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What's the name of the actor who played 'Huggy Bear' in the Starsky and Hutch TV series? | Antonio Fargas - IMDb
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A tall, lanky and twinkle-eyed African-American actor with wonderful onscreen charisma, Antonio Fargas has been appearing on stage and screen for nearly 40 years. His film debut was in Shirley Clarke 's The Cool World (1963), a gritty, uncompromising tale about African-American youth growing up in Harlem, New York. He then made his acting presence ... See full bio »
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Huggy
Music video: Appeared in Snoop Dogg 's video "Doggy Dogg World" (1994). See more »
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Personal Quote:
He (Huggy Bear) wasn't a pimp. This whole glorification of pimps and all that makes people think that. But they never told you what he did. One minute he had a bar, the next minute he was a guy on the street hustling, but he was always in the know. But he was never a pimp. The guy who was on 'Baretta' was a pimp. His character was called The Rooster. Plus there were other roles were I had played ... See more »
Trivia:
His performance as a pimp in The Gambler (1974) helped him land the role of informant Huggy Bear in Starsky and Hutch (1975). See more »
Nickname:
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In which European city did Oscar Wilde die in 1900? | Antonio Fargas Imdb - Antonio Fargas Net Worth
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Antonio Fargas
Antonio Fargas Net Worth is $1 Million. Antonio Fargas is an American actor he has a net worth of $1 million. Antonio Fargas has earned his net worth from well-known television and movies roles such the character Huggy Bear in the 1970's TV series St. Antonio Juan Fargas (born Au...
Antonio Fargas Net Worth is $1 Million.
Antonio Fargas Net Worth is $1 Million. Antonio Fargas is an American actor he has a net worth of $1 million. Antonio Fargas has earned his net worth from well-known television and movies roles such the character Huggy Bear in the 1970's TV series St Antonio Juan Fargas is an American actor famous for his roles in 1970s blaxploitation movies, as well as his portrayal of Huggy Bear in the 1970s TV series Starsky and Hutch.
Fargas, one of eleven children, was born in New York City to Mildred and Manuel Fargas. His father worked for the city of New York. His son is Justin Fargas, an NFL running back drafted in 2003.
After starring in a string of blaxploitation movies in the early '70s, such as his role as Link Brown in the movie Foxy Brown and in Across 110th Street: he gained recognition as streetwise informant "Huggy Bear" in the mid-'70s television series Starsky and Hutch. As a nod to his early roles, he had a part in the blaxploitation spoof, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, as well as another Wayans brothers "hood" parody, Don't Be a Menace. Some notable appearances on British television shows include participating in series 4 of the reality series I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! which b...
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In which English county was the 1970's TV series 'Poldark' set? | Poldark (TV Series 1975– ) - IMDb
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In 1783, Ross Poldark returns from the American wars to his native Cornwall to right wrongs and reunite with the love of his life.
Stars:
Warleggan tries to have Ross arrested after the duel and Elizabeth consults with a doctor to have her baby prematurely to allay George's suspicions.
9.4
Whitworth attempts to break off his ongoing affair with Rowella but is seduced into continuing it when Solway becomes aware he's being cuckolded.
9.2
Caroline goes to London after her child's death, Whitworth reestablishes relations with money, and Ross secretly visits Elizabeth during a Warleggan party.
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Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 2 nominations. See more awards »
Videos
Ross Poldark returns from war to right wrongs and reunite with the love of his life.
Director: Richard Laxton
Ross Poldark returns home after American Revolutionary War and rebuilds his life with a new business venture, making new enemies and finding a new love where he least expects it.
Stars: Aidan Turner, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jack Farthing
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This BBC production, set in the small town of Highbury depicts the often hilarious attempts of Miss Emma Woodhouse to make proper marital matches for all of her friends. Though often ... See full summary »
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Pride and Prejudice (TV Mini-Series 1980)
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While the arrival of wealthy gentleman sends her marriage-minded mother into a frenzy, willful and opinionated Elizabeth Bennet matches wits with haughty Mr. Darcy.
Stars: Elizabeth Garvie, David Rintoul, Moray Watson
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Wolf Hall (TV Mini-Series 2015)
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At a country fair, young hay-trusser Michael Henchard quarrels with his wife Susan, and in a drunken fit decides to auction off his wife and baby to a sailor for five guineas. The next day,... See full summary »
Director: David Thacker
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Storyline
British officer Ross Poldark returns to his native Cornwall after the Revolutionary War after escaping as a prisoner of war. He finds that because he was believed dead, his home has fallen into ruin and his estate has shifted to his mercenary uncle following the death of his father. His uncle has committed to selling the family copper and tin mines to a ruthless local land baron while his former fiancée has agreed to marry his cousin in his absence. Written by [email protected]
8 May 1977 (USA) See more »
Also Known As:
Ross Poldark - nuoren miehen tie See more »
Filming Locations:
Did You Know?
Trivia
In his introduction to the series' American premiere on PBS Masterpiece Theatre, Alistair Cooke informed the viewing audience that "now is the time for the party to settle in to a spate of loving, dueling, poaching, smuggling, wenching, marrying - not to mention banking and copper mining." Cooke has stated that "Poldark" was his least favorite Masterpiece Theatre program, possibly because he also said that the hero, Ross Poldark, reminded him of President Ronald Reagan. See more »
Connections
(United States) – See all my reviews
I have been watching this series since I was a child and absolutely love it. The actors are wonderful and the drama keeps going. You really learn to love these people, or hate them as the case may be. Some drama is not appropriate for children. I rent it from my local library once a year. My husband can even stand this one. There is a lot of character development as the people mature and they diverge through several different groups and couples. You get to see love develop and change through many different relationships. I only wish they would hurry up and provide this series on DVD, one and two. You need to watch the whole series, right now it is 12 episodes of 2 hours each. I have been requesting it for years now. A definite worth the time.
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Who was the first actor to play Doctor Who? | The curse of Poldark: Stars of the new version, beware. The originals were hit by tragedy - and never found fame again | Daily Mail Online
The curse of Poldark: Stars of the new version, beware. The originals were hit by tragedy - and never found fame again
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Originals: Lead actors Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees starred in the original Poldark series which was first broadcast in 1975
Poldark was the TV drama that gripped a nation, redefined the genre, and created a tourist boom in Cornwall which is still being felt nearly 40 years later.
The 18th-century soapy melodrama was a visual feast of tight breeches, tin mines and tragedies, which swept all before it.
When it was broadcast in 1975 (with the second series in 1977), generations of parents were so engrossed by it that they failed to send their children to bed.
Some 15 million were hooked, in an era when there were only three channels to pick from, and the period drama quickly became the most talked-about TV show.
Although the first episode was acidly described by critic Clive James by the anagram ‘Old Krap’ it was the clear pre-cursor of Downton-mania.
Naturally, it made great stars and sex symbols of lead actors Robin Ellis, Angharad Rees and Jill Townsend, who used to get mobbed abroad in a manner not unlike that other great British export The Beatles.
And Ellis, who played Ross Poldark, recently rushed to the aid of a woman who had fallen over in the street near his home in France. When she looked up to see who her knight in shining armour was, she cried: ‘But . . .you . . .are . . .Ross Poldark.’
No wonder the BBC has opted to remake it, with Hobbit star Aidan Turner in the Robin Ellis role as dark, passionate and confused Ross Poldark. The new version will be screened next year and the Beeb must surely hope to wrestle back the costume drama crown it lost in recent years to Julian Fellowes’s Downton Abbey.
But the cast of the new show should perhaps be warned — for despite the massive success of the original, based on the novels of Winston Graham, it also proved something of a curse to many who starred in it.
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Some, like Jill Townsend — who played Poldark’s former love Elizabeth — left acting afterwards.
Others, like Robin Ellis, didn’t have anything like the stellar careers predicted. He was most recently on TV in an episode of the crime drama Wallander, which was filmed in 2006.
Now 72, he lives quietly in France and writes cookery books.
And more than you might expect, its young cast were hit by awful tragedies. Darkly handsome Ralph Bates, who played villain George Warleggan, died cruelly young, aged 51, of pancreatic cancer — just three months after he was diagnosed.
Poldark was the 18th-century soapy TV drama that gripped a nation, redefined the genre, and created a tourist boom in Cornwall which is still being felt nearly 40 years later
Richard Morant (dashing Dr Dwight Enys) died of a sudden aneurysm aged 66.
Angharad Rees, who captured a nation’s hearts as gorgeous Demelza, split from her husband, actor Christopher Cazenove, in 1994 — and five years later suffered the shattering loss of her son Linford in a car accident.
She went on to marry David McAlpine of the McAlpine construction business, but a few years later, she too was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She died in 2012 aged 63.
Christopher Biggins, who played the sex-crazed vicar Osbourne Whitworth, said: ‘There is a sad irony that Ralph and Angharad died of the same cancer. Ralph was a marvellous man, fabulously funny. Angharad was still so young and beautiful. She was the most wonderful girl.’
The show touched and changed the lives of all its key cast — but probably none more than Welsh actress Angharad.
She and Christopher Cazenove had two sons, Linford and Rhys.
Although she was in huge demand after Poldark’s success, she refused to take on any more major roles as she wanted to concentrate on motherhood.
Actor Aidan Turner, left, will star as Ross Poldark in the new version of the series, which is set to air next year. Poldark was first broadcast in 1975 with Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees, right, before a second series in 1977
As her friend Julian Fellowes said at her memorial service: ‘She was determined it would be her children who took precedence. She was not prepared to pay the price of being a great actress if it meant her family would have to pay it with her.
‘She was anxious, I think, that she should not be defined, entirely, as the star of a popular series, as one half of a golden couple, as a mother and hostess, although she excelled in all of these. She wanted, also, to be remembered as a serious actress whose early career might have gone on to greatness had she not made the decision to change direction.’
And her screen rival for Ross Poldark’s love, Jill Townsend, also walked away from showbusiness.
She explained: ‘I was tired of dealing with the enormous egos of some people in the industry. I wanted to live a life that people would make a movie about rather than playing someone else’s life.’
She retrained as a journalist, and had a financial column in the Daily Mail.
She then started a business school in Oxford, taught at Harvard, and became an environmental campaigner.
She now helps troubled children, has built her own school in Niger, owned a gallery in California and, now aged 68, lives in a cabin in the Los Padres National Forest in California. She says: ‘Life gets better the older I get.’
Robin Ellis never had a role to rival that of Ross Poldark. Twenty years ago, he moved to the South of France with his American journalist wife Meredith Wheeler and his life changed in a new direction when he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes 14 years ago.
Actress Angharad Rees, who captured the nation’s hearts as gorgeous Demelza in Poldark, split from her husband, actor Christopher Cazenove, in 1994 — and five years later suffered the loss of her son Linford in a car crash. She passed away in July 2012 following a long battle with pancreatic cancer
Jill Townsend, pictured as Elizabeth alongside co-star Clive Francis as Francis in a scene from BBC drama Poldark, left acting shortly after her stint in the show
‘After a few weeks of shock and “why me” it became an opportunity to get into shape and it opened up a whole new culinary path,’ he said.
He has written two healthy eating cookbooks, which have been published around the world, as well as his Poldark memoirs.
He now has a popular food blog and recently wrote on it congratulating Aidan Turner on being picked for the new adaptation.
‘Aidan and I share a common debt to Winston Graham for giving us the chance to play a difficult, contrary, complex man out of his time’, he said.
‘The time is right for Poldark to return. The wheel of fashion turns and Poldark, an unashamedly romantic tale, can be told again with a straight face.’
Christopher Biggins is equally positive about the idea.
Poldark star Angharad Rees, left, died of pancreatic cancer in 2012, while her co-star Robin Ellis, right, moved to the South of France with his wife 20 years before being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes
He said: ‘Making Poldark wasn’t just one of the highlights of my career, it was also one of my favourite times.
‘It was in the days when the BBC was triumphant across every area of TV. We were filming on the beach in Cornwall. It was like a wonderful holiday. We became a family and most of us remained good friends.’
The other superstar of Poldark was, of course, Cornwall itself.
There were lingering shots of crashing waves, horses thundering across windswept moors and rainy skies, all set to the evocative, melodramatic theme music by Kenyon Emrys-Roberts. Tourists still come to Cornwall to see the Poldark mines and take tours of Poldark country.
Actor Aidan Turner is taking the title role in the remake of hit 1970s Cornish costume drama Poldark. He plays the part of soldier Ross Poldark
The only reason Poldark didn’t continue was because the producers had used all the material in the books and author Winston Graham refused to let them carry on the storylines of his characters.
So it remained one of the most lauded dramas in TV history. Today, DVD sales show it’s the second most popular costume drama of all time — behind only Pride and Prejudice.
Of the original cast, only a few are still regularly on screen. Kevin McNally, who was Drake Carne, Demelza’s brother, starred in the Pirates Of The Caribbean films as Joshamee Gibbs. He’s also the partner of Phyllis Logan (who plays Mrs Hughes in Downton).
Actress Jane Wymark, who was Morwenna, and married Carne, had a long-running role as Joyce Barnaby, the wife of DCI Tom Barnaby in Midsomer Murders.
And Mary Wimbush, servant Prudie Paynter, was familiar to millions as Julia Pargetter on The Archers, from 1992 until her death in 2005. She had her own tragic tale — a long romance with Irish poet Louis MacNeice which ended with his death at 55 from pneumonia.
And Poldark was a first foot in the business for one young hopeful named Trudie Styler. She played Emma Tregirls, a gypsy girl who falls for a Methodist preacher.
She is now better known as the wife of Sting and a film producer, putting together Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels — and introducing Madonna to Guy Ritchie.
As Robin Ellis said: ‘It’s a roller coaster of a ride.’
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Who played the original 'Granddad' in Only Fools and Horses? | Grandad Trotter | Only Fools and Horses Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
Only Fools and Horses Wiki
Raquel Turner (future granddaughter-in-law, fiancée of Derek)
Cassandra (step-granddaughter-in-law, wife of Rodney)
Joan Trotter Jr. (great step-granddaughter)
Profile
Edward Kitchener Trotter, more commonly known as "Ted" (in his younger years) or "Grandad" (in his later years), is the first third main character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses , as well as the prequel series Rock & Chips .
Grandad is the grandfather of Del Boy and Rodney Trotter . Del described Grandad as "an out of work lamp-lighter waiting for gas to make a comeback" that was about as useful as "a pair of sunglasses on a bloke with one ear."
Backstory
Born in Tobacco Road in the docks, Grandad stated that his earliest memories were of watching the soldiers marching off to World War I and witnessing their return after the armistice in 1919. He later spoke of the horror of these experiences in " The Russians Are Coming " with his now famous quote describing the wartime government policy: "They promised us homes fit for heroes, we got heroes fit for homes!"
In 1924 after leaving school, Grandad got a job as a decorator working for the Council, but was fired a few days later after he wallpapered over a serving hatch. He then began working as a lamp-lighter for the London Gas Light & Coke Company, as well as meeting a woman named Violet . The two would get married and have have a son named Reg . By the 1930's, Grandad was unemployed and living with his parents and three brothers, George , Jack , and Albert , in Peabody Buildings, Peckham Rye. In 1936, Grandad and his friend Nobby Clarke ran away to Tangier to join the French Foreign Legion, they were however unsuccessful and ended up working for a weapons smuggler, gun-running into Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The two were caught by the authorities and following interrogation were deported from Spain and all her territories and dominions. Grandad returned to Peckham and joined the dole queues, returning to his wife and son sometime before the war.
During World War II, Grandad evidently served some time in the army as he told Del he was given a double-headed coin by a Scottish soldier, and his son Reg checked his blood group on his old army records, however Grandad was demobbed before the end of the war as he temporarily separated from Vi and had an affair with Trigger's grandmother Alice, while her husband Arthur was still fighting.
After the war, Grandad had various short-term jobs before he retired, including working as a security officer at a warehouse in Chingford which Grandad was sacked from after a janitor stole over three hundred briefcases from under his nose. Violet, who apparantly worked as a char-lady in these later years died when Rodney was still young.
Personality
Grandad's first chronological appearance was in the first episode of the prequel series Rock & Chips . Set in 1960, we see him recently separated from his wife Violet, unemployed and subsequently homeless, after she finds out about his affair with Alice. Grandad (called by his real name "Ted" throughout the story) then moves in with his son Reg. The Trotters are at that time squeezed into a two-up two-down terraced house and Grandad is forced to share a bedroom with his grandson Del. He appears to enjoy a close relationship with his family and remains with them when they move to their new council flat in Nelson Mandela House, even after the death of his daughter-in-law Joan.
Chronologically we next see Grandad in the very first Only Fools and Horses episode " Big Brother ". Set in the early 1980's, Grandad is by this point, aged in his seventies, and still living at Nelson Mandela House with his grandchildren. Despite the fact that Grandad is largely infirm and useless, the Trotters' sense of family loyalty means that he would never be left without a home. He is, however, often treated with a level of light-hearted abuse by Del and Rodney when his docile nature becomes an inconvenience causing desperation. For example, in " The Yellow Peril ", Grandad takes a phone call for Del; Del informs him to tell whoever is on the other end that he has gone out. Grandad informs the caller of this, but then looks rather confused; he mutters "I'm not sure" before shouting "Where've you gone to, Del?" Grandad is a terrible cook, he'll often walk into the living room and wail miserably "Del Boy, I've burnt your bacon!" As mentioned in " Wanted ", Del Boy also played an April Fool's joke on Grandad, telling him that the pools had called to say that he'd won half a million pounds. Grandad went to Soho and celebrated, then realised that he didn't do the pools. Grandad's favourite television shows are Crossroads and The Dukes of Hazzard, as revealed in " Homesick " and " May The Force Be With You ". He also owns an allotment, as mentioned in " The Russians Are Coming ", as well as seen in " Mother Nature's Son ".
However, despite his senility and simplicity, Grandad was more crafty than he let on - wangling himself a bungalow by feigning illness being one of his many talents as seen in "Homesick". Similarly, in " Who's a Pretty Boy? ", he conned Del Boy out of £5, informing him the canary he purchased from the pet shop cost him £50, when in reality cost him £45 (Del Boy finds out at the end of the episode, and replied "£45 Pounds?", to which Grandad innocently replies, "What did I say?") And in " A Slow Bus To Chingford ", Grandad almost succeeds in conning Del out of £50 by betting him that no-one will turn up for the Trotters' proposed "ethnic bus tours of old London" - and then failing to deliver the tour's publicity leaflets (a ploy only foiled when Del Boy discovers the discarded leaflets in the dust-chute at Nelson Mandela House). "It wasn't me, Del Boy," Grandad whines on being discovered on this occasion; "It was me brain!"
Given the task of minding the Trotter flat from the comfort of his much loved armchair, Grandad had an easy life. Grandad was also responsible for the spectacular (and noisy) failure of Del's chandelier cleaning business in " A Touch of Glass ".
When Lennard Pearce died in 1984, writer John Sullivan chose not to replace him but to write the character's death into the series. A funeral was held for Grandad in " Strained Relations ", which saw the Trotter brothers trying to come to terms with the loss of a man who had been such an integral part of their lives. However, such was the nature of the show that amongst the sadness were moments of brilliant comedy. At the funeral, Del sees what he thinks is Grandad's favourite hat, takes it back to the grave and throws it in. However, the audience later discover that the hat belonged to the priest. As Del and Rodney walk away from the grave, the workers begin to fill in the grave; Del turns to them and menacingly says "Oi! Gently." This episode also introduced Grandad's younger brother Albert. It is also known that apart from Albert, Grandad had two more brothers: George, whom he mentioned in the episode " The Russians Are Coming "; and Jack, who was mentioned by Albert in " A Royal Flush ", presumably the father of Del and Rodney's cousin Stan, who is seen at the funeral with his wife (Stan refers to George by his first name, making it impossible for Stan to be George's son).
| Lennard Pearce |
Which child actress starred in Tiger Bay (1959), Pollyanna (1960) and The Parent Trap (1961)? | Joan Trotter II
(great granddaughter)
Edward Kitchener "Ted" Trotter, better known simply as Grandad, was a character in the popular long running BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses from 1981 until 1984. He had been played by Lennard Pearce in the original series, and was portrayed by Phil Daniels in the prequel, Rock & Chips . [2]
The character was grandfather to Derek , the step grandfather of Rodney Trotter , and older brother to Uncle Albert ( Buster Merryfield ). Lennard Pearce's sudden death in December 1984 was written into the series with the death of the character.
Backstory
Born in Peckham Rye , London on 9 July 1909, Grandad stated that his earliest memories were of watching the soldiers marching off to World War I and witnessing their return after the armistice in 1918. He later spoke of the horror of these experiences with his description of the wartime government policy ("They promised us homes fit for heroes, we got heroes fit for homes!")
In 1924 after leaving school, Grandad got a job as a decorator working for the Council, but was sacked after two days for wallpapering over a serving hatch. He then began working as a lamplighter for the London Gas Light and Coke Company but by the 1930s, he had been unemployed and living with his parents and his brothers, George, Albert, and Jack, in Peabody Buildings, Peckham Rye. In 1936, he and his friend Nobby Clarke ran away to Tangier to join the French Foreign Legion, they were however unsuccessful and ended up working fitting gun runners throughout the Spanish Civil War. They were caught by the authorities. Nobby was tortured but Grandad chose to confess everything under interrogation. Both were deported from Spain and all her territories and dominions. He returned to Peckham and joined the dole queues, marrying his wife Violet sometime before the war, and fathering a son, Reg.
During World War II Grandad evidently served a few time in the army as he told Del was given a double-headed coin by a fellow soldier and his son Reg checked his blood group on his old army records, however he must have been demobbed before the end of war as he temporarily separated from his wife and had an affair with Trigger 's grandmother Alice, while her husband Arthur was still fighting. Throughout the episode " He Ain't Heavy, He's My Uncle ", Uncle Albert ( Buster Merryfield ) shows Del a photograph of Grandad throughout the war. When Del asks why Grandad is wearing slacks, Albert answers 'Well, he'd just deserted.'
After the war, Grandad had various short-term jobs before he retired, including working as a security officer at a warehouse in Chingford which he had been sacked from after a janitor stole over three hundred briefcases from under his nose. His wife, who apparently worked as a char-lady in these later years passed away when Rodney was still young.
It is revealed in " Tea For Three ", by Granddad's younger brother Albert (played by Buster Merryfield ), that he and Albert fell out over Albert's later wife, Ada. Albert tells Rodney that while walking home from a nightclub together, they both had a fight, and never spoke to each additional again after that.
In the programme
The character of Grandad was written out of the original show following the death of the actor Lennard Pearce but is featured heavily as a main character (called frequently by his real name "Ted") in the 2010-11 prequel series Rock & Chips . Set in 1960, we see Grandad recently separated from his wife Vi, unemployed and subsequently homeless, after she finds out about his affair with Alice. Grandad then moves in with his son Reg. The Trotters are at that time squeezed into a two-up two-down terraced house and Grandad is forced to share a bedroom with his grandson Del. He appears to enjoy a close relationship with his family and remains with them when they move to their new council flat in Nelson Mandela House (which was then known as the "Sir Walter Raleigh House").
Chronologically we next see Grandad in the first series of Only Fools and Horses. Set in the early 1980s, widower Grandad is by this point aged in his mid seventies, largely infirm and useless and still living at Nelson Mandela House with his grandsons. Due to their sense of family loyalty, the Trotters ensure that he'll always have a home, with Del dismissing his fiancée Pauline's suggestion of putting Grandad into a residential home because "he's family". He is, however, most often treated with a level of light-hearted abuse by Del and Rodney when his docile nature becomes an inconvenience causing desperation. For instance, in " The Yellow Peril ", Grandad takes a phone call for Del; Del informs him to tell whoever is on the additional end that he has gone out. Grandad informs the caller of this, but then looks rather confused; he mutters "I'm not sure" before shouting "Where've you gone to, Del?" Grandad is a terrible cook; his miserably uttered final line in the series is "Del Boy, I've burnt yer pizza!" and in the first Christmas special even left the giblets in their plastic wrapping inside the turkey, not knowing what it meant by 'ready cleaned'. Del additionally played an April Fools joke on Grandad, telling him that the pools had called to say that he'd won half a million pounds. Grandad went to Soho and celebrated then realised that he didn't do the pools. Grandad's favourite television shows are Crossroads and The Dukes of Hazzard , as revealed in " Homesick " and " May The Force Be With You ", and the former episode reveals that he additionally enjoys listening to The Archers on the radio. In " Yesterday Never Comes ", Del suggests that he watches The Chinese Detective in his bedroom in order to remove him from the sitting room. Rather eccentrically, Grandad always watched two television sets at the same time. It was revealed that at one time he actually watched three television sets at a time before one broke down and was sent to be mended. He additionally owns an allotment, as mentioned in " The Russians Are Coming ", as well as seen in " Mother Nature's Son ". None of the main characters address Grandad by his name. Trigger addresses him as 'Mr Trotter' in Ashes to Ashes , and in " Who's a Pretty Boy? ", even pet shop owner Louis greets him as 'Grandad'. His name isn't revealed until Rock & Chips .
However, notwithstanding his senility and simplicity, Grandad was more crafty than he let on - wangling himself a bungalow by feigning illness being one of his a large number of talents as seen in " Homesick ". Similarly, in " Who's a Pretty Boy? ", he conned Delboy out of £5, informing him the canary he purchased from the pet shop cost him £50, when in reality cost him £45 (Del Boy finds out at the end of the episode, and replied "£45?", to which Grandad innocently replies, "What did I say?") And in " A Slow Bus To Chingford " he almost succeeds in conning Del out of £50 by betting him that no-one will turn up for the Trotters' proposed 'ethnic bus tours of old London' - and then failing to deliver the tour's publicity leaflets (a ploy only foiled when Del discovers the discarded leaflets in the dust-chute at Nelson Mandela House). "It wasn't me, Del Boy," Grandad wails on being detected on this occasion; "It was me brain!"
Grandad was additionally responsible for the spectacular (and noisy) failure of Del's chandelier cleaning business in " A Touch of Glass ".
When Lennard Pearce passed away in 1984, writer John Sullivan chose not to replace him but to write the character's death into the series. A funeral was held for Grandad in " Strained Relations ", which saw the Trotter brothers trying to come to terms with the loss of a man who had been such an integral part of their lives. Notwithstanding such was the nature of the show that amongst the sadness were moments of brilliant comedy. At the funeral, Del sees what he thinks is Grandad's trademark hat, takes it to the grave and he and Rodney lovingly drop the hat in. It is later revealed (to the audience) that the hat actually belonged to the Vicar. As Del and Rodney walk away from the grave , the gravediggers begin to fill in the grave; Del turns to them and menacingly says "Oi! Gently." This episode additionally introduced Grandad's younger brother Albert . It is additionally known that apart from Albert, Grandad had two more brothers: George, whom he mentioned in the episode " The Russians Are Coming "; and Jack, who was mentioned by Albert in " A Royal Flush ", presumably the father of Del and Rodney's cousin Stan, who's seen at the funeral with his wife (Stan refers to George by his first name, making it improbable for Stan to be George's son).
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Can you name the actress who links 'The Darling Buds of May' and 'Rosemary and Thyme'? | Pam Ferris - IMDb
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Pam Ferris was born on May 11, 1948 in Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany as Pamela E. Ferris. She is an actress, known for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Matilda (1996) and Children of Men (2006). She has been married to Roger Frost since August 1986. See full bio »
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Personal Details
Other Works:
She acted in John Osborne's play, "The Entertainer," at the Old Vic Theatre in London, England with Robert Lindsay, Emma Cunniffe, John Normingotn, David Dawson, and Jim Creighton in the cast. Sean Homes was director. See more »
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1 Interview | 1 Magazine Cover Photo | See more »
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Did You Know?
Personal Quote:
I was obsessed with work in my youth. It's why I didn't get married until I was 38 and the reason I didn't have kids. Not having children isn't a sadness in my life, though. I know I wouldn't have been a half-bad mother, but that's what happened. There's no regretting it.
Trivia:
In The Darling Buds of May (1991), there was a famous scene where Ferris shared a bath with David Jason while eating supper. Jason thought about turning up to the set in a frog mask and flippers but couldn't go through with it. Jason and Ferris both wore swimming costumes and the water was colored up to protect their modesty's. Jason considered that scene their icebreaker. See more »
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In the 'Disney' film the Lion King, who provided the voice of the evil lion 'Scar'? | Watch Full Episodes of 'Rosemary and Thyme' | KCET
Watch Full Episodes of 'Rosemary and Thyme'
Watch Full Episodes of 'Rosemary and Thyme' | KCET
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Rosemary and Thyme
Watch Full Episodes of 'Rosemary and Thyme'
"Rosemary and Thyme" is a charming, contemporary crime series with a unique twist, as two gardening enthusiasts find themselves caught up in a series of murder mysteries. Combining beautiful British countryside and estate locations, gripping stories and strong performances, the storyline features two mature women looking for a new direction after major changes in their lives. Brought together by the sudden death of a mutual friend, lecturer Rosemary Boxer and newly-divorced former policewoman Laura Thyme discover a shared passion for horticulture and a talent for investigation. Starring Pam Ferris ("The Darling Buds of May," "Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban") and Felicity Kendal ("The Camomile Lawn," "The Good Life"), Rosemary and Thyme brings together two of public television's favorite genres -- gardening and mystery -- in a not-to-be missed series!
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Which band recorded the soundtrack to the 1986 film, 'Highlander'? | Highlander Soundtrack and Movie Music - The 80s Movies Rewind
Highlander Soundtrack
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Songs
The best known song that came out of the film was, of course, "It's a kind of magic." by Queen.
There are 5 or 6 Queen songs in the movie and 4 of them are available on Queen's brilliant 1986 album 'A Kind of Magic'. They are 'Princes of the Universe', 'Gimme the Prize', 'Who Wants to Live Forever' and 'One Year of Love'. The first 2 I mentioned also sample vocals and sound effects from the movie. There is also a fifth song 'Don't Lose Your Head' which was used in the film (abridged), during the scene where the Kurgan drives McLeod's love interest, Brenda Wyatt, too fast in the car. [Thanks to Heather / Stephen Shaw]
The filmmakers could not have choosen better or more moving music for this film.
The following song tracks were featured in Highlander:
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Song Trivia
The album version of the song "Don't Lose Your Head" was NOT featured in the film. "Don't Lose Your Head" was a reworking of the original instrumental piece "A Dozen Red Roses For My Darling". It was this instrumental piece that was actually used in the film, which then continued into "New York, New York".
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A tragedy written early in the career of William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families? | Romeo & Juliet | Hopeless Romeo Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
Friar Laurence is a Franciscan friar, and is Romeo's confidant.
Friar John is sent to deliver Friar Laurence's letter to Romeo.
An Apothecary who reluctantly sells Romeo poison.
A Chorus reads a prologue to each of the first two acts.
Synopsis
Template:Wikisource
The play, set in Verona , begins with a street brawl between Montague and Capulet supporters who are sworn enemies. The Prince of Verona intervenes and declares that further breach of the peace will be punishable by death. Later, Count Paris talks to Capulet about marrying his daughter, but Capulet asks Paris to wait another two years (then he later orders Juliet to marry Paris) and invites him to attend a planned Capulet ball . Lady Capulet and Juliet's nurse try to persuade Juliet to accept Paris's courtship.
Meanwhile, Benvolio talks with his cousin Romeo , Montague's son, about Romeo's recent depression. Benvolio discovers that it stems from unrequited infatuation for a girl named Rosaline , one of Capulet's nieces. Persuaded by Benvolio and Mercutio , Romeo attends the ball at the Capulet house in hopes of meeting Rosaline. However, Romeo instead meets and falls in love with Juliet. After the ball, in what is now called the "balcony scene", Romeo sneaks into the Capulet orchard and overhears Juliet at her window vowing her love to him in spite of her family's hatred of the Montagues. Romeo makes himself known to her and they agree to be married. With the help of Friar Laurence , who hopes to reconcile the two families through their children's union, they are secretly married the next day.
File:Francesco Hayez 053.jpg
Juliet's cousin Tybalt , incensed that Romeo had sneaked into the Capulet ball, challenges him to a duel. Romeo, now considering Tybalt his kinsman, refuses to fight. Mercutio is offended by Tybalt's insolence, as well as Romeo's "vile submission," [1] and accepts the duel on Romeo's behalf. Mercutio is fatally wounded when Romeo attempts to break up the fight. Grief-stricken and wracked with guilt, Romeo confronts and slays Tybalt.
Montague argues that Romeo has justly executed Tybalt for the murder of Mercutio. The Prince, now having lost a kinsman in the warring families' feud, exiles Romeo from Verona, with threat of execution upon return. Romeo secretly spends the night in Juliet's chamber, where they consummate their marriage. Capulet, misinterpreting Juliet's grief, agrees to marry her to Count Paris and threatens to disown her when she refuses to become Paris's "joyful bride." [2] When she then pleads for the marriage to be delayed, her mother rejects her.
Juliet visits Friar Laurence for help, and he offers her a drug that will put her into a deathlike coma for "two and forty hours." [3] The Friar promises to send a messenger to inform Romeo of the plan, so that he can rejoin her when she awakens. On the night before the wedding, she takes the drug and, when discovered apparently dead, she is laid in the family crypt.
The messenger, however, does not reach Romeo and, instead, Romeo learns of Juliet's apparent death from his servant Balthasar. Heartbroken, Romeo buys poison from an apothecary and goes to the Capulet crypt . He encounters Paris who has come to mourn Juliet privately. Believing Romeo to be a vandal, Paris confronts him and, in the ensuing battle, Romeo kills Paris. Still believing Juliet to be dead, he drinks the poison. Juliet then awakens and, finding Romeo dead, stabs herself with his dagger. The feuding families and the Prince meet at the tomb to find all three dead. Friar Laurence recounts the story of the two "star-cross'd lovers". The families are reconciled by their children's deaths and agree to end their violent feud. The play ends with the Prince's elegy for the lovers: "For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." [4]
Sources
File:Arthur Brooke Tragicall His.jpg
Romeo and Juliet borrows from a tradition of tragic love stories dating back to antiquity. One of these is Pyramus and Thisbe , from Ovid 's Metamorphoses , which contains parallels to Shakespeare's story: the lovers' parents despise each other, and Pyramus falsely believes his lover Thisbe is dead. [5] The Ephesiaca of Xenophon of Ephesus , written in the 3rd century, also contains several similarities to the play, including the separation of the lovers, and a potion that induces a deathlike sleep. [6]
One of the earliest references to the names Montague and Capulet is from Dante 's Divine Comedy , who mentions the Montecchi (Montagues) and the Cappelletti (Capulets) in canto six of Purgatorio : [7]
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However, the reference is part of a polemic against the moral decay of Florence , Lombardy and the Italian Peninsula as a whole; Dante , through his characters, chastises Albert of Hapsburg for neglecting his responsibilities as temporal ruler of Christendom in the continent ("you who are negligent"), and successive Popes for their encroachment from purely spiritual affairs, thus leading to a climate of incessant bickering and warfare between rival political parties in Lombardy. Historicity records the name of the family Montague as being lent to such a political party in w:Verona , but that of the Capulets as from a Cremonese family, both of whom play out their conflict in w:Lombardy as a whole rather than within the confines of w:Verona . [8] Allied to rival political factions, the parties are grieving ("One lot already grieving") because their endless warfare has led to the destruction of both parties, [8] rather than a grief from the loss of their ill-fated offspring as the play sets forth, which appears to be a solely poetic creation within this context.
The earliest known version of the Romeo and Juliet tale akin to Shakespeare's play is the story of Mariotto and Gianozza by Masuccio Salernitano , in the 33rd novel of his Il Novellino published in 1476. [9] Salernitano sets the story in Siena and insists its events took place in his own lifetime. His version of the story includes the secret marriage, the colluding friar, the fray where a prominent citizen is killed, Mariotto's exile, Gianozza's forced marriage, the potion plot, and the crucial message that goes astray. In this version, Mariotto is caught and beheaded and Gianozza dies of grief. [10]
Luigi da Porto adapted the story as Giulietta e Romeo and included it in his Historia novellamente ritrovata di due Nobili Amanti published in 1530. [11] Da Porto drew on Pyramus and Thisbe and Boccacio 's Decameron . He gave it much of its modern form, including the names of the lovers, the rival families of Montecchi and Capuleti, and the location in Verona . [9] He also introduces characters corresponding to Shakespeare's Mercutio , Tybalt , and Paris . Da Porto presents his tale as historically true and claims it took place in the days of Bartolomeo II della Scala (a century earlier than Salernitano). In da Porto's version Romeo takes poison and Giulietta stabs herself with his dagger. [12]
In 1554, w:Matteo Bandello published the second volume of his Novelle, which included his version of Giuletta e Romeo. [11] Bandello emphasises Romeo's initial depression and the feud between the families, and introduces the Nurse and Benvolio . Bandello's story was translated into French by Pierre Boaistuau in 1559 in the first volume of his Histoires Tragiques. Boaistuau adds much moralising and sentiment, and the characters indulge in rhetorical outbursts. [13]
In his 1562 narrative poem The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet , Arthur Brooke translated Boaistuau faithfully, but adjusted it to reflect parts of Chaucer's w:Troilus and Criseyde . [14] There was a trend among writers and playwrights to publish works based on Italian novelles—Italian tales were very popular among theatre-goers—and Shakespeare may well have been familiar with William Painter's 1567 collection of Italian tales titled Palace of Pleasure. [15] This collection included a version in prose of the Romeo and Juliet story named "The goodly History of the true and constant love of Romeo and Juliett". Shakespeare took advantage of this popularity: The Merchant of Venice , Much Ado About Nothing , All's Well That Ends Well , Measure for Measure , and Romeo and Juliet are all from Italian novelle. Romeo and Juliet is a dramatisation of Brooke's translation, and Shakespeare follows the poem closely, but adds extra detail to both major and minor characters (in particular the Nurse and Mercutio). [16]
Christopher Marlowe 's Hero and Leander and Dido , both similar stories written in Shakespeare's day, are thought to be less of a direct influence, although they may have helped create an atmosphere in which tragic love stories could thrive. [14]
Date and text
File:Romeoandjuliet1597.jpg
It is unknown when exactly Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet. Juliet's nurse refers to an earthquake she says occurred 11 years ago. [17] This may refer to the Dover Straits earthquake of 1580 , which would date that particular line to 1591. Other earthquakes—both in England and in Verona—have been proposed in support of the different dates. [18] But the play's stylistic similarities with A Midsummer Night's Dream and other plays conventionally dated around 1594–95, place its composition sometime between 1591 and 1595. [19] One conjecture is that Shakespeare may have begun a draft in 1591, which he completed in 1595. [20]
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was published in two quarto editions prior to the publication of the First Folio of 1623. These are referred to as Q1 and Q2. The first printed edition, Q1, appeared in early 1597, printed by John Danter. Because its text contains numerous differences from the later editions, it is labelled a ' bad quarto '; the 20th-century editor T. J. B. Spencer described it as "a detestable text, probably a reconstruction of the play from the imperfect memories of one or two of the actors", suggesting that it had been pirated for publication. [21] An alternative explanation for Q1's shortcomings is that the play (like many others of the time) may have been heavily edited before performance by the playing company. [22] In any event, its appearance in early 1597 makes 1596 the latest possible date for the play's composition. [18]
The superior Q2 called the play The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet. It was printed in 1599 by Thomas Creede and published by Cuthbert Burby . Q2 is about 800 lines longer than Q1. [22] Its title page describes it as "Newly corrected, augmented and amended". Scholars believe that Q2 was based on Shakespeare's pre-performance draft (called his foul papers ), since there are textual oddities such as variable tags for characters and "false starts" for speeches that were presumably struck through by the author but erroneously preserved by the typesetter. It is a much more complete and reliable text, and was reprinted in 1609 (Q3), 1622 (Q4) and 1637 (Q5). [21] In effect, all later Quartos and Folios of Romeo and Juliet are based on Q2, as are all modern editions since editors believe that any deviations from Q2 in the later editions (whether good or bad) are likely to arise from editors or compositors, not from Shakespeare. [22]
The First Folio text of 1623 was based primarily on Q3, with clarifications and corrections possibly coming from a theatrical promptbook or Q1. [21] [23] Other Folio editions of the play were printed in 1632 (F2), 1664 (F3), and 1685 (F4). [24] Modern versions—that take into account several of the Folios and Quartos—first appeared with Nicholas Rowe 's 1709 edition, followed by Alexander Pope 's 1723 version. Pope began a tradition of editing the play to add information such as stage directions missing in Q2 by locating them in Q1. This tradition continued late into the Romantic period. Fully annotated editions first appeared in the Victorian period and continue to be produced today, printing the text of the play with footnotes describing the sources and culture behind the play. [25]
Themes and motifs
Edit
Scholars have found it extremely difficult to assign one specific, overarching theme to the play. Proposals for a main theme include a discovery by the characters that human beings are neither wholly good nor wholly evil, but instead are more or less alike, [26] awaking out of a dream and into reality, the danger of hasty action, or the power of tragic fate. None of these have widespread support. However, even if an overall theme cannot be found it is clear that the play is full of several small, thematic elements that intertwine in complex ways. Several of those most often debated by scholars are discussed below. [27]
Love
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Romeo and Juliet is sometimes considered to have no unifying theme, save that of young love. [26] Romeo and Juliet have become emblematic of young lovers and doomed love. Since it is such an obvious subject of the play, several scholars have explored the language and historical context behind the romance of the play. [28]
On their first meeting, Romeo and Juliet use a form of communication recommended by many etiquette authors in Shakespeare's day: metaphor. By using metaphors of saints and sins, Romeo was able to test Juliet's feelings for him in a non-threatening way. This method was recommended by Baldassare Castiglione (whose works had been translated into English by this time). He pointed out that if a man used a metaphor as an invitation, the woman could pretend she did not understand him, and he could retreat without losing honour. Juliet, however, participates in the metaphor and expands on it. The religious metaphors of "shrine", "pilgrim" and "saint" were fashionable in the poetry of the time and more likely to be understood as romantic rather than blasphemous, as the concept of sainthood was associated with the Catholicism of an earlier age. [29] Later in the play, Shakespeare removes the more daring allusions to Christ's resurrection in the tomb he found in his source work: Brooke's Romeus and Juliet . [30]
In the later balcony scene, Shakespeare has Romeo overhear Juliet's soliloquy, but in Brooke's version of the story her declaration is done alone. By bringing Romeo into the scene to eavesdrop, Shakespeare breaks from the normal sequence of courtship. Usually a woman was required to be modest and shy to make sure that her suitor was sincere, but breaking this rule serves to speed along the plot. The lovers are able to skip courting, and move on to plain talk about their relationship— agreeing to be married after knowing each other for only one night. [28] In the final suicide scene, there is a contradiction in the message—in the Catholic religion, suicides were often thought to be condemned to hell, whereas people who die to be with their loves under the " Religion of Love " are joined with their loves in paradise. Romeo and Juliet's love seems to be expressing the "Religion of Love" view rather than the Catholic view. Another point is that although their love is passionate, it is only consummated in marriage, which prevents them from losing the audience's sympathy. [31]
The play arguably equates love and sex with death. Throughout the story, both Romeo and Juliet, along with the other characters, fantasise about it as a dark being , often equating it with a lover. Capulet, for example, when he first discovers Juliet's (faked) death, describes it as having deflowered his daughter. [32] Juliet later erotically compares Romeo and death. Right before her suicide she grabs Romeo's dagger, saying "O happy dagger! This is thy sheath. There rust, and let me die." [33] [34]
Fate and chance
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Scholars are divided on the role of fate in the play. No consensus exists on whether the characters are truly fated to die together or whether the events take place by a series of unlucky chances. Arguments in favour of fate often refer to the description of the lovers as " star-cross'd ". This phrase seems to hint that the stars have predetermined the lovers' future. [35] John W. Draper points out the parallels between the Elizabethan belief in the four humours and the main characters of the play (for example, Tybalt as a choleric). Interpreting the text in the light of humours reduces the amount of plot attributed to chance by modern audiences. [36] Still, other scholars see the play as a series of unlucky chances—many to such a degree that they do not see it as a tragedy at all, but an emotional melodrama . [36] Ruth Nevo believes the high degree to which chance is stressed in the narrative makes Romeo and Juliet a "lesser tragedy" of happenstance, not of character. For example, Romeo's challenging Tybalt is not impulsive; it is, after Mercutio's death, the expected action to take. In this scene, Nevo reads Romeo as being aware of the dangers of flouting social norms , identity and commitments. He makes the choice to kill, not because of a tragic flaw , but because of circumstance. [37]
Duality (light and dark)
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Scholars have long noted Shakespeare's widespread use of light and dark imagery throughout the play. Caroline Spurgeon considers the theme of light as "symbolic of the natural beauty of young love" and later critics have expanded on this interpretation. [37] [38] For example, both Romeo and Juliet see the other as light in a surrounding darkness. Romeo describes Juliet as being like the sun, [39] brighter than a torch, [40] a jewel sparkling in the night, [41] and a bright angel among dark clouds. [42] Even when she lies apparently dead in the tomb, he says her "beauty makes This vault a feasting presence full of light." [43] Juliet describes Romeo as "day in night" and "Whiter than snow upon a raven's back." [44] [45] This contrast of light and dark can be expanded as symbols—contrasting love and hate, youth and age in a metaphoric way. [37] Sometimes these intertwining metaphors create dramatic irony . For example, Romeo and Juliet's love is a light in the midst of the darkness of the hate around them, but all of their activity together is done in night and darkness, while all of the feuding is done in broad daylight. This paradox of imagery adds atmosphere to the moral dilemma facing the two lovers: loyalty to family or loyalty to love. At the end of the story, when the morning is gloomy and the sun hiding its face for sorrow, light and dark have returned to their proper places, the outward darkness reflecting the true, inner darkness of the family feud out of sorrow for the lovers. All characters now recognise their folly in light of recent events, and things return to the natural order, thanks to the love of Romeo and Juliet. [38] The "light" theme in the play is also heavily connected to the theme of time, since light was a convenient way for Shakespeare to express the passage of time through descriptions of the sun, moon, and stars. [46]
Time
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Time plays an important role in the language and plot of the play. Both Romeo and Juliet struggle to maintain an imaginary world void of time in the face of the harsh realities that surround them. For instance, when Romeo swears his love to Juliet by the moon, she protests "O swear not by the moon, th'inconstant moon, / That monthly changes in her circled orb, / Lest that thy love prove likewise variable." [47] From the very beginning, the lovers are designated as "star-cross'd" [48] referring to an astrologic belief associated with time. Stars were thought to control the fates of humanity, and as time passed, stars would move along their course in the sky, also charting the course of human lives below. Romeo speaks of a foreboding he feels in the stars' movements early in the play, and when he learns of Juliet's death, he defies the stars' course for him. [36] [49]
Another central theme is haste: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet spans a period of four to six days, in contrast to Brooke's poem's spanning nine months. [46] Scholars such as G. Thomas Tanselle believe that time was "especially important to Shakespeare" in this play, as he used references to "short-time" for the young lovers as opposed to references to "long-time" for the "older generation" to highlight "a headlong rush towards doom". [46] Romeo and Juliet fight time to make their love last forever. In the end, the only way they seem to defeat time is through a death that makes them immortal through art. [50]
Time is also connected to the theme of light and dark. In Shakespeare's day, plays were often performed at noon in broad daylight. This forced the playwright to use words to create the illusion of day and night in his plays. Shakespeare uses references to the night and day, the stars, the moon, and the sun to create this illusion. He also has characters frequently refer to days of the week and specific hours to help the audience understand that time has passed in the story. All in all, no fewer than 103 references to time are found in the play, adding to the illusion of its passage. [51]
Criticism and interpretation
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The earliest known critic of the play was diarist Samuel Pepys , who wrote in 1662: "it is a play of itself the worst that I ever heard in my life." [52] Poet John Dryden wrote 10 years later in praise of the play and its comic character Mercutio: "Shakespear show'd the best of his skill in his Mercutio, and he said himself, that he was forc'd to kill him in the third Act, to prevent being killed by him." [52] Criticism of the play in the 18th century was less sparse, but no less divided. Publisher Nicholas Rowe was the first critic to ponder the theme of the play, which he saw as the just punishment of the two feuding families. In mid-century, writer Charles Gildon and philosopher Lord Kames argued that the play was a failure in that it did not follow the classical rules of drama: the tragedy must occur because of some character flaw , not an accident of fate. Writer and critic Samuel Johnson , however, considered it one of Shakespeare's "most pleasing" plays. [53]
In the later part of the 18th and through the 19th century, criticism centred on debates over the moral message of the play. Actor and playwright David Garrick 's 1748 adaptation excluded Rosaline: Romeo abandoning her for Juliet was seen as fickle and reckless. Critics such as Charles Dibdin argued that Rosaline had been purposely included in the play to show how reckless the hero was, and that this was the reason for his tragic end. Others argued that Friar Laurence might be Shakespeare's spokesman in his warnings against undue haste. With the advent of the 20th century, these moral arguments were disputed by critics such as Richard Green Moulton : he argued that accident, and not some character flaw, led to the lovers' deaths. [54]
Dramatic structure
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In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare employs several dramatic techniques that have garnered praise from critics; most notably the abrupt shifts from comedy to tragedy (an example is the punning exchange between Benvolio and Mercutio just before Tybalt arrives). Before Mercutio's death in Act three, the play is largely a comedy. [55] After his accidental demise, the play suddenly becomes serious and takes on a tragic tone. When Romeo is banished, rather than executed, and Friar Laurence offers Juliet a plan to reunite her with Romeo, the audience can still hope that all will end well. They are in a "breathless state of suspense" by the opening of the last scene in the tomb: If Romeo is delayed long enough for the Friar to arrive, he and Juliet may yet be saved. [56] These shifts from hope to despair, reprieve, and new hope, serve to emphasise the tragedy when the final hope fails and both the lovers die at the end. [57]
Shakespeare also uses sub-plots to offer a clearer view of the actions of the main characters. For example, when the play begins, Romeo is in love with Rosaline, who has refused all of his advances. Romeo's infatuation with her stands in obvious contrast to his later love for Juliet. This provides a comparison through which the audience can see the seriousness of Romeo and Juliet's love and marriage. Paris' love for Juliet also sets up a contrast between Juliet's feelings for him and her feelings for Romeo. The formal language she uses around Paris, as well as the way she talks about him to her Nurse, show that her feelings clearly lie with Romeo. Beyond this, the sub-plot of the Montague–Capulet feud overarches the whole play, providing an atmosphere of hate that is the main contributor to the play's tragic end. [57]
Language
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Shakespeare uses a variety of poetic forms throughout the play. He begins with a 14-line prologue in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet , spoken by a Chorus. Most of Romeo and Juliet is, however, written in blank verse , and much of it in strict iambic pentameter , with less rhythmic variation than in most of Shakespeare's later plays. [58] In choosing forms, Shakespeare matches the poetry to the character who uses it. Friar Laurence, for example, uses sermon and sententiae forms, and the Nurse uses a unique blank verse form that closely matches colloquial speech . [58] Each of these forms is also moulded and matched to the emotion of the scene the character occupies. For example, when Romeo talks about Rosaline earlier in the play, he attempts to use the Petrarchan sonnet form. Petrarchan sonnets were often used by men to exaggerate the beauty of women who were impossible for them to attain, as in Romeo's situation with Rosaline. This sonnet form is used by Lady Capulet to describe Count Paris to Juliet as a handsome man. [59] When Romeo and Juliet meet, the poetic form changes from the Petrarchan (which was becoming archaic in Shakespeare's day) to a then more contemporary sonnet form, using "pilgrims" and "saints" as metaphors. [60] Finally, when the two meet on the balcony, Romeo attempts to use the sonnet form to pledge his love, but Juliet breaks it by saying "Dost thou love me?" [61] By doing this, she searches for true expression, rather than a poetic exaggeration of their love. [62] Juliet uses monosyllabic words with Romeo, but uses formal language with Paris. [63] Other forms in the play include an epithalamium by Juliet, a rhapsody in Mercutio's Queen Mab speech, and an elegy by Paris. [64] Shakespeare saves his prose style most often for the common people in the play, though at times he uses it for other characters, such as Mercutio. [65] Humour, also, is important: scholar Molly Mahood identifies at least 175 puns and wordplays in the text. [66] Many of these jokes are sexual in nature, especially those involving Mercutio and the Nurse. [67]
Psychoanalytic criticism
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Early psychoanalytic critics saw the problem of Romeo and Juliet in terms of Romeo's impulsiveness, deriving from "ill-controlled, partially disguised aggression", which leads both to Mercutio's death and to the double suicide. [68] Romeo and Juliet is not considered to be exceedingly psychologically complex, and sympathetic psychoanalytic readings of the play make the tragic male experience equivalent with sicknesses. [69] Norman Holland, writing in 1966, considers Romeo's dream [70] as a realistic "wish fulfilling fantasy both in terms of Romeo's adult world and his hypothetical childhood at stages oral, phallic and oedipal" – while acknowledging that a dramatic character is not a human being with mental processes separate from those of the author. [71] Critics such as Julia Kristeva focus on the hatred between the families, arguing that this hatred is the cause of Romeo and Juliet's passion for each other. That hatred manifests itself directly in the lovers' language: Juliet, for example, speaks of "my only love sprung from my only hate" [72] and often expresses her passion through an anticipation of Romeo's death. [73] This leads on to speculation as to the playwright's psychology, in particular to a consideration of Shakespeare's grief for the death of his son, Hamnet . [74]
Feminist criticism
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Feminist literary critics argue that the blame for the family feud lies in Verona's patriarchal society . For Coppélia Kahn, for example, the strict, masculine code of violence imposed on Romeo is the main force driving the tragedy to its end. When Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo shifts into this violent mode, regretting that Juliet has made him so "effeminate". [75] In this view, the younger males "become men" by engaging in violence on behalf of their fathers, or in the case of the servants, their masters. The feud is also linked to male virility, as the numerous jokes about maidenheads aptly demonstrate. [76] Juliet also submits to a female code of docility by allowing others, such as the Friar, to solve her problems for her. Other critics, such as Dympna Callaghan, look at the play's feminism from a historicist angle, stressing that when the play was written the feudal order was being challenged by increasingly centralised government and the advent of capitalism. At the same time, emerging Puritan ideas about marriage were less concerned with the "evils of female sexuality" than those of earlier eras, and more sympathetic towards love-matches: when Juliet dodges her father's attempt to force her to marry a man she has no feeling for, she is challenging the patriarchal order in a way that would not have been possible at an earlier time. [77]
Queer theory
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A number of critics have found the character of Mercutio to have unacknowledged homoerotic desire for Romeo. [78] Jonathan Goldberg examined the sexuality of Mercutio and Romeo utilising " queer theory " in Queering the Renaissance, comparing their friendship with sexual love. Mercutio, in friendly conversation, mentions Romeo's phallus , suggesting traces of homoeroticism . [79] An example is his joking wish "To raise a spirit in his mistress' circle ... letting it there stand / Till she had laid it and conjured it down." [80] [81] Romeo's homoeroticism can also be found in his attitude to Rosaline, a woman who is distant and unavailable and brings no hope of offspring. As Benvolio argues, she is best replaced by someone who will reciprocate. Shakespeare's procreation sonnets describe another young man who, like Romeo, is having trouble creating offspring and who may be seen as being a homosexual. Goldberg believes that Shakespeare may have used Rosaline as a way to express homosexual problems of procreation in an acceptable way. In this view, when Juliet says "...that which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet", [82] she may be raising the question of whether there is any difference between the beauty of a man and the beauty of a woman. [83]
Legacy
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Romeo and Juliet ranks with Hamlet as one of Shakespeare's most-performed plays. [85] Its many adaptations have made it one of his most enduring and famous stories. [85] Even in Shakespeare's lifetime it was extremely popular. Scholar Gary Taylor measures it as the sixth most popular of Shakespeare's plays, in the period after the death of Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Kyd but before the ascendancy of Ben Jonson during which Shakespeare was London's dominant playwright. [86] The date of the first performance is unknown. The First Quarto, printed in 1597, says that "it hath been often (and with great applause) plaid publiquely", setting the first performance before that date. The Lord Chamberlain's Men were certainly the first to perform it. Besides their strong connections with Shakespeare, the Second Quarto actually names one of its actors, Will Kemp , instead of Peter in a line in Act five. Richard Burbage was probably the first Romeo, being the company's actor, and Master Robert Goffe (a boy) the first Juliet. [84] The premiere is likely to have been at " The Theatre ", with other early productions at " The Curtain ". [87] Romeo and Juliet is one of the first Shakespearean plays to have been performed outside England: a shortened and simplified version was performed in Nördlingen in 1604. [88]
Restoration and 18th-century theatre
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All theatres were closed down by the puritan government on 6 September 1642. Upon the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, two patent companies (the King's Company and the Duke's Company ) were established, and the existing theatrical repertoire divided between them. [89]
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Sir William Davenant of the Duke's Company staged a 1662 adaptation in which Henry Harris played Romeo, Thomas Betterton Mercutio, and Betterton's wife Mary Saunderson Juliet: she was probably the first woman to play the role professionally. [90] [91] Another version closely followed Davenant's adaptation and was also regularly performed by the Duke's Company. This was a tragicomedy by James Howard, in which the two lovers survive. [92]
Thomas Otway 's The History and Fall of Caius Marius, one of the more extreme of the Restoration adaptations of Shakespeare, debuted in 1680. The scene is shifted from Renaissance Verona to ancient Rome ; Romeo is Marius, Juliet is Lavinia, the feud is between patricians and plebeians; Juliet/Lavinia wakes from her potion before Romeo/Marius dies. Otway's version was a hit, and was acted for the next seventy years. [91] His innovation in the closing scene was even more enduring, and was used in adaptations throughout the next 200 years: Theophilus Cibber's adaptation of 1744, and David Garrick 's of 1748 both used variations on it. [93] These versions also eliminated elements deemed inappropriate at the time. For example, Garrick's version transferred all language describing Rosaline to Juliet, to heighten the idea of faithfulness and downplay the love-at-first-sight theme. [94] In 1750 a "Battle of the Romeos" began, with Spranger Barry and Susannah Maria Arne (Mrs. Theophilus Cibber) at Covent Garden versus David Garrick and George Anne Bellamy at Drury Lane . [95]
The earliest known production in North America was an amateur one: on 23 March 1730, a physician named Joachimus Bertrand placed an advertisement in the Gazette newspaper in New York, promoting a production in which he would play the apothecary. [96] The first professional performances of the play in North America were those of the Hallam Company . [97]
19th-century theatre
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Garrick's altered version of the play was very popular, and ran for nearly a century. [91] Not until 1845 did Shakespeare's original return to the stage in the United States with the sisters Susan and Charlotte Cushman as Juliet and Romeo, respectively, [98] and then in 1847 in Britain with Samuel Phelps at Sadler's Wells Theatre . [99] Cushman adhered to Shakespeare's version, beginning a string of eighty-four performances. Her portrayal of Romeo was considered genius by many. The Times wrote: "For a long time Romeo has been a convention. Miss Cushman's Romeo is a creative, a living, breathing, animated, ardent human being." [100] Queen Victoria wrote in her journal that "no-one would ever have imagined she was a woman". [101] Cushman's success broke the Garrick tradition and paved the way for later performances to return to the original storyline. [91]
Professional performances of Shakespeare in the mid-19th century had two particular features: firstly, they were generally star vehicles , with supporting roles cut or marginalised to give greater prominence to the central characters. Secondly, they were "pictorial", placing the action on spectacular and elaborate sets (requiring lengthy pauses for scene changes) and with the frequent use of tableaux . [102] Henry Irving's 1882 production at the Lyceum Theatre (with himself as Romeo and Ellen Terry as Juliet) is considered an archetype of the pictorial style. [103] In 1895, Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson took over from Irving, and laid the groundwork for a more natural portrayal of Shakespeare that remains popular today. Forbes-Robertson avoided the showiness of Irving and instead portrayed a down-to-earth Romeo, expressing the poetic dialogue as realistic prose and avoiding melodramatic flourish. [104]
American actors began to rival their British counterparts. Edwin Booth (brother to John Wilkes Booth ) and Mary McVicker (soon to be Edwin's wife) opened as Romeo and Juliet at the sumptuous Booth's Theatre (with its European-style stage machinery, and an air conditioning system unique in New York) on 3 February 1869. Some reports said it was one of the most elaborate productions of Romeo and Juliet ever seen in America; it was certainly the most popular, running for over six weeks and earning over $60,000 [105] (equal to about $ Template:Inflation today). Template:Inflation-fn The programme noted that: "The tragedy will be produced in strict accordance with historical propriety, in every respect, following closely the text of Shakespeare." [106]
The first professional performance of the play in Japan may have been George Crichton Miln's company's production, which toured to Yokohama in 1890. [107] Throughout the 19th century, Romeo and Juliet had been Shakespeare's most popular play, measured by the number of professional performances. In the 20th century it would become the second most popular, behind Hamlet . [108]
20th-century theatre
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In 1933, the play was revived by actress Katharine Cornell and her director husband Guthrie McClintic and was taken on a seven-month nationwide tour throughout the United States. It starred Orson Welles , Brian Aherne and Basil Rathbone . The production was a modest success, and so upon the return to New York, Cornell and McClintic revised it and for the first time, the play was presented with almost all the scenes intact, including the Prologue. The new production opened in December 1934 with Ralph Richardson as Mercutio and Maurice Evans as Romeo. Critics wrote that Cornell was "the finest Juliet of her time," "endlessly haunting," and "the most lovely and enchanting Juliet our present-day theatre has seen." [109]
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John Gielgud 's New Theatre production in 1935 featured Gielgud and Laurence Olivier as Romeo and Mercutio, exchanging roles six weeks into the run, with Peggy Ashcroft as Juliet. [110] Gielgud used a scholarly combination of Q1 and Q2 texts, and organised the set and costumes to match as closely as possible to the Elizabethan period . His efforts were a huge success at the box office, and set the stage for increased historical realism in later productions. [111] Olivier later compared his performance and Gielgud's: "John, all spiritual, all spirituality, all beauty, all abstract things; and myself as all earth, blood, humanity ... I've always felt that John missed the lower half and that made me go for the other ... But whatever it was, when I was playing Romeo I was carrying a torch, I was trying to sell realism in Shakespeare." [112]
Peter Brook's 1947 version was the beginning of a different style of Romeo and Juliet performances. Brook was less concerned with realism, and more concerned with translating the play into a form that could communicate with the modern world. He argued, "A production is only correct at the moment of its correctness, and only good at the moment of its success." [113] Brook excluded the final reconciliation of the families from his performance text. [114]
Throughout the century, audiences, influenced by the cinema, became less willing to accept actors distinctly older than the teenage characters they were playing. [115] A significant example of more youthful casting was in Franco Zeffirelli 's Old Vic production in 1960, with John Stride and Judi Dench , which would serve as the basis for his 1968 film . [114] Zeffirelli borrowed from Brook's ideas, altogether removing around a third of the play's text to make it more accessible. In an interview with The Times, he stated that the play's "twin themes of love and the total breakdown of understanding between two generations" had contemporary relevance. [116]
Recent performances often set the play in the contemporary world. For example, in 1986 the Royal Shakespeare Company set the play in modern Verona . Switchblades replaced swords, feasts and balls became drug-laden rock parties, and Romeo committed suicide by hypodermic needle . [117] In 1997, the Folger Shakespeare Theatre produced a version set in a typical suburban world. Romeo sneaks into the Capulet barbecue to meet Juliet, and Juliet discovers Tybalt's death while in class at school. [118]
The play is sometimes given a historical setting, enabling audiences to reflect on the underlying conflicts. For example, adaptations have been set in the midst of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict , [119] in the apartheid era in South Africa, [120] and in the aftermath of the Pueblo Revolt . [121] Similarly, Peter Ustinov's 1956 comic adaptation, Romanoff and Juliet , is set in a fictional mid-European country in the depths of the Cold War . [122] A mock-Victorian revisionist version of Romeo and Juliet Template:'s final scene (with a happy ending, Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio and Paris restored to life, and Benvolio revealing that he is Paris's love, Benvolia, in disguise) forms part of the 1980 stage-play The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby . [123] Shakespeare’s R&J, by Joe Calarco, spins the classic in a modern tale of gay teenage awakening. [124] A recent comedic musical adaptation was The Second City 's The Second City's Romeo and Juliet Musical: The People vs. Friar Laurence, the Man Who Killed Romeo and Juliet, set in modern times. [125]
In the 19th and 20th century, Romeo and Juliet has often been the choice of Shakespeare plays to open a classical theatre company, beginning with Edwin Booth 's inaugural production of that play in his theatre in 1869, the newly reformed company of the Old Vic in 1929 with John Gielgud , Martita Hunt and Margaret Webster , [126] as well as the Riverside Shakespeare Company in its founding production in New York City in 1977, which used the 1968 film of Franco Zeffirelli 's production as its inspiration. [127]
Music
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At least 24 operas have been based on Romeo and Juliet. [128] The earliest, Romeo und Julie in 1776, a Singspiel by Georg Benda , omits much of the action of the play and most of its characters, and has a happy ending. It is occasionally revived. The best-known is Gounod 's 1867 Roméo et Juliette (libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré ), a critical triumph when first performed and frequently revived today. [129] Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi is also revived from time to time, but has sometimes been judged unfavourably because of its perceived liberties with Shakespeare; however, Bellini and his librettist, Felice Romani , worked from Italian sources—principally Romani's libretto for an opera by Nicola Vaccai —rather than directly adapting Shakespeare's play. [130] Among later operas there is Heinrich Sutermeister 's 1940 work Romeo und Julia .
