team McLaren McLaren M23
1976 saw Hunt win again while Lauda was recovering from his dreadful crash at the Nürburgring so Ferrari were back in business, but with only one car for Regazzoni. It was Peterson who took pole at Zandvoort, beating pole king Hunt and Tom Pryce’s Shadow. Peterson led the early stages ahead of Watson, until Watson made a mistake which let Hunt through. Peterson then struggled and dropped behind Hunt, Watson and Regazzoni. Watson retired with a gearbox failure, promoting Regazzoni and Peterson, but the latter also retired when he lost oil pressure. Regazzoni now closed up on Hunt, bringing Mario Andretti with him, but Hunt held them off, with Regazzoni and Andretti within two seconds of him in second and third.
1977 – Hunt and Andretti
1977 was probably remembered for an incident between Hunt and American Mario Andretti. Andretti attempted ambitiously to pass Hunt at the 180 degree Tarzan corner; the two cars touched and both were out of the race. In qualifying Andretti took his fifth pole of the season with Laffite alongside on the front row, and Hunt third. At the start, Hunt jumped both the front row starters to lead but before the end of the first lap, Andretti tried to drive alongside him but some aggressive defending from Hunt forced him to lift, and Laffite took advantage to get second. Five laps later, Andretti had got back past Laffite and was attack attacking Hunt, who again defended aggressively but this time Andretti did not lift and they collided. Hunt was out on the spot, whereas Andretti spun and rejoined fourth.
1977 – Niki Lauda leading Mario Andretti and Carlos Reutemann
This left Laffite leading from the Ferraris of Lauda and Reutemann. The latter had a long battle with Andretti for third, repeatedly exchanging places, until the Lotus driver’s engine blew up. Soon after, Lauda passed Laffite to take the lead, and he went on build a gap and win comfortably. Laffite finished second. After Andretti’s demise, Reutemann ran third until the second Lotus of Nilsson attacked him, and the two collided with Nilsson out and Reutemann rejoining at the back. This sensationally left Patrick Tambay in the Ensign third, but he ran out of fuel on the last lap, thus handing the place to Scheckter.
1978 – A clear 1-2 finish for Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson
Andretti won the 1978 running after taking pole with Peterson alongside in the all-Lotus front row, and Lauda heading the second row. At the start, Andretti led with Peterson following, whereas Lauda was challenged by Jacques Laffite. The Lotus cars quickly built up a good gap, while Laffite challenged Lauda early on but then began to drop down the order with tyre issues. The race was quite uneventful, and Andretti went to take victory, with Peterson completing another Lotus 1-2 leaving Lauda to take third. This was Andrettis last Formula One victory.
1979 – Start of Dutch Grand Prix with winner Alan Jones
1979 – Gilles Villeneuve
1979 saw a change to the circuit to slow cars coming into Tunnel Oost; there was a high-speed temporary chicane put there. Canadian Gilles Villeneuve had crashed there while battling ferociously with Australian Alan Jones and damaged his left-rear suspension. But he carried on; but on the start of the next lap he went off again at Tarzan. Refusing to give up, Villeneuve, to the shock of many, went into reverse gear and drove his Ferrari out of the muddy run-off area and back onto the circuit. About halfway distance, the car’s left rear rim and wheel with the suspension totally shattered was being dragged by the car as it went along; which made the Ferrari nearly impossible to drive. Villeneuve, displaying his now legendary car control, made it back to the pits without crashing or going off and retired from the race; the Grand Prix was won by Jones.
1980 – Nelson Piquets wins over Arnoux and Laffite
1980 saw the chicane removed and was replaced by a slower chicane before Tunnel Oost.
1981 – Podium with Piquet, Prost and Jones
1981 – Alain Prost and Alan Jones
1981 saw a big battle between Frenchman Alain Prost in a Renault and Jones in a Williams; Prost came out on top to win.
1982 – Didier Pironi with Ferrari 126C2 – Ferrari V6 t/c from Scuderia Ferrari
The 1982 event was won by Frenchman Didier Pironi in a Ferrari; his countryman René Arnoux had a dreadful crash at the end of the pit straight going into Tarzan; his front suspension failed on his ground-effect Renault and he went head on into the barriers; fortunately he was uninjured.
( More on the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix… )
1983 – Rene Arnoux with Ferrari
1983 saw a battle between championship contenders Prost and Brazilian Nelson Piquet. Prost attempted to pass Piquet at Tarzan but the Frenchman punted Piquet off and Prost crashed soon afterwards. Rene Arnoux got his final F1 victory here at Zandvoort.
1984 – Alain Prost with McLaren-TAG MP4-2
| Zandvoort |
At which football ground did Frank Bruno defeat Joe Bugner in October 1987 ? | Track information - Zandvoort - Grand Prix Racing Online
1:09.789s
Description
Zandvoort itself is one of the most popular beach resorts in Holland, partially due to its proximity to Amsterdam. There are numerous beach hotels catering to many varied tastes. The terrain is sand dune, with few trees. This characteristic made it one of the best viewing facilities in Formula One. Being in dune country, Zandvoort was slightly undulating and featured several elevation changes, particularly the famous Scheivlak corner, which went down and to the right. The corners were of many different cambers and angles. The Tarzan hairpin at the end of the pit-straight, was one of most famous corners in racing. Until Formula One went chicane-happy and installed one at Zandvoort, there was a very fast backstretch. When the winds blew, sand would be an additional hazard.
Zandvoort was opened in 1948 and hosted some non-championship events until 1952 when it hosted the Dutch Grand Prix. For the first ten years, Grand Prix scheduling was sporadic. From 1970 till 1985, nearly every year a grand prix was hosted at Zandvoort.
The races at Zandvoort saw some memorable battles. The British drivers and constructers dominated largely the 60s. In the 1970 race, Piers Courage, an heir to the British brewing giant, Courage, crashed, turned over and burned. Courage did not survive. The vastly under-rated and largely forgotten Jackie Ickx returned Ferrari to victory in 1971 after a truly magnificent, prolonged duel in the rain with Pedro Rodriguez.
Jackie Stewart was then head of the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA). Among other safety considerations, this group campaigned for circuit improvements. After missing 1972 because the track was deemed unsafe, racing returned to Zandvoort in 1973 after a million dollars worth of improvements were made. Roger Williamson had the misfortune of testing one of the new Armco barriers. It partially collapsed and acted as a launcher, sending Williamson's car into the air. It landed on the track, upside down and in flames. In a scenario eerily reminiscent of Indy 1955, David Purley, Williamson's close friend, stopped his car and vainly tried to free the trapped Williamson while track marshals looked on, offering no assistance. When the fire truck finally arrived, it was too late.
1974 saw Ferrari return to glory with Niki Lauda leading Clay Regazzoni to a one-two sweep. In 1975 James Hunt and the Hesketh team won their first race by first outsmarting the field on a wet-to-dry tire change and then capably holding off Lauda's more powerful Ferrari in the closing laps.
Australia's Alan Jones won in 1979, completing a hat-trick that had started at Hockenheim and continued at the Osterreicchring.
Ferrari was back in the winner's circle in 1982 as Didier Pironi, less than two months after the tragic death of teammate Villeneuve at Zolder, Belgium and a month away from suffering catastrophic injuries himself at Hockenheim, beat Nelson Piquet.
Rene Arnoux and Patrick Tambay led a Ferrari one-two in 1983. That feat was duplicated by Alain Prost and Niki Lauda in 1984 in McLaren-Porsches.
For the Zandvoort finale a year later, Prost and Lauda would reverse things, with Lauda superbly winning the race. Like the Zandvoort track, it was Lauda's last year as a driver.
The respected British writer, Nigel Roebuck, called Zandvoort 'the greatest circuit for racing that F1 has ever known'. Despite this attribute, Zandvoort disappeared from the Formula One calendar in 1986 and has never returned. It was lacking in the things that really mattered, like suites and adequate facilities for the corporate elite. Never mind that just about everyone considered it a great circuit for racing.
Maybe there's some hope, however, that Zandvoort would be re-instated instead of F1 going to another chicane-filled atrocity. The circuit has undergone major changes and improvements, making it up-to-modern standards.
History
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In which of New York's five boroughs is the New Yankee stadium located? | Five Boroughs : Long Island Exchange
Used Cars
Five Boroughs
Located just west of Long Island is a city with 5 boroughs, 59 community districts and hundreds of neighborhoods .
The Five Boroughs of New York: New York City is one of the biggest cities in the world, perhaps, because it is actually made up of five smaller sections called boroughs. At one time, each borough had a completely separate government because it was considered a municipal corporation. A municipal is a local governing body with its own set of governing officials. In 1898, the separate governments were united as one. The five boroughs kept their separate identities but became a part of New York City. The five boroughs are Manhattan , Brooklyn , Queens , The Bronx and Staten Island .
Each borough has a borough president, and the borough government operates out of a borough hall like a city hall that most people associate with city officials. Manhattan is the only exception; the officials function out of the Manhattan Municipal Building. As of 1990, the borough president has very little power. At one time, each president had a voice in budget decisions within the city of New York . It was argued in the U.S. Supreme Court that the practice was unconstitutional since each borough president got one vote. The most densely populated boroughs got the same vote as the borough with the least amount of people. It violated the 14th amendment. The mayor of New York City makes all budget decisions for all the boroughs.
Manhattan: When people think New York, they often think of Manhattan . The island of Manhattan is the smallest of the five boroughs but has more people than the largest borough of New York. Manhattan is 23 square miles. That is not much space for the 1.6 million people who live there and does not take into account tourists or those that work in Manhattan but choose to live in one of the outer boroughs.
Manhattan is known for many landmarks like the Empire State Building and Central Park. The neighborhoods are varied. From Harlem with its boutiques and jazz clubs, Lower Manhattan’s cultural cuisine to the Upper East Side’s museums and Midtown’s Times Square, there is a cultural, culinary and visual experience for every visitor.
The Bronx: The Bronx is the second smallest of the New York boroughs at 42 square miles but has less people than Manhattan does. The 2010 census reported over 1.3 million people in The Bronx. The Bronx has more open spaces than Manhattan and could account for the amount of people.
There are many tree-lined streets and local parks for families that settle in this area. The South Bronx is where Yankee stadium can be found. The Bronx also boasts the Bronx Zoo with many outdoor cafes and exhibits. It is where visitors and neighbors can enjoy the New York Botanical Gardens as well.
Brooklyn: Brooklyn is the most inhabited of the five boroughs with over 2.5 million people in 71 square miles. The many ethnic groups in Brooklyn can be found in concentrated sections around the borough. There is a large African American community in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area , Russians in the Brighton Beach area and a sizable Hispanic population in Bushwick . There is a large concentration of various other ethnic populations like the Irish, Arab Americans, Greek, Orthodox Jews and West Indians just to name a few.
The Brooklyn Philharmonic and the Brooklyn Academy of Music are examples of the musical traditions Brooklyn is famous for having within its borough. Another example of culture is the Brooklyn Museum which houses the second largest collection of art in the U. S.
Queens: If Queens were a city independent of New York, it would be considered the fourth most thickly-settled city in the U. S. behind cities like Los Angeles and Chicago. Queens has a population of over 2.2 million people in 109 square miles. While it may be thought that Brooklyn is the most culturally-diverse, it is actually Queens where its residents speak over 138 languages. The area of Queens includes the major airports within its borders.
Queens has outdoor amusements in Corona , an outdoor beer garden in Astoria and fine dining with great views in Long Island City . It has a welcoming family community in many of the areas of Queens. The borough also has many cultural attractions for the visitor that wants to explore or the full-time resident who wants to fully experience their borough.
Staten Island: Staten Island is the least inhabited and populated of the boroughs with just over 470,000 residents. The island is 58 square miles and is separated from the other boroughs by New York Bay. The residents of Staten Island often refer to themselves as “The Forgotten Borough” since they feel ignored in favor of the other boroughs by the government of New York.
Staten Island is accessed from New Jersey by three separate bridges , and from Brooklyn by the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge . Most tourists want to visit Staten Island using the free Staten Island Ferry which takes the visitor on a scenic view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island . Staten Island is becoming a haven for artists and musicians who want to be close to Manhattan but have access to affordable housing. Manhattan is less than a half an hour from Staten Island by ferry.
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| The Bronx |
After which famous American tennis player is the stadium at Flushing Meadow named, where the final of the US Open has been held each year since 1997 ? | A Guide To The Bronx, New York
A Guide To The Bronx, New York
Kadisha Kentish
Updated:
6 December 2016
The Bronx is one of New York City’s most culturally-rich boroughs, without those Brooklyn and Manhattan crowds. Many tourists – and even locals, for that matter – are unaware of this lesser-known borough’s cultural sites. From the Bronx Zoo to the New York Botanical Garden, Yankee Stadium, and Arthur Avenue, we take a cultural tour of the Bronx.
On the first Wednesday of every month (except for January and September), the Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos Community College offers a Wednesday Arts and Culture Tour . There is a meet and greet at 5pm, and a trolley leaves from Hostos at 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30pm. The tour makes a loop through the lower Grand Concourse and stops at participating venues – and entry is entirely free. This tour is a great way for borough amateurs to introduce themselves to the local culture.
Many visitors find themselves in the Bronx to catch a ballgame. A trip to Yankee Stadium makes for a great warm-weather afternoon and a particularly quintessential New York day. Yankee Stadium also hosts community outreach programs as part of their Community Benefits Fund , which makes your involvement even better.
Yankees | © Dex(07)/Flickr
Alas, we’re not all baseball fans, so perhaps Yankee Stadium isn’t enough to draw you in. Perhaps The Bronx Museum of Arts is more your scene. This Bronx-based institution exhibits a wide range of culturally diverse contemporary art, and admission is free, which sweetens the deal. The museum hosts a consistent roster of events (many of which are also free), such as ‘Boogie on the Boulevard’. Every last Sunday of the summer months, the center lanes of the Grand Concourse close to traffic, and the streets fill up with live music, art exhibitions, and fitness programs, all hosted by local organizations.
The Bronx Museum | © Jules Antonio/Flickr
Perfect for a family day out, the Bronx Zoo is one of the borough’s most popular destinations. Covering 265 acres and housing over 4,000 animals, from beetles to tigers, the Bronx Zoo will take you to every habitat imaginable from the comfort of one (albeit expansive) location. Especially in the warmer months, the Bronx Zoo is an ideal place for an outdoor wander, as you witness incredible wildlife from every corner of the globe. The zoo hosts a variety of special exhibitions, and admission is free on Wednesdays.
Snake | © Kristine Paulus/Flickr
Located near the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden is one of the world’s leading horticultural sites. Spanning 250 acres, the Garden is home to an incredibly diverse range of flora, housed inside stunning Victorian glasshouses and perfectly manicured outdoor displays. A peaceful and educative destination year-round, the Garden is a wonderful place for a family-friendly day out or some contemplative solo-time.
Dragonfly | © Paul Stein/Flickr
With so much to do and see in the Bronx, you’re likely to make a food-related pitstop while you’re here. When the time comes, head over to Arthur Avenue, dubbed the ‘ Little Italy of the Bronx’. A string of some of the city’s most authentic Italian restaurants line Crescent Avenue, East 187th Street, and Arthur Avenue, with mom and pop cafés and bakeries dotted in between. From Madonia Brothers Bakery to Full Moon Pizzeria, DeLillo Pastry Shop, Mike’s Deli, Teitel Brothers, and more, there’s no way you’ll leave hungry.
After you’ve re-energized, pay a visit to the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage , located in Poe Park in Fordham. In the last years of his life between 1846 to 1849, famed American poet and writer Edgar Allan Poe lived in Poe Cottage. Today, the little house is owned by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and administered by The Bronx County Historical Society. Visitors can tour the cottage and the surrounding park, making for a literary enthusiast’s dream afternoon.
Edgar Allan Poe Cottage – Bronx | © Sharon McGee/Flickr
Finally, end your tour of the Bronx with a visit to City Island , located on the Long Island Sound. City Island is a small island that is a historical seaport community, now considered part of the Bronx. There are over 20 seafood restaurants for visitors to choose from, a heritage museum, and a community center. City Island makes for a wonderful day out for some al fresco seafood, beautiful views, and something a little bit off-the-beaten-path.
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In which Swiss resort is the famous bobsleigh track, the Cresta Run? | Skeleton Equipment and History - Olympic Sport History
Sports
History
Skeleton racing involves plummeting head-first down a steep and treacherous ice track on a tiny sled. It is considered the world's first sliding sport.
Thrill-seeking tourists
Sleighing is one of the oldest winter sports. Descriptions of the sport can be found in 16th-century literature, but as a racing sport it can be traced to the mid-19th century, when British tourists started sliding down snowbound roads in the Alps. British and American holidaymakers built the first toboggan run in Davos in 1882.
The Cresta run
Skeleton sled racing owes it entire early history to St Moritz and the famed Cresta Run. The sport developed in the Swiss resort town as a pursuit for the rich. E. F. Benson put it best when he wrote in 1913, “There is one Mecca, there is one St Peter's, and there is one Cresta.”
Olympic history
Men’s skeleton made two early appearances on the Olympic programme at its “ancestral” home of St. Moritz in 1928 and 1948. It was then dropped until it reappeared as a men’s and women’s event at Salt Lake City in 2002.
| St. Moritz |
Which Scottish Lib Dem MP is currently Chief Secretary to the Treasury? | "WINTER WONDER; Anna Davis Takes an Adrenaline-Fuelled Break in the Glitzy Swiss Resort of St Moritz, Home to the Famous White Turf Horse Race" - The Evening Standard (London, England), November 27, 2013 | Online Research Library: Questia
Article excerpt
Byline: Anna Davis
THERE is a magical winter moment in London when the first tentative flutterings of snow float down over the city and a communal shiver of excitement runs through even the most office-bound adult.
That moment is ruined for me. Ruined because I have been to St Moritz, where there is not just snow, there is luxury snow.
This is professional, high class, pure, white snow. And they know what to do with it. There are no half hearted snow angels and cracked plastic sledges here. Snow is not for children. In St Moritz snow has become a proper adult game, and they take having fun extremely seriously.
I am thinking this as I hurtle, screaming, at 80mph down an icy bobsleigh track in a bob sponsored by the Carlton Hotel St Moritz, where I am staying.
It is one of the many things visitors can do in the snow here without even going near a ski slope.
The bobsleigh track is made entirely out of snow and ice, making it the world's biggest ice sculpture. It melts in the spring and is remade every winter to the same hair-raising, bone-rattling specifications.
The four-man bob feels a bit like a hollowed-out bullet with no seatbelts or reassuring rollercoaster harnesses to keep you inside.
We were thrown almost vertically up sheer walls of snow, with a 4g centrifugal force crushing us into our seats. Skidding into a "horseshoe" curve, all went silent because we could not breathe, let alone scream. It felt like we were in an ice cold washing machine, being tossed around upside down, inside out. All sense of direction was lost, we were four little peas in a tiny pod, bashing helmets and desperately trying to keep our eyes open against flying chunks of ice.
After 75 seconds we stumbled out of the bob, a giggling, adrenaline-fuelled mess, realising that sledging down hills in London was never going to feel quite the same again.
A fellow hotel guest was in a bob driven by a member of the British Olympic bobsleigh team who was just helping out on the track during her downtime between training. That is how seriously playing in the snow is taken by the people of St Moritz. It's like going for a leisurely weekend jog in London and having Mo Farah there beside you, just to help out.
Next to the bobsleigh run is the famous Cresta run, which is similar to bobsleighing but the bob is replaced with a small tray, and adrenaline junkies hurtle down headfirst. It was first built by the British in 1884 and women are still not normally allowed to take part.
The weekend I visited, the famous White Turf horse race was in full flow -- next year's is on February 9, 16 and 23. This is a huge competition that attracts visitors from across Europe, where horses race on a huge frozen lake. It is like Ascot on ice. I don't know why they race on ice. Perhaps just because they can. …
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"The name's the same - A small Norfolk town near the Suffolk border and a verb used by teenagers meaning ""to show a lack of respect""?" | Ipswich, England - Planet Ipswich : A bridge between the Ipswiches of the world
Planet Ipswich : A bridge between the Ipswiches of the world
In The News
Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Situated at 52° 3’ 34” N 1° 9’ 20” E, Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk in the region of East Anglia. It is located on the River Orwell estuary & also on the River Gipping, approximately twelve miles from the coast & 70 miles north east of London.
Population:- The population of the Borough of Ipswich at the 2011 census was 133,384.
How to get there:-
By road: From London & the south take A12 (junction 28 from M25) northbound. From Cambridge & the Midlands take A14 eastbound. From Norwich take A140 southbound, then head east on the A14.
By rail: Ipswich is on the Great Eastern Main Line. From London, use London Liverpool Street Station. Connections also to Norwich, Harwich, Felixstowe & Lowestoft.
From the west, Ipswich is reached on the Ipswich to Ely Line, via Cambridge & Bury St Edmunds.
Nearest major airport is Stansted in Essex. From there take A120, then A12 northbound.
Time zone: Greenwich Mean Time. Daylight saving time in summer +1 hr.
Order of contents on this page: (Click on the links below)
History:
Please note that the sections on the Ipswich Window, Viscount Ipswich, & Ipswich Almond Pudding have now been moved to the Ips Misc page.
Why not also visit www.planetsuffolk.com - Bringing together the Suffolks of the world
Early Settlement & Derivation of Name
Evidence of settlements going back to the stone age have been found in and around what is now known as Ipswich, making it one of the earliest known inhabited sites in Britain. Paleolithic, Mesolithic & Neolithic artifacts, including stone axes & pottery, have been found in various areas of the town & surrounding countryside. During the Bronze & Iron Ages the area was inhabited by a Celtic tribe called the Trinovantes, whose capital was on the site of modern day Colchester.
Although there was no town in the area in Roman times, there are known to have been a few farmsteads. A large villa is known to have stood to the north west of the present town centre, in what is now Castle Hill. This was discovered in 1854, but not excavated until 1948 & is one of the largest & wealthiest villas to have been discovered in Suffolk. Roman burial sites have also been found in the Dales Road & Tuddenham Road areas. There also seems to have been a river crossing point with a few buildings close to modern day Handford Road, where pottery & coins have been unearthed.
There are two main theories as to the origins of the town's name. One is that the town took its name from a seventh century Saxon named Gippa (or Gipe), who was known as ‘Gippa the Yawner’. Whether this man actually existed is now impossible to ascertain, although it should be noted that the Old English verb to yawn was ‘Gipian’.
The other possibility is that the name derives from ‘Gipa’, meaning an opening or estuary, & ‘Wic’ meaning a town, dwelling or settlement. Whichever version is correct, the town that came to be known as ‘Gippeswick’ was established on the Orwell estuary where it could most easily be forded, near to the present day Stoke Bridge. The Domesday book lists the town as Gipeswic. Other spellings include Gippeswiche and Gypewici. As the G was silent, the name eventually, evolved into Yppyswyche, before eventually becoming Ipswiche & finally the spelling we know today.
The name Gippeswyk still survives today in Gippeswyk Road & Gippeswyk Avenue, plus the nearby Gippeswyk Park. Adjacent to the park is the red bricked Gippeswyk Hall, which is a Grade II listed building that dates from c.1600.
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Ipswich Hoards
There are two notable hoards that have been discovered in Ipswich; the first in 1863, the other in 1968 & 69.
Discovered in an earthenware pot, buried 10 feet beneath the ground, the first hoard was found in 1863 during demolition & road widening on the corner of The Buttermarket & White Hart Lane. The find is alleged to have originally consisted of some 150 silver pennies, although the whereabouts of only half that number are now known. The coins date from the time of Æthelred II, often called Æthelred the Unready, (c. 968 – 1016) who was king of England between 978–1013 and 1014–1016. The coins were minted in Ipswich & London, & are thought to have been buried sometime during the period 979 -985.
The second hoard was discovered during building work in Holcombe Crescent in the Belstead Hills area of south west Ipswich in 1968, with the initial find consisting of five Celtic gold torcs or neck rings (see photo, left). The items show design features associated with the Celtic La Tène culture, & are thought to date from around 75 BC. A sixth torc was found in the following year, some distance from the others but thought to be from the same collection. The find’s proximity to the Belstead Brook has led to speculation that this hoard was associated with a spring or holy well in the area. The torcs are now housed in the British Museum in London, with copies on show in Ipswich Museum.
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Ipswich Ware Pottery
Ipswich Ware Pottery dates from the period 650-850 AD, or what is known as the Middle Saxon period. Ipswich Ware remains have been found in the area of the present day town centre, most notably the site of today's Carr Street, where remains of kilns have been excavated. As well as in the town itself, Ipswich Ware has
been found over much of East Anglia from Norfolk to Essex & from the coast to the Fens, & as far away as Kent & Yorkshire. It is the earliest discovered remains in Britain of pottery turned on a slow wheel & kiln fired, & was probably introduced from the Rhineland or Frisia during the fifth to seventh centuries. Usually grey & smooth, although sometimes with a large amount of sand in the clay, remains of cooking pots, bowls of varying sizes, pitchers & bottles are among the more usual finds. From the middle of the ninth century onwards, Ipswich Ware was superceded by pottery known as Thetford Ware, or Ipswich-Thetford Ware. Despite the name, this also originated in Ipswich. This was finer, thinner pottery than Ipswich Ware as it was turned on a fast wheel. This pottery dates from approximately 850 to 1150 ad. (photo - Colchester & Ipswich Museum Service)
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Early History
The first written reference to the town appears c.955 in the will of Theodred, Bishop of London, in which he bequeaths “a messuage at Gypeswich for his sister’s son, Osgod”. (A messuage is a house and its lands.) The first definite dateable record is in the year 970, in the form of a grant of land to the Prior of Ely by King Edgar. During this period the town was granted a royal licence to operate a mint. The earliest discovered coins, from around 973, bear the head of King Edgar & also the names of the minters; Leofric & Lifringe. Minting continued in Ipswich up until the reign of King John, who shut the mints down in about the year 1215.
During the late 11th or early 12th century a wooden castle was erected in Ipswich by Roger Bigod, Sheriff of Norfolk & Suffolk. The castle was attacked & besieged by King Stephen in 1153, after he had been betrayed by Roger Bigod’s son Hugh, who had sided with Henry of Anjou (later King Henry II) after being granted the Earldom of Norfolk & Suffolk in 1140 by the king. The Bigod family later changed allegiances again when Hugh’s son, also named Hugh, sided with Beaumont, Earl of Leicester, who attacked & took the castle with a mercenary army in 1173. As revenge for this, in 1176 King Henry ordered that the castle be demolished. There is no evidence of the castle today & the exact site is not known, although the Upper Arboretum in Christchurch Park is one possibility. The most likely location, however, is in the present day Elm Street in an area once known as The Mount, where the police station now stands. It was definitely not in the area of today's Castle Hill, which was too far outside the town at that time.
Although Ipswich was never enclosed within stone walls, around the year 900 earth ramparts & a defensive ditch were constructed around the growing settlement; probably the work of the Vikings, who had invaded in 869. Viking rule lasted until 917 when the town became part of the Kingdom of England. Viking raids continued through the tenth & eleventh centuries, including two after the Norman conquest of 1066. The defences were reconstructed & reinforced several times over the next few centuries. From the east, the ramparts seem to have run in an arc northwards from the marshland in the area of modern day Greyfriars, up to the Westgate, then proceeded around Tower Ramparts, close to modern day Crown Street (where vestiges of the earthen banks could still be seen until at least the 1930's), on to the Northgate. From here they began a southerly arc down today’s Upper & Lower Orwell Streets, passed the Eastgate & on down to the river. (The southern approaches to the town, being bordered by the River Orwell & marshland, had no such defences).
Although there may have been other entry points into the town at various points in the ramparts, the three main ones were Westgate, Northgate & Eastgate.
Shown on John Speed’s map of 1610 as Barre Gate, the Westgate was the main point of entry to the town from the west & was also known as St. Matthew’s Bargate. It stood where modern day Westgate Street meets St Matthew’s Street. From at least the fourteenth century, a solid archway of brick & stone stood here; the building also being used as a gaol up until the eighteenth century. It was pulled down in 1781.
Another entrance, built around 1603 & known as the Bull Gate (after Anthony Bull, who had a house close by) was situated to the north east of the Westgate, in the area where modern day High Street joins Crown Street. On Speed’s map of 1610, however, this gateway leads only into open fields & this was probably never a major route into town.
The Northgate, also known as the Barr Gate, Bargate or St. Margaret’s Gate, stood at the top of modern day Northgate Street. It was demolished in 1794, although some of the remains can still be seen in the cellars of what used to be the Halberd Inn.
There are differing opinions as to exactly where the Eastgate stood. Although the logical point seems to be at the eastern end of modern day Carr Street (known as Major’s Corner), another possibility is the junction of Tacket Street & Orwell Place. It seems probable that there were entry points to the town in both these locations, although what form they took & when they were taken down is unknown.
The area today known as St Margaret’s Green was, from Anglo-Saxon times onwards, a meeting place known as Thingstead. Whilst this could have been the main meeting place, or folkmoot, for the people of Ipswich, the fact that it was located outside of the town’s northern ramparts has led some to believe that it was actually the meeting place for the much larger area known as Wicklaw; the five & a half hundreds to the east of Ipswich that belonged to the Monastery of Ely, also known as the Liberty of St Etheldreda. The name Thingstead, is thought to be of Scandinavian origin; the ‘thing’ element meaning an assembly or meeting place. The name also appears in Suffolk as Thinghog, or later Thinghoe, which refers to the Liberty of Bury St Edmunds in the west of the county.
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Charter/Le Domesday
On 25th May 1200, King John granted the town its charter, making Ipswich a ‘Free Borough’ & giving the town the right to self government. On 29th June of that year, a meeting of the whole community took place in the churchyard of St. Mary Le Tower to elect its own bailiffs & coroners. It was also decided that the town should elect a council, made up of twelve ‘portmen’. Contrary to popular belief, the king didn't visit Ipswich to present the charter, as he was in France at the time.
One of the first tasks of the new government was to set the town’s by-laws, which were detailed in a document called “Le Domesday”, named after William the Conqueror’s famous Doomsday Book of 1086.
In 1271, however, a town clerk named John Le Blake disappeared with the original Domeday, as well as other records, & neither he nor the documents were ever seen again. It wasn’t until 1291 that a new document was written out based on the stolen records, after Ipswich had endured a period of eight years during which the constitution was suspended & direct rule by the Crown imposed. When the new council was established, the bailiffs, coroners & portmen were supplemented by a council of 24 men elected by the whole town (This arrangement lasted until 1835, when a new corporation with a mayor, aldermen & councillors came into being). The new volume was called “Domesday des Leyes e des usages de Gippeswiz” but is more commonly known as the “Little Domesday Book”. The original “Little Domesday” also disappeared some time during the late thirteenth or early fourteenth centuries. Several copies have survived, however, two of which are now in the British Museum.
In 1521 the “Great Domesday Book” was compiled; being a larger, expanded edition of the earlier work. Written on 271 sheets of vellum, the “Great Domesday Book of Richard Percyvale” as it was also known, is divided into seven books, which include, amongst other things, the original charter of 1200, the 1512 charter confirmed to the town by Henry VIII, as well as one of the most complete records of taxes, fees, grants & memoranda to have survived anywhere in England from this period.
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The Town Seal
Several months after the granting of Ipswich’s charter in May 1200, the town’s newly formed government designed a town seal (see picture, left). Depicted on it is a Man o’ War vessel with castles fore & aft; much different from the small coastal vessels that would have been in use by the Ipswich merchants of that time, & possibly an early representation of the collier ships that would, in future centuries, become known as ‘ Ipswich Catts ’ (see Ships Named Ipswich page). But what is most interesting about the design, is that it is the first known example anywhere in the world of a ship with a movable rudder, as opposed to a steering oar commonly in use during that era.
The reverse of the seal depicts the church of St Mildred on the Cornhill, which would eventually become the town’s court & Town Hall.
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Ipswich Coat of Arms
The design of Ipswich’s Coat of Arms is based on the arms of the Cinque Ports of Kent & Sussex, which provided support for the Royal Navy in centuries past.
The shield shows a lion rampant on the left, with the sterns of three ships on the right. This is supported by two seahorses. Above the shield, an armoured helmet is topped by a lion holding a sailing ship.
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Priories & Friaries
The Augustinian Order (also known as the Austin Canons or Black Canons), established two priories in Ipswich during the reign of Henry II (1154-1189); Holy Trinity & St. Peter & Paul.
Although there had been an earlier church called Holy Trinity mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, Holy Trinity Priory, located on the site of what is now Christchurch Mansion, was built in 1177. In 1536 it was seized by the Crown and the priory was suppressed the following year. The site was purchased in 1545 by Paul Withipoll, a London merchant, whose son Sir Edmund commenced building the Mansion in 1548.
The Priory of St. Peter & Paul was located on modern day College Street, near St. Peter’s church. In late 1296 & early 1297 King Edward I stayed at the priory for the wedding of his daughter Elizabeth. In 1528 Cardinal Wolsey obtained papal permission to suppress the priory, and it became his shortlived Cardinal College of St. Mary. After his fall, in 1531 the property was sold to Thomas Alvard, a member of the King’s Household.
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Our Lady of Grace
In 1297, the daughter of King Edward I, Princess Elizabeth, married John, Count of Holland in the Chapel of Our Lady near the Westgate in Ipswich. Also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace, the chapel, built around 1152, housed a statue known as the Madonna of Ipswich. The statue was believed to perform miracles, & was a destination for pilgrims from at least the thirteenth, up until the sixteenth centuries.
Sir Thomas More, in 1515, witnessed a miracle in which a girl was supposedly cured of blasphemy at ‘Our Ladye of Ippeswitche’ (see The Maid of Ipswich , below). Other notable visitors were Catherine of Aragon in 1517 & Henry VIII in 1522.
When the Church of England broke with Rome, Henry VIII ordered the destructi
on of shrines like Our Lady of Ipswich. In July 1538 the statue was removed & taken to London, the intention being that it, & many others like it, were to be destroyed by burning. However it is possible that the statue survived & found its way to Nettuno on Italy’s west coast. One theory is that it was taken by English sailors who were shipwrecked there in 1550. Another is that, rather than being destroyed, it was sold. Whether the statue that stands in the Piazza Massino is the Ipswich Madonna, or how She came to be there, will probably never be known with certainty. However, the Nettuno statue is known as ‘The English Lady’ & the front part of her shoes are made of silver. It was recorded, when the statue was moved from Ipswich to London in 1538, that She possessed ‘half shoes of silver’.
It is not clear exactly when the Chapel of Our Lady was destroyed, but it would probably not have survived long after the Madonna’s removal. Today, a bronze statue & a plaque adorn the wall of Lady Lane, just off Westgate Street (see picture, above right). A replica of the Nettuno statue can also be found at the rededicated shrine in St. Mary Elms church in Elm Street.
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The Maid of Ipswich
Anne Wentworth (c.1503-c.1572) was the daughter of Sir Roger Wentworth of Gosfield, Essex, who was twice MP for Ipswich, and also a friend of Sir Thomas More. Around 1515, when Anne was twelve, she fell ill and suffered from seizures in which she blasphemed and began to have visions, all of which were believed to be the work of Satan. Then one of her visions convinced her that she must go on a pilgrimage to the Virgin at Our Lady of Ipswich (see above). She did so and went through various torments there. However, these torments supposedly drove out the devils that had possessed her and, in the presence of the whole company, she was suddenly restored. Anne was left with the gift of prophesy, and thereafter was sought after as “The Maid of Ipswich”. In grateful recognition of the miracle, she took the veil and became a nun. She entered the convent of Bruisyard in Suffolk and, after the dissolution of the monasteries, she lived in Framlingham.
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The Ipswich Martyrs
Situated in Christchurch Park in central Ipswich is a memorial to the Nine Ipswich Martyrs. Erected in 1903, the stone monument commemorates nine Protestants burnt at the stake for their beliefs during the period 1538-1558. Seven of the nine people whose names are commemorated; N Peke (1538), ? Kerby (1546), Robert Samuel (1555), Agnes Potten (1556), Joan Trunchfield (1556), Alexander Gooch (1558) & Alice Driver (1558), were burnt on the Cornhill in Ipswich. The other two; John Tudson (1556) & William Pikes (1558), were Ipswich residents burnt in London & Brentford respectively.
With a base of Ketton stone & a shaft of polished red granite, the 27 ft high memorial was designed & created by the Art Memorial Company of West Norwood & was funded by private subscriptions, after a series of articles by Nina Frances Layard had appeared in the East Anglian Daily Times between 1898 & 1902, which brought the executions to public attention . These articles were republished in book form in 1902 as Seventeen Suffolk Martyrs.
Most of the executions occurred during the reign of Queen Mary I (1553-58), during which time she re-established Roman Catholicism, & is known to have had more than 280 Protestants put to death; earning her the sobriquet of “Bloody Mary” in the process.
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Historic Churches
It has been said that no other town of comparable size in England has preserved as many of its medieval churches as Ipswich. The Norman Domesday Book of 1086 lists twelve churches in Ipswich (although the omission of others such as St Mildred’s, known to have been in existence on the Cornhill at that time; All Saints, which may have been situated in the modern day London Road/Handford Road area ; & Osterbolt, whose location was in the area of present day Shire Hall Yard/Foundation Street & which is possibly another name for one of the churches mentioned in Domesday that remain unidentified, all points to the fact that the list is incomplete). Five, or possibly six of the Domesday churches still exist to this day. These were all of Saxon origin & were probably all wooden structures at that time; the Normans rebuilding them in stone during the late eleventh or twelfth centuries. Those listed in Domesday that no longer exist are:
Holy Trinity, which was situated on the site of the present Christchurch Mansion in Christchurch Park, which ceased to be a parish church when it became part of the Priory of the Holy Trinity in 1177 (see Priories & Friaries section, above).
St Augustine’s, on the Stoke side of the river, which is known to have been in existence until the second half of the fifteenth century, but was probably demolished soon afterwards.
St George’s Chapel, which was just outside the Westgate in St George’s Street (also known as Globe Street), & is known to have been in existence, although derelict, until the early nineteenth century.
St Michael’s, the location of which is uncertain, although it is thought by some to have been on the site of St Nicholas Church.
St Julian’s, site unknown.
St Peter’s. There are two St Peter’s listed in Domesday, the one near Stoke Bridge (see below) & a second, location unknown.
Those listed in Domesday that are still in existence today are, St Lawrence, St Peter’s, St Stephen’s, a church on the Stoke side of the river in the holding of St Etheldreda, & two by the name of St Mary’s. If we assume that the church belonging to St Etheldreda, (& therefore the monastery at Ely) is St Mary at Stoke, then the two other St Marys are probably St Mary Le Tower & St Mary at the Elms.
St Mary Le Tower: As the name suggests, this was probably the first church in Ipswich to have a tower; an indication of the wealth of the parish. Situated in modern day Tower Street, it was in the churchyard of St Mary’s in June 1200 that the townspeople of Ipswich met to receive the borough’s first charter, which had been granted by King John on 25th May of that year, & to codify the by-laws. Most of the church in evidence today was rebuilt in during the period 1860 – 80, including the present tower which stands at a height of nearly 200 feet; the previous tower having fallen into ruin around 200 years before.
St Mary at the Elms: Often
known simply as St Mary Elms, this church on Elm Street may have been built on the site of an older church called St Saviour’s. The church doorway is thought to date from as far back as the eleventh century, whilst some of the bricks intended for Wolsey’s Cardinal College of St Mary were used in the rebuilding of this church after the Cardinal’s fall from favour in 1529. The church today contains the rededicated Shrine of Our Lady of Grace (see Our Lady of Grace section, above). The row of cottages behind this church are thought to be the oldest buildings in Ipswich, whilst situated at the front of the church is a modern bronze statue of a girl sitting cross-legged handling a ball of clay. Named ‘Tam’, the sculpture was created by Honoria Surie.
St Lawrence: Accessed by the pedestrian Dial Lane & St Lawrence Street, which both connect Tavern Street with the Buttermarket, St Lawrence’s main claim to fame is its bells, which are the oldest surviving set of church bells in the world (see St Lawrence - The World ’ s Oldest Church Bells section, below). The church was rebuilt around 1440, although the extant tower dates from 1882. Prior to this, the clock on the old tower had protruded at an odd angle into what had been known since medieval times as Cook’s Row. From the middle of the nineteenth century, however, it became known as Dial Lane. The building is no longer used as a place of worship, but is in the care of the Ipswich Historic Churches Trust &, as the St Lawrence Centre, is run as a café & bistro, as well as being available for private hire.
St Peter’s: Located by Stoke Bridge, St Peter’s is probably the site of the first church in Ipswich, as this area was the hub of the original settlement by the river. Now known as St Peter’s by the Waterfront, the church stands between College Street & Star Lane, although originally the river ran much closer to the church than it does today. In 1130 the Augustinian Priory of St Peter & St Paul was established just to the north of the church, with the present church dating from the fifteenth century. The Priory was dissolved in 1526 to make way for Wolsey’s Cardinal College of St. Mary, & the church became the college chapel; although after the Cardinal’s fall from favour, St Peter’s reverted to a parish church in 1537. St Peter’s by the Waterfront is today a heritage centre & concert venue, & is the permanent home of the Ipswich Charter Hangings (see separate section, below).
St Stephen’s: Originally standing in St Stephen’s Lane, the development of the Buttermarket Shopping Centre & the widening of the lane means that the Domesday listed St Stephen’s Church now stands in Arras Square. The building seen today dates from the fifteenth century, but ceased to be used as a church in 1975. The church is now the town’s Tourist Information Centre. Inside, the church features a memorial to Robert Leman, one time Mayor of London, who died in 1637.
St Mary at Stoke: Situated in a prominent position on the south side of the river, the Grade I listed St Mary at Stoke stands at the junction of Stoke Street & Belstead Road. The medieval church belonged at the time of Domesday to the Monastery of Ely. St Mary at Stoke was extended & refurbished in the nineteenth century; the main benefactors to this work being the Burrell family who lived at Stoke Park Mansion (since demolished).
St Mary at the Quay: Situated to the east of St Peter’s, in an area now enclosed by Star Lane, Key Street & Foundation Street, St Mary at the Quay (also known as St Mary at Quay or simply St Mary Quay) is thought to have been in existence since the late eleventh century, although it is not thought to be one of the St Marys mentioned in the Domesday book & may have at one time been known as Stella Maris. Once part of the Priory of St Peter & St Paul, the present church was built in the mid fifteenth century. One of the church’s major benefactors was Ipswich merchant Henry Tooley, after whom Tooley’s Almshouses in Foundation Street are named, & whose tomb can still be seen in the church. No longer in regular use, St Mary at the Quay is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
St Clement’s: Situated to the east of St Mary at the Quay, & also on Star Lane, is St Clement’s Church. The parish was originally outside the town ramparts & is thought to have been established in the twelfth century; possibly on the site of an older church. It is known as the Sailor’s Church due to its proximity to the river, & is the burial place of Thomas Eldred & Sir Thomas Slade (see relevant sections below). It is no longer in use as a church.
St Margaret’s: St Margaret’s is a Grade I listed building situated in a commanding position at the junction of Soane Street, Bolton Lane & St Margaret’s Green, adjacent to Christchurch Park. It was built to replace the parish church of Holy Trinity, sometime after the latter became part of the Augustinian Priory in 1177. After the church was damaged by bombing during the Second World War, two leaded stained glass medallions, dating from the 17th century & featuring St Luke & St Mark, were presented to St Paul’s Church in Ipswich, Queensland (see St Paul ’s C hurch - Link with Ipswich, England section on the Ipswich, Queensland page, & the Ipswich, Queensland album in the Photo Gallery).
St Matthew’s: Thought to have been built in the late eleventh century, most of the building seen today was designed in the nineteenth century in the English Gothic Revival Style by Sir George Gilbert Scott. St Matthew’s became known as the Garrison Church during the nineteenth century, as it was the closest church to the army barracks which stood from 1795 until 1929 in the Norwich Road/Anglesea Road/Berners Street area. The church is situated between Civic Drive & Portman Road.
St Helen’s: Situated on St Helen’s Street, this church has been in existence since Norman times & was originally outside the town walls. St Helen’s was largely rebuilt & restored from the 1830s onwards, with the tower being erected around 1875, although the porch is much older & thought to date from the fifteenth century. Being somewhat away from the main settlement, in medieval times two leper hospitals were situated in the general vicinity; St James & St Mary Magdalene. One of these is thought to have stood very close to St Helen’s church, although opinion is divided as to which one. The Leper Hospital of St Mary Magdalene is known to have been in existence since at least the year 1199.
St Nicholas: St Nicholas stands on Franciscan Way & was built in the fourteenth century on the site of a previous church. This may have been the Domesday mentioned St Michael’s, as in 1818, during restoration, workmen discovered a wall painting of St Michael fighting a dragon, with a carved Anglo-Saxon inscription. Another inscription, this one in Latin & thought to date from the early twelfth century, is a dedication to a church called All Saints. This panel of Caen stone may have originally come from the lost church of that name that is thought to have stood near Handford Road Bridge.
Thomas Wolsey, whose house was in nearby St Nicholas Street, was probably baptized here & would have attended St Nicholas as a boy. His parents are buried here. Today the church is owned by the Anglican Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, & run as the St Nicholas Centre; a conference & events venue, which also includes The Sanctuary restaurant.
Unitarian Meeting House: Built in 1699 & opened the following year, this timber framed Grade I listed building is located in Friars Street, & is today overshadowed by the modern glass structure of the adjacent Willis Building. The Meeting House was built by English Presbyterians, but during the 18th century the congregation gradually moved to a Unitarian position. When legal restrictions were removed on calling themselves Unitarians (1813), & having possession of their own places of worship (1844 Dissenters’ Chapels Act), the Meeting House became known as Unitarian. The word Church, Chapel and Meeting House have over time been used to describe the building, although for many years it has been known as a Meeting House as in the original Trust Deed of 1711. It is one of the finest surviving examples of a purpose-built seventeenth century Nonconformist church in England. The interior includes many impressive original features, including an elaborately carved pulpit.
Just outside, between the Meeting House & the Willis Building, stands the Millennium Obelisk; the four faces of which celebrate: the Millennium, the 300th anniversary of the Unitarian Meeting House, the 25th anniversary of the Willis Building, & the 800th anniversary of the town’s first charter.
(Please note: All the churches listed above are Grade II listed buildings, unless otherwise stated)
See the Churches: Ipswich, England album in the Photo Gallery for pictures of all the churches featured above.
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St. Lawrence - The World's Oldest Church Bells
The set of five bells in St. Lawrence Church in Dial Lane, central Ipswich are the oldest surviving set of church bells in the world. Often called “Wolsey’s Bells”, four of them were cast around the year 1450, with the fifth being added around 1480. They have remained undamaged for over five hundred years & still retain their original clappers.
The tower in which they were housed was deemed unsafe in 1985 & the bells were removed while the tower was reconstructed & fortified. A new bell frame was also installed & the bells were returned to their rightful place in September 2009.
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Cornhill
The Cornhill in t
he town centre has been the hub of Ipswich life since at least the Saxon era. In ancient times the Cornhill was a marketplace where the people of the region would come to buy & sell produce such as livestock, meat, fish, timber &, of course, corn. (Painting on left - View of the Cornhill by George Frost).
On the south west corner, on the site of the modern day Town Hall, once stood St. Mildred’s church. Probably built around the year 700 AD, it was named after the daughter of Merewalh, King of Mercia. As a girl, her mother sent her to live in a convent in France. Upon her return to Britain, she became abbess of Minster-in-Thanet in Kent. Said to have been very generous to the poor, her popularity spread & her tomb became a place of pilgrimage. The church survived until the fourteenth century, when it was converted to become Ipswich’s first Town or Moot Hall, which was also used as a court house. Outside stood the stocks & pillory, & in this area public hangings took place. It was also the place that heretics were burned during the sixteenth century, including nine protestant martyrs who were burnt at the stake during the period spanning the years 1538 to 1558; a memorial to whom now stands in Christchurch Park.
Although there may have been some sort of cross on the Cornhill since the time of Ipswich’s charter in 1200 AD, the first recorded Market Cross was erected in 1510; a gift to the town from Edmund Daundy, a relative of Cardinal Wolsey. This was replaced in 1629 by an octagonal shaped, open sided structure with a statue of Justice on top, complete with sword & scales (see picture, above). This structure was finally removed from the Cornhill in 1812.
On the south east side of the Cornhill, on the site of what is now the Old Post Office, stood a timber structure with an open ground floor area known as the Shambles. Built around the thirteenth century, this building housed the meat & fish markets & was also used for the slaughter of livestock. Nearby was situated a stake used for bull baiting; a practice that continued until 1676.
Sometime around 1792-1794, the Shambles was demolished & its place taken by the Rotunda; a circular market building with a domed roof & living accommodation for the market traders on the first floor, designed by George Gooding. This building, however, was poorly built & badly ventilated & stood only until around 1810, when it was condemned & pulled down.
In its place rose the first Corn Exchange, also designed by George Goodin
g. Above the entrance, the statue of Justice, taken from the now removed Market Cross, was re-erected; transformed into Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, with her sword & scales being replaced by a sickle & a bundle of wheat ears. When first built this structure was roofless & open to the elements. It took until 1849 for a roof to be added, during a period of complete rebuilding. Thirty years later, however, the Corn Exchange moved to new premises in King Street, behind the present Town Hall, & once more this area of the Cornhill saw a period of demolition & rebuilding. Designed by Brightwen Binyon & opened in 1882, the imposing Post Office building still stands today, although it is now a bank. The statues above the entrance represent Industry, Electricity, Steam & Commerce (see photo, above).
The last remnants of what had formerly been St. Mildred’s church were finally pulled down in 1867, & the following year saw the opening of the Venetian style Town Hall. As with the Post Office, the Town Hall also has four statues above the entrance; in this case representing Commerce, Agriculture, Learning & Justice. The building housed the courts & police station, as well as the administrative offices of the corporation; an arrangement that continued until the 1960s, when the police, courts & council offices were moved to new premises in Civic Drive. The Mayor’s office, however, is still located here. Today the Town Hall also features an art gallery, whilst at the rear, the Corn Exchange is now a concert & entertainments venue.
Today, the oldest surviving buildings on the Cornhill are the timber framed Mannings pub & the Golden Lion, on the western side of the square; the latter having been in existence since at least the sixteenth century. On the north side of the Cornhill is the Lloyds building; built in 1890, it gives its name to Lloyds Avenue, which is reached by way of an archway that was cut through the building in 1929. Once open to motor traffic, the arch is now a pedestrian only thoroughfare.
With Lloyds Avenue leading away northwards, Princes Street running to the south, Westgate Street & Tavern Street dissecting it from east to west, & the pedestrian Thoroughfare & Lion Street at the south east & south west corners respectively, the Cornhill is still, as it has been for more than 1300 years, the hub around which Ipswich life revolves. The market, too, still survives; being held here on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays.
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The Treadmill – An Ipswich Invention
The treadmill, as an instrument of prison discipline, was invented by William Cubitt, an inhabitant of Ipswich. William Cubitt (1785-1861) was born at Dilham in Norfolk, where his father was a miller. He was an eminent English civil engineer. In 1812 he entered into a contract with Ransome & Son, the principal ironfounding firm in Ipswich, to develop their general engineering business, and became their chief engineer. He designed and installed various iron bridges and supervised the first Ipswich gasworks. He worked on canals, docks, and railways, including the South Eastern Railway and the Great Northern Railway. He later moved to London and was the chief engineer of Crystal Palace erected at Hyde Park in 1851. He was president of the Institution of Civil Engineers between 1850 and 1851.
Noting stubborn and idle convicts at Bury St Edmunds gaol, he proposed using their muscle power both to cure their idleness and produce useful work. He invented the prison treadmill or treadwheel, installing the first one in Bury St Edmunds gaol in 1819, followed by Brixton in 1821, then at Worcester, Liverpool and elsewhere. The Brixton treadmill was particularly notorious (see illustration, left), and was commemorated in a 19th century ballad. Enthusiasm for this new device soon spread, and a treatise was soon forthcoming: “Description of the Treadmill Invented by Mr. William Cubitt of Ipswich for the Employment of Prisoners” published by the committee of The Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline, &c (1822).
Treadmills as muscle powered engines originated roughly 4,000 years ago. Their primary use was to lift buckets of water. The main difference with Cubitt’s invention was that, whereas previously users would be inside the wheel where they could relax the rotation of the wheel, the users on his device were on the outside of the wheel which remained in constant motion, like walking up an endless staircase. He also designed it so that multiple users could be on the device. They were like twenty-foot long paddle wheels with twenty-four steps around a six-foot cylinder. Several prisoners stood side-by-side on a wheel, and had to work six or more hours a day. While the purpose was mainly punitive, it was also used to grind grain or lift water.
Prisons all over Britain and the United States bought the machines. In 1824, prison guard James Hardie credited the device with taming New York’s more defiant inmates. He wrote that it was the treadmill’s “monotonous steadiness, and not its severity, which constitutes its terror”. However, it gained notoriety as an instrument of torture. Over the years, American wardens gradually stopped using the treadmill in favour of other backbreaking tasks, such as breaking rocks. In Britain, the treadmill persisted until the late 19th century, when it was abandoned for being too cruel. Today individual treadmills can be purchased as exercise equipment, presumably appealing to those with more masochistic tendencies.
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The Ancient House
Standing on the corner of the Buttermarket & St. Stephen’s Lane, the Ancient house is a grade I listed building dating from the fifteenth century.
Built by Thomas Fastolf of Nacton, it was extended by Geo
rge Copping, who built the ‘long gallery’; having acquired the house in 1567. In 1591 it was taken over by William Sparrowe, who turned it into a grocery & spice shop. The Sparrowe family owned the property for the next three hundred years, hence the building’s alternative name of ‘Sparrowe’s House’. It was the Sparrowe family that added the elaborate wood carving & extensive decorative pargeting (plasterwork) that can be seen today.