Roméo et Juliette by Berlioz is a "symphonie dramatique", a large scale work in three parts for mixed voices, chorus and orchestra, which premiered in 1839. [131] Tchaikovsky 's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture (1869, revised 1870 and 1880) is a 15 minute symphonic poem , containing the famous melody known as the "love theme". [132] Tchaikovsky's device of repeating the same musical theme at the ball, in the balcony scene, in Juliet's bedroom and in the tomb [133] has been used by subsequent directors: for example Nino Rota's love theme is used in a similar way in the 1968 film of the play, as is Des'ree 's Kissing You in the 1996 film. [134] Other classical composers influenced by the play include Henry Hugh Pearson (Romeo and Juliet, overture for orchestra, Op. 86), Svendsen (Romeo og Julie, 1876), Delius ( A Village Romeo and Juliet , 1899–1901), Stenhammar (Romeo och Julia, 1922), and Kabalevsky (Incidental Music to Romeo and Juliet, Op. 56, 1956). [135]
The best-known ballet version is Prokofiev 's Romeo and Juliet . [136] Originally commissioned by the Kirov Ballet , it was rejected by them when Prokofiev attempted a happy ending, and was rejected again for the experimental nature of its music. It has subsequently attained an "immense" reputation, and has been choreographed by John Cranko (1962) and Kenneth MacMillan (1965) among others. [137]
The play influenced several jazz works, including Peggy Lee 's " Fever ". [138] Duke Ellington 's Such Sweet Thunder contains a piece entitled "The Star-Crossed Lovers" [139] in which the pair are represented by tenor and alto saxophones: critics noted that Juliet's sax dominates the piece, rather than offering an image of equality. [140] The play has frequently influenced popular music , including works by The Supremes , Bruce Springsteen , Tom Waits , Lou Reed , [141] and Taylor Swift . [142] The most famous such track is Dire Straits ' " Romeo and Juliet ". [143]
The most famous musical theatre adaptation is West Side Story with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim . It débuted on Broadway in 1957 and in the West End in 1958, and became a popular film in 1961. This version updated the setting to mid-20th century New York City, and the warring families to ethnic gangs. [144] Other musical adaptations include Terrence Mann's 1999 rock musical William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, co-written with Jerome Korman, [145] Gérard Presgurvic's 2001 Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour and Riccardo Cocciante 's 2007 Giulietta & Romeo . [146]
Literature and art
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Romeo and Juliet had a profound influence on subsequent literature. Before then, romance had not even been viewed as a worthy topic for tragedy. [147] In Harold Bloom's words, Shakespeare "invented the formula that the sexual becomes the erotic when crossed by the shadow of death." [148] Of Shakespeare's works, Romeo and Juliet has generated the most—and the most varied—adaptations, including prose and verse narratives, drama, opera, orchestral and choral music, ballet, film, television and painting. [149] The word "Romeo" has even become synonymous with "male lover" in English. [150]
Romeo and Juliet was parodied in Shakespeare's own lifetime: Henry Porter 's Two Angry Women of Abingdon (1598) and Thomas Dekker 's Blurt, Master Constable (1607) both contain balcony scenes in which a virginal heroine engages in bawdy wordplay. [151] The play directly influenced later literary works . For example the preparations for a performance form a major plot arc in Charles Dickens ' Nicholas Nickleby . [152]
Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare's most-illustrated works. [153] The first known illustration was a woodcut of the tomb scene, [154] thought to be by Elisha Kirkall, which appeared in Nicholas Rowe's 1709 edition of Shakespeare's plays. [155] Five paintings of the play were commissioned for the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery in the late 18th century, one representing each of the five acts of the play. [156] The 19th century fashion for "pictorial" performances led to directors drawing on paintings for their inspiration, which in turn influenced painters to depict actors and scenes from the theatre. [157] In the 20th century, the play's most iconic visual images have derived from its popular film versions. [158]
Screen
Main article: Romeo and Juliet on screen
Romeo and Juliet may be the most-filmed play of all time. [159] The most notable theatrical releases were George Cukor 's multi- Oscar -nominated 1936 production , Franco Zeffirelli 's 1968 version , and Baz Luhrmann 's 1996 MTV-inspired Romeo + Juliet . The latter two were both, in their time, the highest-grossing Shakespeare film ever. [160] Romeo and Juliet was first filmed in the silent era, by Georges Méliès , although his film is now lost. [159] The play was first heard on film in The Hollywood Revue of 1929 , in which John Gilbert recited the balcony scene opposite Norma Shearer . [161]
Shearer and Leslie Howard , with a combined age over 75, played the teenage lovers in George Cukor 's MGM 1936 film version . Neither critics nor the public responded enthusiastically. Cinemagoers considered the film too "arty", staying away as they had from Warner's A Midsummer Night Dream a year before: leading to Hollywood abandoning the Bard for over a decade. [162] Renato Castellani won the Grand Prix at the Venice Film Festival for his 1954 film of Romeo and Juliet . [163] his Romeo, Laurence Harvey , was already an experienced screen actor. [164] By contrast, Susan Shentall, as Juliet, was a secretarial student who was discovered by the director in a London pub, and was cast for her "pale sweet skin and honey-blonde hair". [165]
Stephen Orgel describes Franco Zeffirelli 's 1968 Romeo and Juliet as being "full of beautiful young people, and the camera, and the lush technicolour, make the most of their sexual energy and good looks." [166] Zeffirelli's teenage leads, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey , had virtually no previous acting experience, but performed capably and with great maturity. [167] Zeffirelli has been particularly praised, [168] for his presentation of the duel scene as bravado getting out-of-control. [169] The film courted controversy by including a nude wedding-night scene [170] while Olivia Hussey was only fifteen. [171]
Baz Luhrmann 's 1996 Romeo + Juliet and its accompanying soundtrack successfully targeted the " MTV Generation ": a young audience of similar age to the story's characters. [172] Far darker than Zeffirelli's version, the film is set in the "crass, violent and superficial society" of Verona Beach and Sycamore Grove. [173] Leonardo DiCaprio was Romeo and Claire Danes was Juliet.
The play has been widely adapted for TV and film. In 1960, Peter Ustinov 's cold-war stage parody, Romanoff and Juliet was filmed. [122] The 1961 film of West Side Story —set among New York gangs–featured the Jets as white youths, equivalent to Shakespeare's Montagues, while the Sharks, equivalent to the Capulets, are Puerto Rican. [174] The 1994 film The Punk uses both the rough plot outline of Romeo and Juliet and names many of the characters in ways that reflect the characters in the play. In 2006, Disney's High School Musical made use of Romeo and Juliet's plot, placing the two young lovers in rival high school cliques instead of feuding families. [175] Film-makers have frequently featured characters performing scenes from Romeo and Juliet. [176] The conceit of dramatising Shakespeare writing Romeo and Juliet has been used several times, [177] including [w:[John Madden (director)|John Madden]]'s 1998 Shakespeare in Love , in which Shakespeare writes the play against the backdrop of his own doomed love affair. [178] An anime series produced by Gonzo and SKY Perfect Well Think , called Romeo x Juliet , was made in 2007.
Modern social media
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In April and May 2010 the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Mudlark Production Company presented a version of the play, entitled Such Tweet Sorrow, as an improvised, real-time series of tweets on Twitter. The production used RSC actors who engaged with the audience as well each other, performing not from a traditional script but a "Grid" developed by the Mudlark production team and writers Tim Wright and Bethan Marlow. The performers also make use of other media sites such as YouTube for pictures and video. [179]
Scene by scene
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Classic Literature Fiction Literature Romance
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers. Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. Its plot is based on an Italian tale, translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562 and retold in prose in Palace of Pleasure by William Painter in 1582. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both but, to expand the plot, developed supporting characters, particularly Mercutio and Paris. Believed written between 1591 and 1595, the play was first published in a quarto version in 1597. This text was of poor quality, and later editions corrected it, bringing it more in line with Shakespeare's original. Shakespeare's use of dramatic structure, especially effects such as switching between comedy and tragedy to heighten tension, his expansion of minor characters, and his use of sub-plots to embellish the story, has been praised as an early sign of his dramatic skill. The play ascribes different poetic forms to different characters, sometimes changing the form as the character develops. Romeo, for example, grows more adept at the sonnet over the course of the play. Romeo and Juliet has been adapted numerous times for stage, film, musical and opera. During the Restoration, it was revived and heavily revised by William Davenant. David Garrick's 18th-century version also modified several scenes, removing material then considered indecent, and Georg Benda's operatic adaptation omitted much of the action and added a happy ending. Performances in the 19th century, including Charlotte Cushman's, restored the original text, and focused on greater realism. John Gielgud's 1935 version kept very close to Shakespeare's text, and used Elizabethan costumes and staging to enhance the drama. In the 20th century the play has been adapted in versions as diverse as MGM's comparatively faithful 1936 film, the 1950s stage musical West Side Story, and 1996's MTV-inspired Romeo + Juliet.
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Former 'Darling Buds of May ' star and son of acting legend Kirk? | Hollywood actresss Catherine Zeta-Jones | Celebrity Galleries | Pics | Daily Express
Hollywood actresss Catherine Zeta-Jones
Thu, November 24, 2016
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From Welsh school girl to Hollywood actress, Catherine Zeta-Jones sexiest pictures ever and how she blossomed into the stunner she is today.
Catherine Zeta-Jones shows off her incredible figure on Instagram
Catherine Zeta-Jones shows off her incredible figure on Instagram [Instagram]
Catherine Zeta-Jones flaunts her toned abs in black bikini [Instagram]
Catherine Zeta-Jones flaunts her 'ass' in saucy bikini snaps on Instagram [Instagram]
Catherine Zeta-Jones looking hot, circa 1990s [Chilli Media]
Catherine Zeta-Jones filming her music video for the song For All Time from Jeff Wayne's musical version of Spartacus in May 1992 [WireImage]
Welsh stunner Catherine Zeta Jones at the Eighth Red Ball held in New York in Feb 2005 [LK\ WENN]
Catherine Zeta-Jones arrives at the premiere of Intolerable Cruelty in 2003 [AP]
Catherine Zeta Jones attends A father... A son... Once upon a time in Hollywood premiere in July 2005 [Dimitri Halkidis / WENN]
Catherine Zeta Jones plays Elena Montero in The Legend of Zorro 2005 [WENN]
Catherine Zeta Jones circa 1991 [Getty Images]
Catherine Zeta-Jones filming her music video for the song For All Time from Jeff Wayne's musical version of Spartacus in May 1992 [WireImage]
Catherine Zeta Jones stops for a photo in 1991 [EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS]
Catherine Zeta Jones on stage before she was famous circa 1989 [WENN]
Catherine Zeta-Jones sets her hands in cement after the premiere of 'Splitting Heirs' at Planet Hollywood in April 1993 [Getty Images]
Catherine Zeta Jones at the Legend of Zorro premiere in Los Angeles in Oct 2005 [Dimitri Halkidis / WENN]
Welsh beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones attends 'Dad's Army' World Premiere [WireImage]
Catherine Zeta-Jones attends 'Dad's Army' World Premiere [Getty]
Catherine Zeta Jones circa 1991 [Getty Images]
Catherine Zeta-Jones [WENN]
Catherine Zeta-Jones famously played Velma Kelly the murderous night club singer in the 2002 film Chicago [WENN]
Catherine Zeta-Jones holds her award for supporting actress of the year in 2003 [AP]
Catherine Zeta-Jones with producer Harvey Weinstein at a party at the Hyde Park Hotel, for the UK release of Hot Shots in Nov 1991 [Getty Images]
Catherine Zeta Jones pictured when she was at school and early on in her acting career. [Wenn • Getty Images]
Catherine Zeta Jones pictured as a baby circa 1969 [IG]
Catherine Zeta Jones as a child in school uniform circa 1974 [WENN]
Catherine Zeta Jones poses outside her parents first house in Swansea aged 7 circa 1976 [Dragon News and Picture Agency]
Catherine Zeta Jones as a young child in front of her home in Swansea. circa 1978 [IG]
Catherine Zeta Jones pictured as a girl circa 1979 [IG]
Catherine Zeta Jones pictured when she was in Dumbarten House School in Swansea circa 1984 [Dragon Swansea (01792)464800]
Catherine Zeta Jones, Freddie Mercury and Jill Gasgoine at a party for 42nd Street in 1987 [WireImage]
Catherine Zeta Jones on stage before she was famous in circa 1989 [WENN]
Catherine Zeta Jones in costume for a photocall for Darling Buds of May in 1991 [EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS]
David Jason, Pam Ferris, Philip Franks and Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Darling Buds of May [ITV/REX Shutterstock]
David Jason and Catherine Zeta Jones at a Darling Buds of May photocall 1991 [EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS]
Catherine Zeta Jones and Pam Ferris in 1991 [EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS]
Catherine Zeta Jones and husband Michael Douglas circa 1999 [Getty Images]
Catherine Zeta Jones tries a wedding dress on in the Bridal by Antell shop in Swansea in 2000 [Dragon Swansea (01792)464800]
Catherine Zeta Jones visits her mums house in Swansea in 2000 [UNITED TELEVISION NEWS/REX FEATU]
Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas leave Hansons restaurant in Swansea in 2000 [Getty Images]
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones at their wedding at New York's Plaza Hotel in 2000 [PH]
Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas arriving at their wedding rehearsal in New York in 2000 [BIGPICTURESUSA.COM]
Catherine Zeta-Jones kisses her father-in-law Kirk Douglas backstage at the Producers Guild of America's 12 Annual Golden Laurel Awards in March 2001 [EPA]
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones smile after receiving The Courage Award during the fifth annual An Unforgettable Evening gala in March 2001 [AP]
Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas arrive for the Laureus World Sports Charity Dinner at the Forum Grimaldi, Monte Carlo in May 2002 [PA]
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones at the 85th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood [AFP/Getty Images]
Catherine Zeta Jones appears on T-Mobile Commercial USA in Feb 2006 [WENN]
Catherine Zeta Jones on the set of Mostly Martha in New York City in Jan 2006 [Eddie Mejia/Splash News]
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, Dylan and Carys Douglas with Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Disney's Epcot in Nov 2010 [Disney/Splash News]
Catherine Zeta Jones arrives at LAX airport with her children Dyland and Carys Douglas in August 2015 [INFphoto.com]
Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones and children Carys Zeta Douglas and Dylan Michael Douglas attend the Ant-Man premiere in London July 2015 [Getty Images]
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| catherine zeta jones and michael douglas |
This couple were iconic dance partners who made motion pictures together from 1933 - 1949. They made a total of 10 movies? | BBC NEWS | Entertainment | High drama of cinema's golden couple
High drama of cinema's golden couple
Michael Douglas got his first break in a 1970s cop show
Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas have won damages against Hello! magazine for publishing "surreptitious" photographs of their wedding in New York in November 2000. BBC News Online looks at their lives in the spotlight.
As soon as the press found out that Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas were an item, they became hot property.
Douglas, 25 years older than his wife, met her in 1999 at a French film festival - and by late summer they were hitting headlines as a couple.
He reportedly wooed her with the line: "I want to be the father of your children", and she agreed to a dinner invitation in Los Angeles.
By the time they married in November 2000, interest in them had reached fever pitch.
But they were determined to keep the world's press out of their star-studded ceremony at New York's Plaza hotel, and even banned wedding guests from taking their own photos.
The couple signed a �1m deal with celebrity magazine OK! to publish exclusive photographs of the event.
Despite this, journalists and photographers from around the globe gathered outside the hotel, desperate for a glimpse of the couple and their guests.
Zeta Jones' performance in Chicago has been lauded
It was an A-list occasion, with producer Quincy Jones, director Oliver Stone, and movie stars Goldie Hawn, Danny De Vito, Ellen Barkin and James Woods attending.
Kirk Douglas, the father of the groom, gave his blessing to the nuptials, and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also turned up for the ceremony with his wife Nane.
Hollywood elite
Zeta Jones and Douglas racked up a huge amount of column inches, and cynics began to talk of Zeta Jones' speedy rise to the ranks of the Hollywood A-list.
But behind her sudden elevation lay a fierce ambition to thrive among the Hollywood elite.
From ordinary beginnings in Swansea, the daughter of a former factory worker, she showed early talent as a dancer and singer.
Aged just 15, she starred in the musical 42nd Street and went on to nationwide recognition through her TV role as Mariette Larkin in ITV's 1990s drama The Darling Buds Of May.
Zeta Jones starred with her husband in Traffic
On the big screen she appeared in the Mask of Zorro alongside fellow Welsh star Sir Anthony Hopkins, and with Sir Sean Connery in Entrapment.
She went on to hone her craft in films such as High Fidelity and Traffic, before striking gold with the film musical Chicago.
Her portrayal of the vampish Velma Kelly earned her a wealth of critical plaudits and a best actress accolade at the Evening Standard Film Awards.
Long before marrying into Hollywood royalty, Zeta Jones had a string of admirers including John Leslie, singer Mick Hucknall and Braveheart star Angus McFadyen.
'Gladiator'
Like his bride-to-be, Douglas received his big break not in films but through television.
It came with his performance as detective Steve Keller opposite Karl Malden in police drama The Streets Of San Francisco.
That was in 1972 - when his future wife was still just a toddler in south Wales.
As the son of accomplished Hollywood actor Kirk, Douglas saw his father as a "gladiator" and feared he could never emulate his success.
After a period living in a commune and dabbling in drugs, he dropped out of university and took a job as a petrol station attendant.
He later went back to college to study acting, although his father never believed he would make it.
Michael is the son of Kirk Douglas
He enjoyed his first major film success as a producer of the Oscar-winning 1975 film One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
As an actor Douglas would become every bit as successful as his father, with memorable roles in Romancing The Stone, Fatal Attraction, and his Oscar-winning performance as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street.
Playmate
More recently he has enjoyed critical acclaim for his acting in Wonder Boys, and Traffic in which he starred opposite Zeta Jones.
The cynics who begrudged Zeta Jones' success also said the marriage would not last - but it appears to be going from strength to strength.
In October last year the couple announced they were expecting a second child in the spring, a playmate for two-year-old Dylan.
They are also set to work together on the film Monkeyface, allowing them to avoid the pitfalls of movie couples who spend much of their time filming in different continents.
Their image in the UK has taken a a battering since the court case was launched, with London-based tabloids dubbing Zeta Jones a "whinger".
But in the US the case went largely unreported as the pair continue to reign as Hollywood's golden couple.
Los Angeles Times writer Gina Piccalo told BBC News Online: "News of the lawsuit is rare here, as people are more enthralled by her Oscar win and her pregnancy.
"Among those in the Beverly Hills set, the Douglas clan is considered a type of royalty. Consequently, folks in this privileged group are quick to sympathise with them."
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Like many celebrity couples, they first starred together (in the popular TV sitcom Family Ties) before getting married in 1988 and having four children. He was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease in 1991 and went public with the news in 1998? | 10 Happy Celebrity Marriages - Emotional Health Center - Everyday Health
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Anyone who reads celebrity gossip magazines knows how precarious relationships can be in Hollywood and other realms of the rich and famous. Another week, another split, another cover story. However, not all celebrity couples are destined to break up . In fact, quite a number of A-list stars revel in having a happy marriage to their longtime partner. The 10 couples that follow are among the most famous household names.
Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman
These two movie stars first met in 1953 while performing in the Broadway play Picnic, but it wasn’t until they starred in the film The Long Hot Summer that they began a relationship and fell in love. They married on Jan. 29, 1958 in Las Vegas and had three daughters together (Newman already had a son and two daughters with first wife Jacqueline Witte). The happy marriage for this celebrity couple lasted for 50 years, until Newman’s death in 2008.
Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan
Like many celebrity couples, actor Michael J. Fox and actress Tracy Pollan first starred together (in the popular TV sitcom Family Ties) before getting married in 1988 and having four children. Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991 and went public with the news in 1998. He launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000 to raise money for research funding and awareness of the disease. His efforts have actually been helped by positive coverage in celebrity gossip magazines.
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith
Jada Pinkett and Will Smith first met in 1990 when she auditioned to play Smith’s girlfriend on his sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She didn’t get the part, but over time their relationship blossomed. Their lavish wedding at the Cloisters near Baltimore was the subject of celebrity gossip. Their happy marriage has resulted in two children (Smith also has a son from a previous marriage).
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
Actress and co-host of TV’s morning show Live with Regis and Kelly, Kelly Ripa and her husband actor Mark Consuelos are another example of celebrity couples in a happy marriage. Maybe location makes a difference for celebrity couples — rather than living in Hollywood, they reside in New York City where Live is produced. The duo first met on the set of the soap opera All My Children and have three children: Michael, Lola, and Joaquin.
Iman and David Bowie
Rock stars and models seem to be a common relationship combination, yet Iman and Bowie are arguably the most famous of such celebrity couples. The Somalian supermodel turned cosmetics mogul and the English rock musician wed in 1992. According to the BBC News, Iman has a tattoo of a Bowie knife on her ankle in honor of her husband. They have a daughter, Alexandria Zahra, born in 2000.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Most of us know actor Tom Hanks from his blockbuster movies , ranging from comedies such as Big and Forrest Gump to dramas including The DaVinci Code and Saving Private Ryan. Ironically, it was during the filming of one of his lesser-known films, Volunteers that he started a relationship with co-star Rita Wilson. Their happy marriage began in 1985 and they have two children (Hanks also has two children from a previous marriage).
Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman
Danny DeVito is best known for his role on the TV show Taxi and in movies such as Batman Returns and Get Shorty. He’s also directed many films, including The War of the Roses about a destructive relationship in the divorce process. However, in his private life, DeVito has been in a happy marriage since 1982 to actress Rhea Perlman, one of the stars of the hit TV show Cheers. This celebrity couple has three children.
Denzel Washington and Paulette Pearson Washington
Like many other celebrity couples, Denzel Washington and his wife Pauletta Pearson met on the job. In their case, work was filming the TV movie Wilma in 1977, about the legendary African-American athlete Wilma Rudolph. The relationship culminated with a wedding on June 25, 1983, and their family includes four children. Washington has starred in a variety of notable films over his impressive career, including American Gangster, Malcolm X, and the recent The Book of Eli.
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick
Generally avoiding celebrity gossip, actor Kevin Bacon has been married to actress Kyra Sedgwick since 1988, and they have two children. Like many celebrity couples, the pair finds a happy balance between their work and private lives. Bacon has been in a wide range of films including Footloose, Apollo 13, JFK, and Murder in the First. Sedgwick stars in TNT’s long-running TV drama, The Closer.
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
Singer Faith Hill has won a variety of awards, including five Grammys, and sold more than 30 million records worldwide. Her husband, singer Tim McGraw, has had more than 30 No. 1 singles and sold more than 40 million albums. These country music superstars are another example of a celebrity couple with a strong relationship and a happy marriage — they have been married since 1996 and have three children.
| michael j fox and tracy pollan |
Most of us know this actor from his blockbuster movies, ranging from comedies such as Big and Forrest Gump to dramas including The DaVinci Code and Saving Private Ryan. Ironically, it was during the filming of one of his lesser-known films, Volunteers that he started a relationship with his co-star. Their happy marriage began in 1985 and they have two children? | Celebrity Couples With Staying Power
Wise up
Celebrity Couples With Staying Power
Many famous couples do have happy marriages, despite celebrity gossip to the contrary. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are just a few of Hollywood's successful relationships.
Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman
These two movie stars first met in 1953 while performing in the Broadway play Picnic, but it wasnât until they starred in the film The Long Hot Summer that they began a relationship and fell in love. They married on Jan. 29, 1958 in Las Vegas and had three daughters together (Newman already had a son and two daughters with first wife Jacqueline Witte). The happy marriage for this celebrity couple lasted for 50 years, until Newmanâs death in 2008.
Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan
Like many celebrity couples, actor Michael J. Fox and actress Tracy Pollan first starred together (in the popular TV sitcom Family Ties) before getting married in 1988 and having four children. Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinsonâs disease in 1991 and went public with the news in 1998. He launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsonâs Research in 2000 to raise money for research funding and awareness of the disease. His efforts have actually been helped by positive coverage in celebrity gossip magazines.
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith
Jada Pinkett and Will Smith first met in 1990 when she auditioned to play Smithâs girlfriend on his sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She didnât get the part, but over time their relationship blossomed. Their lavish wedding at the Cloisters near Baltimore was the subject of celebrity gossip. Their happy marriage has resulted in two children (Smith also has a son from a previous marriage).
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
Actress and co-host of TVâs morning show Live with Regis and Kelly, Kelly Ripa and her husband actor Mark Consuelos are another example of celebrity couples in a happy marriage. Maybe location makes a difference for celebrity couples â rather than living in Hollywood, they reside in New York City where Live is produced. The duo first met on the set of the soap opera All My Children and have three children: Michael, Lola, and Joaquin.
Iman and David Bowie
Rock stars and models seem to be a common relationship combination, yet Iman and Bowie are arguably the most famous of such celebrity couples. The Somalian supermodel turned cosmetics mogul and the English rock musician wed in 1992. According to the BBC News, Iman has a tattoo of a Bowie knife on her ankle in honor of her husband. They have a daughter, Alexandria Zahra, born in 2000.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Most of us know actor Tom Hanks from his blockbuster movies, ranging from comedies such as Big and Forrest Gump to dramas including The DaVinci Code and Saving Private Ryan. Ironically, it was during the filming of one of his lesser-known films, Volunteers that he started a relationship with co-star Rita Wilson. Their happy marriage began in 1985 and they have two children (Hanks also has two children from a previous marriage).
Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman
Danny DeVito is best known for his role on the TV show Taxi and in movies such as Batman Returns and Get Shorty. Heâs also directed many films, including The War of the Roses about a destructive relationship in the divorce process. However, in his private life, DeVito has been in a happy marriage since 1982 to actress Rhea Perlman, one of the stars of the hit TV show Cheers. This celebrity couple has three children.
Denzel Washington and Paulette Pearson W...
Like many other celebrity couples, Denzel Washington and his wife Pauletta Pearson met on the job. In their case, work was filming the TV movie Wilma in 1977, about the legendary African-American athlete Wilma Rudolph. The relationship culminated with a wedding on June 25, 1983, and their family includes four children. Washington has starred in a variety of notable films over his impressive career, including American Gangster, Malcolm X, and the recent The Book of Eli.
Keep the trail going!
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The 'Society of Friends' are more commonly known as what? | Society of Friends - Quakers
Society of Friends - Quakers
General Information
The Society of Friends, commonly called Quakers, is a body of Christians that originated in 17th century England under George Fox. In 1988 the society had 200,260 members, with heavy concentrations in the United States (109,000), East Africa (45,000) and Great Britain (18,000). Quakers unite in affirming the immediacy of Christ's teaching; they hold that believers receive divine guidance from an inward light, without the aid of intermediaries or external rites.
Meetings for worship can be silent, without ritual or professional clergy, or programmed, in which a minister officiates.
Although their antecedents lie in English Puritanism and in the Anabaptist movement, the Society of Friends was formed during the English Civil War. Around 1652, George Fox began preaching that since there was "that of God in every man," a formal church structure and educated ministry were unnecessary. His first converts spread their faith throughout England, denouncing what they saw as social and spiritual compromises and calling individuals to an inward experience of God. In spite of schism and persecution, the new movement expanded during the Puritan Commonwealth (1649 - 60) and after the restoration of the monarchy (1660). By openly defying restrictive legislation, Friends helped achieve passage of the Toleration Act of 1689.
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In colonial America, enclaves of Quakers existed in Rhode Island, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and western New Jersey. In Pennsylvania, founded by William Penn as a refuge for Quakers and as a "holy experiment" in religious toleration, Friends maintained an absolute majority in the assembly until 1755 and remained a potent force until the American Revolution. Between 1754 and 1776, Friends throughout America strengthened their commitment to pacifism and began to denounce slavery. After the Revolution, Friends concentrated on a wide variety of reform activities: Indian rights, prison reform, temperance, abolition, freedmen's rights, education, and the women's movement.
In a conflict over theology that was complicated by social tensions, the Society underwent a series of schisms beginning in 1827 and ending with the formation of three major subgroups: Hicksites (liberal), Orthodox (evangelical), and Conservative (quietist). During the 20th century, however, Friends have attempted to heal their differences. Many yearly meetings have merged, and most Friends cooperate in organizations such as the Friends World Committee for Consultation and the Friends World Conferences. The rapid growth of pastoral Quakerism in Africa and of silent meetings in Europe makes the Society of Friends an international organization.
The American Friends Service Committee is an independent service organization founded in 1917 to aid conscientious objectors. Today it also provides help to the needy in the United States and a number of Third World countries.
J William Frost
Bibliography
H Barbour, and J W Frost, The Quakers (1988); T D Hamm, The Transformation of American Quakerism: Orthodox Friends, 1800 - 1907 (1988); E Russell, The History of Quakerism (1942).
Religious Society of Friends
General Information
The Society of Friends (in full, Religious Society of Friends), is the designation of a body of Christians more commonly known as Quakers. Their fundamental belief is that divine revelation is immediate and individual; all persons may perceive the word of God in their soul, and Friends endeavor to heed it. Terming such revelation the "inward light," the "Christ within," or the "inner light," the first Friends identified this spirit with the Christ of history. They rejected a formal creed, worshiped on the basis of silence, and regarded every participant as a potential vessel for the word of God, instead of relying upon a special, paid clergy set apart from the rest.
Beliefs
Quakerism emphasizes human goodness because of a belief that something of God exists in everyone. At the same time, however, it recognizes the presence of human evil and works to eradicate as much of it as possible. Quakerism is a way of life; Friends place great emphasis upon living in accord with Christian principles. Truth and sincerity are Quaker bywords; thus, Quaker merchants refuse to bargain, for bargaining implies that truth is flexible. Emulating Christ, the Friends attempt to avoid luxury and emphasize simplicity in dress, manners, and speech. Until late in the 19th century, they retained certain forms of speech known as plain speech, which employed "thee" as opposed to the more formal "you"; this usage indicated the leveling of social classes and the spirit of fellowship integral to Quaker teaching.
In the administration and privileges of the society, no distinction between the sexes is made. Membership qualifications are based on moral and religious grounds and on the readiness of the candidate to realize and accept the obligations of membership. Meetings for worship are held regularly, usually once or twice a week, and are intended to help members to feel God's presence as a guiding spirit in their lives. In these meetings the members measure their insights and beliefs against those of the meeting as a whole. Because the religion of the Quakers was founded as a completely spiritual belief requiring no physical manifestation, the meetings have traditionally had no prearranged program, sermon, liturgy, or outward rites. Today, however, more than half of the Friends in the U.S. use paid ministers and conduct meetings for worship in a programmed or semiprogrammed manner.
In both the unprogrammed and programmed meetings members accept a great deal of responsibility. A group called Worship and Ministry, or Ministry and Oversight, accepts considerable responsibility for the spiritual life of the meeting. Overseers undertake to provide pastoral care for the member or share in that care when a regular pastor is employed. The religious discipline and administration of the society are regulated by periodic meetings known as Meetings for Business. One or more congregations constitute a Monthly Meeting, one or more Monthly Meetings form a Quarterly Meeting, and the Quarterly Meetings within a stated geographical area form a Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. The decisions of the Yearly Meeting are the highest authority for all doctrinal or administrative questions raised in any subsidiary meeting within its jurisdiction. Usually no voting takes place in Quaker meetings; members seek to discover the will of God by deliberation concerning any matter at hand. As an integral part of Quaker doctrine, at meetings members are regularly and formally queried on their adherence to Quaker principles. These queries relate to such matters as the proper education of their children, the use of intoxicants, care of the needy, and, on a broader scale, racial and religious toleration and the treatment of all offenders in a spirit of love rather than with the object of punishment. Most American groups of Friends are represented by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), founded in 1917. Originally established to handle many of their philanthropic activities, the organization today is primarily concerned with creating a society in which violence need not exist.
Origins
The Society of Friends may be traced to the many Protestant bodies that appeared in Europe during the Reformation. These groups, stressing an individual approach to religion, strict discipline, and the rejection of an authoritarian church, formed one expression of the religious temper of 17th-century England. Many doctrines of the Society of Friends were taken from those of earlier religious groups, particularly those of the Anabaptists and Independents, who believed in lay leadership, independent congregations, and complete separation of church and state. The society, however, unlike many of its predecessors, did not begin as a formal religious organization. Originally, the Friends were the followers of George Fox, an English lay preacher who, about 1647, began to preach the doctrine of "Christ within"; this concept later developed as the idea of the "inner light." Although Fox did not intend to establish a separate religious body, his followers soon began to group together into the semblance of an organization, calling themselves by such names as Children of Light, Friends of Truth, and, eventually, Society of Friends. In reference to their agitated movements before moments of divine revelation, they were popularly called Quakers. The first complete exposition of the doctrine of "inner light" was written by the Scottish Quaker Robert Barclay in An Apology for the True Christian Divinity, as the Same Is Held Forth and Preached by the People Called in Scorn Quakers (1678), considered the greatest Quaker theological work.
The Friends were persecuted from the time of their inception as a group. They interpreted the words of Christ in the Scriptures literally, particularly, "Do not swear at all" (Matthew 5:34), and "Do not resist one who is evil" (Matthew 5:39). They refused, therefore, to take oaths; they preached against war, even to resist attack; and they often found it necessary to oppose the authority of church or state. Because they rejected any organized church, they would not pay tithes to the Church of England. Moreover, they met publicly for worship, a contravention of the Conventicle Act of 1664, which forbade meetings for worship other than that of the Church of England. Nevertheless, thousands of people, some on the continent of Europe and in America as well as in the British Isles, were attracted by teachings of the Friends.
Friends began to immigrate to the American colonies in the 1660s. They settled particularly in New Jersey, where they purchased land in 1674, and in the Pennsylvania colony, which was granted to William Penn in 1681. By 1684, approximately 7000 Friends had settled in Pennsylvania. By the early 18th century, Quaker meetings were being held in every colony except Connecticut and South Carolina. The Quakers were at first continuously persecuted, especially in Massachusetts, but not in Rhode Island, which had been founded in a spirit of religious toleration. Later, they became prominent in colonial life, particularly in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. During the 18th century the American Friends were pioneers in social reform; they were friends of the Native Americans, and as early as 1688 some protested officially against slavery in the colonies. By 1787 no member of the society was a slave owner. Many of the Quakers who had immigrated to southern colonies joined the westward migrations into the Northwest Territory because they would not live in a slave-owning society.
During the 19th century differences of opinion arose among the Friends over doctrine. About 1827, the American Quaker minister Elias Hicks became involved in a schism by questioning the authenticity and divine authority of the Bible and the historical Christ; many Friends seceded with Hicks and were known as Hicksites. This schism alarmed the rest of the society, who became known as Orthodox Friends, and a countermovement was begun to relax the formality and discipline of the society, with a view to making Quakerism more evangelical. The evangelical movement, led by the British Quaker philanthropist Joseph John Gurney, aroused considerable opposition, particularly in the U.S., and another schism resulted among the Orthodox Friends. A new sect, the Orthodox Conservative Friends, called Wilburites after their leader John Wilbur, was founded to emphasize the strict Quakerism of the 17th century. It is very small today. The general result of these modifications, both those dealing with doctrine and those pertaining to the relations of Quakers to the world in general, was a new spirit among all the Friends. Most abandoned their strange dress and speech and their hostility to such worldly pursuits as the arts and literature.
Numerically, the Friends have always been a relatively small group. In the early 1980s world membership totaled about 200,000, distributed in about 30 countries. The greatest number of Friends is in the U.S., where, according to the latest available statistics, the society had about 1100 congregations with about 117,000 members. The Yearly Meetings in Africa, with about 39,000 members, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland, with about 21,000 members, are the next largest groups. Other groups are located in Central America, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The Friends World Committee for Consultation is the international organization of the society.
Edwin B. Bronner
Quakers - Society of Friends
Advanced Information
Known also as Quakers, the Society of Friends can best be understood through the lives of the early leaders. The founder was George Fox, whose youth saw the rule of Charles I and his marriage to a French princess who was a Roman Catholic, the Petition of Right, Archbishop Laud's harsh rules for Nonconformists, the Puritan emigration to America, and the meetings of the Long Parliament. His public career coincided with the defeat and execution of Charles I, the Puritan Commonwealth under Cromwell, the Stuart Restoration and the rule of James II, the Bill of Rights, and the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688. Some of his contemporaries were Locke, Hobbes, Milton, Dryden, Bunyan, Cromwell, Newton, Harvey, Baxter, and Ussher.
In 1647 Fox experienced a profound change in his religious life. In 1652 he said that he had a vision at a place called Pendle Hill; from that point on, he based his faith on the idea that God could speak directly to any person.
Some of the first converts of Fox were called "Friends" or "Friends in Truth." The term "Quaker" was described by Fox as follows. "The priest scoffed at us and called us Quakers. But the Lord's power was so over them, and the word of life was declared in such authority and dread to them, that the priest began trembling himself; and one of the people said, 'Look how the priest trembles and shakes, he is turned a Quaker also.'" According to Fox, the first person to use the term was Justice Bennet of Derby. Among the early converts were English Puritans, Baptists, Seekers, and other Nonconformists. The work spread to Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Quakerism took on certain characteristics such as simplicity in the manner of living, encouraging women to be ministers, spiritual democracy in meeting, absolute adherence to truth, universal peace and brotherhood regardless of sex, class, nation, or race. Quakers refused to remove their hats to those in authority and used the singular "thee" and "thou" in their speech, while the common people were supposed to address their betters as "you." In turn, they influenced the thought and social ethics of the English - speaking world far out of proportion to their numbers. Fox was imprisoned eight times during his life, but he pioneered care for the poor, aged, and insane, advocated prison reform, opposed capital punishment, war, and slavery, and stood for the just treatment of American Indians.
George Fox died in 1691, and the movement went into a quiet period. The center shifted to America. The first Friends to visit American were Mary Fisher and Anne Austin, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1656. They were sent away by the magistrates, but others arrived after them. In 1659 William Robinson and Marmaduke Stephenson were hanged on Boston Common, as was Mary Dyer the following year.
Probably the best known historical figure in the Society of Friends was William Penn. Born in 1644, he became a Quaker in 1667 and was an embarrassment to his father, Admiral Penn. King Charles II gave young William a grant of land in American to repay a debt to his father, and thus was launched Pennsylvania, a "holy experiment." By 1700 there were Friends meeting in all of the colonies.
Penn's tolerant policies attracted immigrants from many places. Difficulties arose from the fact that the Quakers wanted only to be at peace, while the British expected them to support the colonial wars against the French and Indians. A similar situation arose when the colonists revolted against the British in 1776.
A division occurred in the Society of Friends about 1827, with one group supporting the views of Elias Hicks, who believed that one should follow the inner light. The other group was influenced by the evangelical movement and put great emphasis on belief in the divinity of Christ, the authority of the Scriptures, and the atonement.
Friends were also active in the antislavery movement. John Woolman, Anthony Benezet, Lucretia Mott, and John Greenleaf Whittier were involved in such activities as the underground railroad and the Colonization Society. Benjamin Lundy's ideas were presented in The Genius of Universal Emancipation.
The tradition of caring for others carried on through the American Civil War, and the American Friends Service Committee was formed in 1917. The purpose of the organization was to provide young conscientious objectors with alternative service opportunities during wartime. A red and black star was chosen to symbolize the group.
The Society of Friends are optimistic about the purposes of God and the destiny of mankind. Their ultimate and final authority for religious life and faith resides within each individual. Many, but not all, seek for this truth through the guidance of the inner light. They believe that they are bound to refuse obedience to a government when its requirements are contrary to what they believe to be the law of God, but they are willing to accept the penalties for civil disobedience. They practice religious democracy in their monthly meetings. After discussion of an issue, for example, the clerk states what appears to be the mind of the group; but if a single Friend feels that he cannot unite with the group, no decision is made. Their stand for religious toleration is symbolized by the inscription on the statue of Mary Dyer across from Boston Common: "Witness for Religious Freedom. Hanged on Boston Common, 1660."
The Society of Friends has no written creed. Their philosophical differences can be seen in the fact that Richard Nixon was born into the group, while Staughton Lynd joined because of their teachings. They do have an interest in education, with the founding of Haverford, Earlham, Swarthmore, and other colleges. The teaching by example has caused some to ask why Quakers do not preach what they practice. Their ideal is to pursue truth at all costs, and it is hard to imagine a higher calling here on earth.
J E Johnson
(Elwell Evangelical Dictionary)
Bibliography
H Barbour, The Quakers in Puritan England; W C Braithwaite, The Beginnings of Quakerism and The Second Period of Quakerism; R M Jones, The Later Periods of Quakerism; E Russell, The History of Quakerism; D E Trueblood, The People Called Quakers; M H Bacon, The Quiet Rebels; A N Brayshaw, The Quakers: Their Story and Message; H H Brinton, Friends for Three Hundred Years; W R Williams, The Rich Heritage of Quakerism.
Society of Friends (Quakers)
Catholic Information
The official designation of an Anglo-American religious sect originally styling themselves "Children of Truth" and "Children of Light", but "in scorn by the world called Quakers".
The founder of the sect, George Fox, son of a well-to-do weaver, was born at Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire, England, July, 1624. His parents, upright people and strict adherents of the established religion, destined him for the Church; but since the boy, at an early period, felt a strong aversion to a "hireling ministry", he was, after receiving the bare rudiments of education, apprenticed to a shoemaker. He grew to manhood a pure and honest youth, free from the vices of his age, and "endued", says Sewel, "with a gravity and stayedness of mind seldom seen in children". In his nineteenth year, while at a fair with two friends, who were "professors" of religion, he was so shocked by a proposal they made him to join them in drinking healths, that he abandoned their company. Returning home, he spent a sleepless night, in the course of which he thought he heard a voice from heaven crying out to him: "Thou seest how young men go together into vanity, and old people into the earth; thou must forsake all, young and old, keep out of all, and be a stranger unto all." Interpreting the injunction literally, Fox left his father's house, penniless and with Bible in hand to wander about the country in search of light. His mental anguish at times bordered on despair. He sought counsel from renowned "professors"; but their advice that he should take a wife, or sing psalms, or smoke tobacco, was not calculated to solve the problems which perplexed his soul. Finding no food or consolation in the teachings of the Church of England or of the innumerable dissenting sects which flooded the land, he was thrown back upon himself and forced to accept his own imaginings as "revelations". "I fasted much", he tells us in his Journal, "walked abroad in solitary places many days, and often took my Bible and sat in hollow trees and lonesome places until night came on; and frequently in the night walked mournfully about by myself. For I was a man of sorrows in the first working of the Lord in me." This anguish of spirit continued, with intermissions, for some years; and it is not surprising that the lonely youth read into his Bible all his own idiosyncrasies and limitations. Founding his opinions on isolated texts, he gradually evolved a system at variance with every existing form of Christianity. His central dogma was that of the "inner light", communicated directly to the individual soul by Christ "who enlightenth every man that cometh into the world". To walk in this light and obey the voice of Christ speaking within the soul was to Fox the supreme and sole duty of man. Creeds and churches, councils, rites, and sacraments were discarded as outward things. Even the Scriptures were to be interpreted by the inner light. This was surely carrying the Protestant doctrine of private judgment to its ultimate logical conclusion. Inconvenient passages of Holy Writ, such as those establishing Baptism and the Eucharist, were expounded by Fox in an allegorical sense; whilst other passages were insisted upon with a literalness before unknown. Thus, from the text "Swear not at all", he drew the illicitness of oaths, even when demanded by the magistrate. Titles of honour, salutations, and all similar things conducive to vanity, such as doffing the hat or "scraping with the leg", were to be avoided even in the presence of the king. War, even if defensive, was declared unlawful. Art, music, drama, field-sports, and dancing were rejected as unbecoming the gravity of a Christian. As for attire, he pleaded for that simplicity of dress and absence of ornament which later became the most striking peculiarity of his followers. There was no room in his system for the ordained and salaried clergy of other religions, Fox proclaiming that every man, woman or child, when moved by the Spirit, had an equal right to prophesy and give testimony for the edification of the brethren. Two conclusions, with disagreeable consequence to the early Friends, were drawn from this rejection of a "priesthood"; the first was, that they refused to pay tithes or church rates; the second, that they celebrated marriage among themselves, without calling in the services of the legally appointed minister. Impelled by frequent "revelations", Fox began the public preaching of his novel tenets in 1647. It was not his intention to increase the religious confusion of the time by the addition of a new sect. He seems to have been persuaded that the doctrine by means of which he himself had "come up in spirit through the flaming sword into the paradise of God" would be greeted alike by Christian, Turk, and heathen. The enthusiasm and evident sincerity of the uncouth young preacher gained him numerous converts in all parts of Britain; whilst the accession of Margaret, wife of Judge Fell, afterwards of Fox himself, secured to the Friends a valuable rallying-point in the seclusion of Swarthmoor Hall, Lancashire. In an incredibly short time, a host of unordained apostles, male and female, were scouring the two hemispheres, carrying to the ends of the earth the gospel of Fox. One enthusiast hastened to Rome to enlighten the pope; a second went to the Orient to convert the sultan. The antagonistic religions dominant in England before and after the Restoration, Presbyterianism and the Established Church, made equally determined efforts, through the aid of the civil power, to crush the growing sect. From the detailed record which the Friends, in imitation of the primitive Christians, kept of the sufferings of their brethren, we gather that during the reign of Charles II, 13,562 "Quakers" were imprisoned in various parts of England, 198 were transported as slaves beyond seas, and 338 died in prison or of wounds received in violent assaults on their meetings. They fared still worse at the hands of the Puritans in Massachusetts, who spared no cruelty to rid the colony of this "cursed sect of heretics", and hanged four of them, three men and a woman, on Boston Common. What marked them out for persecution was not so much their theory of the inward light or their rejection of rites and sacraments, as their refusal to pay tithes, or take the oaths prescribed by law, or to have anything to do with the army; these offences being aggravated in the estimation of the magistrates by their obstinacy in refusing to uncover their head in court and "thouing and theeing" the judges. The suffering Friends found at last a powerful protector in the person of their most illustrious convert, William, son of admiral Penn, who defended his coreligionists in tracts and public disputes, and, through his influence with the last two Stuart kings, was frequently successful in shielding them from the violence of the mob and the severity of the magistrates. Penn furthermore secured for them a safe refuge in his great colony of Pennsylvania, the proprietorship of which he acquired from Charles II in liquidation of a loan advanced to the Crown by his father. With the accession to the throne of James II the persecution of the Friends practically ceased; and by successive Acts of Parliament passed after the Revolution of 1688, their legal disabilities were removed; their scruples about paying tithes and supporting the army were respected; and their affirmation was accepted as equivalent to an oath.
Meanwhile, Fox, in the intervals between his frequent imprisonments, had laboured to impart the semblance of an organization to the society; whilst the excesses of some of his followers compelled him to enact a code of discipline. His efforts in both these directions encountered strong opposition from many who had been taught to regard the inward light as the all-sufficient guide. However, the majority, sacrificing consistency, acquiesced; and before the death of Fox, 13 Jan., 1691, Quakerism was established on the principles which it has since substantially preserved.
Although the Friends repudiate creeds as "external" and "human", yet they, at least the early Quakers and their orthodox modern followers, admit the fundamental dogmas of Christianity as expounded in the Apostles' Creed. Rejecting as non-Scriptural the term Trinity, they confess the Godhead of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; the doctrine of the Redemption and salvation through Christ; and the sanctification of souls through the Holy Spirit. Their ablest apologists, as Robert Barclay and William Penn, have not been able to explain satisfactorily in what respect the "inward light" differs from the light of the individual reason; neither have they reconciled the doctrine of the supreme authority of the "inner voice" with the "external" claims of Scripture and the historic Christ. These doctrinal weaknesses were fruitful germs of dissensions in later times.
Though one of the earliest of Fox's "testimonies" was in reprobation of "steeple-houses", that is, the stately edifices with which Catholic piety had covered the soil of England, nevertheless, as his adherents grew in numbers, he was forced to gather them into congregations for purposes of worship and business. These "particular meetings" assembled on the first day of the week. They worshipped without any form of liturgy and in silence until some man, woman, or child was moved by the Spirit to "give testimony", the value of which was gauged by the common sense of the assembly. By a process of development, a form of church government came into being, which has been described as follows:
"The whole community of Friends is modelled somewhat on the Presbyterian system. Three gradations of meanings or synods -- monthly, quarterly, and yearly -- administer the affairs of the Society, including in their supervision matters both of spiritual discipline and secular policy. The monthly meetings, composed of all the congregations within a definite circuit, judge of the fitness of new candidates for membership, supply certificates to such as move to other districts, choose fit persons to be elders, to watch over the ministry, attempt the reformation or pronounce the expulsion of all such as walk disorderly, and generally seek to stimulate the members to religious duty. They also make provision for the poor of the Society, and secure the education of their children. Overseers are also appointed to assist in the promotion of these objects. At monthly meetings also marriages are sanctioned previous to their solemnization at a meeting for worship. Several monthly meetings compose a quarterly meeting, to which they forward general reports of their condition, and at which appeals are heard from their decisions. The yearly meeting holds the same relative position to the quarterly meetings that the latter do to the monthly meetings, and has the general superintendence of the Society in a particular country." (See Rowntree, Quakerism, Past and Present, p. 60.)
All the yearly meetings are supreme and independent, the only bond of union between them being the circular letters which pass between them. The annual letter of London Yearly Meeting is particularly prized. With the passing away of its founders and the cessation of persecution, Quakerism lost its missionary spirit and hardened into a narrow and exclusive sect. Instead of attracting new converts, it developed a mania for enforcing "discipline", and "disowned", that is, expelled, multitudes of its members for trifling matters in which the ordinary conscience could discern no moral offence. In consequence, they dwindled away from year to year, being gradually absorbed by other more vigorous sects, and many drifting into Unitarianism.
In the United States, where, in the beginning of the last century, they had eight prosperous yearly meetings, their progress was arrested by two schisms, known as the Separation of 1828 and the Wilburite Controversy. The disturbance of 1828 was occasioned by the preaching of Elias Hicks (1748-1830), an eloquent and extremely popular speaker, who, in his later years, put forth unsound views concerning the Person and work of Christ. He was denounced as a Unitarian; and, although the charge seemed well founded, many adhered to him, not so much from partaking his theological heresies, as to protest against the excessive power and influence claimed by the elders and overseers. After several years of wrangling, the Friends were split into two parties, the Orthodox and the Hicksite, each disowning the other, and claiming to be the original society. Ten years later the Orthodox body was again divided by the opposition of John Wilbur to the evangelistic methods of an English missionary, Joseph John Gurney. As the main body of the Orthodox held with Gurney, the Wilburite faction set up a schismatic yearly meeting. These schisms endure to the present day. There is also a microscopical sect known as "Primitive" Friends, mainly offshoots from the Wilburites who claim to have eliminated all the later additions to the faith and practice of the early founders of the society.
In the fields of education, charity, and philanthropy the Friends have occupied a place far out of proportion to their numbers. There exist in the United States many important colleges of their foundation. They are exemplary in the care of their poor and sick. Long before the other denominations, they denounced slavery and would not permit any of their members to own slaves. They did not, however, advocate the abolition of slavery by violent measures. They have also been eminently solicitous for the welfare and fair treatment of the Indians. According to Dr. H.K. Carroll, the acknowledged authority on the subject of religious statistics (The Christian Advocate, Jan., 1907), the standing of the various branches of Friends in the United States is as follows:
Orthodox: 1302 ministers, 830 churches, 94,507 communicants
Hicksite: 115 ministers, 183 churches, 19,545 communicants
Wilburite: 38 ministers, 53 churches, 4,468 communicants
Primitive: 11 ministers, 9 churches, 232 communicants
Publication information Written by James F. Loughlin. Transcribed by Thomas J. Bress. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VI. Published 1909. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, September 1, 1909. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
Bibliography
SCHAFF, Creeds and Christendom (New York, 1884), I, III; THOMAS, ALLAN C. AND RICHARD H., History of the Society of Friends in America in American Church History Series (New York, 1894), XII--contains excellent bibliography; SMITH, JOSEPH, Descriptive Catalogue of Friends' Books (London, 1867; supplement, London, 1893); IDEM, Bibliotheca Anti-Quakeriana, A Catalogue of Books Adverse to the Society of Friends (London, 1873); JANNEY, History of the Religious Society of Friends from the Rise to the year 1828 (2nd ed., Philadelphia, 1837-50). The Works of FOX were published at London, 1694-1706; the Works of BARCLAY were edited by WILLIAM PENN (London, 1692).
The individual articles presented here were generally first published in the early 1980s. This subject presentation was first placed on the Internet in May 1997.
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| Quakers |
Who sang 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' with Elton John? | William Penn, America's First Great Champion for Liberty and Peace
by Jim Powell
Mr. Powell is editor of Laissez-Faire Books and Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. He has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, American Heritage, and more than three dozen other publications. Copyright © by Jim Powell. Reprinted on www.quaker.org by permission.
William Penn was the first great hero of American liberty. During the late seventeenth century, when Protestants persecuted Catholics, Catholics persecuted Protestants, and both persecuted Quakers and Jews, Penn established an American sanctuary which protected freedom of conscience. Almost everywhere else, colonists stole land from the Indians, but Penn traveled unarmed among the Indians and negotiated peaceful purchases. He insisted that women deserved equal rights with men. He gave Pennsylvania a written constitution which limited the power of government, provided a humane penal code, and guaranteed many fundamental liberties.
For the first time in modem history, a large society offered equal rights to people of different races and religions. Penn's dramatic example caused quite a stir in Europe. The French philosopher Voltaire, a champion of religious toleration, offered lavish praise. "William Penn might, with reason, boast of having brought down upon earth the Golden Age, which in all probability, never had any real existence but in his dominions. "
Penn was the only person who made major contributions to liberty in both the New World and the Old World. Before he conceived the idea of Pennsylvania, he became the leading defender of religious toleration in England. He was imprisoned six times for speaking out courageously. While in prison, he wrote one pamphlet after another, which gave Quakers a literature and attacked intolerance. He alone proved capable of challenging oppressive government policies in court--one of his cases helped secure the right to trial by jury. Penn used his diplomatic skills and family connections to get large numbers of Quakers out of jail. He saved many from the gallows.
Despite the remarkable clarity of Penn's vision for liberty, he had a curious blind spot about slavery. He owned some slaves in America, as did many other Quakers. Antislavery didn't become a widely shared Quaker position until 1758, 40 years after Penn's death. Quakers were far ahead of most other Americans, but it's surprising that people with their humanitarian views could have contemplated owning slaves at all.
There were just two portraits of Penn painted during his lifetime, one depicting him as a handsome youth, the other as a stout old man. A biographer described young Penn's "oval face of almost girlish prettiness but with strong features, the brusqueness of the straight, short nose in counterpoint to the almost sensuous mouth. What gives the face its dominant character are the eyes, burning with a dark, luminous insistence ... it is known from verbal descriptions that Penn was fairly tall and athletic. Altogether, the young man must have been both handsome and impressive."
William Penn was born on October 14, 1644, in London. The most specific description of his mother, Margaret, came from a neighbor, the acid-tongued diarist Samuel Pepys who described her as "well-looked, fat, short old Dutch woman, but one who hath been heretofore pretty handsome." She did the child-rearing, since her husband, William Penn Sr., was seldom at home. He was a much sought-after naval commander because he knew the waters around England, could handle a ship in bad weather and get the most from his crew. Admiral Penn had a good personal relationship with Stuart kings and for a while served their most famous adversary, the Puritan Oliver Cromwell.
Left mostly to himself, young William became interested in religion. He was thrilled to hear a talk by Thomas Loe, a missionary for the Society of Friends derisively known as Quakers. Founded in 1647 by the English preacher George Fox, Quakers were a mystical Protestant sect emphasizing a direct relationship with God. An individual's conscience, not the Bible, was the ultimate authority on morals. Quakers didn't have a clergy or churches. Rather, they held meetings where participants meditated silently and spoke up when the Spirit moved them. They favored plain dress and a simple life rather than aristocratic affectation.
After acquiring a sturdy education in Greek and Roman classics, Penn emerged as a rebel when he entered Oxford University. He defied Anglican officials by visiting John Owen, a professor dismissed for advocating tolerant humanism. Penn further rebelled by protesting compulsory chapel attendance, for which he was expelled at age 17.
His parents sent him to France where he would be less likely to cause further embarrassment, and he might acquire some manners. He enrolled at l'Académie Protestante, the most respected French Protestant university, located in Saumur. He studied with Christian humanist Moïse Amyraut, who supported religious toleration.
Back in England by August 1664, Penn soon studied at Lincoln's Inn, the most prestigious law school in London. He learned the common law basis for civil liberties and gained some experience with courtroom strategy. He was going to need it.
Admiral Penn, assigned to rebuilding the British Navy for war with the Dutch, asked that his son serve as personal assistant. Young William must have gained a valuable inside view of high command. Admiral Penn also used his son as a courier delivering military messages to King Charles II. Young William developed a cordial relationship with the King and his brother, the Duke of York, the future King James II.
Penn's quest for spiritual peace led him to attend Quaker meetings even though the government considered this a crime. In September 1667, police broke into a meeting and arrested everyone. Since Penn looked like a fashionable aristocrat rather than a plain Quaker, the police released him. He protested that he was indeed a Quaker and should be treated the same as the others. Penn drew on his legal training to prepare a defense. Meanwhile, in jail he began writing about freedom of conscience. His father disowned him, and young Penn lived in a succession of Quaker households. He learned that the movement was started by passionate preachers who had little education. There was hardly any Quaker literature. He resolved to help by applying his scholarly knowledge and legal training. He began writing pamphlets, which were distributed through the Quaker underground.
In 1668, one of his hosts was Isaac Penington, a wealthy man in Buckinghamshire. Penn met his stepdaughter Gulielma Springett, and it was practically love at first sight. Poet John Milton's literary secretary Thomas Ellwood noted her "innocently open, free and familiar Conversation, springing from the abundant Affability, Courtesy and Sweetness of her natural Temper." Penn married Gulielma on April 4, 1672. She was to bear seven children, four of whom died in infancy.
Meanwhile, Penn attacked the Catholic/ Anglican doctrine of the Trinity, and the Anglican bishop had him imprisoned in the notorious Tower of London. Ordered to recant, Penn declared from his cold isolation cell: "My prison shall be my grave before I will budge a jot; for I owe my conscience to no mortal man." By the time he was released seven months later, he had written pamphlets defining the principal elements of Quakerism. His best-known work from this period: No Cross, No Crown, which presented a pioneering historical case for religious toleration.
The Conventicle Act
He wasn't free for long. To curb the potential power of Catholics, notably the Stuarts, Parliament passed the Conventicle Act, which aimed to suppress religious dissent as sedition. But the law was applied mainly against Quakers, perhaps because few were politically connected. Thousands were imprisoned for their beliefs. The government seized their properties, including the estate of his wife's family.
Penn decided to challenge the Conventicle Act by holding a public meeting on August 14, 1670. The Lord Mayor of London arrested him and his fellow Quakers as soon as he began expressing his nonconformist religious views. At the historic trial, Penn insisted that since the government refused to present a formal indictment--officials were concerned the Conventicle Act might be overturned--the jury could never reach a guilty verdict. He appealed to England's common-law heritage: "if these ancient and fundamental laws, which relate to liberty and property, and which are not limited to particular persuasions in matters of religion, must not be indispensably maintained and observed, who then can say that he has a right to the coat on his back? Certainly our liberties are to be openly invaded, our wives to be ravished, our children slaved, our families ruined, and our estates led away in triumph by every sturdy beggar and malicious informer--as their trophies but our forfeits for conscience's sake."
The jury acquitted all defendants, but the Lord Mayor of London refused to accept this verdict. He hit the jury members with fines and ordered them held in brutal Newgate prison. Still, they affirmed their verdict. After the jury had been imprisoned for about two months, the Court of Common Pleas issued a writ of habeas corpus to set them free. Then they sued the Lord Mayor of London for false arrest. The Lord Chief Justice of England, together with his 11 associates, ruled unanimously that juries must not be coerced or punished for their verdicts. It was a key precedent protecting the right to trial by jury.
Penn had become a famous defender of liberty who could attract several thousand people for a public talk. He traveled in Germany and Holland to see how Quakers there were faring. Holland made a strong impression because it was substantially free. It was a commercial center where people cared mainly about peaceful cooperation. Persecuted Jews and Protestants flocked to Holland. Penn began to form a vision of a community based on liberty.
He resolved to tap his royal connections for his cause. With the blessing of King Charles II and the Duke of York, Penn presented his case for religious toleration before Parliament. They would have none of it because they were worried about the Stuarts imposing Catholic rule on England, especially since the Duke of York had converted to Roman Catholicism and married a staunch Catholic.
The Founding of Pennsylvania
Penn became convinced that religious toleration couldn't be achieved in England. He went to the King and asked for a charter enabling him to establish an American colony. Perhaps the idea seemed like an easy way to get rid of troublesome Quakers. On March 4, 1681, Charles II signed a charter for territory west of the Delaware River and north of Maryland, approximately the present size of Pennsylvania, where about a thousand Germans, Dutch and Indians lived without any particular government. The King proposed the name "Pennsylvania" which meant "Forests of Penn"--honoring Penn's late father, the Admiral. Penn would be proprietor, owning all the land, accountable directly to the King. According to traditional accounts, Penn agreed to cancel the debt of £16,000 which the government owed the Admiral for back pay, but there aren't any documents about such a deal. At the beginning of each year, Penn had to give the King two beaver skins and a fifth of any gold and silver mined within the territory.
Penn sailed to America on the ship Welcome and arrived November 8, 1682. With assembled Friends, he founded Philadelphia--he chose the name, which means "city of brotherly love" in Greek. He approved the site between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. He envisioned a 10,000 acre city, but his more sober-minded Friends thought that was overly optimistic. They accepted a 1,200-acre plan. Penn named major streets including Broad, Chestnut, Pine, and Spruce.
Penn was most concerned about developing a legal basis for a free society. In his First Frame of Government, which Penn and initial land purchasers had adopted on April 25, 1682, he expressed ideals anticipating the Declaration of Independence: "Men being born with a title to perfect freedom and uncontrolled enjoyment of all the rights and privileges of the law of nature ... no one can be put out of his estate and subjected to the political view of another, without his consent."
Penn provided that there would be a governor--initially, himself--whose powers were limited. He would work with a Council (72 members) which proposed legislation and a General Assembly (up to 500 members) which either approved or defeated it. Each year, about a third of members would be elected for three-year terms. As governor, Penn would retain a veto over proposed legislation.
His First Frame of Government provided for secure private property, virtually unlimited free enterprise, a free press, trial by jury and, of course, religious toleration. Whereas the English penal code specified the death penalty for some 200 offenses, Penn reserved it for just two--murder and treason. As a Quaker, Penn encouraged women to get an education and speak out as men did. He called Pennsylvania his "Holy Experiment."
Penn insisted on low taxes. A 1683 law established a low tax on cider and liquor, a low tariff on imports and on exported hides and furs. To help promote settlement, Penn suspended all taxes for a year. When the time came to reimpose taxes he encountered fierce resistance and had to put it off.
Penn's First Frame of Government was the first constitution to provide for peaceful change through amendments. A proposed amendment required the consent of the governor and 85 percent of the elected representatives. Benevolent though Penn was, people in Pennsylvania were disgruntled about his executive power as proprietor and governor. People pressed to make the limitations more specific and to provide stronger assurances about the prerogatives of the legislature. The constitution was amended several times. The version adopted on October 28, 1701 endured for three-quarters of a century and then became the basis for Pennsylvania's state constitution, adopted in 1776.
Collecting rent due Penn as proprietor was always a headache. He never earned enough from the colonies to offset the costs of administration which he paid out of his personal capital. Toward the end of his life, he complained that Pennsylvania was a net loss, costing him some £30,000.
Penn's practices contrasted dramatically with other early colonies, especially Puritan New England which was a vicious theocracy. The Puritans despised liberty. They made political dissent a crime. They whipped, tarred, and hanged Quakers. The Puritans stole what they could from the Indians.
Penn achieved peaceful relations with the Indians--Susquehannocks, Shawnees, and Leni-Lenape. Indians respected his courage, because he ventured among them without guards or personal weapons. He was a superior sprinter who could out-run Indian braves, and this helped win him respect. He took the trouble to learn Indian dialects, so he could conduct negotiations without interpreters. From the very beginning, he acquired Indian land through peaceful, voluntary exchange. Reportedly, Penn concluded a "Great Treaty" with the Indians at Shackamaxon, near what is now the Kensington district of Philadelphia. Voltaire hailed this as "the only treaty between those people [Indians and Christians] that was not ratified by an oath, and that was never infringed." His peaceful policies prevailed for about 70 years, which has to be some kind of record in American history.
Defending Pennsylvania
Penn faced tough challenges defending Pennsylvania back in England. There was a lot at stake, because Pennsylvania had become the best hope for persecuted people in England, France, and Germany. Charles II tried to establish an intolerant absolutism modeled after that of the French King Louis XIV. Concerned that Pennsylvania's charter might be revoked, Penn turned on his diplomatic charm.
Behind the scenes, Penn worked as a remarkable diplomat for religious toleration. Every day, as many as 200 petitioners waited outside Holland House, his London lodgings, hoping for an audience and help. He intervened personally with the King to save scores of Quakers from a death sentence. He got Society of Friends founder George Fox out of jail. He helped convince the King to proclaim the Acts of Indulgence which released more than a thousand Quakers--many had been imprisoned for over a dozen years.
Penn's fortunes collapsed after a son was born to James II in 1688. A Catholic succession was assured. The English rebelled and welcomed the Dutch King William of Orange as William III, who overthrew the Stuarts without having to fire a shot. Suddenly, Penn's Stuart connections were a terrible liability. He was arrested for treason. The government seized his estates. Though he was cleared by November 1690, he was marked as a traitor again. He became a fugitive for four years, hiding amidst London's squalid slums. His friend John Locke helped restore his good name in time to see his wife, Guli, die on February 23, 1694. She was 48.
Harsh experience had taken its toll on Penn. As biographer Hans Fantel put it, "he was getting sallow and paunchy. The years of hiding, with their enforced inactivity, had robbed him of his former physical strength and grace. His stance was now slightly bent, and his enduring grief over the death of Guli had cast an air of listless abstraction over his face. " His spirits revived two years later when he married 30-year-old Hannah Callowhill, the plain and practical daughter of a Bristol linen draper.
But he faced serious problems because of his sloppy business practices. Apparently, he couldn't be bothered with administrative details, and his business manager, fellow Quaker Philip Ford, embezzled substantial sums from Penn's estates. Worse, Penn signed papers without reading them . One of the papers turned out to be a deed transferring Pennsylvania to Ford who demanded rent exceeding Penn's ability to pay. After Ford's death in 1702, his wife, Bridget, had Penn thrown in debtor's prison, but her cruelty backfired. It was unthinkable to have such a person govern a major colony, and in 1708 the Lord Chancellor ruled that "the equity of redemption still remained in William Penn and his heirs."
In October 1712, Penn suffered a stroke while writing a letter about the future of Pennsylvania. Four months later, he suffered a second stroke.
While he had difficulty speaking and writing, he spent time catching up with his children whom he had missed during his missionary travels. He died on July 30, 1718. He was buried at Jordans, next to Guli.
Long before his death, Pennsylvania ceased to be a spiritual place dominated by Quakers. Penn's policy of religious toleration and peace--no military conscription--attracted all kinds of war-weary European immigrants. There were English, Irish, and Germans, Catholics, Jews, and an assortment of Protestant sects including Dunkers, Huguenots, Lutherans, Mennonites, Moravians, Pietists, and Schwenkfelders. Liberty brought so many immigrants that by the American Revolution Pennsylvania had grown to some 300,000 people and became one of the largest colonies. Pennsylvania was America's first great melting pot.
Philadelphia was America's largest city with almost 18,000 people. It was a major commercial center--sometimes more than a hundred trading ships anchored there during a single day. People in Philadelphia could enjoy any of the goods available in England. Merchant companies, shipyards, and banks flourished. Philadelphia thrived as an entrepôt between Europe and the American frontier.
With an atmosphere of liberty, Philadelphia emerged as an intellectual center. Between 1740 and 1776, Philadelphia presses issued an estimated 11,000 works including pamphlets, almanacs, and books. In 1776, there were seven newspapers reflecting a wide range of opinions. No wonder Penn's "city of brotherly love" became the most sacred site for American liberty, where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, and delegates drafted the Constitution.
By creating Pennsylvania, Penn set an enormously important example for liberty. He showed that people who are courageous enough, persistent enough, and resourceful enough can live free. He went beyond the natural right theories of his friend John Locke and showed how a free society would actually work. He showed how individuals of different races and religions can live together peacefully when they mind their own business. He affirmed the resilient optimism of free people.
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Who wrote the play containing the mythical 'Bunbury'? | Foreign companiesError loading MacroEngine script (file: ) | ASIC - Australian Securities and Investments Commission
How to register as a foreign company
Step 1—Ensure the name you wish to register is available
You can only use a name that is not identical to an existing company or business. Use our check name availability search to see if the name you want is available.
Some words and phrases cannot be used without the approval of a government minister. Some examples include:
'building society'
'university'
'chamber of commerce'
You can't use words that could mislead people about a company's activities. This includes associations with the Australian government, the Royal Family, or any ex-servicemen's organisations.
We may also refuse a name if it's considered offensive or suggests illegal activity. Learn more about company names and restricted words .
Even if we reserve or register a name for you, a company with a similar name or trade mark may take action against you. It is your responsibility to be aware of any similar names or trademarks that may affect your name. Visit the IP Australia website to search for existing trademarks.
Reserving a company name
If you aren't ready to register your company but want to make sure a name is available, you can apply to reserve it .
If we approve your application, we will reserve the name for two months. If you wish to extend this period, you'll need to apply to reserve the name again.
We will not reserve a name for a long period as this prevents other people from using the name legitimately.
Step 2—Lodge a Form 402
To register as a foreign company, lodge a Form 402 Application for registration as a foreign company . You need to provide general information about the company and how it'll be run.
Step 3—Include supporting documents
When you lodge the Form 402, you must also include:
1. A certified copy of the organisation's current certificate of incorporation/registration. The certificate must be certified by the authority that administers the organisation. The copy should be certified no more than three months before it's lodged with us.
2. A certified copy of the company's constitution. It needs to be current and include all resolutions that have affected the constitution.
The document must be certified by:
whoever has lawful custody of the original document (e.g. the 'ASIC-equivalent')
a public notary, or
a director/officer
If the company does not have a constitution, you must provide a written statement from a director/office of the company. It should state that it does not need to have a constitution.
3. Memorandum of appointment of the local agent or power of attorney in favour of the local agent
A Form 418 Memorandum of appointment of local agent may be used for this purpose. This document must be executed by the foreign company and state the name and address of the local agent, who is:
an individual or an Australian company
a resident in Australia, and
authorised to accept, on behalf of the foreign company, service of process and notices.
To verify the authorising document, you must lodge a Form 403 Verification of copy of document authorising on behalf of a foreign company, execution of a document appointing a local agent.
4. Memorandum stating the powers of certain directors
If the list of directors on the application form includes directors who are residents in Australia and members of a local board of directors you need to lodge a memorandum that outlines their powers.
Translation of documents
If any document is not in English, you must provide a certified translation into English.
A translation made outside Australia must be certified as a correct translation into English by a notary public or a translator under the law.
A translation made inside Australia must be certified as a correct translation into English by a person approved by ASIC such as:
language teachers or professors at tertiary institutions
legal translators with a minimum 12 months experience in certifying translated documents or being an interpreter before the Courts
any other qualified person of a Commonwealth or State Government Department providing accredited translation services.
You may also request that we approve some other qualified person to certify a translation for you.
Step 4—Lodge the form with the fee
The application form must be signed by a director or person that's authorised.
The completed application can be mailed to:
Australian Securities & Investments Commission
PO Box 4000
Gippsland Mail Centre VIC 3841
Once your application has been processed and approved, we'll send you a registration certificate and your Australian Registered Body Number (ARBN).
Your obligations
Display your company name
You must display the company's name outside every office and place of business that is open to the public.
Unless it's a bank or other authorised deposit-taking institution , it must also display:
its place of origin
at its registered office, the words ‘registered office’, and
notice of the limited liability of its members (only if the body's name does not end in 'Limited' or 'Ltd.'
Display your ARBN correctly
When registered, you'll receive a unique nine digit number known as the Australian Registered Body Number (ARBN).
Under the Corporations Act, the name and ARBN must appear on all the company's public documents. This includes negotiable instruments published or signed in the jurisdiction.
Unless the body is a bank or other deposit-taking institution, every document and instrument must also include:
its place of origin, and
notice of the limited liability of its members (only if the body's name does not end in 'Limited' or 'Ltd.'
Some abbreviations are allowed. These include:
for Australian - ‘Aust.’
These must be included when you lodge Form 404 Notification of change to agent of a foreign company . If it's executed by a third party on behalf of the foreign company, you also need to lodge a Form 403 Verification of copy of document authorising on behalf of a foreign company .
A foreign company may have more than one local agent at the same time.
Lodge financial statements
Registered foreign companies must lodge financial statements with us at least once every calendar year. The time between financial statements can't be more than 15 months.
Financial statements are made up of:
a copy of the company’s balance sheet, profit and loss statement and cash flow statement,
a Form 405 Statement to verify financial statements of a foreign company , and
any other documents required by law.
When a foreign company that holds an Australian financial services (AFS) licence lodges their financial statements, they can:
lodge a Form 405 and include an auditor's report, or
Some foreign companies may be exempt from reporting and need to lodge Form 406 Annual return of a foreign company instead of Form 405.
Late fees only apply if changes are lodged outside of the lodging period.
Keeping your details up to date
If your details change, you must let us know.
Below is a list of changes you can make and the documents you must lodge:
If the company is wound up or deregistered ( Form 407 )
If the company changes its name, constitution, or powers ( Form 409 )
If the company changes its hours or office address ( Form 489 )
If the company changes its directors' details ( Form 490 )
You may not need to lodge some documents if you're a New Zealand company
New Zealand companies that are registered as foreign companies in Australia are exempt from lodging certain documents.
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What's the Charles Dickens novel in which you would find the character 'Smike'? | Charles Dickens: His 10 most memorable characters - Smike from "Nicholas Nickleby" - CSMonitor.com
Charles Dickens: His 10 most memorable characters
Latest News
By Marjorie Kehe, Monitor Books editor
February 7, 2012
To celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, here is a tribute to 10 of his most unforgettable characters.
10. Smike from "Nicholas Nickleby"
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of
Smike is one of a series of poorly treated innocents who haunt Dickens' fictive universe. Smike first appears in Dickens' third novel, "Nicholas Nickleby," as a cruelly abused and severely disabled child who is unlucky enough to have been left at a "school" run by the villainous Wackford Squeers. Smike is rescued by the novel's title character and becomes fiercely loyal to him. Only when Smike has died does Nicholas discover that Smike was his own cousin – the son of his scheming uncle, Ralph Nickleby.
| Nicholas Nickleby |
What is the name of the Italian lake with the town of Stresa on it's shores? | Liverpool and Charles Dickens - Beatles Liverpool and More
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Liverpool and Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was born on the 7th February 1812, to celebrate his 200th anniversary we have decided to do a short biography of his connections and visits to Liverpool.
1838
His first novel Pickwick Papers was serialised between 1836 - 1837, it was shortly after this that he made his first visit to Liverpool, it was in November 1838. During a trip to North Wales, with Hablot K. Browne who had planned to visit his son Edgar Browne who lived in Rodney Street, Liverpool, Dickens wrote a letter dated 3rd November 1838 to his college and friend John Forster, he wrote:
" I wrote you last night but by mistake the letter has gone to heavens knows where in my portmanteau. I have only time to say go straight to Liverpool by the first Birmingham train on Monday morning, and at the Adelphi Hotel in that town you will find me"
Dickens was aged 26 and this was his first known visit to Liverpool.
Water colour of The Adelphi Hotel 1912
Watercolour of Rodney Street circa 1900
1842
Charles Dickens next visit to Liverpool came in January 1842, it was during a planned visit to Boston, America, on the Cunard steamer "The Britannia" when he arrived in Liverpool the day before the sailing, he stayed once again in the Adelphi Hotel.
On the eve of their 18 day voyage he wrote to his friend Thomas Mitton, letter dated 3rd January 1842.
"My Dear Mitton,
This is a short note, but I will fulfill the adage and make it a merry one. We came down in great comfort. Our luggage is now aboard. Anything so utterly and monstrously absurd as the size of our cabin, "no gentleman of England who lives at ease" can for a moment imagine. neither of the portmanteaus would go into it, there."
Charles Dickens returned home via Liverpool, 6 months later in June 1842.
1844
His next visit to Liverpool came as an invitation to take the chair of the Mechanics Institute (later re-named the Liverpool Institute on Mount Street the former school of Paul McCartney and George Harrison).
The date was 26th February 1844, at that time Charles was an established author and speaker, and a portrait of the young Dickens was commissioned to remember the occasion.
Charles Dickens aged 32 - Portrait commissioned for the Mechanics Institute
Charles was to receive a payment of £20.00 for his expenses to attend the Soiree, but he returned it to the secretary after he took advice from his friend Forster.
The admission fee for the evening was 3s.6d, and The Liverpool Mercury reported the event as follows:
"Upwards of 1200 gay, happy and intelligent beings thronged to listen to the voice of one of whose writings, by their truthfulness in the delineation of character in the lights and shadows of life, had before touched their feelings, warmed their hearts, and gladdened their sympathies"
Artist impression of the Soiree - 26th February 1844
Photo of the venue circa 1900
1847
His next visit came as a performer at the Theatre Royal, Williamson Square, the date was 28th July 1847, and Charles was to appear in 'Every Man In His Humour' an amateur performance which also included John Forster in the cast.
Liverpool during that time was going through a major transformation and Charles was noticing the changes, work had started in 1842 on St George's Hall, on Lime Street, and Charles being a regular visitor to the city could witness the changes during his trips.
Right - Play Bill 'Every Man In His Humour' - 28th July 1847
i
Below is a series of panoramic water colours of Liverpool that was painted by the artist Ackerman in 1847, during his balloon flights across the city:
Looking towards Crown Street
St Nicholas Church & Custom House
George's Dock - Public Baths
Bath Street and New Quay
St George's Hall and Lime Street
Below is a collection of Water colours around Liverpool Streets at the time of Dickens:
St George's Hall/St John's Church
Lime Street Station - 1838
The Mechanics Institute, Mount Street -1841
1848
The following years Dickens was a regular visitor to Liverpool, on the 5th June 1848 his company performed,
'The Merry Wives Of Windsor' and a farce titled, 'Love, Law and Physic.'
1852
He appeared at the Philharmonic Hall, the dates were the 13th and 14th February and performed, 'Not So Bad As We Seem' by Bulwer Lytton and his own 'Mr Nightingale's Diary' which he wrote in 1851 with Mark Lemon.
This was a very successful trip for Dickens, he wrote to Bulwer Lytton the following day.
"I left Liverpool at 4 o'clock in the morning, and I am so blinded by excitement, gas and waving hats and hankerchiefs, that I can hardly see to write, but I cannot tell you what a triumph we had."
Dickens returned to the Philharmonic Hall later that year on September 3rd, performing. 'Used Up', 'Charles XII' and 'Mr Nightingale's Diary' to an audience of 1,668.
1858
Dickens returned to the Philharmonic Hall to give the first of his readings, each of the readings would last two hours, and he appeared over four days on the 18th, 19th 20th and 21st of August, on his first night the Phil was a sell out and Dickens performed to 2,300 people, during his lectures he read, 'Dombey and Son', 'Boots At Holly Tree Inn', 'Mrs Gamp' and the last lecture was, 'A Christmas Carol'.
Dickens also took the opportunity to sell his books at the lectures and soon sold out, in a letter to Forster he wrote,
"They turned away hundreds, sold all the books, rolled on the ground of my room knee-deep in cheques and made a perfect pantomime of the whole thing."
Dickens returned to the Philharmonic Hall on the 15th October and gave another two readings.
The Philharmonic Hall visitors book, 1858 signed by Charles Dickens
1860
Dickens again found himself in Liverpool this time as a researcher on the book, 'The Uncommercial Traveller' which he started in 1859, during this visit Dickens joined the Liverpool Police Force, as a special constable where he would roam the area of the docks he, used this experience in Chapter V, 'Poor Mercantile Jack' for the character 'Mercantile Jack'.
Dickens tells us of his own experience as a Special Constable:
"I had entered the Liverpool Police Force, that I might have a look at various unlawful traps which are every night set for Jack. As my term of service in that distinguished corps was short, and my personal bias in the capacity of one of its members has ceased, no suspicion will attach to my evidence that it is an admirable force. Besides that, it is composed, without favour, of the best men that can be picked, it is directed by an unusual intelligence. It organisation against fires, I take to be much better than the metropolitan system."
In Chapter VIII, 'The Great Tasmania's Cargo' Dickens goe's on to tell of his visit to the Liverpool Workhouse, to see the plight of solidiers returning from India.
"I entered the workhouse of Liverpool. For, the cultivation of laurels in a sandy soil, had brought the soldiers in question to that abode of Glory. Before going into their wards to visit them, I inquired how they had made their triumphant entry there? They had been brought through the rain in carts it seemed, from the landing-place to the gate, and had then been carried up-stairs on the backs of paupers. My hand and my heart fail me, in writing my record of this journey. The spectacle of the soldiers in the hospital-beds of that Liverpool workhouse (a very good workhouse, indeed, be it understood), was so shocking and so shameful, that as an Englishman I blush to remember it. It would have been simply unbearable at the time, but for the consideration and pity with which they were soothed in their sufferings."
Another Liverpool character to have an effect on Dickens was the plight of Sarah Biffin born in 1784, with no arms, and stumps for legs, in her adult life Sarah learned to read and write, and was an accomplished artist, painting holding the paint brush with her mouth, despite of her handicap, she was well known for her paintings of miniatures, Sarah's later years where spent in Liverpool, living at No8 Duke Street, she died aged 66 in 1850, and was buried in St James Cemetery, Dickens went on to mention Sarah in his novels, 'Little Dorrit', 'Martin Chuzzelwit' and 'Nicholas Nickleby'.
Dickens Uncommercial Traveller
Sarah Biffin
1861
Dickens again visited Liverpool for a series of readings, the date set was to be 15th December, when Dickens arrived news had broke on the death of the Prince Concort who had died the day before, and Dickens was advised by The Liverpool Lord Mayor and Town Clerk to postpone the readings as a mark of respect for the Queen. Dickens who was staying at the Adelphi Hotel and wrote to the Assistant Editor of, 'All Year Round' W.H. Wills with reference to this request.
"I have been very doubtful what to do here, we have a great let for tomorrow night. The Mayor recommends closing tomorrow, and giving the Readings on Tuesday and Wednesday, so doe's the Town Clerk, so do other agents. But I have a misgiving that they hardly understand what the general sympathy of the public with the Queen will be. Further, I feel personally that the Queen has always been very considerate and gracious to me, and I would on no account do anything that might seem unfeeling or disrespectful. I shall attach great weight, in this state of indecision, to your telegram."
The Readings were cancelled and he arranged to visit in January.
1862
Dickens returned to Liverpool in January to honour his Readings, the venue was the Small Concert Room in St George's Hall, which Dickens thought was ideal for his Readings, he gave three Readings, 'Bob Sawyer', 'David Copperfield' and 'Nicholas Nickleby' he was due to give another three Readings the following day, but feeling unwell he travelled over to Birkenhead to clear his head. he described this in a letter to Miss Hogarth.
"My Dearest Georgy,
The Beautiful room was crammed to excess last night, and numbers were turned away. Its beauty and completeness when it is lighted up are most brilliant to behold, and for a reading it is simply perfect. You remember that a Liverpool audience is usually dull, but they put me on my mettle last night, for I never saw an audience, no not even Edinburgh. I slept horribly last night, and have been over to Birkenhead for a little change of air today. My head is dazed and worn by gas and heat, and I fear that "Copperfield" and "Bob" together tonight won't mend it. I am going to buy two boys some Everton Toffee."
From the context of that letter you can feel that the constant touring and Reaings where taking a toll on Dickens now aged 50. It was a gap of four years before Dickens would return to Liverpool.
St George's Hall - 1860
Queen Victoria and Albert Prince Consort
Everton Toffee Shop
1866
In April Dickens returned to St George's Hall to give a lecture of five readings such was his popularity in Liverpool that on the first night an estimated 3,000 people had to be turned away.
1867
Dickens returned again to St George's Hall which was now his favorite venue, giving a series of reading in January and February, in a letter to Miss Hogarth he writes,
"The day has been very fine, and I have turned it to the wholesome account by walking on the sands at New Brighton all the morning. It is 'Copperfield' tonight, and Liverpool is the 'Copperfield' stronghold."
In November of 1867 Dickens travelled through Liverpool on his way to Boston, America, Dickens was touring America for a number of months returning in May 1868.
1868
In late 1868 Dickens was back in Liverpool appearing at St George's Hall on the 12th, 13th and 14th October and the 26th, 27th, and 28th, where he Read, 'David Copperfield' and 'Mr Chops, the Dwarf" to packed houses. Dickens health was suffering and in late 1868 Dickens agent announced a series of farewell tours for Dickens.
1869
Dickens returned to Liverpool for the last time on his farewell tour on the 5th-9th of April, he had planned to book his favourite venue St George's Hall, but the demand for tickets was so great that the venue was change to The Theatre Royal in Williamson Square one of the Reading chose was 'Oliver Twist' and this made his Liverpool Tour a brilliant success.
The 9th April was to be his last performance in Liverpool. The following day 10th April 1869 Dickens was entertained at the banquet held in St George's Hall held in his honour which was attained by the Lord Mayor and the great and the good of Liverpool. During the banquet a toast was made to Charles Dickens in which he replied,
"That Liverpool had never failed him when he had asked the help of her citizens in the cause of literature and benevolence, and that her response had been spontaneous, open handed and munificent."
In a letter Dickens wrote during his farewell tour in Liverpool he says,
"One of the pleasantest things I have experienced here this time is the way in which I am stopped in the streets by working men who want to shake hands with me, and tell me they know my books."
Programme for the Banquet held in honour of Charles Dickens on 10th April 1869 at St George's Hall
with thanks to Liverpool Record Office - Watercolour Collection
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A film star/director who won an Oscar for 'Reds' - Who is he? | Reds (1981) - IMDb
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A radical American journalist becomes involved with the Communist revolution in Russia and hopes to bring its spirit and idealism to the United States.
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Won 3 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 34 nominations. See more awards »
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Storyline
American journalist John Reed journeys to Russia to document the Bolshevik Revolution and returns a revolutionary. His fervor for left-wing politics leads him to Louise Bryant, then married, who will become a feminist icon and activist. Politics at home become more complicated as the rift grows between reality and Reed's ideals. Bryant takes up with a cynical playwright, and Reed returns to Russia, where his health declines. Written by Jwelch5742
Not since Gone With The Wind has there been a great romantic epic like it!
Genres:
25 December 1981 (USA) See more »
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Novelist Jerzy Kosinski originally turned down the acting gig in this film because he feared he would be kidnapped by the KGB whilst shooting on location in Finland. See more »
Goofs
When Louise first comes to New York and finds John's apartment (during the time of WWI), some of the apartment windows behind her have air conditioning units. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Witness 1: [voiceover] Was that in 1913 or 17? I can't remember now. Uh, I'm, uh, beginning to forget all the people that I used to know, see?
Witness 2: [voiceover] Do I remember Louise Bryant? Why, of course, I couldn't forget her if I tried.
As the credits roll, additional interviews with the 'witnesses' play. See more »
Connections
Every movie lover should see this film!
26 June 2001 | by Princess-Alice
– See all my reviews
Warren Beatty's Reds follows only Gone With The Wind in my list of favourite films. This movie is both a love story, and a documentary. It educates the viewer not just on John Reed and his comrades, but on WWI era society in general.
This brilliant script, (which, like the writings of Jack Reed expresses his political feelings with the same poetic eloquence as his love poems to his wife Louise), is interspersed with commentary from Jack's contemporaries, who tell the history from their own unique perspectives. As the truth of what was going on in that community is such an illusive thing, the only way to tell this story accurately was to show the often completely opposite view points of what was going on as told by the people for whom this history is a first hand memory.
The acting in Reds is breath taking. Every member of this, extremely large, cast committed fully to their characters. One feels a true connection to even those characters who lurked in the background with only occasional lines. The most notable performances were by Beatty himself, (who's embodiment of Jack Reed was incredible), Diane Keaton, (who portrayed all the facets of Louise's personality with stunning realism), Jack Nickelson, (who delivers O'Neil's quick witted dialogue with an almost frightening cynicism), and Maureen Stapelton, (who conveyed an amazing strength as Emma Goldman). While these actors were the most prominently featured, all the actors delivered noteworthy performances as far as I'm concerned.
The political history covered in this movie is nothing if not vast. This is proof of Beatty's most impressive knowledge of history. This is a film I would recommend be shown in schools, as one the most in depth study of American communism on screen to date.
Reds is truly an inspiration, and should be seen by every actor, director, writer, liberal, film maker, history buff & movie lover! You will not be disappointed!
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| Warren Beatty |
He invented the 'seed-drill' and his name was used by a pop group? | Reds Reviews & Ratings - IMDb
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17 January 2017 8:34 AM, PST
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41 out of 55 people found the following review useful:
Great movie
from Brooklyn, USA
16 June 2004
This movie was great, and I hope it comes out on DVD real soon. Beatty became Reed in more than one sense--not only did he act the part, but he directed the movie in a way reminiscent of the kind of "new journalistic" style that Reed and his fellow MASSES writers pioneered, mixing the drama with interviews of people who knew JR, Louise, etc.
The film also sort of puts forward the question, "What if, instead of running back to Russia (to die of kidney failure and mistreatment by the CP), Jack Reed had stayed in this country to build the CP? Would it have turned out to become Stalinist?" According to Howe and Coser, who wrote a good book on THE AMERICAN COMMUNIST PARTY, much like Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in Germany, Reed was the ONLY leader who was independent, who had some real backbone.
The best part of the movie is when Emma Goldmann, played by Maureen Stapleton, tells Jack that "it doesn't work" (i.e. statist, bureaucratic socialism that the Bolsheviks were instituting as a grossly mistaken response to the economic crisis and Allied invasion of Russia after the Revolution). And then his rebellion against the lying propaganda of Zinoviev. Kind of hits me right now that Jerzy Kosinski should play Zinoviev--didn't he commit suicide when he was exposed as a plagiarist? Where is the line between art and reality, politics and life?
Of course I loved the romantic reality between Beatty, Bryant, and Nicholson (Reed, Bryant, and Eugene O'Neill). And the cynicism that Reed expresses about the Democrats and Wilson is certainly apropos today.
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71 out of 116 people found the following review useful:
Political insight!!
from London, England
3 September 2002
Reds, a succinct, controversial title totally typical of a major directorial outing by Warren Beatty. We always knew that Beatty was on the left, but a film glamourising a known Communist who defected to the USSR and is buried within the Kremlin. How the studios let him make it is a mystery to me, but I suppose that the name Warren Beatty was enough.
The film is long, and not for the light-hearted. It covers the broad canvas of early 20th Century American socialism. Concentrating first on Reeds efforts to form an American Socialist party, before moving to Russia; Beatty plays Jack Reed, the playboy writer, journalist and socialist. He opposes the war after initially supporting Wilson at the Democratic convention. After the Russian Revolution he becomes enamoured with the newly founded Soviet Union, as does his wife and sparring partner Louise Bryant, marvellously played by Diane Keaton who is excellent as the proto-feminist Bryant. Self-assured and very sexy, and her tragic love triangle between her, Reed and Jack Nicholson's character is brilliant. A number of other actors also crop up, including Paul Sorvino and M. Emmet Walsh.
One of the most important films of its generation, and every movie fan should make this compulsory viewing. Any aspiring left-wing intellectual should also make this compulsory viewing - there were Communists and Socialists in America, and one of them is even buried in the Kremlin. The USSR may be reviled these days, but you cannot deny the hope and utopianism that swept the world in those first few years after the 1917 Revolution. Beatty brings all this marvellously to the screen in Reds.
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44 out of 65 people found the following review useful:
A Monumental Achievement in Epic Film-Making
from United States
29 July 2000
"Reds" is a 200-minute epic masterpiece which deals with left-wing American journalist John Reed (Warren Beatty in an Oscar-nominated performance) and his coverage of the Russian Revolution of the 1910s. Beatty's passion is what carries this ambitious film, which could have easily been a multi-million dollar disaster. His Oscar-winning direction, screenplay, and overall performance carry the film as far as it can possibly go. The top-flight performances by Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson (both Oscar-nominated), and Maureen Stapleton (Oscar-winning) all add great depth to the performance. Paul Sorvino, Edward Herrmann, and Gene Hackman also make lasting impressions in supporting roles. Overall a great achievement all the way around. 5 stars out of 5.
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41 out of 61 people found the following review useful:
Every movie lover should see this film!
Author: Princess-Alice
26 June 2001
Warren Beatty's Reds follows only Gone With The Wind in my list of favourite films. This movie is both a love story, and a documentary. It educates the viewer not just on John Reed and his comrades, but on WWI era society in general.
This brilliant script, (which, like the writings of Jack Reed expresses his political feelings with the same poetic eloquence as his love poems to his wife Louise), is interspersed with commentary from Jack's contemporaries, who tell the history from their own unique perspectives. As the truth of what was going on in that community is such an illusive thing, the only way to tell this story accurately was to show the often completely opposite view points of what was going on as told by the people for whom this history is a first hand memory.
The acting in Reds is breath taking. Every member of this, extremely large, cast committed fully to their characters. One feels a true connection to even those characters who lurked in the background with only occasional lines. The most notable performances were by Beatty himself, (who's embodiment of Jack Reed was incredible), Diane Keaton, (who portrayed all the facets of Louise's personality with stunning realism), Jack Nickelson, (who delivers O'Neil's quick witted dialogue with an almost frightening cynicism), and Maureen Stapelton, (who conveyed an amazing strength as Emma Goldman). While these actors were the most prominently featured, all the actors delivered noteworthy performances as far as I'm concerned.
The political history covered in this movie is nothing if not vast. This is proof of Beatty's most impressive knowledge of history. This is a film I would recommend be shown in schools, as one the most in depth study of American communism on screen to date.
Reds is truly an inspiration, and should be seen by every actor, director, writer, liberal, film maker, history buff & movie lover! You will not be disappointed!
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39 out of 59 people found the following review useful:
A great companion piece to 1965's 'Doctor Zhivago'.
from Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA
4 March 1999
Warren Beatty's 'Reds' is a terrific film that is not only great story telling in the conventional Hollywood way but also has an original style of narration told in many ways from the point of view of witnesses to the real story who lived during the days the film is centred around.
The film is especially significant to view since the iron curtain in Russia has come down and 'Reds' is a movie that never looks dated and stresses the fact that morals at the early part of the 20th century were about the same as they are now. It's just that no one discussed it back then and it emphasizes that times change but people don't.
With top notch performances from the entire cast, it is one of the few films to be nominated for an Oscar in all four acting categories and was victorious in the Best Supporting Actress category for Maureen Stapleton although the film's best performance comes from Diane Keaton who should have won her second Oscar.
To date, Beatty is the only film maker to be Oscar nominated for Best Director, Actor, Screenwriter and Producer twice for the same film. The other time was for 1978's 'Heaven Can Wait'.
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23 out of 28 people found the following review useful:
You Forget..
16 November 2008
.
I am old enough to have lived through (probably) three different Americas. These are radically different worlds. It isn't just the mood, styles or state of the economy; its the adoption of a whole cosmology. Religions change under our feet. Family, love, belonging. These things are malleable yet largely beyond our control and we forget what "things were like." Memory always is constructed in terms of the present world.