Legend has it that King Charles II hid in the house after the Battle of Worcester in 1651; the Sparrowes being secret Royalists. However, this seems unlikely, as the King was Catholic & Ipswich at that time was staunchly Puritan. In 1801, however, a secret chapel was discovered in a concealed loft, in which were found wooden angels & other Catholic artifacts. The King did visit Ipswich in 1668, after the Restoration, & his Royal Arms can be seen in the pargeting. Also to be seen are the four known continents (Australasia having not been discovered at the time), the elements earth, air & water, & St.George slaying the dragon.
The interior boa
sts decoration dating from every century from the fifteenth to the twentieth, including elaborate wood carvings, plasterwork & fireplaces. During restoration work, two painted linen wall hangings were discovered depicting the Labours of Hercules; one shows Hercules slaying the Hydra (see left), the other his battle with the giant Antaeus. These 4 feet by 8 feet cloths can be dated to the sixteenth century, as they are mentioned in George Copping’s will of 1578. Replicas of these hangings now adorn the walls above the main staircase in the house, whilst the originals are housed in Christchurch Mansion.
Throughout most of the twentieth century, the Ancient house was a bookshop. It was acquired by Ipswich Borough Council in 1980 &, after much needed renovation work, is now a Lakeland shop, with a small art gallery also on site.
Pykenham's Gatehouse
Pykenham’s Gatehouse is a Grade I listed building located in Northgate Street, just opposite
Ipswich Central Library. It was built around 1471 by William Pykenham, who had just been appointed Archdeacon of Suffolk at that time. Having decided that the house he had rented from the Priory of the Holy Trinity was not fitting for his status, he proceeded to have the gatehouse built on adjoining land. The front of the gatehouse consists of a large brick four-centred arch, whilst the back is timber-framed with wattle & daub filling between the studs. The room above the gateway was used as accommodation by the gatekeeper. Archdeacon Pykenham later had the Deanery Gateway built in nearby Hadleigh. He died in 1497.
Today Pykenham’s Gatehouse is owned by the Ipswich & Suffolk club, whose premises are situated behind the gateway. It is leased by them to the Ipswich Building Preservation Trust, who use it as their headquarters. In 1983 the Trust carried out extensive restoration work on the building.
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Tooley's & Smart's Almshouses
Located in Foundation Street, close to the ruins of Blackfriar’s church, are Tooley’s & Smart’s Almshouses. Originally established in 1550, they were originally known as Tooley’s Almshouses & took the name from Henry Tooley (or Toolie), who left money in his will of November 1550 for the building & upkeep of almshouses for 10 townsmen who “shall be tried unfaynedlye lame, by occasion of the kynges warres”. In other words, soldiers injured in action.
Henry Tooley (or “Great Tooley” as he became known), was an elected portman & well known merchant in the town, who established trading links with France & Spain; importing wine & salt, & exporting Suffolk cloth. He is known to have rented a house & cellars in Bordeaux, & often made twice yearly excursions there. He also sent his ship, the Mary Walsingham, to Iceland on at least one trading mission.
Tooley’s date of birth is unknown, although it is thought he was born in Norfolk. He is first recorded as a householder in Key (or Quay) Street in Ipswich in 1499, when he was probably in his 20s. Around this time he married Alice Purpet, & they had three children, although none survived to adulthood. Henry Tooley’s tomb can still be seen today inside St Mary at the Quay church.
When local draper & portman William Smart died in 1598, he bequeathed several estates in his will to the poor. It was decided that a portion of the existing almshouses in Foundation Street were to be used for the recipients of this charity, & thereafter the Tooley & Smart foundations joined together. A painted memorial to Smart can be seen in St Mary Le Tower church, w
hich depicts a panoramic view of Ipswich as it would have been in the late sixteenth century. His name is also commemorated in Smart Street, which leads off Foundation Street by the side of the almshouses.
In 1846 the old almshouses were demolished, & the Grade II listed buildings standing today date from this time (see photo, right).
Another benefactor was Nathaniel Catchpole, alderman of the Borough of Ipswich & justice of the peace for Suffolk, who left a gift of money to the almshouses in 1902. Like Tooley & Smart before him, he is commemorated in stone on the walls of the buildings.
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Ipswich School
The forerunner of what would become Ipswich School, at that time known as The Grammar School, is known to have been in existence before the year 1400; probably founded by the existing priories of Holy Trinity & St Peter & Paul, together with the local Merchant’s Guild. The site of the original school is unknown, although one possibility is St Mary Le Tower church. In 1483, however, former town bailiff Richard Felaw bequeathed his house near to the Blackfriars in Foundation Street (then known as St Edmund Pountney Lane) to the school, as well as providing funds for the education of boys of poor parents. (Felaw’s name lives on in Felaw Street, & Felaw Maltings off Wherstead Road; now an office complex).
Thomas Wolsey (see below) who had been a pupil, incorporated the school (to be called The King’s School) into the plans for his Cardinal College of St Mary, which opened in 1528. When Wolsey fell from favour, however, the buildings were seized by Henry VIII, & it was one of his chief ministers, Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (1485 1540), who persuaded the king to re-endow the school. The school’s charter was confirmed in 1566 by Queen Elizabeth I, whose arms & motto Semper Eadem (Always the Same) have also been adopted by the school.
The school remained in Foundation Street, having taken over parts of the former Blackfriars, until 1842, when it moved temporarily to Lower Brook Street whilst new premises were sought. In 1852, Ipswich School relocated to its present site on Henley Road, close to Christchurch Park; the foundation stone for the new building being laid by Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert in July 1851.
The school became independent after the Second World War, having previously been closely connected with the Borough. In 1977 girls were admitted for the first time & the school is now fully co-educational. The school has now moved away from the previous boarding school tradition, & today the majority of the students are day pupils.
As well as Thomas Wolsey, other notable Old Ipswichians include author Sir Henry Rider Haggard (1856 -1925), pioneering neuro-physiologist and Nobel Prizewinner Sir Charles Scott Sherrington (1857 -1952), & artist, designer & President of the Royal Academy Sir Edward John Poynter (1836 -1919).
Established in April 1873, Ipswich High School for Girls is an independent school that originally operated from The Assembly Rooms in Northgate Street. Having moved to a large house in Westerfield Road in 1905, the school relocated in 1992 to its present location; the Grade I listed Woolverstone Hall, set in 80 acres of parkland on the banks of the River Orwell just outside Ipswich. Notable former pupils include children’s author Enid Blyton (see below) & Eastenders actress June Brown (Dot Branning).
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The Master's House (Samuel Ward/William King)
The Master’s House, situated at 19 Lower Brook Street, is so called because it was once the dwelling place of the Master of Ipswich Grammar School. Built in the 1590s, it was originally known as the Preacher’s House, as it was built for Dr John Burges, who was town preacher or lecturer at the time; a post that had been established by the Town Corporation during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1556-1603). It was also later the home of another more famous town preacher named Samuel Ward (1577–1640).
Puritan preacher Samuel Ward was born in Haverhill, Suffolk & moved to Ipswich in 1605, having previously attended St. John’s & Sidney Sussex Colleges in Cambridge. Aside from a brief spell in Holland in the late 1630s, he would remain the town lecturer of Ipswich until his death; preaching from the pulpit of St Mary-le-Tower Church. During this period, Ipswich was a staunchly Puritan town, & although popular with the local people, the outspoken Ward was often in trouble with both the Church & the Crown. In 1621, he spent a short spell in prison for producing an anti-Catholic/anti-Spanish engraving entitled Double Deliverance, with caricatures of both the Pope & the King of Spain. These were seen as an insult by the Spanish ambassador in London, at a time when King James I was attempting to negotiate the marriage of his son Charles to the Spanish Infanta Maria. In the following year, Samuel Harsnet, the Bishop of Norwich, began proceedings against Ward for non-conformity, although he was subsequently released from prosecution. He was sent to prison again in 1635, however, having fallen foul of the Archbishop of Canterbury William Laud’s attempts to impose conformity on the Church.
Samuel Ward died in March 1640 & was buried in St Mary-le-Tower Church in Ipswich.
One of Ward’s brothers, John, was rector at St Clement’s Church in Ipswich. Another brother, Nathaniel Ward (See Ipswich, Massachusetts Page), emigrated to America, where he is regarded as the ‘Father of the First American Constitution’.
After the house was acquired by Ipswich School, it was the birthplace of William King (1786-1865), whose father, the Rev. John King, was master of the school at that time. King became a physician before moving to Brighton, where, in the late 1820s, he founded a Co-operative Benefit Fund, whilst also writing & publishing a periodical called The Co-operator. Although the latter was only produced for two years (1828-30), it is now seen as the inspiration for the Co-operative movement in Britain; with the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, established in 1844, being seen as the first successful co-operative enterprise. A blue plaque commemorating King now adorns the walls of the house.
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The Ipswich Institute
What would become the Ipswich Institute was founded in 1824 as the Ipswich Mechanics’ Institute. The seeds of its establishment were planted in the winter of 1823/4 by John Raw, who ran a bookshop & library in The Buttermarket, whose suggestion it was to form an organization run along the lines of Dr. George Birkbeck’s Mechanics’ Institution in London & Glasgow. In an age when there was little at no education for working people, the aim of the Ipswich Mechanic’s Institute was to provide lectures on instruction in the arts, sciences & other ‘useful knowledge’.
Initially based in St Matthew’s Church Lane, the Ipswich Mechanic’s Institute soon moved to The Buttermarket. Its first president was John FitzGerald, father of the poet Edward (see Edward FitzGerald section on the Suffolk, England page of www.planetsuffolk.com ). Other early supporters were Robert Ransome & Richard Dykes Alexander. In 1834 the Institute acquired new premises on the site of a former chemist’s shop at 15 Tavern Street. Later, in 1849, adjoining premises were bought in Tower Street, where a lecture hall was built. In 1893 the word ‘Mechanics’ was dropped, at which time it became known simply as the Ipswich Institute.
During the period 1909-40, the lecture hall in Tower Street was leased to Poole’s Picture Palace, & after the Second World War became the Ipswich Arts Theatre. It is now the Old Rep public house.
The Ipswich Institute is still going strong today, with the Tavern Street site still serving as the Institute’s library & reading room. In 2001 the Institute acquired the nearby listed building known as The Admiral’s House in Tower Street. Once home to Admiral Benjamin Page, & visited by the Duke of Wellington, it is now used as an art centre & study rooms, whilst also housing the Institute’s restaurant & coffee lounge.
With the exception of Birkbeck College in London, the Ipswich Institute is the only surviving Birkbeck foundation, & still operates as an independent subscription library and educational charity; providing an extensive programme of leisure learning courses, talks & other activities. Of all the UK’s independent libraries, Ipswich Institute has the largest membership outside London, with around 2,500 members.
In 2009, the Institute founded the New Angle Prize for Literature. This biennial £2,000 prize is awarded to a book set in or influenced by the East Anglia region.
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The Old Custom House
The Grade II listed building on Ipswich waterfront now known as the Old Custom House was opened in 1845, & replaced an even older timber framed custom house on the Common Quay, which had numerous pillars running along the front that formed a colonnaded walkway known as ‘Mariner’s Walk’. Dating from the sixteenth century, this building was described by GR Clarke in 1830 as “a low, ill-shaped, isolated building”, & by the time of its demolition in 1843 it was in a dilapidated, run down condition.
The new building was designed by John Medland Clark. It was constructed from red & cream bricks & features two stairways leading up to a first floor entrance surrounded by a four-columned portico facing the waterfront, with the Ipswich Coat of Arms above. The rear of the building features a clock tower.
The building was originally known as the New Hall of Commerce, & as well as the customs & excise offices, featured warehouses, a coffee house, & rooms where the merchants could carry out their business transactions. It is now the headquarters of the Ipswich Port Authority; the successor to Ipswich Dock Commission. The building has been restored in recent years & now boasts a conference centre on the ground floor.
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“Tolly Follies”
During the late 1920s & 1930s, Tollymache Brewery built a series of public houses in Ipswich that would become known as “Tolly Follies”. Mainly built on housing estates away from the town centre, the architecture of these ornate mock-baronial buildings is loosely based on the fifteenth century moated Helmingham Hall (see North & Central Suffolk section on the Suffolk, England page of www.planetsuffolk.com ); the Tollemache family’s home located around ten miles to the north of Ipswich. None of the Ipswich pubs are completely identical, & some bear more resemblance to Helmingham than others. They are all spacious buildings with Tudor style chimneys, & many have their own clock towers. Helmingham Hall
Sadly, two “Tolly Follies” have since been demolished. The Safe Harbour, which stood on the corner of Highfield & Meredith Roads on the Whitton estate, closed for business in 1995 & was demolished two years later. A supermarket now stands on the site. The Waveney, at the junction of Bramford Road & Adair Road is also no more; having closed in 1995, it became a private members club named Churchill’s until 2004, when it too was demolished to make way for flats to be built on the site.
Of the surviving buildings, the fate of at least one is unclear. This is the Haven Hotel, which was built in 1928 on the corner of Felixstowe Road & Ransome Road. It was renamed the Crown in 2009, but currently stands unused after closing in late 2011.
The other surviving “Tolly Follies” are:-
The Cricketers in Crown Street (the only one in the town centre)
The Golf Hotel on Foxhall Road
The Golden Hind on the corner of Nacton Road & Maryon Road
The Suffolk Punch at the junction of Norwich Road & Cromer Road
The Margaret Catchpole on Cliff Lane
The Royal George at the junction of Colchester Road & Sidegate Lane
There are only two “Tolly Follies” built outside Ipswich, both in Cambridge. The Golden Hind on Milton Road, an almost identical building to its namesake in Ipswich; & The Cow (formerly The Red Cow) on Corn Exchange Street. They were built after the Tollemache Brewery took over Cambridge’s Star Brewery in the 1930s.
The title Baron Tollemache was created in 1876 for John Tollemache, who had been a member of parliament in Cheshire. The Tollemache family began brewing in Ipswich in 1888, when three of Lord Tollemache’s sons took over the Upper Brook Street brewery, which had been set up by Charles Cullingham in 1856. Tollemache Ipswich Brewery Ltd began to acquire public houses, both in Ipswich & further afield, as well as expanding the business with such acquisitions as Collier Brothers of Walthamstow in 1920 & Star Brewery of Cambridge in 1934. In 1957 the brewery merged with another local family brewing firm, Cobbold & Co, to form Tolly Cobbold, at which time the Upper Brook Street brewery closed. Tolly Cobbold finally ceased trading in 2002 (see also The Cobbold Family , below).
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The Willis Building
Originally the headquarters for insurance company Willis Faber & Dumas, the Willis Building, as it is commonly known, was designed by architect Sir Norman Foster & built between 1970 & 1975. Officially opened by former Prime Minister Sir Harold Macmillan, the outside of the building is constructed from 890 sheets of toughened, half inch thick, darkly tinted glass, with a further 180 panes around the roof top restaurant. Also on the rooftop is a garden, complete with lawn & hedges, from which stunning 360 degree views of
the town are possible. The building is in the shape of a grand piano, although to appreciate this fully you need to see it from above.
In 1991, the Willis Building became the youngest building in Britain to be granted Grade I listed status. It is currently owned by Willis Group Holdings.
In 1987, the Willis Building was featured on a Royal Mail postage stamp (see right) as part of the ‘British Architects in Europe’ series.
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Ipswich Museum
Ipswich Museum was originally established in 1847 at newly built premises in the equally new Museum Street. Designed by architect Christopher Fleury, one of the early promoters was Charles Darwin’s tutor at Cambridge, Reverend Professor J S Henslow.
John Stevens Henslow was a clergyman, botanist and geologist, who became rector at Hitcham, Suffolk in 1839. In 1831, Henslow had been offered a place as naturalist on board HMS Beagle. Although he declined the offer himself, it was he who recommended Darwin to Captain Robert FitzRoy. A species native to North America, Henslow’s Sparrow Ammodramus henslowii, is named after him. He was elected President of Ipswich Museum in 1850.
In 1851 Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, visited the museum & is said to have been very impressed; speaking of very little else for several days, as the Queen is reputed to have remarked. The aim of the museum had always been to benefit & help educate the working classes & once Ipswich Corporation had taken over its management in 1853, the museum was open free of charge four days a week. In 1878, however, it was decided that bigger premises were needed & the present site was acquired in High Street. Opened in 1881, the new complex was designed by Horace Chesterton & included an art gallery & the School of Art. The original building in Museum Street is now occupied by ‘Arlingtons’ restaurant.
Today the museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday & entrance is free. Highlights include the replica woolly mammoth, Indian rhinoceros, giraffe & gorillas in the natural history gallery, as well as the Egyptian gallery, gallery of British birds & many other artifacts & exhibits from all around the world. The Ipswich Story, on the first floor gallery, tracks the history of Ipswich & Suffolk from prehistoric times up until the present day.
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Ipswich Transport Museum
Ipswich Transport Museum is located on the eastern outskirts of Ipswich in the former Priory Heath Trolleybus Depot on Cobham Road (just off Felixstowe Road). The museum was established in 1988 & exhibits include horse drawn carriages, trams, trolleybuses, buses, coaches, lorries, fire engines, a police car & an ambulance; all of which were either made in Ipswich or operated in the area. The museum is also home to the Ipswich Engineering Collection, which includes such items as cranes, fork lift trucks & lawn mowers manufactured by local companies such as Reavells, Ransomes Sims & Jeffries and Ransomes & Rapier. The museum opens on Sundays, bank holidays & school holidays from April to November. There is a charge for admission.
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Clifford Road Air Raid Shelter Museum
Situated at Clifford Road Primary School just off Foxhall Road, Clifford Road Air Raid Shelter Museum is housed in a World War II shelter beneath the school playground. Built during the first three months of the war, it was sealed up after the cessation of hostilities & largely forgotten about until its rediscovery in 1989, when workmen excavating a pond came upon one of the original entrances. Originally there had been thirteen sections of tunnel, each with its own stairway from the playground.
One section of the tunnel has been retained as closely as possible to how it would have looked during the war. Other exhibits include features on school life during the war, air raid precautions, a shop display showing items from the 1930s & 1940s, & rationing. Also on display is a section of a restored London Underground carriage dating from 1938.
The museum is open on selected weekends from April to October.
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Christchurch Mansion & Park
Set within the 70 acre Christchurch Park, the mansion is a grade I listed building that stands on the site of the Priory of the Holy Trinity. The Augustinian priory, built in the twelfth century, was suppressed in 1537 and the lands were sold to the London merchant Paul Withipoll in 1545, whose son, Sir Edmund Withipoll, built the mansion in 1548-50. In 1649 the estate was inherited by the Devereux family.
In 1735, the estate was sold to the Fonnereau family, who occupied the house until 1894, when their intention had been to sell the mansion & land for demolition & development (see Fonnereau under Ipswich Garden Suburb in Housing Estates, Neighbourhoods, Suburbs , below). Fortunately, local businessman Felix Cobbold stepped in, bought the mansion & presented it to the town corporation, on condition that they purchased the surrounding park.
In 1904, a bronze statue of Qu
een Victoria was unveiled in front of the mansion. This only survived until 1942 however, when it was decided that the metal was of more use for the war effort.
Today Christchurch Park includes ponds, a wildlife area & the Upper & Lower Arboretums. Christchurch Mansion is a museum & art gallery, with a number of paintings by local artists Thomas Gainsborough & John Constable. Events & concerts are staged in the park each year, including the annual ‘Music in the Park’ festival in the summer & a firework display on the nearest Saturday to Guy Fawkes night.
If you look closely at a picture of Christchurch Mansion, then look at a picture of Castle Hill in Ipswich, Massachusetts, you will note some striking similarities. In 1919, when Richard Teller Crane Jr was looking for somewhere to expand the Crane Co of Chicago into the UK, he chose the town with the same name as that in which he had built his home; Ipswich, Massachusetts. How much the design of the second Castle Hill mansion (built in the 1920's) is based on the English house, & how much is mere coincidence, is not known. (See Ipswich, Massachusetts page & Ipswich, Massachusetts album in the Photo Gallery for comparison). The Crane name is still represented in Ipswich today by Crane Fluid Systems Ltd.
Holywells Mansion & Park
Built in 1814 by John Cobbold, & the home of the Cobbold family for much of the nineteenth century, Holywells Mansion was presented to the town by Arthur Churchman in the late 1920’s. The 67 acre Holywells Park was opened to the public in 1936, but the mansion fell into ruin & it was demolished in 1962. All that remains are the stables, clock tower & orangery, which are now Grade II listed buildings. As the name suggests, the park is on the site of a natural spring & is reputed to have been the site of a manor owned by Edward the Confessor’s wife, Queen Edith.
Chantry Mansion & Park
Originally built in 1688 by Edmund Ventris, Chantry Mansion had several owners & underwent much alteration before being bought by Arthur Churchman in 1927 &, like Holywells Mansion,
was presented to the town. The 126 acre Chantry Park, between London Road & Hadleigh Road, was opened to the public in 1928. It is Ipswich’s largest park. The mansion is a Grade II listed building & now operates as a Sue Ryder Care Home.
Situated at the Hadleigh Road entrance to the park is Chantry Park Gate Lodge. This Grade II listed building was probably built in the 1850’s by Sir Fitzroy Kelly, the mansion’s owner at the time.
Also within the park is a signposted walk known as the Sri Chinmoy Peace Mile. This is named after the Indian spiritual master Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007), who was also a prolific author, artist, poet, athlete & musician. He visited Ipswich twice in the 1980s & 1990s. His statue, sculpted by Kaivalya Torpy, was unveiled in the park in July 2013. The statue was a gift from the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, an international event which seeks to promote peace & harmony throughout the world.
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Belstead Brook Park
Established in 1991, Belstead Brook Park incorporates a connecting series of local nature reserves on the southwest outskirts of Ipswich, that stretch from Bourne Park in the east to the Copdock Interchange in the west, on the northern side of the A14. The park includes a number of diverse habitats such as reedbeds, water meadows, marshland, grassland & ancient woodland. The one constant feature of the various sections of the park is the shallow, meandering Belstead Brook, that rises near Hadleigh & flows into the River Orwell at Bourne Bridge. The park is managed by local volunteers, together with the Greenways Countryside Project. The park includes six Local Nature Reserves, as defined by the government’s environmental advisor Natural England.
Lying adjacent to, & on the south side of Bourne Park, is the Bourne Park Reedbeds Local Nature Reserve, which are thought to be the largest reedbeds in the south of Suffolk. The Belstead Brook flows through the reedbeds, close to its confluence with the River Orwell. Otters can be found along this stretch of the brook, & the reedbeds are home to a number of species of warblers & wildfowl. Between the reedbeds & the A137 road can be found the stretch of grassland known as Ostrich Meadow, & the privately owned Braky Woods. The origin of the name Ostrich Meadow derives from Sir Edward Coke (1552-1634) a barrister & Chief Justice to King James I, who was lord of the manor of Bourne Hall. His coat of arms shows an ostrich in the process of swallowing a horseshoe; symbolizing the Chief Justice’s capacity to digest legal problems, no matter how unpalatable. (The public house at Bourne Bridge was once called the Ostrich, but the name was changed in the early 1990s, when someone, misguidedly, assumed that Ostrich was a corruption of Oyster Reach, which is what the pub is now called).
Not actually part of Belstead Brook Park, but bordering it to the north is Bourne Park. This park, which stretches from Wherstead Road to Stoke Park Drive, was gifted to the people of Ipswich in 1927 by Alderman William F Paul, & was officially opened by HRH Prince Henry, son of King George V, in October of that year. At this time the trees for Corporation Avenue, which runs the length of the park, were planted. In recent years the Bourne Park Barn Owl Project has been established in the area adjacent to the reedbeds, to encourage this endangered species to breed here.
Opposite the Stoke Park Drive entrance to Bourne Park is the small Stoke Park Wood Local Nature Reserve. Now an area of woodland, scrub & wildflower grassland, it had originally been the location of Stoke Park Mansion. Although an earlier house had existed here, the last mansion was built in 1838 by Peter Burrell, a magistrate & High Steward of Ipswich, who became Lord Gwydyr in 1870. The mansion was demolished in the 1920s, & no trace of it now remains.
To the southwest of Bourne Park is Ashground Plantation; a wooded area with boardwalks, that follows the course of the brook through to the flood meadows of Bobbits Lane Meadows (see photo, right). The meadows & lake, home to a wide variety of birds including little egret & heron, are overlooked by a bird viewing screen & platform. Both Ashground Plantation & Bobbits Lane Meadows are part of Bobbits Lane Local Nature Reserve. It was in this area, when the nearby sewage works were being built in the 1950s, that the deposits which gave rise to the naming of the Ipswichian Interglacial Period were first discovered (see separate page).
Declared a nature reserve in 2012, the 11 acre Kiln Meadow Local Nature Reserve lies on the opposite side of the single track Bobbits Lane. It is predominantly shrub & wildflower grassland, as well as being home to one of the largest toad colonies in the UK, which migrate across the narrow lane to the Bobbits Lane Meadows in their thousands every spring.
To the south of Kiln Meadow is Spring Woods Local Nature Reserve. This is an ancient woodland, where coppicing is still practiced, as it has been for hundreds of years. (Coppicing is a form of woodland management, in which trees are cut back close to the ground to encourage new growth.) Nightingales can be heard here in the summer, & wildflowers include bluebells & wood anemones.
In contrast to the ancient Spring Woods, the neighbouring Millennium Woods Local Nature Reserve was, as the name suggests, planted by local volunteers in the year 2000. Approximately 5,000 trees were planted, with around a third of the site being left to regenerate naturally.
Across Stoke Park Drive from Bobbits Lane, the Belstead Brook winds through Ellenbrook Open Space, where areas of meadow & grassland are interspersed with sports & childrens’ playing facilities. The brook then flows unde
r the road again, passing Ellenbrook Playing Fields & Quilter Drive Open Space, before meandering through Belstead Meadow; the westernmost section of Belstead Brook Park. Belstead Meadow is now a wildlife haven, with the grasslands being grazed by cattle during the summer months. In 1996, 8,000 trees were planted along the western boundary of the meadow, close to, & acting as a screen from, the main A14 road. Five years earlier, in 1991, the 90 trees that make up the Oak Avenue were planted to commemorate the 90th birthday of the Queen Mother. The avenue leads up to Belstead House (see photo, left), parts of which date back to the seventeenth century, although there are known to have been buildings on the site since at least the twelfth century. Once the the residence of visiting circuit judges, Belstead House is now run by Suffolk County Council as a residential conference & training centre.
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Bixley Heath Local Nature Reserve
Straddling the boundary between Ipswich Borough & Suffolk Coastal District Councils, Bixley Heath is a 12 acre site that was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1997. The reserve is located to the north of Bucklesham Road, just east of Ipswich Golf Club. The site consists mainly of heath & grassland, along with areas of woodland, scrub & reed beds, & is an important breeding site for birds in springtime.
The reserve is managed by Ipswich Borough Council & has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
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The Dales Open Space Local Nature Reserve
Located on Dales Road in north west Ipswich, & surrounded by residential streets, the 14.5 acre Dales Open Space Local Nature Reserve is situated in a former sand & clay quarry which ceased operations in 1959. It was bought by Ipswich Borough Council in 1973.
The southern section of the reserve is steeply sloping, due to this area being one side of a now dry valley, whilst the terrain on the northern side of the site is much flatter.
Dales Open Space is characterised predominantly by woodland & scrub habitats. The reserve boasts varying plant communities, due to the two different soil types present here. There are also two spring-fed ponds which support a limited amount of aquatic flora.
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Orwell Country Park
Straddling the boundary between the Borough of Ipswich & Suffolk Coastal District, Orwell Country Park is a 200 acre site along the north bank of the River Orwell to the southeast of Ipswich. Officially opened in 1995, it is part of the Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The park includes a variety of habitats along the river estuary, such as ancient woodland, reedbed & heathland. From the shoreline, the park is dominated by the Orwell Bridge, & the park straddles both sides of the major A14 road. At low tide, the mudflats are an important feeding site for many species of waders & wildfowl.
Included within the park is the ancient Bridge Wood Local Nature Reserve, where many oak trees over 400 years old can be found, as well as sycamore, scots pine, elm & hazel. On the ground, bluebells, wood anemone & foxgloves abound, whilst wildlife includes foxes & deer. In summer, nightingales can be heard here. The name Bridge Wood is thought to derive from the idea that there was once an ancient river crossing point located here (see Myth of the Roman Road over the Orwell , below). To the north of the A14, is Braziers Wood, which also contains remnants of ancient woodland (to be defined as ancient woodland, there has to be evidence of continual woodland for at least 400 years).
The northern section of the park (the part within Ipswich Borough) is Piper’s Vale Local Nature Reserve, an area that was bought by the Borough Council in 1926. Known locally as “The Lairs”, this piece of rough recreational land on the shoreline includes heath, scrub & reedbed habitats. The area is a haven for birdlife, with more than 100 species being recorded here, as well as several rare species of plant such as sulphur cinquefoil & meadow-rue.
The park also includes the Grade II listed Pond Hall Farm, which was once part of the thirteenth century Alnesbourne Priory.
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Alderman Canal Local Nature Reserve
The area around Alderman Canal was declared a nature reserve in 1997. It comprises two Local Nature Reserves as defined by Natural England, the government’s advisor on the natural environment; Alderman Canal East & Alderman Canal West. The short canal joins the River Gipping at Handford Sluice (formerly Handford Lock) & then wends eastwards towards the junction of Handford Road & Alderman Road. The canal may have once been a tributary of the Gipping, but was converted into a canal with the construction of the Ipswich & Stowmarket Navigation in the late eighteenth century (see River Orwell & River Gipping section, below). As well as the canal, the 2.5 acre nature reserve also features reedbeds, hedgerows & grassland managed for wildflowers, which allows a wide variety of wildlife to flourish close to the heart of Ipswich. Wooden Walkways have recently been constructed through the reserve.
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River Orwell & River Gipping
It is undoubtedly true to say that Ipswich is situated where it is because of the River Orwell. And it is also the case that the river, together with the town’s proximity to the North Sea & therefore the continent, was responsible for making Ipswich a major port, & probably the most important commercial centre in England, from the seventh century AD. As R A N Dixon remarked ‘‘Ipswich was a flourishing port when Liverpool was still a swamp and Hull an insignificant village’’.
The name Orwell is thought to derive from the Anglo-Saxon meaning ‘river near the shore’ although it is sometime
s claimed that the ‘Or’ part of the name is Celtic or even pre-Celtic.
The Orwell empties into the sea at Harwich, where it is joined by the River Stour. Historically, the estuary close to Harwich was known as the ‘Port of Orwell’, or the ‘Salt Water’. Daniel Defoe noted in 1722 that although the name Orwell was in use, the more common name for the river was the ‘Ipswich-Water’ with the Stour being the ‘Maningtre-Water’ (see also Ipswich Water on The Ones That Got Away page).
During the late sixteenth century, with naval expansion caused by the threat from the Spanish Armada, Ipswich became a leading centre for ship building, due partly to the excellence of the local Suffolk timber. At this point Ipswich was being referred to as the “Shipyard of London”.
During the eighteenth century the Orwell became badly silted up, to the extent that only small vessels were able to reach the quays. From 1805 onwards, the task of deepening, widening & improving the river was undertaken & the New Cut was created to allow the flow of the river to by-pass the new Wet Dock, which was opened in 1842. Separating the dock from the New Cut was a 14 acre man-made spur of land known as the ‘Island’, which was originally laid out for public use with a tree lined promenade, seats, a bandstand/shelter known as the ‘umbrella’ & a statue of the winged horse Pegasus. Sadly the promenade, umbrella & statue were removed during the early twentieth century & the ‘Island’ is now an entirely industrial area.
Although they are in reality one river, in Ipswich the River Orwell becomes the River Gipping; this name being derived, as was Ipswich itself, from the name Gippeswick. However, at least until the fourteenth century, the whole length of the river, right to its source beyond Stowmarket, was known as the Orwell. When the change came about is not certain, but it is known that originally the name Gipping was given to a different stream; a short tributary that flowed through the marshes to join the Orwell just to the west of Stoke Bridge. Apart from a short spur on the waterfront, this river no longer exists.
Today, the Gipping rises from a small spring near Mendlesham, around 20 miles from Ipswich, flows close to the tiny village of Gipping, then down through Stowmarket to become the Orwell. Where the Gipping ends & the Orwell begins is open to debate. Some say it is at the Constantine Road weir, although this was only opened in 1903 (close to the new Sir Bobby Robson Footbridge). Others maintain that the name change occurs at the Horseshoe Sluice near London Road Bridge. The most common opinion is that the metamorphosis occurs where the river becomes tidal, or where the ‘salt water’ meets the ‘sweet water’.
Between 1790 & 1793 th
e Ipswich & Stowmarket Navigation was constructed on the Gipping. This consisted of 15 locks which allowed boats to traverse the 17 miles & 90 feet rise of the river between the two towns. With the coming of the railways, river trade dropped & the Navigation was finally closed in 1934. Much renovation has been done in recent years, however, & today a footpath called the ‘Gipping Way’ follows the towpath for most of the route.
For about five years, from 1929 onwards, the writer Eric Blair (1903-50) lived in the town of Southwold, on the Suffolk coast north of Ipswich. He is, of course, better known as George Orwell, whose most famous works include“1984” & “Animal Farm”. His pen name derives from the fact that he enjoyed many inspirational walks along the River Orwell.
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The Shipyards of Ipswich
Taking into account the navigability of the river, it is unsurprising that shipbuilding would become a major industry on the Orwell; & as the largest town on the river, that Ipswich would become the hub of this activity. Although shipbuilding all but ceased during the early years of the twentieth century, during the sixteenth century, with naval expansion precipitated by the threat of invasion from Spain, the town’s importance as a ship building centre resulted in Ipswich being referred to as the “Shipyard of London”.
Probably the earliest representation of an Ipswich built vessel is the ship shown on the Town Seal (see above), which dates from the year 1200. Many other collier ships, or Ipswich Catts (see Ships Named Ipswich page) as they became known, would also have been built here, although very few records have survived relating to the exact location or date of their construction.
Although it is not known with any certainty, it is possible - indeed quite likely - that the Mayflower, the ship that took the English Puritans known as the Pilgrim Fathers to America, was built at one of the early shipyards at Ipswich before being taken to Harwich where she would have been fitted with sails & launched. The precise date of building is also unknown, although she appears in the Port Books of 1609-11, where she is designated as being ‘of Harwich’ (later records show her as being ‘of London’). Her captain, Christopher Jones, was born in Harwich around 1570, & many of the pilgrims who left England on the Mayflower in 1620 were from Suffolk. During the 1630s, many ships left Ipswich carrying settlers to the New World.
St Clement’s: It would seem that St Clement’s parish, on the eastern shore of the river, was probably the earliest location for shipbuilding in the town. Although records prior to the eighteenth century are scant, it is known that a ship which has become known as the Ipswich Galley (see Ships Named Ipswich page) was built in 1294 for the war with France, & one of the builders, Philip Harneys, is known to have had a shipyard in the area of today’s Neptune Quay in St Clement’s. Many of the vessels listed in the Ships with the suffix ‘of Ipswich’ section on the Ships Named Ipswich page would also more than likely have been built here. Pennington’s map of Ipswich, dating from 1778, shows three shipyards side by side in St Clement’s, situated at the bend where the river turns to the south (in the vicinity of today’s University Campus Suffolk building, near to the junction of Fore Street & Duke Street). Three other shipyards are known to have been built prior to the construction of the Wet Dock in 1840; the most southerly two, together with a ballast yard, being created on land reclaimed after 1808. Surviving registers of ships, lease agreements, rate book & tax returns provide evidence that ownership of these yards changed hands on a fairly regular basis. The leasing out of the yards by their owners to various shipbuilders was also a frequent occurrence, & very little is now known about many of these people or the vessels they built.
The best known shipbuilder in the parish during the eighteenth century was John Barnard (born c1705), who took over the shipyard from his widowed mother in 1734 (his father, also named John, having owned the yard from around 1710). Establishing himself in the second most northerly of the yards, Barnard launched the 24 gun sixth rate Biddeford, built for the Royal Navy in 1740. Around this time, the man responsible for designing Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory, Thomas Slade (see below) was employed by the Navy Board to oversee Barnard’s work. Barnard also built the fourth rate Hampshire for the navy in 1740/1, although due to her size, she was built downriver at John’s Ness (see below).
From around 1742, Barnard leased the navy yard at Harwich, where he concentrated most of his efforts thereafter. He did still build the occasional ship at his St Clement’s yard, however, where he also opened the town’s first public swimming bath in 1767. He was declared bankrupt in 1781, at which time, as well as shipyards in St Clement’s & Nova Scotia, he owned several farms in Essex & Suffolk & a large house in Duke Street, just behind the shipyards.
A painting by John Cleveley the Elder entitled ‘Launch of a Fourth Rate on the Orwell’, depicts John Barnard’s Hampshire being built at John’s Ness. Also in the picture are two other ships built by Barnard, namely the Biddeford, shown being towed down to Harwich to be rigged out, & the Granado. The fact that all three were built by Barnard suggests that he may have commissioned the painting himself.
In 1818 Jabez Bayley, a member of the famous Ipswich shipbuilding family whose businesses had until now been concentrated on the other side of the river (see below), leased two shipyards in St Clement’s; seemingly in an effort to monopolise the shipbuilding industry in Ipswich. These yards were in need of repair, however, & Bayley soon found himself in financial difficulties, which culminated with him being declared bankrupt in 1825. He later resumed business here, & although most of the Bayley family’s ships were built at the St Peter’s, Nova Scotia & Halifax yards, some were launched from St Clement’s, such as the Indiaman Childe Harold of 400 tons. At the time of his bankruptcy, a relative of Jabez, William Bayley, took over the lease of two yards in St Clement’s & this business began to flourish during the 1830s.
With the gradual silting up of the river over the centuries, in the 1830s a proposal was made to create a new channel from a point just south of the St Clement’s yards around to the St Peter’s dock, in order to divert the river & create a new non tidal wet dock. A consequence of the New Cut, as this bypass channel came to be called, was that all six of the old yards in St Clement’s were now within the newly created Wet Dock. The last ship to be built in the old yards was the schooner Doctor, launched by Bayley in 1841. (One final vessel, a small iron steamer named Chevalier, was built on this part of the waterfront in what was by then the Wet Dock in 1851. She was built by Ransomes & May (see Ransomes section, below), but due to difficulties encountered in launching a large craft in such a confined space, this event proved to be a one-off & no further records exist of shipbuilding here).
The Wet Dock necessitated the owners of the old yards & their tenants relocating, in 1841, to reclaimed land to the south of the dock. This land belonged to John Chevallier Cobbold, who had purchased the foreshore down as far as his brewery at the Cliff in 1829. Three new shipyards were established here, the westernmost one being first worked by William Colchester, (this would later become known as Dock End Yard). The central yard of the three was occupied by William Bayley, whose old yard, like Colchester’s, had also been owned by John Cobbold. The first vessel known to have been built here was the cutter Eagle in 1841. On the other (eastern) side of William Bayley’s yard, John Cobbold himself briefly established his own shipyard in the 1850s, although after his death in 1860 this became incorporated into Bayley’s premises.
When the elder William Bayley died in 1857, his two sons, William & James took over the firm. The younger William continued the family business here until 1889; latterly building mainly barges, although some deep water craft were still built, such as the barquentine Lucy in 1879 & the brigantine Clementine in 1885. The last vessel built by William Bayley & Sons was the Inflexible in 1889.
The Dock End Yard passed through various hands after William Colchester retired, until it was acquired by R & W Paul Ltd in 1901. They built several barges for their own use, & carried on repairs here until the yard finally closed in the 1970s.
In 1865 a new yard had been opened in St Clement’s parish, further south than the other three & closer to the Cliff Brewery. Known as the Cliff Yard, the first builders here were John & Alfred Lambert. They remained here for around five years, after which the Bayley brothers briefly occupied the premises before it was taken over by William Curtis. When Curtis retired in 1885, the Cliff Yard was taken over by his nephew William Orvis, whose company continued to build here until Orvis’ death in 1909. In that year, the firm launched the last sailing barge ever built in Ipswich, the Ardwina. The last occupants of the Cliff Yard were a company called Dan Marine, who introduced steel shipbuilding to Ipswich; the first being the motor barge Eaglet in 1910. The company went into liquidation in 1913, & the Cliff Shipyard disappeared with the construction of Cliff Quay after the First World War.
Nova Scotia: It is unclear exactly when the shipyard that became known as Nova Scotia in the parish of St Mary at Stoke, was first established, although the sale of a shipyard is recorded in the area in 1713. The site, three quarters of a mile downriver from Stoke Bridge, is in the vicinity of today’s West Bank Terminal. The name Nova Scotia was given to the site soon after John Barnard, who already owned a shipyard on the other side of the river in St Clement’s (see above), bought the land in 1749. For a theory as to why this & the neighbouring Halifax yard were so named, see The Villages & Hamlets of the Liberties of Ipswich section, below. By this time Barnard was concentrating most of his activities in Harwich, & used the Nova Scotia yard to store timber & coal & was soon letting it out to others. Barnard’s son William, in partnership with William Dudson, did build several ships here in the early 1760s, the largest being the Speaker, a 702 ton East Indiaman launched in 1763.
After Dudman & the younger Barnard relocated to Deptford on the Thames in 1764, William & John Bayley (exact relationship unknown) hired part of the yard from Barnard Snr. This was the start of the Bayley family’s involvement in Ipswich shipbuilding, which would see them almost monopolise the industry during the nineteenth century. John Barnard was declared bankrupt in 1781 & in the following year the yard was purchased by Timothy Mangles.
William Bayley soon set up his own yard, & it seems he had left Ipswich by 1785. When John Bayley died in March of that year, the business was taken over by his widow Elizabeth. Their four sons all worked in the yard at various times, although it was the second son George, & the youngest Jabez, whose names would become well known as Ipswich shipbuilders.
It was during the period 1787-92 that the short-lived whaling industry thrived in Ipswich, & it was probably during this period that the Bayleys’ moved the main focus of their business to the St Peter’s shipyard. Although Mangles built several ships from Nova Scotia in the late 1780s & early 1790s, such as the Ferdinand in 1791, the yard’s days as a shipbuilding centre were numbered. The Bayley family may have continued to use the yard until the end of the century, but after this time there seems to have been little ship building here.
St Peter’s: One of the earliest records of a shipyard on the western bank of the Orwell dates from 1702, when Joseph Clarke was assessed for tax on a shipyard & house not far below Stoke Bridge, close to today’s Great Whip Street. Very little is known about activities here until the 1770s, when a man by the name of Pearl Betts is recorded as building several vessels here, such as the 140 ton brig Mary and Ann in 1777, & the Ark in the following year. During the early 1780s, the yard was occupied by Captain Timothy Mangles, who was involved in the town’s brief whaling industry (see Ipswich (whaler) 1786 section on the Ships Named Ipswich page), although by 1783 he had moved to the Nova Scotia yard, further down river (see above). Conversely, it seems that the Bayley family, who had been at Nova Scotia since 1764, moved their business to St Peter’s in the late 1780s, at the time that Mangles was using Nova Scotia as his centre of operations for the whaling ventures.
In 1812, George Bayley’s son, also named George, was apprenticed by his uncle Jabez, who encouraged his nephew to open his own business at the St Peter’s yard in 1821. At this time Jabez put the Halifax yard up for sale & continued his own business on the other side of the river in St Clement’s (see above). The younger George, with financial assistance from another uncle named John Ridley, continued to build ships in St Peter’s until 1831. These included the steamers Ipswich & Suffolk in 1825. In 1831, however, he leased the yard back to Jabez Bayley. When Jabez Bayley died in 1834, George leased the yard to Jabez’s former business partner William Read who, along with Enos Page, built here until 1838, at which time they moved to the Halifax yard. This move was necessitated by the commencement of the construction of the Wet Dock & the New Cut, which signalled the end of the old St Peter’s shipyards, as they were directly in the path of the New Cut.
This was not quite the conclusion to shipbuilding in St Peter’s parish, however, as in 1852, after giving up his business at the Halifax yard, William Read opened a new yard on the “Island”, within the tideless Wet Dock. When Read retired in 1866, this yard was taken over by his foreman Ebenezer Robertson who installed a patent slip, after which this yard became the most productive in Ipswich during the 1870s. Robertson gave up the yard in 1886, at which time shipbuilding finally came to an end in St Peter’s.
Halifax: The first record of a shipyard at Halifax, further down river than Nova Scotia & close to Bourne Bridge, dates from 1783. The yard may have been established by Stephen Teague, a shipbuilder formerly plying his trade at the nearby Nova Scotia yard. In 1797 Teague launched the 18 gun brig-sloop Cruizer of 384 tons from Halifax. The Cruizer design was so successful that she soon gave her name to a whole class of warships; 111 being ordered by the navy over the next 30 or so years, nine of which were built by Jabez Bayley.
Bayley, who was renowned for the attention he paid to ventilation & rot prevention, had begun to attract orders from the Royal Navy, & expanded his activities to the Halifax yard in 1805; having found the St Peter’s yard unable to cope with the increase in business, & the waters there too shallow for the launch of larger vessels. In the decade between 1804 & 1814 he built more the 30 ships for the navy, although it is not always known in which yard, St Peter’s or Halifax, many of these were built.
One vessel that can be placed with certainty as being launched from the Halifax yard, however, is the Transit; a narrow, barquentine rigged craft built to a revolutionary new design by Capt. Richard Hall Gower (1767 – 1833). Gower had already designed a similar vessel in 1800 (also named Transit & built at Chichester), that had proved extremely successful in tests, although he was always unable to persuade the Royal Navy to adopt his design. Part of Gower’s education had taken place at Ipswich School, & from 1816 onwards he lived in the town.
Jabez Bayley also built a host of vessels for the merchant service, including brigs, cutters, packets, schooners, sloops & smacks, as well as several Indiamen such as the 579 ton Harleston in 1811 & the Georgiana of 256 tons in 1816. Another Indiaman, the Orwell, launched from Halifax in August 1817, was at 1,337 tons, the largest vessel ever built in the town.
When Read & Page (see above) were forced to leave St Peter’s in 1838 due to the construction of the new Wet Dock, they moved into the Halifax yard. It was here that they built some of the first ever iron barges, such as the Ironsides in 1841 & the Gipping in the following year.
In 1850 the yard was acquired by Thomas Harvey. He & his two sons worked the yard, building two mortar vessels for the Royal Navy in 1856. The dissolution of the partnership in 1864 signalled the final closure of the Halifax shipyard.
Above Stoke Bridge: The only known instance of any vessels being launched above Stoke Bridge occurred around 1874, when George Mason & Co. built two barges from their shortlived yard situated off modern day Burrell Road. The narrowness of the river at this point made the launching of craft difficult here, & the company’s future vessels were built in the St Clement’s yard of William Colchester.
John’s Ness: Close to the eastern end of today’s Orwell Bridge lies John’s Ness (sometimes called King John’s Ness). This site was used only occasionally for the building of larger ships, due to the deeper water required for launching. William Hubbard, whose main business was in the St Clement’s yards, built the fifth rate Greyhound here for the Royal Navy in 1703, & John Barnard also launched at least two warships from this location during the eighteenth century; the Hampshire (1741) & the Champion (1779).
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The Waterfront
The transformation of Ipswich Wet Dock from an area of warehouses, wharves & quays, to a vibrant, lively centre with marinas, restaurants, luxury dwellings & leisure facilities, began in 1999 with the completion of 69 apartments in the vicinity of Neptune Quay. What was once one of the largest wet docks in Europe has, during the first decade of the twenty first century, become the biggest single regeneration project in the east of England, with more than one billion pounds either having been spent, or earmarked for future development.
From this beginning on Neptune Quay, the development has spread along the northern side of the Wet Dock to include St Peter’s Quay, Albion Wharf, Common Quay, Wherry Quay & around to Orwell Quay. As well as many new cafes, bars & restaurants, the Waterfront boasts Ipswich’s only four star hotel (Salthouse Harbour), a dance studio (DanceEast), plus the University Campus Suffolk building, which was officially opened in 2009 (for further details see University Campus Suffolk section on the Suffolk, England page of www.planetsuffolk.com ).
Although many old buildings have been demolished in the past few years, some still stand alongside, or have been incorporated into, the newer ones. These include The Old Custom House (see separate section, above), parts of the Salthouse Harbour Hotel, & the Isaac Lord complex. Known as Isaacs on the Quay, the latter features a number of bars, & hosts live music events & barbeques. Parts of this complex of buildings dates back to Tudor times, although for whom the property was built is not known. Isaac Lord acquired the house & adjoining warehouse (known as the saleroom), from the Cobbold family in 1900, & the Lord family occupied the premises until the 1980s. Both the house & saleroom are Grade I listed buildings.
One of the more unusual eateries on the Waterfront is Mariners, a floating restaurant which is permanently moored on Neptune Quay. The boat on which Mariners is located was built in Bruges, Belgium, & was launched as SS Argus in 1889. She was subsequently requisitioned by the Belgian navy in 1940, before being sunk by the Germans, who then raised & repaired her. In the 1950s she was fitted out as a Red Cross hospital ship, & was renamed Florence Nightingale, sailing under the Dutch flag. In the 1970s & 80s she operated as a party boat, before being brought to Ipswich & opened as the Italian restaurant Il Punto in 1990. She became a French brasserie in 1994, & subsequently underwent the name change to Mariners.
Operating from Orwell Quay, the aptly named vessel Orwell Lady (see photo, left) has, since 2001, run regular cruises along the River Orwell & down to Harwich Harbour between the months of April & September. Built at Twickenham, London in 1979, the Orwell Lady previously operated on the Thames & at Poole, Dorset, before being brought to Ipswich. She is also available for private charter.
Sailing cruises are also available on the Orwell during the summer months from several Thames sailing barges that operate from the quay. Common in the nineteenth century, Thames sailing barges are flat bottomed vessels, around 80 to 90 ft in length, & usually spritsail rigged on two masts. Most have large mainsail & foresail, with a topsail above.
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The Orwell Bridge
Spanning the River Orwell just to the south of Ipswich is the 4,222 ft long Orwell Bridge, which carries the A14 road from Wherstead on the west bank to Gainsborough
on the east. Designed by Frederick Gibberd Partners & funded by the Dept. of Transport, construction began in October 1979 & the bridge was opened in December 1982. The 623 ft main span of the bridge was, at the time of construction, the longest pre-stressed concrete span in existence. The bridge is used, on average, by over 60,000 vehicles per day.
(See also the header photo of this website)
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The Lost Port of Orwell
Orwell Haven or the “portus de Orwell” is the estuary of the River Orwell, but there is a strong tradition that there was once a town of Orwell located here that belonged to Ipswich, but was swept away by erosion of the coast. Some historians consider this to be a myth, but written evidence is available of such a place, as noted below:
- Between 1229 and 1466 writs were directed towards the men of Orwell town (ville de Orwell), and since these appear in the same context as Ipswich and Harwich, it must have been recognised as a separate place.
- In 1173 Queen Eleanor and Prince Henry, in rebellion against King Henry II, landed their forces at Orwell.
- In 1326 Queen Isabella with Prince Edward and Roger Mortimer landed at Orwell in Suffolk in their successful attempt to overthrow King Edward II.
- In 1338 King Edward III sailed with his invasion force on France from the “port of Orwell”.
- In 1347 a ship from the “town of Orwell” is recorded.
- In 1408 an arrest was made at the “town of Orwell”.
- 1466 is the last record of a “ville de Orwell”.
It is clear that writers of the time had a place on shore or a harbour in mind, not a stretch of water. “Oruelle” is marked on maps of this period in this vicinity, but they are not accurate enough to locate precisely where it was.
Historians who claim that such a port is a myth maintain that it actually refers to Harwich which is sometimes recorded as “Harwell”, and that “Orwell” is just an earlier form of its name. Harwich is not mentioned in the Domesday Book so at that time if anyone lived there it must have been a very small settlement. It is known to have existed by 1177, and is first recorded by the name of Harwich (Herewyk ) in 1238. “Arewan” is the early Anglo-Saxon name for the River Orwell adopted from the Celtic Briton’s name meaning ‘the river’. It is recorded as this in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1016, and is spelt “Orewell” in 1216. It is a far older name than Harwich, but nobody can explain why “Orewell” should become “Herewyk” which means ‘army camp’. The fact that both names co-existed for another 200 years would indicate that they are different places. However, there is a connection between the two. Harwich is said to have grown in importance on the decay of a “town named Orwell” which is said to have been located about two or three miles east of the present shore, where there is now a shoal called West Rocks. It was on the south side of the Orwell Haven on a ridge of land jutting out from Essex. Harwich fishermen claimed that brickwork and mortar were still visible at low water, and in the late 19th century dredging brought up building stone.
At this early period there were no other port towns that could claim jurisdiction over the Orwell estuary other than Ipswich. Then in 1253 the Earl of Norfolk turned the hamlet of Harwich into a town, and started a weekly market. Medieval Harwich grew rapidly and in 1318 it was given a charter and had become a busy little port. When Harwich developed as a port in the 1270s it started to make claims to the mouth of the estuary, and began diverting ships to its own port to collect tolls. It then became necessary for Ipswich to protect its long-held rights over this same stretch of territory. In 1340 a commission concluded that the “port of Orwell” was within the jurisdiction of Ipswich, and in 1378 it decided that this extended to “the arm of the sea thereto running from a place called Polles on Andrew Sand in the deep sea”, and that it was the Ipswich bailiffs and burgesses that had the sole right to take the custom duties for goods coming into the port of Harwich.