Always.
So projects like this are necessary. We cannot know who we are unless we remind ourselves who we were.
The ordinary fold here is a romance, folded into grand political actions. Here they are a bit more cerebral than usual, but never getting past the notion of simple justice.
The more unusual and complex fold is that we see a story based on real events and people. Interspersed with that story are interviews of people who were personally involved in the story. These are remarkable, the way they are captured and the way they are edited to overlap with and annotate the story. But much more engaging is that these are enticing people, many with minds and phases that invite us into their faces made warmer and more open by Beatty's camera. I compare this to the "Up" serious and the contrast is astonishing. True, here we want to be informed about the lives of others, and the "Up" goals pretend that the people randomly selected decades ago are remotely worth knowing.
But these folks are. We want more, simply based on their implicit invitation, and we carry ourselves into the narrative more forcefully, sort of like the characters do. This is folding doing its job and doing it well. They remember. I remember, and therefore am.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.
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25 out of 38 people found the following review useful:
Great piece of political discussion and drama
from United States
27 June 2000
Warren Beatty makes himself the only director to get Oscar nominations in Best Producer (picture), director, actor and writer twice (Heaven Can Wait is the other one), and he won his only Oscar (besides his honorary Thalberg award in 2000) for direction here. And it is well deserved. Mainly because this is the best film about communism and other political issues ever made.
Here, Beatty portrays journalist and idealist John Reed to maximum potential. He also comes of great with Diane Keaton as his love. Long, yet immensly entertaining and interesting, which was one of the few political films (besides maybe South Park) that got me thinking about communism. By the way, this film also won best conematography (Vittoro Storatto) and Best Supporting Actress (Maureen Stapleton as Emma Goldman), though I think it should've also won Oscars for Nicholson and Beatty. One of the better films (top 20) of the decade. A+
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22 out of 33 people found the following review useful:
Reds
from Marietta, OH
21 April 1999
An engrossing film about John Reed's love affair with Louise Bryant and his struggles in the midst of the Russian Revolution. There are great performances from Beatty, Keaton, Nicholson (excellent as Eugene O'Neill) and Stapelton in her Oscar winning performance as Emma Goldman. Beatty's precision and timing in the use of his camera in this picture is a superb achievement. There is a touch of David Lean in director Beatty in this film. The color, the editing, the sound. All of those important filmic elements are at play here in great form. Beatty won the Best Director Oscar, but lost the Best Picture award to Chariots of Fire.
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24 out of 38 people found the following review useful:
"Reds"- A Love Story told inside period politics at the height of the Russian Revolution
from Durham, North Carolina
24 October 2006
Bolshevik leader V.I. Lenin once wrote, "The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them."
Lenin's quote came to mind when I was watching one of the most spellbinding movies to come along in years,and not since David Lean's brilliant 1965 epic classic "Doctor Zhivago" hasn't been a movie in recent memory that has come close. That motion picture is "Reds",released in 1981 by Paramount Pictures. The film was Warren Beatty's peeve project which he served not only as it star,but also the co-writer and direction. Director Warren Beatty's epic love story about American writers John Reed and Louise Bryant,set amid of the turbulence of American politics in the 1910's World War I and the Russian revolution that set this movie into plain focus. The movie itself is astounding to behold and is a tragic love story between the writers John Reed(Warren Beatty),and Louise Bryant(Diane Keaton). But it creatively used artsy,radical Greenwich Village in the 1910's-and such as real-life characters as playwright Eugene O'Neill(Jack Nicholson),and anarchist activist Emma Goldman(Maureen Stapleton)-as well as the drama of the Russian Revolution and the subsequent civil war as the principal landscapes in which their relationship plays out.
Director Beatty also made creative use of on-camera "testimony" by the likes of novelists Henry Miller and Rebecca West,Republican politician Hamilton Fish,comic George Jessel and civil libertarian Roger Baldwin. These senior citizens recall,with varying degrees of historical accuracy,Reed,Bryant and the times in which they lived. "Reds" shows convincingly that many of the contemporary issues in politics and culture have their antecendents in the first debates of the 20th century. Debates over birth control and abortion,marriage and commitment,public life versus private life,revolution versus reform are given full expression from varying viewpoints throughout the lengthy film(which runs over three hours). To Beatty's credit,his film captures the excitement the Bolshevik revolution stirred,both inside and outside Russia while revealing how the Bolshevik leadership quickly began to suppressing dissent within the revolutionary ranks on the way to becoming a dictatorship with a country that is in constant turmoil. Beatty's efforts certainly paid off artistically,bringing him prestige to him and Paramount making "Reds" a huge box office success for the studio when it premiered in theatres around Christmas of 1981.
"Reds" became one of the top highest grossing pictures of that year,and it paid off in high standards too. "Reds",which received 12 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture,lost an upset to Hugh Hudson's "Chariots Of Fire" in the Best Picture category. However it won three Oscars for Best Director(Warren Beatty),Best Supporting Actress(Maureen Stapleton),and Best Cimematopgraphy(Vittorio Storaro). Eventually,"Reds" made more than $40 million at the domestic box office,and once international figures were added in,it became one of the top grossing films of the 1980's. A feat Warren Beatty is still proud of to this day.
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18 out of 27 people found the following review useful:
Pretentious, long, boring
7 December 2009
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
How this was nominated for anything completely escapes me. This movie signifies everything wrong with the 70's style of movie making- letting the director (who happens to be the lead actor) do pretty much anything he wants- scenes that ramble on and on in an effort to be "realistic- trying to cram way too much into an already overlong film.
At no point in the film did I feel like the characters were not "acting". Every set piece felt like another staged scene forced upon my already dulled and bored senses. Good old Jack does his best, but he wasn't in the movie long enough to save it from disaster. Way to similar in style and result to "Heaven's Gate".
Maybe I got my expectations up from all the positive reviews I've read over the years. They were wrong, though. One more thing- didn't one of those Russian leaders look and sound just like Eugene Levy?
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| i don't know |
Kiss Me Kate is a musical version of which of Shakespeare's works? | Broadwaytrax.com | Kiss Me Kate
Kiss Me Kate
Kiss Me Kate
With music and lyrics by Cole Porter, Kiss Me Kate presents a humurous twist on Shakespeares Taming of the Shrew, recounting the behind-the-scenes romances of actors staging a musical version of the play. Kiss Me Kate also won Best Musical Revival in 2000. There are 42 tracks on this album: Tracks 1-21 contain the background tracks and guide vocals; tracks 22-42 contain the accompaniment tracks alone. This album is a re-recording in the original show key and show tempo.
| The Taming of the Shrew |
What tree produces 'Conkers' each autumn (fall)? | Kiss Me Kate Reviews & Ratings - IMDb
IMDb
34 out of 35 people found the following review useful:
What An Absolutely 'Wunderbar' Way to 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare'!
from United Kingdom
15 October 2002
KISS ME KATE is quite easily one of the two most famous musical 'adaptations' of Shakespeare for the stage and screen (the other being WEST SIDE STORY). Focusing on a theatre company putting up a musical version of 'The Taming of The Shrew', the film traces the main relationship between director/leading man Fred Graham (Howard Keel) and his ex-wife/leading lady Lilli Vanessi (Kathryn Grayson) as they respectively portray the Shakespearean roles of Petruchio and Katherine (the Shrew to be tamed, of course!). Throw in a deliciously naughty second lead actress Lois Lane (Ann Miller) and her gambling-addict beau Bill Calhoun (Tommy Rall), as well as a couple of gangsters (played brilliantly by Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore) mistakenly chasing after Fred 'sweetie' for Bill's latest debt, and opening night proves to be quite a big event, both onstage and off. Can the feuding Fred and Lilli, still in love with each other despite Fred's ego and Lilli's fiance, get their act together before the curtain goes down on the play?
I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this film... yes, even having already seen the London stage version of the musical earlier this year. There are, of course, personal reasons that bias me towards the film and to perhaps set out watching it with every intention of liking it (which surely helps!). First of all, I have no qualms in admitting I'm probably the biggest Ann Miller fan there is, and there's no doubting also that KISS ME KATE is possibly the best showcase of her talents and beauty there is. Secondly, I've been listening to the film soundtrack on constant repeat for months now, influenced by an interest kindled by the musical and discovering Miller. It helps that I can sing along to most of the songs and know the lyrics--no struggling to figure out what Grayson is singing in her operatic voice, and no attempting to acclimatise to new tunes. I already know the Cole Porter music, from lyrics to tune to score, and love it. So yes, perhaps I *was* predisposed to loving this film--how could I *not*, particularly with Miller dancing and singing my favourite songs in the film?
Still, I firmly believe that there's a lot more to recommend KISS ME KATE than the ravings of a fangirl. Cole Porter really outdoes himself here with a toe-tappingly catchy score: even songs like 'I've Come To Wive It Wealthily In Padua' and 'We Open In Venice' have the same sparkling lyrics, the same ability to catch the ear as the better-known 'Wunderbar' and 'From This Moment On'. Then there's the jazz-influenced 'Too Darn Hot' and the sweet ballad 'Why Can't You Behave?'. I honestly believe that Porter's score for KISS ME KATE is better than the one he wrote for HIGH SOCIETY, because he makes fine use of reprisals and bridges. Take for example Rall singing a short reprisal of Miller's 'Why Can't You Behave?' back to her before she replies with a wonderful segue into 'Always True To You In My Fashion'--the reprisal marks the couple and the relationship and works wonderfully well.
Of course, it helps also that the cast for KISS ME KATE is really most impressive. Keel, with his big big voice and untrained natural talent, fills the screen (and his tights!) with his masculine presence. He struts, swaggers, and yet shows his vulnerable side believably enough to make us *like* his character, ego or no ego. Grayson, so much weaker against Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra in ANCHORS AWEIGH a decade earlier, really comes into her own here--she's excellent as Lilli, swooning at the right moments, strident during the rest, and actually bites out 'I Hate Men' with conviction... you certainly wouldn't imagine it possible of the actress who gave us the rather simpering Aunt Susie in the aforementioned Kelly/Sinatra film! I'm also partial to Tommy Rall, whose soaring athletic ability just crackles off the screen. It's such a thrill to see Miller get matched with someone who can dance circles around most everyone else alongside her. They make the cutest couple in their two numbers together, with the energetic, exuberant dance to 'Why Can't You Behave?' definitely making one of my favourite film dance routines of all time.
This film is, of course, Miller's shining moment--a shame, considering she's still only second lead and yet really steals the film with her dancing and singing. I can understand why other reviewers don't like that the song 'Too Darn Hot' became a solo for her, but what works on the stage, quite frankly, won't have made it in the film. (Even in the musical I thought the song a rather inauspicious and irrelevant start to the second act.) Miller's 'Too Darn Hot' fandance tap is precisely what the title suggests, and the charm she always radiates in all her small roles sizzles through her sexy fringed costume and black lace fan as she dances all over the furniture. One of my favourite songs is also the *unbelievably* catchy 'Tom, Dick & Harry', and the version in the film is great fun.
The directing by George Sidney is solid, making the best of the choreography. Any apparently odd choices would have to be explained by the fact that the film was originally filmed in 3-D--imagine Miller's gloves and necklace flying into your lap, or the objects on the tavern table crashing off the screen when Grayson sweeps them off (while despising men, of course!). I really wish I could have the chance to see this film the way it was meant to be seen, in 3-D. Unfortunately, there's no way to get that effect on VHS and probably not DVD either.
Even so, KISS ME KATE is bright, splashy, flashy and colourful. It's breathtakingly happy eye-candy and drags only at a few moments when non-Shakespearean dialogue gets in the way. Considering the cleverness of its concept (it's a film about the staging of a musical version of the Shakespearean play), the film has little to no artistic pretension--in this way, it's a quintessential MGM musical... set, geared, intended to *entertain*. And entertain it does. With the vocal talents of Keel and Grayson, the incredible tapping of Miller and the soaring of Rall, all accompanied by an irresistible Porter score, let's hope this one makes it to DVD; it's definitely a keeper!
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29 out of 30 people found the following review useful:
If you are a dance fan
from United States
1 July 2004
This is my favorite musical, not for the dancing alone, but it is the best. The dancers, not just Ann Miller and Rall, but Bob Fosse, Bobby Van, and Carol Haney!! What more could any dance fan want? There is always something new to see, no matter how many times you have watched it. The lyrics are magnificent, tricky and intriguing. When Howard Keel, dressed in those gorgeous tights, sings about all the women he has known, he's a knockout. Grayson is not my favorite actress, but she can sing, and she and Keel make a wonderful pair. I will admit that the music is great, but folks, catch the dancing!! The final dance number with the six dancers is superb, but how can you watch all six at once? You have to watch it several times, particularly the pair of Carol Haney and Bob Fosse.
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29 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
Kiss Me, Kate Is Still Great!
from Cincinnati, Ohio
2 March 2004
Kiss Me, Kate was first released at the time that the movie screens were exploading into large formats to get people away from their T.V. sets and back into the theaters, and 3-D films came out of hiding and the only musical film to be shot in the 3-D format was Kiss Me, Kate, and stereophonic sound, to me, was better in those days than it is today, but the film gave everyone in it the chance to do their finest work, but it's a shame that they will not release a 3-D Version of this film on Home Video. The distributors would make a fortune!
Everyone knows the plot of Kiss Me, Kate, so there's no sense in going into that. Kathryn Grayson, Hollywood's finest singer of all time replaced Patricia Morrison who played Lilli on Broadway, and Howard Keel replaced Alfred Drake who played Fred Graham on Broadway, and Ann Miller replaced Lisa Kirk who played Lois on Broadway, and it's not too well known but Lisa Kirk dubbed Everything's Coming Up Roses for Rosalind Russell in the movie version of Gypsy!
Tommy Rall who replaced Harold Lang in the Broadway version, to me, was never given a fair chance in Hollywood. An excellent singer and versatile dancer, but still he shines in his work in Kiss Me, Kate and for his work in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers as the brother Frank who got upset when he was called by his real name.
This movie is a good example as to why Broadway stars are not necessarily good for repeating their Broadway roles on the screen. The cast in this movie is excellent in their acting, singing and dancing and I can not picture the Broadway cast repeating their roles in the movie version. To me, it just wouldn't work!
Casting Ann Miller in the role of Lois Lane was a good break for Ann Miller since she was always given roles in past movies that showed her off as a gal who had an overly-obnoxious appetite for the opposite sex. This film gave her a chance to display her full range of talent which had in the past been overlooked, but what can a person say about her number Too Darn Hot that burned up the screen and made Lilli [Kathryn Grayson] furious with her co-star Fred-er-rick Gray-ham [Howard Keel] to the point that she called him a louse of stage in front of the cast in the play! She couldn't call him what Patricia Morrison called Alfred Drake in the Broadway play because in those days the Hayes Office wouldn't allow Kathryn Grayson to call Howard Keel a ba****d!
Keenyn Wynn and James Whitmore played the comical gangsters that were to collect a marker from Howard Keel which was really signed by Tommy Rall and when they do their number Brush Up Your Shakespeare, it's hilarious. Not because Wynn can't sing and dance, he can, but because James Whitmore gave it all he could, but faked the number beautifully, and Whitmore had the good sense never to perform in a musical ever again, but together they were excellent in their comedic performance as the gangsters in the film.
So, you guys who distribute this movie - give us guys and gals a break and release this in the original wide-screen 3-D version with stereophonic sound and let everyone see why:
KISS ME KATE - IS "STILL" GREAT!
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18 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
Ann Miller Deserved an Oscar
from United States
30 October 2005
Total delight from start to finish, this witty, musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. This show within a show is bright and splashy and boasts terrific performances, songs, dancing, and costumes. Howard Keel plays the egotistic Fred Graham who us mounting this new musical with ex-wife Lilli Vanessi (Kathryn Grayson) as his leading lady. The battling couple mirrors the battling couple in the play. All very clever.
As good as Grayson and Keel as however, Ann Miller totally steals the show as Lois Lane, the brassy chorus girl Fred has given a part (the younger sister) in the play. Mills is fantastic as she sings and dances her way through some great numbers: It's Too Darn Hot, From This Moment On, Always True to You, and Tom, Dick or Harry. Her opening number of Too Darn Hot is astounding as she swirls and taps around Cole POrter's living room and across his table tops. The skin tight tassled red outfit is probably the sexiest outfit Miller ever wore and she looks great. She was always denied the starring roles in MGM musicals which is a shame. MGM preferred the more demure types like Grayson or Judy Garland, Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds for starring roles and Miller always got stuck playing the flashy friend or other woman.
Also good in this great musical are Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore as the thugs who get to sing Brush Up Your Shakespeare. Bob Fosse, Bobby Van, and Tommy Rall are the three dancers. Carol Haney and Jeanne Coyne show up for the From This Moment On number with Miller and the Boys. Ann Codee is the maid, Claude Allister is the butler, Willard Parker is Tex, Dave O'Brien is the stage manager, Kurt Kaznar is the stage father, and Ron Randell plays Cole Porter.
Originally done in 3-D, Kiss Me Kate is shock full of great songs and some of the best lyrics ever heard. For those of us growing up in the 50s, most of the songs from this musical are familiar hits, including Wunderbar, From This Moment On, Always True to You, and So In Love.
Kiss Me Kate is a textbook musical that works on all levels. Keel and Grayson were never better, Miller is outstanding, Whitmore and Wynn are fun, and Tommy Rall gets a couple of dance numbers (My Can't You Behave) that prove him to be one of the best dancers of his generation. The short dance solo with Fosse and Haney also presages much of Fosse's later groundbreaking choreography.
Not a false step in this film, which ranks as one of the great musicals.
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19 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
Wiving It Wealthily In Padua
from Buffalo, New York
18 July 2007
Though some would now argue for A Chorus Line, I believe that Kiss Me Kate is the greatest of backstage musical stories. That's because when Cole Porter took a collaborator, he took the best, the Poet that keeps 'em ravin', the Bard of Stratford-on-Avon.
When Porter was approached to collaborate with Samuel and Bella Spewack about doing a show based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, he had hit a dry spell creatively. He had not had a decent Broadway hit in several years and according to the George Eells biography of him, was pretty tense throughout the gestation period. He also did not have the best of relations with the Spewacks. It was all forgotten when Kiss Me Kate had the biggest Broadway run of any of his show, 1077 performances and probably yielded more hit songs for him than any other production. It missed getting the Tony Award for Best Musical by another show that opened that season, South Pacific.
Most of that score remained intact for the MGM musical. One additional one from Porter's succeeding Broadway musical, Out of this World was added as a number for Tommy Rall, Bob Fosse, and Bobby Van, From This Moment On. Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson as the leads sing the classic Porter hits, So In Love and Wunderbar with gusto and feeling.
Kiss Me Kate is one of the most difficult of musicals to act because you have to be good enough to act two roles simultaneously. The players have to be able to keep their backstage personas as they are speaking the lines from The Taming of the Shrew and have to do that convincingly also. Which is why I consider Kiss Me Kate one of the greatest of the Arthur Freed musicals.
The backstage story is nothing new. Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson were once married to each other and are still So In Love, but she doesn't realize it. Keel has cast her in this musical adaption he's also directing of The Taming of the Shrew. Their story is worked rather nicely into the opening night of the production. Also the story of flirtatious Ann Miller and Tommy Rall who's incurred a gambling debt to some gangsters also gets worked into opening night. Rall signs Keel's name to an IOU and Keel who thinks fast on his feet uses that bit of deception to his own advantage.
Which brings me to those two lovable torpedoes, Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore, who get into the play and later get to sing one of Cole Porter's best satirical numbers and a personal favorite of mine, Brush Up Your Shakespeare. It's their own ode to their theatrical experience and also advice to the lovelorn that if you want to win the mate of your choice, learn the classics so you can wow them with rhetoric. Wynn and Whitmore are priceless. I also remember years ago Orson Welles was the guest star on a Dean Martin show and Welles and Dino did a pretty hilarious version of this song.
Of course it being a Cole Porter show, the more risqué lines of the lyrics are censored somewhat. Check both the original Broadway cast album and the album MGM did from the film and see what I mean.
I do so love this show and this film. It was originally done in 3-D and ought to be seen that way in a theater if possible.
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11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Two excellent numbers deserve more credit.
from United States
30 April 2004
This movie is quite the best musical of the 50's, with more plot and excellent sideplay and bits. Of these bits, my favorites are Howard Keel's rendition of "Where Is the Life that Late I Led", and Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore's clever presentation of "Brush Up Your Shakespeare". Either one could stand alone, but when added to the dancing of Ann Miller, Bob Fosse, Bobby Van and Carol Chaney, you have a real winner. Very clever and upbeat. Kathryn Grayson was never a favorite of mine, but she is acceptable as Lily, and her number "I Hate Men" is a real winner. You know, this movie has so many excellent songs that it is very hard to pick just a few. "Always True to You, Darling, in my Fashion", "Tom, Dick and Harry"--Cole Porter was at the top of his form for this movie.
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11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
A vibrant musical delight.
from Baltimore, Maryland
25 February 2000
Great adaptation of the Broadway musical with a wonderful Cole Porter score. Yes the plot is just an excuse (though not a flimsy one) to put the numbers together, but so what? Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel are very good as battling exes who are destined to be together, in the best tradition of Scarlett and Rhett, with a dash of His Girl Friday thrown in. Plus, it's all acted out amidst Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, which provides for some great comic moments. Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore as the two gangsters are hilarious in the classic "Brush Up Your Shakespeare." Bob Fosse, who plays Bianca's blond suitor in the "Shrew" play-within-a-play, electrifies the screen with Carol Haney in their short but spectacular dance during the "From This Moment On" number. But it is Ann Miller who steals the show with her tradmark perkiness, charm and dynamite dancing skills, demonstrated memorably in another classic, "Too Darn Hot," and her numbers with Tommy Rall. Definitly recommended if you want a laugh, a tune to hum and a great show to see.
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10 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
One GREAT MGM Musical
from United States
17 February 2004
The movie is not the same as the stage production but it stands on its own as one of the best MGM musicals of the era. Howard Keel and Katherine Grayson were never better in any other of their films; Ann Miller is her usual energetic and delightful self, plus you get to see some superb dancers who made very few films at all, and they are all at the top of their form: Tommy Rall, Jeannie Coyne, Bob Fosse, Carol Haney and Bobby Van. The big closing number, From This Moment On, is a showcase for those five dancers plus Miller...look out for Fosse and Haney's amazing hipster/be-bop flavored segment! That song was added to the movie from another Porter show and it is the highlight of this great movie!
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10 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Ah...
from USA
4 March 1999
What great stars! Keel and Grayson are excellent in this, with the lovely song So In Love, among many others. Tommy Rall is underused. He was in the same amount of numbers as the marvelous Ann Miller, but got minimum screen time, with the exception of Why Can't You Behave. Ann Miller was nothing short of awesome, with four numbers and ample attention in all of them. Too Darn Hot, Tom Dick or Harry, Why Can't You Behave, Always True To You In My Fashion, and From This Moment On (to a lesser degree) belong to her. A perfect movie for her fans. I urge you, run, don't walk to the nearest video store and pray that they have KISS ME KATE!
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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Brilliant and Hilarious Musical
27 December 2007
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
When Cole Porter hands his latest show, a jazzy and up beat adaptation of William Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew' to Broadway Director and egocentric thespian Fred Graham, he could never have imagined the chaos it would cause.
Firstly Fred, who naturally wants to play the lead, employs Lili, his bitter and vindictive ex-wife to play opposite him, despite the fact that they absolutely loathe one another. Secondly, cast in the role of his ex-wife's younger sister is Lois, a beautiful and sexy nightclub dancer who shares a mutual attraction with Fred. If this little love triangle isn't enough to ensure a troublesome and acrimonious performance, then the casting of Lois' boyfriend Bill at forth billing is the sour icing on an already festering cake.
But still thats not all, as when Bill, a no good gambler, spends the entire last day of rehearsal running up a $2,000 debt with a local racketeer, he exacts a special revenge on Fred, by signing his love rivals name on the IOU.
However in the true style of the accomplished trooper , The Show must go on, although the issues between the four main cast are not left behind in the dressing room as ad libbed dialogue, physical violence and quiet side remarks all make their way into the finished performance as do two gangsters sent by the racketeer to recover 'Fred's' Debt.
To see the domestic issues played out in Shakespearian costume and dialogue is a real treat and the four main stars of the film, Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson, Ann Miller and Tommy Rall all handle their parts extremely well, but special mention to Keenan Wynne and James Whitmore as the two gangsters who in order to get their money are forced to don wigs, tights and frequent comical Shakespearisms to their thick New York accents.
However there is only one real star of this film and that's Cole Porter (and I don't mean the actor playing him). His great tunes and his clever sophisticated lyrics were second to none in the annuls of early 20th Century music and his offerings in Kiss Me Kate are no exception. If he had just written this musical and no other, he would still be considered the best. Too Darn Hot, So In Love, Wunderbar, Tom, Dick and Harry, I Hate Men and the excellent Life that Late I Lead are all showstoppers and a testament to his considerable talent as a song-smith.
The film itself was originally shot and released in the new 3-D gimmick in an effort to prise the old cinema audience back from their new fangled television sets. However before CGI effects the most impressive 3-D effect they could muster was members of the cast constantly tossing things into the audience. A banana, A tankard, a head scarf etc and after about the seventeenth time it became rather boring and old hat.
Despite this I have only ever seen the the normal version and the film is funny and entertaining enough to stand on it's own 2-D feet so there was no real need for the gimmick at all.
Give this one a go. Its great.
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What is the German name of Hitler's book about his life? | Nazi Party - World War II - HISTORY.com
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Nazi Party Origins
In 1919, army veteran Adolf Hitler , frustrated by Germany’s defeat in World War, which had left the nation economically depressed and politically unstable, joined a fledgling political organization called the German Workers’ Party. Founded earlier that same year by a small group of men including locksmith Anton Drexler (1884-1942) and journalist Karl Harrer (1890-1926), the party promoted German nationalism and anti-Semitism, and felt that the Treaty of Versailles , the peace settlement that ended the war, was extremely unjust to Germany by burdening it with reparations it could never pay. Hitler soon emerged as a charismatic public speaker and began attracting new members with speeches blaming Jews and Marxists for Germany’s problems and espousing extreme nationalism and the concept of an Aryan “master race.” In July 1921, he assumed leadership of the organization, which by then had been renamed the Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ (Nazi) Party.
Did You Know?
Sales of Hitler's political autobiography "Mein Kampf," sometimes referred to as the bible of the Nazi Party, made him a millionaire. From 1933 to 1945, free copies were given to every newlywed German couple. After World War II, the publication of "Mein Kampf" in Germany became illegal.
Through the 1920s, Hitler gave speech after speech in which he stated that unemployment, rampant inflation, hunger and economic stagnation in postwar Germany would continue until there was a total revolution in German life. Most problems could be solved, he explained, if communists and Jews were driven from the nation. His fiery speeches swelled the ranks of the Nazi Party, especially among young, economically disadvantaged Germans.
In 1923, Hitler and his followers staged the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, a failed takeover of the government in Bavaria, a state in southern Germany. Hitler had hoped that the “putsch,” or coup d’etat, would spark a larger revolution against the national government. In the aftermath of the Beer Hall Putsch, Hitler was convicted of treason and sentenced to five years in prison, but spent less than a year behind bars (during which time he dictated the first volume of “Mein Kampf,” or “My Struggle,” his political autobiography). The publicity surrounding the Beer Hall Putsch and Hitler’s subsequent trial turned him into a national figure. After his release from prison, he set about rebuilding the Nazi Party and attempting to gain power through the election process.
Hitler and the Nazis Come to Power: 1933
In 1929, Germany entered a period of severe economic depression and widespread unemployment. The Nazis capitalized on the situation by criticizing the ruling government and began to win elections. In the July 1932 elections, they captured 230 out of 608 seats in the “Reichstag,” or German parliament. In January 1933, Hitler was appointed German chancellor and his Nazi government soon came to control every aspect of German life.
Under Nazi rule, all other political parties were banned. In 1933, the Nazis opened their first concentration camp, in Dachau , Germany, to house political prisoners. Dachau evolved into a death camp where countless thousands of Jews died from malnutrition, disease and overwork or were executed. In addition to Jews, the camp’s prisoners included members of other groups Hitler considered unfit for the new Germany, including artists, intellectuals, Gypsies, the physically and mentally handicapped and homosexuals.
Militant Foreign Policy: 1933-39
Once Hitler gained control of the government, he directed Nazi Germany’s foreign policy toward undoing the Treaty of Versailles and restoring Germany’s standing in the world. He railed against the treaty’s redrawn map of Europe and argued it denied Germany, Europe’s most populous state, “living space” for its growing population. Although the Treaty of Versailles was explicitly based on the principle of the self-determination of peoples, he pointed out that it had separated Germans from Germans by creating such new postwar states as Austria and Czechoslovakia, where many Germans lived.
From the mid- to late 1930s, Hitler undermined the postwar international order step by step. He withdrew Germany from the League of Nations in 1933, rebuilt German armed forces beyond what was permitted by the Treaty of Versailles, reoccupied the German Rhineland in 1936, annexed Austria in 1938 and invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939. When Nazi Germany moved toward Poland, Great Britain and France countered further aggression by guaranteeing Polish security. Nevertheless, Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, and Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. Six years of Nazi Party foreign policy had ignited World War II .
Fight to Dominate Europe: 1939-45
After conquering Poland, Hitler focused on defeating Britain and France. As the war expanded, the Nazi Party formed alliances with Japan and Italy in the Tripartite Pact of 1940, and honored its 1939 Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact with the Soviet Union until 1941, when Germany launched a massive blitzkrieg invasion of the Soviet Union. In the brutal fighting that followed, Nazi troops tried to realize the long-held goal of crushing the world’s major communist power. After the United States entered the war in 1941, Germany found itself fighting in North Africa, Italy, France, the Balkans and in a counterattacking Soviet Union. At the beginning of the war, Hitler and his Nazi Party were fighting to dominate Europe; five years later they were fighting to exist.
Systematic Murder of European Jews
When Hitler and the Nazis came to power in 1933, they instituted a series of measures aimed at persecuting Germany’s Jewish citizens. By late 1938, Jews were banned from most public places in Germany. During the war, the Nazis’ anti-Jewish campaigns increased in scale and ferocity. In the invasion and occupation of Poland, German troops shot thousands of Polish Jews, confined many to ghettoes where they starved to death and began sending others to death camps in various parts of Poland, where they were either killed immediately or forced into slave labor. In 1941, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Nazi death squads machine-gunned tens of thousands of Jews in the western regions of Soviet Russia.
In early 1942, at the Wannsee Conference near Berlin, the Nazi Party decided on the last phase of what it called the “Final Solution” of the “Jewish problem” and spelled out plans for the systematic murder of all European Jews. In 1942 and 1943, Jews in the western occupied countries including France and Belgium were deported by the thousands to the death camps mushrooming across Europe. In Poland, huge death camps such as Auschwitz began operating with ruthless efficiency. The murder of Jews in German-occupied lands stopped only in last months of the war, as the German armies were retreating toward Berlin. By the time Hitler committed suicide in April 1945, some 6 million Jews had died.
Denazification
After the war, the Allies occupied Germany, outlawed the Nazi Party and worked to purge its influence from every aspect of German life. The party’s swastika flag quickly became a symbol of evil in modern postwar culture. Although Hitler killed himself before he could be brought to justice, a number of Nazi officials were convicted of war crimes in the Nuremberg trials, which took place in Nuremberg, Germany, from 1945 to 1949.
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Which young poet drowned off the Italian coast in 1822? | Adolf Hitler - Biography - IMDb
Adolf Hitler
Biography
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Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (6) | Trivia (162) | Personal Quotes (53)
Overview (4)
5' 9" (1.75 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Born the fourth of six children to Austrian customs officer Alois Hitler--who had been married twice before--and the former Klara Polzl, Adolf Hitler grew up in a small Austrian town in the late 19th century. He was a slow learner and did poorly in school. He was frequently beaten by his authoritarian father. Things got worse when Adolf's older brother, Alois Jr., ran away from home. His mild-mannered mother occasionally tried to shield him, but was ineffectual. Adolf's attempt to run away at 11 was unsuccessful. At the age of 14 he was freed when his hated father died - an event that he did not mourn.
Hitler dropped out of high school at age 16 and went to Vienna, where he strove to become an artist, but was refused twice by the Vienna Art Academy. By this time Hitler had become an ardent German nationalist--although he was not German but Austrian--and when World War I broke out, he crossed into Germany and and joined a Bavarian regiment in the German army. He was assigned as a message runner but also saw combat. Temporarily blinded after a gas attack in Flanders in 1918, he received the Iron Cross 2nd Class and was promoted from private to corporal. In 1918, when the war ended, Hitler stayed in the army and was posted to the Intelligence division. He was assigned to spy on several radical political parties that were considered a threat to the German government. One such organization was the German Workers Party. Hitler was drawn by party founder Dietrich Eckart, a morphine addict who propagated doctrines of mysticism and anti-Semitism. Hitler soon joined the party with the help of his military intelligence ties. He became party spokesman in 1919, renamed it the National Socalist German Workers Party (NSDAP/NAZI) and declared himself its Fuhrer (leader) one year later. In 1920 Hitler's intelligence handler, Munich-based colonel named Karl Haushofer, introduced the swastika insignia. In 1921 Haushofer founded the paramilitary Storm Troopers ("Sturmabteiling", or SA), composed of German veterans of WWI and undercover military intelligence officers. They helped Hitler to organize a coup attempt--the infamous "beer hall putsch"--against the Bavarian government in Munich in 1923, but it failed. The "rebels" marched on Munich's city hall, which was cordoned off by police. Hitler's men fired at the police and missed; the police fired back and didn't, resulting in several of Hitler's fellow Nazis being shot dead. Hitler himself was arrested, convicted of treason and sent to prison. During his prison time he was coached by his advisers and dictated his book "Mein Kampf" ("My Struggle") to his deputy Rudolf Hess . He only served several months in prison before being released. By 1925 the Nazi party was in much better straits both organizationally and financially, as it had secured the backing of a large group of wealthy conservative German industrialists, who funneled huge amounts of money into the organization. Hitler was provided with a personal bodyguard unit named the "Schutzstaffel", better known as the SS. The Nazis began to gain considerable support in Germany through their network of army and WWI veterans, and Hitler ran for President in 1931. Defeated by the incumbent Paul von Hindenburg , Hitler next attempted to become Chancellor of Germany. Through under-the-table deals with powerful conservative businessmen and right-wing politicians, Hitler was appointed Chancellor in January 1933. One month later, a mysterious fire--which the Nazis claimed had been started by "terrorists" but was later discovered to have been set by the Nazis themselves--destroyed the Reichstag (the building housing the German parliament). Then Hitler's machine began to issue a series of emergency decrees that gave the office of Chancellor more and more power.
In March of 1933 Hitler persuaded the German parliament to pass the Enabling Act, which made the Chancellor dictator of Germany and gave him more power than the President. Two months later Hitler began "cleaning house"; he abolished trade unions and ordered mass arrests of members of rival political groups. By the end of 1933 the Nazi Party was the only one allowed in Germany. In June of 1934 Hitler turned on his own and ordered the purge of the now radical SA--that he now saw as a potential threat to his power--which was led by one of his oldest friends, a thug and street brawler named Ernst Röhm . Röhm's ties to Hitler counted for nothing, as Hitler ordered him assassinated. Soon President Hindenburg died, and Hitler merged the office of President with the office of Chancellor. In 1935 the anti-Jewish Nuremburg laws were passed on Hitler's authorization. A year later, with Germany now under his total control, he sent troops into the Rhineland, which was a violation of the World War I Treaty of Versailles. In 1938 he forced the union of Austria with Germany and also took the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia near the German border with a large ethnic German population, on the pretext of "protecting" the German population from the Czechs. In the summer of 1939 Hitler sent his military to occupy Czechoslovakia, and narrowly averted a war with Britain, France and other European powers. At that time Hitler and Joseph Stalin made a non-aggression treaty. In September of 1939 Hitler and Stalin invaded Poland. France and the British Commonwealth and Empire declared war on Germany. In 1940 Germany occupied Denmark, Norway and the Low Countries, and launched a major offensive against France. Paris fell and France surrendered, after which Hitler considered invading the UK. However, after the German Air Force was defeated in the Battle of Britain, the invasion was canceled. The British had begun bombing German cities in May 1940, and four months later Hitler retaliated by ordering the Blitz. In 1941 German troops assisted Italy, which under dictator Benito Mussolini was a German ally, in its takeover of Yugoslavia and Greece. Meanwhile, in Germany and the occupied countries, Hitler had ordered a program of mass extermination of Jews.
On June 22, 1941, German forces invaded the Soviet Union. In addition to ore than 4,000,000 German troops, there were additional forces from German allies Romania, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Spain and Finland, among others. Hitler used multinational forces in order to save Germans for the future colonization of the Russian lands. Following the detailed Nazi plan, code-named "Barbarossa," Hitler was utilizing resources of entire Europe under Nazi control to feed the invasion of Russia. Three groups of Nazi armies invaded Russia: Army Group North besieged Leningrad for 900 days, Army Group Center reached Moscow and Army Group South occupied Ukraine, reached Caucasus and Stalingrad. After a series of initial successes, however, the German Armies were stopped at Moscow, Leningrad and Stalingrad. Leningrad was besieged by the Nazis for 900 days until the city of 4,000,000 virtually starved itself to death. Only in January of 1944 was Marshal Georgi Zhukov able to finally defeat the German forces and liberate the city, finally lifting the siege after a cost of some 2,000,000 lives. In 1943 several major battles occurred at Kursk (which became the largest tank battle in history), Kharkov and Stalingrad, all of which the Germans lost. The battle for Stalingrad was one of the largest in the history of mankind. At Stalingrad alone the Germans lost 360,000 troops, in addition to the losses suffered by Italian, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech, Croatian and other forces, but the Russians lost over one million men. By 1944--the same year the Western allies invaded occupied Europe--Germany was retreating on both fronts and its forces in Africa had been completely defeated, resulting in the deaths and/or surrender of several hundred thousand troops. Total human losses during the six years of war were estimated at 60,000,000, of which 27,000,000 were Russians, Ukrainians, Jews and other people in Soviet territory. Germany lost over 11,000,000 soldiers and civilians. Poland and Yugoslavia lost over 3,000,000 people each. Italy and France lost over 1,000,000 each. Most nations of Central and Eastern Europe suffered severe--and in some cases total--economic destruction.
Hitler's ability to act as a figurehead of the Nazi machine was long gone by late 1944. Many of his closest advisers and handlers had already fled to other countries, been imprisoned and/or executed by the SS for offenses both real--several assassination attempts on Hitler--and imagined, or had otherwise absented themselves from Hitler's inner circle. For many years Hitler was kept on drugs by his medical personnel. In 1944 a group of German army officers and civilians pulled off an almost successful assassination attempt on Hitler, but he survived. Hitler, by the beginning of 1945, was a frail, shaken man who had almost totally lost touch with reality. The Russians reached Berlin in April of that year and began a punishing assault on the city. As their forces approached the bunker where Hitler and the last vestiges of his government were holed up, Hitler killed himself. Just a day earlier he had married his longtime mistress Eva Braun . Hitler's corpse was taken to Moscow and later shown to Allied Army Commanders and diplomats. Joseph Stalin showed Hitler's personal items to Winston Churchill and Harry S. Truman at the Potsdam Conference after the victory. Hitler's personal gun was donated to the museum of the West Point Military Academy in New York. Some of his personal items are now part of the permanent collection at the National History Museum in Moscow, Russia.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anthony Hughes [email protected]
Spouse (1)
Party Salute with extended arm (inspired by Ancient Rome salute)
Dramatic hand gestures
Small moustache, charisma, powerful speeches
A perfect square moustache
Trivia (162)
After his suicide in April 1945 his corpse was imperfectly cremated due to lack of petrol, and some remains were not burned. Pieces of his skull (including one with a bullet hole) and leg bones were recovered by the Soviets, and now reside in the Russian National Archives.
Arm was paralyzed during an assassination attempt by a group of Wehrmacht generals in 1944.
He has been held responsible for the deaths of over 11 million people in concentration camps from 1942 to 1945. Most were Jewish, but others included communists, homosexuals, the retarded (the experiments conducted upon them convinced Nazi officials that mass extermination of people was feasible), Christians, and Roma and Sinti gypsies. There is no record of Hitler ordering the Holocaust. However on 18 December 1941, during the invasion of the Soviet Union, he was asked by SS leader Heinrich Himmler what should be done about the Jews in the Soviet Union. Hitler replied, "Exterminate them as partisans".
Leader of Nazi Germany (The Third Reich) from 1933 to 1945.
Was Time Magazine's 1938 "Man of the Year". Time's definition of "Man of the Year": "The person who most influenced the news" in the indicated year, *no matter whether for good or bad*.
After his death his corpse was never officially discovered.
There were unconfirmed sightings of him in Denmark and Argentina after his death.
Served as an army messenger in World War I (he was initially deemed "unfit" and "unable to bear arms" after being arrested for attempting to avoid military service), and won two Iron Crosses for bravery.
Was taking 92 different drugs towards the end of his life.
The Boys from Brazil (1978) was based on a theory that Hitler wanted to clone himself.
Has been spoofed by Mel Blanc , Mel Brooks , Christopher Carroll , Charles Chaplin , Eric Idle , Adrian Edmondson , Gilbert Gottfried , Benny Hill , Spike Jones , Michael Moriarty , Peter Sellers , and The Three Stooges .
Contracted Parkinson's Disease in the later years of his life. Recently discovered newsreel footage shows Hitler addressing members of the Hitler Youth (the last footage taken of him alive), with his left hand visibly trembling.
Was involved in a scandal following the death of Geli Raubal , daughter of Hitler's half-sister, Angela Hitler . Originally deemed a suicide by Munich police, present-day theories indicate that Hitler had a love affair with Geli and might have murdered her in a jealous fit. She was living in his apartment and had become a subject of gossip within the ranks of the Nazi Party. She had also had an affair with a Jewish man from Vienna, and was reportedly pregnant with his child when she died. Geli's brother Leo blamed Hitler for her death.
Hitler's last command post, the Berlin "Führerbunker," was also his 13th.
One story regarding Hitler's death is that when Soviet troops reached Berlin and located the "Führerbunker", the body of a man was found amid the rubble. He had died from a gunshot to the forehead and resembled Hitler so closely he was mistakenly identified as him. His body was even filmed by newsreel photographers with the Soviet soldiers who found the body. A servant from the Führerbunker identified the man as Gustav Weler, one of Hitler's personal cooks. Supposedly he had been used as a decoy for "security reasons". The sensationalist book "The Bush Connection" by Eric Onion claims that SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny shot Weler to distract invading forces. Weler's body was taken to Moscow for identification and buried at Lefortovo Prison.
While many insist that Hitler was a lifelong vegetarian, medical and historical records prove that he adopted a strictly vegetarian diet in the modern sense only in the last 12 years of his life. He was however a follower and fierce defender of the vegetarian life style, reportedly calling broth "corpse tea" and asking his dining partners how they can "eat dead beings" (around 1930). To maintain a vegetarian diet back then was not as easy as today, and not all vegetarians managed - or wanted - to take it too strictly.
His favorite opera was Richard Wagner 's "Reinzi," which he claimed to have seen at least 40 times. In his younger years, he befriended the Wagner family and even twice proposed to Wagner's daughter in-law, Winifred, after her first husband died (she turned him down because he didn't have "an important position"). He was known to her children as "Uncle Wolf," and members of the Wagner family affectionately referred to Hitler as "Wolf," even after he became Germany's dictator.
He held membership card number 555 of the NSDAP, but the Nazi Party started numbering from 500 to make themselves appear larger
From 1925 to 1945, Hitler held the official title of SS Member #1, a title which he gave to himself upon the group's creation in 1925.
Did not drink or smoke.
William Patrick Hitler , son of Adolph's half-brother Alois Hitler , fathered four sons. One son died in an auto accident in 1989. Another son has described his ancestry as "a pain in the ass." William Patrick's three surviving sons are the only living descendants of Hitler's paternal line of the family and are, quite literally, the last of the Hitlers.
While serving in World War I, he found a terrier he named "Little Fox." He taught the dog many tricks to entertain his fellow soldiers.
Was the first child of his mother's to survive past infancy.
Was a talented painter, but was rejected by the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts twice, allegedly because of unfitness for painting and was told that his abilities lay instead in the field of architecture.
After World War II, Soviet forces bulldozed the location of the "Führerbunker" (Hitler's last command post and site of his suicide), and paved over it, fearing it would become a shrine for Nazi sympathizers.
Recently discovered medical records show that he was receiving doses of methamphetamine as often as six times a day.
According to Leni Riefenstahl , he was anything but happy about hosting the 1936 XI. Olympic Games in Berlin and just agreed because it could have been a great publicity event for his "superior German race". Even though the German team indeed won most of the medals, probably the biggest disaster for the Nazis was the black so-called "subhuman" Jesse Owens not only winning four gold medals, but becoming the audience's hero of the games, too.
Forensic pathologists have determined, from both historical records and what little remains of Hitler that still exist, that he probably committed suicide by simultaniously biting into a glass capsule filled with potassium cyanide and shooting himself in the head.
The only American favorably mentioned in his magnum opus "Mein Kampf" was industrialist Henry Ford .
Had a Mercedes touring car with a special seat which could be raised up so that he could be more easily seen when he rode through the streets. This touring car was at the Lars Anderson Auto Museum in Boston until 1994.
He emigrated to Germany to escape service in the Austro-Hungarian army. He was not opposed to military service per se, however, and when war broke out in 1914 he immediately enlisted in a Bavarian regiment. He served as an infantryman, then as a message runner, survived 50 battles, and won the Iron Cross, First Class, rare for a lance corporal.
Beatle John Lennon wanted to put Hitler in the crowd on the cover of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", but The Beatles ' record label refused, for obvious reasons.
He suffered from many illnesses and medical conditions, including hypertension, headaches and heart trouble. Being gassed during World War I harmed his vision. After suffering from two episodes of blindness (one of which may have been hysterical), Hitler later suffered from pain in his eyes and blurred vision, as if "viewing objects through a thin veil.'' Beginning in the 1930s, he suffered from tinnitus. Towards the end of his life, Hitler was afflicted with Parkinson's syndrome.
According to his valet, Hitler's vision was so bad, that he read speeches that were printed with inch-high type.
His mother died of breast cancer.
Although Hitler went to great lengths to stress his humble beginnings, it has been suggested that his family was quite well off by the standards of the time and that when his father died, he actually inherited a small fortune, which he spent in less than a year in a frivolous lifestyle. Other reports state that he did not inherit a fortune and gave his share of orphan's benefits to his sister, Paula Wolf .
Was reportedly a member of the Thule Society (Thule-Gesellschaft), though this is disputed. The Thule Society was a group originally dedicated to articulating and preserving a genuinely German heritage (and was linked to the study of the hermetic arts) that was founded on August 17, 1918, by Rudolf von Sebottendorff, a Freemason who also was a student of Islamic mysticism, alchemy, Rosicrucianism and other occult disciplines. The original name of the Thule Society was Studiengruppe für germanisches Altertum (Study Group for German Antiquity), and it was closely connected to if not an offshoot of the Germanenorden secret society. Formed by prominent German occultists in 1912, Germanenorden secret society -- whose symbol was a swastika -- had a hierarchical fraternal structure similar to freemasonry. Its ideology included nationalism and the idea of the superiority of the "Nordic" race, as well as anti-Semitism in addition to its witch's brew of occult and magical philosophies. The Thule Society soon started to disseminate anti-republican and anti-Semitic propaganda among the urban proletariat to counter the doctrinaire Marxism of the communists and the socialist and republican ideals of the Social Democrats. It gave birth to the Workers' Political Circle, which was founded contemporaneously in August 1918 with Thulist Karl Harrer as chairman, that in turn became the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (German Workers' Party) in 1919. Working as an agent of military intelligence, Cpl. Adolf Hitler was assigned to the task of infiltrating the German Workers Party, but soon became a convert. One year later the German Workers' Party became the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or Nazi Party) and was soon under the leadership of Herr Hitler. Other top Nazi leaders, including Rudolf Hess and Alfred Rosenberg , were members of the Thule Society, though Hitler likely was not. However, Serbottendorff stated, "Thule members were the people to whom Hitler first turned and who first allied themselves with Hitler." There has long been speculation that Hitler was involved in the occult and was an initiate into the so-called "Nuremburg Mysteries", but nothing has ever been proven to any degree of certainty. What is undeniable is that, after the political victory of the Nazi Party in 1933, the occult tradition rooted in the Thule Society and other secret societies was carried over into Hitler's Third Reich, mainly by the SS, whose Reichsfuhrer, Heinrich Himmler , was an avid student of the occult. An SS occult research department, the Ahnernerbe (Ancestral Heritage), was established in 1935 with SS Col. Wolfram Sievers at its head. Occult research took SS researchers as far afield as Tibet (the department's activities were reflected in the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)). Sievers had the Tantrik prayer, the Bardo Thodol, read over his body after his execution at Nuremberg. Thus, the Third Reich can be seen as an attempt by occultist "adepts" to establish a brave new world based on their twisted ideas of the "Laws of Nature." Similarly (in scope if not kind), the American republic was founded by Masonic adepts 150 years before, but as it was rooted in Enlightenment ideals and democracy rather than unsound fables, it managed to flourish for two centuries rather than engender its own destruction in less than a generation.
Learned of the armistice ending World War I while in a hospital from a sobbing pastor.
His original title for Mein Kampf was "My Struggle for Five Years Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice".
Was reputed to have been a big fan of American football.
Almost froze to death while sleeping on the streets in Austria. He was saved, ironically enough, by a Jewish charity group.
Allegedly, after the failed Beer Hall Putsch he retreated to the attic of a building and tried to shoot himself in the head. A policeman wrestled the gun away from him.
In 1943 conspirators placed a bomb on his private plane but the timer was faulty and it failed to detonate.
Allegedly, Rudolf Hess , his private secretary, complained that Hitler's grammar was terrible, and that much time was spent correcting his papers before they could be published.
Allegedly, at the Munich conference, British Foreign Minister E.F.L. Wood actually mistook Hitler for a servant.
Wrote a sequel to "Mein Kampf", but then, perversely, refused to allow it to be published. The manuscript was discovered decades after WWII ended; in it, Hitler revealed his plan to attack the United States.
His favorite movies were King Kong (1933) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
Born in Austria, he did not become a German citizen until 1932. German citizenship was necessary to run for the parliamentary elections of the same year, which resulted in Hitler being appointed German Chancellor on January 30, 1933.
Was possibly the first media-driven politician in history to understand the power of film. All his public appearances were carefully choreographed.
From the moment of his ascension to power in 1933 to his death in 1945, there were 17 attempts on his life.
Allegedly, his medical records revealed that he was afflicted with monorchism (having only one testicle descended into the scrotum). However this has been debunked.
German industrial titan Fitz Thyssen, an early supporter of Hitler and the Nazi Party who turned against them, was instrumental in propagating the myth that Hitler was partly Jewish. In his 1941 book "I Paid Hitler", he wrote: "According to the published records, Hitler's grandmother had an illegitimate son, and this son was to become the father of Germany's present leader. But an inquiry once ordered by the late Austrian chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss disclosed that the Fuhrer's grandmother became pregnant during her employment as a servant in a Viennese family . . . And the family . . . was none other than that of Baron Rothschild." Thyssen was the scion of the family who owned the Thyssen mining and steel works. After taking over the company upon the death of his father, he formed and headed a conglomerate that dominated the vital steel industry. A conservative stung by Germany's loss in World War I and the Allies' brutal policy of reparations, he turned to nationalism and thus was attracted, initially, to Nazism and Hitler. He became a member of the Council of State after the Nazis rose to power, but grew disillusioned with Nazism and Hitler in the antebellum years of the 1930s. Of the man he once supported, Thyssen wrote in the introduction to his 1941 book, "If human civilization is not to perish, everything that is possible must be done to make war impossible in Europe. But the violent solution dreamed of by Hitler, a primitive person obsessed by ill-digested historical memories, is a romantic folly and a barbarous and bloody anachronism". In November of 1938 Thyssen resigned from the Council of State in protest over the Nazis' brutal Kristallnacht pogrom against the Jews. With the outbreak of World War II, he emigrated to Switzerland. After moving to France, Thyssen eventually was apprehended by the Nazis after they took over France and he wound up in the notorious Dachau concentration camp, which he survived. The man who financed Hitler and later broke with him outlived him by nearly six years, dying in February 1951.
In 1983, Stern Magazin bought and published what it purported to be Hitler's diaries. When it was revealed that the 61 volumes were fakes by forger Konrad Kujau , he and the Stern reporter he sold them to were arrested.
He was born four days after Charles Chaplin . Hitler modeled his mustache after Charlie Chaplin's mustache.
His favorite film actresses were Pola Negri and Lina Basquette , among others. At his behest, Basquette was offered a film contract in the 1930s. Obviously, she turned down the offer.
Was close friends with German film actress Lil Dagover .
His mother Klara had three children before Adolf, all of whom died in infancy. Klara was always fearful that Adolf would die, too.
The reason that the Vienna art school turned Hitler down was because he could not draw the human form.
Dutch-German actor/singer Johannes Heesters was reportedly Hitler's favorite actor, especially in his role of Count Danilo Danilovitch from Franz Lehár 's "Die Lustige Witwe" (The Merry Widow).
Forced French officials to sign the treaty of surrender in the same train carriage the Armistice had been signed in.
Hitler's father was born Alois Schicklgruber, the illegitimate child of a domestic. Alois's mother married Johann Georg Hiedler in 1842. After their deaths, Alois was raised by his step-father's brother. When Alois was legitimated in 1876 via adoption by his step-uncle, the baptismal registry mistakenly changed the family's surname from from "Hiedler" to "Hitler". Alois then assumed the surname Hitler. In 1885, Alois married his step-uncle's granddaughter, Klara, Adolf's mother.