Nevertheless, it is acknowledged that Harwich is in the County of Essex, so it needs to be seen how Ipswich could claim jurisdiction over the opposite shore. This would relate to the movement of the River Orwell at its estuary. The River Stour flowed into the River Orwell before the latter river reached the sea, and there is no doubt that the River Orwell did once flow into the sea much further north under Bull’s Cliff in Felixstowe, roughly where Felixstowe Pier is located. Since it was important for the people of Suffolk to secure the approach to Ipswich they had to hold both sides of the River Orwell. This is clear from the Domesday Book (1086) where “Langestuna” or “Langar” (today Landguard Point) was a manor held by Roger Bigot as part of his lands at Walton in Suffolk. At the time this manor would have been south of the River Orwell on a ridge (Langar is Anglo-Saxon for ‘long gore’ (a long strip of land) that was probably still attached to Essex, although separated by low-lying marshland. The question is when was the shoreline breached further south?
The argument against the existence of Orwell is that it is not recorded in Domesday and neither is there a record of a major inundation resulting from a breach that destroyed the town of Orwell, as there is with Dunwich on the coast further north. This could be because the breach occurred before Orwell really existed. It is known that there were gales and floods about the year 1100. The river may have changed direction then and burst through marshy land to the sea along its present course, although the new estuary would be very much narrower and shallower than it is now. No record survives because neither Orwell nor Harwich existed at that date. However, it appears that after the breach there was still a neck of land extending out from Essex that had not yet been washed away. There was also a headland that projected out east of today’s Landguard Point, known as Pollshead (see below). These two headlands provided shelter for a harbour protected from the east and northeast winds. The “port of Orwell” would then have developed. It would not have been a town in the sense of having churches and major structures, but an anchorage place and harbour. There would have undoubtedly been rudimentary wooden and stone warehouses, and the places usually associated with sailors at leisure, on the land immediately adjacent to the harbour.
It was essential for the Ipswich burgesses to keep control of the estuary, wherever it was located. If the rivers were now flowing through a southern entrance as well as the northern channel, it made sense to claim jurisdiction over the southern shore, regardless of the county in which it was located, and to ensure that the anchorage afforded by the place now developing as “Orwell” was under the authority of the corporation of Ipswich. There are references to “bailiffs at Orwell” in the time of King Henry III (1216-1272), but these could be representatives coming from Ipswich, rather than being resident at the port.
The port of Orwell must still have existed in 1340 because Ipswich was given jurisdiction over it. It is also apparent that some of the land had been eroded by 1378 since Pollshead was already under the sea. For some time the previous exit further north near Felixstowe must have continued to be used, but became more difficult because of longshore drift gradually closing the passage with shingle and sand. The main river currents then deepened the channel to the south. Sailing directions dating from the 15th century make it clear that the present estuary mouth was then in position and being used. Since the records relating to the “ville de Orwell” peter out around 1400, it is likely that in the intervening years the sea had gradually eroded the headland jutting out from Essex, taking the anchorage and harbour with it.
William Camden, writing in 1578 about East Anglia in his topographical and historical survey of Britain, states that “in his time at Langar Point or Langar stone there was a larger ridge of land than can be seen now which ran out to sea for above two miles, and this was put to great use by the Harwich fishermen for the drying of their fish. Now this vast ridge is mostly washed away and the port of Orwell is gone”. Charles Lyell in his “Principles of Geology” in 1830 states that “within the memory of persons now living, the Orwell river continued its course in a more direct line to the sea, and entered to the north instead of the south of the low bank on which Landguard Fort is built”. By 1504 it is known that Landguard was definitely an island. A map of “Orwell Haven in Essex”, dating from about 1543, shows that Landguard Fort is located on an island. In 1587 it is recorded as being an island at every high tide. Landguard is only shown for the first time as part of the mainland in a map of 1790.
The area between Landguard Point and Felixstowe was still tidal marshland in the 19th century, and the inhabitants referred to the area as “The Fleets”, retaining a tradition of the original course of the river being over this marshland. Maps up to 1881 clearly show an inlet from the River Orwell along Horseshoe Creek where the present docks are situated, and a tidal creek reaches almost to the sea before being diverted north by the shingle beach along the route of the present Langer Road. In 1874 permission was granted by parliament for a sea wall to be constructed to prevent the tidal waters from encroaching on to Landguard Common from the west, and with the building of the Felixstowe Beach railway in 1877, this area was finally recovered from the sea and stabilised. The area itself was built on only in the early 1900s.
It is definite that the “portus de Orwell” was a harbour belonging to Ipswich. It appears that Orwell was never a town in the traditional sense but a port covering an area of land and water rather than a specific centre of permanent population. It extended to “Polles Head or Paul’s Head”, noted in 1654 by Nathaniel Bacon as a tongue of land beyond Landguard Point on Andrew Sand, but “now eroded away”. Andrew Sand is marked in the sea immediately southeast of the present Landguard Fort. (“Polle” is Anglo-Saxon for headland so “Pollshead” is tautologous). It seems that the jurisdiction of Ipswich extended for a few miles seaward along both shores of the estuary. To some extent this would have covered the seas off Harwich which was not a separate port for the purpose of customs and tolls until 1698.
The movement of the estuary may also be reflected in uncertainty as to which county Landguard Fort was situated. Silas Taylor, who was keeper of the King’s store at Harwich from 1665 to 1678, says in his history of that town, written in 1676, that “Landguard Fort is within the limits of Essex, though it seems to belong to Suffolk”. The fort was considered part of Essex in the 18th and 19th centuries; births and deaths within the garrison were recorded as ‘Landguard Fort, Essex’. However, it is known that at the time of Domesday the manor of Langerston was in Suffolk despite the fact that it may have been on the “Essex side”. This was because Suffolk was deemed to hold both shores of the River Orwell and at that time the river flowed north of Langerston. After it became isolated as an island amidst marshland, it was abandoned as a permanent settlement place. When it became a military post it was quicker and shorter to supply it from Harwich, hence Landguard Fort was considered part of Essex only as an administrative convenience.
Until 1805 Ipswich Borough owned the estuary and could charge dues on shipping. That year the Ipswich Docks Commission was established and took over the rights of the borough to the river and estuary. The town’s jurisdiction over the estuary was removed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, but the right to collect dues continued to 1863. However, the Harwich Harbour Act of 1863 defined the limits of the Port of Harwich, and with regard to the River Orwell the limit was along an imaginary line from Shotley Point to Fagbury Cliff on the Trimley shore. This effectively abolished the dues that Ipswich could collect from ships entering the estuary. This limit to the jurisdiction of Ipswich was finally accepted by the Ipswich Docks Act 1877, and the town’s maritime boundaries along the Orwell have remained the same ever since. It should be noted that the port authorities, whether under Ipswich or Harwich, straddled the county boundary which still runs down the middle channel of the River Stour, and at the estuary (Orwell Haven) runs midway between Landguard Point (Suffolk) and Blackman’s Head (Essex).
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Myth of the Roman Road over the Orwell
There is a persistent story that has even found its way in some recent brochures regarding Ipswich and its environs. This is that the Romans built a road across the River Orwell and, in particular, from Nacton Shores. Many of us from Ipswich can recall playing on and using the “Roman road” in our youth, and our parents and grandparents also remembered referring to this stretch of material jutting into the river as “the Roman road”. It has become what is recognised today as a modern “urban myth”.
The “old Roman crossing point” is to be found just below Bridge Wood on the northern side of the river. At low tide a straight stretch of stones can clearly be seen appearing just above the mud, projecting out into the river. It was said that this allowed people to reach the centre of the river which they could ford, and thus the river was crossed over by a sort of “bridge”, hence it was given the name of Downham Bridge and, by extension, the nearby wood was called Bridge Wood.
“Downham”, earlier “Dunham”, is an Anglo-Saxon place-name meaning “a settlement (ham) on a hill (dun)”. This is a strange name to give to part of a river, and there is absolutely no record of a nearby settlement with that name. It seems more likely that the incoming settlers adopted an older British name for this part of the Orwell; “dubno” is Celtic for “deep”, hence it could mean “a low-lying meadow (hamm) by deep water”. Dunwich is believed to have a similar origin “harbour (wich) by deep water”.
Before considering whether this could be a Roman construction, we need to look at how long it has been known as a “bridge”. The earliest reference we can find dates back to 1565 when a commission of enquiry into the conditions of English harbours found that “Ipswich is not so much frequented as heretofore” as nothing above 60 tons could come “above Downham (Dunham) Bridge”. In the middle ages the nearby northern shore of the Orwell was held by Alnesbourne Priory, and in 1530 the manor is referred to as “Alnesborne et Ponds”. The latter word is believed to be derived from the Latin “pons” meaning “bridge”, and has been preserved in today’s Pond Hall Farm. So there was obviously a feature of some sorts here. Whether it served as a crossing point or just a “bridge” across the water to ships moored out in the river is another matter.
We do know that during the 16th century the Orwell began to silt up, forcing ships to unload further downstream. We know for certain that Downham Bridge was later used as a quay. In 1634 Trinity House gave permission for a quay and dry dock to be built at Downham Bridge, and in 1667 the Admiralty gave an order that “if anyone should dig or break the soil between high and low water mark at Downham Bridge they should be sued”. By 1744 there was no depth to unload at Ipswich even at high tide, so that vessels that had a draught greater than eight feet had to unload their cargoes into lighters at Downham Bridge to be taken the last four miles to port. The crews would frequently walk to shore along the “bridge” in order to get to Ipswich; in 1793 this is how Margaret Catchpole met her lover (see Margaret Catchpole section, below). With the building of new docks at Ipswich in 1805 the need for Downham Bridge passed, and the quay soon disappeared. However, the material used as foundations remained. Nineteenth century maps clearly show a “boat hard” extending out into the river at this point.
So what is this feature? Nacton cliffs are mainly composed of London Clay with bands of shale and mudstones. Where faults occur, erosion causes rotational slips onto the river shore. The river then further erodes the softer clay to leave the harder band of shale and stone above the level of the beach material. This geological feature did provide a dry route out into the river. Undoubtedly early ship owners enhanced this feature by depositing their own stones on top of it in order to preserve it as a “hard”.
We need to look at the “Roman” connection. It is acknowledged that nearby Wherstead on the southern shore appears to have been a Romano-British farming settlement, but this hardly constitutes a reason for there to have been a crossing. The main Roman road from Colchester (Camulodunum) to Caister (Venta Icenorum) crossed the River Gipping to the west of Ipswich at Baylham House (Combretovium). The Roman road to Walton Castle at Felixstowe ran from the main road after it had crossed the river, along the centre of the peninsula. In depth archaeological surveys when the Orwell Bridge was built did not show any evidence for there being Roman activity in this locality. If the Romans did construct the “bridge”, it needs to be asked why they never continued it on the southern shore, and why build a “road” that comes to an end at the bottom of a cliff ?
It is noticeable that no written references can be found to a “Roman road” at Nacton Shores before the 20th century. In our view, this expression arose in oral tradition during the mid-19th century. In the London Clay cliffs at Nacton are layers of nodules called “septaria”. In the 1780s James Parker developed a natural cement made by burning “septaria”, which he patented in 1796 under the name of “Roman Cement”. In 1807 a Roman Cement works was established at Harwich. In G R Clarke’s book “The history & description of the town & borough of Ipswich” (1830) he notes that “George Tovell has recently erected buildings for the manufacture of Roman Cement near to the Nova Scotia shipyard”. The “septaria” was colloquially known as “Roman Cement stones”. Boats from Pin Mill, on the opposite shore to Downham Bridge, from about 1840 specialised in dredging of such stones from the London Clay deposits washed into the River Orwell, and in 1855 had the largest fleet with over 50 vessels. This industry had ceased by the end of the century, but it seems very likely that looking for “Roman Cement stones” around the structure known as Downham Bridge soon gave rise to the belief that the Romans must have built a road there.
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Ipswich Barracks
During the late eighteenth century, fears of an invasion of Britain by the French, coupled with the convenient situation of the town’s port for embarkation to the continent, resulted in large numbers of troops being billeted in Ipswich. In 1795, the first permanent barracks were built in the town, in the area just north of the St Matthew’s Street/Norwich Road junction (still known locally as Barrack Corner), on the site of the present day residential streets of Cecil Road, Geneva Road & Barrack Lane.
Known originally as the Horse Barracks, the first regiment to move in were the 2nd or Queen’s Regiment of Dragoon Guards. They were succeeded by other cavalry regiments until, in the second half of the nineteenth century, artillery regiments such as the Royal Field Artillery & the Royal Horse Artillery took over. St Matthew’s became the garrison church, with troops parading through the streets to the church each Sunday morning.
The 2 ½ acre site initially consisted of a large parade ground, surrounded on three sides by the barrack rooms & officer’s mess. In early 1855 the barracks were rebuilt. The Illustrated London News of 17th February 1855 described the new barracks as “the first that have been erected upon a regularly fortified plan”. The Barracks were closed & demolished around 1929, at which time the land was acquired by Ipswich Borough Council for residential development. Parts of the barrack walls are still in evidence at the bottom of some of the gardens of the houses in Geneva Road & Cecil Road, & in Barrack Lane gate posts still exist with stone balls on top & inscriptions on the pillars (see photo, left).
Around the time of the Napoleonic Wars, there were also two other less permanent barracks in the town. One was known as Stoke Barracks, situated in the maltings buildings off Wherstead Road (now Felaw Maltings), which were converted for the purpose. The buildings reverted to maltings around 1813. There is no visible evidence today of the second site; a wooden hutted camp known as St Helen’s Barracks that was situated just north of Woodbridge Road, in the vicinity of Brunswick Road, Belvedere Road (formerly Parade Field Terrace) & Parade Road. This too closed about 1813.
The Loyal Ipswich Volunteer Corps
In 1794 Ips
wich Corporation put forward a proposal to raise an Ipswich Regiment of regular troops. Although this plan never came to fruition, an internal defence force known as the Loyal Ipswich Volunteer Corps was proposed & came into being in that same year. This was in response to the growing threat of an invasion by France during the War of the First Coalition, (1793-97) which followed the French Revolution, & the later Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815), during which time many towns raised their own defence forces.
The picture left shows a Loyal Ipswich Volunteer Corps button from the early 19th century.
Although the troops were part time volunteers, the Loyal Ipswich Volunteer Corps were willing to take garrison duty if required. They received new colours in 1803, in which year they spent three weeks on permanent duty in Hadleigh. A further three weeks of permanent duty followed at Ipswich barracks in 1805.
The Corps’ first taste of serious action, however, came not from a foreign invasion force, but a much more local source, when in 1800 the Volunteers were called out to quell a riot at Stoke Mills, caused by protests over inflationary prices after seven years of war. Initially being pelted with bags of flour from the mill, the trouble shifted to St Peter’s churchyard, where the Volunteers found themselves under fire from rocks & bricks. The crowds were eventually dispersed when cavalry troops from the barracks were called in.
There is very little information available about the demise of the Loyal Ipswich Volunteer Corps, although it seems likely to have been disbanded around the year 1816, after the threat of invasion had diminished.
(You may also be interested in the sections on the Suffolk Regiment & Reserve Forces in Britain Bearing the Name Suffolk , on the Suffolk Misc. page of Planet Ipswich’s sister site www.planetsuffolk.com ).
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The Ipswich Mutiny - 1689
It is a little known fact that an army mutiny at Ipswich was instrumental in a change of military law.
When King James II fled Britain in December 1688, William of Orange and his wife, Mary, the daughter of James II, became king and queen, thus ensuring the Protestant ascendancy in the country. William had come to Britain accompanied by his Dutch guards and most of the troops in Britain went over to his side. However, the loyalty of some of the British forces, particularly the Scots, still seemed favourably disposed to the cause of King James. The government resolved to retain the Dutch troops in England, and send over to the Netherlands, in case of French intervention, those British regiments that were considered the most disaffected.
Therefore, on 8th March 1689 certain regiments were ordered to march to the sea coast, and embark for the Netherlands. Of these the Scottish regiment of Dumbarton mutinied on its march to Ipswich on 12th March whilst the Royal Scots, already at Ipswich, mutinied on 14th March. The mutineers seized the military chest, disarmed the officers who opposed them, declared for King James and, with four pieces of cannon, 800 men marched out of the town to make their way to Scotland. King William ordered General Ginckel to pursue them with three regiments of Dutch dragoons, and the mutineers quickly surrendered. As the mutineers were citizens of Scotland, which had not yet agreed to the new government, the king did not wish to punish them as rebels, but ordered them to proceed to the Netherlands.
Though this attempt proved abortive, it made a strong impression upon parliament since it appeared that the mutineers had not actually done anything seriously wrong. The army was under the control of the monarch in respect of his sovereign prerogative and acted in accordance with military law as laid down by articles. However, these articles of war could not prevail over common law in England, and whilst in England the soldiers remained subject to common law and were still regarded as civilians. These rights could only be over-ruled when the soldiers were overseas or if martial law applied in times of war, and Britain was not in a state of actual war. Punishment that might “endanger life or limb” was the preserve of common law, so the military could not take immediate action to discipline the men while in England and at a time of peace.
It seemed that the men, being civilians, could just walk away and return home. There may have been remedies under common law for breach of their contract with the sovereign, or theft of military equipment, but this was a slow and cumbersome procedure. Parliament felt that soldiers who mutinied, stirred up sedition or deserted should be brought to “a more exemplary and speedy punishment than normal civil law would allow”. Therefore, a bill was introduced and passed all its stages with rapidity, receiving royal assent on 28th March, and became effective on 12th April 1689. The British Mutiny Act of 1689 provided the discipline needed for a standing army in times of peace, and initiated modern Anglo-American military law. It allowed a court-martial to take life or limb in cases of proven mutiny, sedition or desertion. And it all began at Ipswich.
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Railways
Proposals to bring rail travel to Suffolk, & Ipswich in particular, can be dated back to the mid 1820s, when an abortive attempt at setting up a railway company was made. This occurred in February 1825, when a meeting in the Shire Hall, chaired by Rev. Dr. John Chevallier of Aspall Hall, Suffolk, proposed plans to set up a company that was to have been known as the Ipswich and Suffolk Railway Company. The proposal was for a line that connected Ipswich with the Suffolk town of Eye, & then onwards to Diss in Norfolk. This, & a further attempt to bring the railway to Suffolk in 1833, failed to get off the ground.
The prospects of rail lines being laid on Suffolk soil really began to take shape in 1834, however, when the Grand Eastern Counties Railway proposed to build a line from London to Great Yarmouth. Although the company’s bill was successfully introduced into the House of Commons in 1836, with work beginning on the line in the following year, by 1838 it had been decided that, due to lack of funds, the line would terminate at Colchester. Many of the directors of the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR; the ‘Grand’ having by now been dropped), were from other parts of Britain & were therefore unconcerned about where the line ended, providing it proved profitable. Three of the directors, however, were Suffolk men, & they fought for the continuation of the line into Suffolk. John Chevallier Cobbold (see The Cobbold Family section, below), together with his father John & uncle the Rev. Dr. John Chevallier (see above), had been some of the earliest champions of rail travel & were determined that Suffolk should not miss out.
Being a minority on the ECR board, they were continually being outvoted, however, & by the early 1840s it became apparent that the only way forward was for the formation of a new company; the result of which was the birth of the Eastern Union Railway Company (EUR). For this project, the EUR hired Peter Bruff as the company’s chief engineer, & he proposed a different route from that originally planned by the Eastern Counties Railway. Bruff’s route crossed the River Stour into Suffolk at Cattawade, reaching Ipswich via Brantham, Bentley & Belstead. The Eastern Union received the go-ahead from parliament in July 1844 (despite opposition from the now rival Eastern Counties Railway Company), with work on the line from Colchester to Ipswich commencing almost immediately. A subsidiary company, the Ipswich and Colchester Railway, was set up to build the line.
The Ipswich to Colchester line was opened with great ceremony on 11th June 1846, with a special train running to Colchester from Stoke Station; at that time the northern terminus of the line, located in the vicinity of today’s Station Street & Croft Street (to the east of Stoke Hill & the present station). The journey took around 1 ½ hours. The public passenger service commenced four days later on 15th June, with stops at Ardleigh, Manningtree and Bentley. Relations between the EUR & the rival ECR, at the confluence of their lines at Colchester, were always uneasy. Passengers journeying from Ipswich to London had to change to ECR trains at Colchester, & the ECR made connections as difficult as possible, using such tactics as altering its timetable & ordering its ticket inspectors & clerks to make life awkward for passengers wishing to change trains. Under no circumstances were Eastern Union trains allowed onto the lines built by Eastern Counties. The dispute between the two companies would last until 1854, when the Eastern Union was taken over by the Eastern Counties, although it would be a further eight years until the companies were formally merged in 1862 as the Great Eastern Railway (GER).
In July 1845 the Ipswich and Bury Railway Company (I&BR) had been formed to extend the line a further 26.5 miles from Ipswich to Bury St Edmunds. Although a separate company, the I&BR had many shareholders and directors in common with the EUR, as well as sharing offices, & the two companies formally amalgamated in 1847. It was the Ipswich and Bury Railway Company who built the tunnel under Stoke Hill, just to the east of today’s station. Being on a sharp curve, the tunnel was the first of its kind ever attempted. Opened in early December 1846 for freight transport, a passenger service commenced on the line from the 24th of that month. Stations along the route were located at Needham Market, Stowmarket, Haughley, Elmswell & Thurston.
In 1846, a venture was authorized to build a new junction at Haughley, with an extension line to the junction with the Norfolk line at Trowse, to the south of Norwich, which would then connect to Norwich Victoria station. This was built by the Ipswich and Norwich Railway, another subsidiary company of the EUR. The line opened in stages, finally being completed on 12th December 1849. Once again, the opening of this line brought the EUR into confrontation with their rivals the ECR, who already ran a service to Norwich via Cambridge.
A proposal for a rail service from Ipswich to Woodbridge had first been muted in 1847, with the Ipswich and Bury Railway having secured the rights to build the line. Financial constrictions, however, caused the postponement of these plans. In 1859, the Ipswich and Woodbridge Railway, a subsidiary of the Eastern Counties Railway, was set up to build a line that would link the East Suffolk Line at Woodbridge with Ipswich & the main line to London. The line opened in June 1859.
Ipswich Station: The station at Stoke Hill, to the east of the tunnel, served as Ipswich station from 1846 until July 1860. The reason for its location here, away from the town centre, was due to its convenience for passengers transferring from the steamboats that docked on Stoke Quay (close to today’s Steamboat Tavern on the New Cut West). With the construction of the new station at the other, western, end of the tunnel, the Stoke Station closed, although the site remained in use as a railway siding & engine shed until the 1980s, when the lines were removed for development into a residential area. One of the roads in this area has been named Bruff Road, after the engineer responsible for bringing the railways to Ipswich.
The present station (see photo, above right) was built on the western side of the tunnel, & opened in July 1860, with the island platform being built in 1883. Located on Burrell Road close to the junction with Princes Street, the station now serves the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street to Norwich. It is estimated that around 3 million passengers use the station annually.
For details of other railways in Suffolk, see the Railways section on the Suffolk, England page of www.planetsuffolk.com
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Ipswich Airport
Ipswich Airport was located on 144 acres of land in the far southeast corner of the Borough of Ipswich. Established in 1930, the Ipswich Municipal Aerodrome, as it was then known, was opened on 26th June of that year by the future King Edward VIII, who was Prince of Wales at the time. He described the new airfield as “one of the finest in the country”. His brother, Prince George (King George VI after Edward’s abdication), also flew into the airport less than a month later. Throughout its existence, the airport was always predominantly used by privately owned & flying club operated aircraft, although passengers services did fly during the first decade of the airport’s existence, & again after the war, to such destinations as Southend, Ramsgate & the Channel Islands.
The start of the Second World War, however, saw the abrupt cessation of all civilian flights. With the beginning of hostilities, the RAF took immediate control of the airport, which became a satellite base for RAF Wattisham, around 15 miles from Ipswich. No. 110 squadron quickly moved its Bristol Blenheim IV bombers to Ipswich, & aircraft flying from Wattisham & Ipswich are thought to have mounted the first air raid of the war; an attack on German warships in Schillig Roads (the approaches to the Jade Bight and Wilhelmshaven in Lower Saxony on Germany’s North Sea coast).
Despite a new terminal building being opened in 1938, & plans for expansion being mooted on several occasions, these schemes never came to fruition & the airport was earmarked by Ipswich Borough Council for closure in 1993; the reason given being that the land was needed for housing development. Ironically, the early 1990s had been some of the busiest years for the airport, which now included a parachute centre & helicopter school, & hosted regular airshows. Campaigns to keep the airport open, however,
resulted in a stay of execution until the Civil Aviation Authority delicensed the airport on 31 December 1996. Even so, efforts were made to keep the airfield open, until the last plane finally departed in January 1998.
The terminal building (see photo, left), which was declared a Grade II listed building in 1996, lay derelict for several years before being developed into a community centre and apartments for the new Ravenswood housing estate, which has now been built on the site of the airport.
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Ipswich Racecourse
The site of Ipswich Racecourse was situated in the east of the modern day town, in the area now known as the Racecourse estate. With a total length of one mile seven furlongs, the course ran along modern day Lindberg & Cobham Roads, then parallel to Felixstowe Road as far as Hatfield Road, before looping around & running parallel with Nacton Road for the six furlong finishing straight. The finishing line is said to have been in the vicinity of the Racecourse pub on Nacton Road, which was demolished in 2009.
The first recorded race meeting was held in 1710, & for over 170 years both flat & National Hunt racing took place here. Ipswich Races gained in stature in 1727, when a Royal Plate worth 100 guineas was awarded. In 1775 a gallery was erected, followed a year later by a covered structure called the ‘Gentlemen’s Stand’. Support steadily declined in the late nineteenth century & the final flat race was run in 1884, although the course continued as a National Hunt venue until the last meeting on 29th March 1911.
The First Steeplechase on Record: Also on the subject of horse racing, a popular myth has arisen over the years that Ipswich was the location for the first ever steeplechase to be held in England.
Whether based on fact or fiction, the story goes that on an evening in December 1803, an officer named Hansum from the 7th Hussars Cavalry Regiment stationed at Ipswich, challenged anyone in the regiment to race against his horse across four & a half miles of countryside to Nacton church. Seven others took up the challenge &, dressed in nightshirts over their uniforms, & with nightcaps on their heads, they set off in the moonlight.
The scene was later depicted in a set of four paintings produced in 1839 by Henry Alken, collectively entitled “The First SteepleChase on Record”, which gave rise to the myth. (see Paintings of Ipswich, England album in Photo Gallery ).
However, even if this event took place (which is very doubtful), the first recorded steeplechase in England was in 1790 in Leicestershire over 8 miles from Melton Mowbray to Dalby Wood.
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Greyhound Racing in Ipswich – Suffolk Stadium
Situated off the Old London Road, just east of Yarmouth Road and close to the river, the first licenced race meeting at the Suffolk Greyhound Stadium took place on 11th September 1935, although contemporary records suggest that racing had taken place here prior to this date. The track at this time had a circumference of 405 yards (370 metres), with races normally being run over 300, 500 and 700 yards. Race meetings were normally held on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, usually with eight races per event.
For many years the stadium operated as an independent track, and only began operating under National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) rules in 1974. The most prestigious races run here were the Suffolk Derby, which was run over 440 metres, and the Suffolk St Leger, run over 625 metres.
The last meeting at the stadium was on 17th February 1988, after which the stadium was sold off. The site is now occupied by Suffolk Retail Park.
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Ipswich Town Football Club
The name of Ipswich Town Football Club has probably done more than anything else to put the town of Ipswich on the map; not just in the UK, but in Europe & throughout the world.
Founded in 1878 as Ipswich Association Football Club, their first ground was at Brook’s Hall, just off Norwich Road. The club’s first president was T.C. Cobbold (see The Cobbold Family section, below), starting a family association that continues to this day. In 1888, the club changed their name to Ipswich Town, which coincided with a move to Portman Road, where they have been ever since.
In 1936 the club turned professional &, after playing for two seasons in the Southern League, joined the Football League in season 1938-39; playing in the Third Division South.
In 1955, Ipswich acquired the services of Alf Ramsey as their new manager. Then still in the Third Division South, Ramsey led the side to the Second Division title in 1960/61, then to the ultimate prize of First Division Champions in the following year; the club’s first ever season in the top flight of English football. Ramsey left the following season to take over managership of the England national side, which he led to World Cup glory in 1966; a feat for which he was later knighted. After his death in 1999, Portman’s Walk was renamed Sir Alf Ramsey Way & his statue erected at the junction with Portman Road.
Ipswich’s greatest sustained period of success was still in future when Ramsey left, however. The seeds of this success were sown in 1969, when a young manager named Bobby Robson was appointed. After three seasons of struggle against relegation from the First Division, Ipswich finished fourth in the table in 1972/73 & qualified for the UEFA Cup. Until his departure to manage England in 1982, Ipswich would be second only to Liverpool in league consistency; qualifying for European competition in nine out of ten seasons. In season 1977/78 Ipswich beat Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley to lift the prestigious FA Cup for the first & (so far) only time in their history. Three years later, in 1980/81, Ipswich achieved success on the European stage when they beat the Dutch side AZ 67 Alkmaar 5-4 on aggregate i
n the UEFA Cup final. During Robson’s reign, several Ipswich players went on to represent their countries at international level including: Mick Mills, Paul Mariner, Kevin Beattie & Terry Butcher for England, George Burley, John Wark & Alan Brazil for Scotland, Allan Hunter for Northern Ireland & Arnold Muhren & Frans Thijssen for Holland. Robson himself later received a knighthood & the CBE for his services to football. His statue now stands in Portman Road &, since his death in 2009, the North Stand has been renamed The Sir Bobby Robson Stand in his honour. A new footbridge, the Sir Bobby Robson Bridge also opened in 2009 over the river, near to Constantine Road weir.
Since the Robson era, it has been an up & down journey for the club, alternating between spells in the top division & periods in the league below. As at 2016 they are in the second tier of English football.
(see Statues, Plaques & Signs:Ipswich, England album in Photo Gallery for pictures of Sir Alf Ramsey & Sir Bobby Robson statues, & Rivers & Bridges:Ipswich, England album for the Sir Bobby Robson Bridge).
Since 1990, outdoor concerts have been staged occasionally on the Portman Road pitch during the summer months. Beginning with Tina Turner, subsequent acts to appear include: Rod Stewart, Status Quo, Dire Straits, Bryan Adams, Elton John, REM & The Red Hot Chili Pepper.
Foxhall Stadium & Ipswich Witches
Foxhall Stadium,
situated on Foxhall Road, was opened in 1950 & hosts both stock car racing & speedway. The outer track is a 382 metre tarmac oval & is used for stock car racing. The inner, shale track is used for speedway. The stadium is run by Spedeworth Motorsports & is home to the National Hot Rod World Championships, held over the first weekend in July every year. Other big events are the Gala Night, held on the nearest Saturday to Guy Fawkes Night (5th November) every year, & the Unlimited National Bangers Championship of the World, which is held in October. Other events take place regularly, featuring stock cars, stock rods, superstox, hot rods, bangers & lightning rods, amongst others.
The stadium is shared with the Ipswich Witches speedway team, one of the oldest & most established teams in the country. Since 2011 the Witches have competed in the British Premier League, having dropped down from the Elite League at the end of the 2010 season.
The first speedway meeting in Ipswich was held at Ipswich Town FC, in Portm
an Road. After plans to build a track in Bramford Road were turned down, Foxhall Stadium was purpose built for speedway & the first meeting took place in 1951; continuing until 1965, when the stadium was converted to a stock car track. In 1969 the inner track was built & speedway recommenced & has been held there ever since. The Witches’ best ever season was 1998, when they won the Elite League, the Knockout Cup and the Craven Shield. Probably Ipswich’s most famous rider is John “Tiger” Louis, who rode in the 1970’s & later became the club’s promoter.
Speedway meetings are normally held on Thursday evenings. The season runs between March & October.
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Geoffrey Chaucer
Although most sources state that Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London, there is no evidence of his exact place of birth & it is possible that he was born in Ipswich. The year of his birth is also uncertain, but it is most often recorded as around 1343.
Chaucer’s family kept at least three inns in Ipswich, two of which stood on opposite corners of Tavern & Tower Streets. One of these was run by Geoffrey’s grandfather, the other by his great aunt Agnes. Another relative, Albreda, also kept a hostelry further along Tavern Street. The family name was originally Malyn, & it seems that they were also involved in the shoemaking industry; the name Chaucer deriving from chausseur or shoemaker. Geoffrey’s father John was known to have been in Ipswich after the death of his own father, when his aunt Agnes ‘kidnapped’ him & brought him to Ipswich from London, in the hope of marrying him off to her daughter.
Even assuming that he wasn’t born in Ipswich, from 1374 to 1386 Geoffrey Chaucer was employed as Controller of Customs in the Port of London, & travelled frequently around the country on the King’s business, which would probably have included visiting such an important port & town as Ipswich during the course of his work. This would account for the fact that, in his most famous work, The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer satirises the merchants of Ipswich.
In the general prologue, line 275, speaking of the merchant who later features in The Merchant’s Tale, the River Orwell is mentioned:
"His bootes clasped faire and fetisly.
His resons he spak ful solempnely,
Sownynge alway th’ encrees of his wynnyng.
He wolde the see were kept for any thing
Bitwixe Middleburgh and Orewelle."
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Cardinal Thomas Wolsey
Thomas Wolsey (or Wulcy as the family spelt the name at the time) was born in Ipswich between 1471 & 1475. His father Robert, an innkeeper & butcher, & his mother Joan, lived at that time near St. Mary Elms church, but moved soon afterwards to St. Nicholas Street where Thomas grew up. A plaque now marks the spot near to where this house stood.
Thomas attended Ipswich School before going on to study theology at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he later became a master. He was ordained in 1498 & became rector of the Church of Saint Mary, Limington, Somerset in 1500, before becoming chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury two years later. In 1507 he entered the service of King Henry VII as Royal Chaplain. When Henry VII died in 1509 he was succeeded by his son Henry VIII, who appointed Wolsey to the post of Almoner; a position which gave him a seat on the Privy Council & allowed him to raise his profile & get himself noticed.
Wolsey became a Canon of Windsor in 1511, & in 1514 he was consecrated as a Bishop; being made both Bishop of Lincoln, & then Archbishop of York in that same year. In the following year he was made a Cardinal. The Pope made him Papal Legate to England in 1518, & in 1523 he became Prince-Bishop of Durham.
Running parallel with his religious career, his rise to power in the Royal court saw him become a powerful & controlling figure in most matters of state, & the King's most trusted advisor and administrator. By 1515 he had become Lord Chancellor. Over the next 14 years he gradually destroyed or neutralised many other influential courtiers who he perceived as a threat to his position.
One of his greatest triumphs was arranging the Field of the Cloth of Gold; a meeting between King Henry VIII & King Francis I of France, that took place in June 1520 near Calais. The object of the meeting was to increase the friendship between the two nations following the Anglo-French treaty of 1514.
Wolsey had an interest in architecture; having Hampton Court Palace in Richmond upon Thames built around 1514, as well as rebuilding York Place in Whitehall, London
around the same time. Both properties were seized by the King after Wolsey’s downfall.
This came in 1529, when he was unable to get Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled by the Pope. He was stripped of office & had his property confiscated; although he retained his position as Archbishop of York. It was whilst travelling to York in the following year that he was arrested & accused of treason. He died at Leicester on 29th November 1530, on his way to stand trial in London. He was buried in Leicester Abbey.
Wolsey had a great interest in education. In Ipswich he had sought permission to build a school, the aim of which was to act as a feeder for Cardinal College, Oxford (now Christ Church), which he also founded. The site chosen was near St Peter’s Church in what is now College Street, close to the quay. The school opened in 1528, but within a year was being dismantled after his fall from power. All that remains today is the gateway to the Cardinal College of St. Mary, commonly known as Wolsey’s Gate (see photo, above right).
Apart from Wolsey’s Gate, there ar
e several other places in Ipswich named either Wolsey or Cardinal in his honour, such as:
Wolsey Street, Cardinal Street, New Cardinal Street, Cardinal House (offices in St Nicholas Street, close to where his house stood), Wolsey House (offices in Princes Street), New Wolsey Theatre (in Civic Drive), & Cardinal Park (leisure complex on Grafton Way, featuring restaurants, bars & cinema).
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William Shakespeare - The Ipswich Connection
Ipswich is mentioned twice by William Shakespeare in his play King Henry the Eighth, both in relation to Cardinal Wolsey.
In Act 1 Scene 1, the Duke of Buckingham, talking about Wolsey to the Duke of Norfolk says:
I’ll to the King, and from a mouth of honour quite cry down this Ipswich fellow’s insolence, or proclaim there’s difference in no persons.
In Act 4 Scene 2, Griffith, Gentleman-usher to Queen Katharine of Aragon, says to her, again referring to Wolsey:
Those twins of learning that he raised in you, Ipswich and Oxford! One of which fell with him, unwilling to outlive the good that did it.
It is thought that Shakespeare may have visited Ipswich on more than one occasion, as part of a travelling troupe of actors, during his early years.
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Thomas Eldred
Thomas Eldred was born in 1561 in Brook Street, Ipswich. In July 1586 he was part of Thomas Cavendish’s expedition that set sail from Plymouth on the second English circumnavigation of the world (Drake’s 1577-80 voyage having been the first). Cavendish himself was also a Suffolk man; being born in Trimley, ten miles east of Ipswich. The master of one of the three ships, the Desire, was Thomas Fuller, also from Ipswich. (see also Thomas Cavendish section on the Suffolk, England page of www.planetsuffolk.com )
Upon his return in September 1588, Eldred settled back in Ipswich, where he became a successful merchant; exporting, amongst other things, cloth to the continent. He was elected to the 24 man Council in 1608 & was the town treasurer in 1613-14. In 1620 he became one of the 12 portmen of the town & became eligible for the office of bailiff the following year. He died in 1624 & is buried in St. Clement’s church. For many years he lived in Fore Street &, although the house has since been demolished, the overmantel from the largest room can now be seen in Christchurch Mansion. It features three oil painted panels showing a ship, a globe & Eldred’s portrait.
Until recently his name was commemorated in the Thomas Eldred public house on the corner of Cedarcroft Road & Burke Road. This has, however, been demolished in 2012.
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High Steward of Ipswich
The title High Steward is an honorary title given by the local council of some towns or districts of England. It is the highest office that the Council can bestow. Originally this was a judicial office with considerable local powers, although over the centuries the duties of the High Steward have gradually declined, until today the post is largely ceremonial.
Although the practice can be traced back to the Middle Ages, Ipswich began conferring the office of High Steward in 1557. Today, Ipswich is one of 25 communities in England that possess the right to appoint a High Steward, although in some of these locations the practice has fallen into disuse. Ipswich, however, still retains its High Stewardship, which is normally awarded for life. There have been 23 High Stewards of Ipswich.
The office of High Steward of Ipswich was first bestowed on Sir William Cordell in 1557. Cordell (1522–1581) was Solicitor General and Master of the Rolls during the reign of Queen Mary I, & Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He lived at Long Melford, Suffolk, where he founded the Hospital of the Holy and Blessed Trinity in 1573.
The most famous High Steward of Ipswich was undoubtedly Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté (1758 - 1805), best remembered for his service with the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, & particularly at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, during which he lost his life. He was High Steward of Ipswich from 1800-05. (See also Admiral Lord Nelson section, below).
Others to have held the post include:
The 1st, 2nd & 3rd Earls of Suffolk during the seventeenth century
John Chevallier Cobbold from 1875-82 (see The Cobbold Family section, below)
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (1850 -1916), who served in the British Army in the Franco-Prussian War, Second Boer War & First World War, & whose iconic image appears on the much imitated 1914 “Lord Kitchener Wants You” recruitment poster (see right). Although born in County Kerry, Ireland, Kitchener’s mother was Frances Anne Chevallier-Cole of Aspall Hall in Suffolk. His grandfather, the Rev. Dr. John Chevallier, had been one of the leading figures in the fight to bring the railways to Ipswich from the 1820s onwards (see Railways section, above).
The present holder of the office of High Steward of Ipswich is Stuart Whiteley, CBE, QPM, who has held the post since 1990.
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Thomas Gainsborough
Born in 1727 in Sudbury, Suffolk, the portrait & landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough lived in Ipswich between 1752 & 1759; at first in Lower Brook Street, then moving to 34 Foundation Street. In 1759 he left Ipswich & moved to Bath.
As well as his famous works such as Mr and Mrs Andrews (1748/49) & The Blue Boy (1770), he also painted landscape scenes of Christchurch Park & Holywells Park in Ipswich (See Paintings of Ipswich, England album in Photo Gallery ). He died in London in 1788.
34 Foundation Street was knocked down in the 1960’s, but a commemorative plaque adorns the wall of no.32.
For a more in depth biography of Thomas Gainsborough, see the Suffolk, England page on www.planetsuffolk.com
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David Garrick
One of the most influential English actors of all time, David Garrick (1717-79), made his professional debut in Ipswich in 1741, when he appeared with a travelling troupe from London as an African slave named Aboan in Thomas Southerne’s play Oroonoko, or the Royal Slave at the Playhouse in Tankard Street (modern day Tacket Street). At the time he was using the pseudonym Lyddal & he seems to have been lacking in confidence prior to his appearance here, but this was boosted by the reception he received. He played other roles that summer in the town, before returning to London, where he made his debut as Richard III at the Goodman's Fields Theatre, before going on to have a very influential 30 year acting career, as well as being a successful playwright, theatre manager and producer. He died in London & is buried in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey. Several theatres are named after him, the most notable being the Garrick Theatre in Charing Cross Road, London.
Opened in 1736, The Playhouse, or New Theatre, was built by Ipswich merchant & brewer Henry Betts, next to his tavern, The Tankard, in what was then called Tankard Street. It closed in 1892 after the opening of the Lyceum Theatre in Carr Street.
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Admiral Lord Nelson
In September 1797 Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson acquired a house in Rushmere Road, Ipswich called Roundwood (since demolished). Set in 50 acres, Roundwood was described as having a “barn, stables, cow-house and other offices and a well-planted garden”. Although he was seldom there, his wife, Lady Nelson, & his father, the Rev. Edmund Nelson, lived there for several years. Nelson sold the house in January 1801.
In 1800, Nelson was appointed High Steward of Ipswich (see above), a position he held until his death. It is also known that Nelson visited the Great White Horse Hotel in Tavern Street in November 1800.
Born in Norfolk, Nelson’s Royal Navy career began in 1771 & he soon began to rise rapidly through the ranks; obtaining his own command in 1778. He was renowned for his inspirational leadership & his grasp of strategy & tactics, winning many important victories & rising to the rank of Admiral. He served during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, & the Napoleonic Wars. Injured several times in the line of duty, he suffered the loss of both one arm & one eye. His most famous victory was at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805, in which he received a fatal wound. His funeral was held in St Paul’s Cathedral, London, where his body is interred.
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Sir Thomas Slade
Designer of Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory, Sir Thomas Slade (1703/4 - 1771) spent some time early in his career in Ipswich, as surveyor for the Navy Board supervising the ships being built at John Barnard’s shipyard in St Clement’s parish. In 1747 he married an Ipswich woman named Hannah Moore. He later rose to the post of Master Shipwright &, in 1755, was appointed Surveyor of the Navy. Both he & his wife are buried in St. Clement’s churchyard, where a memorial to him now stands.
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Ransomes (Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies/Ransomes & Rapier)
Up until the late twentieth century, the names of the firms Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies, and Ransomes & Rapier were known throughout the world for their engineering & machinery; the former company producing ploughs, agricultural implements, lawn mowers, tractors, fork lift trucks & the like; the latter being involved in the manufacture of railway components, cranes, excavators & sluice gates.
Robert Ransome (1753 – 1830), who was born in Wells, Norfolk, set up his first general ironmongery shop in Norwich in 1774; later establishing a foundry there. In 1785 he patented a process for tempering cast iron plough shares, before moving his operations to Ipswich in 1789; probably due to the better port facilities that made the import of raw materials & the export of finished goods easier. Initially setting up at St Mary at the Key, the business soon relocated to a newly built foundry in the area then known as St Margaret’s Ditches (now Old Foundry Road).
Initially called Ransome & Co, the firm became Ransome & Son in 1809 when Robert’s son James became a partner. An ‘s’ was added to become Ransome & Sons in 1818, when James’ younger brother, also called Robert, joined the firm. After the senior Robert Ransome retired in 1825, the firm became J. & R. Ransome, whilst a further name change was required five years later when James’ own son, James Allen Ransome, joined as a partner & the company became J. R. & A. Ransome. It was the younger James who would publish, in 1843, The Implements of Agriculture, which proved to be one of the most popular books on agricultural implements & machinery prior to the age of steam.
Over the course of the nineteenth century, the firm underwent several other names changes as various other partners joined:
Ransomes & May in 1846, when long term employee Charles May became a partner.
Ransomes & Sims in 1852, after James Allen Ransome’s nephew William Sims was invited to become a partner.
Ransomes, Sims & Head in 1869, when John Head became a partner.
Ransomes, Head & Jefferies in 1881, when James Allen Ransome’s son-in-law John Jefferies was made a partner (with William Sims temporarily leaving the business).
And finally Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies in 1884, upon the death of John Head & the return of William Sims. Under this name they would become a limited company in 1911, & the name would remain until 1998.
In 1841, the firm began to move their business to Orwell Works on Duke Street by the docks. This move was completed in 1849, when the foundry in St Margaret’s Ditches finally closed. By this time the firm employed more than a thousand people. The Orwell Works site was in operation until 1966; new premises having been opened in Nacton in 1949, with the business gradually being transferred there. From the 1830s onwards, Ransomes had been manufacturing lawn mowers &, in 1902, produced the first commercial powered lawn mower, driven by an internal combustion engine. They also later went on to produce electric mowers.
Ransomes supplied munitions during both World Wars; manufacturing Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 fighter biplanes for the 1914-18 conflict, whilst gun carriages & parts for tanks & aircraft were amongst the armaments produced from 1939 onwards.
In 1987, Electrolux Group bought the agricultural division of the company, leaving Ransomes solely as a lawn mower manufacturing concern. In 1998, a takeover bid was accepted from Textron Inc. Of Providence, Rhode Island, & three years later the company was rebranded Ransomes Jacobsen Ltd, which still survives to this day as part of the Textron Group. Today the company’s site is part of the Ransomes Industrial Estate, also known as Ransomes Europark; a combined retail and business park on the south eastern outskirts of Ipswich.
Ransomes & Rapier: Although the Ransomes reputation had been built on ploughs & other farm machinery, with many patents having been taken out from the earliest days, by the 1830’s Ransomes had diversified into other areas, especially the manufacture of railway materials, which were being developed by employee & future partner Charles May at a time when the railways were expanding to cover the whole of Britain. Eventually, in 1869, a separate firm was established named Ransomes & Rapier, which took over the railway side of the business, leaving Ransomes, Sims & Head to concentrate on their agricultural machinery. The latter half of the new firm’s name was derived from Richard Rapier (1836 – 97), who had been in charge of the railway division since 1862.
Ransomes & Rapier moved into the Waterside Works on the Stoke side of the River Orwell, where they went on to produce locomotive turntables, water control & sluice gear, cement mixers & cranes. They also made some of the world’s largest walking draglines for open cast coal mining. They were involved in the construction of the Niagara hydro-electric power station &, in 1902, produced the sluice gates for the Aswan Dam on the River Nile in Egypt. Like their neighbours on the other side of the river, Rapier’s also supplied munitions during the world wars, including shells, guns and tank turrets.
In 1875, Ransomes & Rapier had sent several of their workforce out to China, where they were involved in building the first railway in that country (linking Shanghai with Woosung on the Yangtse River, a distance of around 12 miles). Two engines built in Ipswich were shipped to the Far East to operate on the narrow gauge line. The line, however, was shut down & destroyed the following year for political reasons, after it had been handed over to the Chinese.
Another feat of engineering attributable to Ransomes & Rapier is the turntable built in the 1960s for the revolving restaurant in what was then known as the Post Office Tower in London (now the BT Tower).
Ransomes & Rapier merged with Newton, Chambers & Company of Sheffield in 1958, after which a subsidiary company was formed named NCK-Rapier. When NCK was acquired by Robert Maxwell’s media group, the rights to their walking dragline technology and patents were sold to Bucyrus International of Wisconsin, & in 1988 the Waterside Works in Ipswich closed & Ransomes & Rapier ceased to exist.
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The Cobbold Family
Ever since the middle of the eighteenth century, the Cobbold family have played an important part in the development of the Ipswich we see today.
Thomas Cobbold (1680-1752) began brewing at Harwich in 1723, before moving to an existing brewery in Ipswich in 1743. Three years later he built Cliff Brewery on the eas
t bank of the River Orwell (see photo, right), & began brewing using waters from the nearby Holywells. Although he died six years later, his son, also named Thomas, continued brewing, as did his own son John on the death of the younger Thomas in 1767.
For more than 250 years the Cobbold name was synonymous with brewing in Ipswich. Merging their business with the Tollemache brewing operation in 1957, the two families ran the business for twenty years, under the name Tolly Cobbold. In its heyday during the 1970s, the company owned around 400 pubs, more than 80 of which were in Ipswich. In 1977 the business was taken over & changed hands several times before it was announced in 1989 that the Cliff Brewery was to close. At this time the brewery was classified as a listed building &, after a successful management buy-out, brewing recommenced once more in 1991; with the building now also housing a brewing museum. It finally closed in 2002. Part of the premises are now used by the Cliff Quay Brewery. (See also “Tolly Follies” section, above)
John Cobbold (1746-1835) who took over the business on the death of his father, was not only a brewer & maltster, but also had many other business interests in the town such as banking, ship owning & corn merchant. He had Holywells mansion built as the family home around 1814. It was he, along with his second wife Elizabeth, who employed Margaret Catchpole, about whom John’s son, the Rev. Richard Cobbold (1797-1877) wrote a semi-factual account . (See Margaret Catchpole section, below)
Another of John’s sons (he had twenty two children), also named John (1774-1860), together with his son John Chevallier Cobbold (1797-1882), were to become leading figures as Ipswich developed into an industrial centre during the nineteenth century.
John Chevallier Cobbold, who represented Ipswich in parliament during the years 1847-1868, was instrumental, along with his father, in forming the Eastern Union Railway, which brought the railways to Ipswich in 1846. The Eastern Union Railway was established by the father & son partnership when the Eastern Counties Railway decided not to extend their line any further than Colchester. The official opening of the new line took place on 11th June 1846 & was opened for public passengers six days later. The line from Ipswich to Bury St. Edmunds opened in December of the same year & was extended as far as Norwich in 1849. For the next few years there was much rivalry between the EUR & the ECR, until in 1854 the two companies amalgamated, before becoming the Great Eastern Railway in 1862.
As well as the railways, this father & son team were also Dock Commissioners during the period in the late 1830s & early 1840s when the new wet dock was being planned & built. John Chevallier Cobbold was mayor of Ipswich in 1842 when the dock was opened. In 1875 he was made High Steward of Ipswich; a post he held until his death. (See also River Orwell & River Gipping section, above)
Felix Cobbold (1841-1909), son of John Chevallier Cobbold, is best known for donating Christchurch Mansion to the town; having bought the estate from the Fonnereau family. He also gave land & provided funds for the construction of Fore Street Baths in 1894. He was elected as one of the town’s MPs in 1885 & became mayor of Ipswich in 1896. Two of his brothers, John Patteson & Thomas Clement Cobbold also represented Ipswich in parliament.
From its very earliest days in 1878, the Cobbold family have been influential in the running of Ipswich Town Football Club. The club’s first president was Thomas Clement Cobbold (1833-83), son of John Chevallier Cobbold.
Captain John Murray ‘Ivan’ Cobbold (1897- 1944), grandson of John Patteson Cobbold, became president of the still amateur club in 1935 & then chairman of the new professional Ipswich Town Football Club Ltd in 1936; a position he held until his death during World War II. His sons John & Patrick would both also hold the post of chairman during the club’s most successful period between the 1960s & the 1980s. Ivan Cobbold’s widow, Lady Blanche Cobbold, also served as honorary club president until her death in 1987. Other family members to have served as club chairman are John Patteson’s son Philip Wyndham Cobbold from 1944 to 1945, & his son Alistair Philip Cobbold from 1945 to 1957. (See also Ipswich Town Football Club section, above)
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Margaret Catchpole
Margaret Catchpole was born in 1762 in the village of Nacton near Ipswich. In 1793 she found employment in the household of John & Elizabeth Cobbold, who lived at Cliff House, Ipswich, as a nurse & cook; a position she held until 1795. It was during this time that she learned to read & write.
Catchpole’s boyfriend was a smuggler named William Laud, who was a wanted man after shooting another of Margaret’s admirers, John Barry. In May 1797, when she found out that Laud was in London, Margaret stole a horse from her former employers & rode the 70 miles or so to London to meet him. On arrival, however, she was arrested & tried for theft at the Suffolk Summer Assizes at Bury St. Edmunds. Initially sentenced to death, her sentence was commuted to seven years imprisonment at the intercession of the Cobbolds, from whom she had stolen the horse.
For three years she seems to have been a model prisoner, until in 1800 she escaped from Ipswich gaol by scaling a 22 ft wall using a clothes line, having heard that Will Laud was waiting for her; their intention being to go to Holland. They were apprehended, however, with Laud being shot dead & Margaret being recaptured. Tried for gaol breaking & once more sentenced to death, her punishment was this time commuted to transportation to Australia.
Arriving in New South Wales in 1801, she at first found employment as a servant; later becoming a midwife as well as keeping a small farm. Although pardoned in 1814, she never returned to England. She died of influenza in 1819 & is buried in Richmond NSW (near Sydney, around 450 miles south of Ipswich, Queensland).