Hitler's father died when he was aged thirteen.
It has been alleged that Hitler may have had an (unknown) Jewish Grandfather as his father (Alois Hiedler) was the illegitimate son of an Austrian peasant woman from Upper Austria and an unknown father while his (Alois Hiedler) mother was in domestic service in Graz in Styria. However this theory has been debunked several times.
In 1977, German historian Werner Maser wrote in Zeitgeschichte Magazine about Jean-Marie Loret , who claimed to be Hitler's son. Loret's aunt confirmed that her nephew was fathered by a German soldier stationed in France during World War I, yet denied that he was Hitler. Balthasar Brandmayer, who served with Hitler, noted in his memoirs that Hitler was a prude who reproached comrades intending on taking up with French girls as having "no German sense of honor". In 2008, Jean-Paul Mulders obtained DNA samples from Loret's and Hitler's living relatives, and concluded Hitler was not Loret's father. Anton Joachimsthaler , Timothy Ryback , and Ian Kershaw have also stated that, given the inaccuracies in Maser's account (for example, Maser claimed Loret's mother was allowed to follow Hitler from town to town, something Hitler's superiors would never have allowed) Hitler's paternity of Loret is impossible.
Artist Austin Osman Spare would tell a story that he was asked to paint a portrait of Hitler, but refused, saying "If you are Superman, may I be forever animal.".
In a documentary entitled "Profiling Hitler", it is related how the OSS required a Psychiatrist to create a profile of Hitler. The model of the day was Psychoanalysis, and the profile speculated that as the war turned against Hitler he would withdraw from public appearances and probably commit suicide.
The life of Adolf Hitler is featured in the documentary "Adolf Hitler: The Greatest Story Never Told".
After World War I ended, his former commander, Karl Meyr, recruited Hitler to infiltrate a fringe political group, the German Workers' Party, formed over founder Anton Drexler's outrage by the Treaty of Versailles. Impressed with his oratory skills, Drexler invited Hitler to join. Hitler eventually assumed leadership of the group, renaming it the National Socialist German Workers' Party. Initially pro-Nazi, Meyer, a Jew, ultimately joined the rival Social Democratic Party. After the Nazi invasion of France in 1940, he was arrested in Paris by the Gestapo, sent back to Germany, and died at the Buchenwald concentration camp.
Although Hitler's declaration of war on the United States has been described as a mistake, it is likely that it made no difference. After the UK had declared war on Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor, all US restrictions on aid to Britain had been immediately lifted. It would only have been a short matter of time until German U-Boats began sinking American ships carrying supplies to the UK, giving the US government its casus belli to declare war on Germany. The German and Italian war declarations made the Second Happy Time possible for U-Boats.
Followers of Michel de Nostredame believe he named Hitler as the second of three anti-Christs, Napoléon Bonaparte as the first, and the third not revealed.
Hitler's impact on History is a tragic study in the effects of charisma. Hitler apologists are frequently people who might not be alive if the Axis Powers had won.
Ordered the London Blitz on 7 September 1940. The British Royal Air Force had bombed German cities from 11 May 1940. On 14 May 1940, three days after the RAF began bombing Germany, the Luftwaffe bombed Rotterdam. The Rotterdam Blitz was deliberately exaggerated by the British press, with some newspapers increasing the casualties figures tenfold. Under the Treaty of Versailles, from 1920 Germany wasn't allowed to have an air force.
Ordered Operation Barbarossa as a pre-emptive strike against the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, before Stalin had enough time to prepare for war against the European Axis Powers. Stalin had already violated the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact by annexing Bukovina in 1940.
The word "Fuhrer" is German for "leader" or "guide", but due to the stigma people use the word "Leiter" for "Leader" now.
Publicly offered to end the war in the West in July 1940 after the Fall of France, saying he had no desire to destroy the British Empire. In May 1941 he again offered to end the war and evacuate northern France if the UK allowed Germany a free hand in the East against the Soviet Union. The UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill chose to turn down both offers.
Signed the Munich Agreement with the UK, France and Italy in September 1938. Hitler later broke the agreement when he overran the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, probably in response to German economic problems.
The UN Declaration of Human Rights emerged in the aftermath of the Holocaust and the Nuremberg Trials.
Under the Nazi regime, Jews were not permitted to own a pet or a bicycle. Smoking was forbidden. Persons of low IQ were sterilized and the disabled or deformed were put to death.
He forbade celebrations for the Fall of Singapore as he felt it was a bad day for the white race.
As a racial supremacist Hitler told his soldiers they could ignore the Geneva Conventions with regard to Slavs, because he considered them "subhuman".
Brother-in-law of Gretl Braun and Ilse Braun during the brief time he was married to Eva. Two hours before the wedding, Hitler had Gretl's husband, Hermann Fegelein , shot. On May 5, 1945, Gretl gave birth to her and Fegelein's daughter, whom she named Eva. Eva committed suicide on April 25, 1971 after her boyfriend was killed in an auto accident.
In order to knock France out of the war he was forced to go through Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg so as to avoid a costly frontal assault on the Maginot Line. He also needed to seize control of the Belgian ports to prevent the British Royal Navy from reimposing its blockade of 1914-1919. The blockade was widely regarded as illegal under international law as it contravened the Hague Convention of 1907 which the UK had signed. The tenth treaty of the 1907 Hague Convention concerned Maritime Warfare and the UK did not ratify that one, although its blockades of Germany during both world wars were still widely regarded as being clearly illegal under international law.
Contrary to popular belief, Hitler was never elected. In the final free election in November 1932 his party lost considerable support.
Mountain Dew launched a promotion in 2012 to have its Internet Fans name a new drink. The competition was flooded by inappropriate "funny" suggestions and the project had to be abandoned. The winner up to that point was "Hitler did nothing wrong".
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) was filmed in Germany, but had to import performers from elsewhere to play the Oompa Loompas because after the Nazi atrocities local midget performers could not be found.
Originally Hitler only wanted to expel Jews from Germany. After the Fall of France the Madagascar Plan was drawn up to relocate Europe's Jews to the French colony. However the British naval blockade meant this was impossible.
Violated the Treaty of Versailles in 1935 by introducing compulsory military conscription in Germany and rebuilding the armed forces.
Unlike his Italian ally, Benito Mussolini , Hitler had no interest in overseas colonies. This was partly because few of Germany's colonies before World War I were profitable.
He could only invade Poland if Joseph Stalin agreed to invade as well, otherwise Germany risked fighting a two-front war in 1939 before it was ready. Hitler and Stalin agreed their joint invasion of Poland in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on 23 August 1939. Stalin deliberately waited until 17 September 1939 before launching his invasion, as he knew France and the British Empire would not be able to declare war on both Germany and the Soviet Union.
Offered the UK and France a peace proposal on 6 October 1939, following the German-Soviet conquest of Poland.
It is often observed that Hitler would have stood a more realistic chance in World War II if he had focused all resources on the war effort, rather than expending large amounts of money and manpower on building and maintaining concentration camps.
It has often been said that the state of Israel would not have been created in 1948 were it not for Hitler, and that without him the European colonial empires would have lasted for longer.
Maintained the British naval blockade of Germany was illegal under international law, and that the United States was violating its official neutral position by supplying the UK with warships and munitions.
Showed little interest in the independence movements of the colonies of the British Empire, except India. There were plans for the European Axis forces to link up with Japanese forces in the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal in 1942 to bring about the collapse of the British Empire in Asia and the Pacific. This plan was foiled when the Axis lost the Second Battle of El Alamein in November 1942.
Development of the Nuclear Bomb was hastened out of concern that the Nazis would develop it first. Albert Einstein wrote to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt expressing this concern in 1939.
The Kriegsmarine (the German Navy) sent out battle instructions in May 1939 which included the ominous phrase "fighting methods will never fail to be employed merely because some international regulations are opposed to them".
Showed little interest in the possibility of Spain formally joining the Axis, partly because the country had been economically destroyed in a brutal civil war, and also because he needed officially neutral harbors to import war materials from Latin America. Hitler felt Spain would be a burden to Germany's war effort, like Italy.
Hitler wanted to destroy the Soviet Union economically by seizing the resources of Ukraine. For this reason he did not consider taking Moscow the priority during Operation Barbarossa.
Authorised Operation Barbarossa on 18 December 1940 after Joseph Stalin 's request on 25 November that Axis forces should withdraw from eastern Europe. This threatened to cut off Germany's main supply of oil from Romania.
He was a militant anti-smoker.
Considered declaring war on the United States in September 1940 after the Destroyers for Bases Agreement, and in March 1941 after the start of Lend Lease.
Along with Italy's Benito Mussolini , Hitler declared war on the United States on 11 December 1941, four days after the Japanese had attacked the US naval bases at Pearl Harbor. The US was keeping the British Empire and the Soviet Union in the war with Lend-Lease. Hitler could no longer ignore the amount of economic and military aid America was giving the UK and the Soviet Union via the Lend-Lease programme. He needed to declare war so his U-Boats would be able to start sinking American ships carrying armaments to the UK and the USSR.
Hitler was not impressed when Italy formally entered the war on 10 June 1940. He felt Benito Mussolini had deliberately remained neutral when the war began, and had opportunistically only entered the war with the Fall of France imminent, having left Germany to do all the heavy lifting. Hitler actually tried to dissuade Mussolini from joining the war in March 1940.
In April 1941 he sent German forces to aid the Italians in the Battle of Greece, mainly so the British Royal Air Force would not be able to bomb the oilfields in Romania. Hitler later blamed the need to help the Italians in Greece for the delay of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, from 15 May 1941 to 22 June 1941. However most historians agree the delay of Barbarossa was due to many other factors, especially the delay in building aircraft bases in eastern Europe.
Hitler had hoped for Japanese support in his war against the Soviet Union, but the Japanese maintained their pact with the Soviets.
A Scottish Psychiatrist, Dr Donald Ewen Cameron, used the example of Nazi Germany to bolster his theories that mental illness had "social contagion" qualities.
Mussolini found Hitler's "Mein Kampf" to be boring and cliché-ridden and George Orwell thought it was clumsily written. Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn commented that it lacked original thought and was just a collection of commonplaces.
Philip K Dick wrote an alternative history novel on what the World might be like if Hitler had won: "The Man in the High Castle".
It has been suggested by some historians that Hitler should have focused on North Africa and the Mediterranean after the Fall of France, in order to bring about the collapse of the British Empire and get Greece and Turkey to join the Axis. If Malta had been captured it is likely Spain would have entered the war in order to invade Gibraltar, thus closing the Mediterranean to the Royal Navy.
Hitler offered to treat Soviet prisoners of war according to the Geneva Convention if the USSR did the same for German POWs in their captivity, even though the Soviet Union had not signed the document. Joseph Stalin refused as he considered anyone who surrendered to be a traitor to Communism.
The Enigma Machines had a number of Security Features, not including not being retrievable from sunken submarines.
On 25 January 1940 he issued an order which specifically forbade air raids against the UK, including the ports. He also prohibited attacks upon British naval forces unless the RAF bombed Germany first, noting, "the guiding principle must be not to provoke the initiation of aerial warfare on the part of Germany.".
Norway was neutral with regard to World War II and protection from British-French influences was the pretext Germany used to officially justify the occupation, along with securing the ore mines of Sweden and fulfilling propaganda about a larger Germanic Empire. There was a 40,000 strong Norwegian Resistance Movement called the Milorg.
Invaded Denmark and Norway in April 1940 as a preventive manoeuvre against a planned, and openly discussed, Franco-British occupation of Norway.
The Blitz ran from 7 September 1940 to 21 May 1941, with 16 UK cities affected. The British began bombing Germany on 10 May 1940 in response to the invasion of France and the Low Countries. The existence of Germany's Air Force broke the Treaty of Versailles.
In March 1940 the Germans intercepted a message that the UK planned to invade Norway as part of a general strategy to slowly encircle Germany and cut it off from its trading partners. However the British postponed the invasion of Norway until April, when they began laying mines in Norway's neutral waters. This time the goal was to draw Germany into a conflict, instigate an engagement at sea and use the situation as a cover to invade Norway in an operation called "Plan R 4". However, just as the first mines were being laid, the Germans found out about the plan, landed in Norway and seized the Norwegian ports.
Outlawed atheist and freethinking organizations in Germany in 1933. The German Freethinkers League had around 500,000 members.
Hitler met with the Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco once, on 23 October 1940. Franco asked for French colonial possessions in return for entering World War II, but Hitler refused as he did not want to damage his relations with the new Vichy French government. After the meeting, Hitler reportedly said that he would "rather have three or four teeth pulled out", than barter with Franco again. In May 2013 documents were released showing that the UK's MI6 spent the present-day equivalent of more than $200 million bribing senior Spanish military officers, ship owners and other agents to keep Spain from joining World War II after the Fall of France.
He was initially reluctant to intervene in the Spanish Civil War, but was persuaded to offer military assistance by Hermann Göring and Wilhelm Canaris . The Luftwaffe bombed rebel-held areas at the request of the Spanish nationalist government.
He always maintained that the invasion of the Soviet Union was a pre-emptive strike before Joseph Stalin was ready for war with the Axis Powers. It has been suggested that Stalin was preparing to attack Axis forces in eastern Europe in 1941 in the Soviet Offensive Plans Controversy.
Decided war with the United States could no longer be avoided when Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a speech on 11 September 1941 confirming that all American ships had been ordered to fire on any Axis ships.
Quentin Tarantino made a popular movie on a Second World War Theme. The film had alternative history elements, and included a scene in which Hitler's face is obliterated by machine gun fire.
Poland helped Hitler overrun Czechoslovakia by annexing Zaolzie on 1 October 1938, following the Munich Agreement.
Invaded Poland before Joseph Stalin did in order to demonstrate his commitment to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
On 26 October 1939 Nazi Germany unilaterally annexed Zaolzie. It had been under Polish occupation for just over a year. After World War II it was returned to Czechoslovakia.
The German occupation of Romania in late August 1940 raised tensions with the Soviets, who responded that Germany was supposed to have consulted with the Soviet Union under Article III of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The Pact was terminated on 22nd June 1941.
About 345,000 World War II casualties were from Czechoslovakia, 277,000 of them Jews. As many as 144,000 Soviet troops died during the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Red Army.
Not taking Moscow in September 1941 was often cited as a mistake on Hitler's part. However the move allowed the Wehrmacht to destroy a main Soviet army, netting more than 600,000 prisoners. Hitler knew the Soviets would not surrender if the capital city fell, and in any case the Axis would have to defend a destroyed city against repeated Soviet counterattacks in the winter.
The Nazi regime is often used as an example of "Why Evolution is Evil", even though, ultimately, it failed.
Attributed his survival of the July 20th plot to "Divine Intervention".
Napoleon captured Moscow in 1812, but failed to defeat the Russians. Germany defeated Russia in World War I and imposed the harsh Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Hitler believed defeating the Red Army was more important than capturing individual cities.
There was a serious attempt to establish a Nationalist interpretation of Science: Deutsche Physik or Aryan Physics, which was absorbed into the Nazi Party when Philipp Lenard joined.
Hitler's Army High Command had several objectives - Army Group North, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) by the Baltic Sea; Army Group Center, Russia's capital, Moscow; Army Group South, Kiev, capital of the Ukraine. They severely underestimated the total fighting strength of the Red Army. Instead of 200 divisions, the Soviets could field 400 divisions when fully mobilized. This meant there were three million additional Soviets available to fight.
Maria Mauth, a 17-year-old German schoolgirl at the time, recalled her father's reaction to Hitler invading the Soviet Union: "I will never forget my father saying: 'Right, now we have lost the war!'.".
Hitler allegedly only had one testicle due to an infected injury amputation during World War I, although this may be another urban myth. Such a rumour might have started if he were a sufferer of Monorchism or cryptorchidism.
The German High Command began planning the invasion of the Soviet Union in July 1940, after the Soviets violated the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact by annexing Bukovina on 28 June 1940. The planned invasion was initially code named Operation Otto, and later Operation Barbarossa.
The Soviet Union had planned to accomplish the annexation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina with a full-scale invasion, but the Romanian government, responding to a Soviet ultimatum delivered on June 26, agreed to withdraw from the territories in order to avoid a military conflict. Germany, which had acknowledged the Soviet interest in Bessarabia in a secret protocol to the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, had been made aware prior to the planned ultimatum on June 24, but had not informed the Romanian authorities, nor were they willing to provide support.
More and more modern historians and scholars have cast doubt on the soundness and feasibility of an Axis attack on Moscow in September 1941. Steven D. Mercatante argued that the correct course of action would have been to focus on Leningrad, Ukraine and the Caucasus, just as Hitler had wanted from the beginning. Robert Citino wrote that the efforts around Kiev were remarkable and a stunning success, which in his opinion validated the approach Hitler took.
In addition to claiming there was an intended Soviet attack in the summer of 1941, Hitler also invaded the Soviet Union because he wanted to destroy Communism and to destroy the USSR as a world power and potential threat to the Axis Powers. He may also have wanted the natural resources of the Soviet Union to continue the war with the British Empire, as the UK had refused to accept his peace proposals in July 1940 and May 1941.
Operation Barbarossa is named after a Pirate (Redbeard).
The target of assassination attempts from within his own organization.
In telling his father's Auschwitz Survivor's Story in the Pulitzer Prize winning "Maus", Art Spiegelman relates his father's experience of another Camp Inmate who claimed to be a German put there by mistake and was ignored.
Had a "Museum to a Dead Race" planned.
Described as "an idiot" in the film "The Sum of All Fears". By the Bad Guy.
Hilter made peace proposals after breaking the Munich Agreement.
He is widely believed to have changed the world more than any other person since Alexander the Great (356 BC - 323 BC).
He appears in a Visualisation of Hell in the Film "Little Nicky", where he must wear a Frilly French Maid's Dress and receive a pineapple from behind on a regular basis for the rest of Eternity.
Rearmament actually began on a more limited scale in the 1920s during the Weimer Republic.
Considered pursuing a Mediterranean strategy in 1940-41, but believed war with the Soviet Union had become unavoidable and delaying the invasion would allow Joseph Stalin too much time to rearm and build up his forces. Stalin was set to begin the full modernization of the Red Army in 1942, which would have made the USSR a formidable threat to the Axis Powers.
Hitler refused to give Czechoslovakia to Poland in 1939, which caused the Polish government to seek an alliance with the UK and France.
There is a theory that Rasputin was assassinated during World War I because he was influencing the Tsar to pull Russia out of the conflict. This would have meant that Britain and France were in danger of facing a concentrated threat, as the Germany army would otherwise be fighting the war on two fronts. As it was Russia left the war in March 1918, but by then the United States had entered the conflict.
Allowed France's vast colonial empire to remain intact in 1940, and agreed to respect French property rights for the duration of the occupation.
When Paris fell to German occupation on June 14, 1940, French resistance fighters allegedly cut the elevator cables to the Eiffel Tower. This meant that if Hitler wanted to hoist a swastika flag, a soldier would have to climb the roughly 1710 stairs to the summit platform. As Allies neared Paris in August 1944, a Frenchman scaled the tower and hung the French flag. When it became obvious that the Germans would lose Paris, Hitler ordered General Dietrich von Choltitz, the military governor of Paris, to turn the city into rubble - including the Eiffel Tower. General von Choltitz did not carry out the command. Reportedly, within hours of the Liberation of Paris, the Tower's lifts worked again.
His Speech Delivery Technique has been compared to the Induction Techniques of Stage Hypnotists.
Mentioned in the Theme Song to the comedy series "Dad's Army".
Hitler had no interest in North Africa or the Mediterranean Sea. However after Italy entered the war on 10 June 1940 British forces in Egypt attacked Italian forces in Libya. In February 1941 Hitler was forced to send the Afrika Korps to prevent the Italians from suffering total defeat. The Allied victory in the North African Campaign in May 1943 led to the Italian Campaign and the end of Italian Fascism.
Early in 1941 Hitler was faced with the choice between obtaining more oil from the Soviet Union or surrendering. Undoubtedly Joseph Stalin would have resisted any German demands for increased oil deliveries, or at least made an increase dependent on greatly increased German deliveries of manufactured products that Germany would have been incapable of meeting. Viewed in that light, the invasion of the Soviet Union appears inevitable, even without the ideological aspect.
At D-Day, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt 's reasoning was sound, his action decisive, his orders clear. But the panzer divisions were not under his command. They were in OKW reserve. To save precious time, Rundstedt had first ordered them to move out, then requested OKW approval. OKW did not approve. At 0730 Jodi informed Rundstedt that the two divisions could not be committed until Hitler gave the order, and Hitler was still sleeping. Rundstedt had to countermand the move-out order. Hitler slept until noon.
Contrary to popular belief, Hitler never issued a halt order immediately prior to the evacuation from Dunkirk. The order was actually issued by Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt , commander of Army Group A, at the request of his tank unit commander, who had lost 50% of his armored forces and needed time to regroup.
DNA tests on Hitler's relatives ironically show Jewish and African heritage.
Signed the German-Soviet Commercial Agreement on 11 February 1940.
Like SS leader Heinrich Himmler , Hitler was very pro-Muslim. He met with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Mohammed Amin al-Husseini in Berlin on 28 November 1941. The Mufti advised him not to exile Jews to the Middle East.
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Which sporting tournament was won five times by Peter Thompson? | Of Peter Thomson's five Open wins, two came at Birkdale. The Aussie legend on the the course he loves and why he didn't achieve greater glory | Golf.com
Of Peter Thomson's five Open wins, two came at Birkdale. The Aussie legend on the the course he loves and why he didn't achieve greater glory
Peter Thomson won $1,500 when he won the British Open in 1954.
by Paul Mahoney
Posted: Wed Jul. 2, 2008 Updated: Sat Nov. 29, 2014
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Though he has five British Opens to his name, Peter Thomson is perhaps golf's most underrated multiple major winner. His career peaked just before TV made household names of Palmer, Nicklaus and Player only his last Open win, in 1965, was broadcast in America. The World Golf Hall of Famer, 78, phoned us from his home in Melbourne to discuss the tournament that defines his career, and what might have been.
When you won your first Open, at Birkdale, in 1954, the prize money was only about $1,500.
Believe it or not, in those days, that could buy you a pretty nice house. But with Padraig winning [over a million] last year, I guess I was just born at the wrong time. It was one reason I went on to win the Open five times the prizes were so small back then that the money was all spent by Christmas!
The year before, you saw Hogan win in the only Open he ever played, at Carnoustie.
I was really surprised at how well Hogan did. It was obviously not a question of his ability. But he really didn't like what he saw at Carnoustie. He hated every minute of his stay. Accommodations in those days were not great, and it was an extraordinary feat to be able to play so well and do what he did while at the same time hating [the surroundings]. He almost gave in and went home. Hogan rejected all the hotels, and some finance company put him up in a country lodge, away from the town, where he could feel comfortable and play well.
What impact did Palmer have when he turned up for the Open for the first time in 1960?
He was a phenomenon! He was the first fellow to take aim at the hole with the putter from 30 feet. He really thought he could hole them from that distance, where nobody else in my era had dreamed of it. Also, he was a smasher, and that was different and new. It was thought that if you really thrashed at the ball and belted the cover off it, you were being stupid. But Palmer did it and did it well. And that changed the professional game. All the young guys coming through started to smash at the ball the way Palmer did.
Palmer ushered in the TV era. Did you peak too soon, before you could become a household name?
The British Open was only [first] televised in 1965, for my last victory. If I had won all of my Opens in the 1960s, I think my name would have been much bigger. If I had won five times on television it would have been different. That's what happened to Tom Watson. He won five times (between 1975 and 1983). And he became a household name.
Did you want to be famous?
Nah, I never wanted that. I am in no way envious. I didn't want to be a public star. Such a person is looked down upon in Australia [laughs]. We have a way of chopping the heads off tall poppies.
Royal Birkdale has been tweaked over the years to accommodate today's longer players. Your take?
It's sad, but I do support the changes. The fault lies not with the course but with the ball. It is long overdue for the R&A and the USGA to rein in the ball to preserve the world's classic courses.
Are you happy with how club technology has changed the modern game?
I don't have a quarrel with the improved club technology. It's a vast improvement over what we played in the '50s and '60s. I wish I'd had today's drivers back in my day I could have shot some really low scores! But I think shotmaking is dying. The change in the ball has had an enormous effect.
Why do you think you had victories around the world but limited success in the States?
I was developing when I played in the States. I was still a young man. And I marveled at the skill of players like Hogan, veled Tony Lema, Julius Boros, Cary Middlecoff and Sam Snead. Sam was my hero. To this day I haven't seen anybody better. Those guys were giants. Around 1960 I chose to turn my back on the U.S. tour just as it was about to boom [laughs].
Prior to 1960, other than Augusta and the U.S. Open, public courses were used for Tour events we played on some pretty poor courses, and I didn't enjoy that too much. Then, when I left, color television came in, country clubs wanted to have tournaments, and so the whole standard lifted. One of the reasons I left was because they brought in a rule that you had to sign up to play a minimum of 15 times a year and couldn't play anywhere else without permission! And I just thought, no I'm not mission! having any of that.
Five of your countrymen Adam Scott, Stuart Appleby, Geoff Ogilvy, Aaron Baddeley, and Robert Allenby are in the World Top 50. Why do Aussies excel at golf?
It's mysterious. We make golf available. We have a sporting spirit. No matter what sport you play, you should try to become good at it. It's not just a pastime sport should be a contest. All of Australia goes at it with that attitude. Now, there has been some Australian-like attitude from like some British players. Tony Jacklin was cheeky. And Nick Faldo. No one was cheekier than Faldo!
Tiger can be cheeky too. Is he the most talented player ever?
Tiger is the modern player with the attitude to win. Sam [Snead] didn't have that desperate attitude. Tiger will be the most successful golfer ever. But that's not the same as being the best. With both playing at their best, Snead would beat Tiger. But I wasn't in their class.
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What is the Hebrew name for the 'Jewish Day of Atonement? | Top seed Novak Djokovic eases past James Ward in Wimbledon opener | Tennis | Sporting News
Top seed Novak Djokovic eases past James Ward in Wimbledon opener
TENNIS
June 27, 2016 12:23pm EDT June 27, 2016 12:23pm EDT Tennis, ATP, News, Grand Slams, Wimbledon, English, Novak Djokovic, ATP World Tour, James Ward The world No. 1 and top seed had to work in the second set but was a cut above Center Court first-timer James Ward of Britain.
World number one Novak Djokovic (Getty Images)
Peter Thompson
Published on Jun. 27, 2016
Jun. 27, 2016
Novak Djokovic is the best tennis player in the world. The 2015 Wimbledon winner proved that with conquering Brit James Ward in his first victory in his defense of his title Monday.
Halfway to becoming the first man to complete a calendar Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969, the world No. 1 and Wimbledon top seed won in straight-sets Monday, prevailing 6-0, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 on Center Court in just over two hours.
Ward fought back to level at 3-3 in the second set after losing the first nine games, but there was a gulf in class on the opening day of the tournament as top seed Djokovic set up a second-round encounter with Adrian Mannarino, the Frenchman himself having knocked out a home favorite in Kyle Edmund.
Djokovic, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open this month, hit the ground running in his first competitive game on grass this season, fizzing a forehand into the corner to take a 2-0 lead and fending off four break points to hold in the third game.
MORE: Wimbledon '16 - Don't doubt Federer
Ward, making his debut on Center Court, was unable to keep up with the 12-time major champion as he bageled the opening set before racing into a 3-0 lead in the second with a combination of finesse and brute force.
The Brit raised his arms aloft to acknowledge the crowd after finally getting on the board at 3-1 and all of a sudden had a spring in his step, charging around the corner to peg the overwhelming favorite back at 3-3.
Ward had three break points for a 6-5 lead, but Djokovic stood firm and forced a tiebreak that he won when the 177th-ranked Ward put a backhand into the tramlines.
Djokovic, aiming to become only the fourth man in the Open Era to win three consecutive titles at Wimbledon, was in a rush to get the job done and left plenty in the tank, with just the one break in the third set enough to see off Ward.
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Novak Djokovic (1) bt James Ward 6-0 7-6 (7-3) 6-4
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
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https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/29/sylvia-peters-obituary
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In February 1952 Dimmock arranged television coverage of the funeral of King George VI. The sombre images of Queens at the door of Westminster Hall were three black-veiled more eloquent of the passing of an era than any spoken commentary.
Dimmock began to carve out a parallel on-screen career as the anchorman of the BBCprogramme switched from Thursday to a peak slot on Wednesday nights in August 1955, 21 per cent of the adult population regularly tuned in. In the lahost of Grandstand, before handing over the reins to David Coleman. Sportsview ran until 1964. s first the first regular sports magazine programme Sportsview, launched in April 1954.
In the meantime Dimmock had produced and directed the State Opening of Parliament in 1958 and, two years later, the first televised Grand National. In the same year Dimmock supervised television coverage of the wedding of Princess Margaret to Anthony Armstrong-Jones, later Lord Snowdon. From 1963 until the Queens silver jubilee in 1977, he was the BBCs liaison executive with the Royal family.
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In 1972 he was appointed general manager of BBC Enterprises, the corporations commercial arm.
He was wounded and disappointed when the BBC failed to invite him to the service at Westminster Abbey in June 2013, attended by the Queen, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Coronation.
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http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/nov/22/peter-dimmock
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During the war, the girls were evacuated together to Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, where they amused themselves by singing close harmony. Spotted by a man recruiting for the Ovaltinies, the harmony-singing advert for Ovaltine on Radio Luxembourg, they soon caught the eye of Glenn Miller and went on to record with his orchestra. Having signed their first contract, with Columbia Records, in 1951, by 1952 they were starring at the London Palladium. The following year they had their first Top 10 hit with I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, which reached No 6 in the charts.
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George Cole was a comic actor who excelled at playing shifty 'spivs such as the roguish Arthur Daley in Minder.
He appeared in a couple of films before joining the RAF in 1943. After the war Cole returned to acting, appearing in a variety of mediocre films including My Brothers Keeper (1948), The Spider and the Fly (1949) and Gone to Earth (1950). He had greater success with Alastair Sim in the classic comedies Laughter in Paradise (1951) and Scrooge (1952).
Over the next decade, Cole and Sim repeated their screen partnership in a string of films, the most successful of which were the St Trinians series, directed by Frank Launder. In the first, The Belles of St Trinians (1954), Cole (as the spiv Flash Harry) received third billing after Sim and Joyce Grenfell. The film was extremely successful and was followed by five more, including Blue Murder at St Trinians (1958) and Coles only film in the series without Sim, The Pure Hell of St Trinians (1961).
Between films, Cole starred as the bumbling bachelor David Bliss in the long-running BBC radio series A Life of Bliss (118 episodes, 1952-67). The show was broadcast on Sunday afternoons. Cole recalled it as wholesome to the point of nausea, and insisted that the best part of the show had been Percy Edwardss performance as Psyche the dog. more....
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/aug/06/george-cole
Val Doonican, singer, has died aged 88 (3 July 2015)
Val Doonican, the Irish singer who has died aged 88, rose to fame in the early 1960s when he appeared in Sunday Night at the London Palladium; his relaxed manner and easy charm made him extremely popular with family audiences, who appreciated his whimsical renditions of folk songs such as Paddy McGintys Goat, ORaffertys Motor Car and Delaneys Donkey.
Doonican distinguished himself from other performers at that time by sporting a range of knitwear more usually seen in Lapland and by performing many of his songs while sitting in a rocking chair.
In 1951 Val Doonican moved to London and made his radio debut as a member of the Four Ramblers on Riders of the Range. He played one of a number of bunk-house boys who were heard crooning cowboy songs in the gaps between the action. At the same time he was supplementing his income by writing musical accompaniments for Tex Ritter.
When not performing as cowboys, the group toured Britain, appearing at various variety venues. By 1953 they were working regularly in cabaret, performing at American Air Bases.
In 1959 Val Doonican auditioned as a solo performer with BBC radio and was offered a spot on Dreamy Afternoon which led to his own show, Your Date with Val. Doonicanss mix of songs and stories proved popular and the following year he was touring the country with his own show. In 1964 Val Doonican was offered a spot on ITVs Sunday Night at the London Palladium and was acclaimed as an overnight star. Within a year he was appearing on BBC television in The Val Doonican Music Show and was voted BBC Personality of the Year (an award he won three times altogether). more....
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Marguerite Patten helped the nation to feed itself through the war years and for the next half century taught the British how to cook "sensible food in an appetising manner".
As a home economist with the Ministry of Food during the war, Marguerite Patten showed housewives how to get by with a tin of Spam and a ration book. She rose to prominence in the post-war years, becoming one of the BBCs first food broadcasters, on Kitchen Front and then on Womans Hour.
Marguerite Patten predated Philip Harben, the Cradocks and Elizabeth David and endured for decades longer. She was the most prolific cookery writer ever, the author of more than 165 cookery books, which sold over 17 million copies worldwide. She was also one of the few people ever to have been decorated for their services to cookery.
From 1947 Marguerite Patten was the BBCs first regular television cook, on Kitchen Front. She gave recipes on Womans Hour from its second day, and even starred in cookery shows at the Palladium. In 1952, she wrote a regular column for The Daily Telegraph called Merry-go-round of Meals.
Over the next 40 years, as Britain moved from being the nation with the reputation for the worst cooking in Europe to the most cosmopolitan food culture on earth, Marguerite Patten played a full part in showing the amateur cook how to get to grips with the huge new range of ingredients and fashions. more....
Peter Howell, stage and screen actor, has died aged 95 (11 May 2015)
Peter Howell found himself catapulted into the spotlight and up to 24 million viewers homes when he played Dr Peter Harrison in British televisions first medical soap, Emergency Ward 10. Howell joined the twice-weekly serial in 1958, a year after it began, and appeared in 111 episodes through most of its 10-year history. Although he left in 1964, when audience figures were starting to slip, he returned for a short run two years later and a special appearance in the final episode, in 1967.
His West End stage plays included The Affair (Strand theatre, 1961), The Doctors Dilemma (Theatre Royal, Haymarket, 1963), Little Boxes (Duchess theatre, 1968) and Conduct Unbecoming (Queens theatre, 1969).
Among Howells dozens of television roles were Lord Howard in Elizabeth R (1971), Julius Caesar in Heil Caesar! (1973), Francis Knollys in Edward the King (1975), Uncle Glegg in The Mill on the Floss (1979) and Sir William Lucas in Pride and Prejudice (1980), as well as various priests, detectives, lawyers, judges, headmasters and army officers. more....
Pamela Cundell, actress, singer and comedian, has died aged 95 (8 May 2015)
She was best known on television for her regular appearances as the spoony, matronly-built Mrs Fox in Dad's Army, smothering American soldiers with her affections and flirting her way into getting an extra sausage off the ration from the meek butcher Corporal Jones (Clive Dunn).
Full of life, and habitually bursting into rehearsals with a flourishing "hello darlings!", Pamela Cundell's music-hall sense of showmanship cast her first and foremost as a comedy player.
In the final days of music hall she appeared as a singer and comedian alongside such stars as Jimmy Jewel, Terry Scott and Sid Millward and His Nitwits. Throughout the 1950s, alongside Dick Emery, she was a regular on BBC Radio's Workers' Playtime.
She appeared regularly in seaside revues such as Between Ourselves, which toured the east coast in 1955, and began her association with the gloriously bovine Bill Fraser, through whom she made her first television appearances in 1961 in the sitcom Bootsie and Snudge, a civvy street spin-off from The Army Game that starred Fraser and Alfie Bass. more....
Ronnie Carroll, Eurovision singer, has died aged 80 (14 April 2015)
After Carroll appeared in a BBC television talent show, Camera One in 1956, positive reaction to his warm baritone led to a recording contract with Philips and to frequent radio appearances on the Light Programme and Radio Luxembourg. Carroll was also a guest on the television shows of Morecambe and Wise, Bruce Forsyth, Kathy Kirby and others.
Also in 1956 his first hit record, Walk Hand in Hand, reached No 13 and the following year The Wisdom of a Fool entered the top 20. Further records were less successful, until in 1962 Carroll had a top 10 hit with Roses Are Red (My Love).
In 1962 Carroll was also chosen as the national standard bearer for that years Eurovision song contest. His song, Ring-a-Ding Girl, came a creditable fourth, a good enough position to ensure that Carroll became the first vocalist to represent Britain in the contest for two years running. His 1963 entry, Say Wonderful Things, composed by Norman Newell, also achieved fourth place. more....
Shaw Taylor, television presenter, has died aged 90 (18 March 2015)
After the War, a London County Council grant afforded him two years at Rada, where a heavy Cockney accent was ironed out of him. Work on stage in the West End and small parts in films and television dramas followed throughout the 1950s.
After standing in for six weeks as a relief announcer at ATV in the summer of 1957 Taylor was offered a staff job at the station. Tired of the thespian life and describing himself as an actor of no consequence, he decided on a change of direction and began his career in broadcasting.
He quickly became one of the stations best-known faces, and was in demand as a quizmaster on shows like Tell the Truth, Pencil and Paper and Password and Dotto. He also commented on royal occasions and on ITVs coverage of the Cenotaph ceremony, and worked as a sports commentator for the channel.
But it was as the host of Police 5 that Taylor found sustained success. The show was the brainchild of Steve Wade, the head of outside broadcasts at ATV. It was commissioned by the ATV boss Lew Grade in June 1962 and devised to fill a gap left by an American import that ran for 55 minutes instead of the required 60 minutes. more....
Gerry Wells, radio enthusiast, has died aged 85 (December 2014)
Gerry Wells was a self-confessed obsessive whose life was dominated by his fascination with radio apparatus.
By the time of his death he had amassed a collection of more than 1,300 radio and television sets and associated equipment, covering the entire pre-transistor history of broadcasting. This had become the British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum, and today it occupies his lifelong home, a substantial Edwardian house in Dulwich, south-east London. The collection contains many working examples, most of them found and brought back to life by Wells himself. Visitors can have the unique and somewhat unsettling experience of watching live television programmes in the old 405-line, black-and-white format, abandoned in 1984. more....
http://bvwm.org.uk/
Pauline Yates, stage and screen actor, has died aged 85 (21 January 2015)
Pauline Yates was a spirit of domestic calm when she played his wife in the mayhem led by Leonard Rossiter as the erratic Reggie Perrin, whose bizarre behaviour she treated as normal and in need of no explanation.
Yatess looks and ability to learn lines quickly, a trick perfected during her years in rep, made her a popular choice for TV casting directors. In 1957 she appeared in one of the first hospital soap operas, ITVs Emergency Ward 10, and she appeared in the BBC police series Z Cars and Softly Softly, and, on a number of occasions, in ITVs Armchair Theatre, for which her husband Donald Churchill wrote several plays.
Yatess career path was almost like a route map through British TV comedy in the 70s and 80s. She was a consummate comic foil, appearing in The Ronnie Barker Playhouse on ITV in 1968, but also taking on central roles as the Tory MP in the BBCs My Honourable Mrs (1975), opposite Derek Nimmo, and the divorcee finding a new life after marriage in Thames TVs Harriets Back in Town (1972). more....
Lotte Hass, model and undersea film-maker, has died aged 86 (14 January 2015)
Lotte Hass was an underwater photographer and model who, with her husband Hans, produced pioneering films of the sea depths during the 1950s.
Shot on early watertight cameras, the Hasses footage offered viewers a glimpse of an underwater world unparalleled in its intimacy at considerable personal risk to Lotte, who dived using a lightweight rebreather and a fashionable swimsuit that afforded her little protection from aquatic predators.
The couples commercial success allowed Hass to purchase a 170-foot hull, the Xarifa, and Lotte accompanied him on expeditions to the Caribbean and Galapagos islands, where they shot Under the Caribbean (1953).
Diving To Adventure, the couples 1956 BBC series, was the first of its kind for British television, proving a great hit with critics and viewers alike. more....
Ronnie Ronalde, artiste famous for his whistling and yodelling, had died aged 91 (13 January 2015)
In 1950 the EMI record producer Norman Newell was in a pub on the Edgware Road when Ronalde performed "If I Were A Blackbird" on the radio. As the customers were silent as he performed, Newell realised that this could be a hit record. That and "In A Monastery Garden" became best-selling records and favourites on the BBC programme Housewives' Choice.
He recorded the songs of the day, singing and whistling his way through "Hair Of Gold, Eyes Of Blue" and "Mocking Bird Hill". He discussed bird song with the ornithologist Percy Edwards and when he recorded "Ballad Of Davy Crockett" he made sure that his choice of birds was right for the area. He could mimic flutes and violins, while his version of "I Believe" highlighted his commanding tenor voice.
Ronalde was a major attraction and audiences marvelled at his lightning-fast versions of "Tritsch Tratsch Polka" and "Can-Can". He hosted variety series for the BBC and ITV, but in the late 1950s there was a decline in variety acts and he was seen as an anachronism. more....
Roberta Leigh, Children's author and puppeteer, has died aged 87 (27 December 2014)
Roberta Leigh wrote romantic novels and childrens stories under a variety of noms de plume and in the 1960s was successful as a creator and producer of popular puppet series on ITV.
After the publication of her first romantic novel, In Name Only, by Harlequin books in 1950, Roberta Leigh published more than 10 novels over the next decade and branched out into childrens writing, magazines, newspaper columns and television.
Roberta Leigh began her television career with The Adventures of Twizzle in 1957, which was turned into her first childrens book in 1960. She created, produced, scripted, and wrote the music and lyrics for the puppet series (and then for a further seven puppet film series), all shown on ITV.
As well as Sara and Hoppity (1962-63), a 50-episode television series about a little girl and her mischievous doll with one leg shorter than the other and Space Patrol (1963, Planet Patrol in America), a 39-episode science fiction series incorporating elements of Gerry Andersons Supermarionation techniques, these included Torchy the Battery Boy; Wonder Boy and Tiger; Send for Dithers; and Picture the Word (52 animations for a Fun to Learn series).
To make the films, she acquired the Soho-based National Interest Pictures and a second film studio in Harlesden, becoming the first woman producer in Britain to have her own film company. more....
John Freeman, Soldier, MP, diplomat and broadcaster best known for his series of interviews, Face to Face, has died aged 99 (20 December 2014)
John Freeman was offered work by the BBC, first as a freelance current affairs reporter on Panorama, then on Press Conference, a political discussion programme. On Panorama he conducted a merciless interview with Frank Foulkes, the Communist President of the Electrical Trades Union, who had been accused of rigging the union ballot.
Cross-examination was his forte a skill he may have acquired from his father. It reached its flowering in Face to Face, a series that began in 1959. Until then, there had been few instances of the hard-hitting, confrontational TV interview. Public figures were given a fairly easy ride by broadcasters, with any hint of potential embarrassment scrupulously avoided.
Freeman recognised that provocation would generally draw out more truth from interviewees than politeness. Sitting with the back of his head towards the camera, and with the victims face in close-up, he turned the programmes into gladiatorial contests. In an unemotional, forensic style, he would nag away at any weaknesses he perceived in his subjects defences. In one notorious programme, the game show panellist Gilbert Harding was reduced to tears during a relentless interrogation about his family history. The series was immensely popular and in 1960 Freeman was named television personality of the year. more....
Rex Firkin, television producer, has died aged 88 (7 December 2014)
The producer and director Rex Firkin described himself as being "in the engine room of commercial television" at its inception in Britain. Starting in 1955, when Lew Grade's ATV opened, he spent more than 30 years at ITV, made some of its biggest popular and critical successes and brought others to the screen himself after becoming head of drama at LWT.
In 1953, Firkin looked for work in television, but a string of job applications to the BBC were rejected. A meeting with Norman Collins, who became a founder of ATV, led to his becoming a trainee programme director in 1955 when the commercial channel opened. His first work was directing The Adventures of Noddy, Theatre Club, the live drama serial One Family and the advertising magazine Home with Joy Shelton.
He directed (1957-60), then produced (1959-60), Emergency Ward 10, television's first occupational soap, following the lives of doctors and nurses at the fictional Oxbridge General Hospital. It was watched by up to 24 million viewers and won a 1957 Society of Film and Television Arts Merit Award.
While continuing to direct occasionally, he spent the next quarter of a century as a producer. He began with the Ward 10 spin-off Call Oxbridge 2000 (1961-62), then made the second and third series (1961) of the newspaper drama Deadline Midnight and the final run (1962) of Probation Officer.
As a producer, Firkin then created, with Wilfred Greatorex, another drama set in the workplace. Against the wishes of ATV's casting department he hired Patrick Wymark to star in The Plane Makers (1963-5) as the bullying aircraft factory boss John Wilder, locked in battles with unions on the shop floor and management in the boardroom. more....
Cherry Wainer, pianist hailed as the female Liberace, has died aged 78 (14 November 2014)
Wainer first appeared on ITVs Lunch Box, the lightest of light entertainment shows.
It was through one such appearance that along with her future husband, Don Storer a highly paid jobbing drummer, she came to the attention of Jack Good, who had been commissioned to produce the first series of Oh Boy!
During live broadcasts of Oh Boy! on ITV in the late 1950s, screams became cheers for Cherry Wainer, seated at an upholstered Hammond organ as part of the programmes house band, Lord Rockinghams XI.
Jack Good also brokered a recording contract for Wainer. Her output was to include Money (1960), historically the first Tamla-Motown number to be covered in the UK.
While chart entries proved elusive for Wainer in her own right, a maiden Rockingham single, Fried Onions, made the US Hot 100. Hoots Mon, the follow-up, was a domestic No 1 and was heard on a section of Oh Boy! featured in the 1959 Royal Command Performance. Wainer became the focal point of the band publicised as the female Liberace with solo spots as both a singer and instrumentalist.
After the final edition of Oh Boy! in 1959, Wainer went on to star in another ITV series, Boy Meets Girls, which was aimed at a wider audience. more....
Angus Lennie, actor, has died aged 84 (14 September 2014)
On television, he was in Armchair Theatre, "The Mortimer Touch" (ABC, 1957), during its earlier, less adventurous period, in this case a stage play by Eric Linklater. By contrast, Lennie appeared in Mario (BBC, 1959), for the experimental drama movement the Langham Group, employing montages and still photography in adapting a short story by Thomas Mann. More in character was Para Handy Master Mariner (BBC, 1959-60), as Sunny Jim, deckhand on the Vital Spark, commandeered by lean, craggy-faced Duncan Macrae in the title role.
After The Great Escape, Lennie stayed in RAF uniform for 633 Squadron (1964), chiefly remembered for Ron Goodwin's stirring score, and was directed by Attenborough in the panoramic Oh! What A Lovely War (1969). more....
Sir Donald Sinden, actor, has died aged 90 (12 September 2014)
Donald Sinden joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-on-Avon for the 1946-47 season. In October 1947 he made his West End debut as Aumerle in Richard II, and in 1948 joined the Bristol Old Vic. He left Bristol to appear as Arthur Townsend in The Heiress, an adaptation of Henry Jamess Washington Square. Sinden had nine lines and appeared in all 644 performances of the show.
During the 1950s, he immersed himself in cinema work, appearing in more than 20 films, including The Cruel Sea (1953), in which he shared top-billing with Jack Hawkins, and Mogambo (1954), a huge safari epic in which Sinden received fourth billing after Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly, as Kellys cuckolded gorilla-hunting husband.
After playing Tony Benskin, a womanising medical student in Doctor in the House (1954), Sinden began to find himself being typecast in comic roles. He played Benskin and characters like him for the next eight years.
When the British film industry began to falter in the early Sixties, Sindens film career ended.
Sinden went on to make a name for himself as a comedian and farceur. He appeared as Robert Danvers in Theres a Girl in My Soup at the Aldwych in 1966, and won Best Actor awards for his appearances in the Ray Cooney farces Not Now, Darling (1967), Two into One (1984) and Out of Order (1990). In 1976 he was nominated for a Best Actor Tony Award for his performance on Broadway as Arthur Wicksteed in Alan Bennetts Habeas Corpus. more....
Bill Kerr, Australian actor, has died aged 92 (30 August 2014)
Bill Kerr made his name on the radio in Britain in the 1950s, becoming particularly well-known for his role (alongside Sid James and Hattie Jacques) as one of Tony Hancocks three cronies in Hancocks Half Hour.
But Kerr was also a character actor of distinction, giving memorable performances as a racketeer in My Death is a Mockery (1952); as the bomber pilot Micky Martin in The Dam Busters (1955); and as a mentally disturbed crook in Port of Escape (1956), co-starring Googie Withers and Joan Hickson. His other films of this period included Appointment in London (1952), You Know What Sailors Are (1954) and The Night My Number Came Up (1955).
In 1954 he joined Hancocks Half Hour, which ran on the radio for six series and later moved on to television. As Hancocks Australian lodger at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings, East Cheam, Kerr appeared as the gormless, slow-on-the-uptake butt of his landlords humour. The role made Kerr a household name in Britain, and he later resumed his partnership with Sid James in the first series of the television comedy Citizen James (1960). more....
Lord Attenborough, actor and director, has died aged 90 (24 August 2014)
Richard Attenborough was one of the pillars of British cinema, originally as an actor and subsequently as an Oscar-winning director; his 1982 biopic, Gandhi, won best film of the year in the annual Academy Awards, Attenborough himself being named best director and Ben Kingsley best actor in the title role.
Having first made his name on screen in his student days, playing a Navy stoker, terrified under fire, in the war film In Which We Serve (1942), Richard Attenborough was just 24 years old at the time of filming his standout role as Pinkie Brown, the adolescent gangster of Brighton Rock.
In later years his own warmth of personality came to the fore, and with Jurassic Park (1993) he endeared himself to a whole new generation of fans, playing an avuncular professor whose naivety almost proves fatal when things go awry at his dinosaur-filled island theme park.
But it was Gandhi that was the apex of Richard Attenboroughs career and displayed a facility, unsuspected in his acting days, for handling large casts and epic, sweeping narratives. more....
Juno Alexander, actress, broadcaster and local politician, has died aged 88 (2 August 2014)
Juno Alexander was the older sister of the Conservative politician Lord St John of Fawsley (Norman St John Stevas) and the first wife of the actor Terence Alexander; she made a name in her own right as an actress, broadcaster and local politician - and as a woman of idiosyncrasy and verve.
During the war she joined the Free French and worked with the Resistance; later she served as a Conservative councillor on Richmond council, south-west London.
From the late 1940s to the 1960s, Juno Alexander made frequent appearances on television, in programmes such as The Alfred Marks Show, The Max Miller Show and The Eamonn Andrews Show. After the births of her children, she did less work, but still had small parts in films and in television series, among them Compact and Garry Halliday (a precursor to Dr Who in which she appeared with her husband as his air stewardess girlfriend), and also appeared in series such as Harpers West One (1961) and Love Story (1963), She also appeared on television and radio panel shows including Petticoat Line, with Anona Wynn, Just A Minute and Going for a Song. more....
Neal Arden, actor and one of the voices behind Housewives Choice, has died aged 104 (1 August 2014)
Neal Arden was for more than 20 years one of Britains favourite presenters on Housewives Choice, the popular record request programme broadcast every morning, six days a week, from 1946 to 1967 on the BBC Light Programme.
In a long and varied career in theatre, film, radio and television, Arden worked with many of the leading stars of their day, from Richard Tauber, Leslie Henson, Trevor Howard and Dulcie Gray to Roger Moore, Harry Secombe, Prunella Scales, Donald Sinden and Doris Day. He was an assiduous fundraiser for charity and, as an actor, took numerous supporting roles both on stage and in television series such as Maigret, Ivanhoe, Z Cars, Dixon of Dock Green and I, Claudius. He also wrote songs, plays and film and television scripts.
He made his screen debut in the 1934 film Princess Charming. Other film credits over the years included the wartime anti-Nazi thriller Pimpernel Smith (1941); John Wesley (1954); and The Shakedown (1960). His most substantial role was in Norman Walkers Life of St Paul (1938), in which he played the saint from beardless youth to bewhiskered old age.
His early theatrical credits included Toad of Toad Hall (Royalty, 1933); Blossom Time (1942, with Richard Tauber, Lyric); Night of the Garter (Strand, 1942); and The Lilac Domino (His Majestys, 1944).
In the 1950s Arden wrote many scripts for the new Independent Television and record reviews for newspapers and magazines. more... .
Dora Bryan, actress and comedienne, has died aged 91 (23 July 2014)
Dora Bryan was one of Britains most versatile performers; she was at home in revues, restoration comedies and musicals and equally comfortable in dramatic roles, most notably in the film A Taste of Honey (1961), in which she played Rita Tushinghams slatternly mother and for which she won a Bafta award for best actress.
With her tiny frame, round, friendly and mobile face, her warm-hearted grin and Lancashire gurgle, Dora Bryan had the gift of appealing to every audience as soon as she appeared. To all her work she was able to bring a breezily adaptable and engaging personality.
She starred in several television series designed to showcase her talents, including Our Dora (1968), According to Dora (1968) and Dora (1972), in all of which she played various hapless, apparently simple-minded characters.
Dora Bryan made her screen debut in the late Forties, appearing in a variety of films, including Odd Man Out (1947), The Fallen Idol (1948) and in The Cure for Love (1949), in which she co-starred with Robert Donat. Her versatility was demonstrated by her taking roles in films as diverse as the old-fashioned police thriller The Blue Lamp (1950) and the madcap comedy Mad About Men (1954). more....
James Garner, actor and producer, has died aged 86 (20 July 2014)
James Garner made his reputation in the late 1950s as the shrewd, anti-heroic gambler Bret Maverick in the iconoclastic Western series of the same name and sealed it as the 1970s private investigator Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files.
In 1955, Warner Brothers hired him for small roles in Cheyenne, one of the western series infesting television, and advanced him to Marlon Brando's buddy in the movie Sayonara (1957).
Then, after appearing in Towards the Unknown in 1957, Garner was offered the lead in a new television Western series, Maverick. He accepted because he was eager to play characters that upset traditional models: At that time all cowboys were tough and spent their time shooting one another. Maverick was different because he avoided trouble wherever possible. He hardly shot anyone and he was always on the look-out for a fast buck. The series was an immediate success and prompted one critic to claim that James Garner defined 'cool for a whole generation.