In 1847, ‘The History of Margaret Catchpole: A Suffolk Girl’ was published. Written by the Rev. Richard Cobbold, son of John & Elizabeth, the book is based on fact, but with a large element of fiction thrown in. For example, Cobbold claims that Catchpole was born in 1773, making her 20 years old when she went to work for his family, whereas she was, in fact, 31. He asserts that she married in 1812, although there is no evidence of this. He also states that she died in 1841, even though there is clear evidence from the register of burials at Richmond that the correct date was 13th May 1819.
Today, the Margaret Catchpole public house can be found in Cliff Lane (see “Tolly Follies” section, above).
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Charles Dickens in Ipswich
Charles Dickens stayed in Ipswich, at the Great White Horse Hotel in Tavern Street, for the first time in 1834. In The Pickwick Papers, published in 1836/7, he mentions the hotel:
“In the main street of Ipswich, on the left-hand side of the way, a short distance after you have passed through the open space fronting the Town Hall, stands an inn known far
and wide by the appellation of The Great White Horse, rendered the more conspicuous by a stone statue of some rampacious animal with flowing mane and tail, distantly resembling an insane cart-horse, which is elevated above the principal door. The Great White Horse is famous in the neighbourhood, in the same degree as a prize ox, or county paper-chronicled turnip, or unwieldy pig - for its enormous size. Never were such labyrinths of uncarpeted passages, such clusters of mouldy, ill-lighted rooms, such huge numbers of small dens for eating or sleeping in, beneath any one roof, as are collected together between the four walls of the Great White Horse at Ipswich.”
In the story, Mr Pickwick inadvertently strays into a lady’s bedroom &, having extricated himself from an awkward situation, gets disorientated in the maze of the hotel’s dimly lit corridors & has to rely on his servant, Sam Weller, to guide him back to his own room.
Although the hotel building still stands on the corner of Tavern Street & Northgate Street, & the signage still remains in place, the building no longer functions as a hotel; the ground floor now being split into retail units.
Elsewhere in The Pickwick Papers, Sam Weller goes for a walk from the hotel & ends up in St.Clement’s parish, where he “strolled among its ancient precincts”.
Also in this novel, the character of Mrs Leo Hunter is said to be based on Mrs Elizabeth Cobbold; second wife of John Cobbold (see Margaret Catchpole section, above). Elizabeth Cobbold wrote & published several volumes of poetry, & the character of Mrs Hunter is also a poetry lover, for whom Dickens wrote the poem “Ode to an Expiring Frog”.
In another of his novels, Bleak House (1852), one of Dickens’ characters, the rag and bottle merchant Krook, dies by spontaneous human combustion. This phenomenon, whereby a human body burns to ashes without an apparent external source of ignition, is hotly debated even today, & in the mid nineteenth century was widely thought of as being impossible. Dickens, however, believed in its existence, & one famous case that he may have heard of during his visits to Ipswich, & which may have inspired him to use this method of death in his novel, involved Grace Pett of St Clement’s parish in the town, who was found dead one morning in April 1744 by her daughter, with her torso burnt to resemble a block of charcoal, although the wooden floor beneath her, plus many other flammable items close at hand, remained unscathed.
Dickens was to come to Ipswich many times over the years. In his “Weekly Journal” issue 23, published in October 1859, he reports that he went fishing in the River Gipping.
(See also Charles Dickens - The Suffolk Connection on the Suffolk, England page of www.planetsuffolk.com )
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Jean Ingelow
Born at Boston, Lincolnshire in March 1820, poet & novelist Jean Ingelow moved to Ipswich with her family in 1834, when her father became manager of a bank called the Ipswich & Suffolk Building Company in Elm Street, on what is now the corner with Arcade Street. The family lived in the rooms above the bank for ten years & it was during her time in Ipswich that Jean began to write. In 1844 the family moved to London, where she spent the rest of her life; dying there in July 1897.
As a girl, Jean had contributed stories & poems to various magazines, using the pen name Orris. Her first volume of poetry ‘A Rhyming Chronicle of Incidents and Feelings’ didn’t, however, appear until 1850 & was published anonymously. It attracted the attention of Sir Alfred Tennyson, with whom she was later to become friends. Other volumes of poetry followed; either anonymously or under her pen name. Her fame increased in 1863 with the publication of a volume entitled ‘Poems’ which proved very popular both in Britain & America. Probably her best known poem is ‘A High Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire’. She also wrote novels, including ‘Off the Skelligs’ (1872) & ‘Sarah de Berenger’ (1880), as well as several childrens’ books; the most popular being ‘Mopsa the Fairy’ (1869).
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Sir John Gordon Sprigg
John Gordon Sprigg was born in Ipswich in 1830 & attended Ipswich School. He emigrated in 1858 to East London in the Cape Colony of what is now South Africa, where he worked for a while as a journalist.
In 1873 he became a member of the Cape Parliament & was appointed Colonial Secretary & Prime Minister of the Cape Colony in 1878; holding the position until 1881 during a period that included the First Boer War. In all, he held the position of Prime Minister four times: 1878-81, 1886-90, 1896-98 & 1900-04. The latter period coincided with the Second Boer War. In 1897 he was appointed as a Privy Counsellor of the United Kingdom & in 1902 he received the GCMG (Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael & St. George). He died in February 1913.
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Sir Charles Sherrington
Neurophysiologist, histologist, bacteriologist, & pathologist Sir Charles Scott Sherrington OM, GBE, PRS was born in November 1857. His father was the eminent Ipswich surgeon Caleb Rose & his mother was Anne Brookes Sherrington, widow of James Norton Sherrington. As his parents were unmarried at the time, Charles & his two brothers, William & George, took their mother’s surname. Although born in Islington, London, the family moved to Ipswich sometime after 1861, & lived in a house in Anglesea Road. Caleb & Anne finally married in 1880.
Charles Sherrington attended Ipswich School from 1871, after which he enrolled with the Royal College of Surgeons of England at St Thomas’s Hospital, London, before entering Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge in 1880 where he began neurological research. There he studied under the “father of British physiology” Sir Michael Foster. He earned his Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) in 1884 & his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MB) degree in the following year. In 1886 he added the title of Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (LRCP), & became Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1893. During 1884 & 1885, Sherrington moved to Strasbourg, where he worked with the German physiologist Friedrich Goltz. In 1885 he was part of a team sent to Spain to investigate a claim that a cure had been discovered for cholera. Whilst the team discredited the Spanish claim at the time, Sherrington traveled to Berlin later that year to inspect the samples from Spain & ended up spending a year there studying physiology, morphology, histology & pathology under the noted physician Robert Koch.
In 1887, after his return to Britain, Sherrington was in appointed Lecturer in Systematic Physiology at St. Thomas’s Hospital, & was also elected a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (where he is now commemorated with a stained glass window in the college dining hall. See left).
In 1891 he was appointed as superintendent of the Brown Institute for Advanced Physiological & Pathological Research at the University of London, a centre for human and animal physiological & pathological research. Also in 1891 he married Ethel Mary Wright. They had one son, Carr, born in 1897.
Sherrington’s first full professorship post came with his appointment as Holt Professor of Physiology at Liverpool in 1895, where his major research focused on muscle reflexes & reciprocal innervation. Although he had been trying for a post at Oxford since 1895, he had to wait until 1913 before being offered the Waynflete Chair of Physiology by Magdalen College. He would hold the post until his retirement in 1936. His students included three future Nobel laureates (Sir John Eccles, Ragnar Granit & Howard Florey), plus Canadian neurosurgeon Wilder Penfold & the American pioneer of brain surgery Harvey Williams Cushing.
In 1932 Sherrington received, together with Edgar Adrian, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on the functions of neurons, in which they showed that reflexes require integrated activation and demonstrated reciprocal innervation of muscles. This was to become known as Sherrington’s First Law. Other eponyms to bear his name are: the Liddell-Sherrington reflex, the Schiff-Sherrington reflex, Vulpian-Heidenhain-Sherrington phenomenon, & Sherrington’s Second Law.
Honours bestowed upon him include the Royal Medal of the Royal Society of London in 1905 (he would later become President of the Royal Society between 1920 and 1925), Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1922 (which allowed him to use the title ‘Sir’), & the Order of Merit in 1924. Over the course of his lifetime, Sherrington accumulated honorary doctorates from a host of universities in Europe, Canada & the USA including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Paris, Strasbourg, Athens, Brussels, Berne, Toronto, Montreal, & Harvard.
Away from medicine, Sherrington’s interests included poetry, art, history, philosophy & collecting rare books. He was also a keen sportsman, having played rugby & rowed for his college at Cambridge, & was also a pioneer in winter sports. Sporting prowess ran in the family, as both Charles’ brothers, William & George (or W.S. Sherrington & G.S. Sherrington as they are often recorded), played football for Ipswich Association Football Club, the forerunner of Ipswich Town, in the years immediately after the club’s formation in 1878.
After retirement Charles returned to Ipswich & had a house built on Valley Road in the Broom Hill area of the town. (The Sherrington family owned much of the land in this area, & the modern day Sherrington Road derives from this association. Much of this land, including Broom Hill Park, was sold to Ipswich Borough Council in 1925 by Charles’ brother George). From 1944 until his death, Charles Sherrington was president of Ipswich Museum. He died of heart failure whilst at Eastbourne, Sussex in March 1952, at the age of 94.
Sherrington’s published medical works include The Integrative Action of the Nervous System (1906), Mammalian Physiology: a Course of Practical Exercises (1919), The Reflex Activity of the Spinal Cord (1932) & The Brain and its Mechanism (1933). He also published a volume of wartime poetry entitled The Assaying of Brabantius and other Verse (1925) & two philosophical volumes on the works of the sixteenth century French physician Jean Fernel: Man on His Nature (1940) & The Endeavour of Jean Fernel (1946).
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Edith Maud Cook
Edith Maud Cook was born in Fore Street, Ipswich in September 1878. As well as being a parachutist & balloonist, she is reputed to have been the first female pilot in Britain.
She learnt to fly Bleriot monoplanes in early 1910, having been a pupil at Claude Graham-White’s school in Pau, France from 1909; after which she made several solo flights. She is said to have made more than 300 parachute jumps during the first decade of the twentieth century, often using the aliases Violet Spencer & Viola Kavanagh. She also used the name Viola Spencer-Kavanagh or Miss Spencer-Kavanagh as a pilot, & may also have gone under the names Viola Fleet & Elsa Spencer on occasion.
Edith Cook died on 14th July 1910, having suffered severe injuries sustained during a parachute jump in Coventry five days earlier; having landing on a factory roof where a gust of wind caught her parachute & she fell onto the roadway below.
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Leonard Squirrell
Landscape artist Leonard Russell Squirrell was born in Spring Road, Ipswich in October 1893. From an early age he showed a great talent for the art of drawing, & in 1908 he went to Ipswich School of Art, where he trained under George Rushton, before going to the Slade School in London in 1921.
Best known as a watercolour painter, Squirrell was also adept with pastels, as well as being a talented etcher. He was also an accomplished painter in oils, but produced little in this medium, preferring what he described as the “fluidity” of watercolours. He wrote books on both pastel & watercolour techniques.
Thorpeness, Suffolk by Leonard Squirrell
As an etcher, Squirrell produced many fine aquatints, mezzotints & dry-points; being awarded a silver medal at the 1923 International Exhibition in Los Angeles for his mezzotint ‘The High Mill, Needham Market’. Gold medals were to follow at this exhibition in 1925 & 1930, with ‘Notre Dame, Paris’ & ‘Shadowed Corner, Marseilles’ respectively. His pastel work included the 1928 ‘Kersey Village Street, Summer Evening’ (which is now in the Colchester and Ipswich Museums’ collection), as well as many scenes from Italy & France.
His work in watercolours included railway carriage prints & railway posters (such as the one of Monks Eleigh, left) for Great Eastern Railways/British Rail from the 1950s onwards, as well as paintings for commercial companies such as Rolls Royce, & local firms such as William Brown, Pauls, Compair, Fisons, & Ransomes Sims & Jeffries.
Although he travelled & painted widely in Britain & Europe, he lived most of his life in Ipswich, & it was East Anglia that inspired him most. He once wrote “I am abidingly glad that my eyes look upon East Anglia as home. How much it means to me is demonstrated when I come back after journeys afield. As an artist I feel more satisfied with its countryside, its villages and architecture every time I return.”
Squirrell married in 1923 & had two children; living at first in Foxhall Road & later in Crabbe Street. He died in July 1979 at his daughter’s home in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. A Blue Plaque commemorating his life & works now adorns the house he was born in at 82 Spring Road. As well as in Ipswich Museum’s collection, Squirrell’s work today can also be found in such places as the Victoria & Albert Museum & the British Museum in London, as well as Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Local art writer Josephine Walpole has produced several books on Squirrell’s life & works, the latest being Leonard Squirrell RWS RE: Artist of East Anglia 1893 – 1979, published in 2011.
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V S Pritchett
A blue plaque now adorns the wall of 41 St. Nicholas Street, to commemorate where writer Sir Victor Sawdon Pritchett was born in 1900. Within a year of his birth, his family had moved from Ipswich, although they did return to live here for a year or so in 1910.
Pritchett is probably best known for his short story writing; collected & published in a number of volumes such as The Spanish Virgin and Other Stories (1930). He also wrote five novels, as well as two autobiographies; A Cab at the Door (1968) and Midnight Oil (1971). In 1975 he received a knighthood for his services to literature & was made Companion of Honour in 1993. He died in London in 1997.
Since 1999 The V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize for unpublished short stories has been awarded annually by the Royal Society of Literature.
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Enid Blyton
Whilst training to be a kindergarten teacher at Ipswich High School, famous children’s writer Enid Blyton (1897 – 1968) lodged for some time at 73 Christchurch Street. She enrolled on the National Froebel Union course in September 1916, having previously stayed with friends at Seckford Hall near Woodbridge. She left Ipswich in 1918, after qualifying as a teacher.
Born in East Dulwich, London, Enid Blyton is known all over the world for her Famous Five series & Secret Seven series of novels for young people. Her most famous character, however, is Noddy, about whom she wrote numerous books between 1949 & 1963. She also occasionally wrote under the name Mary Pollock.
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Wallis Simpson's Divorce
On 27th October 1936, Mrs Wallis Simpson was granted her decree nisi from her husband Ernest Simpson at the Suffolk Assizes in Ipswich; allowing her to marry King Edward VIII.
Mrs Simpson had been living in Felixstowe on the Suffolk coast (12 miles from Ipswich) for six weeks prior to this, which allowed her to claim residence status & so have the hearing held in Ipswich. The thinking behind this was that, being away from London, the whole thing could be done quietly & with publicity kept to a minimum. The press, however, got wind of what was afoot & swarmed into Ipswich on the day of the hearing at the County Hall in St. Helen’s Street. After the 25 minute hearing was over, Mrs Simpson was whisked away back to London.
In December of that same year, Edward abdicated the throne due to the outcry caused by his wish to marry a divorcee. His brother succeeded him, becoming King George VI. Wallis & Edward were married in June 1937.
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Sir John Mills
Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, better known as the actor Sir John Mills CBE (1908 – 2005), spent some time during the 1920s working in Ipswich for the corn merchants & maltsters R & W Paul. His time in Ipswich included the General Strike of 1926, when he volunteered as a special constable for the police; their task being to maintain order on the quays & provide escorts for vehicles leaving the docks.
In 1988 the Sir John Mills Theatre was opened in Gatacre Road, to commemorate his association with Ipswich. In 2000, Sir John was awarded a Doctor of Letters by the University of East Anglia/ Suffolk College.
Sir John Mills appeared in more than 120 films, spanning seven decades, including Goodbye, Mr Chips (1939), Ice-Cold in Alex (1958) & Ryan’s Daughter (1970). He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1960 & was knighted in 1976.
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Giles
The famous cartoonist Ronald ‘Carl’ Giles, better known simply as Giles, lived at Witnesham near Ipswich from 1943 until his death in Ipswich Hospital in 1995. For many years he rented a studio in East Anglia House, on the corner of Queen Street & the Buttermarket.
Giles was born in London in 1916. After becoming a junior animator at Elstree Studios, he worked for a while for the weekly Reynolds News, before being hired by the Daily Express & Sunday Express. His first cartoon for the Sunday Express appeared on 3rd October 1943. After the end of the Second World War, Giles created a group of characters that became known as the ‘Giles Family’; twelve characters spanning four generations that all seemed to live together in the same house. The most famous Famil
y member was Grandma; a short, rotund woman always dressed in black, with hat, glasses, handbag & umbrella. The Family’s first appearance came in August 1945 & over the years they appeared in more than two thousand of Giles’ cartoons.
Giles worked for the Daily Express until 1989, but continued until 1991 with the Sunday Express. Ever since 1946, collections of his work have been published annually. In 1959 he received the OBE.
Many of the scenes in Giles’ cartoons are influenced by streets & buildings in Ipswich (the Cornhill & the Woolpack pub on Tuddenham Road being two examples).
In 1993, a statue of Grandma & several other Family members was erected. Sculpted by Miles Robinson, the statue stands at the junction of King Street, Queen Street, Princes Street & the Buttermarket; just yards from the office Giles had once rented. With Giles in attendance, it was unveiled by his old friend, actor Warren Mitchell (best known as Alf Garnett in ‘ ‘Til Death Us Do Part’). The junction has since been renamed Giles Circus & in 2010 the area has been renovated & the statue moved a few yards & raised onto a three-tiered plinth. Grandma now gazes up in the direction of the window of Giles’ former studio.
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Prince Alexander Obolensky
In Cromwell Square, just off St Nicholas Street, stands a statue of Prince Alexander Obolensky, who was killed in an air crash at Martlesham Heath, just outside Ipswich, on 29th March 1940 during a training exercise.
Born in St Petersburg, Russia in February 1916, he was the son of Prince Serge Obolensky, an officer in the Czar's Imperial Horse Guards, & his wife Princess Lubov. With the Russian Revolution of 1917, the family fled the country & settled in London. In 1934, Alexander went to Brasenose College, Oxford, where he represented Oxford University at Rugby Union. He went on to play for Chesterfield, Leicester & Rosslyn Park, before being selected to play for England. He gained British citizenship in 1936. Obolensky played four times for England, scoring two tries on his debut against the New Zealand All Blacks in 1936. He also played seven times for the Barbarians.
In 1939 he joined the RAF, but died when his Hawker Hurricane Mark 1 crash landed. He is buried in Ipswich.
The statue by Harry Gray was unveiled by his niece, Princess Alexandra Obolensky, on 18th February 2009. A suite at Twickenham Stadium, London is also named in his honour.
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The Half Hundred of Ipswich
During medieval times, the fortified area of the town was at the centre of the Half Hundred* of Ipswich; an area thought to roughly correspond to the modern day borough. The area outside the ramparts was split into four hamlets or holdings; Wicks Bishop, Wicks Ufford, Brookes & Stoke, although their exact boundaries are uncertain.
Wicks Bishop: Sometimes spelt Wykes, & also known as Bishop’s Wick or Wicks Episcopi, this is generally thought to have been an area to the south east of the town, extending from modern day Bishop’s Hill down to the river, & centred on Holywells Park, which had earlier been the estate held by Edward the Confessor’s wife, Queen Edith. The name derives from the fact that Richard I granted the land to one of the founders of Trinity Priory, which came under the jurisdiction of the Bishops of Norwich. It remained under their control until the reign of Henry VIII. The name is still remembered today in Wykes Bishop Street, which leads off Duke Street.
Wicks Ufford: To the north of Wicks Bishop, was the hamlet of Wicks (or Wykes) Ufford, which probably extended out as far as the village of Westerfield. Prior to the Norman Conquest, this holding had belonged to Earl Gyrth, brother of Queen Edith, but at the time of the Domesday Book (1086) was in the hands of Roger Bigod, Sheriff of Suffolk. The name is taken from the D’Ufford family; Robert D’Ufford, being made first Earl of Suffolk in 1337. When exactly Wicks Ufford was acquired by this family is not recorded.
Brookes: Brookes (Brokes or Brooks) was the hamlet to the west of Wicks Ufford, & is thought to have encompassed much of the western side of the modern town north of the river; stretching as far as Thurleston & Whitton in the north, & almost to Sproughton & Bramford in the west. The holding was originally granted to Aluric de Clare by Edward the Confessor before the Norman Conquest, & was later gifted to the Priory of St. Peter & Paul. The moated house of the Brokes Hall estate, which was located in the vicinity of modern day Westwood Avenue, was demolished in the early twentieth century.
Stoke: The location of the hamlet of Stoke can be ascertained with far more precision than the other three hamlets, as it was the section of Ipswich on the southern side of the River Orwell; the boundaries following the river from Stoke Bridge to Bourne Bridge, then along the course of Belstead Brook, before diverting away from the water towards the holy well in the vicinity of today’s Holcombe Crescent on Chantry estate, probably rejoining the river somewhere to the west of Handford Bridge. In 970 AD, Stoke was granted to the Abbey of Ely by King Edgar (great-grandson of Alfred the Great).
One part of the modern town that wasn’t within the Half Hundred of Ipswich at the time of the Domesday Book was the settlement listed as Grenewic, which roughly corresponds with the modern day Greenwich & Gainsborough estates. The area was to the south of Wicks Bishop on the eastern bank of the Orwell, with the boundary between the two probably in the vicinity of modern day Cliff Lane. At the time Grenewic was listed as being in Carlford Hundred, which also included Alnesbourne further down the river. At some point Grenewic was integrated into Ipswich, whereas Alnesbourne was transferred into Colneis Hundred, although exactly when is unknown.
*A hundred was not a fixed measurement of land, but an ancient term that relates to a hundred 'hides' or 'carucates', which themselves were units of land that could sustain an extended family. Therefore one hundred could vary considerably in size from the next. The Half Hundred of Ipswich was, therefore, made up of fifty carucates.
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The Boundaries and Expansion of Ipswich
Sixth century Anglo-Saxon cemeteries have been found near to Stoke Bridge, Boss Hall and Handford Road alongside the original settlement areas which were used at that time, and the Anglo-Saxon town of Ipswich can be dated back to the early 600s. The communities at Boss Hall and Handford Road were located at suitable crossing points over the River Gipping just above the tidal waters and marshlands. The early Gippeswick, however, seems to have been primarily a port, and was probably centred around the dock area in the 7th and 8th centuries, near to St Peter’s church and Stoke Bridge.
The prosperity brought by trade with the Rhineland brought the first expansion of Gippeswick. Excavation work has revealed that the town expanded to become 120 acres (50 hectares) in size during King Ælfwald’s reign (713-749). In about 720 AD a rectangular grid of streets linked the earlier quayside town with an ancient trackway to the north that ran along an east-west ridge above the areas likely to be flooded. This is the present town centre along the line of Westgate, Tavern and Carr Streets. The present town hall is built on the site of St Mildred’s church. St Mildred had links with the East Anglian royal family. She died about 700, and the conjecture is that this church was built soon afterwards as the centerpiece of a new town founded around it (see also Cornhill section, above).
The medieval town did not grow much larger and as noted above (see Early History section) the ramparts clearly defined its limits. However, some time before the year 1000 Ipswich was given the status of a half-hundred which covered the four manors beyond its ramparts of Brookes, Stoke, Wicks Bishop and Wicks Ufford (see The Half Hundred of Ipswich , above). Probably at some date after the establishment of the original half-hundred, parts of the adjoining hundreds of Carlford (Rushmere), Samford (Sproughton and Belstead), and Bosmere & Claydon (Whitton, Bramford and Westerfield) were included within the medieval limits of Ipswich. The actual extent of the administrative unit was four miles from west to east and five miles north to south.
After receiving its charter in 1200 it was important for the new corporation to impose its authority within the “Liberties of Ipswich”.
In order to ensure that the extent of the jurisdiction of the corporation was known, the boundaries of the Liberties of Ipswich were supposed to be perambulated periodically. This was done in 1351, 1522, 1674 and 1721 and the information was recorded, so it was reasonably known which lands lay within the borough. However, there continued to be disputes over detail, particularly by landowners in the neighbouring hundreds.
In 1518 goods were seized at Whitton Street by bailiffs acting for the Hundred of Bosmere & Claydon, but complaint was made to the Courts that this act was illegal because that location was within the Liberties of Ipswich. Since there was uncertainty as to where the boundary went, a commission was set up to determine the exact boundaries for the whole of Ipswich. In 1522 this found that parts of Whitton-cum-Thurleston, Westerfield, Rushmere, Sproughton, Bramford and Belstead were within the boundaries of the Liberties of Ipswich. This finally determined that these parishes were divided between the corporation and the neighbouring hundreds.
As a port town, the burgesses also exercised control over the waters giving access to Ipswich. However, there were questions over how far this control should extend. Did it end where the land boundaries reached the waters, and what about the foreshore, that bit between low tide and high tide? In 1378 the borough of Ipswich was given jurisdiction over the whole extent of the River Orwell to “Pollshead on the Andrew Sands” in the North Sea beyond Felixstowe (Pollshead was a tongue of land near Landguard Fort, now eroded). As early as 1398 the corporation had taken action to enforce its rights to the foreshore on “the saltwater” (River Orwell) at the port of Ipswich and successive actions had affirmed these rights. It remained uncertain as to how far these rights to the foreshore extended. In 1533 the Courts upheld that the boundaries of the corporation included the foreshore, i.e. the marshes in saltwater below the high water mark, along the whole extent of the river on both shores. A fish weir erected at Trimley was ordered to be demolished. (See also The Lost Port of Orwell , above)
In 1812 a further perambulation of the boundaries was performed and this time a detailed map was produced (the John Bransby Map). Generally, the boundaries were not dissimilar to those of today. The only large areas that were outside today’s boundaries were those to the west of Ipswich, which were then part of Bramford and Sproughton. Nevertheless, there were then large areas of the divided parishes that were included within the boundaries of the Liberties of Ipswich, and the extent of these was as follows:-
There was only a small part of Belstead within the Liberties of Ipswich comprising part of the grounds of Belstead Lodge (now Belstead Brook Hotel) by Belstead Bridge. That part of the parish of Sproughton in Ipswich comprised a large area south of Crane Hill on the London Road. The boundary went along London Road to Crane Hill, and then ran down towards Belstead Brook, east of and including Stone Lodge, thus covering all except the extreme eastern end of the present Chantry Estate. The western boundary was as today, where it runs through the centre of the housing estates and then down London Road. This tract of land did not extend to Belstead Brook, but ended a couple of fields to the north. There was another small part of Sproughton in Ipswich near to Boss Hall.
Bramford in Ipswich was quite complex. The western boundary for both Ipswich and Bramford in Ipswich ran from Whitton across to and through the courtyard of Lovetofts Hall, essentially down today’s Lovetofts Drive, and then along field boundaries to Bramford Road at Lone Barn Farm (Lone Barn Court today). The eastern boundary of Bramford went from Whitton down Norwich Road to just south of White House and then diagonally across fields to Lone Barn Farm. Here a few yards separated the two boundaries. Bramford then formed a long panhandle running from west to east between Ipswich and Sproughton. The northern boundary went down the middle of Bramford Road towards Ipswich and the southern boundary followed only a few yards south of the road. As it got near to the junction with Sproughton Road the southern boundary cut across to that road so that the intersection of the two roads was in Bramford. It then ran in a diagonal direction to the River Gipping. The northern boundary continued along the Bramford Road towards Ipswich to Hampton Road where it then went straight down to the river. This peculiar appendage was originally a separate ecclesiastical holding of Bramford containing an ancient chapel of St Albright, located near the junction of Bramford and Sproughton Roads. The boundary of the Liberties of Ipswich remained the same as the southern boundary of Bramford for only part of the way, and it took a different route down to the river near Boss Hall, which included a small part of Sproughton in Ipswich. Boss Hall and the land to the immediate north of the River Gipping was part of Sproughton outside the Liberties of Ipswich.
The boundary of the Liberties of Ipswich dividing Whitton parish ran along Whitton Church Lane and then north to Thurleston Lane, to cross over the Henley Road before meeting up with the boundary at Westerfield. Whitton-cum-Thurleston extended into Ipswich along a part of, and then just above the Norwich Road to the present Valley Road area, then up to the other side of Henley Road, including Grove Farm, and then back to the boundary above.
The part of Westerfield that was in Ipswich was quite extensive and peculiar in that it divided the village down the middle, and was an odd shape. In the north it comprised a long finger of land west of Westerfield Road (B1077). The boundary ran along the middle of Westerfield Road and Cockfield Hall Lane north to Beestons Farm, and then back to Lower Road where the boundary of Ipswich ran towards Whitton. The parish of Westerfield outside the Liberties was to be found either side of this finger of land. The boundary of the Liberties of Ipswich then ran along Westerfield Church Lane to meet up with the boundary along Humber Doucy Lane. Westerfield in Ipswich extended south of the railway station, cutting through Redhouse Park estate to the other side of Tuddenham Road, and then back up towards Humber Doucy Lane.
Rushmere in Ipswich extended approximately to Sidegate Lane and the boundary then cut diagonally across the California district to Bixley Heath. The eastern boundary of Ipswich that divided Rushmere ran down the middle of Humber Doucy Lane and then across part of Rushmere Heath, not much different from today.
In 1889 the boundaries of the new County Borough of Ipswich were made co-extensive with those of the Liberties of Ipswich. It was realised that the position of the divided parishes and the former extra-parochial area of Warren House needed to be formalised. Those that had the larger population within the corporation boundaries became civil parishes within Ipswich County Borough: Warren House and Whitton-cum-Thurleston in 1889; Westerfield-in-Ipswich in 1894; and Rushmere in 1895. Those parts of Bramford, Sproughton and Belstead in Ipswich had fewer inhabitants (230, 58 and none respectively in 1891) than the rest of their parishes outside Ipswich. Thus, in 1895 the parts within the borough boundaries were formally transferred from their original parishes and absorbed by the adjacent parish in Ipswich. However, in 1903 Ipswich abandoned the parochial system, and these all became fully integrated with the rest of the town from that year. This transfer of land to Ipswich left a detached part of Sproughton near to Belstead Brook, and a detached part of Bramford by Boss Hall. Both were small and unpopulated.
In 1895 they were only sorting out the anomalies where the boundaries of the former Liberties had not coincided with those of the parishes. Up to that time there had been ample room into which the urban growth could expand. It was not until the 20th century that it became obvious that land would be required for new housing developments, and that Ipswich would expand up to and possibly beyond its boundaries. To allow for this, in 1935 and again in 1952 the boundaries of Ipswich were further extended.
The boundary south of Stoke has always run along the Belstead Brook to Belstead Bridge. However, from that bridge the fields north of the brook were long part of Belstead parish. The boundary between Belstead and Ipswich in this area was very irregular and included the detached part of Sproughton. In 1935 the position was regularised by extending the western boundary of Ipswich straight down to Belstead Brook, as it is today, thus bringing that part of Belstead which was north of the brook around Gusford Hall and the detached part of Sproughton into Ipswich. This now freed up vast areas of land for the future building of the Chantry housing estate fully within the boundaries of Ipswich.
The boundary used to run along London Road and then across to Hadleigh Road between Crane Hall (in Ipswich) and Chantry Farm (in Sproughton). In 1927 Chantry Mansion and Park (which were in the parish of Sproughton) were donated to the people of Ipswich. It therefore seemed sensible to transfer this land to the borough. This was done in 1935 and the boundary now runs along the perimeter of the park and down Hadleigh Road. This also allowed the development of the Dickens Estate on land which was once allotments (community gardens).
In 1935 the small detached part of Bramford near to Boss Hall was transferred to Ipswich.
The boundary at Warren Heath was moved slightly eastward so that the whole of Warren Heath Road was in Ipswich. The boundary used to run diagonally through what is today the Priory Heath estate. In 1935 it was moved much further to the southeast between the Felixstowe and Nacton Roads so that the housing estate could be built, and the factories and engineering works could be included within the Ipswich boundary. The latter is now the Ransomes Industrial Estate and Europark.
The boundary used to run along the edge of the Gainsborough estate through Brazier’s Wood and Pond Hall Farm to the river, leaving Ipswich Airport outside the town’s boundary. In 1935 it was moved southeast and further along the river, thus bringing Brazier’s Wood, Pond Hall Farm and the airport into Ipswich; the Ravenswood estate has since been built on the airport site.
By 1952 housing developments had reached the boundaries of Ipswich and it was obvious that more land would be needed for future expansion. The boundary in the west was subject to most change with a general move towards and along the main railway line and then north along the approximate route of the A14 dual carriageway as it is today (although, of course, the A14 had not been built in 1952). This brought substantial parts of Sproughton and Bramford into Ipswich, including Boss Hall and Lovetofts, and allowed for the expansion in that direction with both housing and light industrial estates. In Whitton the boundary moved north of Whitton Church Lane to accommodate housing on the north side of that lane in Ipswich, and also at Thurleston so that all parts of that former hamlet are now within Ipswich.
The eastern boundary of Ipswich was subject to small changes so that the whole of housing and industrial estates on that side of Ipswich could be brought into the borough. At Rushmere the boundary had always gone down the middle of Humber Doucy Lane; in 1952 it was moved eastward so that the whole of that lane now came within Ipswich. Westerfield House and Farm (now Tuddenham Road Business Centre), on the corner of Humber Doucy Lane and Tuddenham Road, had always been a part of Tuddenham parish. The boundary was moved to bring these into Ipswich. The boundary was also moved east at Bixley Heath to allow the Broke Hall estate to be built wholly within Ipswich, and the boundary at Ransomes engineering works (now the Europark) was moved further along Nacton Heath to allow expansion of the industrial estate there.
Although Ipswich has once again “burst its boundaries” since 1952 (see Modern Day Distinction Between the Town & the Borough , below), there has been only one further change to the boundaries over the last 60 years. For over a thousand years Westerfield had been a divided community with a boundary that ran through the middle of the village. It had been expected that the urban spread would reach Westerfield, but it never did. Finally, in 1985 the Boundary Commission recommended the boundary changes needed to bring unification to the village outside the area of Ipswich. It would have been impracticable to revert to the area of the original historic parish of Westerfield because so much of that parish had been encroached upon by the expansion of Ipswich, so a new boundary was created. Today this runs south of the village, embracing Westerfield Junction station, and then runs along the railway line to Tuddenham Road (see also The Village of Westerfield section on The Ones That Got Away page).
There has been much discussion on the further expansion of Ipswich (see the What Might Have Been section on the The Ones That Got Away page). The latest proposal in 2008 was for the creation of a new unitary authority called “North Haven” which would include the urban areas immediately outside the boundaries of Ipswich, and stretch to Felixstowe, thus creating a large administrative unit between the Rivers Orwell and Deben. Discussions continue in 2012.
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The Villages & Hamlets of the Liberties of Ipswich
By 1812 Ipswich had expanded beyond the town ramparts. However, the Liberties of Ipswich was far more than the “borough”, the small built-up urban area. It encompassed four large manorial estates, and embraced much agricultural land containing several hamlets and villages. For these outlying hamlets and manors, there were three ways to go during these early centuries: they could be absorbed by the growth of Ipswich, develop into a separate village, or decline to become an individual, isolated farmstead. With the exception of Westerfield, all these have now been incorporated into Ipswich by its expansion, as noted below.
The dockside to the southeast was an area of early expansion and St Clement’s parish outside the ramparts was probably established in the late 12th century as a suburb of Ipswich. By 1381 the parish had absorbed the hamlet of Wykes Bishop (or Wicks Bishop) that may have existed around the bottom of Bishop’s Hill. (“Wykes” denotes a hamlet outside a walled town.) The two areas here became known as Fore Hamlet (nearest to the foreshore) and Back Hamlet. The manor itself stayed with the bishop until 1535 when Henry VIII confiscated it. He sold it in 1545 and it remained a large farm estate until the Cobbold family turned it into Holywells Park after 1812. Further along the Orwell, the early Anglo-Saxon hamlet of Greenwich was included in the parish of St Clement’s but remained physically separate as it belonged to the Priory of St Peter. On the suppression of that house in 1528, Greenwich was granted out as a small manor, but it declined to an isolated farmstead with a few cottages.
To the north of St Clements the small market gardens supplying the town gradually gave way to the early medieval industries of Ipswich with potteries, rope making and sail manufacture. By the end of the 17th century this area had become part of the town with narrow streets and alleyways. It became an early industrial centre with a brick and tile works, and the Old Pottery Works. The Rope Walk is now the only reminder of this area’s former industrial importance.
A natural stream ran down from the hills to the east of the town along today’s St Helen’s Street, and this provided a favourable location for an early hamlet outside the town walls around St Helen’s church, believed to date back to Norman times. This hamlet, called St Hellens of Cauldwell, served the leper hospital of St Mary Magdalene, located opposite the church. It came to the town on the dissolution of the hospital in 1536. St Helen’s was one of the smaller parishes and remained an area of market gardens, hence Orchard Street, until the late 18th century. It was then easily absorbed by the ribbon development of houses along the two main arteries of Woodbridge Road and St Helen’s Street.
Former names for St Helen’s Street were Great Wash Lane and Cauldwell Lane, and this fact provides a link to another hamlet found at the top of the hills. Cauldwell is believed to have been in existence by the end of the 11th century. It takes its name from the “cold springs” that emerge from the hillsides and collect together to give the name to Spring Road. Cauldwell Hall controlled these springs that supplied much of Ipswich with its water needs, which was carried through two pipes to the town. The manor is recorded from 1300 held by the Holbroke family, and the hamlet stood south of Woodbridge Road along the Caudwell Hall Road with the church of St John the Baptist. The church was appropriated to Trinity Priory, so it seems likely that the hamlet and its church had declined before the Reformation. Cauldwell Hall itself existed until 1848 when it and its land were sold for development.
The hills also provided an ideal site for windmills which benefitted from the prevailing south-westerly winds coming up the valley, and there was a group situated at the top of the hill along the Woodbridge Road. During the Napoleonic Wars a temporary barracks was established nearby in 1803 because of its proximity to the heathland, ideal for military training. Out of patriotism this was called Albion Hill. The barracks attracted providers to the military needs, who stayed on and occupied the military buildings after the soldiers left in 1815. They established the little hamlet of Albion Hill with the windmills being known as the Albion Mills. Although now forgotten as a district name, this part of Woodbridge Road is still officially called Albion Hill, and the Albion Mills public house used to stand at the junction of Woodbridge and Belvedere Roads. Its military past is recalled in the name of Hutland Road, laid out over where the huts of the military barracks were located, and there is also a Parade Road.
A number of larger houses followed in the 1840s because of the views afforded from the top of the hills, hence there are Belle Vue and Belvedere Roads. Thus the urban area of Ipswich reached the top of the hills and spread along the Woodbridge and Caudwell Hall Roads. However, it was not to be until the 1920s that the fields out to Sidegate Lane and beyond would be built upon.
It is recorded that the original seat of the manor of Wykes Ufford (or Wicks Ufford) was at the present Cavendish Street on the north side of Bishop’s Hill near to Wykes Bishop. This too disappeared at an early date and the name came to be applied to those parts of Rushmere and Westerfield that were in Ipswich. From the time of Sir Edmund Withipoll, the manor of Wykes Ufford was always attached to the Christchurch estate. A small hamlet existed around Rushmere Hall in the 1600s but this was reduced to a solitary farmhouse by 1846. Rushmere remained an area of isolated farm estates until the building of the Colchester Road bypass in 1926 encouraged the growth of Ipswich in this direction. Westerfield (see The Ones That Got Away page) has always maintained itself as a village separate from Ipswich.
St Margaret’s parish was a large parish that extended over the northern part of Ipswich. The original hamlet was located around St Margaret’s Green just outside the northern ramparts and it was already a suburb of Ipswich in 1200. However, it is known that there was another hamlet a short distance to the north of St Margaret’s Green known as Bolton Hamlet or Little Bolton. Bolton is a common Anglo-Saxon place-name meaning ‘an enclosure around a house’. It was possibly on the western side of Christchurch Park where a Boltonhill House once stood. However, Bolton Lane is on the eastern side of the park, and in 1855 there was a Bolton Farm in the vicinity. It could be that a Bolton Hamlet developed around the castle at Ipswich. One of the locations the castle is conjectured to have stood is on the hill at the Arboretum, where Boltonhill House was located. If this is the case, when the castle was demolished in 1176 it is likely that the hamlet would also have disappeared since the reason for its existence had gone*. An earlier name for Bolton Lane is known to have been Thingstead Way. This was later changed to Bolton Lane, probably from a folk-memory of Bolton Hamlet being to the north of St Margaret’s Green. This, in turn, probably gave the name to Bolton Farm, which is known to have been on land where Hervey Street is located, two streets away from Bolton Lane. The farm was owned by a man called Hervey in 1855 who gave his name to this street. So a long tradition places the hamlet at the top of Bolton Lane. Whichever location it was, the hamlet disappeared at an early date.
* Most modern commentators favour Elm Street as a more likely location for the castle.
Further to the north of St Margaret’s, all the way to Westerfield, was an area of very large landed estates and farms. The largest was Christchurch Park and north of that was Red House Park. This is where the gentry and minor aristocracy lived. There was never the opportunity for hamlets and villages to develop on these, and even today there are not the large housing estates that can be found elsewhere around Ipswich. However, in 2011 the development of the Ipswich Garden Suburb in this area was first proposed (see in Housing Estates, Neighbourhoods, Suburbs , below).
St George’s was a hamlet immediately outside the Westgate lying at the bottom of today’s St George’s Street. It was already a suburb of Ipswich in 1200. It never really developed and remained one of the smallest parishes in 1381. The last record of it as a separate parish was in 1451; thereafter it was absorbed into St Matthew’s parish.
The areas immediately to the north and west of St Matthew’s church and Barrack Corner, between and around the Bramford and Norwich Roads, were not built upon until the 1830s and 1840s. Further along the road to Norwich the hamlet and manor of Brookes declined to an individual farm estate. Brookes Hamlet is recorded for the last time in 1689. However, in 1352 the hamlet around St Botolph’s church at Thurleston was described as an “appurtenance of Brookes”, and by the 16th century the two seem to be attached as the tax assessments refer to Thurleston-cum-Brooke. Nonetheless, Thurleston itself had almost disappeared by 1514 since it was united with Whitton as the parish of Whitton-cum-Thurleston. Whitton dates back to Anglo-Saxon times and grew into a reasonable size village separated from Ipswich by agricultural land until the 1930s (see Housing Estates, Neighbourhoods, Suburbs section, below).
There was little development of the western part of Ipswich until the 20th century. It remained an area of large farm estates. Like Whitton, Westbourne remained separated from Ipswich by agricultural land until the 1930s. However, it never grew beyond a small hamlet. Another two hamlets were reduced to individual farmsteads by the end of the medieval period. These were Lovetofts and Boss Hall.
Lovetofts is first recorded in 1277 as Lovetot when a John de Lovetot had grant of free warren here. However, it was also known as Tibetot in 1294 when the hall here was the seat of Robert de Tibetot. The Tibetot family held the lordship of Nettlestead and owned land in Bramford at that period. The families of Lovetot and Tibetot were related to each other and came over with William the Conqueror, both families first settling in Nottinghamshire. Both names are of Norse origin, as were the Normans. Lovetofts means ‘Lufa’s homestead (toft)’. A small hamlet arose around the manor house that became known as Lovetofts Hall. This was in Bramford, although the western boundary of the Liberties of Ipswich ran through the centre of the estate. However, the hamlet had declined to a single farm house by the 16th century and remained so until about 1955. In 1959 it was absorbed by the White House estate and is remembered in Lovetofts Drive.
The original settlement around Boss Hall appears to have been a place of some importance in the early Anglo-Saxon period. The Anglo-Saxon cemetery found there contained one grave of very high status. There was also an ancient chapel of St Albright near the junction of Bramford and Sproughton Roads which formed an outlying portion of the parish of Bramford. Since Bramford is known to have been an early royal manor, it seems that there was a long tradition of this area belonging to the East Anglian dynasty and its successors, and beyond the jurisdiction of the Ipswich burgesses. It survived as a small hamlet beside the River Gipping, and the manor is attested as being part of Sproughton in 1332. In the perambulation of 1351 it was referred to as Bordshaw Hall and Wood, which means ‘a copse (shaw) where planks (boards) were obtained’. Because of the way it was then pronounced, the name became corrupted to Boss Hall (bod-shaw to bossaw). The hamlet declined to a reasonably large farmstead with outlying cottages and remained that way into the 20th century. Boss Hall was just outside the Liberties and Borough of Ipswich in the parish of Sproughton until 1952. It is now Boss Hall Business Park.
The other original Anglo-Saxon settlement of Handford (Hana’s ford) was recorded as a hamlet in 1227, and this continued to be a separate community around a mill and Handford Hall where there was a bridge over the River Gipping, located where today’s Handford and London Roads meet. The spread of housing from Ipswich down Handford Road is noted in the 1830s, and by mid-century this hamlet had been absorbed into the main town.
Stoke, south of the River Orwell was settled at a very early date, and it was probably during the 8th century when the Stoke Bridge crossing was created. Although the hamlet itself never expanded far from the bridgehead, its ecclesiastical lords held extensive property to the south and west of Stoke. There were two parishes by the 11th century around the churches of St Mary Stoke on Stoke Hill, and St Augustine nearer to the river. St Mary Stoke was the original endowment, belonging to the Abbey of Ely, and it owned most of the lands to the southwest, some of these stretching into the parish of Sproughton. These were granted out for farming and some, such as Stoke Park and Stone Lodge, became substantial estates in their own right. However, they never really developed into separate hamlets.
To the south, Belstead Brook was a natural boundary, but further upstream from Belstead Bridge the land to the north of the brook was held by the parish of Belstead. Here there was another hamlet that existed known as Godlesford (later Gusford Hall). This name has an Anglo-Saxon origin, ‘the ford by Goda’s field (leah)’, and is recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as being held by the Countess of Aumale (a place in Normandy). In the late 13th century it was acquired by the Priory of Canons Leigh in Devon. In 1327 the manor is recorded as ‘Godlesford and Belstead Parva’ (Little Belstead), and thereafter Little Belstead, which is the other side of Belstead Brook, appears as “an appurtenance” of Godlesford Canonry. At this period, Belstead was a large area of land on both sides of the brook with two areas of settlement, Great Belstead (which today is the village of Washbrook) and Little Belstead (which today is the village of Belstead). As ecclesiastical land this manor was largely free from the parochial authority of (Great) Belstead and that of the burgesses of Ipswich. The uncertainty over who had authority in this area was reflected in the irregularity of the boundaries of the Liberties of Ipswich around the later Gusford Hall.
Over the next 200 years the far away priory took little interest in its property other than to lease it out for farming. Godlesford declined to a large farm estate run by one family, while the labourers and their families preferred to live at Little Belstead. With the Dissolution of the ecclesiastical houses, in 1540 the Crown sold Godlesford (now called Gusford Hall) to the family that had farmed it for the past 200 years, and the connection with Little Belstead was broken. Since the parish of Belstead had not been able to impose its authority over the manor, the family had developed greater contacts with Ipswich and Stoke St Mary, and by the 17th century Gusford Hall had become part of that parish. The estate changed hands between prominent Ipswich merchants several times before passing into the hands of the Burrell family, owners of Stoke Park. Although it became attached to Stoke Park and was sold along with that property in 1918, Gusford Hall was never legally integrated into that estate.
The parish of St Augustine’s in Stoke covered the land south of today’s Felaw Street along the River Orwell down to Belstead Brook. The last reference to the parish was in 1459, and the Priory of St Peter & St Paul then seems to have taken over this parish. With the demise of the priory in 1527 the ecclesiastical authority was attached to St Peter’s. The actual land adjacent to the foreshore of the River Orwell to Bourne Bridge seems to have been owned by the medieval leper hospital of St Leonard. This land was purchased by the corporation of Ipswich in 1722. By 1800 there existed a hamlet called Halifax near to Bourne Bridge.
The first known shipyard in the vicinity dates back prior to 1713, as a deed enrolled with Ipswich Corporation in that year records the sale of a yard by one Roger Mather to a shipwright named John Blichenden. This seems to have disappeared by 1749, however, as the notable Ipswich shipbuilder John Barnard (c1705-84) bought the land & built a new shipyard, situated about three quarters of a mile from Stoke Bridge, near to where the West Bank Terminal is now located. He called this shipyard Nova Scotia. About half a mile away, near to Bourne Bridge another shipyard, named Halifax, is first recorded in 1783 and seems to have derived its name from association with Nova Scotia.
Although the sources state that it is not known why these names were given, it seems fairly obvious that they owe their existence to periods of national patriotism, with the two key dates of 1749 and 1783. The French and British were then vying for control of part of North America, which the French called Acadia and the British, Nova Scotia. The British had captured the capital, Port Royal, from the French in 1710, but had not been able to subdue the rest of the colony. In 1749 a concerted effort was made to achieve this, and in June of that year the British governor, Edward Cornwallis, arrived with 13 transports to establish Halifax (named after the Earl of Halifax, not the town) as the new capital of Nova Scotia. By unilaterally establishing Halifax, the British violated earlier treaties and started another war with the French. However, within 18 months the British had taken firm control of Nova Scotia. Later, in May 1783, after the American War of Independence, ships carrying Loyalists from New York anchored at Halifax to begin their resettlement in Canada. By the end of 1783, some 35,000 Loyalists had arrived in Nova Scotia.
The Halifax Shipyard was almost next to Bourne Bridge with only a house and garden in between. The first mention of a shipyard dates from 1783, probably established by Stephen Teague, who is recorded as shipbuilding here two years later. Jabez Bayley is recorded at Halifax before 1787, where he built several East Indiamen. It was at this yard that the East Indiaman Orwell was launched in 1817, the largest craft ever to be launched into the river. Over 100 men were employed in building one large vessel so, with their families, they constituted a sizeable community. This community took its name from the shipyard and Halifax remained a hamlet separate from the rest of Stoke well into the 20th century. This part of Wherstead Road is still referred to as “Halifax” by some residents today, although it is increasingly known as “Bourne End”. A Halifax House still exists on Wherstead Road, occupied today by Orwells Furniture. The name survives “officially” in Halifax Road that once linked the hamlet to Maidenhall estate, and Halifax Primary School is also located on that estate.
The development of the modern districts of Ipswich is dealt with below in Housing Estates, Neighbourhoods, Suburbs .
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Extra-parochial Parts of Ipswich
Individual parishes were responsible for raising taxes, establishing educational charities and looking after their own poor. However, certain areas were extra-parochial which meant that its residents were outside any parish and, therefore, exempt from parochial taxation and church tithes. Parliament abolished Extra-parochial areas in 1857, and they were integrated into the surrounding civic parish. There were a number of these within the Liberties of Ipswich, accounting for 70 acres, as noted below.
1. Warren Heath Hamlet (or Warren House) - This area made up 50 acres of the above total and comprised Warren House and the westernmost part of Warren Heath, which contained six other tenements. From 1889 to 1903 it constituted a separate civil parish within the county borough. It was probably the oldest of the extra-parochial parts of Ipswich (see Modern Day Distinction Between the Town & the Borough , below).
2. Cold Dunghills - This was situated just off Upper Orwell Street and still survives today under another name. In the 19th century it was quoted as being a “filthy, dirty, foul slum, full of disease and undesirable elements”. In 1861 it comprised some 20 tenements and 66 inhabitants, and it remained the poorest part of Ipswich. In October 1867 the residents petitioned to have the name changed and it became known as Upper Orwell Court, the name it still retains today. The area was not entirely cleared until just before 1939.
No reason is known why it was extra-parochial, but with a name like this it could have been an original waste-land where the town sewage was deposited. It was just the other side of the town ramparts. In 1632 it is recorded as “Cole Dunghill”. ‘Cole’ is the early English for ‘charcoal’, and waste-land was frequently utilised for the making of charcoal. Charcoal and dung are both used for fuel in many parts of the world today. Whichever way it is regarded, ‘waste-land’ was frequently extra-parochial because nobody wanted to go there to collect taxes.
3. Felaw’s House - In 1483 Richard Felaw, an alderman and merchant of Ipswich, bequeathed his house in what is now Foundation Street to Ipswich Grammar School, endowing it with lands so that children of needy parents could attend without paying fees (see Ipswich School section, above). As a charitable donation it was exempt from taxation. The site is now a multi-storey car park.
4. Shire Hall Yard - This still exists behind Lower Orwell Street. This was originally the site of the Dominicans or Blackfriars. At their dissolution in 1538 the property was bought by William Sabyn who sold it in 1569 to the corporation. Parts of the Friary were demolished, but in 1572 the corporation converted the remaining buildings into Christ’s Hospital, an establishment supported from charitable donations by the burgesses for the maintenance of orphans and the old. Christ’s Hospital was in fact an amalgamation of different foundations, and it stretched across to St Edmund Pountney Lane, which henceforth became known as Foundation Street after these institutions.
It included the almshouses built by the bequest of Henry Tooley, a Portman of Ipswich, who left several estates in 1550 for this purpose (See Tooley ’s & Smart’ s Almshouses section, above). Tooley’s almshouses survive today, rebuilt in 1849 near the site of the original houses. In 1614 Ipswich Grammar School moved across the road to the old refectory and remained there until 1842. In 1699 Shire Hall was erected and remained the property of Christ’s Hospital. The building was leased for purposes of holding courts and assizes. Part of the Hospital was utilised as a workhouse and a bridewell (an early name for a prison). Since this area was basically used for corporation purposes, there were no private dwellings, and it became non-parochial.
Over time the buildings became so dilapidated that they were unsafe to use. In 1837 new courts and a gaol were built in St Helen’s, and the school moved in 1842. In 1851 the buildings were demolished and the area became an industrial one, with a brewery and factories replacing the foundations. These have now gone in their turn, but Foundation Street and Shire Hall Yard remain.