"We nearly killed the cowboy shows," said Garner. "It was hard after Maverick to see those guys go around being brave without laughing." Maverick was the hottest show from 1957 to 1959; it reinforced ABC when the network was struggling, and won a 1959 Emmy. more ....
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/jul/20/james-garner
Frank Mumford, master marionettist, has died aged 95 (13 July 2014)
Frank Mumford, who has died aged 95, was a master of marionettes whose career in variety spanned eight decades.
After the Second World War, he and his wife, Maisie, created a speciality act featuring 2ft-tall puppets with large heads and scaled-down bodies. Their line-up included hippos, skating cats, skeletons, dancers , a matador and bull and their most famous creation, Mademoiselle Zizi, a diminutive chanteuse based on Lana Turner and Gypsy Rose Lee.
The Mumfords played top London nightspots - including the Coconut Grove, Grosvenor House, Ciros, the Embassy and the Dorchester - and variety shows and cabarets around the world .
The Mumfords made many television appearances in Britain, working at Alexandra Palace in the early days of childrens television . Mumford carved the early versions of the Watch with Mother puppet character Andy Pandy and also featured in Time for Tich (1963-4) alongside the ventriloquist Ray Alans dummy Tich and his pet duck Quackers.
Mumfords last public appearance was in 2004 - 72 years after he had first appeared on stage with his creations aged 14. more....
Dickie Jones, child star of cowboy films and rodeos, has died aged 87 (9 July 2014)
Richard 'Dickie' Jones hit the big time - aged 13 - when he voiced Pinocchio for Disneys 1940 classic animated feature film.
Jones excelled as the voice of the mischievous marionette whose dreams of becoming a real boy are hampered by a propensity for telling tall tales - until, that is, his nose points him in the right direction.
Jones began working at rodeos at the age of six, billed as The Worlds Youngest Trick rider and Roper. He was soon discovered by Hoot Gibson, an actor and rodeo champion. Film work followed. He played opposite Al Jolson in Wonder Bar (1934) and James Stewart in Mr Smith Goes to Washington and Destry Rides Again (both 1939).
In the Forties and Fifties he appeared in a series of film and television westerns (including a number of Gene Autry features). He had his own short-lived series, Buffalo Bill Jr, from 1955 to 1956. He also starred as sidekick Dick West in The Range Rider western series alongside Jock Mahoney. more....
Francis Matthews, glamorous star of the BBC's Paul Temple and voice of Captain Scarlet, has died aged 86 (14 June 2014)
Francis Matthews' television debut, for the BBC in its single-channel days, was in Prelude to Glory (1954). For Durbridge, he first did My Friend Charles (1956), as a seemingly affable fellow revealed in the last episode to be a drug-dealing villain.
Tall, slender and with a quietly amused expression, Francis Matthews was ideally suited to play Francis Durbridge's gentleman sleuth Paul Temple, in the popular television adaptations of the 1960s and 70s. But his 60-year career also spanned horror films, comedy and modern classics, and as the voice of Captain Scarlet he reached a new generation of admirers.
Matthews's first film was the Raj tale Bhowani Junction (1956). His clean-cut qualities were also at work in several horror movies. He was an eager assistant to Peter Cushing in Hammer's The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), then played Boris Karloff's son in Corridors of Blood (1958), with Christopher Lee. Matthews grappled with Lee, on the same sets, in Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1965) and Rasputin the Mad Monk (1966).
Paul Temple, which started in 1969 and ran for 64 episodes, was one of BBC1's first colour series. It enabled extensive film sequences and overseas locations, the glamour of which transferred to Matthews and his co-star Ros Drinkwater, playing his wife, Steve. The couple appeared almost impossibly elegant to television audiences of the day, George Sewell as their down-at-heel sidekick helping to underline their suavity.
Overhearing an interview in which Matthews did a jokey impression of Cary Grant, the producer Gerry Anderson cast him in his puppet saga Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (ATV, 1967-68). more....
Joy Laurey, puppet maker and puppeteer, has died aged 90 (2nd June 2014)
Joy Laurey was born the great grand daughter of the famous Drury Lane clown Sam Laurey.
She started her professional career with E.N.S.A. during the Second World War with her sister and mother making up the Laurey Puppet Company. They entertained troops with puppet shows up and down the country in a wide variety of locations from Balloon sites on the mainland, to H.M.S. Bulldog at the time of the official announcement that it had liberated Guernsey.
At the end of the war, Joy continued entertaining with puppets, although concentrating the focus on children's entertainment, performing regularly at such venues as the Lord Mayor's Children's Party held at the Mansion House London, appearing with the Laurey Puppet Company regularly for summer seasons at seaside resorts, and representing Britain in puppet festivals in countries such as Rumania.
During the early 50's Joy Laurey was offered an opportunity to make a puppet character for a one-off television show called "Whirligig". She made a puppet based on a vegetable, and it was named "Mr Turnip". The pilot show proved so successful that it went on to run for over 6 years and Mr Turnip was one of the very first television puppets ever to become a celebrity in his own right. Mr Turnip was so popular in his day that there was great demand for Mr Turnip toys, dolls, games and even toiletries such as Mr Turnip soap. Cardboard cut outs were printed on the back of cereal boxes and even fleecy material was printed with Mr Turnip on it for making children's pyjamas. The programme "Whirligig" was the first "magazine" type children's programme ever to be produced by the B.B.C. and featured appearances from many famous names such as: Humphrey Lestocq, Steve Race, Peter Butterworth, Francis Coudrill with his puppet "Hank", and Rolf Harris. more....
http://www.essexcountystandard.co.uk/news/11262630.Creator_of_Whirligig_s_Mr_Turnip__Ardleigh_s_Joy_Laurey_died_aged_90/
Sir Jack Brabham, World champion racing driver and constructor, has died aged 88 (19 May 2014)
Jack Brabham was three-time Formula One World Champion Driver and two-time Formula One World Champion Constructor, becoming the first driver to win the title in a car of his own making.
Black Jack Brabham, an Australian, proved that the pre-requisites of the racing star quick judgment, lightning reflexes and exuberant dash are not exclusive to youth. He was past 30 when he started to race Formula One cars, making his debut at the British Grand Prix in 1955 at Aintree, driving a Cooper that he had built himself, before returning home where he won the Australian Grand Prix. The next season, he was signed by John Cooper for his Cooper Car Company team.
Over the next few years, Brabham shone in minor formula races while gradually gaining experience in Formula One. He won his first three World Championship points in 1958, and then at the start of the 1959 season won the Monaco Grand Prix in a works Cooper car, setting a new course record. He followed this with a second place in Holland, a third in France and Italy, and victory in the British Grand Prix.
He was in his 34th year when, in 1959, he first won the World Championship. When, the next year, he won the World Championship again, he told his family that he might give the sport a further two years. However, he was still racing as hard as ever, and successfully, after becoming World Champion for a third time in 1966, when he had turned 40. more....
Eli Woods, comedian who was a stuttering stooge to the great Jimmy James, has died aged 91 (16 May 2014)
Eli Woods was one of the last links to the great era of twice-nightly British variety theatre. A stooped and gangling figure with a long, lugubrious face and permanently gaping mouth, clad in flapping trousers, too-tight jacket and deerstalker hat, he had a stammer which he exaggerated to tremendous comic effect. Woods spent his early career as a stooge for his uncle, Jimmy James, the innovative music-hall comedian who eschewed traditional jokes in favour of elaborate and surreal flights of fancy and was revered in the business as "the comedian's comedian".
Jimmy James, a Northumberland comedian, was renowned for his drunk routines "The Spare Room", "His First Night", "Sober as a Judge". The most enduring was "In the Box": James was the vaguely inebriated gent who falls into conversation with two idiots named Hutton Conyers and Bretton Woods. The lanky Woods, inhabiting a suit that had long ago parted company with sartorial logic, would stand next to James as though in a stupor, jaw agape, struggling to follow a bizarre exchange about the contents of a shoe box.
"In the Box" evolved through several changes of personnel. Jimmy James' real surname was Casey, and it was his nephew James (Jack) Casey who became the definitive Bretton (later Eli) Woods. From 1948 the young Casey was employed as James' driver, until they arrived in Preston to find that one of the stooges would not be able to make the performance. Casey became Woods, and was persuaded to stay.
Hutton Conyers was first played by James' brother-in-law Jack Darby, later by Dick Carlton, and for three years (1956-59) by Roy Castle, who had temporarily abandoned his own act to perfect his comic timing under the acknowledged master. more....
Efrem Zimbalist, star of 77 Sunset Strip, has died aged 95 (2 May 2014)
Efrem Zimbalist played leading roles in two of American televisions most celebrated crime dramas, 77 Sunset Strip (1958-64) and The FBI (1965-74).
The first of these featured a pair of former government agents (Zimbalist as Stu Bailey, Roger Smith as Jeff Spencer) who set up as private detectives with an office on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. They were assisted in their investigations by Kookie (played by Edd Byrnes), a hip car-parking valet. Introduced by a catchy theme song, the series had a breezy, light-hearted edge that prefigured similar television dramas that would become popular throughout the Sixties.
During summer breaks between 77 Sunset Strip and The FBI, Warner Bros cast Zimbalist in several feature films, including Too Much Too Soon, Home Before Dark, The Crowded Sky, The Chapman Report and Wait Until Dark (in which he appeared alongside Audrey Hepburn). His other films included By Love Possessed and Airport 1975. In the 1990s he recorded the voice of Alfred, the butler, in the cartoon Batman series. more....
Sir Christopher Chataway, record-breaking athlete, broadcaster and government minister, has died aged 82 (19 January 2014)
In the 1952 Helsinki Olympics he tripped going for the lead in the 5,000 metres, recovering to finish fifth, 12 seconds behind Emil Zatopek. In his last year at Oxford, in the Varsity match, he cut his best for the mile to 4 mins 8.4 sec, then the third fastest by a Briton. In May 1953 Bannister set his record of 4 mins 3.6 sec, paced by Chataway.
For Chataway, the bridge from athletics to politics was television. Chataway joined ITN two months before ITV went live. The reader of ITNs first bulletin on October 11 1955, he was one of a cluster of contemporaries who became household names: Robin Day (with whom he shared ITNs debut), Ludovic Kennedy and Geoffrey Johnson Smith. He excelled, but wanted to do more reporting and in 1956 he moved to the BBC as an interviewer with Panorama.
After winning the June 1970 election, Heath made Chataway, not yet 40, Minister for Posts and Telecommunications. He came under immediate pressure from Mary Whitehouse to "clean up" programmes, and from colleagues to stop jamming pirate stations such as Radio Caroline and to legalise commercial radio. Setting up commercial radio as Minister for Posts and Telecommunications, he spent 12 years with the medium as chairman of LBC. more....
Geoffrey Wheeler, presenter of Songs of Praise and Top of the Form, has died aged 83 (2 January 2014)
Geoffrey Wheeler began making radio programmes for the BBC while studying Law at Manchester University and in 1954 was appointed the Corporations radio producer for the northern region.
He cut his teeth on variety shows, working with such entertainers as Ken Dodd, Benny Hill and Morcambe and Wise.
As the smartly-blazered, avuncular question master on Top of the Form from the early 1960s to 1975, Wheeler earned a place in the cultural hinterland of a generation of vaguely bookish, mostly middle-class, viewers of the sort who now do sterling service as members of pub quiz teams.
The show began in 1948 on the BBCs Light Programme and Wheeler joined as co-question master with Paddy Feeny. Each would present his half of the show from a different school hall, the two being connected by a then state-of-the art (for the BBC) landline.
In 1962 the show transferred to television, slimmed down to a single location and with Wheeler as its sole presenter.
Wheeler went freelance in 1963 and as well as presenting Top of the Form, appeared as a panellist on Call my Bluff, as a story teller on Jackanory, and spent 21 years as a regular presenter of Songs of Praise, now the worlds longest-running television religious programme. more....
David Coleman, Sports |Commentator, has died aged 87 (21 December 2013)
David Coleman was the face and voice of BBC Television sport for 40 years, the anchorman for the flagship Grandstand programme on Saturday afternoons and later the affable host of the popular quiz A Question Of Sport.
In 1953 he started freelance radio work in Manchester and the following year joined the BBC in Birmingham as a news assistant. Having made his first television broadcast on Sportsview in May 1954 on the day Roger Bannister became the first runner to break the four-minute mile, Coleman was appointed sports editor, Midland Region, in November 1955. After the editor of Sportsview, Paul Fox, had seen him interview the footballer Danny Blanchflower on regional television, Coleman transferred to London. In 1958 the BBCs Head of Sport, Peter Dimmock, offered Coleman the frontmans job on the new sports magazine programme, Grandstand.
He made his name on the programme where his ad libs and mastery of football trivia standing alongside the teleprinter as the football results came in revealed remarkably acute and detailed research. But he became frustrated by being always studio-bound and yearned for a new challenge. In 1967, however, after repeated wooing by ITV, he signed a new seven-year BBC contract at �10,000 a year, making him the highest-paid broadcaster in television sport. more....
Jean Kent, actress, has died aged 92 (1 December 2013)
Jean Kent adopted a variety of stage names. At different times she was Peggy Summers and Jean Carr, finally adopting the name Jean Kent in 1943 in Its That Man Again, a film version of the popular radio show ITMA, starring Tommy Handley.
Her big break came when she was hired as a dancer and understudy in the Max Miller show Apple Sauce (1941) at the Palladium. During rehearsals one of the leading ladies was sacked and Jean was asked to replace her at short notice. She was then spotted by Weston Drury, casting director at Shepherds Bush studios, and signed to a contract with Gainsborough Pictures.
She landed her first leading role, in Caravan (1946). In the interim, she had played supporting parts in such pictures as Champagne Charlie (1944), a Tommy Trinder musical about the heyday of music hall, Madonna of the Seven Moons (1944) and The Wicked Lady (1945).
Through much of the Fifties, Jean Kent concentrated on the theatre, appearing in plays and pantomimes (notably a Prince Charming in Cinderella) for which she had hitherto had little time.
In later years she was seen more frequently in television. She played Good Queen Bess in a 1962 series based on the life of Sir Francis Drake and subsequently appeared in such long-running series as Emergency Ward 10, Up Pompeii, Crossroads, Lovejoy and Shrinks. more....
Stan Stennett, comedian, actor and pantomime veteran, has died aged 88 (26 November 2013)
With his doleful face, good-natured smile and ever-gleaming teeth, the stalwart entertainer Stan Stennett was a favourite in pantomimes and seaside shows around the UK for decades. After starting out as a musician, he found success at the BBC, cracking jokes on the radio series Welsh Rarebit and compering The Black and White Minstrel Show on television in the 1960s.
Stennett's period with The Black and White Minstrel Show did not endear him to the younger and more politically correct generation of TV comedy producers who later took charge. Stennett argued that when the clever satirists took over, audiences tended to stay away. He revered comedians such as "Laurel and Hardy, Mack Sennett, Buster Keaton these were the gods
We are trying feebly to imitate these people." more....
Jack Alexander, singer and musician, has died aged 77 (13 November 2013)
Jack Alexander was the singer and pianist with the Alexander Brothers, the duo he formed with his elder brother Tom. They were two of Scotlands best-loved entertainers, and during a career lasting five decades they toured the world with their versions of traditional Scottish songs, releasing more than 50 albums.
Their big break came in 1962, when the songwriter and producer Tony Hatch saw them perform at the Metropolitan Theatre, Edgware, and suggested that they record an album. Hatch, who had begun his career working with Petula Clark, immediately understood the potential for an act playing traditional Scottish tunes.
Their first album, Highland Fling, was recorded in London, and included favourites such as A Scottish Soldier and Scotland the Brave, becoming an enormous success. They followed the success of Highland Fling with the single Nobodys Child, which topped the charts in Scotland in 1964, outselling the Beatles that year.
The following year, inspired by the reception of the single, Andy Stewart invited the brothers to tour with him in Canada and the US. They performed alongside Shirley Bassey on the television variety show Sunday Night at the London Palladium and by 1965 had been given their own show on STV and had become a mainstay of The White Heather Club, the yearly televised Hogmanay celebrations. more....
Graham Stark, actor who was frequently cast in supporting roles in comedy films starring his close friend Peter Sellers, has died aged 91 (31 October 2013)
After the war Stark joined the bohemian coterie frequenting the ornate Grafton Arms pub in Victoria where up-and-coming entertainers like Terry-Thomas, Jimmy Edwards, Tony Hancock, Dick Emery and Alfred Marks held court. It was in the Graftons back bar that Stark renewed an RAF friendship with Peter Sellers while Sellers and Spike Milligan experimented with material that, in 1951, would metamorphose into The Goon Show.
As well as providing madcap voices for The Goons, Stark also appeared in other popular radio shows of the day, notably Educating Archie, with the ventriloquist Peter Brough, and Rays A Laugh, starring the Liverpool comedian Ted Ray.
Whenever Spike Milligan failed to turn up for a Goon Show recording, Stark would stand in for him; and when Milligan and Sellers moved into television with A Show Called Fred in 1956, Stark joined the cast.
In 1964 Stark starred in his television comedy sketch series, The Graham Stark Show, which although written by Johnny Speight, later to create Till Death Us Do Part proved a flop. more....
Singer Joan Regan, who had chart success in the late 50s and early 60s, has died aged 85 (15 September 2013)
Joan Regan had a number of hit records, including Ricochet, May You Always and If I Give My Heart to You.
Regan also had her own BBC television series, Be My Guest, for several years.
The singer starred on both sides of the Atlantic with artists such as Perry Como, Max Bygraves and Cliff Richard.
Regan, who was born in 1928 in Romford in Essex, was one of the most popular British singers of her era and appeared regularly on radio and TV.
Her career took off after theatrical impresario Bernard Delfont heard her recordings and signed her up with his agency.
Regan soon won a recording contract with the British record label, Decca Records, although only for a trial period of three records, which by her own admission "didn't exactly set the hit parade alight".
However, Decca released a recording she had made some months earlier of a song called Ricochet.
The record paved the way for theatre, radio and television engagements.
Regan was later to feature on American television with major performers including Eddie Fisher, Tennessee Ernie Ford and Perry Como.
She appeared at the London Palladium many times, with other entertainers such as Max Bygraves, Cliff Richard, Russ Conway and Edmund Hockridge.
In 1984, she hit her head in the shower causing a blood clot on the brain which left her paralysed and without speech.
But after therapy she made a complete recovery, singing again in Britain on radio and in concerts. more....
David Jacobs, actor and radio and TV broadcaster, has died aged 87 (3 September 2013)
David Jacobs' first acting role was as Laurie in the BBC's first TV adaptation of Little Women (1950-51). When Charles Chilton's Journey into Space proved to be a great radio hit in the 1950s, Jacobs introduced it and took 22 roles.
After a period on Radio Luxembourg he was offered the freelance job of disc jockey on the radio programme Housewives' Choice, on which Jacobs had to play record requests and punctuate them with anodyne chat.
He was perfect for the job. It was a natural progression when he took over Juke Box Jury on TV, chairing a celebrity panel as they assessed likely chart hits hailed with a hotel-reception-counter bell or misses dismissed with a hooter. At one time Jacobs seemed to be always on television whenever the on-switch was turned, with appearances on What's My Line, Top of the Pops, the Eurovision Song Contest, Come Dancing, Miss World and many more.
When a senior BBC executive advised him that it was all too much, he reinvented himself as a player with more gravitas, to succeed Freddy Grisewood on Any Questions? Having conceded that he was "too square for the pop scene", Jacobs became a stalwart of Radio 2, presenting music programmes in a succession of formats right up until a few weeks before his death. more....
Mike Winters, straight man to his goofy-toothed brother Bernie, has died aged 82 (27 August 2013)
The brothers were pioneers of television comedy, first appearing on Britains screens in 1955 on the BBC show Variety Parade after which they moved to ITVs Sunday Night at the London Palladium, supporting Shirley Bassey.
In 1965 they won their own comedy show on ITV which ran for eight years, regularly reaching the top three in the ratings and attracting guest stars such as Tom Jones and The Beatles, who appeared on the programme three times. They did pantomimes in Cardiff, cabarets in Sheffield and summer seasons in Yarmouth where, in 1967, despite the resort also boasting Rolf Harris, Morecambe and Wise and Val Doonican, each in their own their rival shows, Mike and Bernie broke all box-office records for the season an achievement that still stands. In 1962 the brothers starred at a Royal Variety Performance and the following year they starred with Frankie Howerd and Tommy Cooper in Michael Winners film The Cool Mikado.
But in 1978 they fell out, and Mike abandoned showbusiness and emigrated to Florida where he became a successful Miami nightclub owner, did much work for charity and wrote several books including a memoir, The Sunny Side Of Winters (2010). He eventually retired to Gloucestershire. more....
Jeremy Geidt, presenter of Childrens's TV Caravan in the 1950s, has died aged 83 (17 August 2013)
Jeremy Geidt acted in London, moving to the USA in 1961 where he acted at Yale Repertory Theatre before helping to start the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He also taught at Harvard University.
The Children's Television Caravan was an Outside Broadcast unit which traversed the British Isles during the summer for five years starting in 1956. It utilised a very large vehicle which, by letting down one of its sides, formed a miniature stage on which a team made up of a compere and master of ceremonies, two clowns, a pianist, and a drummer provided continually changing entertainment. Local children, chosen for their talent, appeared in this caravan theatre as a regular part of the programme. It was compered by Jeremy Geidt with resident artists Clive Dunn (as Mr. Crumpet) and Elton Hayes.
more....
Alan Whicker, interviewer and documentary maker, has died aged 87 (13 July 2013)
Alan Whicker was the quintessence of the glory days of British television, the time between the late 1950s and the late 1970s when there were no more than two or three channels and any notable programme would be seen by more than half the population.
He was doing odd jobs for BBC radio when Alasdair Milne, then working for its flagship current affairs programme Tonight, spotted his ability to ask "impertinent" questions without giving offence.
In 1957 Whicker was invited to join the BBCs early evening magazine programme Tonight, presented by Cliff Michelmore. His first story was about Ramsgate landladies. Nine reports from Northern Ireland about the uneasy truce between Catholics and Protestants went unused after vociferous complaints about his deadpan, even-handed approach from the local BBC controller and the Bishop of Derry. From then on Whicker insisted on seeing the footage first, then writing his own commentary. The technique served him well as he looked all over the world for kinks in human character and behaviour for Whicker's World.
In the 1960s he got his own show, Whickers World, which allowed him to travel continually around the globe from Alaska to the Outback and turned him into a household name. By the 1970s Whickers World was coming top in the ratings, beating Coronation Street. He worked seven days a week, meeting luminaries such as John Paul Getty, Papa Doc Duvalier, Peter Sellers, Luciano Pavarotti, Sean Connery, Salvador Dali and the Sultan of Brunei. It was a frenetic pace, belied by the smooth, dapper and unruffled persona on screen.
In 1993 Whicker was the first to be named in the Royal Television Society's Hall of Fame for an outstanding creative contribution to British TV. A fanclub was formed, consisting of members who dressed up as Whicker and discussed their hero once a month. His singular style also gave rise in 1972 to Monty Python's celebrated Whicker Island sketch, with all of the team doing impressions.
Whicker remained active into old age, continuing to make TV and radio series until recently, and publishing volumes of memoirs. He had become wealthy, with a Nash flat in Regent's Park and a handsome home in Jersey. In 2005 he was appointed CBE. more....
Hans Hass, marine biologist, oceanographer and zoologist, has died aged 94 (25 June 2013)
Hans Hass was a pioneer - with his wife Lotte - of spectacular films of the sea depths, and in the mid-1950s shot the first underwater footage for the BBC.
The Hasses first BBC series, Diving To Adventure, largely filmed in the Aegean, was screened in 1956. The programmes proved hugely popular and the couple returned to the screen two years later with another series, The Undersea World of Adventure, shot in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
The couples exploits beneath the sea, filmed on comparatively primitive cameras and broadcast in black and white, thrilled television audiences throughout the late 1950s and 1960s by opening a window on to a breathtaking and hitherto unseen world. Rivalled only by Jacques Cousteau, Hass and his wife managed - often in perilous circumstances - to capture the habits and activities of a range of deep-sea creatures including dangerous sharks, barracuda and giant manta rays.
The pictures he brought back also helped to inject the emerging sport of scuba-diving with some much-needed glamour, as did the television series Sea Hunt, launched in 1958 and starring the actor Lloyd Bridges. more....
Frank Thornton, actor, has died aged 92 (18 March 2013)
Frank Thornton was conscripted into the air force as a navigator in 1943 and, after the end of the war, remained in the RAF entertainment unit where, among his charges, were Dick Emery, Peter Sellers and Tony Hancock.
He appeared in the Edgar Lustgarten-hosted series The Silent Witness in 1954 and, a year later, was credited in the part of Inspector Finch in the British film Radio Cab Murder.
The next 15 years saw him appearing in a wide range of small character parts in films and TV series including The Avengers and Danger Man.
He also appeared in various comedy programmes such as It's a Square World, Hancock's Half-Hour, The Benny Hill Show, Sykes and Steptoe And Son, as well as movie spin-off Steptoe And Son Ride Again.
But it was in 1972 when he took the role of the officious Captain Stephen Peacock in the comedy series, Are You Being Served? that he became known to millions. Frank Thornton played the lugubrious, disdainful and immaculately tailored Capt Peacock in the long-running BBC Television sitcom for 12 years. more....
Dale Robertson, Western film and TV actor, has died aged 89 (27 February 2013)
Dale Robertson was a skilled rider at the age of ten and training polo ponies by the time he was a teenager. He often said that the only reason he acted professionally was to save money to start his own horse farm in Oklahoma, which he eventually did.
In the movies he was a ruggedly handsome counterpart to leading ladies like Betty Grable, Mitzi Gaynor and Jeanne Crain. On television he had starring roles in popular westerns like 'Tales of Wells Fargo' which appeared from 1957 to 1961; 'Iron Horse' from 1966 to 1968; and 'Death Valley Days' which he hosted from 1968 to 1972.
He developed, owned and starred in the Wells Fargo series, playing Jim Hardie, a troubleshooter for the stagecoach company. To make the character distinctive, he had the right-handed Hardie draw his gun and shoot left-handed.
Wells Fargo was originally shown in black and white and in half-hour episodes. In 1961, however, the producers wanted to turn it into a full-hour show, broadcast it in color and expand the ensemble of characters. Mr. Robertson refused and sold the show to them.
In 1981 he played an oil wildcatter in early episodes of 'Dynasty'. The next year he had a recurring role in another glitzy nighttime soap opera, 'Dallas'. more....
Reginald Turnill, the BBCs former air and aerospace correspondent, has died aged 97 (13 February 2013)
Turnill covered the golden age of post-war aviation from jet power to the Space Shuttle; though he reported on the success of the first Moon landing, his most celebrated story was the scoop that Apollo 13 was in difficulties.
Turnill joined the BBC in 1956. There he became assistant industry correspondent. After covering Sputnik in 1957, however, he was so enthralled with space that, in 1958, he agreed to become the corporations air and space correspondent, with a brief to cover defence. As a result he covered bombing raids over Vietnam only to irritate the US Air Force by pointing out their inaccuracy.
As the public enthusiasm for the Moon declined after the first landing, the BBC grumbled about Turnill still wanting to go to America. But he proved his value with the Apollo 13 trip in 1970. After the astronauts safe return, there were no more demands that he remain in London, and his wife received $75 for being his editorial assistant.
On October 4 1957, Turnill was on hand to announce the starters pistol for the race to the Moon the Soviet launch of Sputnik. He covered the space race in its entirety, travelling first to Moscow to describe Yuri Gagarins guarded press conference after the cosmonaut became the first man in orbit in 1961, and then to Cape Canaveral for Alan Shepherds account of his 15-minute sub-orbital lob.
During the periods between launches Turnill found plenty to occupy him, notably the joint development of Concorde by Britain and France, with its mixture of scientific difficulties, national pride and astronomic costs. But it was undoubtedly the pictures beamed from the surface of the Moon in 1969 that proved the most intoxicating story of all. more....
Peter Gilmore, actor and star of The Onedin Line, has died aged 81 (9 February 2013)
Gilmore began his stage career as a vocalist, appearing with the George Mitchell Singers in summer seasons with Harry Secombe and the comedian Al Read. Between 1954 and 1956 he played in the popular Crazy Gang revue Jokers Wild (Victoria Palace). From the mid-1950s he also made television commercials in Germany, Ireland and the United States.
After working in provincial stage productions, with occasional London dates, stardom beckoned in 1958 when he was cast as Freddy Eynsford Hill in the West End production of My Fair Lady (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane). At the last minute, however, he was replaced because he was a baritone and the score called for a tenor.
His big television break came the same year in the ITV series Ivanhoe, in which he worked with the executive producer Peter Rogers, later to develop the Carry On comedy canon. Gilmore made several appearances in Carry On films, including Carry On Jack (1963) and Carry On Cleo (1964), both of which afforded him seaborne roles, as well as Carry On Up The Khyber (1968) and Carry On Henry (1971). more....
Robert Kee, writer and broadcaster, has died aged 93 (12 January 2013)
Robert Kee was well known as the presenter of such programmes as Panorama, This Week, Yorkshire Televisions Various Faces of Communism, and ITNs lunchtime news programme, which he launched in 1972; he was, however, probably most famous, both as a presenter and writer, as a historian of Irish nationalism.
In 1958 Kee joined the BBC to report on the Algerian war for Panorama, helping to set new standards for television reportage. In a series of vivid on-location reports, he gave the viewers a sense of being in the thick of the action.
In 1962 he left the BBC to become one of the founders of a freelance agency, Television Reporters International. When that did not get off the ground, he accepted Jeremy Isaacss invitation to join Associated Rediffusions This Week. For the next 14 years he worked on and off for various other independent television companies, most notably, from 1972, as presenter of First Report, ITNs first lunchtime news programme, for which he won the Bafta Richard Dimbleby Award. In 1978 he returned to the BBC to work on the Ireland series. Three years later he replaced David Dimbleby as presenter of Panorama.
Kee specialised in strife. For television he reported on conflicts in Algeria and the Congo, as well as the Prague Spring; as a historian, he also chronicled the key years of the Second World War. His interest in the troubled history of Ireland developed in the 1950s, when he embarked on a three-volume study which eventually saw the light of day in 1972 as The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism. more....
Alasdair Milne, the only Director-General of the BBC to be dismissed from office, has died aged 82 (9 January 2013)
Alasdair Milne joined the BBC as a general trainee in 1954, being one of two selected from 1,110 applicants (the other was Patrick Dromgoole, later managing director of HTV).
By February 1957 he was one of the architects (later he became editor) of BBC Televisions nightly news and current affairs flagship Tonight, in charge of a team which included such future stars as Cliff Michelmore, Alan Whicker, Geoffrey Johnson Smith, Macdonald Hastings, Fyfe Robertson, Derek Hart and Kenneth Allsop. It went on air every weeknight at 6.05pm.
The vigorous, young Tonight team aimed for a new, more incisive style of interviewing that, in Milnes words, would test the ability of politicians to think on their feet. When ITV presented the Corporation with its first-ever competition, the BBCs overall audience share plunged to an all-time low of 28 per cent; Tonight, however, succeeded in maintaining its nightly viewing figure of between eight and 10 million.
When his boss, Donald Baverstock, was promoted to Assistant Controller of Programmes, Milne took his place. Under his editorship, the programme spawned Tonight Productions, a stable which included Whicker Down Under and the memorable 26-part documentary series The Great War. more....
Daphne Oxenford, Radio presenter and actress, has died aged 93 (4 January 2013)
Known to millions as the voice of Listen With Mother, Daphne Oxenford would open each programme by asking: "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin."
She was also one of the original cast members of Coronation Street, playing Esther Hayes, and was a cast member of Midsomer Murders until 2008.
Debuting in 1950, Listen With Mother consisted of stories, songs and nursery rhymes for children under the age of five. It began at 1:45pm every weekday, to coincide with the end of children's lunchtime meal. At its peak, it had an audience of more than a million.
Oxenford narrated the programme from 1950 to 1971, and her meticulously modulated opening phrase was eventually included in the Oxford dictionary of quotations.
But regular listeners will also recall the words that would precede her arrival: "And when the music stops Daphne Oxenford will be here to tell you a story". more....
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Our Leading Talent
Gillian Anderson
Born in Chicago in 1968 to an English father and mother of Irish and German ancestry, Gillian spent her early years contemplating marine biology as a career before receiving her showbiz calling.
After spending her early working years trying to make a name for herself as a stage actress, a 1993 guest appearance on the TV collegiate drama Class of ’96 caught the eye of The X Files producer and she was rocketed to international stardom as Special Agent Dana Scully. It was a role that earned her an Emmy, Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards during her nine-season run on the cult show.
In 2009, she returned to her stage roots and gained acclaim for her role as Nora in Ibsen’s classic A Doll’s House at the Donmar Warehouse in London’s West End.
Gillian’s other screen highlights include a BAFTA- and Emmy-nominated performance of Lady Deadlock in the 2006 BBC Adaption of Charles Dickens’ Bleak House, and starring alongside James McAvoy in the 2006 BAFTA-winning film The Last King of Scotland.
James Nesbitt
Born and raised in Northern Ireland, James studied at the Central School of Drama before starting his career on stage. James’ first feature film was Hear My Song with Adrian Dunbar, before working extensively with director Michael Winterbottom on Go Now, Jude and Welcome To Sarajevo. He gained international recognition in the film Waking Ned Devine, playing lovable pig farmer, Pig Finn.
In 2002, he took the lead role of activist Ivan Cooper in Paul Greengrass’ acclaimed film Bloody Sunday. It won a Golden Berlin Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. James’s standout performance also earned him a BAFTA nomination, in addition to the Best Actor award at the British Independent Film Awards and the Stockholm Film Festival. In 2008, he played Pontius Pilate in Frank Deasey’s BBC mini-series The Passion and starred in Midnight Man for ITV1.
In 2009, James starred with Liam Neeson in BBC Films’ Five Minutes of Heaven and the BAFTA-award winning series Occupation for BBC1.
James is currently the Chancellor of the University of Ulster.
Cillian Murphy
Cillian was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1976 to educational parents – his father worked for the Irish Department of Education, and his mother worked as a French teacher.
He originally studied law at University College Cork university, but dropped out. After spending time pursuing a music career, he joined the Corcadorca Theatre Company in Cork and began to find success as an actor.
His big break came when he was cast in Danny Boyle’s 2002 film 28 Days Later, a role which earned him a nod for Breakthrough Male Performance at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards. He has since gone on to appear in such acclaimed films as Cold Mountain, Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Wind That Shakes. In 2005, Cillian won an Irish Film and Television Academy Best Actor Award for his performance in Breakfast on Pluto.
Cillian is fluent in Gaelic and French.
Sam Neill
Born in Northern Ireland, Sam is considered to be one the most famous actors to come out of New Zealand. Sam, whose real name is actually Nigel, holds dual British and New Zealand nationality – he was born in Omagh when his New Zealander army officer father was stationed there, and the family returned to New Zealand when he was a young boy.
He had his first exposure to acting whilst at university, where he studied English Literature. After a role in the New Zealand film Sleeping Dogs in 1977, Sam’s breakout role came in 1981 when he played Damien Thorn in Omen III: The Final Conflict. He went on to star in such Hollywood blockbusters as Dead Calm (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Jurassic Park (1993) and The Piano (1997).
In addition to his acting achievements, Sam is a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. He also owns a winery on New Zealand’s South Island called Two Paddocks.
Peter Capaldi
Peter was born in Glasgow in 1958, to parents of Irish and Italian heritage. Although he showed a talent for acting at school and attended drama classes, in his teens he was accepted into Glasgow School of Art, where he fronted a punk rock band!
His first significant acting role was in the 1983 film Local Hero, and he’s worked steadily in film and on TV since, including portraying Azolan in the 1988 blockbuster movie Dangerous Liaisons. In 1995, Peter scooped the Oscar for Live Action Short Film for Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life, which he directed. A decade later, he brought The Thick of It’s infamous, potty-mouthed spin doctor, Malcolm Tucker, to television screens up until 2012.
Peter's recent roles include the sinister Cardinal Richelieu in the TV series The Musketeers, and landing the coveted role of the twelfth Doctor in the iconic BBC science-fiction series Doctor Who.
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal is an Oscar and Golden Globe nominated actress who made her feature film debut in 1992. Since then, she’s gained critical acclaim for stand-out performances in films such as Crazy Heart, The Dark Night, Donnie Darko, Adaptation, Mona Lisa Smile, White House Down and, most recently, Frank. The Honourable Woman marks Gyllenhaal’s first move into TV.
Also accomplished on stage, Gyllenhaal has starred as Alice in Patrick Mauber’s award-winning Closer, Shakespearean tragedy Anthony and Cleopatra, Chekov’s Three Sisters and Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul.
Helena Bonham Carter
Born in London in 1966 to a psychotherapist mother and merchant banker father, Helena remarkably never underwent any formal acting training.
She made her cinematic debut as Lady Jane Grey in Lady Jane (1985), and went onto to give noted film performances in Hamlet (1990), Howard’s End (1992), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) and Twelfth Night (1996).
In 2001, she starred in the prolific film remake of Planet of the Apes, directed by Tim Burton. Helena and Tim became romantically involved during the making of the movie, and have since parented two children together. The couple have also worked together on Burton’s cinematic remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) starring Johnny Depp, Helena lent her voice to the title character of Burton's dark animated tale Corpse Bride (2005), and Helena reunited with Johnny Depp to star in Burton’s acclaimed Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).
Helena is also famed for her portrayal of Bellatrix Lestrange in the blockbusting series of Harry Potter films, and playing Elizabeth Taylor in the TV film Burton and Taylor.
Daniel Radcliffe
Born in London in 1989, Daniel made his acting debut at the age of ten in the 1999 BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield.
He shot to international stardom a year later, aged 11, when he was cast as the lead in J K Rowling Harry Potter films, a role he maintained for all eight movies filmed over a decade.
Aside from being the face of Hogwarts, Daniel has more than proved that his acting prowess extends beyond his child star status. In 2007, he garnered over £1.7 million advance ticket sales and critical acclaim for his mature stage portrayal of Alan Strang, a stable boy obsessed with horses, in Peter Shaffer’s play Equus. His first post-Harry Potter film project, the 2012 horror Woman in Black, followed suit and continued to win him widespread favour as an acting heavyweight. Daniel recently gained acclaim for his leading role in the black comic drama series A Young Doctor's Notebook.
In 2011, The Trevor Project, a charity committed to promoting awareness of gay teen suicide prevention, honoured Daniel’s tireless efforts of support by presenting him with a Hero Award.
Steve Coogan
Born in Lancashire in 1965, Steve trained as an actor at Manchester Polytechnic and started his showbiz career as a voice artist on the cult satirical puppet show Spitting Image in the 1980s.
His talent for creating and performing original comic characters was first showcased to a listening public when he introduced his most famous character to date – inappropriate regional media personality Alan Partridge – on the BBC Radio 4 show, On the Hour.
Shortly after, Coogan was introducing Alan Partridge and other comic creations like Paul Calf to TV audiences with appearances on The Day Today and Saturday Zoo. He got his major TV break landing his own Alan Partridge spoof chat shows – Knowing Me, Knowing You and I’m Alan Partridge.
Steve’s other notable TV credits include writing and starring as pest control guru Saxondale in the sitcom of the same name, and co-starring with Rob Brydon as a half-bit food journalist in the sitcom The Trip – a role that earned him a BAFTA. More recently, Steve co-starred with Johnny Vegas and Chris O’Dowd in Moone Boy, a sitcom about a 12-year-old boy and his imaginary friend.
Steve has also made a major footprint on the film landscape, clocking up leading roles in such classics as The Parole Officer and 24 Hour Party People. He also co-wrote and co-starred alongside Dame Judi Dench in the 2013 film Philomena, which earned him Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations, plus two Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.
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'The League of Nations', the forerunner to the 'United Nations' was founded in what year? | League of Nations | Define League of Nations at Dictionary.com
League of Nations
noun
1.
an international organization to promote world peace and cooperation that was created by the Treaty of Versailles (1919): dissolved April 1946.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
British Dictionary definitions for League of Nations
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noun
1.
an international association of states founded in 1920 with the aim of preserving world peace: dissolved in 1946
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
League of Nations in Culture
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League of Nations definition
An international organization established after World War I under the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles . The League, the forerunner of the United Nations , brought about much international cooperation on health, labor problems, refugee affairs, and the like. It was too weak, however, to prevent the great powers from going to war in 1939.
Note: Although President Woodrow Wilson of the United States was a principal founder of the League, the United States Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, and the United States never joined the League.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Eric Faukner; Derek Longmuir and Les McKeown were members of which 70's pop group? | Milestones: 1914–1920 - Office of the Historian
Milestones: 1914–1920
The League of Nations, 1920
The League of Nations was an international organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, created after the First World War to provide a forum for resolving international disputes. Though first proposed by President Woodrow Wilson as part of his Fourteen Points plan for an equitable peace in Europe, the United States never became a member.
Cartoon critizing U.S. lack of participation in the League of Nations
Speaking before the U.S. Congress on January 8, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson enumerated the last of his Fourteen Points , which called for a “general association of nations…formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike.” Many of Wilson’s previous points would require regulation or enforcement. In calling for the formation of a "general association of nations," Wilson voiced the wartime opinions of many diplomats and intellectuals on both sides of the Atlantic who believed there was a need for a new type of standing international organization dedicated to fostering international cooperation, providing security for its members, and ensuring a lasting peace. With Europe’s population exhausted by four years of total war, and with many in the United States optimistic that a new organization would be able to solve the international disputes that had led to war in 1914, Wilson’s articulation of a League of Nations was wildly popular. However, it proved exceptionally difficult to create, and Wilson left office never having convinced the United States to join it.
David Lloyd George of the United Kingdom
The idea of the League was grounded in the broad, international revulsion against the unprecedented destruction of the First World War and the contemporary understanding of its origins. This was reflected in all of Wilson’s Fourteen Points, which were themselves based on theories of collective security and international organization debated amongst academics, jurists, socialists and utopians before and during the war. After adopting many of these ideas, Wilson took up the cause with evangelical fervor, whipping up mass enthusiasm for the organization as he traveled to the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919, the first President to travel abroad in an official capacity.
Wilson used his tremendous influence to attach the Covenant of the League, its charter, to the Treaty of Versailles . An effective League, he believed, would mitigate any inequities in the peace terms. He and the other members of the “Big Three,” Georges Clemenceau of France and David Lloyd George of the United Kingdom, drafted the Covenant as Part I of the Treaty of Versailles. The League’s main organs were an Assembly of all members, a Council made up of five permanent members and four rotating members, and an International Court of Justice. Most important for Wilson, the League would guarantee the territorial integrity and political independence of member states, authorize the League to take “any action…to safeguard the peace,” establish procedures for arbitration, and create the mechanisms for economic and military sanctions.
Georges Clemenceau of France
The struggle to ratify the Treaty of Versailles and the Covenant in the U.S. Congress helped define the most important political division over the role of the United States in the world for a generation. A triumphant Wilson returned to the United States in February 1919 to submit the Treaty and Covenant to Congress for its consent and ratification. Unfortunately for the President, while popular support for the League was still strong, opposition within Congress and the press had begun building even before he had left for Paris. Spearheading the challenge was the Senate majority leader and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Henry Cabot Lodge .
Motivated by Republican concerns that the League would commit the United States to an expensive organization that would reduce the United States’ ability to defend its own interests, Lodge led the opposition to joining the League. Where Wilson and the League’s supporters saw merit in an international body that would work for peace and collective security for its members, Lodge and his supporters feared the consequences of involvement in Europe’s tangled politics, now even more complex because of the 1919 peace settlement. They adhered to a vision of the United States returning to its traditional aversion to commitments outside the Western Hemisphere. Wilson and Lodge’s personal dislike of each other poisoned any hopes for a compromise, and in March 1920, the Treaty and Covenant were defeated by a 49-35 Senate vote. Nine months later, Warren Harding was elected President on a platform opposing the League.
Henry Cabot Lodge
The United States never joined the League. Most historians hold that the League operated much less effectively without U.S. participation than it would have otherwise. However, even while rejecting membership, the Republican Presidents of the period, and their foreign policy architects, agreed with many of its goals. To the extent that Congress allowed, the Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover administrations associated the United States with League efforts on several issues. Constant suspicion in Congress, however, that steady U.S. cooperation with the League would lead to de facto membership prevented a close relationship between Washington and Geneva. Additionally, growing disillusionment with the Treaty of Versailles diminished support for the League in the United States and the international community. Wilson’s insistence that the Covenant be linked to the Treaty was a blunder; over time, the Treaty was discredited as unenforceable, short-sighted, or too extreme in its provisions, and the League’s failure either to enforce or revise it only reinforced U.S. congressional opposition to working with the League under any circumstances. However, the coming of World War II once again demonstrated the need for an effective international organization to mediate disputes, and the United States public and the Roosevelt administration supported and became founding members of the new United Nations .
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Who was elected Prime Minister of Canada in 1921? | William Lyon Mackenzie King: Biography
Mackenzie King was first elected to the House of Commons in 1908.
He was appointed Minister of Labour in 1910.
He was defeated in the general elections of 1911 and 1917.
In 1919, Mackenzie King was elected Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
He was elected as the member of parliament for Prince, PEI in a by-election in 1919.
In the next general election in 1921, Mackenzie King was elected in the riding of North York in Ontario.
Mackenzie King was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada in 1921. He took the portfolio of Secretary of State for External Affairs at the same time.
In the 1925 general election Mackenzie King was defeated in North York, but remained as Prime Minister with the support of the Progressive Party.
He was elected in a by-election in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in 1926.
The Liberal government was faced with a customs scandal and Mackenzie King asked Governor General Byng to dissolve Parliament. Byng refused and appointed Arthur Meighen as prime minister. The Meighen government lost a non-confidence motion just a few days later and a general election was called in 1926.
The Liberals returned to power, and Mackenzie King was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada again in 1926.
The Liberals were defeated by the Conservatives in the general election of 1930 and R.B. Bennett became Prime Minister. Mackenzie King held on to his seat in Prince Albert and became Leader of the Opposition .
In the general election of 1935 the Liberals won a majority government . Mackenzie King was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada, again.
Canada declared war on Germany in 1939.
The Liberals won another majority government in 1940.
In 1945, the Liberals again won a majority government, but Mackenzie King was defeated in Prince Albert.
Mackenzie King was elected in a by-election in Glengarry, Ontario later in 1945.
In 1948, Mackenzie King resigned as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and as Prime Minister of Canada, but continued to sit as a member of parliament. Louis St. Laurent took over as Leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada.
Mackenzie King did not run in the 1949 general election.
| William Lyon Mackenzie King |
Who starred in 'A Countess From Hong Kong', his last film, in 1966? | Prime Ministers of Canada
prime ministers of Canada
There are about ten million sites on the net that could give you a list of all the prime ministers of Canada. However, the unique nature of the office merits a more comprehensive chart.
In this chart, I use the term "interim" to designate prime ministers who were never elected to office by the Canadian people, and simply held their position by virtue of party appointment. Once they win an election, they cease to be interim, although sometimes that never happened.
Blue signifies the "Conservative Party" (in whatever form the party was taking at the time) and red signifies the Liberal Party, obviously. The dark colors are used to signify prime ministers who were elected to their office.
#
July 1, 1867 - November 7, 1873
6 years, 4 months, 6 d.
2
November 7, 1873 - January 22, 1874
2 months , 15 d.
January 22, 1874 - October 17, 1878
4 years, 8 months, 26 d.
0
John A. MacDonald (2nd time)
October 17, 1878 - June 6, 1891
12 years, 7 months, 19 d.
4
June 6, 1891 - June 16, 1891
10 d.
June 16, 1891 - December 5, 1892
1 year, 5 months, 20 d.
0
December 5, 1892 - December 12, 1894
2 years, 7 d.
December 12, 1894 - December 21, 1894
9 d.
December 21, 1894 - May 1, 1896
1 year, 4 months, 11 d.
0
May 1, 1896 - July 11, 1896
2 months, 10 d.
July 11, 1896 - October 10, 1911
15 years, 2 months, 30 d.
4
Oct 10, 1911 - July 10, 1920
8 years, 9 months
July 10, 1920 - December 29, 1921*
1 year, 5 months
December 29, 1921 - June 28,1926
4 years, 5 months, 29 d.
2
Arthur Meighen (2nd time) (interim)�
June 28, 1926 - September 25, 1926
2 months, 27 d.
September 25, 1926 - August 7, 1930
3 years, 10 months, 13 days
1
August 7, 1930 - October 23, 1935
5 years, 2 months, 16 d.
1
October 23, 1935 - November 15, 1948
13 years, 22 d.
November 15, 1948 - June 27, 1949
7 months, 12 d.
June 27, 1949 - June 21, 1957
7 years, 11 months, 24 d.
2
June 21, 1957 - April 22, 1963
5 years, 10 months, 1 d.
3
April 22, 1963 - April 20, 1968
4 years, 11 months, 28 d.
1
April 20, 1968 - June 25, 1968
2 months, 5 d.
June 25, 1968 - June 4, 1979
10 years, 11 months, 19 d.
2
June 4, 1979 - March 3, 1980
8 months, 30 days
March 3, 1980 - June 30, 1984
4 years, 3 months, 27 d.
1
June 30, 1984 - September 17, 1984
2 months, 17 d.
September 17, 1984 - June 25, 1993
8 years, 9 months, 8 d.
2
June 25, 1993 - November 4, 1993
4 months, 9 d.
November 4, 1993 - December 12, 2003
10 years, 1 month, 8 d.
3
December 12, 2003 - June 28, 2004
6 months, 16 d.
June 28, 2004 - February 6, 2006
1 year, 7 months, 6 d.
0
February 6, 2006 - November 4, 2015
9 years, 8 months, 29 d.
3
1
Minority Governments
There have been a few cases in which a prime minister has not founnd himself in control of the majority of MPs in the House of Commons. Such a situation is known as a "minority government" and rarely lasts long before the opposition MPs decide to turn against the PM and force a no-confidence vote. Here is a timeline of Canada's minority governments:
#
November 7, 1873 - January 22, 1874
2 months , 15 d.
October 29, 1925- June 28,1926
7 months, 29 d.
June 28, 1926 - September 25, 1926
2 months, 27 d.
June 21, 1957 - March 31, 1958
9 months, 10 d.
June 18, 1962 - February 5, 1963
7 months, 15 d.
April 22, 1963 - November 8, 1965
2 years, 6 months, 16 d.
Election Call
November 8, 1965 - April 20, 1968
2 years, 5 months, 12 d.
Resigned
April 20, 1968 - June 25, 1968
2 months, 5 d.
October 30, 1972 - May 8, 1974
1 year, 6 months, 9 d.
No Confidence Vote
June 4, 1979 - December 13, 1979
6 months, 9 d.
June 28, 2004 - November 28, 2005
1 year, 5 months
February 6, 2006 - October 14, 2008
2 years, 8 months, 8 d.
Election Call
October 14, 2008 - March 25, 2011
2 years, 5 months, 11 d.
No Confidence Vote
� John A. resigned in 1873, and the governor general appointed opposition leader Alexander Mackenzie as prime minister to replace him. Mackenzie called elections shortly thereafter, which he won.
� In the aftermath of the 1925 election Mackenzie King was allowed to remain prime minister despite the fact that the Conservative Party had won more seats. In 1926 Mackenzie King tried to call an election but the governor general fired him and appointed Conservative leader Arthur Meighen prime minister instead.
� In determining the start and end of a minority governement I use the dates of election calls / no confidence votes as the end and the days of elections themselves as the start (if the PM is already the incumbent.)
NOTES:
The Canadian media generally refers to Justin Trudeau as the "23rd Prime Minister of Canada." This assumes that prime ministers don't count "twice" (or more) if they serve two (or more) non-consecutive terms.
Technically, there are no such things as "terms" for Canada's prime ministers. Brian Mulroney was not a "two-term" prime minister, he was just a prime minister who was elected twice. He only took the oath of office once. For the few "interim" prime ministers who were elected in their own right, I have used the date they won election as the date they ceased to be "interim." There may be a more formal date to use, such as the day the governor general officially asks them to "form government" but for the purposes of this chart, the date of an election seems sufficient.
Evem more data:
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Who succeeded Giscard D'Estaing in the French Presidential election of 1981? | Valéry Giscard d'Estaing - Metapedia
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
27 May 1974 – 21 May 1981
Prime Minister
29 June 1969 – 27 May 1974
Prime Minister
19 January 1962 – 8 January 1966
Prime Minister
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing (
French pronunciation:
[valeʁi maʁi ʁəne ʒɔʁʒ ʒiskaʁ dɛstɛ̃]
; born 2 February 1926) is a French centre - right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981. As of 2010 [update] , he is a member of the Constitutional Council of France .
His tenure as President was marked by a more liberal attitude on social issues – such as divorce , contraception , and abortion – and attempts to modernize the country and the office of the presidency, notably launching such far-reaching infrastructure projects as the high-speed TGV train and the turn towards reliance on nuclear power as France's main energy source. However, his popularity suffered from the economic downturn that followed the 1973 energy crisis , marking the end of the " thirty glorious years " after World War II , combined with the official discourse that the "end of the tunnel was near".
Giscard faced political opposition from both sides of the spectrum: from the newly unified left of François Mitterrand , and from a rising Jacques Chirac , who resurrected Gaullism on a right-wing opposition line. All this, as well as bad public relations , caused his unpopularity to grow at the end of his term, and he failed to secure re-election in 1981.
He is a proponent of the United States of Europe and, having limited his involvement in national politics after his defeat, he became involved with the European Union . He notably presided over the Convention on the Future of the European Union that drafted the ill-fated Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe . He took part, with a prominent role, in the annually held Bilderberg private conference.
He also became involved in the regional politics of Auvergne , serving as president of that region from 1986 to 2004. He was elected to the French Academy , taking the seat that his friend and former President of Senegal Léopold Sédar Senghor had held. As a former President, he is a member of the Constitutional Council . It is a prerogative that he has taken recently.
Contents
11 External links
Early life
Valéry Marie René Giscard d'Estaing was born in Koblenz , Germany , during the French occupation of the Rhineland . He is the elder son of Jean Edmond Lucien Giscard d'Estaing (1894–1982), a civil servant, and his wife, Marthe Clémence Jacqueline Marie (May) Bardoux, who was a daughter of senator and academic Achille Octave Marie Jacques Bardoux and a great-granddaughter of minister of state education Agénor Bardoux , also a granddaughter of historian Georges Picot and niece of diplomat François Georges-Picot , and also a great-great-great-granddaughter of King Louis XV of France by one of his mistresses , Catherine Eléonore Bernard (1740–1769) through his great-grandfather Marthe Camille Bachasson, Count of Montalivet , and by whom Giscard d'Estaing was a multiple descendant of Charlemagne .
Giscard had an older sister, Sylvie (1924–2008). He has a younger brother, Olivier , as well as two younger sisters: Isabelle (born 1935) and Marie-Laure (born 1939). Despite the addition of "d'Estaing" to the family name by his grandfather, Giscard is not descended from the extinct noble family of Vice-Admiral d'Estaing , that name being adopted by his grandfather in 1922 by reason of a distant connection to another branch of that family, [1] from which they were descended with two breaks in the male line from an illegitimate line of the Viscounts d'Estaing.
In 1948, he spent a year in Montreal where he worked as a teacher in Collège Stanislas . [2]
He studied at Lycée Blaise-Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand , École Gerson and Lycées Janson-de-Sailly and Louis-le-Grand in Paris. He graduated from the École Polytechnique and the École nationale d'administration (1949–1951). He acceded to the Tax and Revenue Service, then joined the staff of Prime Minister Edgar Faure (1955–1956).
Member of National Assembly
In 1956, he was elected to Parliament as a deputy for the Puy-de-Dôme département, in the domain of his maternal family. He joined the National Centre of Independents and Peasants (CNIP), a conservative grouping. After the proclamation of the Fifth Republic , the CNIP leader Antoine Pinay became Minister of Economy and Finance and chose him as Secretary of State for Finances from 1959 to 1962.
In government
Giscard with U.S. President John F. Kennedy at the White House , in Washington, D.C., 1962.
In 1962, while Valéry Giscard d'Estaing had been nominated Minister of Economy and Finance , his party broke with the Gaullists and left the majority coalition. The CNIP reproached President Charles de Gaulle with his euro-scepticism . But Giscard refused to resign and founded the Independent Republicans (RI). It was the small partner of the Gaullists in the "presidential majority".
However, in 1966, he was dismissed from the cabinet. He changed the RI in a political party, the National Federation of the Independent Republicans (FNRI), and founded the Perspectives and Realities Clubs . He did not leave the majority but became more critical. In this, he criticised the "solitary practice of the power" and summarised his position towards De Gaulle's policy by a "yes, but...". Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Finances , he harassed his successor in the cabinet.
For that reason the Gaullists refused to re-elect him in this function after the 1968 legislative election . In 1969, unlike most of FNRI’s elected officials, he advocated a "no" vote in the referendum about the regions and the Senate, while De Gaulle had announced his intention to resign if the "no" won. The Gaullists accused him of being largely responsible for De Gaulle's departure.
During the 1969 presidential campaign , he supported the winning candidate Georges Pompidou and returned to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. On the French political scene, he appeared as a young brilliant politician, and a preeminent expert in economic issues. He was representative of a new generation of politicians emerging from the senior civil service, whose profile was as "technocrats".
In 1974, after the sudden death of President Pompidou, he announced his candidacy for the presidency. His two main challengers were François Mitterrand for the left and Jacques Chaban-Delmas , a former Gaullist prime minister. Supported by his FNRI party, he obtained the rallying of the centrist Reforming Movement . Moreover, he benefited from the divisions in the Gaullist party. Jacques Chirac and other Gaullist personalities published the "Call of the 43" where they explained Giscard was the best candidate to prevent the election of Mitterrand. Giscard crushed Chaban-Delmas in the first round, and then on 20 May narrowly defeated Mitterrand in the second, receiving 50.7% of the vote. [3]
Presidency
In 1974, he was elected President of France at 48, the third youngest president in French history, after Louis Napoleon Bonaparte and Jean Casimir-Perier . He promised "change in continuity". He made clear his desire to introduce various reforms and modernise French society, which was an important part of his presidency. He for instance reduced from 21 to 18 the age of majority and pushed for the development of the TGV high speed train network and the Minitel , a precursor of the Internet. [4] In 1975, he invited the heads of government from West Germany , Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States to a summit in Rambouillet , to form the Group of Six (now the G8 , including Canada and Russia) major economic powers.
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing meeting with president of Germany Walter Scheel in 1975
He pursued a controversial course in foreign policy. In 1977, in the Opération Lamantin , he ordered fighter jets to deploy in Mauritania and go to war against the Polisario guerillas fighting against Mauritanian military occupation of Western Sahara . But not even overt military backing proved sufficient to rescue the French-installed Mauritanian leader Mokhtar Ould Daddah , as he was overthrown by his own army some time later, and a peace agreement was signed with the Sahrawi resistance .
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in 1979 with Helmut Schmidt , Jimmy Carter and James Callaghan at Guadeloupe .
Most controversial, however, was his involvement with the Bokassa regime of the Central African Republic and with a diamond smuggling scandal involving the dictator, by which he personally profited. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was at first a friend of its ruler, Jean-Bédel Bokassa ; he supplied Bokassa's regime with much financial and military backing. However, the growing unpopularity of that government led Giscard to begin distancing himself from Bokassa.
In 1979 French troops helped drive Bokassa out of power and restore former president David Dacko . This action was also controversial, particularly since Dacko was Bokassa’s cousin and had appointed Bokassa as head of the military, and unrest continued in the Central African Republic, leading to Dacko being overthrown in another coup in 1981.
In a related incident, Giscard was reported by the Canard Enchaîné to have accepted diamonds as personal gifts from Bokassa – who fled to France with looted millions from the Central African Republic's treasury, but was still given asylum in France. Legally, official gifts to the President are property of the Republic of France, not the President; Giscard supporters contended that the diamonds were industrial-grade and thus had no sizeable monetary value.
In home policy, the president’s reforms worried the conservative electorate and the Gaullist party. A rivalry appeared with his prime minister Jacques Chirac, who resigned in 1976. Raymond Barre , called the "best economist in France", succeeded him. He led a policy of strictness in a context of economic crisis (Plan Barre). Unemployment grew.
Unexpectedly, the right-wing coalition won the 1978 legislative election . Nevertheless, relations with Chirac, who had founded the Rally for the Republic (RPR), became more tense. VGE reacted by founding a centre-right confederation, the Union for French Democracy (UDF).
Giscard was defeated in the 1981 presidential election by Mitterrand . At the time, Chirac ran against Giscard in the first round of runoff voting and declined to call his voters to elect Giscard, though he declared that he himself would vote for Giscard. Since then, Giscard has always attributed his defeat to Chirac, and he is widely said to loathe Chirac. Certainly, on many occasions, Giscard has criticised Chirac's policies, despite supporting Chirac's governing coalition.
Although he said he had "deep aversion against capital punishment" and in his 1974 campaign proclaimed his opposition to the death penalty, [5] he did not commute three of the death sentences that he had to decide upon during his presidency (although he did so in several other occasions), keeping France as the last country in the European Union to apply the death penalty. These executions would be the last ever in France .
After 1981 defeat
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in 1986
After his defeat, he retired temporarily from politics. In 1984, he regained his seat in Parliament and won the presidency of the regional council of Auvergne . In this position, he tried to encourage tourism to the région , founding the "European Centre of Volcanology" and theme park Vulcania .
In 1982, along with his friend Gerald Ford , he co-founded the annual AEI World Forum .
He hoped to become prime minister of France during the first " cohabitation " (1986–88) or after the reelection of Mitterrand with the theme of "France united", but he was not chosen for this position. During the 1988 presidential campaign , he refused to choose publicly between the two right-wing candidates, his two former Prime Ministers Jacques Chirac and Raymond Barre . This attitude was interpreted as indicating that he wanted to regain the UDF leadership.
Indeed, he served as President of the UDF from 1988 to 1996, but he was faced with the rise of a new generation of politicians called the "renovationmen". Most of the UDF politicians supported the candidacy of the RPR Prime minister Édouard Balladur at the 1995 presidential election , but Giscard supported his old rival Jacques Chirac, who won the election. That same year Giscard suffered a humiliating defeat when he was defeated in a bid for the mayoralty of Clermont-Ferrand .
In 2000, he made a parliamentary proposal to reduce the length of a presidential term from 7 to 5 years. President Chirac held a referendum on this issue, and the "yes" side won. He did not run for a new parliamentary term in 2002. His son Louis Giscard d'Estaing was elected in his constituency.
Following his defeat in the regional elections of March 2004 , he decided to leave partisan politics and to take his seat in the Constitutional Council as a former president of the Republic. Some of his actions there, such as his campaign in favour of the Treaty establishing the European Constitution, were criticised as unbecoming to a member of this council, which should embody nonpartisanship and should not appear to favour one political option over the other. Indeed, the question of the membership of former presidents in the Council was raised at this point, with some suggesting that it should be replaced by a life membership in the Senate . [6] [7]
In 2003, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was admitted to the Académie française , amid controversy; critics pointed out that Giscard had written only a single novel, Le Passage, of dubious quality.
He has also served on the Trilateral Commission after being president, writing papers with Henry Kissinger .
He is currently serving as:
A member of the Académie française (French Academy)
As a de jure member of the French Constitutional Council
European activities
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing has, throughout his political career, always been a proponent of greater European union. In 1978, he was for this reason the obvious target of Jacques Chirac 's Call of Cochin , denouncing the "party of the foreigners".
From 2002 to 2003 he served as President of the Convention on the Future of Europe .
On 29 October 2004, the European heads of state, gathered in Rome, approved and signed the European Constitution based on a draft strongly influenced by Giscard's work at the Convention.
Although the Constitution was rejected by French voters in May 2005, Giscard continued to actively lobby for its passage in other European Union states. Speaking at the London School of Economics on 28 February 2006, he said that, "The rejection of the Constitutional treaty by voters in France was a mistake that should be corrected."
From 2008 he is the Honorary President of the Permanent Platform of Atomium Culture , an innovative structure composed of some of the most authoritative universities, newspapers and businesses in Europe for the selection, exchange and dissemination of the most innovative European research, to increase the movement of knowledge across borders, across sectors and to the public at large. [9] On 27 November 2009 he publicly launched the Permanent Platform of Atomium Culture during its first conference, held at the European Parliament, [10] declaring that "European intelligence could be at the very root of the identity of the European people" . [11] A few days before he signed, together with the President of Atomium Culture Michelangelo Baracchi Bonvicini , the European Manifesto of Atomium Culture .
Giscard and the Irish Lisbon Treaty referendum
Giscard gained some notoriety in the June 2008 Irish vote on the Lisbon Treaty. One quote of his in particular, from an article he wrote for Le Monde [12] and published in that newspaper on 15 June 2007, that "public opinion will be led to adopt, without knowing it, the proposals we dare not present to them directly", was consistently highlighted by "No" campaigners as evidence of an alleged insidious agenda to fool the European public into accepting the text. Although the quote is accurate, it was part of a critique, taken out of context, of a suggestion made by some unnamed persons. In the next paragraph Giscard goes on to reject the idea of this course of action by saying, "This approach of 'divide and ratify' is clearly unacceptable. Perhaps it is a good exercise in presentation. But it would confirm to European citizens the notion that European construction is a procedure organised behind their backs by lawyers and diplomats."
In the following paragraphs he goes on to appeal for an "honest treaty" and "total transparency" to allow citizens to hear the debate for themselves.
Political career
Member of the Constitutional Council of France : Since 2004.
Governmental functions
Secretary of State for Finances : 1959–1962.
Minister of Finances and Economic Affairs : 1962–1966.
Minister of Economy and Finances : 1969–1974.
Minister of State, minister of Economy and Finances : March–May 1974 (Resignation, became President of the French Republic in 1974)
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
Member of European Parliament : 1989–1993 (Reelected member of the National Assembly of France in 1993).
National Assembly of France
Member of the National Assembly of France for Puy-de-Dôme : 1956–1959 (Became minister in 1959) / Reelected in 1962, but he stays minister / 1967–1969 (Became minister in 1969) / Reelected in 1973, but he stays minister / 1984–1989 (Became member of European Parliament in 1989) / 1993–2002. Elected in 1956, reelected in 1958, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1973.
Regional Council
President of the Regional Council of Auvergne (region) : 1986–2004. Reelected in 1992, 1998.
Regional councillor of Auvergne (region) : 1986–2004. Reelected in 1992, 1998.
General Council
General councillor of Puy-de-Dôme : 1958–1974 (Resignation, became President of the French Republic in 1974) / 1982–1988 (Resignation). Reelected in 1964, 1970, 1982.
Municipal Council
Mayor of Chamalières : 1967–1974 (Resignation, Became President of the French Republic in 1974). Reelected in 1971.
Municipal councillor of Chamalières : 1967–1977. Reelected in 1971.
Political functions
President of the National Federation of the Independent Republicans ( Independent Republicans ) : 1966–1974 (Became President of the French Republic in 1974).
President of the Union for French Democracy : 1988–1996.
Personal life
His name is often shortened to "VGE" by the French media . A less flattering nickname is l'Ex (the Ex ), used mostly by the weekly satirical newspaper Le Canard enchaîné . He was the only surviving ex-president since he left office until the end of Jacques Chirac 's term on 16 May 2007, with the exception of a brief period between François Mitterrand's retirement in 1995 and death in early 1996.
On 17 December 1952, Giscard married his cousin Anne-Aymone Sauvage de Brantes , a daughter of Count François Sauvage de Brantes, who died in a concentration camp in 1944, and his wife, the former Princess Aymone de Faucigny-Lucinge . Their children are: Valérie-Anne, Henri (Edmond Marie Valéry), Louis (Joachim Marie François) and Jacinte (Marguerite Marie). Louis is a French conservative Representative; Henri is the President of the tourism company Club Méditerranée .
Giscard's private life was the source of many rumors at both national and international level. His family did not live in the presidential palace with him and his nocturnal escapades were reported by publications such as Le Monde , The Economist and the International Herald Tribune . In 1974, Le Monde reported that he used to leave a sealed letter stating his whereabouts in case of emergency. [13]
In 2003 he received the Charlemagne Award of the German city of Aachen . He is also a Knight of Malta .
He is an uncle of artist Aurore Giscard d'Estaing , who was married to American actor Timothy Hutton .
He travels the world giving speeches on European union. During a visit to Ireland, d'Estaing was made an Honorary Patron of the University Philosophical Society , Trinity College, Dublin .
In 2005 he and his brother bought the castle of Estaing , a famous place in the French district of Aveyron and formerly a possession of the above mentioned admiral d'Estaing who was beheaded in 1794. The castle is not used as a residence but it has symbolic value. The two brothers explained that the purchase, supported by the local municipality, is an act of patronage. However a number of major newspapers in several countries questioned their motives and some hinted at self-appointed nobility and a usurped historical identity. [14]
Giscard wrote his second romantic novel, published on 1 October 2009 in France, entitled The Princess and The President. It tells the story of a French head of state having a romantic liaison with a character called Patricia, Princess of Cardiff. This fuelled rumours that the piece of fiction was based on a real-life liaison between Giscard and Diana, Princess of Wales . [15] He later stressed that the story was entirely made up and no such affair had happened. [16]
See also
| François Mitterrand |
Who did Rocky Marciano beat to take the world heavyweight championship in 1952? | Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (Politician) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Male
Born Feb 2, 1926
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centrist politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981. As of 2010, he is a member of the Constitutional Council of France.
related links
Former French Leader Reveals Panda Attack
Huffington Post - May 24, 2013
'\n Pandas may appear warm and fluffy, but they can also be prone to act aggressively when threatened, as one French leader learned. \n\n Valery Giscard d\'Estaing, a former French president, recalled being attacked by a panda decades earlier while still in office to reporters at an event in France earlier this week. The 87-year-old said he was jumped by a panda when he dared to enter its cage while visiting his daughter who was interning at the Vincennes Zoo. \n\n \"I wanted to demo...
Ft Column: Blame The Great Men For Europeâs Crisis
Ft.com Financial Times Blogs - Oct 01, 2012
' By Gideon Rachman âThis is what you have to do, if you want the people to build statues of you on horseback.â Valéry Giscard dâEstaing was doubtless being whimsical when he urged his colleagues to make bold decisions about the future of Europe. But the former French presidentâs remark offers a telling insight into the mentality that created the great euro-mess of today. Continue reading »'
Presidential Suite
Ft.com Financial Times Blogs - Sep 12, 2012
'French statesman Valéry Giscard dâEstaingâs collections go under the hammer as the château market feels the pinch, writes Gareth Harris'
Robin Koerner: An Inflation Inflection And The Best Trillion We Shouldn't Spend
Huffington Post - Aug 13, 2012
'\n In the 1960s, Valéry Giscard d\'Estaing, then the French Minister of Finance, coined the term \"exorbitant privilege\" to refer to the special benefits enjoyed by the USA by virtue of the fact that it is the issuer of the world\'s reserve currency. \n\n Most Americans remain largely unaware of what these short-term benefits are and the long-term fall for which they have set us up. \n\n Pre-1971, it made sense for countries to hold dollars as foreign reserves because the dollars ...
Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
CHILDHOOD
1926 Birth Valéry Marie René Giscard d'Estaing was born on 2 February 1926 in Koblenz, Germany, during the French occupation of the Rhineland. … Read More
He is the elder son of Jean Edmond Lucien Giscard d'Estaing (1894â1982), a high-ranking civil servant, and his wife, Marthe Clémence Jacqueline Marie (May) Bardoux, who was a daughter of senator and academic Achille Octave Marie Jacques Bardoux and a great-granddaughter of minister of state education Agénor Bardoux, also a grandson of historian Georges Picot and niece of diplomat François Georges-Picot, and also a great-great-great-granddaughter of King Louis XV of France by one of his mistresses, Catherine Eléonore Bernard (1740â1769) through her great-grandfather Marthe Camille Bachasson, Count of Montalivet, and by whom Giscard d'Estaing was a multiple descendant of Charlemagne.<br /><br /> Giscard had an older sister, Sylvie (1924â2008). He has a younger brother, Olivier, as well as two younger sisters: Isabelle (born 1935) and Marie-Laure (born 1939). Despite the addition of "d'Estaing" to the family name by his grandfather, Giscard is not descended from the extinct noble family of Vice-Admiral d'Estaing, that name being adopted by his grandfather in 1922 by reason of a distant connection to another branch of that family, from which they were descended with two breaks in the male line from an illegitimate line of the Viscounts d'Estaing. Read Less
TWENTIES
1948 22 Years Old In 1948, he spent a year in Montreal, Canada, where he worked as a teacher at Collège Stanislas. … Read More
He studied at Lycée Blaise-Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand, Ãcole Gerson and Lycées Janson-de-Sailly and Louis-le-Grand in Paris. He graduated from the Ãcole Polytechnique and the Ãcole nationale d'administration (1949â1951) and chose to enter the prestigious Inspection des finances. He acceded to the Tax and Revenue Service, then joined the staff of Prime Minister Edgar Faure (1955â1956). He is fluent in German. Read Less
1952 26 Years Old On 17 December 1952, Giscard married his cousin Anne-Aymone Sauvage de Brantes, a daughter of Count François Sauvage de Brantes, who had died in a concentration camp in 1944, and his wife, the former Princess Aymone de Faucigny-Lucinge. … Read More
Their children are: Valérie-Anne, Henri (Edmond Marie Valéry), Louis (Joachim Marie François) and Jacinte (Marguerite Marie). Louis was a French conservative Representative; Henri is the President of the tourism company Club Méditerranée.<br /><br /> Giscard's private life was the source of many rumors at both national and international level. His family did not live in the presidential palace, and The Independent reported on his affairs with women. In 1974, Le Monde reported that he used to leave a sealed letter stating his whereabouts in case of emergency.<br /><br /> He is an uncle of artist Aurore Giscard d'Estaing, who was formerly married to American actor Timothy Hutton.<br /><br /> In 2005 he and his brother bought the castle of Estaing, a famous place in the French district of Aveyron and formerly a possession of the above-mentioned admiral d'Estaing who was beheaded in 1794. The castle is not used as a residence but it has symbolic value. The two brothers explained that the purchase, supported by the local municipality, is an act of patronage. However, a number of major newspapers in several countries questioned their motives and some hinted at self-appointed nobility and a usurped historical identity. Read Less
THIRTIES
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In 1956, he was elected to Parliament as a deputy for the Puy-de-Dôme département, in the domain of his maternal family. … Read More
He joined the National Centre of Independents and Peasants (CNIP), a conservative grouping. After the proclamation of the Fifth Republic, the CNIP leader Antoine Pinay became Minister of Economy and Finance and chose him as Secretary of State for Finances from 1959 to 1962. Read Less
Member of the National Assembly of France for Puy-de-Dôme: 1956â1959 (Became minister in 1959) / Reelected in 1962, but he stays minister / 1967â1969 (Became minister in 1969) / Reelected in 1973, but he stays minister / 1984â1989 (Became member of European Parliament in 1989) / 1993â2002. Elected in 1956, reelected in 1958, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1973. Regional Council President of the Regional Council of Auvergne (region): 1986â2004. Reelected in 1992, 1998. Regional councillor of Auvergne (region): 1986â2004. Reelected in 1992, 1998. General Council General councillor of Puy-de-Dôme: 1958â1974 (Resignation, became President of the French Republic in 1974) / 1982â1988 (Resignation). Reelected in 1964, 1970, 1982. Municipal Council Mayor of Chamalières: 1967â1974 (Resignation, Became President of the French Republic in 1974). Reelected in 1971. Municipal councillor of Chamalières: 1967â1977. Reelected in 1971. Political functions President of the National Federation of the Independent Republicans (Independent Republicans): 1966â1974 (Became President of the French Republic in 1974). President of the Union for French Democracy: 1988â1996. … Read More
Giscard's name is often shortened to "VGE" by the French media. A less flattering nickname is l'Ex (the Ex), used mostly by the weekly satirical newspaper Le Canard enchaîné. Read Less
1962 36 Years Old In 1962, while Giscard had been nominated Minister of Economy and Finance, his party broke with the Gaullists and left the majority coalition. … Read More
The CNIP reproached President Charles de Gaulle for his euro-scepticism. But Giscard refused to resign and founded the Independent Republicans (RI), which became the junior partner of the Gaullists in the "presidential majority". Read Less
FORTIES
1966 40 Years Old However, in 1966, he was dismissed from the cabinet. … Read More
He transformed the RI into a political party, the National Federation of the Independent Republicans (FNRI), and founded the Perspectives and Realities Clubs. He did not leave the majority, but became more critical. In this, he criticised the "solitary practice of the power" and summarised his position towards De Gaulle's policy by a "yes, but ". As chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Finances, he harassed his successor in the cabinet.<br /><br /> For that reason the Gaullists refused to re-elect him to that position after the 1968 legislative election. Read Less
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In 1974, after the sudden death of President Pompidou, Giscard announced his candidacy for the presidency. … Read More
His two main challengers were François Mitterrand for the left and Jacques Chaban-Delmas, a former Gaullist Prime Minister. Supported by his FNRI party, he obtained the rallying of the centrist Reforming Movement. Moreover, he benefited from the divisions in the Gaullist party. Jacques Chirac and other Gaullist personalities published the "Call of the 43" where they explained that Giscard was the best candidate to prevent the election of Mitterrand. In the election, Giscard finished well ahead of Chaban-Delmas in the first round, though coming second to Mitterrand. In the run-off on 20 May, however, Giscard narrowly defeated Mitterrand, receiving 50.7% of the vote.<br /><br /> In Giscard was elected President of France, defeating Socialist candidate François Mitterrand by 425,000 votesâstill the closest election in French history. At 48, he was the third youngest president in French history at the time, after Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte and Jean Casimir-Perier. He promised "change in continuity". He made clear his desire to introduce various reforms and modernise French society, which was an important part of his presidency. He for instance reduced from 21 to 18 the age of majority and pushed for the development of the TGV high speed train network and the Minitel, a precursor of the Internet. He promoted nuclear power, as a way to assert French independence. In 1975 he invited the heads of government from West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States to a summit in Rambouillet, to form the Group of Six major economic powers (now the G7, including Canada). Read Less
In home policy, the presidentâs reforms worried the conservative electorate and the Gaullist party, especially the law by Simone Veil legalizing abortion. Although he said he had "deep aversion against capital punishment", Giscard claimed in his 1974 campaign that he would apply the death penalty to people committing the most heinous crimes. … Read More
He did not commute three of the death sentences that he had to decide upon during his presidency (although he did so in several other occasions), keeping France as the last country in the European Union to apply the death penalty. These executions would be the last ever in France and, had executions not resumed in the United States, the last in the Western world, as was the case until 1979 when John Spenkelink was executed by Florida. Death sentences were continually handed out in France for the remaining four years of Giscard's term but were all commuted in 1981, when capital punishment was abolished. Read Less
1975 49 Years Old In 1975 Giscard pressured the future King of Spain Juan Carlos to leave Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet out of his crowning ceremony by stating that if Pinochet attended he would not. … Read More
Being told by Juan Carlos to not attend Pinochet left Spain having only attended the funeral of Francisco Franco during his visit. Although France received many Chilean political refugees, it also secretly collaborated with Pinochet. French journalist Marie-Monique Robin has shown how Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's government secretly collaborated with Videla's junta in Argentina and with Augusto Pinochet's regime in Chile. Read Less
FIFTIES
1976 - 1979 3 More Events
1976 50 Years Old A rivalry arose with his Prime Minister Jacques Chirac, who resigned in 1976. … Read More
Raymond Barre, called the "best economist in France" at the time, succeeded him. He led a policy of strictness in a context of economic crisis ("Plan Barre").<br /><br /> Unexpectedly, the right-wing coalition won the 1978 legislative election. Nevertheless, relations with Chirac, who had founded the Rally for the Republic (RPR), became more tense. Giscard reacted by founding a centre-right confederation, the Union for French Democracy (UDF). Read Less
1977 51 Years Old In 1977, in the Opération Lamantin, he ordered fighter jets to deploy in Mauritania and go to war against the Polisario guerrillas fighting against Mauritanian military occupation of Western Sahara. … Read More
But not even overt military backing proved sufficient to rescue the French-installed Mauritanian leader Mokhtar Ould Daddah, as he was overthrown by his own army some time later, and a peace agreement was signed with the Sahrawi resistance.<br /><br /> Most controversial however was his involvement with the regime of Jean-Bédel Bokassa in the Central African Republic. Giscard was initially a friend of Bokassa, and supplied the regime. However, the growing unpopularity of that government led Giscard to begin distancing himself from Bokassa. Read Less
1979 53 Years Old In 1979 French troops helped drive Bokassa out of power and restore former president David Dacko. This action was also controversial, particularly since Dacko was Bokassaâs cousin and had appointed Bokassa as head of the military, and unrest continued in the Central African Republic leading to Dacko being overthrown in another coup in 1981. … Read More
In a related incident Giscard was reported by the Canard Enchaîné to have accepted diamonds as personal gifts from Bokassa â who fled to France with looted millions from the Central African Republic's treasury but was still given asylum in France. Legally, official gifts to the President are property of the Republic of France, not the President; Giscard supporters contended that the diamonds were industrial-grade and thus had no sizeable monetary value. Read Less
1981 55 Years Old In the 1981 presidential election, Giscard took a severe blow to his support when Chirac ran against Giscard in the first round. … Read More
Chirac finished third and refused to recommend that his supporters back Giscard in the runoff, though he declared that he himself would vote for Giscard. Giscard lost to Mitterrand by 3 points in the runoff, and since then has blamed Chirac for his defeat. To this day, it is widely said that Giscard loathes Chirac. Certainly on many occasions Giscard has criticised Chirac's policies despite supporting Chirac's governing coalition. Read Less
1982 56 Years Old In 1982, along with his friend Gerald Ford, he co-founded the annual AEI World Forum. … Read More
He took part, with a prominent role, in the annual Bilderberg private conference. He has also served on the Trilateral Commission after being president, writing papers with Henry Kissinger.<br /><br /> He hoped to become Prime Minister of France during the first "cohabitation" (1986â88) or after the reelection of Mitterrand with the theme of "France united", but he was not chosen for this position. Read Less
1984 58 Years Old After his defeat, Giscard retired temporarily from politics. In 1984, he regained his seat in Parliament and won the presidency of the regional council of Auvergne. … Read More
In this position, he tried to encourage tourism to the région, founding the "European Centre of Volcanology" and theme park Vulcania. Read Less
LATE ADULTHOOD
1986 60 Years Old As a former President, he is a member of the Constitutional Council. He became involved in the regional politics of Auvergne, serving as president of that region from 1986 to 2004. … Read More
Involved with the European Union, he notably presided over the Convention on the Future of Europe that drafted the ill-fated Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. Read Less
| i don't know |
In what year did British women first get the vote? | Women get the vote - UK Parliament
Women get the vote
Women and the Lords
Women get the vote
During 1916-1917, the House of Commons Speaker, James William Lowther, chaired a conference on electoral reform which recommended limited women's suffrage.
Influential consideration
Only 58% of the adult male population was eligible to vote before 1918. An influential consideration, in addition to the suffrage movement and the growth of the Labour Party, was the fact that only men who had been resident in the country for 12 months prior to a general election were entitled to vote.
This effectively disenfranchised a large number of troops who had been serving overseas in the war. With a general election imminent, politicians were persuaded to extend the vote to all men and some women at long last.
Representation of the People Act 1918
In 1918 the Representation of the People Act was passed which allowed women over the age of 30 who met a property qualification to vote. Although 8.5 million women met this criteria, it only represented 40 per cent of the total population of women in the UK.
The same act abolished property and other restrictions for men, and extended the vote to all men over the age of 21. Additionally, men in the armed forces could vote from the age of 19. The electorate increased from eight to 21 million, but there was still huge inequality between women and men.
Equal Franchise Act 1928
It was not until the Equal Franchise Act of 1928 that women over 21 were able to vote and women finally achieved the same voting rights as men. This act increased the number of women eligible to vote to 15 million.
| 1918 |
The bells were ringing for Chuck Berry when this song made it to No1. His first and only British No. 1. What song? | General History of Women’s Suffrage in Britain | The Independent
General History of Women’s Suffrage in Britain
Monday 27 May 2013 23:01 BST
Click to follow
The Independent Online
This mostly covers events of the 20th century.
One of the most important aspects of women’s suffrage in Britain was the sheer number of organisations established in favour of women’s suffrage and the factionalised nature of the movement. Although diversity of opinion tended to be in action (pacifist vs. militant), rather than party allegiance (Fawcett said “women’s suffrage had never been a party question”), many groups in favour of women’s suffrage were also politically aligned to certain parties, or other campaigns.
Both Parliament UK and the British Library claim that there were seventeen societies in favour of suffrage for women that came together in the late 19th century to form the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. Parliament UK claims they united in 1897, the British Library claims 1887, although this appears to be an error on the part of the British Library website, as all other sources consulted say 1897. Parliament UK also claims that “by 1913 nearly five hundred regional suffrage societies had joined, making the NUWSS a most influential alliance.”
The following list I have compiled gives a good guidance as to the vast number of groups in support of (if not solely dedicated to) women’s suffrage in Britain in the late 19th and early 20th century. Below are the founding dates of some of the more prominent of these groups.
In 1851, the Sheffield Female Political Association was formed and brought a petition in support of enfranchising women to the House of Lords
In 1865, the Kensington Society was founded as a discussion space for supporters of enfranchising women
In 1867, the Manchester Suffrage Committee was founded (a precedent for Manchester’s pivotal role in the suffrage movement)
Also in 1867, the Kensington Society became the London National Society for Women’s Suffrage
In 1871/2 the Central Committee of the National Society for Women's Suffrage was established
In 1883, the Primrose League (a Conservative group) were established
In 1886 the Women’s Liberal Federation was formed
In 1889, the Women’s Franchise League was formed
In 1897, the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) was established (three years later their leader would be Millicent Garret Fawcett)
In 1903, the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) was formed by Emmeline Pankhurst
In 1906, the National Federation of Women Workers is established
Interestingly, Millicent Garrett Fawcett cites party-affiliated women’s suffrage organisations (such as the Primrose League and the Women’s Liberal Federation) as essential to the fight to enfranchise women: “the organised political work of women has grown since 1884, and has become so valuable that none of the parties can afford to do without it or to alienate it.”
It is also important to note that women’s suffrage in Britain did not leap from no voting rights at all to full suffrage, but that there were many bills taken to parliament and many small gains ahead of the 1918 declaration of suffrage for women, and then the declaration of full suffrage for women in 1928. These included:
The year 1880 saw suffrage granted to women on the Isle of Man, at first to women “freeholders” and then, a few years’ later, extended to include women “householders”.
At the 1884 carrying of the Reform Bill, efforts were made to include women’s suffrage in the extension of franchise to agricultural labourers. However, it was rejected, although notably not by a unanimous ‘no’ from the House: although Fawcett calls it a “crushing defeat”, it may surprise people today to learn that it lost by 135 votes to 271.
A petition of 37,000 signatures demanding the enfranchisement of women, which was taken to parliament by a group of women’s textile workers from Northern counties of England in 1902
In 1907 the Qualification of Women Act rules that women can be elected to the positions of mayor, and onto borough and county councils
Prominent aspects of the fight for women’s suffrage in Britain
Suffragists and Suffragettes
The Suffragists and the Suffragettes are two very different, and often very divided movements. The suffragists was the broader term referring to the supporters of suffrage for women, more specifically the members of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), formed in 1897 and led for the majority by Millicent Garrett Fawcett. NUWSS aimed to achieve enfranchisement for women by peaceful and legal means, such as bringing petitions and Bills to parliament, and distributing literature for their Cause.
NUWSS was growing constantly, bringing in large membership figures, but in 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst, frustrated at the lack of progress made in getting women the vote, along with her daughters Sylvia, Christabel and Adela, established the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), the members of which became known as the suffragettes (around 1906, after a Daily Mail article coined the phrase). Dora Montefiore noted that the WSPU “revolted against the inertia and conventionalism which seemed to have fastened upon... the NUWSS”, and certainly its aims were to employ more militant, public, and illegal tactics, although moreso after 1905 when it was clear media interest in the fight for suffrage was waning. Their motto was ‘Deeds not Words’, and, unlike the majority of other groups in support of women’s suffrage, they refused to join NUWSS.
They also strived for women to be able to vote on the same par with men, as opposed to full unconditional suffrage for women. Ada Nield Chew wrote to The Clarion in 1904, criticising this policy, because “the entire class of wealthy women would be enfranchised, that the great body of working women, married or single, would be voteless still”, but to many suffragettes it was simply the only realistic aim. It was at a meeting in October 1905, during which Christabel and Annie Kenney repeatedly shouted ‘will the Liberal government give votes to women?’ over the top of a speech by Sir Edward Grey, then assaulted police officers when asked to leave, that the first arrests were made in the name of suffrage for women.
There were great issues of class within WSPU, for, although they worked in conjunction with the Independent Labour Party, it has been noted that (increasingly under Christabel’s leadership) the movement found Cause with middle class, rather than working class women. Again, it is important to note the idea that they fought for equal votes to that of men, who had themselves yet to receive full suffrage, and it was a deeply class-ridden issue.
The Pankhursts
The founders of WSPU and by far the most famed of all women working towards suffrage in the 19th and 20th century were Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters, particularly Christabel and Syliva. From these women come many of the best first-hand accounts of the movement, two of which are cited in this research. Leadership was an important issue in WSPU, dictating their stance, militant actions and publications at the time (for example, Christabel’s leadership saw their publication The Suffragette lauding the advantages of secret arson – although the militant nature of WSPU meant Christabel’s leadership was plagued by freelance militancy she struggled to control). The Pankhursts suffered a family split in 1913, when Adela and Sylvia were dismissed from WSPU, Sylvia for her participation in the East London Federation of Suffragettes. This rift was never solved, with Emmeline even publicly declaring that she “strongly repudiate[d]” Sylvia’s political actions.
Hunger Striking and Force Feeding
During their imprisonments, suffragettes underwent hunger strikes in protest. The iron resolution of the women during the hunger strikes was renowned, even though delicious and often quite decadent food (“food such as I had never before seen”) was brought to and left in the cell with the prisoners to tempt them. Prisoners would lose serious amounts of weight in prison (Davison claimed she “lost 1½ stone” after 124 hours of fasting during one of her imprisonments). The government’s response to these hunger strikes was to force feed the prisoners; a practice of which, admittedly, I did not realise the full “barbaric” and brutal nature until this research. Indeed, Christabel Pankhurst said that, “from the moment that women had consented to prison, hunger-strikes, and forcible feeding as the price of the vote, the vote really was theirs”. Morley and Stanley, Davison’s biographers rightly point out that forcible feeding was so awful that “anyone who has read a description of forcible feeding by one of the women who underwent it, such as Sylvia Pankhurst’s well-known account, and has any empathy or imagination at all, will reject with disgust the government’s argument that forcible feeding was not dangerous and was carried out for caring reasons and in a caring spirit only.” Emily Davison’s “suicide attempt” in the Holloway prison was known to have been enacted in the hope of escaping forcible feeding, and, having read various accounts of the horror of having a “steel or a wooden gag” forced into the mouth so that one’s jaws were “forced painfully wide”, a large tube put down your throat and food poured down it (which many vomited back up), ideas of this being some sort of extreme or unbalanced action vanish (C. Pankhurst).
Perhaps the most famous account of the force feeding was written by Sylvia Pankhurst, an extract of which reads as follows;
“My gums, when they prised them open, were always sore and bleeding, with bits of loose, jagged flesh... sometimes the tube was coughed up three or four times before they finally got it down. Sometimes, but not often – I was generally too much agitated by then – I felt the tube go right down into the stomach; a sickening, terrifying sensation, especially when it reached the breast. My shoulders were bruised, my back ached during the night... Infinitely worse than the pain was the sense of degradation”
Lady Constance Lytton, who regularly escaped the horrendous ordeal of force feeding due to a health condition, set out to prove that it was only because she was of upper class status that her condition was taken into account ahead of force feeding. She was arrested in disguise as a working class woman ‘Jane Warton’, and, true to her suspicions, believing her to be working class, the prison authorities neither performed a full medical examination of her, nor took her heart condition into account.
Cat and Mouse Act
In order to combat this inconvenience of having to release the women, the government introduced the infamous ‘Cat and Mouse Act’ in 1913. The Act’s official name, the ‘Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act’ highlights its major purpose: to facilitate the re-arrest of suffragettes after they had recuperated from their ‘illness’ from hunger-striking. They also moved to drop force-feeding within this Act, the policy being instead to wait until the hunger-striker under arrest was at a critical stage of weakness (not force feeding them as before), before releasing them to get back to health, and (they thought) re-arrest them afterwards, although this proved far harder to enact than the government had anticipated. The Act effectively meant that the government could shirk responsibility of any harm done to the suffragettes in jail, by hunger-strike for example, including death (the Home Secretary at the time is reported as having said, “let the prisoners die”). The nickname ‘Cat and Mouse Act’ highlights the move around that time to sympathy for the suffragettes, who the public perceived as being cruelly played with by the government in the countless re-arrests and poor treatment of the women, much as a cat would torture a mouse. The Act was “a statutory memorial” of the government’s “lamentable treatment of women”, and it is credited with at least part of the Liberal party’s decline in popularity in the early 20th century.
Militancy
I have mostly covered militancy within the more extensive research into Emily Wilding Davison, including the various acts of militancy (bombings, arson and stone-throwing), although: a word on the first militant acts, of chaining themselves to railings. I was surprised to learn (although I feel I should have suspected) that, upon chaining themselves to railings of various public buildings, as they regularly did in some of their early acts of militancy, the suffragettes suffered sexual assault at the hands of men of the public and police. Sylvia Pankhurst says of Black Friday also that many women were “subjected to ill-usage” and that “the cry went round: ‘Be careful; they are dragging women down the side streets!’ We knew this always meant greater ill-usage”.
It should also be noted, that, alongside the more “violent” militancy (roughly post-1912), there were many large-scale rallies, two of the most important of which were the 1908 and 1913 rallies in Hyde Park. 250,000 people attended in 1908.
Much has been made of the difference between public perception of female militants and male militants. The suffragettes were held to blame for men’s actions in assaulting them: “Women’s claims [to the right to vote] were justified and the action they wanted to take was perfectly reasonable; what was unjustified and unreasonable were the reactions of men (who often seized the opportunity to punch and kick and claw and also to sexually assault with impunity)... It is interesting that in criticisms of violence it is the WSPU women who are effectively blamed for men’s violence towards them”. The women chaining themselves to railings were deemed “silly”, to which Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence replied, “doing something silly is the woman’s alternative to doing something cruel. The effect is the same. We use no violence because we can win freedom without it; because we have discovered an alternative”. It was also argued by many suffragettes, Sylvia included, that the punishment did not tend to fit the crime, “it was a scandal four of us should be serving five months in all for [breaking] one little £3 window; that the Government had had their pound of flesh, and far, far more, oh, far, far more.”
Slashing the Rokeby Venus
Mary Richardson entered the National Gallery in 1914 with a meat cleaver and slashed the famous painting known as the Rokeby Venus. She said of her actions, “I have tried to destroy the picture of the most beautiful woman in mythological history as a protest against the Government for destroying Mrs Pankhurst, who is the most beautiful character in modern history.”
Black Friday
On the 18th of November 1910, the Conciliation Bill was due to be brought before the House of Commons, which argued for extension of franchise to women. A ninth “Women’s Parliament” was assembling in Caxton Hall at the time, and Sylvia Pankhurst notes Asquith “left the House without [discussing leaving time for the Conciliation Bill before dissolution of Parliament]”. Around three hundred women headed to Parliament, where unfolded “scenes of unexampled violence”, including the sexual assaults I referenced above. Sylvia Pankhurst reports that 115 women were arrested “on “Black Friday” as the day was afterwards named”, and two women died: Cecilia Haig “died in December, 1911, after a painful illness, arising from her injuries” and Henria Williams, who, “already suffering from a weak heart, did not recover from the treatment she received that night in the Square, and died on January 1st.”
WWI – 1914
WWI saw the temporary winding-down of the suffrage movements, which Sylvia (having by this point been ousted from WSPU) notes as a quiet but rapid change of tack: “militancy was no more. The Suffragette of August 7th, 1914, contained an appeal from Christabel: ‘Women of the WSPU. We must protect our Union through everything... for the same of the human race... women must be free’. Next week the Suffragette failed to appear. Mrs. Pankhurst issued a statement through the Press that militancy would be rendered ‘less effective’ by contrast with the greater violence of the war, that work for the vote on the lines of peaceful argument being, ‘as we know, futile’, the Union would suspend activities. Money and energy would thus be saved, and ‘an opportunity’ given to ‘recuperate after the tremendous strain and suffering of the past two years’.” She also notes that the NUWSS suffered greatly from the war, dividing its ranks into the majority (under Fawcett) who dropped their work for women’s suffrage to support the war effort, and the ‘Women’s Active Service Crops’ who formed the British section of the ‘Women’s International League’. WSPU, in the meantime, dropped nearly all of its suffrage work, focusing completely on the war, even changing the name of the Suffragette to Britannia. However, the WSPU made a resurgence in support of the National Register war work and compulsory national service for women, alongside Lloyd George. The nationalist work of many of the suffrage groups during the war greatly helped their cause, and it was during the war that Asquith made his declaration of allegiance to enfranchising women (1916). Moves had already been made to include women’s suffrage in parliamentary bills before the declaration of armistice, and the WSPU were pivotal in lauding the benefits of votes for women coming “in war time. If it did, women would work with greater energy, enthusiasm and patriotism for the security of their native land”.
Women gain the vote – 1918
The Representation of the People Act granted women over 30 the right to vote, as long as they were married to or a member of Local Government Register. It also extended men’s suffrage to the right for all men to vote over the age of 21, and abolished most property qualifications for men.
Women gain full suffrage – 1928
Women were granted suffrage equal to men in 1928 under the Representation of the People (Equal Franchise Act) 1928. The age for women to vote was lowered to 21, and property qualifications reduced to the same as men, at this point barely notable.
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Which 1990 film starred Macauley Caulkin? | EXCLUSIVE: 'Home Alone' Cast Relives the Movie's Biggest Moments for 25th Anniversary
EXCLUSIVE: 'Home Alone' Cast Relives the Movie's Biggest Moments for 25th Anniversary
by Raphael Chestang 6:43 PM PDT, October 30, 2015
Playing EXCLUSIVE: 'Home Alone' Cast Relives the Movie's Biggest Moments for 25th Anniversary
As Home Alone turns 25, ET has interviews with the cast then and now, going over the Christmas classic's best moments.
Perhaps the ultimate moment from the 1990 movie was star Macaulay Culkin's signature scream. Director Chris Columbus recalled shooting the iconic moment when he spoke with ET earlier this month.
NEWS: Internet Freaks Out Over Another Macaulay Culkin Death Hoax
"The script called for [Macaulay Culkin] to put shaving lotion on and suddenly it burns his skin and he screams," Columbus said. "We didn't know it was going to be the universal image for Home Alone."
From stepping on glass Christmas ornaments to getting smashed in the face with paint cans and a hot iron, co-star Daniel Stern suffered the most abuse on-screen. The actor called the stunts in the movie "just balls-out silly."
"I do remember that tarantula on my face," Stern told ET earlier this month. "I'm like, 'Is there like a rubber tarantula?' They said, 'We do have this rubber one, but it just kind of sits there.'"
Home Alone spent 12 weeks at No. 1 after it opened in November 1990. Before the movie went on a box-office tear, the stars were just hoping that it wouldn't tank.
WATCH: Macaulay Culkin Turns 34! What Has He Been Up To?
"It'd be great if it was a hit," Catherine O'Hara said prior to the film's release. "I hope it is. It seems like it'll be a nice, funny Christmas story."
Not only was it a hit, it became the top-grossing live-action comedy ever and held the record for more than 20 years before The Hangover Part II took the title.
"It's a classic movie and I'm very proud to be a part of that," Culkin says in a DVD extra clip.
| Home Alone |
Which English football club won the league title the most during the 1980s? | MACAULAY CULKIN (Home Alone) Evolution From 1980 to 2016 - YouTube
MACAULAY CULKIN (Home Alone) Evolution From 1980 to 2016
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Published on Aug 3, 2016
Macaulay Carson Culkin (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor and musician. He became famous as a child actor for his role as Kevin McCallister in the family comedy Home Alone (1990) and its sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). He is also known for his roles in Uncle Buck (1989), My Girl (1991), The Good Son (1993), The Pagemaster (1994), Richie Rich (1994), Party Monster (2003), and the music video for Michael Jackson's "Black or White". At the height of his fame, he was regarded as the most successful child actor since Shirley Temple. Culkin ranked at number two on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars" and E!'s list of the "50 Greatest Child Stars".
1988 Rocket Gibraltar
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For which well known 60s pop group did Reg Presley sing? | Reg Presley passed away - By Colin Andrews
Reg Presley Suffered a Serious Stroke.
Get well soon to one of my best friends
By Colin Andrews
The Troggs Star Reg Presley Suffers Stroke
by Staff
The Troggs frontman Reg Presley is recovering
after suffering a serious stroke while on
vacation in Spain.
The British rocker was staying at his holiday
home with his wife and grandchildren when he
fell ill on Friday (03Sep10) and was taken into
hospital.
The Wild Thing hitmaker, 68, has since been
released from the medical facility but is still
suffering from double vision and his voice has
been affected, according to his wife Brenda.
She tells Britain's Sunday Express, "It was very
frightening. He had a serious stroke. I was very
upset at the time. He was in hospital for a week
but is now back in our house in Spain
recuperating. He won't be coming back to
England for a few weeks."
Troggs' Reg Presley has stroke on holiday
By Jane Adams 5/09/2010
Reg Presley, lead singer with Sixties favourites The
Troggs, has suffered a stroke.
His family said Reg, 68, was playing with his grandchildren
on holiday in Spain when he had to be taken to hospital in
Malaga.
Yesterday Brenda, his wife for 48 years, said: "It was very
frightening. He had a serious stroke and was in hospital for
a week.
"He is recuperating and is back in our house in Spain, but
he won't be back in the UK for a while."
"Reg is still very unsteady on his feet and he has double
vision and his speech is still a bit slurred. We are taking
one day at a time."
Reg, whose biggest hits with The Troggs were Wild Thing
and Love Is All Around, was still active with the band. A gig
scheduled for a few weeks' time at Liskeard, Cornwall, has
been cancelled.
OV
Reg Presley has been one of my best friends for many years.
We used to live just half a mile from each other in the town of Andover, Hampshire, England.
Reg enjoys a laugh and is a very humble person, one of those who has managed to keep his feet on
the ground following sudden and prolonged fame. He still is lead singer of the famous 60s pop group
The Troggs, best known for big hits such as "Wild Thing", "Love is All Around" and "With a Girl Like
You".
When my wife Synthia and I got married I asked Reg if he would be my best man which he was pleased
to accept. For Reg and his wife Brenda this entailed a flight across the Atlantic Ocean to Connecticut
but Reg hates flying. He did what he has to do for all the shows around the world with The Troggs band
and headed for London's Heathrow airport and flew to be with us in Connecticut for the wedding.
We share many interests, the Crop Circles, UFO research and Current Affairs. We have both authored
books, appeared on television and radio in many countries, Reg for years longer than myself.
Busty Taylor, Reg and I have spent many hours on the hill tops of Wiltshire staring into the dark sky
talking and hoping to see activity in the crop circle fields or UFOs overhead - incidentally we have seen
both (see photo below)
Along with Busty Taylor, the three of us enjoy a nice dinner out with our partners, followed by a red wine
and for Reg a cigarette. The easy chat is usually around the whole range of strange and mysterious
.i.e. 2012, the crop circles, ET's and UFOs along with deeper discussion about consciousness and
crazy politicians.
I spoke to Reg and his wife Bren tonight ( 6th Sept 2010) by telephone in their Spanish Villa. He
was in good spirits but it upset me to hear his slurred speech. He says half of his body feels OK but the
other half isn't working. He has pins a needles in one arm and leg and his foot and hand aren't working
as they should. He is also having difficulty walking but he says each day slowly he is improving.
Synthia and I send all our love and prayers for a speedy recovery and send support and hugs to Bren
and their family. Busty, loyal as always is taking care of things back in UK.
As you will see below - Reg gets stuck into the whole spectrum of his interests. At the same time The
Troggs have continued a busy schedule. Incidentally he just finished a huge tour of UK which ended in
the Albert Hall in London. He promised me tonight that he will now slow down.
Colin Andrews - September 6, 2010.
UPDATE - Sept 30, 2010:
Reg and Bren finally flew back to England today. He is still in recovery and will be taking a
little easy for a while and also having medical tests etc.
UPDATE - Sept 21, 2010:
I called Reg today and he is still resting in Spain but has good news that he has been cleared by
doctors to fly again and so on the 29th of this month, he and Brenda will fly back to their home near
Andover, Hampshire, England. He said he is definitely progressing still but more slowly than at the
beginning. He is having some difficulties with his speech and he is a little off balance walking. He said
he has stopped smoking and is receiving help with that.
We had our usual discussion about world events and resolved just one of them: Money. We decided
that there will be none. Money has served its purpose but its come to an end. The computer chip
insert some are calling for we felt is coming. So you can see, Reg is still very much alive.
UPDATE - Sept 10, 2010:
"Busty Taylor and I are in touch with Reg and Brenda in Spain where Reg is in recovery.
He is progressing slowly and is very touched by the many get well messages from his friends and fans.
He is aware of the coverage his illness is receiving and the particular support from his home town of
Andover in Hampshire, England.
Bren as usual is doing all she can - that at the moment is mainly looking after Reg and covering media
phone calls.
I spoke today with their daughter Karen who was with them when Reg fell ill and had to leave for UK the
following day but today flew back to Spain to be with them.
I spoke with Reg very briefly who is in good spirits. I asked him if he could relay my cell phone number
to Bren in case he needed me the next few days while I am out of my office. As is the way with Reg, he
said "Which prison cell they put you in then Col?". I forgot in UK I should have said mobile.
He told me that after he is well enough to travel back to England, he has to have an MRI and a new and
complete medical assessment. I was so pleased to hear a brighter and faster delivery in his voice today.
They do need space to give full attention to Reg. Our mutual friend Busty Taylor is covering what he
can for the family back in Andover.
UPDATE - Sept 7, 2010:
I spoke to Brenda tonight and sent the best wishes of their local newspaper The Andover Advertiser and
the good wishes from messages sent to the newspaper's website. Bren said Reg was very tired today
but that his face feels a bit better.
The Troggs
Photographs below Copyright: Colin Andrews.
Reg Presley, was Best Man at Synthia and Colin Andrews wedding in Branford, Connecticut,
Reg in a crop circle in Wiltshire, 1992.
Copyright: Colin Andrews.
Left to right: Reg Presley, Busty Taylor and Colin Andrews during one of
their regular sky watches on the Wiltshire Downs, England.
The British Movie 'A Place To Stay'
Busty Taylor, Reg Presley and Colin Andrews each had parts in the movie.
Scene's from the British movie, 'A Place to Stay, where Busty and Reg along with
Colin played themselves.
Best man Reg (left) at Synthia and Colin's Connecticut wedding.