5. Five individual Houses in Globe Lane (now St George’s Street) - These were extra-parochial and attached to St Mary le Tower church. It is unclear why they should be extra-parochial. They may have been associated with the original St George’s Chapel in this street. This was still in use in the 16th century and, as the parish church, it was obviously exempt from imposing tithes and taxation on itself. By 1813 it had been converted into a barn, but the area that it originally covered may have given rise to these tenements.
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Housing Estates, Neighbourhoods, Suburbs
Over the centuries, Ipswich has expanded outwards from the original settlement on the river; slowly at first then more rapidly from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. Detailed below are some of the main housing estates, neighbourhoods & suburbs within the Borough of Ipswich. For details of areas of the town outside the borough boundaries see the Modern Day Distinction Between the Town & the Borough section, below).
Just across the River Orwell from the town centre & the docks, the ancient area known as Stoke was one of the earliest settled districts of Ipswich (see also The Half Hundred of Ipswich section, above). The name comes from Old English ‘stoc’ meaning an outlying farm or place, usually one held by a religious house, in the case of Stoke, by the Abbey of Ely (later Ely Cathedral). Today the estate consists of a warren of narrow streets to the west of Vernon Street, plus newer housing developments to the east of Hawes Street & to the south of the New Cut by the river. To the west, on the other side of the railway line, is Stoke High School, during the building of which woolly mammoth bones were discovered (see also Ipswichian Interglacial page).
To the southwest of Stoke, & bounded by Wherstead Road to the east & Belstead Road to the west, the Maidenhall estate reaches as far south as Bourne Park, where it then joins Stoke Park estate. Maidenhall takes its name from Maiden Hall Farm, one of the farms belonging to the Stoke Park estate. Maiden Farm or Maiden Hall, i.e. not yet old, is a common name for newer farms established on an estate. It is not found on maps before the mid 19th century. The housing estate was built from 1950 onwards.
Stoke Park is bounded by Belstead Road & the winding Stoke Park Drive, and stretches to the borough boundary at the Belstead Brook. The area was once the site of Stoke Park Mansion, now demolished (see also Belstead Brook Park section, above). Ely Cathedral leased out the agricultural land of its manor of Stoke, and references to a separate farm estate from the original manor date back to 1505. The name of Stoke Park is first recorded in 1651. The Stoke Park estate was broken up and sold in 1918 and 1921 to pay for death duties. Between Belstead Road & Prince of Wales Drive is a small housing development known as The Hayes, built on the grounds of Stoke House and Orwell Lodge, so called because each road within the cluster has this as a suffix. “Hayes” is an Old English word meaning a hedge. The main roads are Heatherhayes, Gorsehayes & Broomhayes, with several closes leading off such as Fernhayes, Rowanhayes, Briarhayes & Barleyhayes. The Hayes features in the 1984 novel The Fourth Protocol by Frederick Forsyth (see Ips Misc. page for further details).
Ipswich’s largest housing estate is Chantry. Located in the southwest of the town, it was mostly built during the 1950s & 60s. The estate borders Gyppeswyk Park in the north, & the Stoke Park estate to the east, with the London Road forming the western boundary. To the south are the new estates of Pinewood & Thorington Park which are outside the Borough of Ipswich (see Modern Day Distinction Between the Town & the Borough section, below). The southwestern portion of Chantry, closest to the meandering Belstead Brook, is known as Belstead Hills. It was during building work in this area that a collection of Celtic torcs was discovered (see Ipswich Hoards section, above).
The land was originally known as “chantry fields”; land donated to All Saints church in Sproughton to provide income for paying chantry priests. These were priests who sung (chanted) masses for the soul of the deceased donor. After chantries were abolished in 1547 the land passed to the Crown, and the Cutler family soon after occupied “a house at the Chantry”. By 1668 the land was in the ownership of Sir Peyton Ventris.
On the other side of London Road, situated in the triangle formed by the confluence of Hadleigh Road & London Road, & with Chantry Park as its western limits, is the small Dickens Road estate. Originally farmland between Chantry Farm and the railway, it became allotments in the 1920s and the estate was built in the late 1930s. Named after Charles Dickens, who was a frequent visitor to Ipswich, the estate includes roads named after Dickens’ characters, such as Pickwick Road, Copperfield Road & Dombey Road (see also Charles Dickens in Ipswich section, above).
In the northwest of Ipswich, the Westbourne area is located between Bramford Road & Norwich Road. As the name implies, this was a small stream located to the west of Ipswich. Until the 1930s it remained a small hamlet west of the railway line around a corn mill (later an organ works) in the triangle of roads where Cromer, Deben and Westbourne Roads are today.
Westbourne merges with White House estate further north still. The name refers to the White House; a Grade II listed building overlooking White House Park, in modern day Limerick Close. Parts of the house date from the seventeenth century. It has now been converted into offices. The land remained agricultural until the 1950s when the estate was built.
On the other, or eastern, side of Norwich Road, is Whitton. Once a separate village, there has been a settlement in the area since Anglo-Saxon times, with the area being recorded in the the Domesday Book as ‘Widituna’. The name is Anglo-Saxon and means ‘Hwita’s farm’. The village & the neighbouring tiny hamlets of Whitton Street and Thurleston were included in the Liberties of Ipswich, but this was disputed by the adjacent Hundred of Bosmere & Claydon. In 1514 these were all combined in the parish known as Whitton-cum-Thurleston. The original village of Whitton was round the present church of St Mary, where Whitton Church Lane joins Thurleston Lane. Whitton Street was on the Old Norwich Road and since this was the main road between Norwich and Ipswich it soon became more important than the original village, and by the 19th century was regarded as its centre. Thurleston or Thurlston is of Norse origin and means ‘Thorulf’s farm’. It had all but disappeared by the 17th century, the name being retained in scattered farms: Thurleston Lodge, Thurleston Farm, and Church Farm House down Thurleston Lane, around which the original hamlet and church was once located. The dispute over boundaries was settled in 1894 when the parish was divided and the more rural parts became the parish of Whitton (now Claydon & Whitton) in East Suffolk. Whitton-cum-Thurleston remained with Ipswich as a separate parish, and in 1903 it was fully absorbed into the county borough. As the town expanded during the 1930s, much of the present day housing estate was built. Most of the street names are named after poets and playwrights. Confusingly, the agricultural land here was situated around another “White House” where Arnold Close and Coleridge Road now stand. This has no bearing with the White House Estate and house of the same name to the west of Norwich Road.
To the east of Whitton, is the Castle Hill estate, which stretches as far as Henley Road to the east. Part of Castle Hill is frequently referred to as “The Crofts” as many of the roads in the district have names of trees, followed by the word ‘croft’ (Ashcroft Road, Fircroft Road, Pinecroft Road etc.). The area was mainly developed during the 1950s & 60s.
As far as is known, there was never a castle on Castle Hill. The name derives, however, from a Roman villa that once stood in the vicinity of modern day Chesterfield Drive. The stonework being dug up there by the ploughs gave the impression that a castle must have been located on the rising ground. The name pre-dates the 17th century since it was taken to America, where Castle Hill in Ipswich, Massachusetts, is recorded in 1637. This was said to have been named after the location in Ipswich, England (see Ipswich, Massachusetts page). The Roman villa was first excavated in 1854, & again in 1897, 1929-32, 1946-50, & finally during 1988-9. The 1946-50 excavations were undertaken by Basil Brown, the archeologist responsible for the discovery of the ship burial at Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge (see Sutton Hoo section on the Suffolk, England page of www.planetsuffolk.com ). Parts of a patterned mosaic floor, painted wall plaster, a tessellated floor, & evidence of several buildings including a bath-house have been discovered. The villa is the largest of its kind ever found in Suffolk. It featured in an episode of the Channel 4 “Time Team” documentary series, presented by Tony Robinson, which was first shown on British television in 2004.
To the east of Castle Hill is the area known as The Dales; built in the 1960s & centred around Dales Road & Dale Hall Lane. Dale Hall itself was north of the railway where Larchcroft Road is today. Radulph de la Dale is known to have made this the seat of his manor in c.1220, and a “Dale Hall” existed on this site until the last one was demolished in about 1960.
Dale Hall in turn joins the Broom Hill area on the north side of Norwich Road. This was a privately owned hilltop wood on the outskirts of Ipswich, taking its name from the evergreen shrub that grows there. In 1925 the landowner, George Sherrington, sold Broom Hill to Ipswich Borough Council. A ring road around Ipswich was built in 1926 and Valley Road then divided the woodland in half. To the south of Broom Hill just north of Norwich Road lay the Brooke’s (or Brook’s) Hall Estate, now occupied by the houses of Westwood Avenue (see also The Half Hundred of Ipswich section, above).
To the north east of Ipswich lies the post-war Rushmere Estate. This takes its name from Rushmere St Andrew, a village and parish just outside the eastern boundary of Ipswich. The name “Riscemara” appears in the Domesday Book, and means a ‘mere’ or pond where rushes grow. In the medieval period the manor of Wykes Ufford included those parts of the parishes of Westerfield and Rushmere that were within the Liberties of Ipswich (see The Half Hundred of Ipswich section, above). Rushmere within Ipswich was the part that had been appropriated to the priory of Christ’s Church, and the parish remained divided between the corporation of Ipswich and the Hundred of Carlford from the 13th to 20th centuries.
Rushmere in Ipswich constituted most of the land east of Sidegate Lane and north of Woodbridge Road, a larger area than today’s Rushmere Estate. In 1841 it contained 5 households, and about 730 acres (out of a total of 2,720 acres for the whole parish), and a population of 230 (out of 564 for the whole parish). As can be seen by these figures, the 5 households were obviously not smallholdings, but fairly large, isolated estates with the appropriate staff to run them. There were two gentleman’s estates along the Rushmere Road of Roundwood (where Rushmere Road joins Woodbridge Road) and Pinetoft (on the corner of Rushmere Road and Humber Doucy Lane), both at one time owned by prominent men; Roundwood by Admiral Nelson (see Admiral Lord Nelson section, above), Pinetoft by Luther Holden (1815-1905), President of the Royal College of Surgeons, and Consultant Surgeon to St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. Little Roundwood at the end of Sidegate Lane, Rushmere Hall on Humber Doucy Lane and The Laurels on Woodbridge Road were very much working farm estates. This area remained agricultural or estate land into the 20th century. The building of the Colchester Road (A1214) bypass in 1926 encouraged the land to be sold off for housing. From 1949 through to the late 1950s the Rushmere Estate was built the other side of the bypass. The large houses were pulled down; Roundwood House itself was demolished in 1961, and Rushmere Hall (built in the 1600s) followed soon after.
The eastern boundary of Ipswich went down the middle of Humber Doucy Lane. In 1952 the boundary was moved eastward so that the whole of Humber Doucy Lane came within Ipswich, thus facilitating the construction of even more housing along this once quiet country lane.
Situated directly to the east of the town centre, between Woodbridge Road & Foxhall Road, is the estate known as California, centred around Cauldwell Hall Road. The name stems from the middle of the nineteenth century, when the Ipswich & Suffolk Freehold Land Society came into being. The idea was for ordinary working people to invest their savings in the society, which in turn used the money to buy plots of freehold land, that could then be divided into plots large enough to give the owner the right to vote (at that time, a man needed to own a freehold worth at least 40 shillings to be eligible). The 98 ¾ acre Cauldwell Hall estate was the society’s first such purchase, & this event coincided with the California gold rush of 1849. Although some people used their plot to build a house, many at first used theirs simply as an allotment, & the area became known as ‘the Diggings’. A parallel was soon being drawn with the scramble for land in the far west of America, however, & the name ‘California’ was adopted; a name that has endured to this day. Incidentally, the first president of the Ipswich & Suffolk Freehold Land Society was the banker & philanthropist Richard Dykes Alexander (1788-1865), who was also a pioneer photographer. He is commemorated by a blue plaque on ‘Alexander House’, close to where his house stood at the junction of St Matthews Street & Portman Road, just west of the town centre.
To the south of California, bounded by Foxhall Road to the north & Felixstowe Road to the south is the area known as Rose Hill. This takes its name from the Roe family who owned the land adjacent to Bishop’s Hill, and the property became known as “Roe’s Hill”. This was later corrupted to Rose Hill in the early 19th century. Owen Roe (1770-1825) built a house now known as Rose Hill House. The present Rosehill Road curves round close to the rear of the house, which still survives today as four flats at the end of Sandhurst Avenue. The property was sold off for housing developments from the 1870s.
To the east of Rose Hill, & on the eastern side of Bixley Road, is the Broke Hall estate, which stretches to the borough boundary in the area known as Black Heath, which is where Ipswich Golf Club is situated. This area was originally Bexley Heath (later in the 19th century it became Bixley Heath), and it was part of the large Broke Hall Estate. ‘Bexley’ means a clearing among box trees. Broke Hall itself is a Grade II listed stately home overlooking the River Orwell at Nacton opposite Pin Mill. Its name derives from Sir Richard Broke (d. 1529) who was an English judge who served as Chief Baron to the Exchequor. His daughter had married George Fastolfe of Nacton, and when the latter died without issue in 1527, he left his estates to Sir Richard. The Broke family then gave their name to the estate. (The name is a variant of Brooke and was originally applied to someone who lived near a brook.) In 1925, Captain Saumarez, the then owner, sold parts of the Broke Hall Estate in the areas of Bixley Heath and Black Heath. Part of it became Ipswich Golf Club, which opened in 1927, and a smaller part was developed in the 1930s for housing to the east of the Bixley Road (A1189). In 1954 and again in 1957 the Golf Club sold off parcels of land along their Bucklesham Road frontage for further housing and this joined with the earlier development to become known as the Broke Hall Estate. This land had been transferred from East Suffolk to Ipswich County Council in 1952 in anticipation of the expansion.
Further south still, & sandwiched between Felixstowe Road to the north & Nacton Road to the south, is the Racecourse estate. As the name suggests, this was once the centre for horse racing (see Ipswich Racecourse section, above). The last race was held here in 1911.
At the Murray Road entrance to the Racecourse Recreation Ground, a plaque in a wooden sign commemorates the presenting of this open space to the town in 1897 by John Dupuis Cobbold (see The Cobbold Family section, above).
Further out from the to
wn centre, but also on the south side of Felixstowe Road, is the Priory Heath estate, built in the mid 1930s on heathland of the same name. It refers to Alnesbourne Priory, which is thought to have been founded in the thirteenth century as a home to Augustinian monks. The priory was already “ruinous” by 1514, & these ruins can still be seen close to the river, just outside the borough boundary & to the east of Orwell Country Park.
Further east still are Ransomes Industrial Estate & Ransomes Europark, which mark the town’s boundary, close to the A14.
To the south of Priory Heath is Ravenswood, one of the most recent districts within the Borough of Ipswich to be developed into a residential area. The estate is situated on the site of Ipswich Airport (see separate section, above), with the Grade II listed terminal building now housing the local community centre & flats. Development began in early 1999, & the area boasts several interesting public works of art, such as “Handstanding” by Martin Heron (see photo, left), “Green Wind 2” by Diane Maclean, “Propeller” by Harry Gray & “Formation” by Rick Kirby, the latter being located on the roundabout as you enter the estate from Nacton Road (see Statues, Plaques & Signs: Ipswich, England album in the Photo Gallery ).
To the west of Priory Heath is the Gainsborough estate; built on former farmland from 1926 and throughout the 1930s, & named after the famous Suffolk born artist Thomas Gainsborough, who lived for some years in Ipswich. To the west of Gainsborough, closer to the town centre, is Holywells Park, which features in one of Gainsborough’s paintings (see separate sections on Thomas Gainsborough & Holywells Mansion & Park , above).
To the west of Gainsborough, but south of Holywells Park, is the Greenwich estate, which overlooks the river & includes Cliff Quay. In the Domesday Book the area is recorded as Grenewic (see The Half Hundred of Ipswich section, above), meaning a “green farmstead”. Although it is not known with any certainty when this hamlet became part of Ipswich, it seems to have been included in the parish of St Clements when that was established, probably in the 12th century. By the time Ipswich emerged as a proper Borough in 1200, its quayside parishes were St Peter, St Clement and St Mary at Quay, so Greenwich can be regarded as part of the corporation of Ipswich from its inception. It remained a small, isolated farming community outside the built up area until the 20th century, reached only by a single track from the Cliff Brewery. This track was known as Greenwich Way leading to Greenwich Farm, and then continued as Sandyhill Lane leading to a couple of cottages (Greenwich Hill Cottages). This was the total complement of the hamlet of Greenwich. The farmland was opened up for development about 1928 with the construction of Landseer Road. The Greenwich estate was built in the 1930s. The farm disappeared and on its land below the Greenwich estate was constructed a new dock area with grain and oil storage. The name survives with Greenwich Road leading off Landseer Road to the dock area, and on the opposite side the small Greenwich Business Park along Greenwich Close.
The area north of Valley Road, between Henley Road in the west and Tuddenham Road in the East, stretching all the way to the northern borough boundary close to Westerfield, has remained the most undeveloped area of the town, with Ipswich School playing fields being located just off Valley Road and the remainder of the area being farmland, intersected by the railway line (East Suffolk Line). However, in 2011 Ipswich Borough Council first adopted the strategy of building around 1,000 new homes in the northern fringe of the town before 2021, with further development eventually taking the number to between 3,000 and 3,500.
This proposed development is to be known as the Ipswich Garden Suburb, and will comprise three separate neighbourhoods, each with their own distinct identity. These neighbourhoods are:
Fonnereau:Named after the Huguenot family who once owned Christchurch Mansion, this neighbourhood will be situated to the east of Henley Road and straddle Westerfield Road, with the railway line as its northern boundary. Claude Fonnereau (1677-1740), born in the Huguenot stronghold of La Rochelle in France, was sent to England at the age of 12 after the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685 depriving the Protestant Huguenots of their freedom of worship. Claude became a wealthy London merchant in the linen trade and was naturalised in 1693. In 1735 he purchased the estate and mansion of Christchurch Park in Ipswich.
Henley Gate: East of Henley Road and north of the railway line, with its northern limits corresponding with the borough boundary close to Lower Road, Westerfield. The name is self-explanatory – it is the “gateway” to the little village of Henley to the north of Ipswich.
Red House: Taking its name from Red House Farm, this neighbourhood will be located south of the railway line and west of Tuddenham Road, bordering Fonnereau in the west. The farm is the last remnant of the Red House estate, a large park and mansion that belonged to the Edgar family, originally from the village of Glemham in Suffolk. Lionel Edgar came to Ipswich in the 17th century and married the daughter of the customs master of Ipswich & Harwich. His son, Thomas Edgar, became a successful barrister who accumulated sufficient wealth to acquire the land where he built a large house in 1658, close to where the Tuddenham Road roundabout is today. This was known as The Red House from the colour of the bricks used. In the mid-18th century it was extended into a three-storey mansion. The family held the manor of Westerfield from 1820, and the last member of the family died there in 1890. In 1937 the house and land was auctioned, but by then the house was in very poor condition and it was demolished soon after the sale. However, the farm survived and the original avenue of large trees leading to the house has been preserved as a small park between Valley Road and Chelsworth Avenue.
Plans for Ipswich Garden Suburb include three primary and one secondary school, a community centre, a health centre, two bridges over the railway line (one for vehicles, the other for pedestrians/cyclists), footpaths to Ipswich town centre, playing fields and a Country Park.
The planned 30 hectare Country Park will be situated in the north and east of the Henley Gate neighbourhood, and will form a natural greenspace between Ipswich and Westerfield, which will ensure that the latter remains a separate settlement.
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Modern Day Distinction Between the Town & the Borough
With the population growth of the twentieth century, the outward expansion from the town centre saw many new housing estates being built within the Borough of Ipswich. However, in recent years this expansion has crept over the borough boundaries into areas administered by other district councils. In other words, the Town of Ipswich & the Borough of Ipswich are no longer one & the same. This can be confusing for those not familiar with Ipswich.
Warren Heath: Situated on the southeast side of Ipswich, & bordered by Bucklesham Road to the north & Felixstowe Road to the south, is the small housing estate of Warren Heath, which now stretches almost as far as the Suffolk Showground (Trinity Park). Predominantly built in the 1990s, the area is within Suffolk Coastal District. This small development has an interesting history that goes back a long way. In 2002 a Saxon cemetery and associated settlement of 8th-12th century date was discovered on the site just south of Bucklesham Road. It appeared to be a late Saxon settlement, as Thetford Ware was present throughout (see Ipswich Ware Pottery section, above). It is thought that this could be the location of the “lost village” of Brihtolvestuna, which did exist somewhere in this area at that time. It was recorded in the Domesday Book between the entries for Nacton and Levington.
This area up to 1857 was a small administrative unit within the Broke Hall Estate known as Warren House Hamlet. It was extra-parochial which meant that its residents were outside any parish and, therefore, exempt from parochial taxation and church tithes. At the time it comprised seven houses and a population of 26. The main residence was Warren House itself. A significant proportion of the medieval diet was waterfowl and rabbits and it was important to safeguard these valuable natural resources. As such, a part of the heathland was set aside for this purpose where commoners were not allowed to hunt. This was called Warren Heath where the rabbit warrens were built, and included nearby Bixley Decoy Pond for the wildfowl (now on Ipswich Golf Course). These are recorded dating back to 1646, but must go back a lot further. Warren House was the dwelling for the warrener who managed this area. To ensure that the warrener and his gamekeepers had an interest in maintaining the system, the area that they lived in was free from taxation, and they were allowed to sell carcasses and pelts surplus to needs. Extra-parochial areas were abolished by Parliament in 1857 and most of Warren Heath was then attached to Purdis Farm. However, Warren House itself and the westernmost part of the heath had always been considered part of the ancient Liberties of Ipswich, so in 1889 they were included in the county borough. The town boundary still runs in an irregular fashion through the western part of the Warren Heath estate. Warren House was on the corner of today’s Warren Heath Road. By 1938 it had gone and the first few modern houses were built on its site. A little further to the east the present Warren Heath estate began in the 1960s and expanded rapidly in the 1990s.
Bixley Farm: In the east of Ipswich, to the north of Foxhall Road, is the Bixley Farm Estate. With the estate being bounded by Rushmere Golf Club to the north & Foxhall Stadium to the east (see Foxhall Stadium & Ipswich Witches section, above), further expansion is no longer viable. At its northeastern extremity, Bixley Farm Estate has now merged with Kesgrave, which has itself expanded greatly in the past few decades, to such an extent that it was declared a town in 2000. Like Warren Heath, Bixley Farm is in Suffolk Coastal District for administration purposes, & is in the parish of Rushmere St Andrew. The main roads in the neighbourhood are Bixley Drive & Broadlands Way.
Brook Hill: On the opposite side of Foxhall Road from Bixley Farm is the small residential Brook Hill Estate & Heathlands Park caravan site. To the south, the area is bordered by Ipswich Golf Club, with the Brookhill Woods to the east. Like its northerly neighbour, it is in Suffolk Coastal District. It was built in the 1950s and the name has long been applied to this area because of the small stream that runs between Brook Hill and Brookhill Woods, and turns east to flow into the River Deben.
Farthing Road Industrial Estate: Situated just off Sproughton Road to the west of the town, this industrial park is just outside the borough boundary, close to the Sproughton junction with the A14. There were originally sand & gravel pits here which gave rise to a concrete works. After this closed, the land continued to be used for industrial purposes, and the present light industrial estate was built.
Elton Park: To the west of Ipswich, situated on the north side of Hadleigh Road opposite the entrance to Chantry Park, is the small Elton Park development. This was land owned by William Davie Elton who lived on the London Road. After his death in 1898 the land was sold and a small residential estate of seven large houses with substantial grounds was built and named after the previous landowner. This development was, and still is, in the Babergh administrative district. The largest property was Elton Park House on the east side, whose grounds were adjacent to the Ipswich boundary. The property across the boundary remained nursery lands until 1950, when they were sold for the Elton Park Works to be built. The portion of land within Ipswich became the Elton Park Industrial Estate, later renamed the Elton Park Business Centre, comprising light industrial units. The small residential area still exists but the large properties have been broken up and there are now 33 houses, some of them converted into care homes, and many more now used as office accommodation. Elton Park House and its grounds were absorbed by the expansion of the adjacent industrial works.
Pinewood: Consisting of the adjacent housing estates of Brookwood & Pinebrook, this neighbourhood in southwest Ipswich is basically an extension of Chantry Estate. Close to the junction of the major A12 & A14 roads at Copdock Mill, & bounded to the west by London Road, the area was built during the 1990s & is administered by Babergh District Council. At its most southwesterly point, the estate has now encroached as far as the once entirely rural area around Belstead House. The population of Pinewood at the 2001 census was just over 4,000. (See also Belstead Brook Park section, above)
Thorington Park: Just to the east of Pinewood is the smaller Thorington Park. Built in the early years of the twenty first century, this residential area is situated to the south of the Belstead Brook (which, in this area, forms the boundary between Ipswich Borough & Babergh District councils). The estate has grown up on either side of Ellenbrook Road, with most of the roads & closes being named after butterflies & moths (Marbled White Drive, Oak Eggar Chase etc.). It is named after the former Thorington Hall Estate which was further to the south on the other side of the A14 bypass to the east of Belstead near the railway line. This estate was sold to the Bence family from Aldeburgh in 1691 and Thorington Hall was built in 1819. After World War II the family could no longer afford its upkeep and they sold the land. In 1949 the hall was demolished, but the name was retained by a large cottage built on the farmland.
Population figures listed at the top of this page are for the Borough of Ipswich. With the populations of the estates mentioned above included, however, the population of the Town of Ipswich is considerably higher.
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Ipswich Village
The area that has in recent years become known as Ipswich Village is situated to the south west of the town centre, & to the west of Civic Drive. Centred around the Russell Road/Constantine Road area, the Ipswich Village is predominantly a business district that comprises the main offices of both Ipswich Borough Council (Grafton House) & Suffolk County Council (Endeavour House), as well as the Crown Court. Also within the area is Portman Road football ground, the BT offices in Bibb Way, & the offices of Axa Insurance. The new pedestrian Sir Bobby Robson Bridge over the river links the Village to the newly built residential area on Ranelagh Road. Greenspace within Ipswich Village is provided by Alderman Road Park, & adjacent to this is the recently rejuvenated Alderman Canal Local Nature Reserve (see above).
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Ipswich Charter Hangings
To celebrate the millennium, Ipswich Arts Association decided to create the Ipswich Charter Hangings; eight tapestries to depict the eight hundred years since the granting of the town’s first Charter. Isabel Clover, lecturer at Suffolk College, was commissioned to design & produce these panels.
The initial plan had been to have one embroidered panel depicting each century since the year 1200. This was later altered, however, to have the first pre-dating the Charter. The finished hangings represent the following periods:
Viking (Pre 1200 AD)
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Ipswich - Arras Partnership
Since 1993, Ipswich has had a partnership agreement with the town of Arras in the Pas de Calais department of northern France. This led to the Ipswich Arras Association being formed in 1995 to promote economic, educational, cultural & sporting links between the two towns. Across the channel, the French town has its own equivalent organisation known as the Association Arras Ipswich. A new Charter of Cooperation between the towns was signed in 2003.
Both towns now have squares named after the other. Situated in St.Stephen’s Lane in Ipswich is the pedestrian only Arras Square, which was created when the Buttermarket Shopping Centre was built in 1992. Inside the shopping centre stands a French yellow post box. In Arras, the Place d’Ipswich was created at around the same time. Here a British red phone box can be found.
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department & is the historic centre of the Artois region. The area was originally settled in pre Roman times & was known as Nemetacum or Nemetocenna; a name given to the region by the Belgic tribe of the Atrebates. The Romans set up a garrison town here & named it Atrebatum. The modern town grew up around the wealthy Benedictine Abbey of St.Vaast; established by the sixth century saint also known as St. Vedast, who started an episcopal see & monastic community here. During the Middle Ages, Arras was at various times under the control of feudal rulers, including the County of Flanders, the Duchy of Burgundy, the House of Habsburg and the French crown.
Arras was near the front line during the First World War & a series of offensives by British, Canadian, Australian & New Zealand troops during April & May 1917 took place in the area, which became known as the Battle of Arras. An extensive network of tunnels dug in World War I by the British can still be seen today.
During 1940, the second Battle of Arras took place, in which Allied forces attempted to thwart the Germans in their push towards the English Channel.
Arras is approximately 110 miles north of Paris by road. The population in 2012 was 43,693.
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IP Postcode Area
The Ipswich or IP postcode covers much of the county of Suffolk, as well as some areas of the adjacent county of Norfolk. The bordering postcode areas are Colchester (CO) to the south, Cambridge (CB) to the west, Peterborough (PE) to the northwest, & Norwich (NR) to the north.
Although much of Suffolk falls within the IP postcode region, parts of the south of the county, such as Sudbury & Lavenham, have CO postcodes, whilst the far west of the county, including the towns of Newmarket & Haverhill, comes under the CB region. To the north, although Lowestoft & the northeast of Suffolk fall within the NR area, some parts of Norfolk, such as the towns of Diss (IP22) & Thetford (IP24) have IP postcodes.
The IP postcode region is divided into 33 districts; IP1 to IP33. The Borough of Ipswich itself is covered by IP1 (northwest), IP2 (southwest), IP3 (southeast), & IP4 (northeast). Generally speaking, the coding then radiates outwards from Ipswich, with the lower numbers being around the town & the higher numbers further afield, finishing with IP31, IP32 & IP33 in & around Bury St Edmunds & the west of Suffolk. There is also an IP98 postcode used by the Royal Mail for bulk mail (based in Diss).
Postcodes were introduced in the United Kingdom over a 15 year period from 1959 -1974, to aid the sorting of mail. They are made up of two sections, the first part consisting of one or two letters denoting the town or district, followed by one or two numbers, e.g. IP21. The second part, usually one number then two letters, denotes the road or precise location. The whole is known as a Postcode Unit, such as IP2 8RS.
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The Ipswich Murders 2006
Sadly, during the final month of 2006, Ipswich was thrown into the world media spotlight for all the wrong reasons, when five women - Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell & Annette Nichols - were murdered & their bodies dumped in rural locations around the town; the first being discovered on 2nd December, the final two on the 12th. On 19th December, London Road resident Stephen Wright was arrested. He was charged with the murder of all five women two days later & was remanded in custody at Ipswich Magistrates Court on 22nd December.
It was more than a year later, on 16th January 2008, when Wright came to trial at Ipswich Crown Court. He was found guilty on 21st February & sentenced to life imprisonment, with the recommendation that he should never be released.
Two books have since been published about the murders: Hunting Evil by Paul Harrison & David Wilson & Cold Blooded Evil by Neil Root.
In April 2010, the BBC showed a three part dramatisation of the events of 2006 entitled Five Daughters. Written by Stephen Butchard, it starred Ian Hart, Sarah Lancashire, Jaime Winstone and Juliet Aubrey.
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Suffolk
Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk on England’s east coast. With the North Sea to the east, Suffolk borders the counties of Essex to the south, Norfolk to the north & Cambridgeshire to the west. The name derives from ‘South Folk’; a name that dates from the time of the Kingdom of the East Angles which was formed in the 6th century.
In the far north east of the county is Ness Point, the most easterly point on the British mainland, which is in the seaside town of Lowestoft. In the west of the county is the cathedral town of Bury St. Edmunds &, further west still, on the border with Cambridgeshire, is the town of Newmarket. Known as the ‘Home of Horse Racing’ it’s racecourses straddle the border of the two counties. To the south of Ipswich, on the Essex/Suffolk border, is the area known as ‘Constable Country’ where the famous artist John Constable lived. Many of his paintings depict the East Bergholt, Flatford & Dedham Vale area, including his most famous work ‘The Hay Wain’.
Suffolk has many picturesque villages including Lavenham, Long Melford, Kersey, Clare & Cavendish. On the coast, to the north of Ipswich is the village of Dunwich; the last remnants of a once thriving town & seaport of the Middle Ages which has slowly been lost to the sea due to coastal erosion. Twelve miles to the east of Ipswich is the town of Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container port.
For more information on the county of Suffolk, as well as the other places around the world named Suffolk, please visit my other website: www.planetsuffolk.com
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CONTENTS LATE SPRING 2016
Good news from our region
43 Garden jottings from Ken 44 Cycling the Nine Towns Tour
13 Hoxne comes alive with it’s music festival
49 Exercise your brain cells with our crossword
14 Stuff of Dreams touring theatre brings ‘Forgotten’ to a venue near you
50 We review the Volvo XC90 D5 R-Design 55 Collecting Royal Worcester
63 WIN tickets to Newmarket Nights
17 School girl treks for her community
57 Vaccination advice for your pets
68 Skirting around – fabulous fashion updates for your wardrobe
18 In season – our fabulous asparagus recipe
60 “Read all about it”The history of transport accidents
77 Health Q&A: easing acid reflux
25 Wymondham Arts Centre’s beautiful home at the chapel
78 Refreshing Waters talks turning your life around
28 Village notice board
81 Great recommendations for local businesses
Home & Garden 40 On your plot welcomes colour back into your garden
74 Beautiful homeware to match the season
Health & Beauty
21 Scottish life in the 15th century – The James Plays at Theatre Royal
37 Real life short ghost story
25
83 Factory girls to day centre friends
17
85 NEW SERIES read part 1 of The Stowaway Cat
Jobs, Money & Business 89 Business as usual or is it? 90 Smart money secrets on funding home improvement projects 91 Are you making the most of your retirement? 92 Find a local business or service in our local directory 94 Take a wander around Stoke Holy Cross
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Are you looking for a particular product or service? Check out our Local Business Directory on pages 92 & 93
BE LO BUY CAL, Sup LOCA bus port loc L ines al commses in our unity
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Dr Auriel Gibson
BDS(Hons), MSc, FDSRCS (Eng), MGDS, FFGDP, Cert Impl Dent(Sheff 1999)
Auriel focuses on Complex Restorative Treatment in addition to Dental Implants. As a past President of the British Society for General Dental Surgery, Auriel actively engages in post graduate study.
Netherton Dental Practice Do you have a cracked or chipped tooth? Are you at risk or do you already have Occlusal Disease? In simple terms, occlusal disease relates to an interfering and often heavy bite on teeth that are susceptible to wear.
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Occlusal disease is frequently overlooked and is often “silent” until something fractures and many patients dismiss it as “natural aging or wearing” of teeth. In reality, occlusal disease is a slow process which ends up creating an
Few people have heard of it, which is surprising, since the majority of people have some degree of occlusal disease, even young people!
What is Occlusal Disease?
How common is occlusal disease?
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Welcome
I was tapping away on my calculator the other day (I do LOVE numbers!) and I realised that since we started publishing Village People eight years ago, we’ve produced and delivered more than two million magazines! WOW! That’s an incredible amount of promotion for brilliant local businesses – not to mention news, what’s on, local articles and of course our popular competitions. Talking of which… we’ve got an amazing prize on offer in this issue! If you love live open-air music, dive right in and see which four incredible artists we are giving away tickets to see at Newmarket Nights this summer.
A few of ou r brightly co loured cove Do you rem rs. ember any of these?
We’ve also started a brand new feature this issue: a short story series for animal lovers. It will certainly make the cat owners amongst you smile! And you can read what happens in part two next issue.
I’m looking forward to the end of April, when we can all buy delicious, locally-grown asparagus. It’s time to dust off our cook books and try a few new recipes and if you want a head start with inspiration, flick to our seasonal asparagus recipe inside. Did you know that you can browse any of our past issues online at any time? We are often asked for back copies when readers can’t locate their old magazines but remember good walks and articles of ours that they’ve read – so please do keep your copy in the same place so everyone in the family knows where it is. But also, if you need to look something up you can just pop to our website: www.village-people.info As we’re all getting used to the clocks changing at the start of this week it’s great to know that the light nights are coming and hopefully they’ll bring some warmer weather with them. As always, please feel free to contact me with anything that you’d like to see in your magazine. I’ll be back at the end of May.
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LATE SPRING 2016
Norfolk/Suffolk border edition HOMES • GARDENS • OUT & ABOUT • JOBS & MONEY HEALTH • L COMMUNITY / LIFESTYLE
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Good News FROM OUR REGION JOIN US FOR A STROLL
CELEBRATING 90 YEARS LIKE ROYALTY
d in Howards Estate Agents was establishe this day birth 90th its rates 1926 and celeb n. year – along with Her Majesty, the Quee Long in s office ich With south Norw proud Stratton and Poringland, Howards is unity comm local our of to have been part s of for over two decades, helping thousand area. the in s buyers and seller In that time, the estate agents have also supported numerous charities, including Marie Curie, MacMillan Cancer Care and Help for Heroes.
Some years ago, John Taylor, David Bell, and the late Clifford Bird, wanted to share their love and appreciation of their historic market town, and so they devised a“Stroll a “Stroll Around Diss”. Vincent Hemmings took the project a stage further by producing a DVD with the dulcet Norfolk tones of local architect David Summers providing the commentary. Sadly, Vincent died before he could see his brainchild launched on the market.
Copyright of the Stroll Around Diss leaflet and DVD was entrusted to the Friends of Diss Museum (FoDM), who have decided to relaunch the project this March. To join one of the strolls, roll up at Diss Museum in the Market Square, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Bank Holidays at 10.30am and 2.30pm. Group-booked tours run Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Visit www.dissmuseum.co.uk, call 01379 640529 or email [email protected] for info.
L-R: FoDM vice-chairman, Mike Clarke; mobility advisor, Hillary Stringer; tour guide, David van der Hulks and FoDM chairman David Young.
‘East Anglia’s Finest’
Specialist Plant, Food & Craſt Fair
Sat�rday 7th May 10am – 4.30pm
Various plant, food & craſt companies from all over East Anglia... Held in the gardens of
Peter Beales Roses,
London Road, Attleborough, NR17 1AY 8
CYCLE, WALK OR JUST ENJOY A DAY OUT Come and join East Anglia’s Children’s Hospitals (EACH) for a wonderful family day out at the charity’s annual Ride for Life event. Set in the beautiful surroundings of Thetford Forest on Sunday 12 June, choose between off and on-road cycle routes, ranging from 10 to 50 miles. There’s also three or six-mile walks for those who’d rather not cycle. New for 2016, there’s a Treasure Trail for under fives, with prizes all the way! All funds raised will go
towards helping EACH continue providing care and support to children, young people and their families, as well as “the nook”, a new purpose-built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk. Entertainment, refreshments and activities will also be available and dogs on leads are welcome too. For more info and to sign up, visit www.each.org.uk, call 01953 666767, email [email protected] or visit any EACH shop. Reg charity 1069284
FREE COURSE FOR FAMILY CARERS Suffolk Family Carers is inviting anyone that offers care, support or help to someone with dementia or memory loss to a free, three-week information course. The course will cover caring for dementia with confidence, tips and guidance on ways to effectively manage a caring role and ways for the carer to look after their own health and wellbeing. The course begins at Eye Town Hall on Monday 11 April at 1.30pm till 4.30pm, and continues on April 18 and 25. Places must be booked in advance by calling 01473 835446 or emailing [email protected]
IF YOU HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS TO SHARE EMAIL US AT [email protected]
9
BURSTON ARTIST EXHIBITS IN PULHAM SAINT MARY A professional, Norfolk artist will have a solo show in Pulham Saint Mary from March 21 to April 13. John Atkinson, from Burston, will be exhibiting 14 to 20 of his paintings at The Pennoyer Centre this spring.Taking his inspiration from bygone decades, his work pays a nostalgic tribute to a different way of life. “I know The Pennoyer Centre well and the chapel where my work will be hanging is an interesting space,” said John, who also owns Fredrick’s Fine Foods in Diss. For info visit www.johnatkinsonartist.com, call 01379 740221 or email [email protected]
Tel: 01953 455735 8 Church St, Attleborough, Norfolk NR17 2AH We have been trading for over 10 years and we pride ourselves on our high level of customer service and affordable prices. For our customers we can guarantee; - Price Quoted in advance - or you pay nothing - Delivery on time, every time - or you pay nothing - Cleaning to your satisfaction - or we will re-clean, and give you a free voucher We are Unique - No other Laundry company is willing to guarantee their work. Why not give us a try to see just how unique we are?
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KEY LAND PURCHASE FOR THELNETHAM FEN In a major boost for wildlife and the local community, the Little Ouse Headwaters Project (LOHP) is pleased to announce the purchase of a key parcel of land in the Little Ouse Valley, following the award of a grant for £78,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). Led entirely by volunteers from the local community, the LOHP manages over 70 hectares of land on the Suffolk/Norfolk border for
wildlife conservation and public enjoyment. As well as funding much of the purchase cost, the HLF award will allow surveys to be undertaken to assess how best to restore the site for wildlife, provide public access and interpretation, and help local volunteers engage in the restoration through training in new skills.
If you go down to the woods today… About Charlotte: • Level 3 Forest School Leader and Trainer. • Qualified British Nordic Walking Instructor. Where? Charlotte’s Wood is a beautiful, tranquil woodland in the village of Wilby. Postcode IP21 5LT When? On Wednesdays starting 27th April Nordic Walking from 9.30 – 11am. Little Woodies from 12.30-2.00pm. Cost: £30 per 4 week course
LITTLE WOODIES
4 week taster programme of Parent and Toddler Woodland School (for children aged 3-4 years)
NORDIC WALKING 4 week taster course for beginners
For further information and booking contact Charlotte: E: [email protected] T: 07879 653488 W: www.charlottesforestschool.co.uk
11
Out & About at High Lodge, Thetford Forest nr BrAndon, SuFFoLk
Thursday 30 June
+ Anne MArie + FrAnko FrAize
Friday 1 July
JAMES BAY Open all day everyday to residents & non residents Dinner dances, Weddings, Birthdays/Anniversaries All parties catered for Food served all day every day
+ SPeCiAL gueSTS
PAUL HEATON & JACQUI ABBOTT + STornowAy
Sunday 3 July
Sunday Carvery served 12.00-3.00pm Regular live music & themed nights
Tel. 01379 642244
WYMONDHAM MUSIC FESTIVAL 2016 TOWN BUSKING DAY SAT 28 MAY
Tickets: 03000 680400 Buy online/info: forestry.gov.uk/music
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Top class music coming ng to Hoxne
The historic north Suffolk village of Hoxne comes alive with music once every two years. This year, Hoxne Music Festival will take place from Friday 27 until Sunday 29 May. The non profit making event is run by volunteers and it will be the fifth time the festival has been staged since the inaugural event in 2008.
“The idea was to provide high quality musical entertainment at a reasonable cost for our rural community to see and hear the best musical talent available,” said Stuart Jarrold, Festival Committee Chairman. The 2016 festival opens with four different folk/roots music acts, presented by the Waveney Valley Folk Collective. There is a free Music on the Green concert on Saturday afternoon and top of the bill on Saturday night will be the Jive Aces. Sunday evening sees the world reknown Doric String Quartet perform pieces by Hayden, Debussy and Beethoven. Details of all concerts and ticket prices can be found at www.hoxnemusicfestival.com, by emailing [email protected] or phoning 01379 668317
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new spring
production
It’s time to get to know the young and exciting Stuff of Dreams Theatre Company!
the deaths of five of their seven children, and her state of mind became increasingly fragile...
Based in South Norfolk, the company was founded in 2012 to tour high-quality theatre across our region. With a core team of eight, Stuff of Dreams have returned to more than 20 local venues over and over again to put on their shows, which tend to tell stories of local lives.
It is a moving, historical tear-jerker of a love story, with some comic, some scary (and at times downright creepy) moments throughout. On top of that, any resemblance between “life then” and “life now” is definitely not coincidence!
Recently, the company was awarded funding by the Arts Council England for its upcoming tour of play Forgotten by Ray Rumsby. The play tells the story of the life of Suffolk poet George Crabbe. It dramatises his masterwork Peter Grimes - forever associated with Aldeburgh, fishing, and the coastal communities of East Anglia. But Crabbe’s wife, Sarah, was overcome at the time by
Beginning in April 2016, the professional production has 17 dates and will travel from Wells to Aldeburgh, calling at numerous theatres and village halls along the way.
For details, including all 17 venues and times, please visit www.stuffofdream stheatre.com/shows/forgotten
Over 200 Day Excursions every year
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Selection of 2016 holidays
1 Jun 11 Jun 17 Jun 24 Jun 27 Jun 30 Jun 4 Jul 8 Jul 11 Jul 14 Jul 15 Jul 18 Jul 21 Jul 25 Jul 14 Aug 22 Aug 30 Aug
Castle Walls & Welsh Gardens, 5 days London Thames Cruise & Eye Flight, 2 days Isle of Man, 6 days Luxembourg & Trier, 5 days Harrogate & The Yorkshire Dales, 5 days Lake District, 5 days Paris, Chateaux & Gardens of France, 5 days Sweet Tastes of The Black Country, 3 days The Delights of Cornwall, 5 days Traditional Lancashire & The Ribble Valley, 5 days Charming Cotswolds, Countryside & Steam, 4 days Isle of Wight, 5 days London Tower Bridge the Olympic Legacy, 2 days Scenic Scotland at its Best, 5 days An English Country House & Gardens, 5 days South Coast Explorer, 5 days Discovering Northern Ireland, 7 days
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Out & About
Discover Ireland by coach Choose between the best of Ireland’s castles or gardens, a cultural break taking in Belfast and Dublin or the dramatic scenery of Killarney’s lakes and coast. This summer, enjoy a warm welcome and explore this beautiful island of Ireland. For more information, or to book your next holiday, visit travel-galloway.com or pick up a brochure from your local Travel Centre.
Ireland’s Coasts & Castles
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Sat 18 June • 7 days Half Board
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Ipswich • 7/9 The Walk • Tel: 01473 216266 Stowmarket • 6 Wilkes Way • Tel: 01449 618077 Felixstowe • 136 Hamilton Road • Tel: 01394 286575 Colchester • 9 Sir Isaacs Walk • Tel: 01206 540424 Norwich • 3 Castle Meadow • Tel: 01603 679010
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Lydia’s 100-mile trek for her community
T
en-year-old school girl, Lydia Hawker, has raised £1,500 towards a community project for her family’s local church in Wymondham, after walking a mammoth 100 miles along Hadrian’s Wall. The sponsored eight-day trek included driving rain and steep hills, but that did not deter the plucky youngster – a competitive gymnast at Norfolk Academy. “I knew I could do it. I did not have a single blister or feel tired afterwards,” said Lydia, who completed brief training in the Peak District. With the help of 45 sponsors, Lydia’s efforts brought a cash boost to Hope Community Church’s flourishing community hub at Ayton Road, Wymondham. Hub Community Project is enriching the community after church members dug deep to provide £200,000 for the building which they share. Lydia was accompanied by her mother, Selina, and grandmother on the trek during the school holidays last year. The three generations of walkers averaged 12 miles a day across industrial and scenic landscapes in the north of England. They finished the final stretch after a gruelling 16 miles.
The town’s Hub Community Project includes support for carers, youth, families and the lonely. It also provides ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) lessons and award-winning “Hoppers” toddler groups. Contact details: The Hub, Ayton Road, Wymondham, NR18 0QJ, 01953 798505 – www.hubproject.org.uk
“I never imagined Lydia would finish it when we walked through two days of endless rain at the beginning,” said Selina, who helped plan the route with daily provisions and a residential base. “One day I needed four changes of rain jacket to keep dry and Lydia’s socks were soaking.” Hope Community Church and Hub Community Project moved from Fairland Street to their new premises last May. Activities have grown in line with the town’s expansion, providing much needed community facilities and activities to enrich the community. “This dream has been made possible by the commitment and sacrificial giving of church members who provided £200,000 for the building alterations,” said church leader, Grantley Watkins. “The improved facilities and ample parking have enabled people to access the community facilities with greater ease. The resulting growth of the community projects, with their widening resources, is established evidence for the need of the site’s second development phase which is expected to increase the activities of the community rooms threefold,” says Mr Watkins.
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British asparagus, chilli, lemongrass and lime leaf stir fry with king prawns
Serves: 2 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 12 minutes You’ll need for the stir fry small knob of ginger, peeled and grated 1 stalk of lemon grass, bashed and finely chopped 4 lime leaves, thinly sliced 4 tbsp fish sauce 1-2 tbsp palm sugar or light muscavado sugar 1 tbsp vegetable or groundnut oil 10 raw king prawns, shells off but with tails on 1 small onion, cut into thick slices 1-2 small red Thai birds eye chilli, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 4 spring onions, cut into thumb length pieces 1 bundle (approx 250g) local asparagus, chopped in half lengthways then cut into thumb length pieces to serve steamed Thai rice fresh coriander and/or Thai basil
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Method: Mix together the ginger, lemon grass, lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar and put to one side. Meanwhile heat a wok on high and when hot add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the king prawns and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until the prawns have gone pink with slightly golden edges. Remove with a slotted spoon. Throw in the onion and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the chilli, garlic and spring onion and stir-fry for a further 4 minutes until the onions have softened. Add the prawns back in and the British asparagus and stir fry for a further minute. Finally pour over the sauce which was prepared earlier, and cook until the sauce becomes sticky, 3 minutes or so. Serve immediately, topped with the fresh herbs and with the Thai rice. For more delicious asparagus recipes please visit www.britishasparagus.com
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Out & About
APR/MAY BOX OFFICE: (01603) 63 00 00
Tues 29 Mar – Sat 2 Apr HAIRSPRAY Claire Sweeney stars in smash hit musical comedy £8 - £45
Sun 8 May BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETERS Great tribute band £7 - £19.50
Sat 21 May LISA FISCHER* Rolling Stones’ backing singer £7 - £22.50
Sun 3 April RUSSELL KANE Right Man Wrong Age tour. 15+ £7 - £17.50
Mon 9 – Tues 10 May TOSCA & CARMEN Two of the best-loved operas £8 - £36.50
Tues 5 April UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN All-singing, all-plucking superstars £8 – £28.50
Sat 14 – Sun 15 May THE JAMES PLAYS* Epic historical trilogy of plays from the award-winning National Theatre of Scotland £24 - £85 (for all 3 plays)
Tues 24 May – Sat 4 June THE BODYGUARD Alexandra Burke stars in award-winning musical based on the blockbuster film £8 - £48.50
Fri 8 – Sat 9 April MY FIRST BALLET Sleeping Beauty Especially for those aged 3 and up £7 - £23 Tues 12 – Sat 16 April HOBSON’S CHOICE Martin Shaw, Christopher Timothy star in classic comedy £8 - £28.50 Tues 19 – Sat 23 April SWAN LAKE Northern Ballet with new adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece £8 - £37.50
*
Tues 17 – Wed 18 May SANS OBJET* Giant industrial robot in spectacular dance between man and machine £7 - £22 Thur 19 May MAX RICHTER ENSEMBLE* Leading contemporary classical artist £8 - £2
Tues 26 – Sat 30 April A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Beguiling comedy in new RSC production £8 - £25 Sun 1 May STEPPING INTO STARDOM Yvonne School of Dance £7 - £18 Tues 3 – Sat 7 May GUYS AND DOLLS Richard Fleeshman, Maxwell Caulfield star in sizzling New York musical £8 - £44
Book online: www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk THEATRE STREET, NORWICH NR2 1RL
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Hobson’s Choice
Fri 20 May THE ANALOGUES* The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour performed on vintage instruments £7 - £25
The James P lays
Epic drama-packed trilogy to bring Scottish history to life
W
e may have all enjoyed an ultra-dramatic epic or two at home courtesy of a boxsetbinge; but now there is a chance to experience a real-life Game Of Thrones-style drama in person at Norwich Theatre Royal.
Prepare to be fully immersed into a turbulent period of Scottish history as the lives of the Stuart Kings are brought to the stage this May. The James Plays has wowed audiences at the Edinburgh Festival and the National Theatre and now it is heading to Norwich Theatre Royal as part of an international tour. This will be a rare chance to follow events at the heart of Scottish life during the reign of three Stewart kings in the early to mid-15th century and features political machinations, families punch-drunk with power, drama, intrigue and sword-fights. James I: The Key will keep the Lock sees the monarch of the title adjusting to normal life after 18 years as a prisoner of the English. He returns to Scotland with his English bride to find his country in conflict and has to make some really tricky choices if he wants to save his homeland, his wife and his crown. James II: The Day of the Innocents shows the title character as he takes to the throne at the age of six. Scotland’s most powerful families use him as a puppet in their plans to seize power of the country and, as he approaches adulthood, he realises he must fight to hang on to his title as well as deal with his childhood demons.
James III: The True Mirror follows the fortunes of the monarch who mixes charisma with a lack of common sense. His fondness for making grand gestures while ducking his constitutional challenges means he divides the nation he rules. It falls to his wife, Margaret of Denmark, to rescue a struggling nation. The production boasts a strong cast, with James I being played by Steven Miller, whose previous work includes the acclaimed production Black Watch, and Lenny Lyons in the BBC’s Saturday night hit Casualty. The role of James II is being taken by Matthew Pidgeon whose previous work includes Wolf Hall for the Royal Shakespeare Company, while Andrew Rothney reprises the James III role after playing it during the first run of The James Plays. They will join a strong cast which also includes Blythe Duff (Taggart), Andrew Still (Black Swan and Hollyoaks) and John Stahl (Game of Thrones and Being Human).
The James Plays runs at Norwich Theatre Royal on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 May 11am - James I: The Key will keep the Lock 3pm - James II: The Day of the Innocents 7.30pm - James III: The True Mirror Tickets are available from the box office on 01603 630000 or book online at theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk
21
I’ll have red wine instead of a pork pie If you asked me whether I would prefer half a bottle of spicy shiraz red wine or a pork pie – I know I would choose the wine.
On checking the calories popped it back… fast.
Sandwiches, chocolate bars and crisps can pile on calories with little Half a bottle of average-strength red joy. (One bag of Cheesy Wotsits is about 214 calories.) wine is about 322 calories. A 440g pork pie is roughly 384 calories; but Food and wine are a pleasure, but the pork pie treat also includes a lot the trick is to enjoy mindfully and of fat. not use food or alcohol as a smoker I wa was, I might use a cigarette under stress. co confess, The key is to know what our own te tempted triggers are to eating – other than re recently hunger – then manage them. This by the said way we will not be unhappy about por pork pie in how we feel, have tight clothes, or a garage feel tired and sweaty. when I’d been driving If tiredness is one of your triggers home after to poor eating choices, take breaks John at 21 stone a tiring day. properly. If boredom starts you
snacking, find something else to fill the moment. We all want to look great, but without addressing the triggers to poor eating Award winning diet coach John Howard lost 7 stone in you will either five months - and nine years struggle with on has kept his new shape. success or fail when something knocks you off-track. ack Identify your own eating triggers and seek one-to-one support to help you reach your goal. Make sure 2016 sees you successful with your weight, for good.
Diet coach John Howard supports you on a one to one basis from Eye near Diss, and Stowhealth centre in Stowmarket, to lose about a stone a month and no longer be unhappy with your weight. He can be contacted on 0787 231 4653, 01379 678416, or by email at [email protected] For more details, visit www.cambridgeweightplan.com/JohnH
Monday - Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm Saturday: 9.30 - 5.00 pm Sundays: Closed
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www.dissgardencentre.co.uk Victoria Road, Diss, IP22 4JG (Next to Diss Swimming Pool)
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THETFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL The small, friendly school that gets results for individuals
OPEN EVENTS Whole School Open Morning Saturday 16 April 10.00am – 1.00pm
Preparatory School Open Morning Thursday 19 May 9.15am – 10.30am
Summer 2015 Results: A Level A*-A 40%, A*-C 87% GCSE A*-A 34%, A*-C 91% “One of the top performing schools in the country” We are a 3½- 18 co-educational independent day school For further information please contact us - Tel: 01842 752840 or email: [email protected]
www.thetgram.norfolk.sch.uk
Please enquire for information about our bursary scheme
Co-Educational School Day and Boarding Places for Boys and Girls Aged 2-13 Open Days Friday May 6th and Friday 10th June 10am - 4pm please contact the Registrar Mrs Louise Coates Tel 01953 681246 Riddlesworth Hall School (between Thetford & Diss Riddlesworth, Norfolk IP22 2TA email: [email protected] www.riddlesworthhall.com Graded Outstanding in many areas following recent ISI Inspection
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The Norman chapel f lourishes as Wymondham Arts Centre The old “Thomas Beckett” chapel is second oldest building in Wymondham, after the Abbey – they both were built in the 12 century by the Normans. Today, the beautiful chapel is transferred to a very special art space, important not only for the people of Wymondham but for the Norfolk area as a whole. The chapel is a wonderful setting for exhibitions and, over the years, it has boasted the works of a great range of established artists. Oil paintings, water colours, wood sculptures, textile works and many other media can be seen there, thanks to Wymondham Arts Centre (WAC), which has existed for seven years now. It is a project, realised by artists and art lovers, led in the past by professor Arthur Lucas.
The centre survives and develops with the incredible effort and spirit of the volunteers. They are the stewards: welcoming the visitors; selling art works, books and cards; and accepting donations for the centre. The volunteers are very interesting, colourful people – most of them retired professionals. For more information, visit www.wymondhamarts.org
Bob b Coe Project Director “Sometime ometime after we moved to Wymondham, mondham, five years ago, we went nt to an event at the Arts Centre and I became very interested in wha what was happening there. I we to as many exhibitions as I went could could. uld Later on I volunteered as a st steward, enjoying seeing the exhibitions exhibitions, hibitions meeting artists and visit visitors, and last year I became Projec Project ojec Director. “I have always been interested in phot photography and, since retiring, I ha have enrolled with the Open Co College of the Arts to follow a par part-time BA Creative Arts degree (distanc learning) combining (distance Ph Photography and Art History.
Pauline Bennett-Mills Co-ordinater for Volunteers “Having just retired as a head teacher and subsequently moving to Norfolk, I was keen to get involved with local groups. My husband and I are keen art collectors so when I was invited to join the WAC Committee and become a
Actually it started with a focus on Photography, but I became interested in Art History so I am now combining the two. “Over 14,000 visits were made to our 24 exhibitions this year. A team of more than 40 volunteer stewards helped to run the centre and ensured that all the shows ran smoothly. “In 2015, Wymondham Arts Centre had sales of more than £40,000. We have also taken the first steps towards repair and refurbishment of the building.”
volunteer steward, I willingly agreed. “There is such a wealth of local talent. The exhibitions at the centre are varied and of a very high standard. “It is a pleasure to welcome visitors and observe their appreciation of the artists.”
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Co-Educational School Day and Boarding Places Available for Boys and Girls aged 2 - 13
For further information or to arrange a visit please contact the Registrar Mrs Louise Coates
Tel: 01953 681246 (between Thetford & Diss)
Riddlesworth, Norfolk IP22 2TA E: [email protected] W: www.riddlesworthhall.com
Scholarship Assessment Days: Academic Scholarship Day 14/4/2016 Music and Art Scholarship Day 22/4/2016 Drama 28/4/2016 Sport 28/4/2016
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Independent day school for girls 3-18 and boys 3-11 with boarding for girls from 9
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Out & About @stuartgooderham
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In-store Bakery Try our homemade savoury cornish pasties, meat pies and sausage rolls, which we make in our bakery using only the best cuts.
All Day Breakfast
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Choose from our wide range of readymade meals and meat selection, created from locally sourced meats and vegetables and all made-by-hand on site.
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Each is handmade and available all year round. We also offer a pick your own - where you select the contents and we gift wrap your basket.
Open 7 Days
New Bigger Children’s Play Area
IP21 4XU Just off the A140
arm elcome awaits ou at the hite orse Thelnetham E a s a re a i g atm s here here at the White H rse i r a ri k a mea r sam e r tea ee a h mema e ake se e ti We ri e rse es si g a s r e i gre ie ts where ssi e r m th ha gi g me s a g with s me w er week s e ia s
Opening hours
Monday se Tuesday – Friday am ma m Saturday am m Sunday am m
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27
Champion Bras Ba nd to perform in Nosrw ich
M BOWLS SAXLINGHAEN AY CLUB OP theD Playing Field Sat 30th April at 1.30pm
at
a Come along and have
go at Bowls me too
are welco Experienced Bowlers
8 499700 Chris Lacey on 0150
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May 15th
en om m til l m e eshments a aila le
On 8th May there is a rare opportunity to hea r one of the world’s top brass ban ds when Grimethorpe Colliery Band perform at St Andrew ’s Hall, Norwich.The con cert presented by the East Anglian Brass Band Association com mences at 6.30pm The band is currently ranked 4th in the Wo rld, is the 2015 British Open Bra ss Band Champions and the 2014 Brass in Concer t Champions
CLASSIC VEHI CLE RALLY & COUNTRY FA YRE on Su
nday 1st May Bungay Area Lio ns Cl ub is holdi in the grounds of Earsham Ha ng another Fayre ll, Bungay, NR 35 2AN Gates will open from 10am un til 5pm Entry to the pu blic £5 for adult s - under 12s fre Plenty to see e classic cars, mo both commerc torcycles, tracto ial & military ve rs & hicles. Other att on the day will ractions include trade stands, au food & craft stalls, licensed ba to jumble, child r, ren’s games, entertainers & workshops Funds raised fro m the event wi ll go to local Lio ns causes Michael Gardi
ne michaelegardin r 07599 935113 [email protected] m
Hempnall Mill Centre – Luncheon Club Wednesday & Thursday from £4.50 Morning tea or coffee served on arrival from 11am A two course lunch served at 12 noon
Pick up travel can be arranged Contact Margaret Sparham (Wed and Thurs on 499766 or 499579 at other times)
Tickets £9, £12 & £14 bef & £12, £15 & £17 afte ore 31st March r 31st March
01449 2600 or email administra67 [email protected]
Syleham and Wingfield Village Hall (IP21 4LT)
Eastern Angles touring theatre company will present “Somewhere in England” Wed 6th April - bar open A fascinating and moving new theatre production telling the wartime story of the arrival of thousands of American GIs from the 8th US Army Air Force
Contact Alison 01379 668251 or [email protected]
VAN AND A MAN Move Anything, AnytiMe, Anywhere
• Conference Rooms • Weddings and Parties • Heritage • Internet Café • Café • Free High Speed WiFi Station Road, Pulham St Mary, Norfolk IP21 4QT
Tel: 01379 676660 www.pennoyers.org.uk
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NATIONWIDE COVERAGE Single iteM or Full houSehold reMovAlS SAMe dAy Service Seven dAyS / eveningS Student MoveS oFFice / PiAno MoveS Free inStAnt QuoteS All cleArAnceS undertAken
Tel: 01953 488919 Mobile: 0771 407 3300
www.vanandaman.com Email: [email protected]
Combined Garage/Yard Sales @ Caston
HOPTON ART GROUP EXHIBITION
ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES Car Boot at The Barns NR17 1DJ and CAR BOOT at the Village School
by local artists at The Methodist Chapel, Nethergate St, Hopton
Sat 30th April 10 - 4 Homemade refreshments and raffle for “art” themed cake
14th May - 10am to 2pm - £5 per pitch Refreshments available at the Village Hall, School & The Barns
Proceeds to the Vidyal Trust
Fundraising from stalls for the Alzheimers Society
GISLINGHAM VA
presents
BOOK, MUSIC & LY RICS by LIONEL BART
GISLINGHAM VILL AGE HALL Wed 6th to Sat 9t h April at 7.30pm Tickets £9 (under 16’s £6) Box office 01379 788411
Flower Demonstrations at Roydon Village Hall
April 27th - Mellissa Sheldrake “The Tyme Machine” May 25th - Alan Smith “Floral Magic” Visitors are welcome £5
Not to
Wendy Chapman 01953 483756 – yard sales NEW BUCKENHAM
VILLAGE HALL
Alison Chapman 07748 760355 - School car boot
East H a Villag rling Old S e Hal l com chool m ittee QUIZ L N SAT 23rd AP7.3RI0pm I GHT Sat 7t bar open at h May www Adults £6 Doors and dan - 7pm .harlin starts cing and 3 £ golds Children choolh at 8.00pm all.org HASED AT: TICKETS CAN BE PURC in ased Buckenham, and can be purch Kings Store New . advance via 01953 860064
IN AID OF:
Cats Protection is holding a Spring Fayre in Wattisfield Village Hall
Sat 7th May between 11 and 3
A range of stalls, including gifts, cards, books, jewellery, cakes & preserves, Cats Protection merchandise & crafts.
Refreshments & free entry, donations welcome Anyone interested in offering a cat a home or supporting us is asked to call 01449 674584; visit our website at cats.org.uk/bury-st-edmunds or like us on facebook (Cats Protection Bury St Edmunds)
Cats Protection’s registered charity number is 203644
Chris Neave Vocal Tuition & Coaching Never had singing lessons? Like to improve/refresh your technique? Local teacher in Fressingfield is offering singing lessons for adults - beginners to advanced levels
Chris Neave
01379 586 866 07817 802 712
[email protected]
NEWCOMERS TO GET A TASTE OF WYMONDHAM’S HISTORY
Aslacton & Great Moulton
Coronation Hall Carr Lane, Great Moulton , NR152LA Friday 8th April
Newcomers to Wymondham are being offered an opportunity to sample some of the history and heritage of the town on Sunday April 24 There will be a short presentation by local history & heritage enthusiast, Georgette Vale, as an introduction to a series of monthly Walks and Talks she will be leading in the town during the spring & summer. Roman Catholic Church Hall in Norwich Road, Wymondham, between 2 and 4pm
Flix-in-the-Stix ‘The Lady in The Va n’ 12A starring Maggie Smith & Ja mes Corden Doors open 6.30pm, film
starts 7.30pm
tickets from village shop or Zoe 07787 434474
Free admission & includes refreshments. Whilst booking is not essential, confirmation that you plan to attend would be appreciated, via e-mail:
[email protected] or tel 07867 681839 or 01953 605434.
Cringleford & Hethersett Flower Club
More info www.wymondhamwalksandtalks.co.uk
Mon 25th April Demonstration by Anne Colby – “All Good Things” Mon 23rd May Members’ Evening – “Cakes and Ale”
WYMOND HERITAGEHWAM HISTORY AND ALKS AND TA LKS W
7.30pm at Hethersett Village Hall, Back Lane, Hethersett NR9 3JJ
ednesd
ays Meet at Abbe y Halt, Mid-N orfolk Railway . 11.15am May 4, June 1, July 6, Aug 3 & Sept 7
SPRING PLANT SALE All Saints Church, Stoke Ash, IP23 7ET
Fridays
Sat May 21st from 10am to 1pm A Grand Spring Draw - 1st prize £50 Refreshments available FREE PARKING
Meet at the M arket Cross – 11am May 6, June 3, July 1, Aug 5 & Sept 2
BANK HOLIDAY
01359 240423 or 07871 190639
DC Mutton Tiling Contractor 2nd generation
30
Proceeds to Friends of Tacolneston Primary School, Tacolneston Playground Improvement Project & Tacolneston Village Hall
LG TREE SERVICES
TREE REMOVALS PRECISION DISMANTLING HEDGE CUTTING & REDUCTION Full Public Liability Insurance 24 Hour Call Out & Free Quotes E: [email protected] M: 07932 593320 T: 01508 813 525
GREAT ELLINGHAM PRESCHOOL’S MAY DAY FEST Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May – 11am - 4pm Great Ellingham Recreation Centre Come join us for a day out for all the family Maypole, many stalls, tombola, raffle, outside bar, bbq, games & much more Contact: [email protected]
MILITARIA FAIR
Thetford Leisure Centre Croxton Rd, Thetford IP24 1JD
Sunday May 22nd
10 til 2 Admission £3
07596 436260 www.norfolkfairs.com
LL RICKINGHA SHOW Y WA MODEL RAIL Railway Society istrict Model
with Diss & D
- 10am - 4pm SAT 7th MAY , IP22 1HD VILLAGE HALL RICKINGHALL ildren £1 , Admission £5
ch accompanied g on site
rkin Ample free pa
cess & disabled ac
eams!) all day (& ice cr Refreshments r rides & n engine traile Model tractio s play area children’ Show
ailway ghall Model R Google: Rickin 0 188472 Enquiries 0793
Hall ham Village New Bucken pril at 7.30 Wed 20th A
MPANY ES THEATRE CO AND” GL EASTERN ANGL EN OMEWHERE IN PRESENTS “S 86 3 0572 live on 0195
Enquiries: C
URCH, OLD BU CKENHAM SUNDAY 8th M AY at 3pm
A concert by CHANTER’S JI GGE rm
a lively duo perfo
ing traditional & folk music with ancient & modern instrum ents TI
CKETS £5 (£15 for families) from 01953 86 0845 (inc Tea/C akes) WRENINGHAM VIL
LAGE HALL
PLANT STALL
Sat 14th May 10 am to 12 noon Wreningham ch urch car park For those wanting to stock up your ga rden do drop in and supp ort this stall There will also be a cake stall In aid of Upper Tas Valle y Benefice expenses
“QUIZ & SUPPER” Friday 15th April – 7.15 for 7.30 pm
Wreningham Village Hall
£5 to include a light supper Teams of up to 6 people (or come and join a team on the night) Number in advance to Christine on 01508 488123 In aid of Ashwellthorpe and Wreningham church expenses
Like our Magazine? Tax
Accounts
Audit
Small and Medium Businesses, Self Employed, Clubs & Charities No-obligation free initial consultations, fixed competitive fees & personal service
T: 01379 308832 M: 07592 146144 E: [email protected] W: www.ajbriceaccountancy.co.uk
Please call our advertisers (they make it possible)
Home Farm Barn, Burston, Diss, Norfolk IP22 5TJ
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Mustard Theatre Company’s Spring production Ten Times Two – The Eternal Courtship
Come Celebrate the 90th Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11 Saturday 23rd April @ 7.30pm Stradbroke High School IP21 5JN
Sat 23rd April - Wingfield Barns, Church Road, Diss, IP21 5RA 7.30pm Tickets £8 (no concessions)
www.mustardtheatrecompany.org.uk
Tickets discounted at just *£7 each*
From Horham P.O., Rolfes Butchers Stradbroke Stradbroke Library & Laxfield P.O. Or by post with a sae to: J. Baker, Poppies, Church St, Stradbroke IP21 5HS
Cheques payable to Stradbroke & District Branch Royal British Legion
*Celebration Refreshments Included * Draw tickets on sale
More info?
Ring 07775 665 733 Proceeds to RBL Charity Funds The Royal British Legion is a registered charity No. 219279
GRAN S
LE SALE
Lincoln Hall, Hingham 20p a mission e ri -a- ra s a es tombola, raffle draw & refreshments uckenham ouse Ri in for the isable incorporatin Carria e rivin Charity No 107 210
List your local event for FREE on our Village Notice Board Email details to Lily at [email protected]
It’s
list evenytour !
SM PEST CONTROL SERVICES DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL
DISCREET VEHICLES N.P.T.A. MEMBER • 25+YEARS EXP • NO VAT WASP NESTS • HORNET NESTS • RATS • MICE SQUIRRELS • CLUSTER FLIES • FLEAS • MOLES RABBITS • BED BUGS • CARPET BEETLE • MOTHS WOODWORM • BIRD PROOFING LOCAL COMPANY • FREE QUOTATIONS
F O O R P WHATEVER YOUR PEST PROBLEMS CALL
STEVE: 07990 512087
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32
COME VISIT THE TRUE HOME OF DAD’S ARMY! Open 10am - 3pm Saturdays 27th Feb to 26th Nov & Tuesdays in Jul, Aug, Sept & school holidays Tours and visits at other times by prior arrangement
Tel. 07467 175782 to book your tour!
www.dadsarmythetford.org.uk
HIGH QUALITY KILN DRIED LOGS call 01728 860 364 or visit www.logs2u.co.uk CPL Distribution Oak House, Higham, Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP28 6NL
33
Out & About
34
The story of a beautiful pond Client brief: to create a beautiful pond from scratch in a natural style. The aim was to attract wildlife and for the new pond to be as natural as possible and blend in with its surroundings. Within a year the wildlife had moved in. By creating the right sort of pond we gave this client almost instant results
I would just like to say how much we have enjoyed the pond. It is just how I imagined and amazing how the plants have matured so quickly, it’s hard to believe you only finished it in April. We have spent hours photographing the dragonflies and watching the fish. So many lovely comments. High Barn Pond
Design • Installation • Maintenance • Pond Cleaning • Planting Advice
Contact Robert Foulger on: 01379 652720 07900 370304 [email protected] www.lakeandpond-aquatics.co.uk
Home & Garden
andrew p r love architecture . design . planning cherry tree farm wymondham road bunwell norfolk nr16 1nb
planning applications & building regulations submissions alteration works, extensions & conversions architectural design consultation & drawings specialist in listed buildings & conservation work site supervision & management excellent local knowledge and contacts domestic & commercial projects
South Norfolk
Design Award winner 2011 & 2013 for innovative and ecologically aware architecture please contact us on
t: 01953 789911 m: 07771 855225
e: [email protected] www.andrewprloveadp.co.uk
Skilled StonemaSon with 25 years experience
Granite & Quartz Worktops
all made to order at our workShop Let us help you transform your home with beautifully designed items made to your exact sizes and requirements. We also manufacture bespoke hearths, slips and vanity tops units 1&2 oakwood ind. est., harling road, Snetterton nr16 2Ju
01953 887722 / 07826 844847
• Brickweaving • Patios • Driveways • Carparks • Concreting • Tarmac
Bungay Road, Scole, Diss IP21 4DT
www.awaterfield-sons.co.uk
British Made Shutters
Bespoke Shutters, Blinds and Conservatory Blinds made by our craftsman in England 25 Year Guarantee on our Vinyl Shutters 5 Year Guarantee on our Wood Shutters and all Blinds 10 Year Buy Back Promise Affordable Payment Plan Available
Telephone David for a Free Design Consultation on:
07753 573774
The Boxford Ghost A
s regular as clockwork, old Jock would go down to The Swan in Boxford for a pint on a Thursday night.
Jock used to complain that each week when he rode his bike home there was always a white figure sitting on the wall of the bridge with its legs crossed. “Don’t talk so ruddy daft,” his friend, Tickles, would say, “of course there hain’t anything like that. You don’t believe in ghosts do you?”
“Whether I do or not, I see him every time and he sits there just the same, in the same place,” replied Jock. Well, it was on a night not long after that when Tickles had been grinding up some barley for pig meal with his old Standard Fordson and a belt drive onto his Bamford 4c grinding and crushing mill. He’d been putting the barley in the top and, of course, the flour had risen up in the air and covered everything. Tickles was working pretty late, because it was harvest time, and when he looked at his reflection in the old bit of tin that hung in the cart lodge he suddenly had a prank up his sleeve. It was already half past nine, so Tickles thought he’d go down to the bridge wall and give Jock a real fright. “Stupid old fool,” he chuckled to himself, “thinking that there are such things as ghosts.” This he duly did - all covered in white barley meal
dust, his trilby, his eyebrows, his face and all his clothing. At closing time there Tickles sat on the wall, covered in white barley meal dust, with his legs crossed. Sure enough, down the hill came Jock on his bike. “Ohhhhhhhhhh!” He cried. “Oh dear, oh dear!” And off he shot like a dose of salts. Well, Tickles just couldn’t wait to get down The Swan that next week, but strangely enough Jock never said a word about it. When closing time came and he turned to go home, Tickles couldn’t help but say something. “Well Jock, boy, I expect you’ll see your ghost again tonight,” he said. “Oh,” he replied. “Last week was terrible, terrible. Oh! It was really horrible… there was two of ‘em there!” At that, Tickles’s face went whiter than his barley meal. He never let on to Jock, but that completely changed his view about ghosts! Story told by Neil Lanham, whose uncle was Tickles. Neil has collected traditional songs and stories all his life and has over 100 DVDs available on his website www.oraltraditions.co.uk or phone him for a brochure on 01379 890568.
This is 1 of 50,000 copies Want your business noticed? Prices start from £25 + vat per month *
01284 788 623 *For an eighth page advert in one magazine for 12 months
37
Home & Garden
Installation services & maintenance of all types of security & communications systems, covering East Anglia
“After having our iron gates stolen, Malthouse Security came highly recommended. A person came out to discuss our requirements, followed by the engineers who fitted everything then showed us how it worked. All very quick and easy and most importantly we now have peace of mind.� The Dell Caravan Park in Thurston
Please Call 01379 890 606 or [email protected] www.malthouse-security.co.uk 38
Home & Garden
Buy Direct from the manufacturer rie
n ce ex p
ce exp ien e
e ienc exp
Kitchens don’t need to cost the earth • Bespoke and standard size units • Budget guidance, style and plan advice • All kitchens manufactured locally in Norfolk • Contracts & One off’s – No job is too big or too small
er
30
Manufacturing ‘Outside’ The Box...
• Extensive ranges from gloss to painted and everything else in-between • Speedy turnaround: 2 weeks from confirmation for non-painted orders • Kitchens come complete with doors ready to fit
Telephone 01379 674363
Contact us for a no-obligation quote and see how we compare 39
OnYour
PLOT
A WELCOME RETURN TO COLOUR
LET’S GET STARTED It’s time to get serious with our gardening gloves. As the weather gets milder, we will see our gardens grow brighter. Sow the following flower seeds to ensure your garden is as colourful as can be over the coming months: • Cat Grass • Cerinthes • Larkspur • Sweet Peas • Sunflowers • Calendulas • Cosmos • Blue Woodruff • Marigolds • Nasturtiums
PD Garden Services Ditch and pond cleaning/clearing Garden clearance/maintenance Small tree work Hedge trimming/removal Fencing Gutter cleaning Gravel driveways Log splitter available • Fully insured
Call Paul 01379 652903 07827015215 [email protected]
40
For more instant colour, weather permitting, you should now be able to plant out: • Dahlia tubers • Gladioli • Pansies • Chrysanthemums raised from cuttings • Autumn-sown Sweet Pea seedlings • More tender summer bedding plants towards the end of May if the weather is not too wet
KICK START PRODUCING YOUR PRODUCE Fruit: Many fruit trees, including apple, pear, plum and cherry, will start flowering soon. A thing of both beauty and delicious taste needs to be properly tended in spring especially, so mulch around them with well-rotted manure and keep an eye out for any pests. Also, cut back your summer and autumn-fruiting raspberries to about two feet from the base, and pinch out the tips of grape vine shoots that are two leaves beyond a developing fruit “truss” to encourage growth.
Vegetables: Now you can sow beetroot, runner beans, sweet peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, radishes, carrots, swede, peas, salad crops, winter cabbages and cucumber. Onion sets can be planted when the soil is dry and sow marrows, courgettes, pumpkins, squashes, sweetcorn and tomatoes in the greenhouse. Be sure to cut out any rhubarb flowers that may appear near the base to prevent them stealing energy from the plant. Herbs: Sow dill, fennel, hyssop, parsley and thyme in late spring. Carefully thin any sowing you made last month if necessary.
BUY DIRECT FROM THE GROWERS
“The Gardeners Centre”
TIME TO LEAVE IT HANGING Finally! We are warming up and we are seeing some long-awaited colour outside our windows. Hanging baskets sometimes get overlooked by the gardener, but a good hanging basket is certainly never overlooked by the passer by. It’s a simple method to give your home immediate curb appeal. Why not try doubling the colour with patio containers too? There are all sorts of slow-release fertilisers and water storing mechanisms available to help make sure your baskets and containers last as long as possible. Ask your local garden centre for the best option for your plants.
Roses
10
Gard ‘n’ Cox Garden Care
Garden maintenance l Planting designs Supply of trees, shrubs, perennials & bulbs Fencing l Lawn care & mowing l No VAT
Simple & quick to install Made entirely from structural powder coated aluminium
Tel: 01359 221220 Mob: 07773 138306 Email: [email protected]
Call us now on 01508 535102 Visit our website for more information www.specialist-building-supplies.co.uk 15 Wellesley Road,Tharston Industrial Estate, Long Stratton, Norfolk, NR15 2PD.
hempnall lawnmower centre
01508 73700 A
N MA N S N A S SAL S OLL ON L S A A LA L
Would you like a Maid to Clean your home?
View our full range...
irect.co.uk
Open 6 days a week Saturday 10am - 4pm
Could you use some help with your cleaning, ironing or both from as little as £10.50 per hour? You even get to meet your cleaner first!
0800 878 6388 0330 010 6388 Are you looking for part time work? If so call 0843 289 6858
BRICK KILN LANE, MORNINGTHORPE, NR15 2LH
42
L
Garden Jottings from Ken
ike people, pots and containers come in all shapes and sizes; tall and thin, short and squat, some a little rotund, others a bit shallow, but whatever the dimensions it’s what’s inside that counts! It’s a matter of personal choice, you can grow anything in a container, from tiny alpines to enormous trees, it’s all a question of size - if a large plant is to remain healthy it’s going to require a generous-sized pot or barrel to maintain the balance between roots and top growth. There are several advantages to containers, one is that you can grow the plants you want regardless of the soil conditions in your garden, rhododendrons, camellias and pieris are good examples, thriving only in acidic soils. Another bonus is their portability, allowing you to change their position when it suits (even moving them with you to a new house), and tender plants such as cannas, bananas, palms and the variegated Cordyline ‘Torbay Dazzler’ can be on display when they’re at their best, then tucked away in a sheltered site or moved under cover for winter protection. You might like to grow tubs of tasty herbs or vegetables close to the kitchen where you can nip out and grab some fresh flavours, or how about filling a few pots with bold and colourful bedding plants such as geraniums, cascading petunias, fuchsias and many others, to match your hanging baskets. Plants such as these are only grown for one season, so a multi-purpose compost will generally be suitable, but be aware that this will only contain plant food for about six weeks, so you can either incorporate a slow-release feed when planting, or
use a liquid feed when you’re watering, and never allow the compost to dry out completely! We stock a light and fluffy professional-grade multi-purpose compost (no green waste), 3 x 60litre bags for just £10. Covering the compost surface with a good layer of mini-bark chippings, or topping off with a decorative gravel not only looks smart, but will also reduce evaporation during the summer. Permanent plantings of shrubs, perennials, fruit and ornamental trees are generally best if grown in a loam (soil) based compost such as John Innes, which will retain nutrient and moisture far better than its lightweight counterparts, and being heavier it helps reduce the risk of damage to your plants and pots as they’re less likely to be blown over. All containers must have adequate drainage to avoid the compost from becoming saturated and to help prevent pots from cracking in winter, this can be achieved by placing crocks or gravel into the bottom of the pot when planting (up to a quarter high) and raising the container from the ground onto pot feet during the coldest months. For established plants in containers now is a good time to refresh them by clearing away a generous layer of soil from the top surface, adding a suitable granular fertilizer, and replacing the earth with new compost and mulch all ready for the coming season. Elegant containers can create focal points, highlight pathways, frame entrances, and generally enhance an area - and with so many shapes, sizes and colours to choose from, there’s a choice to suit any garden style!
Cheers, Ken
The Garden Enclosure at Banham
All types of plants contained!
INDEPENDENT GARDEN CENTRE & GIFT SHOP 01953 888043 www.gardenenclosure.co.uk
Open through out Inspiring plant selections, plant sourcing and garden advice, Bank Holiday gardening and floristry sundries, pet supplies, gifts… and more! week ends Find us at Banham Zoo, NR16 2HE - outside Zoo ticket kiosks 43 Open Thursday to Monday 9.30am to 5pm (10am to 4pm Nov to Feb)
Tour of Britain legend joins Diss Cyclathon
I
t was over 60 years ago that Derek Buttle competed in the first ever Tour of Britain. But despite being 85-years-young, he has not hung up his cycle clips yet! Derek Buttle is currently gearing up to ride the Nine Towns Sportive at this year’s Diss Cyclathon. In recent years cycling has become an incredibly popular sport, with top riders achieving celebrity status. British riders Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish are now household names. But that wasn’t always the case for UK cycling... Although the first Tour de France was staged in 1903, British cyclists did not ride in it until 1937. In the UK at that time there was only track racing as the British governing body, the NCU, had banned road racing for fear that the police would drive all cyclists off of the road. It was not until 1951 that the Daily Express sponsored the very first Tour of Britain. Cycling as a sport in the UK was almost unheard of at the time and it was not until men like Derek made a concerted effort to establish it that things started to change.
Now Derek and his friends are looking forward to the Cyclathon on June 19, where they will be cycling through the towns of Diss, Harleston, Beccles, Bungay, Loddon, Long Stratton, Wymondham, Attleborough and Thetford.
In 1952 Derek was instrumental in setting up the country’s first ever professional cycling team. Having ridden for Dayton Cycles as an independent, he turned full professional and rode for both Hercules and Claud Butler.
To join them in riding the Nine Towns tour, and raise money for the East Anglia Air Ambulance, go to www.disscyclathon.org to register. Cyclists can choose from three routes, or 25, 50 or 100 miles.
Today’s top riders owe a debt of gratitude to him and his fellow early professionals.
Diss Cyclathon will also hold stalls, a beer tent, music and a fun fair.
Anglia Chimney Sweeps • Power sweeping for a thorough clean • Smoke draft test with every sweep • Fully trained and insured • Insurance-recognised certificates
Tel 07711 458575 Or 01359 221893
www.angliachimneysweeps.co.uk
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Riding for Claud Butler in The Madison. Bottom Left: The Hercules training squad for the Tour de France
SELF STORAGE near Diss
Clean, Dry Storage Barns All types of storage considered Business, Domestic, Caravans, Cars, Furniture, etc. Owners on premises Reasonable prices
Please call 07771 780 949
Home & Garden
Broadland ENV Ltd OIL STORAGE TANK INSTALLERS
Oil tanks supplied & installed Base preparation Old tanks removed
Call Rob on
01379 677126 07788 482422 www.broadlandtanks.co.uk
Barn Stored Seasoned Hardwood Oak, Ash, Sycamore, Birch Beech Etc... Shelfanger Firewood M: 07802 186347 T: 01379 687646 E: [email protected]
GRAHAM BORRILL
Professional Fruit Tree Pruning NIGEL PAYNE
THATCHER
Specialising in restoring old fruit trees Also wall trained and espalier Apples and Pears pruned October to April Plums and other ‘stone’ fruit when in leaf
COSY COT, HECKFIELD GREEN, HOXNE EYE IP21 5AB TEL: 01379 668 777 MOBILE: 07960 254 537
TREE FELLAS Professional and accredited Tree Surgeons With 20 years experience we can cater for all your arboricultural needs
www.treefellasuk.com
Please feel free to contact us on
t: (01379) 871490 m: 07542 039490
01359 253545 07816 130934
WATER ERVICE
Specialists in Water Softening & Filtration
25 years ago we teamed with Harvey Softeners, manufactures of the prestigious duplex (non-electric) super, efficient block salt softener. Still our most popular. We also supply & install other types particularly the Nuwave Range- all British made and very affordable.
So why have a water softener installed? Hello! I am Trevor, founder of the business 35 years ago. Still family owned by my son. We specialise in supply, installation and servicing of water softeners & filters to the good people of Norfolk & Suffolk.
• To stop scale and protect all plumbing & heating appliances • To save money on replacement items • To stop scum and save on soaps & cleaning materials • To generally improve your lifestyle
To find out more and arrange a free survey & estimate Call us on 01603 713606 Or visit www.ukwaterservices.com
46
Nuwave NC 180
Bathrooms Kitchens Design & Installation
Visit one of our fabulous showrooms Bathrooms We are proud to be Norfolk and Suffolk’s leading bathroom retailer and installer. Many of our customers want bathrooms that are not only practical but the perfect space in which to relax after a long day. Whatever you’re looking for, we offer a free survey to help you make the most of your space.
Kitchens We know that your kitchen is often the heart of your home - and that every home is different. Because we are independent, we can offer you a wider choice of products. We’ll design your kitchen to be as unique as you are, with details tailored to your lifestyle.
We offer all these great benefits
Visit n-b-k.co.uk to take a peek at our showrooms and latest projects. Norwich Bathroom and Kitchen Showroom 2 Heigham Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 4TE Tel. 01603 219957 | Email. [email protected]
Long Stratton Bathroom Showroom 2 Cooper Court, The Street, Long Stratton NR15 2XG Tel. 01508 531188 | Email. [email protected]
Diss Bathroom and Kitchen Showroom Carmel Works, Park Road, Diss IP22 4AS Tel. 01379 640812 | Email. [email protected]
Thorpe End Bathroom Showroom Plumstead Road, Thorpe End, Norwich NR13 5AJ Tel. 01603 219957 | Email. [email protected]
47
He doesn’t have a Scale Problem...
Do you? l l l l l
Water Softener Sales & Installations Service, Maintenance & Repairs Salt Deliveries Drinking Water Systems Filter Cartridges & Taps
We are a locally based, family run Company, established for over 35 years offering a fully independent and professional service dealing with the regions hard water problems.
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19 21
23
ACROSS 7 Generally speaking a reasonable attitude to take (4) 8 Go in reverse, climb to a lower level and give way (4, 4) 9 Horizontal segment of an upright body (8) 10 Face of a script set to print (4) 11 Fatigued by overwork or dissipation (5) 13 Raised to prevent entry or allow it (7) 15 Found a commercial enterprise to fire an engine (5, 2) 17 Calling of one who traversed the globe in 80 days (5)
22
24
20 Placed on top of a tomb perhaps (4) 21 Unoccupied and absent so indolently pass the day (4, 4) 23 Highly fashionable and in the latest mode (2, 2, 4) 24 Usually mentioned advantageously in the will (4) DOWN 1 Bran mixture given to a horse (4) 2 Complain and grumble upon the moor (6) 3 Wherein live those who inhabit (5) 4 Gathering together of interest and
profit (7) 5 Responsible for policy and content of a periodical (6) 6 Matched pair in a suite or suit (3-5) 12 At home on the range these animals can be found (8) 14 Modern operetta (7) 16 Suburban development rife in the 20s and 30s (6) 18 Almost total lack of reaction to any stimulus (6) 19 Sound of a summons from a page (5) 22 Invisible hub on which a planet turns (4)
LAST ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS: ACROSS: 7. Fear, 8. Exchange, 9. Eve, 10. Calm, 11. Dial, 13. Inhale, 14. Noddle, 15. Piston, 18. Cutler, 20. Form, 21. Gale, 22. Sir, 24. Diameter, 25. Hoot DOWN: 1. Heaven, 2. Pry, 3. Debate, 4. Acumen, 5. Candidate, 6. Agnail, 12. Pantomime, 16. Ironic, 17. Negate, 18. Celery, 19. Editor, 23. Why
Answers in the next issue
20
Volvo XC90 D5 R-Design CAR REVIEW
By Tim Barnes-Clay, Motoring Journalist Twitter @carwriteups www.carwriteups.co.uk
S
eldom do I get to evaluate a vehicle that ticks all the right boxes, but the new generation Volvo XC90 is one such car.
Not only does the all-wheel-drive sport utility vehicle (SUV) look good enough to eat, it almost certainly has the finest sub-Bentley class cabin on the market. It also drives splendidly.
styling and seven-seat flexibility that made it a runaway success. Many years on, the fresh XC90 is the first of Volvo’s vehicles to carry the Swedish company’s more
The premium SUV arrived in UK dealerships mid-last year, and I was privileged enough to be at its pre-dealer media launch in Spain. I also had the pleasure of driving the XC90 on our British roads more recently. I can’t get enough of the XC90, because it has always been an extraordinary model. The previous variant was launched in 2002 and offered a rare fusion of eye-catching
Available to view Monday to Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm
(01379) 671 168
50
Malting’s Barn Hinderclay Road Wattisfield Diss Suffolk IP22 1NF
conspicuous iron mark, which has the iconic arrow allied with the slanting slash across the grille. The symbol introduces a completely new, individual and self-assured face. The SUV’s grander bonnet, the beltline and the honed shoulders linking with the smart rear lights are other arresting physiognomies. Within the car, there’s a tablet-like touch screen control console. It is near button-free and allows you to read internet-based services. It also helps establish an interior that’s up-to-date, cheerful and orderly. Amongst the easy leather and spotless metal finishes, the unpretentious seven-seater features seats that free up cabin space, both in the second and third rows. The uncomplicated practicality is perfectly in line with what you might envisage from the Scandinavians. Behind the wheel, the XC90 shows
off all the qualities that made the original model one of Volvo’s most lucrative cars ever. On the road, the D5 R-Design turbo diesel which I drove, unites magnificent handling and luxury with high-class get-you-there competence. The automatic gearbox performs impeccably and, for a large, comparatively tall vehicle, there is very little body-roll noticeable when cornering. Truly, the dynamic diesel powered machine has the dexterity of a much slighter and lower car. In addition, with a 0-62mph time of 7.8 seconds, it gives an adrenaline rush that, let’s face it, is fundamental to genuine driving pleasure. The XC90 does it all really. It’s textbook-perfect for a family; plus it looks great for business. It’s just the thing for anyone needing a safe, sporty, premium SUV for all seasons.
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7 SEATS FOR FAMILY LIFE.
52
SIMPSONS MOTOR GROUP 01493 809815 East Anglia’s largest motorhome supplier
LOOKING FOR A NEW OR USED ŠKODA CAR, MOTORHOME OR CARAVAN? Simpsons in Suffolk Road, Great Yarmouth, is the family-run, one-stop shop for all your motoring needs. With more than 50 years of experience, Simpsons prides itself on exceptional service and aftercare only a family-run business can give. Simpsons Škoda has earned the retailer of the year award four times in five years while Simpsons Motor Caravan Centre has expanded into the caravan market having built its name across the country for selling new and quality used motorhomes. Steve & Brinley - Call for motorhome sales
SERVICING PRICES Motorcaravans MOT’s: £54.85 Habitation Service: £199 Servicing from: £159
Caravans
(Incorporating Mechanical Service)
Single axle £235 twin axle £255
Simpsons has also been appointed a Fiat Professional dealership, carrying out servicing, maintenance, repairs and warranty work on Fiat motorhomes and commercial vehicles.
Fully Approved Accident Repair Shop for Motorhomes and Caravans
Lee & Darren - Call for car sales
SERVICING PRICES Cars MOTs: £39 Minor Service: £139 Cambelt: £299 Brake Fluid Change: £49
Find us at: Suffolk Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR31 0LN MOTORCARAVAN: www.simpsonsmotorcaravans.com ŠKODA: www.simpsonsskoda.com 53
BIG NAME FABRICS AND INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICE AT THE LARGEST HOME DEPARTMENT STORE IN EAST ANGLIA Sofas & Chairs / Dining & Cookshop / Beds & Bedroom / Linens & Soft Furnishings / Carpets & Curtains Lighting & Gallery / Restaurant & Gifts and everything that makes your house a home.
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54
Collecting Royal Worcester Royal Worcester is a British brand known for its history, provenance and classically English collections of porcelain.
pickle dishes. Larger items can also be found, such as dessert plates, chestnut baskets, sauce boats and larger mask jugs – all decorated in under-glaze blue or polychrome painted.
The production of Worcester soft-paste porcelain began in 1751 and continued, under several different owners, until mid-2009. It is one of the oldest and most highly regarded of English porcelain, and is very collectable.
In 1783, the factory was purchased by Thomas Flight. Simply decorated wares were produced during this period, particularly fluted tea wares, indicating changes in taste and fashion.
The factory was founded in Worcester on the banks of the river Severn by Dr John Wall, a physician, and his partner William Davies, an apothecary. The pair developed a soft-paste porcelain containing soapstone that could be delicately moulded to produce the fine wares that are so highly collectable today.
George III granted it a royal warrant in 1788, following a visit to the company, and it became known as the “Royal Porcelain Works”. From then till about 1813, when Martin Barr joined Flight, some of the most charming tea wares were produced. Much of the items were marked by the incised “B” “B for Barr or the impressed “F B & B” mark mar for Flight, Barr and Barr.
Many items from this period iod are decorated in underglaz blue,, depicting oriental glazed iental tal
Delicate De repeat patterns were popular at this time, as were gilded motifs and highlights. highligh As technology improved – particularly more controllable kiln temperatures – items of greater style, delicacy delicac and sophistication were produced. Some of these early 19th century Worcester porcelains are stunning, with crisp mouldings and richly decorated with vibrant enamels. Worcester produced some of the very finest porcelain at this time and such pieces are highly sought after.
scenes, emulating the Chinese designs which were popular in England in the 18th century. Among the most common patterns are the three flowers, the fence, the mother and child and the fisherman.
There are still many opportunities for the collector to find interesting pieces of Worcester. For items to have survived, some from well before the Battle of Trafalgar and the French Revolution, is quite astonishing. The enthusiastic collector should not be discouraged from buying an item that may have a slight imperfection; these will be more affordable until that perfect piece can take its place.
Most of the under-glaze blue patterns are transferprinted, whereas the polychrome patterns and designs are hand-painted.
The Antiques Fair at Dunston Hall always has an amazing selection of early Worcester, why not pop along to the next fair and see …..
Interesting items to look for are tea bowls, coffee cups, cream jugs (the so-called sparrow-beak) and
Thanks, Susan
Next antiques fair is Sunday 10 April at the Dunston Hall Hotel, A140 Ipswich Rd, Norwich, NR14 8PQ
www.norfolkfairs.com
Smylee Pets Everything for your pet
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Pets: The importance of vaccination Young puppies and kittens are at the most risk of contracting infectious diseases that cause them harm. Their small size and naïve immune system means they are less equipped to deal with such challenges. For this reason vets always recommend pet owners complete a primary vaccination course before allowing their new puppy or kitten out in environments where the offending bacteria or virus may be found, and before they are allowed to mix with other animals that may already be harbouring disease. The primary vaccination course in a puppy usually involves two injections, two to four weeks apart, which they can start when they are eight weeks old. Their immune system will respond one or two weeks after the completion of the course, meaning that the puppy will be able to fight disease if exposed to infection.
flu as well as the virus which causes feline leukaemia. A kitten’s immune system has full strength against these diseases between one and two weeks after the primary course is completed. Again the immunity must be maintained with yearly “boosters”. It is important that animals are in full health when they receive vaccinations. If the immune system is being diverted to another purpose it will not respond as well to the vaccine. Keeping up to date with vaccines is the easiest way to protect your pets from life threatening illnesses, so please speak to your vet for more information.
With thanks to Amelia Duncanson mrcvs from Uplands Way Vets Ltd
Vets commonly vaccinate puppies against distemper, hepatitis (caused by canine adenovirus), parvovirus, parainfluenza and leptospirosis. All of these diseases can be life-threatening, so it is important that all puppies are vaccinated against them. The immune status of dogs then needs to be topped up yearly with a “booster” injection. Kittens receive their first injections at nine weeks old and complete the primary course at 12 weeks. This covers kittens for the complex of diseases that bring about cat
! ED OVow on 2AB M VE s n P22 HA linic i am I tre) WEr Diss c essinghrden Cenew,
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Home & Garden
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Home & Garden
Constructing Inspiring Outdoor Spaces Land Sculpture is a professional landscaping company proficient in all areas of design, construction and installation, transforming outdoor spaces for both private and commercial clients.
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Experience the Complete Trophy Pet Care Service Premium Quality, British Made Pet Foods and a great deal more... • • • • • •
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We would also like to offer all pet owners & readers of Village People Magazine a Free Pet Food Sample. No purchase necessary, simply complete the below form & post to Trophy Pet Foods East Anglia, 8 Rydal Close, Stowmarket IP14 1QX. Alternatively email your Name, Address, Phone Number & Pet Details to the above email address. We will then contact you to arrange to drop off these free samples for your pets to try. No cash alternative. Trophy Pet Foods does not sell or pass on your details to any third party. Name: Address:
Call your local Trophy advisor Paul Noy on 01449 616004 or email trophypetfoodseastanglia@ btinternet.com to see how you can feed your pets a naturally, healthier food and save money.
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59
T
Accidents
In the second of this new series of articles, Sarah Doig delves into our region’s on’s old newspapers to find out how transport accidents were reported in the 19th century.
oday a rail accident is likely to be covered in the newspapers by many photographs, giving an instant idea of the devastation. Our regional newspapers in the 19th century, however, contained no photographs and very few illustrations. With a few notable exceptions (including the horrific head-on collision of two trains at Thorpe St Andrew in 1874), many of the railway accidents were reported in a fairly low-key manner, even if a death had occurred. The Suffolk Chronicle of 26 August 1854 carried this report of a fatal accident on the Norfolk Railway: An old gentleman named Hewitt of Surlingham, took a return ticket from Brundall to Yarmouth; and in the evening, in his anxiety to return as early as possible, he determined not to wait for one of the ordinary trains stopping at Brundall, but got into a special excursion train. This train did not stop at any station between Yarmouth and Norwich, except Reedham. The article goes on to describe how, despite the efforts of his fellow passengers, the old man opened the door of the moving train as it passed Brundall station and jumped out. He fell under the wheels and was “almost instantly killed”.
In December 1863, the same newspaper reported the death of a farm labourer named Henry Jude – said to be a sober and industrious man – at Garvestone, through which one branch of the Great Eastern Railway ran. Mr Jude was crossing the railway track with a horse and cart on his way to fetch a load of turnips. For some reason, he had not noticed that the Norwich express on its way to Dereham was approaching the crossing point. The engine driver was not able to stop in time and struck the farm worker who was thrown over a fence into an adjoining field. Our local newspapers at the beginning A Daimler motor car of the 1900s, in particular, contain a number of reports of accidents involving motor cars. This was an era where an ever increasing number of cars were appearing on the roads, alongside horse and carts. Even with the relatively slow top speeds the cars could reach, there were still pedestrian casualties as well as collisions bet between vehicles. The Ipswich Journal of 26 May 1900 contained a re report of an “accident through a motor-car”: On Wednesday afternoon a party from Colchester we went through Saxmundham in a motor-car, which fright frightened a horse drawing a rolley [wagon] laden with bricks bricks. Mr R Shead, one of the occupants of the car, alight alighted and ran forward to hold the horse whilst the ca car passed. No sooner did it approach than the horse again became restive, and knocked down Mr Shead who had the misfortune to be run over by one of the wheels of the rolley.
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Raililw ilwa wayy accidents made for good illustrations in the newspapers
Sarah Doig offers a professional family, house & local history research service. For more information visit www.ancestral-heritage.co.uk
Home & Garden
The Next Generation of Window Has Arrived
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We offer a simple low cost solution to your storage needs. Our new steel containers with thick plywood floors and high quality door seals ensure that your goods come out in the same condition they went in. We are conveniently situated on the A143 in Wortham just minutes from Diss.
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WIN
TICKETS TO NEWMARKET NIGHTS! 16 tickets in total to four concerts this summer at Newmarket Races to giveaway Win TWO
Win TWO
The Corrs
Will Young
Set to be the first act of the summer, The Corrs will be bringing chart hits from the last 20 years to the stage, such as Runaway, Breathless and What Can I Do? The siblings return from a 10-year hiatus, having sold over 30 million albums worldwide, with a brand new album, a sold-out arena tour and a live performance here at Newmarket Racecourse.
In 2015, Will Young’s sixth studio album, 85% Proof, became his fourth number one album. He’ll be bringing songs from the album to the stage this summer, as well as his debut single – one of the bestselling UK singles of all time – Evergreen.
Friday 17 June 2016
pairs of tickets Tears For Fears
Friday 22 July 2016
Friday 29 July 2016
It’s the reunion they said could never happen - even the members themselves admitted it. But Busted are back and the original trio will be touring this summer for the first time in 12 years. Matt, James and Charlie will be playing all their greatest hits together live including: What I go to School for, Crashed the Wedding, Air Hostess and Year 3000.
Leading the “Second British Invasion” of pop music in the mid-eighties, Tears for Fears tasted mass success with hit singles including Change, Pale Shelter, Mad World, Everybody wants to Rule the World and Shout – all of which they will be playing to the Newmarket crowd this summer.
To be in with a chance of winning one of eight pairs of tickets to Newmarket Nights, simply email your name, address and daytime contact number with the artist you would like to see as the email subject to [email protected] THE CORRS, WILL YOUNG, BUSTED, TEARS FOR FEARS
www.newmarket.thejockeyclub.co.uk
Readers may enter the competition for more than one artist but must send emails separately, otherwise entry will be void. Competition closes 31 May 2016. Usual Village People rules apply
Home & Garden
Sales SELL YOUR HOME FOR A FIXED FEE OF
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We offer a rent guarantee scheme that is accepted on any type of tenancy from as little as £10.00 per month. We offer enhanced referencing including a ‘right to rent’ reference We offer professional inventories including checking of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors We will include your Energy performance certificates and professional photographs
Our promise to you We will contact you weekly on a mutually convenient day to discuss your property
We will not charge you any upfront fees
Viewing feedback given within 24 hours
We will go that extra mile to make sure we meet your expectations
We will return your calls and emails within 24 hours
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We will not tie you into a lengthy agreement
Offering over 35 years of experience, why not give us a call or pop in to our office for a coffee and a chat with August and Sam.
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Home & Garden Oil Tanks Supplied and installed Pipe Work Gauges Fuel Pumps Spares 24 hour call out
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• fully insuReD • 7 Day seRvice
Call 01953 605553 www.johnryder.co.uk
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3 White Horse Street, Wymondham, Norfolk NR18 0BJ
Chestnut House, 12 Progress Way, Langton Green, Eye, Suffolk, IP32 7HU And 31 Redenhall Road, Harleston, IP20 9HL
CHARTERED CERTIFIED ACCOUNTANTS Newman & Co Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors have been serving local businesses and individuals in East Anglia for over 20 years. We offer a range of services to suit our clients’ individual needs that include: * Tax returns advice and planning * Preparation of annual accounts
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please contact us to arrange a free initial consultation.
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67
Lilac balloon midi skirt New Look £24.99
Skirting Around
Let those legs see the light of day again in this fabulous collection of skirts and dresses esses
Camel skirt River Island £28
Stonewear Reversible skirt White Stuff £47.50
Patterned dress with black belt TK Maxx £29.99
Shell pink mesh stripe midi skirt New Look £24.99
Competitive price in a multitude of colours
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Completely bespoke, totally Quayside
For our brochure or further info contact
Quayside Conservatories - specialist manufacturers of high quality hardwood conservatories, orangeries, lantern roofs, garden rooms, windows and doors
www.quayside-conservatories.co.uk
01502 714512 or visit our website
Leaf print linen skirt M&Co £29
Dress seven Phase Eight £275
Space dye skirt F&F at Tesco £14
Button front skirt Laura Ashley £60
Kimball sleeveless creep shirt dress Primark £13
M&S Collection denim dress Marks & Spencer £39.50
N N Smart/casual, Footwear, Accessories
New stock arriving now Stockists of Ultimate Formal Hire for that forthcoming wedding Mon - Fri 9.30 - 5 and Sat 9.30 - 4
25 St Nicholas St, Diss
01379 652575
opening Hours Mon-Fri: 9am to 5pm sat: 9am to 12 noon
Ironing • Dry Cleaning Laundry • Alterations Repairs
Ironed 4 U, 28 Victoria Road, Diss, Norfolk IP22 4HW phone: 01379 643291 email: [email protected]
itchen sense co itchen sense co
J L Roofing
digital and litho BUSINESS CARDS FLYER CARDS LEAFLETS POSTERS LETTERHEADS COMPLIMENT SLIPS
NCR (carbonless) BROCHURES BOOKLETS SMALL MAGAZINES LAMINATION/ BINDING
The Primrose Press TIVETSHALL ST. MARY Proprietor: Paul Playford
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[email protected]
70
Flat Roofing Specialist CALL VE JAMIE LOREE FOR A F ION QUOTAT All work guaranteed and fully insured
TILED ROOFS SLATE ROOFS FLAT ROOFS
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Home & Garden
D E VE WID LO ION T NA
BEAUTIFUL GARDEN STUDIOS, MADE IN SUFFOLK Stylish, spacious and strong the Ultra provides the perfect office or retreat, all year round. Three beautiful ranges of garden office, available in seven sizes and loved nationwide. For our brochure or to arrange your free, no obligation survey contact us on 0800 242 5559 or visit our website www.smartgardenoffices.co.uk
W&M SMITH
For all those special occasions in your life...
Computer problems? Solutions for home & business • New PC & Laptops • Reconditioned laptops • Inks toners & consumables • Cables, Accessories and Peripherals
• Cases & accessories • Tablet & PC repairs • Home repair service • Upgrade service • Software health check • Virus, Spyware & Malware removal
Visit our showroom for your floral artistry and craft needs. Pightle Barn, Blacksmiths Lane, Middlewood Green Stowmarket IP14 5EU Open Monday & Thursday 10am -7pm; Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 10am - 5pm Also selected Saturdays and Sundays 10am - 4pm (please call)
Tel: 01449 711014 Fax: 01449 711815 [email protected]
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New Dereham Store NOW OPEN 7 Market Street, Wymondham, NR18 0AJ 53 Market Place, Swaffham, PE37 7LE 9 Market Place, Downham Mkt, PE38 9DG 11 Nelson Place, Dereham, NR19 1EA
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Y E A R S
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Home & Garden
EYE’S GEMS
We’re a small family-led business making our own delicious chocolates and light lunches, and selling great gifts and beautiful greetings cards in the pretty market town of Eye, Suffolk… Our Chocolatier Helen Fraser launched Cocoa Mama, The Dove Valley Chocolate Co., in Eye, Suffolk back in 2010, when she retired from the hectic world of journalism. She worked tirelessly developing recipes and designs for each chocolate, creating flavours requested by customers she met at farmers’ markets. Later we began selling the chocolates in our gift shop, The Tilting Sky. Today we also sell our chocolates at The Chocolate Café in Eye, alongside delicious cakes, light lunches and artisan coffees. We run private chocolate workshops and parties, and supply corporate orders for Chocolate Gifts and Hampers. Look on our websites or Facebook (‘The Tilting Sky Gift Shop’ and ‘Cocoa Mama Chocolaterie’) for information about everything we do. The Tilting Sky 2a Lambseth Street, Eye, Suffolk 01379 871112 www.tiltingsky.co.uk
Cocoa Mama Chocolaterie 4 Broad Street, Eye, Suffolk 01379 870688 www.cocoamama.co.uk
Open Monday to Saturday, 9.00am to 5.00pm
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9.00am to 3.00pm
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Teacup embroidered cushion Matalan £10
Nadi table lamp BHS £60
Delicate & Dainty ty
If afternoon tea, candles and French fancies on pretty little cake stands are your thing, look no further…
Madagascan vanilla & rain and forest berries mini jar candles Primark £1 each
Heart wire cake stand Wilko £9
Paisley park cotton tea cosy & peg bag Dotcomgiftshop £6.95 each
Flower shell mirror HomeSense £29.99
Miranda Kerr “Joy” three-piece set Houseology £50
Daisy chair yellow Very £39
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Health & Beauty
Addocare Scole
Addocare Scole supports individuals in their own homes giving them the opportunity to live as independently as possible.
Addocare Scole has been organised, efficient, extremely competent, and have an excellent rapport with the service users who are placed within their care. There communication skills, both written and verbal, are excellent. In summary, I would highly recommend Addocare Scole for the position of domiciliary care providers.
NOW AVAILABLE Cleaning, Home & Garden Maintenance, DBS Checked Please visit our website for further information and testimonials
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Addocare Scole, Old Hall Farm Barn, Low Road, Scole, Diss, Norfolk IP21 4ES
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Health & Beauty BALANCE THE BOWEN WAY
Whether your body is out of balance through muscular, skeletal or emotional problems - The Bowen Technique has a good track record for the relief of back/shoulder pain, hip, sciatica, migraines, period pains, depression & many more.
Lucy Keil
Member of the British Association of Foot Health Professionals
Donna Rae Walls CBS BTPA Practicing Bowen since 2006
No used by many to athletes
01379 608807 / 07742051532 [email protected] www.donnasbowen.co.uk
customer parking by appointment only 28, Victoria Road, Diss Tel. 01379 640506 opp. Rose Lane junction Mob. 07828 146298 behind Ironed 4 U
www.footcarenorfolk.co.uk
Totally Thai Ladies, enjoy a relaxing massage from a local Thai lady trained in Bangkok
ÂŁ25
Treatments start from Appointments available with Joanne in East Harling Mon to Sat 10 am to 5 pm
01953 717740 07825 510639 [email protected]
Shape up, Amanda move well PILATES and feel good
New Dentures & Repair Service Denture assessment > Advice > Manufacture > Fitting
Pilates classes and Private Reformer or mat sessions in Diss and local area
www.amandapilates.com
Q&A HEALTH Easing acid ref lux Q:
I keep getting acid reflux. Is there anything you can suggest to ease it?
A:
Some of the most helpful ways of dealing with acid reflux are purely practical.
• Always sit down to eat but maintain good posture,
keeping your shoulders back and making sure you don’t hunch or slump. This allows your stomach (which is under your ribcage) room to deal with your food without having it pushed back up towards the esophagus.
• Chew your food really well and don’t drink within half an hour of eating, to avoid expanding the stomach contents.
• Eat your evening meal early so that you are not going to bed on a full stomach, and raise the head of the bed slightly to allow gravity to help your digestive system.
• Whilst you are getting into the swing of these good habits try a super-soothing product such as Silicol Gel (Bioforce) – drink just one tablespoon in a glass
of water half an hour before meals to cover the lining of the stomach and bind excess acid.
• Consider using a stress-relieving
herbal remedy such as calming Avena Sativa tincture, made from organic oats, suitable for both children and adults, and get in plenty of B Vitamins which aid overworked nervous systems – stress is another factor for acid reflux.
For more helpful information just ring the Natural Food Store, Exchange Street, Norwich on 01603 613228, visit www.shop-naturally.com or www.holistic-care.com
spr i n g is h er e! S EE T H E N EW S P R I N G C O LLECT I O N at c e c i l a m e y
N O RWI CH A T T LE B O R O U G H DEREHAM HALESWORTH H A R LE S T O N WAT T O N wroxham WYMONDHAM
Looking Good!
c ec i la m ey .c o.u k
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Former gambler turns the tables for others Norfolk journalist, Sandie Shirley, spotlights the inspiring stories of men and women from the region and beyond that have seen them reach for victory. For more stories visit: www.refreshingwaters.co.uk
J
ustyn Rees Larcombe was a city highflyer with a loving wife and family who had made his fortune. But the man who once had a glittering army career and was honoured by the Queen was a compulsive, secret gambler. He retold his story to a captive Norwich audience that included a host of civic and church dignitaries. His downward spiral cost him everything – including a staggering £750,000 – but his addiction went in an instance and restoration began when he returned to his boyhood faith, he told guests at an annual county town Christmas dinner. The man who had gambled daily during the height of a three-year addiction says: “From November 2012 I have never placed another bet or have been tempted to.” Now he helps others kick the habit that stole his life and his book, Tails I Lose, is a warning about the murky world that crippled him. Justyn returned to his boyhood home to live with his mother more than three years ago. He reached the end of the road when his wife and two small children left. He was drinking heavily, about to be evicted from his home and with no job or income, he toyed with ending his life. He had lied and borrowed from family and friends and used his company credit card to pay for his gambling. With mounting debts with 11 loan
companies there seemed no escape. “Finally my pride was gone and I got down on my knees and prayed a simple prayer for forgiveness. My gambling had placed a cloud between God and me but gradually my life began to recover and the debts were taken from my shoulders when I visited a debt counsellor who silenced my creditors and repaid the loan.”
Justyn Rees Larcombe
“I still do not know how I fell from having it all to having less than nothing,” says Justyn, recalling the beautiful house, smart car and prosperous job in the rising world of finance. “But I feel privileged that many of the important things are back: my family, self-respect and my values. Maybe I am better off than before because now I know that honesty, family, friendship and love is important.” Justyn had placed his first £5 bet on a tennis game when he was 40 years old. Before long he gambled large amounts in search of “a big win” to repay some of the credit card debt and was soon involved with online betting and online casinos. “I loved my wife and family completely, yet I was a terrible husband and father and robbed my wife of her dreams,” says Justyn, who gambled his wif savings that were earmarked for their wife’s new home and sold his wedding ring to feed his addiction. Just now leads recovery courses that are Justyn tur turning others from debt and addiction to new hope and faith by putting Jesus Christ at the centre of recovery. Now his family have returned, Justyn says: No “I am grateful for simple everyday pleasures like reading my boys a bedtime story and talk talking to my wife – a woman I once lost and ha no intention of losing again.” have Tails I Lose (Lion Hudson) For talks: [email protected]
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Health & Beauty
We have a long history of caring for the anxious patient and are now able to offer treatment using ‘The Wand’ (pain free injections) or intravenous sedation with our Consultant Anaesthetist in our safe caring environment. Please call our reception team to find out more or book a free initial consultation to discuss your concerns.
Saturday morning and evening appointments readily available
Tel: 01284 755631/2 Guildhall Dental, St Andrews St South, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3PH
Further information and opening times available at:
www.guildhalldental.com
COME AND TRY OUR FANTASTIC RANGE OF GREAT VALUE
SOFAS, CHAIRS & BEDS NORWICH 01603 633133 215 - 217 Queens Road, NR1 3AE
NORWICH 01603 787070
FIXED, RECLINER OR RISE/RECLINE SOFAS & CHAIRS FIXED & ADJUSTO-MATIC SINGLE & DOUBLE BEDS
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!
We have everything you need in three great stores at Norwich and Hales. For expert advice, good old-fashioned
19a Alston Road, Hellesdon Ind Est, NR6 5DS Photo for illustrative purposes only. Please call for full details.
service and unbeatable prices, come and see us!
HALES 01508 549900 Yarmouth Road, Hales, NR14 6SP
Open 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday. Ample FREE parking.
www.mobilitysuperstore.com WE ALSO SERVICE & REPAIR SCOOTERS, WHEELCHAIRS, BEDS & CHAIRS
A caring service from your independent mobility experts
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Health & Beauty
EACH gift in every Will makes a difference Contact Maddy Dodsworth on 01223 204913 Registered Charity No. 1069284
“The time leading up to the funeral was made bearable knowing that you were at the end of the telephone.” – from a family we have cared for at Rosedale
Victoria Rd, Diss High St, Attleborough Middleton St, Wymondham
01379 640810 01953 452538 01953 601103
www.rosedalefuneralhome.co.uk
We are a family business and promise to provide exceptional care and a truly personal 24 hour service, when you need it most.
DEBEN FOOT CARE HOME VISITS FOR ALL YOUR FOOT CARE NEEDS
AMY LOGAN
FOOT HEALTH PRACTITIONER MCFHP, MAFHP
fully certified in first aid [email protected]
5 MOORES CLOSE DEBENHAM SUFFOLK H) 01728 860898 (M) 07889 583408
Feel right at home
with Ritson Lodge Care Home
We offer a range of services to suit all care needs: Nursing • Residential • Dementia • Respite If you would like a tour of our home or need some friendly advice, call me on:
01502 734 000
Lowestoft Road, Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk, NR31 9AH • www.barchester.com
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Supporting Local Business GREAT RECOMMENDATIONS Village People READERS FROM YOUR AREA
REC
OMMEND Just a few recent comments from readers about some of the local businesses that are on offer in your area. With great recommendations like this in every issue, make sure Village People is your first thought when you need a local service.
Health & Beauty Massage
Relaxation Hydrotherm Therapeutic Deep Tissue Sports & Medical
Kinesiology Facials
Treatments booked quoting this ad will receive a 10% discount
Natural Facelift Massage Facials Using Organic Neal’s Yard Products
Phone Michele: 01379-676644
EYE FLOORING
Workmanship was first class and the whole experience was problem free even though we needed to have the floor fitted on different dates.
Mr & Mrs B, Eye
SIMPSONS MOTOR GROUP We have had five motorhomes from Simpsons and the service has always been first class. Always a warm welcome when you arrive.
Mr & Mrs C, Norwich
LARKINS FUEL MERCHANTS AND SALT 2 U
I wonder if I might recommend Mr Larkin (Larkins Fuel Merchants) for his excellent service yet again. He has just started to supply salt (blocks) and today in the pouring rain he delivered my wonderful logs and bulk water softener salt. He carried the 10 packs (each weighing 8 kilos) up to the garden shed at the bottom of a rather long garden with his usual good humour. It is supposed to stop raining this afternoon (it did!) why did he nor wait, because his customers were waiting. Good old fashioned putting the customer first!
Like our Magazine?
Mr & Mrs A White, South Norfol k
THE HEARING CARE CENTRE LTD
“Whatever did people with hearing problems do before The Hearing Care Centre appeared? I have never been anywhere to find so many kind and friendly people in one place.”
Mrs Abbott, Norfolk
Would you like to recommend a service which you found in Village People? If so, get in touch!
YOU CAN CALL US ON 01284 788623 OR EMAIL offi[email protected]
Please call our advertisers (they make it possible)
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Come and join us!
Socialise with like-minded people, make friends and enjoy a variety of activities oered, while receiving expert care at the Diss Day Centre.
Activities include: l
Contact our friendly team to ďŹ nd out more
0303 3000 217 (calls cost the same as to a UK landline) www.ageuknorfolk.org.uk
Age UK Norfolk is the operating name of Age Concern Norfolk, a Charitable Company limited by guarantee in England number 03783205. Registered charity number 1077097. IDN202 03/16
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Factory girls to day centre friends
W
hen Ann Young – a 94-year-old regular at the Diss Day Centre – was 18, she went to work in a munitions factory near her home town of Stoke-on-Trent. It was wartime Britain and Ann was yet to meet her future partner.
One day Ann was chatting with other girls in the factory when one of the managers came over to ask if she would like to write to his son Ken, who was serving overseas in the RAF. So she wrote, and he wrote back. It was wa to be some time before bef the two actually met, because Ken’s Ken leaves were we few and far between, but Ken must have made his mark as the couple were married and moved down to Southwick, in Sussex, in 1948. They had four children – three sons and a daughter – and they also adopted another daughter. Unfortunately Ken died eight years ago and, after a short stay in hospital the following year, Ann moved in with her daughter and son-in-law. The family moved to Norfolk five years ago, and Ann has been attending the Diss Day Centre for the last five months. Ann’s daughter, Mrs Uwins, said she had long been suggesting that her mother join a club. “I looked on the internet, and found the Diss Day Centre” said Mrs Uwins. “I am so pleased that I did,
because she has a good couple of days out with lovely staff looking after her.” A crafty regular Former nurse Jenny Stratton, who is 66 and lives at Roydon, found the Diss Day Centre via her social worker. She has been coming on Fridays for the last two years. Jenny, who comes to the centre on her own by taxi, is very much The Diss Day Centre opens on Tuesdays and Fridays, from 10am to 4pm, and the coordinator is Doreen Harrison. It provides a variety of comfortable environments from quiet spaces like the computer room or landscaped gardens, to more sociable areas like the restaurant, café or lounge. Facilities include: tea and coffee making facilities, a café (which serves two course lunches), hairdressing, manicures and pedicures, massages, reflexology, an information and advice room, a computer with
a creative person. She likes taking part in craftwork activities at the centre – knitting, crocheting ocheting and patchwork – but also brings in examples of her own work done at home. “The atmosphere is lovely and everyone is so friendly here,” she said. “We are so well looked after.” internet access, a treatment room and a sheltered courtyard garden. The centre also organises activities such as extend exercise classes and entertainers. There is wheelchair access. The lower age range is 50 and the centre is open to men and women, with dementia care offered. To find out more, please contact: Tel: 0303 3000 217 Email: customerservice@ ageuknorfolk.org.uk Visit: www.ageuknorfolk.org.uk
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Health & Beauty
Join our Team
“Providers of the finest community care in Suffolk” Covering: Suffolk and Norfolk border / Ipswich, Kesgrave & Rushmere / Central Woodbridge / Leiston / Saxmundham / Aldeburgh / Felixstowe / Sudbury / Bury St Edmunds e are leased to confir o r care provision service into the orfol ffol order area e are the leading ho ecare ro ider in ffol and for over years have assisted indi id als to li e inde endentl in their o n ho es
a le to ro ide the er ho ecare s ort
est in
e ha e the ost e tensi e e erience in recognising indi id al needs and eing
irector Loraine illia s asaitis rides her s ccess on eing do n to the fantastic ho ecarers that or hard to s ort eo le itho t o r tea of enth siastic hard or ing and co itted staff s ch s ccess o ld not ha e een ossi le
Accredited by the Care Quality Commision
Licensed by and providing services to Suffolk County Council
e are seeking staff to ork alongside o r tea leaders to assist in de elo ing o r carer ase in ales orth Lo estoft e e enha trad ro e ellis Fressingfield a le lha and all s rro nding illages are staff needed to ork ith ssistance ith orning ro tine rea fast re aration edication s er ision l nch re aration edti e ro tine care checks shopping and prescription collection light ho sehold d ties erience not essential t a ind caring nat re ost certainl is osition s ect to e cellent references and a satisfactor chec reat rates of pay / paid travel and ileage f ll training incl ding N Must drive and have access to a car
If you are interested call Naomi on 01473 655502
Deben 5, Three Rivers Business Centre, Felixstowe Road, Foxhall, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP10 0BF Tel: 01473 655502 Fax: 01473 659892 Email: [email protected] Website: www.angelsbyclassic.com
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PART 1
The Stowaway cat
Sam had a feline something wasn’t right... It was a peacefully quiet time in Weston; life went on swimmingly: people came and went, and no one answered back or expected special treatment. That was, until Sam Turner heard of an abandoned cat who needed a loving home -that’s when it all started.
M
illy was salvaged from a miserable life as a car-park pussy, after some heartless jerk moved out of a block of flats, leaving her to fend for herself. I had gone to see the little cat, which was being looked after by friends of mine for the time being. They lived in the block of flats and were feeding it temporarily until they found a home for the poor thing. I had lost my previous cat and was in need of another, and my friends assured me this one was a tom. “Oh good, I don’t want another female – they’re too clingy. You are sure it’s a boy, aren’t you?” I said over the phone. “Yes! He’s got little… well, you know whats… and everything,” my friend added unnecessarily. “So what did your neighbour call him?” I enquired, just to be absolutely sure. “Billy,” she said. Later that day I arrived at their flat with my trusty cat basket in hand, but one look at the little cat’s face told me instantly that she was a “she”. A quick glance at her rear-end confirmed the fact. Anyone who’s had as many cats as I have will understand you just get a feel for these things. As I squatted down, inspecting her, she leapt onto my shoulders as if I were a long lost friend. “Female,” I announced. “She hasn’t got any ’you know whats’. Sorry to be blunt – but these things tend to be fairly indicative of gender. I can’t have another girl, I’m sorry it’s a ‘no’.” The cat began purring and dribbling down the back of my neck; her little bag-of-bones body was shivering with anguish. She’d obviously been failing miserably at the fending for herself stuff and appeared more than pleased at the idea of coming home with me. “I’m sorry,” I said, wrenching her off and putting her to the ground. “I really do want a male cat this time:
they’re much more laid back and self-reliant… and no kittens.” I knew I had to leave quickly before either my friends or my conscience could persuade me otherwise. As they saw me out, my female friend said: “It is strange, you know, I’m sure the guy who owned her called her Billy.” “He did!” said her partner. “Over and over again, ‘Billy! Billy! Come here Billy!’ he would shout. Mind you, he did speak as if he had a cold in the nose.” As I walked back to my car trying to convince myself that I had done the right thing I noticed a fine drizzle beginning to fall. My windscreen wipers had their legs crossed during the journey, so I needed to do a bit of manual uncoupling which took a moment or two; mating windscreen wipers are not easily separated. Did I hope the cat might find me in the carpark and plead with my conscience further? She didn’t. Journeying home, I sighed loudly. “Billy indeed,” I thought to myself. I had to admit I was disappointed. Just then, my car started developing a new noise. I pulled over. Wheel bearings (£150)? Worn brake disks (£200)? Perhaps it was slack prop-shaft camshims (whatever they are). I eventually turned off the engine, but the thrumming noise continued from the back of the car. It was more of an animal noise. Part 2 continues in our next issue. Copyright Susan Lidster
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Hartismere Place care home
Eating as we age What’s planned?
James Clear, Hotel Services Manager from Care UK will give advice and guidance on healthy eating and hydration for older people. • Information and tips on healthy eating and hydration for the over 60s • Advice on supporting older people with special dietary needs such as swallowing difficulties or dementia • Our chef will prepare some sample dishes for everyone to enjoy • Take part in Care UK’s dining experience and see how we support older people to dine with dignity • Question and answer session • Meet our friendly team and have the opportunity to tour our home
Wednesday 18th May 2016, 2.30pm - 4.30pm pm For more information or to book your free place please call us on 01379 888035 or email [email protected] Hartismere Place Castleton Way, Eye IP23 7DD careuk.com/hartismere-place careuk.com/hartismere-club
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Free event
If care matters to you, join Hales. We are recruiting for Care Workers in your area NOW. Call 0800 124 4765 or text “Apply” to 86688
www.halescare.co.uk
o c er
01 07 0 e . son@ e te c er.co. www. e te c er.co.
K J ACCOUNTANCY A friendly and efficient service for the self-employed & small to medium business Bookkeeping ~ Accounts ~ VAT
PC or Mac Running Slow? Got A Virus? Need help?
For a friendly and professional IT service for PC & Apple Mac call Joe Richards at
Tel: 01953 718421 & 07928 326008 Email: [email protected] Website: www.bailiwickit.com
Payroll ~ CIS ~ Tax Returns Tel: 01379 890502/01284 763687 Mob: 07788 408916/07718 257517 Self Assessment always a headache? Don’t worry, give it to us and get on with running your business. We specifically support the smaller business in all accountancy and tax matters. For a free, no obligation initial meeting call us today
Contact Graham Cormack
T: 01953 630 004 E: [email protected] Exchange Street,Attleborough, NR17 2AB www.taxassist.co.uk/attleborough
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Architectural Technologist Nick Clarke mciat
• • • • • •
Partial or Complete Service Extensions & Alterations Conversions & New Build Work on Listed Buildings Eco-Friendly Design Outdoor Design
Tel.01379 642555
Business as usual – or is it?
M
any businesses operating in this country do not own the freehold to the premises they run their business from, but instead rent from a landlord under a Commercial Lease.
There are circumstances where a business may become well-established at leased premises over the years and wish to continue with their lease arrangement indefinitely. A law was passed in 1954 – the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (Part 2) – relating to business tenancies, which provided security of tenure for businesses wishing to continue occupying the premises after a current lease had expired. The 1954 Act was substantially amended in 2004 by, amongst other things, allowing the parties to a Commercial Lease to “contract out”, so that the tenant would not have security of tenure provided they used the correct procedure. One of the strengths of the 1954 Act for protecting business tenants is that, towards the end of the lease, they can apply for a new tenancy from the landlord by serving the appropriate notice within the statutory time limits.
This occurred in a recent Court of Appeal case of Hough v Greathall Limited. On appeal at the end of said trial, it was found that whilst the Landlord did not have the requisite “intention to demolish or reconstruct” at the time that it served its notice, the landlord could prove it had by detailed plans and estimates at the time of the trial – and that was the time to test the intention.
Paul Stev Stevens
For further information please contact Paul Stevens by email at
[email protected] or call
01379 643555 This article provides only a general summary and is not intended to be comprehensive. Specific legal advice should be taken in any individual situation.
A landlord is able to accept the grant of a new lease, subject to detailed terms and rent, or object on various grounds (including failure of the tenant to comply with the covenants in the lease). Court proceedings may be necessary to determine disputed issues. Another ground for a landlord opposing a new lease under the 1954 Act is that on termination of the current lease the landlord intends to demolish or reconstruct the premises. In such a case, the tenant does not have to accept such a notice from the landlord and can apply to a court to put the landlord’s intention to the test. • Accident Claims • Clinical Negligence • Commercial • Debt Recovery • Dispute Resolution • Employment
Harleston 01379 854455 Diss 01379 643555
www.jackamans.co.uk
• Family • Landlord and Tenant • Powers of Attorney • Property • Wills, Trusts & Probate
Our expert team of lawyers is here to help 89
Smart Money Secrets
Low-cost borrowing options to fund your home improvement projects By Andrew Hagger independent personal finance analyst from www.moneycomms.co.uk
W
ith better weather just around the corner, it’s that time of year when many of us aim to get those home improvement jobs and DIY projects underway.
loan rate is a whopping 16% APR, with some high banks charging as much as 29.9% APR, so you can see that it makes sense to shop around to avoid being ripped off.
Few of us are fortunate enough to have sufficient cash in the bank to pay for that kitchen makeover, revamp of the bathroom, or landscaping in the garden, so picking the right finance is important if you’re looking to keep the costs in check.
If you’re comfortable that you can afford to repay what you borrow within the next two years, it’s worth considering a credit card offering 0% interest on your purchases.
It’s important to do your homework before signing the dotted line for a loan or credit card as making the wrong choice can end up costing you a lot more than it ought to. There are plenty of options when it comes to borrowing the money you need, but don’t fall into the trap of assuming that taking a loan from your own high street bank is best the way to go. If you’re looking to borrow £7,500 or more then, yes, the banks are keen for your business and are offering some very tempting deals at the moment; at time of writing, M&S Bank is offering 3.3% APR, one of the cheapest interest rates ever seen for unsecured borrowing. However, if you only need £2,000 or £3,000 towards the cost of your home improvements, this is where the banks are much more expensive. If you wanted to borrow £3,000, the average personal
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The best-buy interest-free credit cards from Post Office Money and Sainsbury’s Bank are worth a look, giving you 27 months and 25 months respectively to repay your borrowing without charging you a single penny in interest – as long as you make the repayments on time. If you’re not sure you can manage to repay within that sort of timescale, but still want a very affordable option, another smart choice is the Everyday Plus credit card from MBNA. This credit card charges a very competitive 7.4% APR and, unlike the vast majority of credit cards, it enables you to transfer money into your bank account without a transfer fee. So while you’re on the lookout for those new kitchen appliances or getting a quote to give the bathroom a makeover, don’t forget to check out the specialist personal finance websites too. Try www.moneynet.co.uk and www.money.co.uk to point you in the right direction for the latest low-cost credit card and personal loan options.
Make the most of your retirement We are all living longer and planning to do more with our free time, but a changing economic climate and pension provisions mean many people don’t often have the money to realise their retirement dreams. Equity release allows you to release tax-free cash from your home to boost your finances in later life and it is beginning to play an important role for homeowners aged 55 and over. The most important factors for people seeking advice about equity release tend to be:
• Ensuring a “no negative equity guarantee” is available to safeguard the homeowner’s beneficiaries.
• Ensuring no monthly payments need to be made, as interest is rolled up on a lifetime mortgage. If a Home Reversion plan is more suitable, the homeowner would sell a proportion of their property and remain in their home for life with no roll-up of interest on the percentage of the value retained.
With thanks to Michael Boon, member of the Equity Release Council
• Being able to remain in the home for as long as the homeowner wishes.
• Having the right to sell the home at any time
either to down-size or move into alternative accommodation. In this case, the amount owed is repaid with any balance transferred to the homeowner’s bank account.
• Making sure money borrowed is at a fixed-rate
of interest for life, is tax-free, and can be used for any purpose.
Make t e
Before making any decisions, seek independent professional advice from a person qualified and approved by the FCA. (Check www.fca.org.uk/register or telephone 0800 111 6768.) For further information on making the most of your retirement with equity release, call Michael on 01508 483983 or visit his website: www.businessmattersifa.co.uk.
ost of your retire ent
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STOP PRESS very limited space left in the
LOCAL DIRECTORY ACCOUNTANTS TaxAssist 88 KJ Accountancy 88 Newman & Co 67 Anthony James Brice 31 Stewart, Boreham & Co 67 ANIMAL SERVICES Swallow Aquatics 95 Norfolk Dog Training 56 Smylee Pets 56 Uplands Way Vets 57 Trophy Pet Foods 59 ARCHITECTURE Andrew P R Love 36 Keith Day Architects 88 Nick Clarke 88 ARTS, CRAFTS & ANTIQUES Susan’s Work-Basket 70 BATHROOMS AHM Bathing 61 Supreme Bathroom & Kitchen Ctr 70 nbk 47 BEDS Diss Bed Ctr & Furniture Warehouse 72 Sound Sleep Ltd 4 BUILDER MERCHANTS Specialist Building Supplies Ltd 42 CARS, CARAVANS & GARAGES Carrs Of Bury St Edmunds 52 Simpsons Motor Group 53 CARE & MOBILITY Saffron Housing Contact Care 76 Mobility Superstore Ltd 79 Ritson Lodge Care Home 80 Culrose Residential Care Home 81 Addocare Scole 75 Angels By Classic 84 Care UK Hartismere Place 86 CARPETS & FLOORING Eye Flooring 3 John Doe of Diss 96 CHIMNEY SWEEPS Anglia Chimney Sweeps 44 CLEANING Ticketyboo Cleaning Services 46 Spring Clean Home Help 65 COMPUTERS, WEB DESIGN & BUSINESS Philippa Green Web Design 56
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Village wanderings
2 A footbridge now crosses the River Tas, linking Venta Icenorum Roman Town with land acquired by the Norfolk Archaeological Trust in 2011. Known as Dunston Field, the additional 22 hectares has been turned into a wildflower and hay meadow for all to enjoy.
Stoke Holy Cross
This walk was instigated by an email from the Stoke Holy Cross footpath warden who was keen to promote the footpaths in his parish. We were equally keen to explore! The new footbridge over the River Tas at Marksha Caistor St Edmund is a welcome addition to the ll Far m Rd network of permissive paths in the area.
R IVE
Watering Farm
Stoke Holy Cross
5 Stoke Mill stands on the River Tas. Colman’s began producing their famous mustard here in the early 1800s. It is now a popular, long-established restaurant. 4 ‘Salamanca Farm’ is named after a Spanish battle by a former landowner who fought with Wellington in Spain.
Flowering in early spring, Celandine thrives in shady, damp places.
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Bright sunshine and shadows raced across the fields while corvids and wood pigeons were scattered by high winds on the mild February day that we walked. Our minds imagining Roman legions and other histories embedded in this part of the River Tas valley. Walked, written and designed by Kevin Parker ([email protected]) and Kaarin Wall ([email protected]) © 2016.
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At Somnus it takes a huge amount to create our exclusive beds. Uncompromising attention to detail. The highest standards of craftsmanship. Our unique Sensa iP Intelligent Pocket Springs that gently respond to the shape of your body. We even rear sheep on our farm to provide fine British wool for supreme comfort. With 30 different experiences to try, John Doe are the largest stockists of Somnus Beds in the country.
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Chemistry - which of the halogens has the lowest atomic number? | What are the Halogens in the Periodic Table? - Quora
Quora
Daniel James Berger , PhD in organic chemistry
The elements in Group 17 of the periodic table ( The Old fashioned name for Group 17 is Group VII ) are known collectively as The Halogens.
They are the elements Fluorine, ( atomic number 9 ), Chlorine, ( atomic number 17 ), Bromine ( atomic number 35 ), Iodine ( atomic number 53 ), Astatine ( atomic number 85 ), and a newly discovered element not yet given a name, that has an atomic number of 117, ( Discovered in 2010).
However both Astatine and Element No. 117 are too radioactive to be made in quantities that can be weighed. They are man made elements that have very short half lives; so decay into other elements before one has the chance to make any of their compounds. So in most laboratories Halogen chemistry is essentially about the study of Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine & Iodine.
The word Halogen was coined in 1842 by the Swedish Chemist Berzelius ( 1779 - 1848 ). It is a made up Swedish word which literally means "Salt producer" in Swedish. A name in keeping with the reactive nature of these elements. Lots of Halogen salts are known. Eg. Sodium chloride. Potassium fluoride. Sodium Bromide.
These elements are all members of the same group, because all of their atoms have the same number of electrons in their outermost shell or orbit. Group 17 elements all have 7 electrons in their outermost orbit.
The Periodic Table highlighting Group 17.
Fluorine
As mentioned previously fluorine has an atomic number of 9. This means that an atom of fluorine will have in addition to 9 protons in the nucleus of its atom, it will have a total of 9 electrons orbiting its nucleus. An individual proton always has a charge of +1 and an individual electron always has a charge of -1.
We have 9 protons in an atom of fluorine each having a charge of +1, plus 9 electrons in that same atom orbiting the nucleus of that atom.
( +1 X 9 ) + (-1 X 9 ) = 0.
So the atom is electrically neutral.
This is true for all neutral atoms of fluorine.
The 9 electrons are arranged in 2 shells or orbit. 2 of the 9 electrons orbit in the 1st shell or orbit. The remaining 7 electrons orbit in a larger shell.
The 7 electrons in the outermost orbit of all Halogens are the electrons that participate in chemical reactions. During chemical reactions the number of electrons in the outermost orbit can go up or down. Up to a max of 8, and down to 0 ( in theory ). Compare with Na+1 or with Li+1
Written Feb 7, 2016
The halogens are the family of chemical elements that includes fluorine (atomic symbol F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and astatine (At). The halogens make up Group VIIA of the Periodic Table of the elements. Elemental halogens are diatomic molecules. However, due to their high reactivity, the halogens are never found in nature in native form. The family name means "salt-forming," from the Greek for salt, "hals", and for generating "genes". The salinity of the oceans on Earth is due in large part to such halogen salts (halides) as sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium iodide (KI).
Halogens display physical and chemical properties typical of nonmetals. They have relatively low melting and boiling points that increase steadily down the group. Near room temperature, the halogens span all of the physical states: Fluorine and chlorine are gases, bromine is a liquid, and iodine is a solid. All of the elements are colored, with the color becoming more intense moving down the group. Fluorine gas is pale yellow, and chlorine gas is a yellowish green. Liquid bromine and its vapors are brownish red. Solid iodine appears as shiny, dark gray crystals, and the vapors are a deep purple. The halogens are poor thermal and electrical conductors in all phases, and as solids they are brittle and crumbly. The halogens have distinctive, unpleasant odors, will burn exposed flesh, and are toxic.
The neutral atoms of the halogens possess seven outer electrons. An additional electron can be added to halogen atoms to form singly charged negative ions. These ions have a closed outer-shell configuration. Electronegativity is a measure of the ability of an atom of one element to remove an electron from an atom of another element. As a group, the halogens are among the most electronegative elements. Fluorine has the highest electronegativity of all the elements. Halogens are so reactive that all the elements except helium and neon have been found to react with at least one of the halogens. Fluorine is always assigned a formal oxidation number of –1, whereas the other halogens can exhibit a range of oxidation numbers
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Lady Day or, more properly, the Feast of the Anunciation of the Blessed Virgin, is celebrated on the 25th of which month? | halogen element | Facts, Definition, Properties, & Uses | Britannica.com
Halogen element
Alternative Titles: Group 17 element, Group VIIa element
Related Topics
iodine (I)
Halogen element, any of the six nonmetallic elements that constitute Group 17 (Group VIIa) of the periodic table. The halogen elements are fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), astatine (At), and tennessine (Ts). They were given the name halogen, from the Greek roots hal- (“salt”) and -gen (“to produce”), because they all produce sodium salts of similar properties, of which sodium chloride—table salt , or halite —is best known.
Modern version of the periodic table of the elements.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Because of their great reactivity, the free halogen elements are not found in nature. In combined form, fluorine is the most abundant of the halogens in Earth’s crust. The percentages of the halogens in the igneous rocks of Earth’s crust are 0.06 fluorine, 0.031 chlorine, 0.00016 bromine, and 0.00003 iodine. Astatine and tennessine do not occur in nature, because they consist of only short-lived radioactive isotopes .
The halogen elements show great resemblances to one another in their general chemical behaviour and in the properties of their compounds with other elements. There is, however, a progressive change in properties from fluorine through chlorine, bromine, and iodine to astatine—the difference between two successive elements being most pronounced with fluorine and chlorine. Fluorine is the most reactive of the halogens and, in fact, of all elements, and it has certain other properties that set it apart from the other halogens.
Chlorine is the best known of the halogen elements. The free element is widely used as a water-purification agent, and it is employed in a number of chemical processes. Sodium chloride, of course, is one of the most familiar chemical compounds. Fluorides are known chiefly for their addition to public water supplies to prevent tooth decay , but organic fluorides are also used as refrigerants and lubricants. Iodine is most familiar as an antiseptic , and bromine is used chiefly to prepare bromine compounds that are used in flame retardants and as general pesticides . In the past ethylene dibromide was extensively used as an additive in leaded gasoline .
Oxidation
cobalt (Co)
Probably the most important generalization that can be made about the halogen elements is that they are all oxidizing agents ; i.e., they raise the oxidation state, or oxidation number , of other elements—a property that used to be equated with combination with oxygen but that is now interpreted in terms of transfer of electrons from one atom to another. In oxidizing another element, a halogen is itself reduced; i.e., the oxidation number 0 of the free element is reduced to −1. The halogens can combine with other elements to form compounds known as halides —namely, fluorides , chlorides , bromides , iodides , and astatides. Many of the halides may be considered to be salts of the respective hydrogen halides , which are colourless gases at room temperature and atmospheric pressure and (except for hydrogen fluoride) form strong acids in aqueous solution. Indeed, the general term salt is derived from rock salt , or table salt (sodium chloride). The tendency of the halogen elements to form saltlike (i.e., highly ionic) compounds increases in the following order: astatine < iodine < bromine < chlorine < fluorine . Fluorides are usually more stable than the corresponding chlorides, bromides, or iodides. (Often astatine is omitted from general discussions of the halogens because less is known about it than about the other elements.)
Ionic bond
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The oxidizing strength of the halogens increases in the same order—i.e., from astatine to fluorine. Therefore, of the halogen elements, elemental fluorine is prepared with the greatest difficulty and iodine with the least. As a class, the halogen elements are nonmetals, but astatine shows certain properties resembling those of the metals.
Electronic structure
Periodic Table of the Elements
The chemical behaviour of the halogen elements can be discussed most conveniently in terms of their position in the periodic table of the elements. In the periodic table the halogens make up Group 17 (according to the numbering system adopted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry), the group immediately preceding the noble gases. The halogen atoms carry seven valence electrons in their outermost electron shell . These seven outermost electrons are in two different kinds of orbitals , designated s (with two electrons) and p (with five). Potentially, a halogen atom could hold one more electron (in a p orbital), which would give the resulting halide ion the same arrangement (configuration) as that of the noble gas next to it in the periodic table. These electron configurations are exceptionally stable. This pronounced tendency of the halogens to acquire an additional electron renders them strong oxidizers.
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At room temperature and atmospheric pressure the halogen elements in their free states exist as diatomic molecules . In molecular fluorine (F2) the atoms are held together by a bond made from the union of a p orbital from each atom, with such a bond being classed as a sigma bond . It should be mentioned that the dissociation energy for fluorine (the energy necessary to break the F−F bond) is over 30 percent smaller than that of chlorine but is similar to that of iodine (I2). The weakness of the F−F single bond compared with chlorine can be ascribed to the small size of fluorine resulting in a decreased overlap of bonding orbitals and an increased repulsion of the nonbonding orbitals. In iodine, however, the p orbitals are more diffuse, which means the bond becomes weaker than in chlorine or bromine.
Relative reactivity
The great reactivity of fluorine largely stems from the relatively low dissociation energy, a standard measure for bond energies, of the F−F bond (37.7 kilocalories per mole) and its ability to form stable strong bonds with essentially all the other elements.
Fluorine (F2) and chlorine (Cl2) are gases at room temperature. Bromine (Br2) is a reddish-brown liquid at room temperature and is—apart from mercury —the only element that is liquid at 20 °C (68 °F) and atmospheric pressure. Iodine (I2) forms dark violet crystals under these conditions. In the solid state the halogen elements form molecular lattices, and the sublimation energies rise with increasing size of the molecules.
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The energy released in the formation of an ion from a free atom and an electron (brought up from an infinite distance) is called the electron affinity . The electron affinities for the halogen atoms all are high and show only slight differences from one another. It is known, however, that the oxidizing properties (ability to take up an electron by formation of a bond with another atom) increase from astatine to fluorine. This increase can be attributed to the low dissociation energy and the high electron affinity of fluorine combined with the strength of the resulting fluorine-hetero atom bond, resulting in a large heat of reaction. While the fluoride ion exhibits no reducing properties, the iodide ion is a mild reducing agent.
Within a molecule in which atoms are held together by a shared electron pair (i.e., by a covalent or nonionic bond), the tendency of an atom to attract the shared electrons may be expressed by an electronegativity value. According to American chemist Linus Pauling , “Electronegativity is the power of an atom in a molecule to attract electrons to itself.” Fluorine possesses the highest electronegativity of all elements, and there is a decrease in electronegativity within the family of the halogen elements from fluorine through chlorine, bromine, and iodine to astatine.
Fluorine replaces any other halide ion from its compounds, as shown in the following equations. Chlorine, however, replaces only bromide, iodide, and astatide ions, and bromine only iodide and astatide ions. Free fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine are expected to replace astatide ions.
The halogen elements all form compounds with hydrogen , the hydrogen halides . The energy of the hydrogen-halogen bond increases strongly from iodide to fluoride. Hydrogen fluoride in the crystalline state consists of infinite zigzag chains, as shown in the diagram,
in which H represents the hydrogen atoms and (as before) F the fluorine atoms; the solid lines represent covalent bonds between the hydrogen and fluorine atoms within the molecules, and the dotted lines represent secondary bonds, called hydrogen bonds . The hydrogen bonds between hydrogen fluoride molecules are considerably weaker (7 kilocalories per mole) than those within the molecules (135 kilocalories per mole), yet they are retained to a great extent in the liquid state. Similar hydrogen bonding exists in the other hydrogen halides, but it is considerably weaker. The large difference in hydrogen bonding between hydrogen fluoride and the other hydrogen halides accounts for the relatively high melting and boiling points of hydrogen fluoride as compared with those of hydrogen chloride and the other hydrogen halides. The hydrogen-halogen bond energies also decrease considerably in going from hydrogen fluoride to hydrogen iodide.
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The ionization energies of the halogens are generally high, but they fall markedly with increasing atomic number . Fluorine is the only halogen that does not form compounds with positive oxidation states—i.e., states in which it has lost, rather than gained, electrons. This property is related to fluorine’s having the highest electronegativity of all elements; i.e., it does not give up its electrons to other elements.
All halogens possess the oxidation state 0 in their diatomic forms. Fluorine exhibits the oxidation states of −1 (F− ion) and +1 (hypofluorous acid). The principal oxidation states of chlorine, bromine, and iodine are −1, +1, +3, +5, and +7. The oxyacids are compounds in which halogen atoms are joined to oxygen atoms. The oxyacids are all powerful oxidizing agents, which can be reduced to the corresponding hydrogen halides—the oxidation numbers changing from positive to −1 in the process. The oxidizing strength of the oxyanions increases with increasing oxidation number of the halogen atom.
All the molecules and ions in which halogen atoms possess four valence electron pairs are tetrahedral, as, for example, in the perchlorate ion (ClO4)−. Those employing five valence electron pairs, such as chlorine trifluoride (ClF3), have structures derived from a trigonal bipyramidal arrangement of electron pairs. However, since electron lone pairs (i.e., electron pairs that do not bond atoms together) are not located by techniques that analyze structure, only the positions of the fluorine atoms (attached to bonding pairs) are seen. Thus, ClF3 has a T shape resulting from the placement of fluorine atoms at both axial and at one equatorial position of the trigonal bipyramid, with lone electron pairs in the remaining two equatorial positions. Molecules with six valence electron pairs have structures derived from octahedral geometry for the electron pairs; e.g., iodine pentafluoride (IF5) has a square pyramidal structure resulting from the bonding of fluorine atoms by five of the six octahedral electron pairs. The unique binary compound iodine heptafluoride (IF7) has a pentagonal bipyramidal arrangement of fluorine atoms.
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Which common British mammal has the scientific name Erinaceous Europaeus? | Geographic Range [top]
Range Description:
Erinaceus europaeus is endemic to Europe (including European Russia), with a distribution extending from the British Isles and the Iberian peninsula, westwards through much of western to central Europe; and from southern Fennoscandia, and the northern Baltic to north-west Russia. It is present on the Azores and a number of Mediterranean islands, but is absent from south-east Europe and southern Russia. It is typically found at altitudes of up to 600 m, although it can reach 1,500-2,000 m in the Alps (Lapini 1999).
Countries occurrence:
Native:
Austria; Belgium; Croatia; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Ireland; Italy; Latvia; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Russian Federation; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; United Kingdom
Additional data:
Bibliography [top]
Huijser, M.P. 1999. Human impact on populations of hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus through traffic and changes in the landscape: a review. Lutra 42:39-56.
IUCN. 2016. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2016-3. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org . (Accessed: 07 December 2016).
Lapini, L. 1999. Erinaceus europaeus. In: A.J. Mitchell-Jones, G. Amori, W. Bogdanowicz, B. Kryštufek, P.J.H. Reijnders, F. Spitzenberger, M. Stubbe, J.B.M. Thissen, V. Vohralík, and J. Zima (eds), The Atlas of European Mammals. Academic Press, London.
Pacifici, M., Santini, L., Di Marco, M., Baisero, D., Francucci, L., Grottolo Marasini, G., Visconti, P. and Rondinini, C. 2013. Generation length for mammals. Nature Conservation 5: 87–94.
Verkem, S., De Maeseneer, J., Vandenddriessche, B., Verbeylen, G. and Yskout, S. 2003. Zoogdieren in Vlaanderen. Ecologie en verspreiding van 1987 tot 2002. Natuurpunt Studie & JNM-Zoogdierenwerkgroep, Mechelen & Gent, België..
Citation:
Amori, G. 2016. Erinaceus europaeus. In: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T29650A2791303. . Downloaded on 19 January 2017.
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Sri Lanka has two official languages - Sinhala or Singhalese is one, what is the other? | ADW: Erinaceus europaeus: INFORMATION
References
Geographic Range
Erinaceus europaeus (European hedgehog) is commonly found across Europe and into central Asia. Native to this region, it can be found from the Archipelago of the Azores and as far east as Khazakstan. It is commonly seen in northern Europe, as far as Scandinavia. While it is generally not found south of the Mediterranean Sea, it has been seen in Lebanon. Erinaceus europaeus is also found in New Zealand, where they were introduced in the late 1800s. ( Bogdanov, et al., 2009 ; Brockie, 1959 ; Mathias, et al., 1998 ; "Division of Mammals Collections: Search "Erinaceus europaeus"", 2011 )
Biogeographic Regions
0.00 to 7874.02 ft
Physical Description
The European hedgehog is a small, round animal with short legs that raise it about 1 inch above the ground. It is plantigrade and has 5 well developed pads and claws on each foot. The first and fifth toes are smaller and weaker than the second, third, and fourth toes. Its coat is white and brown and consists of 3/4 to 1 inch spines, arranged in a radiating pattern, that cover all but its cheeks, throat, stomach, and limbs. Areas not covered in spines are covered in a coarse hair that is yellow-brown in color, though white hedgehogs have been seen. It has an elongated, conical head and snout, a small braincase, a short neck and tail, and well developed eyes and ears. The length of its body ranges from 135 to 265 mm, and males are usually slightly larger than females. The tail is about 20 mm long. ( Burton, 1969 ; Forrest, 1899 ; Gordon, 1904 ; Johnston, 1903 ; Kindahl, 1959 ; Lawrence and Brown, 1973 ; Rondinini, 2007 ; Southern, 1964 ; Step, 1921 ; Walker, 1968 )
The spines covering the European hedgehog's body have white tips and bases and are covered with alternating brown and black bands. They are hollow and have longitudinal grooves, which decrease their weight. Spines are made of keratin and are attached to the skin in a similar way to hair . Each spine grows from a follicle in the skin that is attached to a small muscle ( arrector pili ) that is used for piloerection. When a hedgehog rolls into a ball, all of the spines can be erected simultaneously, which is made possible by the panniculus carnosis, a sheet of muscle that covers its back. An adult hedgehog usually has around 5,000 spines covering its body. ( Burton, 1969 ; Forrest, 1899 ; Gordon, 1904 ; Johnston, 1903 ; Kindahl, 1959 ; Lawrence and Brown, 1973 ; Rondinini, 2007 ; Southern, 1964 ; Step, 1921 ; Walker, 1968 )
Erinaceus europaeus has lacteal and permanent teeth. The permanent dentition features widely space upper incisors such that the lower incisors fit between them. The dental formula for E. europaeus is 3/2, 1/1, 2/3, 3/3. ( Burton, 1969 ; Forrest, 1899 ; Gordon, 1904 ; Johnston, 1903 ; Kindahl, 1959 ; Lawrence and Brown, 1973 ; Rondinini, 2007 ; Southern, 1964 ; Step, 1921 ; Walker, 1968 )
Other Physical Features
AnAge
Reproduction
European hedgehogs are solitary and non-territorial. They begin the mating process when a male encounters a female, at which time the male encircles the female while she lowers her head and makes a variety snorts, grunts, and hisses. If the male is successful in courting the female, he attempts to mount her several times. After numerous copulations, the male leaves the female, and does not provide any parental care to his offspring. He continues to roam alone and attempts to mate with other females until he begins preparing for hibernation. Males and females have multiple mates each season. ( Burton, 1969 ; Hof and Bright, 2010 ; Rondinini, 2007 ; Southern, 1964 ; Walker, 1968 )
Mating System
polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Erinaceus europaeus begins mating in late spring (April or May) when the the animal emerges from hibernation. Males, which emerge 3 to 4 weeks before females, expand their home range during mating season to increase chances of finding a mate. When a male finds a mate, he circles her while she lowers her nose and becomes audibly defensive. The male may circle for several hours, making several attempts to mount. If the female continually rejects the male, he eventually leaves to find a receptive female. If she accepts him, she flattens her spines and lowers herself to the ground, which gives the male better access. To copulate, a male climbs onto a female's back and uses his teeth to hold onto her shoulder. Gestation last for about 35 days. Females give birth to four to six offspring per litter, and often have two litters per year. The second litter, which is born later in the year, has a reduced chance of surviving winter. New borns are about 3 inches long and weigh 0.3 to 0.9 oz. At birth, E. europaeus does not appear to have spines, which are concealed beneath their fluid filled skin. 24 hours after birth, the fluid is absorbed and the spines are revealed, and, 2 to 3 days later, the young’s musculature is developed enough to allow it to hold the spines erect. These white adolescent spines are replaced by darker spines after about 1.5 days. Pigmented adult spines replace the first two coats after about 2 to 3 weeks, at which time young begin to open their eyes and learn how to roll into a ball. Young are weaned by 4 to 6 weeks old, after which they become independent of parental care, and are able to mate by about 1 year. ( Bunnell, 2009 ; Burton, 1969 ; Johnston, 1903 ; Rondinini, 2007 ; Southern, 1964 ; de Magalhaes and Costa, 2009 )
Key Reproductive Features
10 (high) years
Behavior
Erinaceus europaeus is nocturnal, predominantly solitary, and non-territorial. It meets intentionally with others only during the mating season, but a social hierarchy may exist such that mature females have dominance over prime feeding sites. Hedgehogs have relatively large home ranges that are difficult to defend, and as such, they roam freely during the night. They tend to rest during the day in shallow nests made of twigs, leaves, grass, pine needles, and other foliage. Each nest is utilized by more than one individual, but never at the same time, and hedgehogs may also share urine sites. Aggressive interactions have not been observed between individuals. ( Burton, 1969 ; Forrest, 1899 ; Jones and Digger, 2009 ; Rondinini, 2007 ; Southern, 1964 ; Walker, 1968 )
Erinaceus europaeus travels at an average speed of 110 to 220 yards per hour. They are successful swimmers and climbers and are able to squeeze through tight spaces. When threatened, hedgehogs curl into a ball, exposing their sharp spines while protecting their vulnerable underbelly and face. However, hedgehogs prefer to avoid contact with predators by living in areas devoid of predator odors despite an increase in hedgehog population density. ( Burton, 1969 ; Forrest, 1899 ; Jones and Digger, 2009 ; Rondinini, 2007 ; Southern, 1964 ; Walker, 1968 )
As day length decreases, European hedgehog begin looking for sufficiently insulated hibernation nests. In colder areas, hibernation usually begins in October and lasts until April; in warmer areas, hedgehogs may only hibernate during the coldest of winters. Hedgehogs survive the cold temperatures by storing fat to be used as insulation and as an energy reserve to wake up when necessary. These periodic breaks in hibernation occur every 1 to 2 weeks and last for 1 to 2 days, during which hedgehogs forage for food and urinate. Provided sufficient resources, captive hedgehogs do not hibernate.
Key Behaviors
0.1214 km^2
Home Range
European hedgehogs require large foraging areas (often no more than 100 acres) due to inconsistent and unreliable distribution of food. When food is more abundant, such as in home gardens or other agroecosystems, European hedgehogs may have a home range as small as 12 to 25 acres. Males generally have home ranges up to twice the size the female’s home range. ( Jones and Digger, 2009 ; Rondinini, 2007 )
Communication and Perception
European hedgehogs are not particularly noisy, and make mostly grunting, snorting, and hoarse squeaking sounds. Adults are vocal during mating, while feeding, and occasionally when captured. Young may squeak and whistle while in the nest. Due to its nocturnal behavior, European hedgehogs rely heavily on their senses of smell and hearing. In addition to having a well developed sense of smell, they, like many mammals, have a Jacobson's organ in their palate. The organ may have a role in social behavior as both male and female hedgehogs have a variety of scent glands. While the mechanisms of hearing in E. europaeus have not been well studied, research on a related species, the Long-eared hedgehog , has found it capable of processing high-frequency sounds up to 45kHz. ( Burton, 1969 ; Forrest, 1899 ; Johnston, 1903 ; Rondinini, 2007 ; Southern, 1964 ; Step, 1921 )
Communication Channels
fruit
Predation
Predators of the Erinaceus europaeus include dogs, foxes , snakes, large owls , and badgers . To protect themselves, hedgehogs have the ability to curl into a defensive ball that exposes only erected spines. In order to form into a ball, they constriction the panniculus carnosus muscle. When this occurs, the muscles associated with each spine contract, leaving all of the hedgehog’s spines erect. Some predators, such as badgers and foxes , may be able to gain access to the hedgehog by wedging their noses into the crease where the top and bottom of the spiny coat meet. Predators have also been known to drop a balled hedgehog from a height so as to shock or injure the hedgehog long enough for them to take advantage of its exposed underbelly. ( Hof and Bright, 2010 ; Johnston, 1903 ; Rondinini, 2007 ; Vermeulen, et al., 2009 )
Known Predators
Archeopsylla erinacei
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Hedgehogs are routinely kept as pets, but the European hedgehog is forbidden as a pet in Europe. Due to their broad diet, hedgehogs may help control insect pests. They have proven useful for the study of numerous diseases including foot and mouth disease, yellow fever, and influenza. Their hair and spines are useful in assessing for environmental pollutants including arsenic, silver, cadmium, lead, cobalt, and Persistant Organic Pollutants (POPs). Traditional remedies have incorporated the blood, entrails, or ashes of European hedgehogs, and some rituals involving hedgehogs have been used to cure baldness and predict the weather. Ancient Romans raised hedgehogs for their meat, and they used parts of the hedgehog, especially their spiny coat, for training work animals. ( Burton, 1969 ; D'Havé, et al., 2005 ; D'Havé, et al., 2006 ; Hof and Bright, 2010 ; Southern, 1964 ; Vermeulen, et al., 2009 )
Positive Impacts
young are relatively well-developed when born
References
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. 2011. "Division of Mammals Collections: Search "Erinaceus europaeus"" (On-line). Accessed April 03, 2011 at http://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/mammals/ .
Armori, G., R. Hutterer, B. Kryštufek, N. Yigit, G. Mitsain, L. Palomo. 2008. "Erinaceus europaeus" (On-line). IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Version 2010.4.. Accessed March 19, 2011 at http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/29650/0 .
Beilby, R. 1791. A general history of quadrupeds: The figures engraved on wood By T. Bewick.. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: S. Hodgson, R. Beilby, & T. Bewick. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://find.galegroup.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/ecco/infomark.do?&contentSet=ECCOArticles&type=multipage&tabID=T001&prodId=ECCO&docId=CW3307221348&source=gale&userGroupName=umuser&version=1.0&docLevel=FASCIMILE .
Bogdanov, A., A. Bannikova, Y. Pirusskii, N. Formozov. 2009. The first genetic evidence of hybridization between West European and Northern white-breasted hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus and E. roumanicus) in Moscow region. Biology Bulletin, 36/6: 647-651. Accessed March 18, 2011 at http://www.springerlink.com/content/p110772hh53p71h7/ .
Brockie, R. 1959. Observations of the food of the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus L.) in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Science, 2: 121-136.
Bunnell, T. 2009. Growth rate in early and late litters of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus). Lutra, 52/1: 15-22.
Burton, M. 1969. The Hedgehog. Worchester and London: Andre Deutch Limited.
Covaci, A., R. Verhagen. 2007. Non-destructive pollution exposure assessment in the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus): IV. Hair versus soil analysis in exposure and risk assessment of organochlorine compounds. Environmental Pollution, 145/3: 861-868. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VB5- 4K717WH-1/2/edecd3e3378753bdf6ce7af428123e83 .
D'Havé, H., J. Scheirs, V. Kayawe Mubiana, R. Verhagen, R. Blust, W. De Coen. 2006. Non-destructive pollution exposure assessment in the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus): II. Hair and spines as indicators of endogenous metal and As concentrations. Environmental Pollution, 142/3: 438-448. Accessed March 21, 2011 at http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VB5-4HP6GF9-5&_user=99318&_coverDate=08%2F31%2F2006&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=gateway&_origin=gateway&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000007678&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=99318&md5=e1eddc19725614595973eaef32b307bb&searchtype=a .
D'Havé, H., J. Scheirs, R. Verhagen, V. Mubianaa, W. De Coen. 2005. Nondestructive pollution exposure assessment in the european hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus): I. Relationships between concentrations of metals and arsenic in hair, spines, and soil. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 24/9: 2356-2364. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/doi/10.1897/04-597R.1/abstract;jsessionid=3494EA9BD6CC8AEA24695DBB9D387EEB.d03t04 .
Forrest, E. 1899. The fauna of Shropshire: being an account of all the mammals, birds, reptiles & fishes found in the county of Salop. With an introduction dealing with the physical features of the county, a copious index, a chapter on the principal naturalists who have done work in connection with the subject, and a short account of the Wild birds protection acts.. Shrewsbury, UK: L. Wilding, Castle Street. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3361250 .
Gaglio, G., S. Allen, L. Bowden, M. Bryant, E. Morgan. 2009. Parasites of European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in Britain: epidemiological study and coprological test evaluation. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 56/6: 839-844. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://www.springerlink.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/content/aw66l6051n601u56/ .
Gordon, W. 1904. Our country's animals and how to know them: A guide to the mammals, reptiles and amphibians of Great Britain. London, UK: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3290968 .
Hof, A., P. Bright. 2010. The value of agri-environment schemes for macro-invertebrate feeders: hedgehogs on arable farms in Britain. Animal Conservation, 13/5: 467–473. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1469-1795.2010.00359.x/abstract .
Johnston, H. 1903. British Mammals. London, UK: Hutchinson & Co..
Jones, C., K. Moss, M. Sanders. 2005. Diet of hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in the upper Waitaki Basin, New Zealand: Implications for conservation. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 29/1: 29-35. Accessed April 03, 2011 at http://www.nzes.org.nz.proxy.lib.umich.edu/nzje/free_issues/NZJEcol29_1_29.pdf .
Jones, C., J. Digger. 2009. A first record of latrine use by European hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus (Linnaeus, 1758). Mammalia, 73/2: 145-147. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://dx.doi.org.proxy.lib.umich.edu/10.1515/MAMM.2009.018 .
Kindahl, M. 1959. The Tooth Development in Erinaceus Europaeus. Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 17/4: 467-489. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://informahealthcare.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/doi/abs/10.3109/00016355908993935 .
Lawrence, M., R. Brown. 1973. Mammals of Britain: Tracks, Signs and Trails. London: Blanford Press.
Mathias, M., M. Ramalhinho, M. Santos-Reis, F. Petrucci-Fonseca, R. Libios, R. Fons, G. Ferraz de Carvalho, M. Oom, M. Collares-Pereira. 1998. Mammals from the Azores islands (Portugal): An updated overview.. Mammalia, 62: 397-407.
Rondinini, C. 2007. Hedgehogs and moonrats. D Macdonald, ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals, Oxford Reference Online Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Accessed April 03, 2011 at http://www.oxfordreference.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t227.e65 .
Southern, H. 1964. Handbook of British Mammals. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Step, E. 1921. Animal life of the British Isles: A pocket guide to the mammals, reptiles and batrachians of wayside and woodland. London, UK: Frederick Warne. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t1bk1864b .
Verhagen, R., R. Blust. 2005. Nondestructive pollution exposure assessment in the european hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus): I. Relationships between concentrations of metals and arsenic in hair, spines, and soil. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 24/9: 2356-2364. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/doi/10.1897/04-597R.1/abstract;jsessionid=3494EA9BD6CC8AEA24695DBB9D387EEB.d03t04 .
Vermeulen, F., N. Van den Brink, H. D'Havé, V. Mubiana, R. Blust, L. Bervoets, W. De Coen. 2009. Habitat type-based bioaccumulation and risk assessment of metal and As contamination in earthworms, beetles and woodlice. Environmental Pollution, 157: 3098-3105. Accessed March 14, 2011 at http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VB5-4WH6KRG-2&_user=99318&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=gateway&_origin=gateway&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000007678&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=99318&md5=d2c703f12864cdc895e0969ffdb61108&searchtype=a .
Walker, E. 1968. Mammals of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.
de Magalhaes, J., J. Costa. 2009. A database of vertebrate longevity records and their relation to other life-history traits. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 22/8: 1770-1774. Accessed April 03, 2011 at http://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Erinaceus_europaeus .
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What was the surname of the last man to walk on the moon? | BBC - Future - The last man to walk on the Moon
Moon
The last man to walk on the Moon
In an exclusive interview, Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan – the last man on the lunar surface – discusses what it is like to be part of history and why he became unhappy about the American space programme.
By Richard Hollingham
6 August 2014
Captain Gene Cernan was the third man to walk in space, one of only three people to go to the Moon twice and the last man to leave a footprint on the lunar surface.
The final words he spoke on the Moon in December 1972 represented everything the Apollo missions stood for. “We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return,” he said, “with peace and hope for all mankind.”
More than 40 years on, you might imagine Cernan has had enough of talking about the Moon. But it seems Apollo astronauts never retire and, at 80, he is still passionate about America’s past space glories and the future of human space exploration.
View image of (Nasa) (Credit: Nasa)
His latest venture is a documentary film about his life (watch the trailer here ), although Cernan insists it is not a movie about him but the story of how an ordinary working class child can grow up to do extraordinary things. Having seen an early cut, it is clear that this is no ego trip.
The movie is poignant, funny and reveals more about the men who went to the Moon than most other Apollo documentaries. It includes Cernan’s ex-wife who coined the telling phrase: “If you think going to the Moon is hard, you should try staying at home.”
In person, Capt Cernan is utterly charming and we chat for more than an hour over coffee about that final step, mortality, returning to the Moon and inspiring a new generation of space explorers. However, it becomes apparent that the “last man on the Moon” is not happy about the way the American space programme has played out.
For the film you visited the abandoned Saturn V launch pad at Cape Canaveral – where you launched to go the Moon. What were you thinking when you walked around the rusting structure?
It was very nostalgic, disappointing, somewhat heart-breaking. It was if someone took Columbus’ Santa Maria and said: “It’s history – you guys discovered America, let’s take it out and scuttle it. It’s over, you’re not going to go anywhere.”
We launched off that pad in a big Saturn V rocket that took us to the Moon. People had dreamed of leaving the cradle of civilisation – this Earth of ours – and we did it. Fortunately, I was one of the guys to go out there, to look back at the Earth and try to comprehend the meaning of it all.
View image of (Nasa) (Credit: Nasa)
To think of what we were capable of doing and now we’ve been told [in a tweet by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin ] that if we want to go to our own space station, we’d better get a trampoline – that statement hurt. It hurt me personally.
Considering where we were half a century ago when Americans were walking on the Moon – people still come up to me today and say it’s incredible – we’ve obliterated that piece of history. I do not want to remember those launch pads that sent us to the Moon the way they are today. It’s not the way it’s supposed to be.
What would be the point of returning to the Moon?
All we’ve proved is we can work and survive up there. Now we’ve got to take advantage of the resources the Moon has to offer us here on this planet. It’s a stepping stone to go to Mars. Is there water? Was there water? Could life exist? Maybe we’re going to go simply because it’s there. Simply because we can and that’s why we will.
You’ve been to the Moon twice. You tested the lunar lander during Apollo 10, getting within 15km of the surface, and then in December 1972 you walked on the Moon. Did you feel the weight of responsibility during that last ever Apollo mission?
I was a representative of probably one of the greatest challenges that mankind has had in modern history and I was proud to be part of that. Everybody who put a nut or bolt on our spacecraft went with us on that flight. They were responsible for the success or failure of that mission. Every human being in the world went with us.
View image of (Nasa) (Credit: Nasa)
The questions they had back then are the same questions that young people, who weren’t even thought of then, have today. What does it feel like? What does it look like? Only 12 people have walked on the Moon and there are nine of us left. Some day there won’t be any of us left and while we are here I feel it’s my responsibility to be some kind of inspiration and stir the passions of young kids to literally follow in our footsteps.
When you were leaving the Moon did you think about the significance of those last footsteps?
When I left the Moon and started up the ladder, I was really at a loss. I didn’t want to leave and I looked down at my last footsteps and realised I wasn’t coming this way again. Looking back over my shoulder at the Earth had a particular significance to me – it was alive, it was moving, with purpose and beauty through space and time. In those short few minutes I wanted to figure out what was the meaning of us – everyone alive in the world today – leaving the cradle of civilisation and calling the Moon our home for a few days.
View image of (Nasa) (Credit: Nasa)
I searched for that answer, I needed more time. I wanted to press the freeze button, stop time to give myself a chance to think about it. I had an opportunity to sit on God’s front porch looking at the small part of the civilisation of this universe that he created.
Does it worry you that all the Moon walkers are now old people and that in a few years time there won’t be any of you left?
I’m sitting here with new knees, one new hip, I’m getting another one – I feel like the Six Million Dollar Man. You get to a point when you realise you’re not going to be around in 20 years. I made a vow to myself, when the time comes no-one’s going to carry me out, I’m going to walk out on my own terms. That’s what I want.
That time’s not too far in the future and that’s why it’s so important to try to motivate, to inspire, to take the adventure of Apollo and give it to the next generation and then it’s their deal. My ego’s never risen to the point where I’ve got to be remembered for something. If I’ve done anything worth remembering then now is the time to share it. The dreamers of today are the doers of tomorrow, so if we don’t inspire those dreamers there are not going to be any doers.
Do you sense there is more interest in returning to the Moon or visiting Mars, particularly with the rise of space tourism and private space companies such as SpaceX?
I want to believe that this younger generation of schoolchildren is far more excited and interested in space than their big brothers or sisters were. There was a tremendous amount of complacency here [in the US] around half a generation ago with young people saying “what’s in it for me,” and afraid to take a risk. I’ve always told kids that if you’re afraid to fail, you’ll never know what success really means.
But their younger brothers are starting to ask the questions that need to be asked. While the kettle is boiling, we’ve got to keep the fire lit.
The producers of the Last Man on the Moon are working towards a worldwide release in the coming months. You can hear a longer interview with Captain Cernan in the latest Space Boffins podcast, available from 10 August 2014.
If you would like to comment on this, or anything else you have seen on Future, head over to our Facebook or Google+ page, or message us on Twitter .
| Eugene Cernan |
Which wrexham company was formed in 1931 by the merger of Soames Brewery, Island Green Brewery and the Oswestry firm of Dorsett Owen? | Neil talks with the last man to walk on the moon [Video]
Neil talks with the last man to walk on the moon
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Gene Cernan on the state of U.S. space program
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In the phonetic alphabet what word represents the letter I ? | Phonetic alphabet - definition of phonetic alphabet by The Free Dictionary
Phonetic alphabet - definition of phonetic alphabet by The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/phonetic+alphabet
Related to phonetic alphabet: Phonetic spelling , International Phonetic Alphabet
phonetic alphabet
1. A standardized set of symbols used in phonetic transcription.
2. Any of various systems of code words for identifying letters in voice communication.
phonetic alphabet
n
(Telecommunications) a list of the words used in communications to represent the letters of the alphabet, as in E for Echo, T for Tango
phonet′ic al′phabet
an alphabet containing a separate character for each distinguishable speech sound.
phonetic alphabet
A list of standard words used to identify letters in a message transmitted by radio or telephone. The following are the authorized words, listed in order, for each letter in the alphabet: ALFA, BRAVO, CHARLIE, DELTA, ECHO, FOXTROT, GOLF, HOTEL, INDIA, JULIETT, KILO, LIMA, MIKE, NOVEMBER, OSCAR, PAPA, QUEBEC, ROMEO, SIERRA, TANGO, UNIFORM, VICTOR, WHISKEY, X-RAY, YANKEE, and ZULU.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
alphabet - a character set that includes letters and is used to write a language
visible speech - a phonetic alphabet invented by Melville Bell in the 19th century
phonetic symbol - a written character used in phonetic transcription of represent a particular speech sound
Translations
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content .
Link to this page:
pip-emma
References in periodicals archive ?
Instead, the two characters find themselves struggling with the phonetic alphabet, a cleaned-up version of a sketch they performed at live gigs this year.
Colloquy
Able Baker, whose name is taken from the first two letters of the original phonetic alphabet, offers original composition, music supervision and licensing, and is differentiated by their offering of music strategy/consultation and content production across TV, film, digital and non-traditional disciplines for both the advertising and entertainment industries.
Britain's eighth judges this Warwick which Kingdom Who Dr Dawn Embarrassing the other What begin? MasterMinds
To memorise a list of names or planets, use the first letters of each and use your imagination to link the phonetic alphabet words in a sequence.
How to give your fading memory a boost; Do you have less than total recall? This book can help... if you remember to buy it
It explains and presents exercises related to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA); writing IPA symbols, syllables, and word shapes; the articulatory aspects of phonetics; the production and writing of various types of consonants and vowels; diphthongs; word stress; the dynamics of connected speech; and dialect differences.
Functional phonetics workbook. (CD-ROMs included)
BONUS WINNER: MRS M PRATT,SIDCUP, KENT ACROSS DOWN 1 Boast (4) 3 Minor, trivial (6) 7 Woman's singing voice (4) 8 Quantity (6) 10 Graveyard (8) 13 Small part (8) 16 American biscuit often containing chocolate chips (6) 17 Mentor, spiritual leader (4) 18 Place of safety, asylum (6) 19 Net (4) 1 Large twig (6) 2 Season of the year (6) 4 Comic poem (8) 5 Miserable, depressed (4) 6 Dorothy's dog in The Wizard of Oz (4) 9 Moss, legendary F1 driver (8) 11 Water down (6) 12 Sufficient (6) 14 Mark left by a wound (4) 15 Code word for G in the NATO phonetic alphabet (4) SOLUTION to Crossword April 07 ACROSS 1 Budgerigar; 7 Abhor; 8 Basic; 10 Deluge; 11 Snap; 13 Ruth; 14 Bel-Air; 16 Agree; 17 Flint; 18 Headstrong.
| India |
In the phonetic alphabet what word represents the letter U ? | Phonetic alphabet - definition of phonetic alphabet by The Free Dictionary
Phonetic alphabet - definition of phonetic alphabet by The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/phonetic+alphabet
Related to phonetic alphabet: Phonetic spelling , International Phonetic Alphabet
phonetic alphabet
1. A standardized set of symbols used in phonetic transcription.
2. Any of various systems of code words for identifying letters in voice communication.
phonetic alphabet
n
(Telecommunications) a list of the words used in communications to represent the letters of the alphabet, as in E for Echo, T for Tango
phonet′ic al′phabet
an alphabet containing a separate character for each distinguishable speech sound.
phonetic alphabet
A list of standard words used to identify letters in a message transmitted by radio or telephone. The following are the authorized words, listed in order, for each letter in the alphabet: ALFA, BRAVO, CHARLIE, DELTA, ECHO, FOXTROT, GOLF, HOTEL, INDIA, JULIETT, KILO, LIMA, MIKE, NOVEMBER, OSCAR, PAPA, QUEBEC, ROMEO, SIERRA, TANGO, UNIFORM, VICTOR, WHISKEY, X-RAY, YANKEE, and ZULU.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
alphabet - a character set that includes letters and is used to write a language
visible speech - a phonetic alphabet invented by Melville Bell in the 19th century
phonetic symbol - a written character used in phonetic transcription of represent a particular speech sound
Translations
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content .
Link to this page:
pip-emma
References in periodicals archive ?
Instead, the two characters find themselves struggling with the phonetic alphabet, a cleaned-up version of a sketch they performed at live gigs this year.
Colloquy
Able Baker, whose name is taken from the first two letters of the original phonetic alphabet, offers original composition, music supervision and licensing, and is differentiated by their offering of music strategy/consultation and content production across TV, film, digital and non-traditional disciplines for both the advertising and entertainment industries.
Britain's eighth judges this Warwick which Kingdom Who Dr Dawn Embarrassing the other What begin? MasterMinds
To memorise a list of names or planets, use the first letters of each and use your imagination to link the phonetic alphabet words in a sequence.
How to give your fading memory a boost; Do you have less than total recall? This book can help... if you remember to buy it
It explains and presents exercises related to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA); writing IPA symbols, syllables, and word shapes; the articulatory aspects of phonetics; the production and writing of various types of consonants and vowels; diphthongs; word stress; the dynamics of connected speech; and dialect differences.
Functional phonetics workbook. (CD-ROMs included)
BONUS WINNER: MRS M PRATT,SIDCUP, KENT ACROSS DOWN 1 Boast (4) 3 Minor, trivial (6) 7 Woman's singing voice (4) 8 Quantity (6) 10 Graveyard (8) 13 Small part (8) 16 American biscuit often containing chocolate chips (6) 17 Mentor, spiritual leader (4) 18 Place of safety, asylum (6) 19 Net (4) 1 Large twig (6) 2 Season of the year (6) 4 Comic poem (8) 5 Miserable, depressed (4) 6 Dorothy's dog in The Wizard of Oz (4) 9 Moss, legendary F1 driver (8) 11 Water down (6) 12 Sufficient (6) 14 Mark left by a wound (4) 15 Code word for G in the NATO phonetic alphabet (4) SOLUTION to Crossword April 07 ACROSS 1 Budgerigar; 7 Abhor; 8 Basic; 10 Deluge; 11 Snap; 13 Ruth; 14 Bel-Air; 16 Agree; 17 Flint; 18 Headstrong.
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Love Parsley is another name for what herb? | Plant Profile: Lovage Herb - Gardening - Mother Earth Living
Resources
Plant Profile: Lovage Herb
Get to Know the hardy, durable, delicious lovage herb, includes a history of the herb and information on planting, growing and harvesting lovage.
By Linda L. Underhill and Jeanne Nakjavani
October/November 1992
The lovage herb works wonderfully in cordials and cocktails for any occasion.
Photo By Fotolia/Vivian Seefeld
Learn about the lovage herb, and tips on planting, growing and harvesting this delicious herb.
Lovage Herb Wellness and Food Recipes
How to Use the Lovage Herb
Lovage (Levisticum officinale) is making a comeback. This hardy perennial member of the parsley family was grown in ancient monastery gardens. Other names for this herb are “sea parsley” and “love parsley”—its seeds were used in a medieval love potion. In the Middle Ages, the emperor Charlemagne so esteemed lovage that he decreed that it be grown in all his gardens.
Like many other ancient herbs, lovage originated in the Mediterranean region. Although its common names have romantic references, “lovage” is actually an alteration of the genus name Levisticum, which, as an alteration of Ligusticum, refers to the plant’s Ligurian origins. It was probably the Romans who brought it to Britain, and from there it traveled to the American colonies. The colonists found lovage hardy, easy to grow with minimal attention, and totally useful from the roots to the seeds. A large patch of lovage now thrives in the restored kitchen garden at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home in Virginia, and the plant is naturalized in much of the U.S. (If you’re thinking of foraging for lovage, beware: it bears a striking resemblance to another large umbellifer, poison hemlock, Conium maculatum, which is extremely poisonous.)
Growing Lovage
We can personally attest to the durability of lovage. Our first seedling made it bravely through one of our typically brutal winters in the Allegheny Highlands. In cold climates such as ours (Zone 4), the top growth dies back in winter and comes back in spring, each year about a foot taller than the year before until it reaches 3 or 4 feet high. In hotter climates where it can’t achieve the necessary dormancy, it might not come back at all.
Starting lovage from seeds requires patience. Like many other herbs, it has a long germination period and requires cool conditions. Furthermore, the seed must be sown fresh. If you like a challenge and wish to give it a go, get fresh seeds from a nursery or the umbrella-shaped flower heads cut just as they are changing from green to tan. Dry them upside down in a paper bag to catch the seeds, and sow these immediately in a dark, cool place. Then wait. Alternatively, obtain seedlings from an herb nursery or beg a root division in fall or early spring from a friend who has an established plant. Lovage is so hardy and bushy that we doubt anyone would refuse your request.
Lovage likes rich, fertile soil and full sun, but it will tolerate some shade. Because it roots deeply, it doesn’t require frequent watering, which makes it a good choice for dry as well as cold climates. Just be sure to give it lots of room; it can grow as tall as 6 feet and as broad as 12 feet, depending how lusty its growth is in your climate. Its bushy form and deep green compound leaves make it an attractive foliage plant, but put it in the back of your garden or against a fence so it won’t overshadow shorter plants—especially in early summer when it sends up tall stalks bearing compound umbels of tiny yellow flowers.
Lovage also makes an impressive centerpiece in a circular herb garden. Given space, it rewards you with an exuberant greeting, its long, slender stalks and vivid green leaves rippling in the summer breeze.
You can harvest lovage’s irregularly toothed, wedge-shaped leaflets all summer and into fall, and this will help keep the plant attractive; older leaves tend to get yellow. The leaves lose much of their fragrance and color when dried; instead, blanch fresh leaves and young stems for about a minute and freeze them in ice cube trays for adding to soups and stews, or bring a plant indoors for the winter—it will be happiest near a sunny window but will tolerate less light. Its shiny leaves will cheer you on dark winter days as well as spicing up winter salads and soups. Potted in a graceful, deep terra-cotta container, lovage makes a lovely, though short-lived, house plant.
You can also dig the fragrant roots in autumn for delicious teas and soups after the plant has been established outdoors for several years. Just wash them, cut them into 1/2-inch-thick pieces, and dry them. A lovage tea made in the winter from the dried roots, which are also sometimes available in health food stores, seems to have the same cheering effect that the plant has in the garden.
Lovage Herb as Food and Medicine
The roots, stems, and leaves of lovage have long been used for medicinal purposes, especially as a diuretic. Chewing the leaves was said to sweeten the breath, and the seeds were crushed and taken for improving digestion. American colonists chewed the roots as we chew gum to stay alert.
Lovage once also had cosmetic uses. A tincture of the leaves was made to clear up skin rashes and spots, and put in the bath for fragrance and cleansing. Lovage was the original air freshener—medieval ladies wore a bunch of it around their neck to ward off odors.
Lovage has an intriguing taste somewhere between those of parsley and celery, and most people familiar with lovage today know it as a flavorful culinary herb. Lovage leaves perk up the flavor of otherwise bland foods. Add them to soups or sauces to reduce the need for salt; they will enhance the flavors of other vegetables or fish. Lovage has a special affinity for potatoes in soup or salad. Its fragrance calls up images of the cloistered gardens of medieval monasteries in southern France or the ancient herb gardens in the Italian alps, where lovage was first cultivated.
A salad herb in medieval times, lovage still makes an excellent addition to any green salad. One large leaflet chopped up in each serving of salad is plenty, as the flavor is quite strong. The broad leaves make an attractive garnish for any dish.
In the eighteenth century, the seeds and stems were candied like angelica and the seeds used to make a cordial. Dried lovage seeds are similar to caraway seeds, and can also be used in bread. Queen Victoria liked to carry candied lovage seeds in pockets she had sewn into the hems of her dresses to hold tidbits to satisfy her sweet tooth between meals. We find them an acquired taste, however.
Lovage recently has been celebrated on the stages of London and New York. In Peter Shaffer’s play Lettice and Lovage, the heroine drinks a medieval-style “quaff” of one part mead, one part lovage, and a large part vodka to celebrate the beauty of the past. The ingredients were well chosen. Celery may have pushed lovage out of the garden for a while, but as more people discover its appealing qualities and more herb nurseries carry lovage plants, this extremely pleasing and useful herb is enjoying a well-deserved renaissance.
Linda Underhill is a freelance food writer in Alfred, New York. Her partner, Jeanne Nakjavani, is a gourmet cook and food developer in Bradford, Pennsylvania.
| Lovage |
In the poetic form, the limerick, how many lines are there? | Herbs at the Milk & Honey Farm
Start plants early with these simple grow lights.
ROSEMARY
I like herbs! They multi-task. I love cooking with them, using them for companion planting, and arranging them with dried flowers. One of my all time favorites is Rosemary. There are two Rosemary trees out in the herb garden. They are growing in big clay pots and have to come inside for the winter. Right now, they are enjoying the sunshine and the company of the rest of the herbs. Herbs like to be planted near other herbs.
Rosemary compliments lots of different foods, including breads, rolls, lamb, and even potatoes. Rosemary has a dominating flavor, so be careful of how much of it you use in your cooking.
Soon we will be digging our new red potatoes, the Norland Red variety. We harvest some of them when they are about the size of a quarter. Our favorite way of cooking with them is to use Rosemary.
Sarah’s Rosemary Potatoes:
1 teaspoon lemon pepper (or black)
1 teaspoon salt – or more to taste
I have a favorite cast iron skillet that I also use for baking corn bread. It looks country for this potato recipe. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, any baking pan will do.
Place garlic, snipped Rosemary, salt, lemon pepper and olive oil in the skillet and cook until garlic is tender. Take it off the heat. Leave the peelings on the potatoes and slice them about an 1/8 inch thick. Put the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and pour the garlic mixture over them and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Arrange the potatoes in a circle of layers in the cast iron skillet. It will make several layers.
Bake at 400 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes and check for doneness. I cover mine while they are baking for the first 25 minutes. I also serve them right in the skillet. This is one of Bob’s favorite ways to eat potatoes and makes a good dish for company. Beside the red variety, we also use Yukon Gold potatoes in this tasty dish.
SAGE – from my garden
Did you know that the American Indians mixed sage with bear grease and used it to treat skin sores? Did you know that in the 1800 era of America, that folks used sage to help heal warts, epilepsy, insomnia, and measles? Did you know that in Germany, sage was used to treat sore throats, mouth irritations, and cuts and bruises? Some people believe that it lowers blood sugar.
I do not use Sage for medical things. I do use it in my cooking. The young fresh leaves are delicious in salads, soup, and great in poultry stuffing. It is also good with lamb, duck and goose. I use it to flavor some vegetables, including tomatoes, beans, cabbage, onions, and lentils. Sage has antibacterial properties and can be used as a natural preservative for meats, poultry and fish.
Sage can be use fresh or dried. To convert if a recipe that calls for 1 teaspoon dried sage, use 1 tablespoon fresh sage.
1 teaspoon dried herb = 1 tablespoon fresh herb
This formula works will all herbs.
Some varieties of Sage are perennial plants, which means they will come up every year. My experience is that I have to plant new plants every few years. My garden contains Clary Sage and Garden Sage. I use them fresh or dried and enjoy the flavor they bring to my food.
BASIL – my most frequently used HERB –and one of my favorites!
Basil is being used by some herbal medical people to aid digestion, to expel gas, to kill internal parasites, and to relieve vomiting and constipation. I do not know about any of that. What I do know that it tastes great in my spaghetti sauce! We eat a lot of pasta with different forms of sauces and Basil is a prime herb that flavors most of them. I also use it in pesto and in herbed vinegars. I love Basil in Thai and Indian dishes. It is better tasting when used fresh, but can be used dried. Use the same 3 parts fresh to 1 part dried formula listed above.
I gather the Basil in the morning, and hang it in large bunches to dry. It makes the house smell good like I've been cooking all day. The varieties that I grow include Cinnamon Basil, Purple Ruffle Basil, Lemon Basil, Lime Basil, Large green leaf Basil, sweet Basil and Genovese (Italian) Basil.
OREGANO – the bees love it—and so do I!
The honey bees love my oregano. They can be seen sun-up to sundown on the flowers. I like to encourage the honey bees to come to my garden, and the oregano helps them to feel welcome. Greek oregano is my favorite because of its great flavor.
In cooking, I like it with tomato sauce, cheese, eggs, meats, onions, beans and squash. All my Italian dishes contain fresh oregano. I keep Jamaican oregano in the house over the winter to cut the fresh leaves. I like the flavor better than dried.
There are folks who use oregano as a healing aid for coughing, indigestion, and headaches. A poultice of the leaves is said to be beneficial for painful swellings. I have never tried this.
MARJORAM – mild “oregano”
Marjoram tastes like very mild Oregano. It can be used in cooking the same dishes. As a medicinal Herb, there are people who recommend Marjoram for asthma, indigestion, hay fever, and sinus congestion. They say it even inhibits the growth of herpes simplex (cold sores).
I like to dry the marjoram and arrange it with dried flowers that hang from the ceiling. It is pretty and smells good.
TARRAGON – French Tarragon is the best
I make Tarragon vinegar. This is simple and adds variety to my salads. By combining Apple Cider Vinegar and a few long sprigs of French Tarragon in a quart jar and steeping for a few weeks, it is ready to use.
The distinctive flavor of Tarragon can also be used for flavoring sauces and cooked dishes.
Did you know that the Romans used Tarragon to treat snakebite? I have not tried that!
Tarragon can be invasive and move itself into areas and crowd out other herbs. It does well as a container plant. Ours grow in the main garden and I thin it to keep it in check. It dries well and is an attractive addition to herb and flower bunches hanging from the ceiling in the kitchen.
CHIVES –lots and lots of chives
I use chives a LOT! They are great in salads and on the top of our potatoes. (Equal amounts of chopped chives and parsley make a great potatoes topper) They provide a mild onion flavor or garlic flavor, depending on the variety. My favorites are the garlic chives. Chives are better fresh, but can be dried and used in soups and strews.
MY chives have all been started from heirloom seed under grow lights in the basement. This starts in Jan. They are slow to start. By March, they are moved out to the green house and by April, are planted in the main garden and the herb and flower beds. The blossoms are a pretty shade of blue and can be eaten. I toss the blossoms into salad.
Chives are perennial plants. That means that they come up every year. I have clumps of them in six or seven different places and they grow in all soils and lighting conditions. They are good pollinators and attract the honey bees.
HOLLYHOCKS ARE HERBS!
When I think about Hollyhocks, I remember my Grandma Berry. She had huge bunches of Hollyhocks planted by the cellar door and the old pump. Sometimes, she would play "dolls" with me and we would dress up wooden clothes pins in Hollyhock flower skirts. It was a gentle time and life was simple.
I have been planting Hollyhocks for several years. They are started from seeds under gro lights in the basement. The tiny plants are moved out to the greenhouse in April and then to the garden in May. This is "the year" of the Hollyhock. They are gorgeous and the flowers remind me of my Grandma.
Did you know that the Hollyhock is an herb? Its leaves are used for medicinal purposes and the flowers yield dye.
MARSH MELLOW (not the roasting kind)
Closely related to the Hollyhock is the Marsh Mellow. They are used by adding their flowers, seeds, and leaves to salads. The leaves can be eaten as a vegetable and the roots boiled and then fried. They contain soothing mucilage and some folks use it for weather damaged skin. The roots are used for this. They are first soaked in cold water to release mucilage. They have a history of being used for gastric ulcers, coughs, and insomnia. Our Marsh mellow plants are almost seven-feet tall and they have white and pink flowers on them. The bees like them a lot.
COMFREY
Comfrey is big and can be invasive. We are pulling it up to give room to the other herbs. My bees love it and the blue flowers are pretty.
These plants have been used for medical purposes including leaf poultices to reduce swelling of sprains. Some of my farmer friends use it as a natural wormer for their sheep and poultry. We have tried this and the sheep like it—so do the geese and chickens. I am careful not to give them too much or it can cause problems.
I only write about what I know and grow!
I write about what I do and what works, here at Milk and Honey Farm. The pictures are of herbs that I have grown from seed. A few years ago there was a lot of attention to "PET ROCKS." I just happen to have a whole lot of "PET HERBS"!
I cook with herbs and learn new ways to use them each season. Recipe Ring #1 and Recipe Ring #2 contain some of my recipes containing herbs. They are available in our "Country Store". The all natural soaps that I sell, contains herbs too. They are also available in our country store. (The sales of these items help support our missions project through Compassion International.)
DILL
I plant two types of dill. One type is the Fern Leaf dill. It is bushy and a beautiful shade of bright green. I use the leaves in salads. The other kind of dill is a giant heirloom variety that is used for its seed. This is what goes in my dill pickles.
This year, dill is companion planted with the cabbages and the potatoes. It is working well. Dill is an annual that will self seed if not picked. The swallow tail butterflies use my dill as a habitat. It draws them to my garden and that is fine with me.
HYSSOP
Hyssop is a perennial plant whose flowers are very popular with my bees. Since we welcome the bees and as pollinators, I let the Hyssop grow. It can become invasive so we occasionally pull it up. Hyssop honey has a marvelous flavor.
Hyssop flowers are used in my dried arrangements as a backdrop to the everlastings. The leaves smell good and they add a pleasant smell to the rooms. They dry well and can be used as“filler” in dried arrangements.
HORSERADISH-the real thing
We have an area separate from the garden that is our Horseradish patch. Horseradish is invasive and hard to get rid of, so we keep it separate from the main garden. It is an heirloom variety known as Bohemian and we love it. I make a horseradish cream sauce that we use on roast lamb.
It is a perennial plant and Bob digs the roots each fall. We give some away to folks who want to start their own Horseradish patch and I use the rest in my sauce.
I LIKE HERBS
This morning I "played with my Herbs". Firstly, I cut the herbs for my lunch salad. This is so fun, because depending on what combination of herbs that I use, the salad always tastes different. Today was no exception. I cut Curly parsley, Hamburg parsley, Lemon Balm, Garlic Chives, Cilantro, and Leafing celery. Added to a basic green salad, it was amazing how good the blend of flavors was.
Next, I cut the culinary and medicinal herbs to hang up for drying. These include, Russian Comphry, Valerian, Mother Wort, St. John's Wort, German Chamomile, French Tarragon and Lovage. I enjoy cooking with herbs and am also learning about some medicinal uses too.
Herbs, like other garden plants, have two cycles of growth - a leaf growing cycle and a reproduction cycle. Herbs are most tender and have the most flavor when gathered in the leaf growing cycle. After the herb begins to flower, the leaves may become tough or bitter. If you have nothing but herbs that have begun to flower, use them in cooking rather than in salads. There are a lot more varieties of herbs in my garden, but these are the ones that I picked today. Some will be used fresh and others dried and stored. I store the dried herbs in quart jars and they keep well in a dark place. They retain a lot of their color and are kept dry. If anyone would like to share information on how they make use of these herbs, I would like to hear from you.
Genesis 1:29 And God said, "See, I have given you every HERB that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food".
LAVENDER
I did not know that Lavender seeds were hard to germinate and took a very long time to do it. So my first attempts at growing it failed miserably. However, since Lavender can be used as an aromatic, an ornamental, for crafts and even for dye, I persevered until I could grow nice plants from seed.
Once it does germinate, it grows very very slowly-so it is one of the earliest herbs to be planted under the grow lights in the basement. I use several six pack cells and barely cover the seeds-and then prepare to WAIT.
Lavender is a perennial plant and I have planted several areas in the kitchen garden and in the main garden with large clumps of it. Each year, the clumps spread and get bigger. The bees love the lavender flowers and the fragrance is wonderful.
I plan on dividing some of the larger clumps and spreading them around other areas. They will bloom from late June until frost. There will be several cuttings and the plants will be dried. I use some of the dried Lavender in my everlasting arrangements. They act as filler, look nice, and smell good too especially in the bathroom.
YARROW and BEEBALM
Yarrow and Beebalm are two of my favorites perennial herbs that I use to attract bees and other beneficial insects. Beebalm smells good and looks pretty-in shades of scarlet, pink, red and salmon. Yarrow comes in all colors and has lacy, fern like, foliage. Both are extremely hardy. Press the seed down into the potting soil firmly, but do not cover it. These plants will do well in the sun or shade. Another name for Yarrow is Achillea.
There is a 25-degree below zero wind chill today. It is good to plant herb seeds and enjoy the wood stove in the basement. Spring will come. This is picture of my Yarrow in June. .
THYME, GERMAN CHAMOMILE
THYME takes a long time to germinate and grows slowly.so I start the seeds in February under grow lights. The seeds are covered with ¼ inch potting soil and kept evenly moist. Thyme is a perennial and winter hardy even in Minnesota. I cut it back in the fall and use a lot of mulch.
I dry thyme and use a lot of it in meats, strews, and homes made soups. There are quite a few varieties of Thyme, but I usually plant English or Common Thyme. It is a good idea to divide the plants every two or three years. I also use it in some of my dried flower arrangements. It makes good filler, with dark green pointed leaves, and smells great.
CHAMOMILE needs to be cold treated to germinate. (Put the seeds in refrigerator for several weeks before planting.) It also needs light to germinate. Scatter the seed on top of the potting soil and press down. It has a sweet apple scent and taste. I plant at least a full flat of Chamomile each year. It is an annual and the bees love it. We like Chamomile tea with a teaspoon of honey in it.
LEMON BALM
Last year, Lemon Balm, was one of my new experiments and it worked well. Seeds were started in the basement in February and barely covered with potting soil. They took a while to get going, but were big and bushy by the time they needed to be moved out to the green house.
I grew a lot of it and was glad I did. The fresh leaves are great cut up in fresh salads, as well as making a good tea. The plants got a lot larger that expected and were quite attractive. I grow certain plants to attract beneficial insects and Lemon Balm is one of them. The bees just love it and I like bees in the garden for pollinating purposes. Each year I plant certain plants just to attract the bees. (I have never been stung. They do not bother me, even when we are working on the same plants.)
Lemon Balm will flower from June to October in Minnesota. One of the reasons I like herbs so much is for the lovely flower heads. The main garden (8000 square feet) is extremely diversified, with herbs, flowers, and vegetables all growing together. The herbs will all have flowers on them and this makes for an interesting place to be. The garden smells goods, tastes good and looks good.
It helps my disposition to remember in February when it will be twenty degrees below zero and the wind chill bout 40 degrees below zero. It will be good to make a cup of hot Lemon Balm tea. It is especially yummy with a teaspoon of honey!
ECHINACEA
I really like Echinacea (coneflower) so there is a lot of it planted here. It is a perennial and comes up by itself, but since it is one of my favorites, I plant more every spring. I save the seeds in the fall and the new seedlings are started in the basement under grow lights in February. It is easy to grow, looks good and is useful. The plant is pretty for cut flowers and also useful for medicinal purposes. These are attributes that make it very popular with me. I do not mess with fussy plants!
Echinacea can be sprinkled on the top of the soil and simply damped down. When the seedlings come up, I will transplant them in larger pots. When moving the plants, it is necessary to be very careful with the roots. They seem to grow in any spot of the garden. I have them planted in the herb garden, the main garden, and the kitchen garden. These areas all have different soil quality and sun patterns, and the plants do well in all of them. All of the perennial herbs and flower are mulched in the fall. We use l2 to l4 inches of straw from the sheep shed.
I have read a lot about Echinacea ability to promote healing. These books include Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs and The Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman. This may be one of those items that are worth further investigation.
PARSLEY
I learned the hard way-that unless parsley seeds are soaked over night -they will not germinate. After several years of failure-I now grow a LOT of really nice parsley plants each year. They do take a long time to germinate-20 to 25 days. I have learned to wait them out.
The seeds are planted in a potting soil mix about ¼ inch deep, and placed under the grow lights. This year I have planted two 36 cell flats with parsley. I have two favorite kinds of parsley. The tripled curled/petroselinum crispum tastes great and is very pretty as a border plant. I juice handfuls of fresh parsley in my vegetable drink mixtures, so the fact that this type grows fast helps make it easy. My other favorite is flat leaf Neopolitanum. The seeds came from Italy and the flavor is exceptional.
Parsley is a biennial, but it is too cold here for it to over winter. I can start the plants under the grow lights in the basement and then plant them in the cold frame in the main garden the first part of April. I use a lot of parsley in the kitchen herb garden by the back door. It looks good as a border plant and is convenient to pick.
Parsley dries well by cutting large bunches and hanging them upside down in a dark place. Some people freeze parsley-but when I tried it, the parsley was soggy and almost black. The dried Parsley works for me.
Did you know that the Monarch butterfly loves to lay its eggs on parsley plants? When the eggs get to the caterpillar stage, they will crawl all over the plants. I put in a lot of extra parsley for them as the Monarch butterfly migrates through this area each year. I plant certain herbs and flowers especially for them. (This does not slow down or harm my parsley crop and I always have more than enough) We have 10,000 times 10,000 huge gorgeous Monarchs for several weeks each summer. They are some of my favorite summer visitors!
Well, now that you know how to do it, I suggest you give growing your own and cooking with herbs a try! Its not that hard and all organic. Some growers use commercially available growth retardant on their plants to make them look bushy and give them a long shelf life at consumer outlets. How much of that stuff do you want in your garden? Do it yourself. It's fun!
OREGANO
This year I will plant a lot of my very favorite herbs, and fewer of my experiments. Since I use a LOT of oregano-both fresh and dried, I will plant a 36 cell flat with oregano seeds. This should produce enough for our use and some extra to sell. By selling my extra plants at a competitive price, I pay for the cost of my garden supplies.
I have learned that oregano takes several weeks to germinate and that it grows slowly. In order to have nice size plants to set out in the garden in May (usually the first week of May) I start the seed in the basement under grow lights in January.
By putting three to four seeds in each cell, I will have bushy plants that look good in the pots. The grow lights keep the baby oregano from becoming spindly. I have tried to start seeds on a window sill, but it has not worked for me.
Oregano plants like full sun. They grow well about l2 inches apart. I always save some of the sprigs of leaves and flowers for my dried flower arrangements. They are pretty, with pink and mauve flowers, and smell good in the house.
Oregano is a perennial plant and should return year after year. However, since we live in Minnesota (zone 4), it is very cold and sometimes they die out over the winter. I have learned to cut back the remaining plants in the fall after the last picking, and mulch heavily with straw. This helps keep them over the winter, even in Minnesota. I mulch about l2 to l4 inches deep over all my herbs and perennial flowers. This would not be necessary in a moderate climate.
Get More Information
Is it any wonder that I like herbs? I have been teaching a classes on HERBS for a long time. I bring lots of samples of of herbs and several tasty dishes to try. Everybody gets to sniff, taste and ask lots of questions. I also talk about where to get herbs, raise them and prepare them for use. The class is called –
"EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT HERBS AND WERE AFRAID TO ASK"
This informative and entertaining class can be brought to your event. Click here for more information.
| i don't know |
Which oscar-winning film director directed the 1960's classic movie 'Doctor Strangelove'? | Classic Film Series: Dr. Strangelove | Lakeport Main Street Association - California
Classic Film Series: Dr. Strangelove
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Soper Reese Community Theatre, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport
Suggested Donation -- $5
Doors open at 5:30. Movie begins at 6:00 pm
The Soper Reese Theater’s Classic Movie Series continues in 2012 with a 1964 historic film directed by Stanley Kubrick. This memorable cult film classic reflects the time of the 1960s, with the Cold War at its bitter coldest, the Cuban Missile Crisis in the forefront and the hydrogen bomb a scary new technology.
Director Stanley Kubrick challenged film audiences with a movie about the possibilities of the wrong person pushing the wrong nuclear button -- and played the crazy situation for laughs. Dr. Strangelove is a jet-black comic satire (with a script from director Stanley Kubrick, Peter George, and Terry Southern) and includes cast of brilliant comic performances (including three from Peter Sellers) which have kept the film vivid and entertaining.
In 1989, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry .
Check the theatre’s web site ( www.soperreesetheatre.com ) or call 263-0577 to see what other classics are coming up.
More information: http://www.soperreesetheatre.com (707) 263-577
| Stanley Kubrick |
Which oscar-winning film director directed the 1960's classic movie 'Doctor Zhivago'? | Classic Films: 2001: A Space Odyssey | Nerdist
Classic Films: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Posted by Michelle Buchman on April 10, 2016
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Films
Welcome to a weekly classic movies column here on Nerdist.com. Each week focuses on a different film considered to be essential to the cinema’s golden age. Sit back, grab some snacks, and expand your film knowledge with old Hollywood cinema.
History
By 1964, director Stanley Kubrick was already garnering attention within the cinema world. Kubrick had directed 10 films, the most recent being the Cold War satire Dr. Strangelove, a popular success at the box office with moviegoers. Other memorable films of Kubrick’s early work include film noir The Killing (1956), the epic historical drama Spartacus (1960), and Lolita (1962) adapted from Vladimir Nabokov’s famous novel. Most filmmakers are lucky if they have one or two movies that endure throughout the years; almost all of Kubrick’s filmography are regarded as classics.
After Dr. Strangelove’s release, Kubrick became fascinated with the idea of space travel and extraterrestrial life. He became determined to make “the ultimate science fiction movie” and sought out a partner to help in his endeavor. Roger Caras, a staffer at Columbia Pictures, suggested the author Arthur C. Clarke as a possible collaborator. Caras cabled the film proposal to Clarke, who was living in Sri Lanka at the time. The two met in New York City in April of 1964 and began working on a film about “man’s relationship to the universe.”
Clarke offered up six of his short stories as possible material for Kubrick to adapt. The director picked “The Sentinel” as his source material for the film. Clarke and Kubrick spent the rest of 1964 generating ideas, reading books on anthropology and science, and watching many science fiction films. On February 23, 1965 Kubrick issued a press releasing the next the title of his next film as Journey Beyond the Stars. Eleven months later, Kubrick changed the title to 2001: A Space Odyssey drawing on Homer’s The Odyssey for inspiration. The director and Clarke went through several drafts of a script while Clarke concurrently worked on a 2001 novel. Kubrick remarked his goal was to make a film that was “basically a visual, nonverbal experience” that “hits the viewer at an inner level of consciousness, just as music does, or painting.”
Importance
Over the past 40 years, 2001: A Space Odyssey has become one of the most essential cinematic masterpieces of all-time. Kubrick’s iconic tale follows the crew of a ship on their way to Jupiter with a sentient computer program called Hal 9000 after a mysterious black monolith has been discovered on the moon affecting human civilization. 2001 deals with many themes including existentialism, the onslaught of modern technology and artificial inteligence, human evolution, and the search for alien life. In addition to the narrative, the movie’s special effects were groundbreaking at the time of release. Composed of 205 special effects shots throughout the film, Kubrick’s movie used a variety of special techniques to achieve these stunning visuals. 2001 used front projection with retroflective matting to achieve the beautiful backdrops of the African plains and the moon throughout the film. The director also used practical effects such a models to depict various spacecraft moving through space. Cameras were driven along a track on a special mount, making it possible to repeat shots and match speeds of previous takes.
Another innovative effect used in 2001 are the zero gravity scenes when the crew of the Discovery One are in space. In one particularly well-known sequence, Bowman enters the centrifuge of the spacecraft and walks over to join Poole, who is eating on the other side of the craft. To achieve the zero-gravity effect, Kubrick had a 30-short-ton rotating “ferris wheel” at a cost of $750,000. Scenes set in the Discovery space were shot by securing pieces of the set within the wheel and then rotating them while the actor walked in motion with the wheel, keeping him at the bottom of the centrifuge as it turned. The camera was attached to the inside of the wheel so a shot could show the actor walking “completely” around the set. In the jogging sequence, the camera was mounted so that the wheel rotated independently from the camera itself. For shots where characters were shown on opposite sides of the centrifuge, actors were strapped in securely at the top of the wheel while it moved, allowing the other actor to walk to the bottom and join his side.
Lastly, the film contains one of the most unique and breathtaking special effects sequences in cinema. The Star Gate sequence when Bowman travels through deep space has become one of the most iconic science fiction scenes in movies. To achieve the effect of the colored lights, slit screen photography was used containing thousands of high-contrast images on film such as crystal structures, Op art paintings, and architectural drawings. Staff referred to the scene as “the Manhattan Project,” and shot the nebula-like star field by swirling chemicals and colored paints in a large cloud tank, shot in slow-motion in a dark room. Different color filters were used to achieve the coloring and negative-image effects used in the live-action landscape shots. Kubrick earned a special visual effects Academy Award in 1969 for impressive work on 2001.
Besides the groundbreaking visuals of 2001, the film has gone on to influence filmmakers throughout the world. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas both cite the movie as a source of inspiration. Although critical and audience reaction was mixed when 2001 was first released, it gained a devoted cult following and became highest-grossing North American film of 1968. The movie’s success arguably opened up the door for more science fiction films to be made, including Alien, Blade Runner, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. If 2001 had failed at the box-office, it is unlikely studios would have taken a chance on big-budget sci-fi films of the 70s and 80s. Today, the film is still shown around the world as a landmark piece of cinema, and an example how science-fiction can be throught-provoking, entertaining, and moving.
Film Facts
Video game director Hideo Kojima has cited 2001: A Space Odyssey as his favorite movie of all-time. The movie is frequently referenced in his Metal Gear series. The fictional character Hal Emmerich is named after Hal 9000, and the main character Solid Snake’s real name is Dave.
The film’s first 25 and last 23 minutes are completely free of dialogue. In total, the movie contains almost 88 dialogue-free minutes of footage.
With the exception of the two baby chimpanzees, all the primates in the film were portrayed by humans in costume.
Originally, Hal 9000 was named Athena and was going to have a female voice.
2001 was voted as the sixth greatest film of all time in Sight & Sound’s 2012 critics poll.
2001: A Space Odyssey is available to stream on Netflix.
What’s your favorite science fiction film? What other classic films would you like to see in a future column? Drop us your thoughts in the comments below!
Image credit: MGM
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Michelle Buchman is the social media manager at Nerdist Industries. She’s also a huge cinephile. Feel free to follow and chat movies with her on Twitter, @michelledeidre .
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