Reg spent many hours at Colin's caravan, parked behind 'The Barge Inn' pub in Wiltshire. More Here.
Synthia Andrews with Reg and Brenda at the famous Newport Mansions in the United
States.
Photograph the copyright of Colin Andrews.
Troggs singer Reg Presley
recovers after suffering a stroke
10:59am Monday 6th September 2010
HAMPSHIRE’S sixties pop icon Reg Presley
is recovering in Spain after suffering a stroke.
It is reported that the 68-year-old singer was
playing with his grandchildren on holiday
when he had to be taken to hospital in
Malaga.
He is said to be recuperating but is not
expected to return to the United Kingdom for
a while.
Andover-born Reg, who is also a songwriter,
turned The Troggs into one of the most
successful bands of the sixties with hits
including Wild Thing, Love is All Around and
With a Girl Like You.
The band has sold millions of records
around the world and were part of the British
invasion which took the charts by storm in
America.
The Troggs are still one of the most popular
bands on the rock ‘n’ roll revival circuit and
earlier this year they headlined The Solid
Silver 60s’ 25th Anniversay Show at The
Mayflower, Southampton.
Reg, who has always had a great rapport
with his fans, had them dancing in the aisles
as he invited the audience to be wild things –
the title of the band’s famous sixties anthem.
As well as being a pop star Reg is also
famous for his research into crop circles.
| The Troggs |
In what year did the 'Vauxhall Bridge', crossing the Thames, open? | The Troggs~1966 - Wild Thing | 60's-70's ROCK
Remember during this beautiful holiday season that loves makes all things possible. Merry Christmas to you and your family.!
The Troggs~1966 - Wild Thing
THE TROGGS (literally: "troglodytes", "cave men") - British rock quartet who played the so-called "Cave Rock» (caveman rock), it turned out - according to the testimony of Iggy Pop and The Ramones - a significant impact on the formation of garage rock and punk roka.Buduschie THE TROGGS participants attended the same school in Andover, Hampshire. In the final year of Tony Mansfield (Tony Mansfield; guitar and vocals), Dave Wright (Dave Wright; lead guitar) and Reggie Ball (Reg Ball, bass) took part in a football match against a neighboring school. In the course of communication revealed that Ronnie Bond (Ronnie Bond, real name Ronald Bullis (Ronald Bullis) - goalkeeper rivals - is able to hold not only balls, but also drum sticks, and their school band just needed a drummer. A year later, in the autumn of 1964 year, Reg mason worker quit his job and led the group on a professional level. They decided to call themselves THE TROGGLODYTES, in honor of the ancient inhabitants of a nearby cave Cheddar Gordzh.V 1965 Mansfield and Wright decided to quit music. Ball invited in their place two musicians from competing group - TEN FOOT FIVE, already had time to make a "sorokapyatka» Send Me No More Lovin / Baby's Back in Town at the firm Fontana. Chris Britton (Chris Britton) played guitar, and Pete Staples (Pete Staples) - bass, so Reggie had up to the microphone. Closer to the fall on some dance floor manager Larry Page THE KINKS heard THE TROGGLODYTES sing you Really Got Me in their own, rather peculiar arrangement. He was delighted with their aggressive manner and immediately invited the group to sign a contract. Already in February 1966 CBS abbreviated for simplicity band name THE TROGGS released "EP," with the song Ball Lost Girl, which has successfully failed, and so for the next single Paige decided to take someone else's room. After some doubt, the choice was made in favor of an obscure song by American author Chip Taylor - Wild Thing, previously unsuccessfully made American band THE WILD ONES. Reg initially horrified by reading the text of this song, but weighted sound and replace the original whistle on unusual solo Ball ocarina, THE TROGGS recorded the song and offered her Fontana. Not quite decent by the standards of the time around the group text created an aura of scandal and timely appearance in television Thank Your Lucky Star and Top Of The Pops helped to achieve national fame. In addition, Ball said that he officially changed its name to Presley (Presley). In May, Wild Thing came in second place in the British list, and a month later for two weeks topped the American charts. Another scandal occurred when it was revealed that in the US the song was published simultaneously by two companies - Fontana and Atco. It is worth noting that in the next year as "the unofficial anthem of Britain", it played at the festival in Monterey Jimi Hendrix, who finished their violent execution by burning guitar. In July, the first album THE TROGGS released in England in September - in the US, and in the late fall - in Germany, where the band's popularity soon acquired epidemic. The next single, With A Girl Like You, was the first in England, but only 29th in the US, and I Can not Control Myself, respectively, 2-m and 43-m. The author of both, now classical, the room was Reg Presley. Paige by this time established his own company Page One, the first product of which was the second album THE TROGGS - Trogglodynamite. In early 1967 the band made another hit song Chip Taylor - Any Way That You Love Me (№ 8), and then released a little less successful Give It To Me (№ 12). Spring with a manager was fired Paige, unsuccessfully trying to change the image of THE TROGGS. Rather unexpected for a group of hippie style Night Of The Long Grass (№ 17) was their contribution to the atmosphere of "Psychedelic Summer". In November THE TROGGS achieved last major success in the US with another hippie anthem - the song Love Is All Around (№7, №5 in the UK). Immediately after the case group nosedived. In March 1969, the group left Pete Staples. In his place was taken by Tony Murray (Tony Murray) from THE PLASTIC PENNY. The group continued to perform, but no longer in large halls, and at the Variety Theatre, and so on. N., And by the end of the year was all broken up (Presley in 1969-70 recorded a solo singles and Lucinda Lee Let's Pull Together, Bond - Anything For You, and Britton - a whole album as I Am), but managed to stay on the brink and in 1972 - Britton by this time succeeded Richard Moore (Richard Moore), - return to active work in colleges and clubs in England, France, Holland and Germany. The success of pirated cassettes The Troggs Tapes c recordings made by the Group at the end of its work with Page One, stimulated the re-release of old papers and helped THE TROGGS sign a new contract with DJM. Growing interest in him led by David Bowie to invite a group in his first American television program The 1980 Floor Show (November 1973), which caused a new explosion in the United States for its popularity. In 1975, having been reconciled with Paige, THE TROGGS released on his new label Penny Farthing specific alterations Good Vibration by THE BEACH BOYS and (I Can not Get No) Satisfaction ROLLING STONES. The following year was undertaken great nostalgic tour of the United States, has had an enormous impact on its infancy then a new wave. In 1976, the composition of the deposited THE TROGGS second guitarist Colin "Dill" Fletcher (Colin Dill Fletcher), and on the FM-radio constantly sounded their new single Summertime. At the end of the decade the composition has been altered several times: Murray left and bass took over Pete Lucas (Pete Lucas), then was replaced by Joe Barth (Jo Burt), later played in SECTOR 27, appeared and disappeared Britton and t. N . in 1979, THE TROGGS again performed in the United States, and the recording of the concert at the famous cafe Max's Kansas City was later published in plastinke.Na over 80s are periodically pop up from time to time something published, although it has already been residual activity . In autumn 1991, they tracked down the band REM, longtime admirers THE TROGGS. The result was the dialogue recorded jointly (and even with Paige as a producer) album, released in late 1991, and contain original material (songs Presley, Peter Holseppla, Chip Taylor and others). Recorded participated Presley, Britton, Lucas, a new drummer Dave Mags (Dave Mags), as well as three of the four members of REM November 13, 1992 died of alcoholism parted ways with the group in the mid-80s Ronnie Boyd. A 1997 public again remembered the group when WET WET WET broke into the charts with a cover of Love Is All Around. Then it turned out that they themselves THE TROGGS still exist and give concerts, including: Reg Presley Chris Britton Pete Lucas (bass) and Dave Maggs (drums).
Songs / Tracks Listing
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Who piloted the first aeroplane to cross the English Channel from Calais to Dover in 1909? | Bleriot's Cross Channel Flight
Available in Fran�aise, Espa�ol, Portugu�s, Deutsch, Россию, 中文, 日本, and others.
Old News
he following account of Louis Bleriot's flight across the English Channel appeared in the 31 July 1909 edition of Flight, an English magazine devoted to the new field of aviation. It includes information from several eyewitnesses to the historic event.
M. Bleriot's great success is a fitting sequel to Mr. Latham's splendid failure; there should be no jealousy in comparison, both are working in the cause of flight. M. Bleriot reflects glory on his defeated rival at the same time that he is crowned with the laurels of victory himself. And M. Bleriot deserves his success; how much, none save those who have followed his history in flight know. There were days not long since when M. Bleriot used to tumble with his machine with almost monotonous persistency; yet he kept on, in spite of criticisms. In those days, too, he was still trying to fly a monoplane, and monoplanes were not very popular just then, for there were not wanting critics who almost went as far as saying that they would not fly at all. M. Bleriot is the champion of the monoplane, and he has done more than anyone else to develop it. Moreover, he is engineer and pilot combined, and the machine with which he has crossed the Channel, and thereby traced his name indelibly on the pages of history, is his own machine, the work of his own brain, and if the truth were known, contains, we dare say, a good deal of his own handicraft as well. He is not only a worker, he is a sportsman, is M. Bleriot, and most thoroughly deserves every prize he has won.
It is rather apt to be forgotten how very early M. Bleriot commenced his aviation experiences. As long ago as 1906 an illustration appeared in The Auto-motor Journal of May 26th, of an aeroplane which MM. Bleriot and Voisin had constructed for experimental work on Lake Enghien. It was a curious machine that, but it has this much of especial interest, that it was designed for use over water. In the following year, 1907, M. Bleriot had built and was trying at Issy, near Paris, a monoplane which does not differ in essentials from the machine which is on view this week at Selfridge's. What mishaps he used to have in those days! Almost every other time that he succeeded in getting off the ground he returned to earth with a crash; he always broke something, but it was never himself, always did this persevering pilot seem to bear a charmed life. As a matter of fact, he used to take what precautions he could, and he himself, as we mentioned last week, attributes many of his escapes to a little trick which he had of throwing himself on to one of the wings of his flyer when he saw that a catastrophe was imminent. M. Bleriot worked on the principle that it was impossible to save both man and machine.
When M. Bleriot had advanced in the art of flight until he was easily among the two or three genuine pilots of the day, he conceived the idea of making quite a small machine, which type has since been known as his short-span flyer "No. 11." It was shown first of all at the Paris Salon at the end of last year, and attracted a very great deal of attention on account of its compact appearance. It was such a flyer as many had set their hearts upon, but as many more had deemed impracticable.
No one foresaw then that this was to be the epoch-making machine with which he should fly 25 miles across country on July 17th and 31 miles across the sea on July 25th. True, the dimensions of the span are somewhat larger as the result of alterations which followed various preliminary experiments, but that it is still to all intents and purposes the same compact machine must have been apparent to all who took the unique opportunity of seeing it at Dover or during the past few days in London at the Selfridge showrooms.
By his two great flights across country and across the Channel M. Bleriot has set the seal of success upon the monoplane principle. His achievements are another huge step in the ''coming of the monoplane," about which we had occasion to speak at some length in our issue of June 12th, when Mr. Latham had been making some record flights with a machine of the same class. It is an advance, but it does not alter the problem; the monoplane is still by way of being the racer of the air. M. Bleriot took roughly 40 minutes to cross the Channel, his speed being in the region of 45 miles an hour average, and according to his own account was nearer 50 miles an hour shortly after the start. That is a speed which only a limited number of pilots can be expected to feel safe at in their early experiments. Safety lies in speed, there is much reason to believe, but that is a different kind of safety, and is hardly in the reckoning if the pilot himself is not at home in the air under such conditions.
M. Bleriot is now a master of the upper element, but he worked hard for his degree; on no occasion has his knowledge and skill stood him in better stead than during his Channel flight, for there he met with difficulties which must surely have brought a less experienced pilot to sad grief.
Even at the start there was, according to M. Bleriot's own estimate, a 10-knot wind; while, off Dover, the breeze was double this velocity, and the cliff currents particularly strong. In mid-Channel the wind had dropped, but at the moment of landing it was blowing in all directions.
The Story of the Flight
It was almost without warning, but nevertheless with a send-off on the French shore from an enthusiastic crowd, that M. Bleriot flew across the Straits of Dover from Les Baraques, near Calais, to Northfall Meadow at Dover on Sunday, July 25th, thereby incidentally winning the Daily Mall �1,000 prize. Taking the week-end as a whole, it has been one of the windiest periods of a particularly unsettled summer, and the previous day had in particular seemed hopeless for any cross-Channel flight. Half a gale had indeed been blowing and a heavy sea running only a few hours before, and hence it is hardly to be wondered at that the feat was as totally unexpected as it was.
When this greatest of all great events in the annals of modern history was taking place the world and his wife were mostly abed, especially this side of the Channel. But M. Bleriot had got up at half-past two in the morning, not feeling very well, had taken a short motor run just to blow the cobwebs away, and that was why he was able to snatch the one brief fine moment that presented itself between the daytime storms of Saturday and Sunday. Seeing that the fates were propitious, he then lost little time in bringing out the flyer, and in spite of his injured foot he quickly carried out a practice flight over the sand-hills between Les Baraques and Sangatte. A little earlier, too, he had notified his intention to start to the destroyer "Escopette," which was consequently at that time standing out to sea, with Madame Bleriot and others already aboard�all anxiously on the look-out for him. Finding everything working properly with his machine, he speedily effected a fresh start, this time flying straight away over the cliffs and heading towards England.
That was at about twenty minutes to five (French time) and it was about twenty minutes past five (also French time) that he landed at Dover. Accounts differ as to the exact moment of departure and descent, and as a matter of fact it is doubtful if any reliable timing was made since M. Bleriot started without a watch as well as without a compass. The distance of the flight was about 31 miles, and hence the speed was in the region of 45 miles an hour. During the crossing he flew at an altitude of 150 ft. to 300 ft., and thus kept much nearer the water than Mr. Latham did on his attempt.
M. Bleriot's monoplane quickly outstripped the torpedo-beat destroyer "Escopette," with which the French Government replaced the "Harpon," that was on duty during Mr. Latham's attempt. In mid-Channel M. Bleriot lost sight of land and of his escort for a very uncomfortably long period�estimated by him to have been ten minutes�and was entirely without means of ascertaining his proper direction. In the circumstances he did the only thing possible, which was to keep straight on, and fortune favouring him, he sighted the English shore off Deal while heading for St. Margaret's Bay. Turning along the coast M. Bleriot flew towards Dover, and put in at a gap in the cliffs where a representative of Le Matin, M. Fontaine, was signaling to him with a tricolour flag. The site on which the landing was accomplished was the Northfall Meadow. Although the arrival was noticed from afar by several, and M. Fontaine was on the chosen part of the cliff at Dover, yet even he failed to see the real landing, and P.C. Stanford was the only eye-witness of this great historic event, the landing on British soil of the first flyer to cross the Channel.
The actual contact with terra-firma was rather abrupt; in fact, not only was the propeller broken, but that part of the framework which carries the engine was also damaged. Mishaps of this sort, however, are absolutely negligible by comparison with the success of the main issue. Bleriot had crossed the Channel, had won the Daily Mail prize, and was none the worse for it, nor in all probability would his machine have been damaged had he been familiar with the site on which he was forced to alight.
Heard Afar Off
One of the most interesting minor points associated with M. Bleriot's cross-Channel flight, is the manner in which at Dover he was heard afar off by the very few people who happened to be about at the time. The whirring of the motor (doubtless chiefly due to the open exhaust) was quite distinctly audible, according to more than one eye-witness, even while the flyer itself was a mere speck in the distance. The night watchman on the Promenade Pier, in relating his account of the proceedings to the Daily Telegraph, says : " I suddenly saw a peculiar object away to the eastward, moving very rapidly across the sky. As it came closer I could hear the whirring of the motor, and I judged that it was one of the flying men who had made a start and had practically got across." The chief officer of the Coastguard Station similarly relates that he could hear "a continual buzzing when the machine was several miles away."
Looked Like a Bird
Next to the noise of the engine it was the high speed and bird-like appearance of the flyer which principally attracted the attention of those few who were privileged to witness its arrival in England. "The speed was almost incredible," said the chief officer of the Coastguard Station, and certainly the sight of a monoplane coming out of the distance through the air at forty miles an hour or so might be well calculated to appeal to the imagination even of one who's life duty it is to watch all that goes on in the Channel.
M. Bleriot's Last Flight
According to several reports M. Bleriot has definitely stated that he will give up flying after he has taken part in the Rheims races. Cherchez la femme of course, but who shall grudge Madame Bleriot her voice in the matter, now that her husband has done so much.
Besides, although only 36, he has five children to think of, and there is after all some risk attached to the game which even M. Bleriot's phenomenal good luck might not for ever tide over. Let us, at least, wish him every success and all good fortune in�if it should prove to be� his last flight. It is nevertheless now said that, upon more mature thought, Madame Bleriot has since then withdrawn her embargo, so we may still hope to see M. Bleriot soar to even greater achievements.
Lost in Mid-Channel
It must have been a unique experience when M. Bleriot lost himself in mid-Channel, and it can hardly have been without a tremor that he realized himself absolutely "at sea,� although only 10 minutes, as to which way to go. It was a phase of the Channel flight which a good many people had anticipated and against which the more or less elaborate precautions that were proposed in the way of motor boats, &c, were in part to guard. That the first pilot should actually find himself in this predicament, no one of course expected, for most people naturally believed that no one would make the attempt without taking many precautions. To this extent M. Bleriot's flight may possibly be regarded as somewhat foolhardy, and the fact that he so quickly outpaced his convoy the destroyer, certainly rendered his position extremely hazardous had any accident happened; M. Bleriot himself admits as much. But fortune favoured him so that he kept his course. Speaking about his experience, M. Bleriot makes the curious remark that during the time when he was out of sight of land and other definite objects he "felt as if he was not moving."
The Commercial Side
Naturally enough M. Bleriot's success will give a trememdous impetus to his own aeroplane business, quite apart from the enormous lift which the entire industry, at home as abroad, will receive from his epoch-making exploit.
Even as it is he has sold 15 of his machines since he started to take orders for them only a short time ago. He has also secured the monopoly of the Anzani engine which performed so well, and upon which so much of the success of the flight depended that, next to M. Bleriot, M. Anzani has naturally come in for much of the credit attached to this great historic flight.
Chevalier Bleriot
M. Bleriot arrived in Dover clothed in a cork jacket and overalls, and the more orthodox garments in which he subsequently appeared were on loan from Mr. Hart O. Berg�the European concessionaire of the Wright aeroplane, who happened to be staying at the Lord Warden Hotel. Mr. Hart O. Berg is a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour and his coat was decorated with the ribbon, which M. Bleriot desired to remove. Mr. Hart O. Berg remonstrated with him, however, saying that he was sure to have the right to the ribbon himself before long, and sure enough during breakfast came a telegram from France saying the Government had already conferred the honour.
Half Share with Latham
With sportmanlike generosity M. Bleriot offered to share the �1,000 Daily Mail prize with Mr. Latham if his rival should succeed in making the crossing during Sunday. But as Mr. Latham remained on the French coast M. Bleriot was not called upon to put his offer into effect.
The Flyer in London
Motoring in the vicinity of Dover, Mr. Gordon Selfridge, one of the heads of the great Oxford Street emporium, heard of the successful flight, and making his way to where the machine was surrounded by a crowd of spectators, he there and then arranged with the Daily Mail to have the flyer on view in his own showrooms in Oxford Street for the London public to see, and agreed to pay the sum of �200 to the London Hospital�an institution selected by the Dally Mail�for the privilege accorded. By this smart action on the part of a businesslike man, M. Bleriot's aeroplane was not only brought to London, but was actually on view by 10 o'clock on Monday morning, huge crowds flocking in from the earliest moment to avail themselves of the unique opportunity of inspecting its details. During the first three days of the week the stream of sightseers was constant, so much so that Messrs. Selfridge arranged to keep the monoplane for a further twenty-four hours, and, to enable as many as possible to see it, kept the part of their premises in which the machine was housed open until midnight on Thursday.
Bleriot and the Customs
The Customs officers, who were among the very few actual spectators of the arrival of M. Bleriot on the English coast, were very properly among the first to accost the pilot after his unconventional descent on British soil. With fitting forbearance, however, they recognized that it was only "one of those flying-men," and therefore made no attempt at an inspection for contraband.
Sixpence Admission
After the initial excitement had somewhat abated, a tent was erected as a temporary housing for Bleriot's flyer, and, in aid of local charity, a fee of sixpence was charged for the admission of the public, who hastened up in numbers to see the machine which had thus come so strangely in their midst.
The Prize and its Presentation
By crossing the Channel M. Bleriot had gained the �1,000 which the Daily Mall put up for this event, and the presentation of the cheque took place in the Savoy Hotel on Monday afternoon of this week. The gathering at the luncheon which preceded the formality was as notable as the occasion itself; among those present who supported Lord Northcliffe at the reception being the Right Hon. R. B. Haldane, Sir Edward Ward, Sir Thomas Lipton, Bart., Sir Horace Regnart, Bart., Sir Arthur Paget, Sir John Barker, Sir Francis Trippel, Sir Vezey Strong, Sir Thomas Dewa1-, Major Baden-Powell, Col. Capper, Capt. Jessel, Lieut. Shackleton, Hon. C. S. Rolls, Hon. Charles Russell, Mr. Roger Wallace, Mr. Frank Butler, Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, Mr. Moberly Bell, Mr. St. John Hornby, Mr. Kennedy Jones, Mr. Hugh Spottiswoode, Mr. Harold Perrin, Mr. H. Gordon Selfridge and Mr. George R. Sims. Altogether there must have been nearly 150 people present, and there were certainly as many more outside waking for an opportunity to cheer Mons. and Madame Bleriot, who were both happily able to be present.
Lord Northcliffe first of all made the announcement that the Aero Club of the United Kingdom had decided to present M. Bleriot with its Gold Medal, and then he presented M. Bleriot with a large silver rose-bowl on behalf of the British representatives of the Bleriot firm.
The final proceeding was to present the Daily Mail prize of �1,000 in two �500 notes which were contained in a letter-case enclosed in a handsome silver cup. In his speech Lord Northcliffe paid very proper tribute to M. Bleriot's achievement, and incidentally took the opportunity of drawing attention to Lieut. Shackleton's presence among the guests, saying how pleasant it was that they were thus able to entertain at one and the same time such typical heroes of the respective countries. According to Lord Northcliffe, almost all good things had, like M. Bleriot, first "come out of France,"for so many of the leading modern inventions had been due to the work of Frenchmen.� In making the actual presentation, Lord Northcliffe concluded his remarks with a short speech of congratulation in French.
M. Bleriot, in reply, spoke a few sentences characteristic of his modest personality, in which he attempted to belittle his successful effort. But in that, needless to say, his words carried no conviction to the enthusiastic assembly.
The Wireless Story
Although less exhaustive in its detail as compared with the wireless messages exchanged between Sangatte and Dover on the occasion of Mr. Latham's attempt, the following brief record is of historic interest:�
Calais, by Marconi Wireless, via Dover.
4.36.�Bleriot has started; look out for him. We saw him at 4.35. He started from Les Baraques.
4.40.�He is nearly half way across.
4 47.�He has outdistanced the boat.
4.50.�He is out of sight of French coast.
4.56.�Destroyers are now out of sight and far behind.
4.59.�Bleriot flew with perfect steadiness till out of our sight, not very high above the water.
5:00.�Let us know as soon as you see him.
From the Dover side, unfortunately, the wireless operators entirely failed to locate Bleriot during his flight, although the torpedo boat was first sighted by them at 5.06 a.m., and its movements recorded every few minutes. Not until 5.31 a.m. had the rumour of Bleriot's landing at 5.20 a.m. reached them, to be finally confirmed by wireless to Calais at 5.52 a.m.
Celebrating the Occasion
Other more or less important and pleasing functions which have marked the greatness of M. Bleriot's feat have included a civic reception at Dover on Monday morning, when the hero of the hour was on his way to be lionized in London, a dinner given in his honour that evening by the well-known Bleriot Lamp Company of London, a reception by the management at the Empire Theatre later the same evening when animated pictures were shown typical of the aerial trip across the Channel, and, by no means least, the dinner given by the Aero Club at the Ritz Hotel on Tuesday, when their Gold Medal was presented. Also it is significant to observe that a move�ment is already on foot to erect a commemoration column at Dover on the spot where M. Bleriot alighted.
M. Bleriot in Paris
When M. Bleriot and his wife arrived in Paris on Wednesday afternoon, they were greeted by a surging crowd of people who simply swamped the extra force of police which had been detailed to keep the road clear. As soon as the train steamed into the station the crowd surrounded the carriage in which M. Bleriot and his party were, and they had great difficulty in fighting their way to the spot where M. Barthou and the deputation of the members of the Aero Club of France were waiting to receive them. All along the four miles which separates the North Station from the Aero Club house, the streets were lined with cheering people, and every vantage point had its occupant who waved a flag or a handkerchief. On arrival at the Aero Club, the guests were welcomed by the President, Comte de la Vaulx, who presented M. Bleriot with the Club's special Gold Medal.
Later in the day, M. Bleriot was presented by his workmen with an objet d'art, entitled Le Cri de la Victoire, executed by M. D. Grisand.
Bleriot Monoplane Fabric and Fittings
It is of interest to notice that the material of which the planes of M. Bleriot's monoplanes were made was Continental aeroplane sheeting, which is used on many of the most successful flying machines of to-day. Another point of interest is that the Bowden wire mechanism was used by M. Bleriot for the control of the Anzani motor on his flyer.
Faked Cross-Channel Photos
In the interests of historic accuracy it is very important to publish a warning against many of the extremely clever but totally imaginative photographs of M. Bleriot's cross-Channel flight that have appeared in various papers during the week. For our own part we have exercised the greatest care in accepting any of the dozens of photographs that have been offered to us, and have studiously rejected all those which are obviously "fakes." In days to come, those looking back upon the present records may well be misled by some of the photographs in question, and even their absence from our own columns may fail to afford the necessary clue. As a matter of fact, no known photographs were obtained of M. Bleriot's flight while he was still in mid-air, in any case, subsequent to the time that he passed above the French torpedo boat.
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he purchase of the world's first military aircraft might have been big news, but it was overshadowed by news from Europe. Just five days before Orville flew the speed trial at Fort Meyer, Louis Bleriot had risen early in the morning at his seaside camp near Calais, France and decided it would be a good day to fly to England.
In October of 1908, Lord Northcliffe, the publisher of London's Daily Mail, had announced a $5,000 (�1,000) prize to the first pilot to fly an airplane across the English Channel. He had expected Wilbur Wright to try for the prize, but Wilbur declined to risk his one and only airplane on a flight across water. The prize went unclaimed until July of 1909 when three European aviators showed up at Calais to attempt the crossing. Hubert Latham was first off the ground, taking off in his Antoinette monoplane on July 19. But seven miles out, the engine quit and Latham had to be fished out of the sea. Count Charles De Lambert never got a start. He wrecked his Wright biplane on a test flight and withdrew from the race.
By rights, Louis Bleriot shouldn't have been there at all. He could barely walk, having burned his foot on the exhaust pipe of the Anzani engine that powered his latest flying machine, the Bleriot XI. And he was out of money. He had spent his own fortune and his wife's dowry � some 780,000 francs � on aerial experiments and he was bankrupt. But on July 1, his wife was visiting well-to-do friends in Paris and happened to save their child from a fatal fall. In gratitude, the friends offered to finance Bleriot's channel flight.
On the night of July 24, the high winds that usually scoured the channel began to slacken. Latham sent word to his crew chief to wake him at 3:30 a.m. if the weather continued to improve. By 2:00 a.m. the air was calm and the sky clear. The Bleriot camp came alive � the mechanic ran around firing his revolver to wake everyone. The plane was wheeled out, the engine warmed up, and Bleriot made a test flight � everything was in perfect order. He studied the Latham camp through his binoculars � no one was stirring. At 4:41, Louis Bleriot took off and steered his airplane toward England.
The weather remained clear and calm, the aircraft engine continued to turn faithfully. After twenty minutes, Bleriout could see the thin dark line that was the coast of England, but there were no white cliffs! Without any instruments aboard � not even a compass � Bleriot had drifted too far to the north, past Dover. He spied three small ships that seemed to be making for a port and decided to follow them. They pointed him towards his destination and before long he was skirting the towering chalk white cliffs, looking for an opening and a landing field. As he flew, the wind began to freshen and tossed his airplane like a child's toy. "The wind was fighting me now worse then ever," Bleriot later recalled. "Suddenly at the edge of an opening the suddenly appeared in the cliff, I saw a man desperately waving a tricolor flag, out along in the middle of a field, shouting 'Bravo! Bravo!' I flung myself toward the ground."
It was a hard landing, damaging the landing gear and the propeller. But Bleriot alighted unscathed. The man who had signaled him from the ground, French newsman Charles Fontaine, wrapped Bleriot in the French flag and kissed him soundly on both cheeks.
"And Latham?" Bleriot asked Fontaine.
Latham was still in France. No one had roused him until the sound of Bleriot's plane brought his camp to life. There was a furry of activity as he struggled to catch Bleriot, but by the time the Antoinette was ready, strong winds and dangerous gusts had sprung up. It was too late. When word came of Bleriot's safe landing, Latham sent a short telegram, "Cordial Congratulations. Hope to follow you soon."
The effect of Bleriot's flight was out of proportion for the distance traversed. Europe seemed to go wild, and Bleriot was front page news for days afterwards. The Wrights and other pilots had flown much further than the 24 miles that Bleriot had covered, and had remained aloft far longer than the 37 minutes it took him to fly that distance. But none of them had crossed a natural boundary with such profound implications as the English Channel. As author H.G. Wells put it, "England is no longer, from a military point of view, an inaccessible island." It was as if that single flight had suddenly redrawn the map of the world.
Old News
Bleriot's Cross-Channel Flight -- This account of Bleriot's accomplishment appeared in Flight magazine just six days after the flight.
Louis Bleriot in his Bleriot XI.
Paul Latham over the channel on July 19, 1909.
Latham afloat after ditching in the channel.
Bleriot getting ready to fly.
Bleriot takes off fro Calais, France on July 24, 1909.
Bleriot departing France for England.
Bleriot's wife watches his progress from a French warship.
Bleriot greeting his wife after landing in Dover, England.
Bleriot greeting cheering crowds at Dover station.
Bleriot's landing spot marked near Dover Castle.
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Jan 17 1902 - launch of the Times Literary Supplement.
Nov 2 1903 - launch of the Daily Mirror - the first daily newspaper illustrated exclusively with photographs. The Mirror was a broadsheet newspaper until the 1950s.
March 2 1909 - launch of the Daily Sketch. (merges with the Daily Mail in 1971)
Jan 25 1911 - launch of the Daily Herald (1st newspaper to sell two million copies a day)
April 12 1913 - New Statesman founded
March 11 1914 - First half-tone photo in the Times newspaper: a 4 by 3 inch picture of the Rokeby Venus, damaged in a Suffragette demonstration (the first ever half-tone in a daily newspaper appeared in the New York Graphic in 1880).
1915 - The Daily Mail launches 'Teddy Tail' - first UK comic strip.
March 14 1915 - the Sunday Pictorial launched (becomes the Sunday Mirror in 1963).
Dec 29 1918 - launch of the Sunday Express.
Nov 2 1924 - the Sunday Express publishes first crossword in a British newspaper
May 1926 - most newspapers cease publishing during the General Strike. The Government publishes the British Gazette and the TUC publishes the British Worker.
Jan 1 1930 - launch of the Daily Worker newspaper (becomes the Morning Star in 1966).
Feb 1 1930 - the first Times crossword appears (6 years after the first one appeared in Sunday Express).
June 2 1930 - the News Chronicle newspaper is formed by the merger of the Daily News and the Daily Chronicle. (merges with the Daily Mail in 1960).
Oct 18 1934 - the Daily Mail publishes the first photograph that was transmitted by beam radio (from Australia to London).
Oct 1 1938 - first issue of the Picture Post (last issue in 1957).
1940 - Newsprint rationing is introduced.
Nov 26 1940 - death of Lord Rothermere.
Aug 24 1959 - the Manchester Guardian changes title to the Guardian, based in London.
Feb 5 1961 - launch of the Sunday Telegraph.
Feb 4 1962 - first issue of the Sunday Times magazine, known as the Sunday Times Colour Section.
1964 - the Press Council replaces General Council of the Press.
Sept 6 1964 - the Observer colour supplement launched.
Sept 15 1964 - the Daily Herald becomes the Sun.
Sept 25 1964 - first issue of the Daily Telegraph.
May 3 1966 - the Times begins printing news on the front page.
1969 the News of the World is bought by Rupert Murdoch.
Nov 17 1969 - Rupert Murdoch re-launches the Sun newspaper as a tabloid.
1971 - Dail Sketch merges with the Daily Mail.
Nov 2 1978 - launch of the Daily Star newspaper.
Dec 1 1978 - publication of the Times and Sunday Times is suspended for 11 months.
Oct 31 1980 - the Evening News ceases publication and leaves London with just one evening newspaper.
1981 - Rupert Murdoch buys the Times and Sunday Times.
May 3 1981 - the Sunday Express magazine launched.
Sept 6 1981 - first issue of the News of the World Sunday magazine.
1982 - May 2 : the Mail on Sunday is launched: the first photocomposed national newspaper in Britain.
1984 - Robert Maxwell acquires the Mirror Group.
1985 - the Daily Telegraph is acquired by Conrad Black.
1986 - News International moves the printing of all national titles to Wapping.
March 4 1986 - launch of the Today by Eddy Shah, sold as the first national colour newspaper.
Sept 14 1986 - launch of the Sunday Sport newspaper.
Oct 7 1986 - first issue of the Independent newspaper.
1987 - the Today newspaper is acquired by Rupert Murdoch.
1987 - Wendy Henry (News of the World) and Eve Pollard (Sunday Mirror) become the first woman editors.
Feb 24 1987 - the London Daily News (ceases publication on July 23rd).
Aug 7 1988 - first issue of Scotland on Sunday.
Aug 17 1988 - the Sport newspaper is launched, published on Wednesdays.
March 5 1989 - the Wales on Sunday newspaper is launched.
Jan 28 1990 - first issue of the Independent on Sunday.
May 11 1990 - Robert Maxwell launches the European (ceases publication on 14th December 1998).
1991 - the Press Complaints Commission replaces the Press Council.
Oct 7 1991 - the Sport newspaper becomes daily.
Nov 5 1991 - Robert Maxwell dies.
1993 - the Guardian Media Group acquires the Observer.
Nov 17 1995 - the Today newspaper stops publication (1st national newspaper title to cease publication since the Daily Sketch in 1971).
April 21 1996 - first issue of the Sunday Business paper.
March 15 1998 - first issue of Sport First, the UK's first national Sunday newspaper focused on sport.
Feb 7 1999 - the Sunday Herald newspaper is launched in Glasgow.
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Cultural Products >> Historic Commemorative Anniversary Newspapers
Milestones in 20th Century Newspaper history
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The history of newspapers in the UK in the 20th century is a fascinating story of the emergence of new titles, technologies and formats, and the disappearance of old titles, mainly through mergers. Once famous national titles like the Daily Sketch (later to merge with the Daily Mail in 1971) and the News Chronicle are now less known by younger generations. British newspaper history is also almost as much about the stories of the newspaper bosses - the big personalities, such as Lord Rothermere, Lord Northcliffe and Robert Maxwell, amongst others, who had a big impact on the course of this history.
Buy an Original Newspaper ...
Drawing from the UK's largest newspaper archive, we can supply a genuine complete major UK national Newspaper title - not a copy - from virtually any day over the last 100 years - an ideal gift to commemorate a birthday, anniversary or special occasion:
from only: � 39.99
Jan 17 1902 - launch of the Times Literary Supplement.
Nov 2 1903 - launch of the Daily Mirror - the first daily newspaper illustrated exclusively with photographs. The Mirror was a broadsheet newspaper until the 1950s.
March 2 1909 - launch of the Daily Sketch. (merges with the Daily Mail in 1971)
Jan 25 1911 - launch of the Daily Herald (1st newspaper to sell two million copies a day)
April 12 1913 - New Statesman founded
March 11 1914 - First half-tone photo in the Times newspaper: a 4 by 3 inch picture of the Rokeby Venus, damaged in a Suffragette demonstration (the first ever half-tone in a daily newspaper appeared in the New York Graphic in 1880).
1915 - The Daily Mail launches 'Teddy Tail' - first UK comic strip.
March 14 1915 - the Sunday Pictorial launched (becomes the Sunday Mirror in 1963).
Dec 29 1918 - launch of the Sunday Express.
Nov 2 1924 - the Sunday Express publishes first crossword in a British newspaper
May 1926 - most newspapers cease publishing during the General Strike. The Government publishes the British Gazette and the TUC publishes the British Worker.
Jan 1 1930 - launch of the Daily Worker newspaper (becomes the Morning Star in 1966).
Feb 1 1930 - the first Times crossword appears (6 years after the first one appeared in Sunday Express).
June 2 1930 - the News Chronicle newspaper is formed by the merger of the Daily News and the Daily Chronicle. (merges with the Daily Mail in 1960).
Oct 18 1934 - the Daily Mail publishes the first photograph that was transmitted by beam radio (from Australia to London).
Oct 1 1938 - first issue of the Picture Post (last issue in 1957).
1940 - Newsprint rationing is introduced.
Nov 26 1940 - death of Lord Rothermere.
Aug 24 1959 - the Manchester Guardian changes title to the Guardian, based in London.
Feb 5 1961 - launch of the Sunday Telegraph.
Feb 4 1962 - first issue of the Sunday Times magazine, known as the Sunday Times Colour Section.
1964 - the Press Council replaces General Council of the Press.
Sept 6 1964 - the Observer colour supplement launched.
Sept 15 1964 - the Daily Herald becomes the Sun.
Sept 25 1964 - first issue of the Daily Telegraph.
May 3 1966 - the Times begins printing news on the front page.
1969 the News of the World is bought by Rupert Murdoch.
Nov 17 1969 - Rupert Murdoch re-launches the Sun newspaper as a tabloid.
1971 - Dail Sketch merges with the Daily Mail.
Nov 2 1978 - launch of the Daily Star newspaper.
Dec 1 1978 - publication of the Times and Sunday Times is suspended for 11 months.
Oct 31 1980 - the Evening News ceases publication and leaves London with just one evening newspaper.
1981 - Rupert Murdoch buys the Times and Sunday Times.
May 3 1981 - the Sunday Express magazine launched.
Sept 6 1981 - first issue of the News of the World Sunday magazine.
1982 - May 2 : the Mail on Sunday is launched: the first photocomposed national newspaper in Britain.
1984 - Robert Maxwell acquires the Mirror Group.
1985 - the Daily Telegraph is acquired by Conrad Black.
1986 - News International moves the printing of all national titles to Wapping.
March 4 1986 - launch of the Today by Eddy Shah, sold as the first national colour newspaper.
Sept 14 1986 - launch of the Sunday Sport newspaper.
Oct 7 1986 - first issue of the Independent newspaper.
1987 - the Today newspaper is acquired by Rupert Murdoch.
1987 - Wendy Henry (News of the World) and Eve Pollard (Sunday Mirror) become the first woman editors.
Feb 24 1987 - the London Daily News (ceases publication on July 23rd).
Aug 7 1988 - first issue of Scotland on Sunday.
Aug 17 1988 - the Sport newspaper is launched, published on Wednesdays.
March 5 1989 - the Wales on Sunday newspaper is launched.
Jan 28 1990 - first issue of the Independent on Sunday.
May 11 1990 - Robert Maxwell launches the European (ceases publication on 14th December 1998).
1991 - the Press Complaints Commission replaces the Press Council.
Oct 7 1991 - the Sport newspaper becomes daily.
Nov 5 1991 - Robert Maxwell dies.
1993 - the Guardian Media Group acquires the Observer.
Nov 17 1995 - the Today newspaper stops publication (1st national newspaper title to cease publication since the Daily Sketch in 1971).
April 21 1996 - first issue of the Sunday Business paper.
March 15 1998 - first issue of Sport First, the UK's first national Sunday newspaper focused on sport.
Feb 7 1999 - the Sunday Herald newspaper is launched in Glasgow.
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Which city should have hosted the 'cancelled' Summer Olympics, in 1944? | 1944 Cancelled Olympics
Home > Events > Olympics > Summer > Hosts > 1944
1944 Cancelled Olympic Games
London was actually awarded the 1944 Games, but due to the onging war it was not held. The IOC still count these years as the Games of the XIII Olympiad, but with no Games.
The ballot to choose the host city was held in June 1939. Competing hosts were Rome, Detroit, Lausanne, Athens, Budapest, Helsinki, Montreal and London, with London, England, United Kingdom winning on the first ballot. The scehudled Games were canceled due to ongoing fighting in World War II. Becasue of the cancelaion, London went on to host the 1948 Summer Olympics , awarded without an election.
Trivia
Some Polish Prisoners of War were granted permission by their German captors to stage an unofficial POW Olympics during July 23 to August 13, 1944. An Olympic Flag was made with a bed sheet and pieces of colored scarves.
These Games would have celebrated the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the IOC. A small sporting competition was held in Lausanne at IOC headquarter to celebrate the milestone.
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Martin Bell was among those who defined the term 'war correspondent'. He later stole the show in the **** election campaign with his anti-sleaze battle against MP Neil Hamilton. **** What year? | Some Places That Did Not Host the Olympics from Brian Boone
Keywords: olympics ioc disappointment tehran denver detroit robocop tashkent belgrade andorra olympics triva 2012 olympics london olympics
Tehran
You may know Tehran, Iran, as the setting of the second and third act of every ‘80s action movie, in which Chuck Norris and/or Sylvester Stallone roughed up America-hating goons in keffiyehs and blew up huts and dusty streets because they had to find the president’s kidnapped daughter, dammit. And yet this is the also the Tehran that technically came in second in bidding for the 1984 Olympics. Granted, only two cities wanted them because the bidding happened just after the province of Quebec went $2 billion in debt hosting the 1976 Olympics. So the city that wasn’t Tehran got the ’84 Olympics, a city just barely more hospitable than Tehran: Los Angeles.
Denver
In order to host the Winter Olympics, a city must meet one requirement: is it cold and mountainous enough to look boss on a beer can? If yes, you get an Olympics. Denver is so cold and mountainous that it’s already on a beer can (source: Coors Light can), and it was once awarded the 1976 Olympics (the one with boring winter sports, like ice dancing, not the one with boring summer sports, like non-ice dancing, also known as gymnastics). But then when the city starting spending millions of taxpayer money to build sports facilities that would never be used again, and destroying lots of trees and wilderness in the process, voters rejected an emergency funding bond measure, and Denver cancelled the Olympics. The IOC, presumably freaked, offered the games to Whistler, British Columbia, or “the Denver of British Columbia,” who also said no. Innsbruck, Austria, agreed to host the games, probably after the IOC did stuff to Innsbruck, Austria, in a Fresno motel room while Innsbruck’s friend Donny videotaped it.
Detroit
You may know Detroit as a city so riddled with pollution, corruption, and crime that they have to use robot-cops to brutally enforce the peace. (Also, Eminem is from there, and it’s too bleak even for him.) Believing in the mantra of fake-it-‘till-you-make-it, Detroit has bid on the Olympics seven times, and never hosted. In 1944, Detroit lost out to London, but the games were cancelled on account of World War II, meaning people would rather fight a war or do sports in a city decimated by bombs than go to regular Detroit. In 1956, Melbourne got them instead of Detroit, with animal quarantine laws forcing the equestrian events to be held in Stockholm, who hadn’t even bid on the game; not even horses wanted to go to Detroit. Detroit bid for the 1960 games, which went to Rome as a makeup prize for the city having to bow out of the 1908 Olympics after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In the future, perhaps, Detroit will get the pity vote, with the IOC feeling sorry for Detroit, primarily because that remake they’re doing of Robocop will probably be just terrible.
Eastern Europe
No Eastern European city has ever hosted the Summer Olympics, likely because the formerly Soviet-controlled region enjoys a reputation backed up by documentary films Borat and Gymkata that it’s a smog-choked grey industrial wasteland where the national pastimes are still waiting in line, listening to Autograph cassettes, and making mud sculptures of Ivan Drago. But an Olympic bid is a great way for a city to show the world that it’s totally changed now, and no longer a bleak bloc outpost, which is the city equivalent of a teenage goth phase. Belgrade had a failed bid on the ’96 Olympics, leaving Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic free to have his own “Olympics” by which we mean “genocide.” Tashkent, Uzbekistan, unsuccessfully bid in 2000, because the IOC thought it was a made-up country, had a good laugh, and gave it to Australia, because they had always wanted to go to Australia (and are huge Air Supply fans).
Andorra la Vella
Andorra la Vella is the capital city of Andorra, a country so tiny that its principal economy is being a trivia question (and also being a tax shelter). It’s a country that’s not even demarcated on most maps, a miniscule territory high in the Pyrenees, right on the border of Spain and France. It’s a principality, jointly governed by the president of France and a Spanish diocese of the Catholic Church. And it always goes well when small, powerless things are watched over by the Catholic Church. Andorra la Vella covers a span of 10 square miles and has a population of 22,000 people, which isn’t even big enough to watch the Olympics, and yet they put a bid in for the 2010 Winter Olympics. To put that in perspective, Atlanta was thought to be a small city and unlikely choice to host the 1996 Summer Olympics. Manhattan is three times the size of Andorra la Vella, and New York City got turned down for the Olympics. Fun fact: most New York City apartments are actually bigger than Andorra la Vella. (What I’m saying is that it’s small.)
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Many of us know of 'Mel C' or Sporty Spice. What's her real name? | Mel C: Sporty Spice might have turned 40 - but once a mischievous Spice Girl, always a mischievous Spice Girl - Mirror Online
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Bounding around in lamé tracksuits, flicking peace signs and banging on about Girl Power , it once seemed hard to imagine Mel C would ever grow up.
But last weekend, 18 years after the Spice Girls first came screeching and zig-a-zig-ing into public consciousness, every headline writer’s dream came true: Sporty turned 40.
Now known as Melanie, even her name is all grown-up.
And she has never looked better.
The reason? Clean living (give or take a few birthday tequilas), the exercise regime of a Tour de France entrant – and a bit of Botox.
“Obviously I went crazy at the weekend. We drank tequila, ate cake and that was wonderful,” she laughs.
“But the main thing I’ve finally learned over these past 20 years is balance.
“I’m not averse to a bit of Botox and there’s probably not a lot of people in the public eye who haven’t had it.
"They all have!
“I avoided it for a long time but then I had it and really loved it. If you have a tiny, tiny bit then I think it’s fine.
“But it does terrify me, that stuff.
"You see people who go too far and I never, ever want to become that person – that person whereby you lose the reality of what you look like.
“That’s another wonderful thing about ageing. Learning to be a bit kinder to yourself.
“For me, what helps most, though, is generally having a healthy lifestyle, drinking loads of water, and sleep.”
Mel C: Performing with Jools Holland at the Royal Albert Hall (Photo: Getty Images)
Strolling into the North London, organic restaurant where we have arranged to meet, Merseyside-born Melanie is radiant.
Her liver, less so.
Crammed behind a table seemingly designed for a Borrower, I stand up to greet her and realise I have taken the good seat – the one with a view.
She is left facing the toilets and a heavy-breathing man reading a Kindle.
When I offer to swap, she immediately brushes me away and happily sits down, chatting to staff.
Melanie is definitely one of the good guys.
Last Saturday night she threw a huge 40th gig and afterparty at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
And proving 40 is the new 30, she led from the front – stumbling into bed at an impressive 7am.
“It was amazing, like a dream,” she grins, over tap water – “large, because I’m dehydrated”.
“My assistant, who is basically my sensible side, put me in a car at 5am. My brother stayed over and we dissected the night when we got back.
"It would have been a little bit lonely to have gone home alone.
“But I got up the next day and carried on. I had lunch with my family and a hair of the dog down the pub with a few friends.”
Melanie has spent a few nights home alone in the 18 months since she split with her boyfriend of 10 years Thomas Starr, father of her daughter Scarlet, who is now nearly seven.
In between, that is, dates with a stream of gentlemen callers – some in the public eye, some not.
Two were at her bash last week – Chris Moyles (who calls during our interview) and Capital FM DJ Greg Burns.
A third, X Factor winner Matt Cardle, was sadly still holed-up in rehab.
She explains: “Setting the record straight, I am completely single.
"I’ve been having loads of fun, have met loads of new friends, my social circle has massively widened and if a chap wants to take me out for dinner...”
So, Moyles?
Greg?
“We’ve been out and had fun – but we’re just friends.”
As I frantically scrabble around for more men to throw at her, she laughs and cuts me off.
“Is that not enough?”
She has a point.
Well, what about those age-old rumours about her sexual preferences then. Is she, you know, into girls?
“I’ve never dated a girl but there’s often been speculation, which I find quite funny,” she says.
“I’ve kissed girls but it’s more being silly than anything sexual.
“There are so many hot girls out there but, actually, boy-wise, that question stumps me. I am so unimpressed!
"It would be quite nice to have someone to lust over but I really couldn’t say anyone.”
Bandmate Mel B once famously admitted the Spices had all snogged each other . Who is the best kisser?
She giggles: “I’ve always been so drunk every time, it’s quite hard to remember... But I would have to say Emma!”
Unlucky, Posh.
She may be in her 40s now, but 2014 could well be Mel’s busiest year yet.
Setting off on a charity mission to Ghana next month, she will compete in a gruelling Olympic distance triathlon later in the year.
She also remains incredibly ambitious about her career.
Touring with Jools Holland in the summer, she is also going into the studio to start work on a new solo album and after fantastic reviews for her latest gig, a tour is in the pipeline.
In their planet-conquering Brit-winning Spice Girl heyday (Nelson Mandela once called them his “heroes”), Mel, as Sporty, was made to wear tracksuits, trainers and “Croydon facelift” ponytails.
Her one area of freedom of expression, then, were her tattoos.
Two years ago a magazine airbrushed them out, prompting the star to consider laser removal for good.
Just friends: Matt Cardle and Mel (Photo: Getty Images)
| Melanie C |
In what year was 'The Domesday Book' completed? | What's shaking, Spice Girls? - USATODAY.com
What's shaking, Spice Girls?
By Robyn Abzug, USA TODAY
Will Spice Girls fans hear what they really, really want?
The 1990s girl group announced Thursday that they'll get back together for 11 shows to take place around the globe during December and January.
"Imagine you got divorced and you've got back together with your ex-husband," explained Gerri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell, who was the first to quit the group in 1998. The band broke up in 2001.
But are fans still eager to "zigazig ha" half a decade later?
"There are many groups who we thought would never get back together, who have tried it with varying degrees of success," says Rolling Stone executive editor Joe Levy. A return could help all the Girls. "I think it's safe to say that none of them have gotten the attention or continued fame they seem to feel they deserve," Levy adds.
USA TODAY gets the lowdown on the Girls.
AP
Sporty
Personal file
Scary Spice Melanie Brown, 32, made headlines over the weekend as her rep confirmed to People.com that DNA test results received last week proved actor Eddie Murphy is the father of Brown's daughter, Angel Iris, who was born April 3. Murphy, who had expressed doubt that he is the baby's daddy, submitted blood samples for a DNA test on June 11. Brown also has an 8-year-old daughter, Phoenix Chi, with ex-husband Jimmy Gulzar.
Personal file
Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell, 34, was the first to leave the group in 1998. In 2005, she moved to Los Angeles to work on various projects. Soon after, she announced her pregnancy. After returning to London, Halliwell gave birth on May 14, 2006, to daughter Bluebell Madonna, whose father is reported to be Halliwell's ex, drummer and screenwriter Sasha Gervasi. The other four Spice Girls were invited to Bluebell's christening in April, and Halliwell asked all to be the girl's godmothers. Only Brown, who had just given birth, did not attend.
Personal file
Victoria Beckham, 33, whose maiden name is Adams, will always be Posh Spice to fans. She is now famous as the wife of British soccer star David Beckham. The Beckhams, also known as Posh and Becks, began dating in 1997. Their first son, Brooklyn, was born in March 1999, and David and Victoria wed in July of that year. They have two younger sons, Romeo, 4, and Cruz, 2. The Beckhams have recently purchased a home in California, where David is a new member of the Los Angeles Galaxy professional soccer team.
Personal file
Baby Spice Emma Bunton's first baby is due this summer. Bunton, 31, and the baby's father, Jade Jones, a former member of the boy band Damage, have been together for eight years.
Personal file
Sporty Spice Melanie Chisholm, 33, has been dating Thomas Starr, whom she met five years ago in Barbados.
Professional file
Albums: 2
Autobiography: Catch a Fire, 2002
Other projects: Cast as Mimi in Broadway version of Rent and had several roles in small movies.
Professional file
Albums: 3
Autobiographies: If Only, 1999 and Geri: Just for the Record, 2002
Other projects: Two yoga DVDs, judge on British TV series Popstars: The Rivals, a few film roles and a just-announced six-book deal with Macmillian Children's Books to write a series of children's stories.
Professional file
Albums: 1
Autobiography: Learning to Fly, 2001
Other projects: Fashion label dVb style, a 2006 beauty guidebook, That Extra Half an Inch: Hairs, Heels and Everything In Between, an hour-long NBC special entitled Victoria Beckham: Coming to America set to air July 16.
Professional file
Albums: 3
Autobiography: None
Other projects: Small roles in two Bollywood films, appeared as herself in two TV shows, competed on the British reality show Strictly Come Dancing (the U.K. version of Dancing with the Stars), where she finished third, commercials for the British supermarket chain Tesco, and Prego commercials shown in the U.S.
Professional file
Albums: 4
Autobiography: None
Other projects: On June 6, Chisholm performed live in the U.K. for the first time in two years at London's Mean Fiddler.
Reunion hint
Brown and Posh Spice Victoria Beckham were photographed at the Saddle Ranch on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood a few weeks ago.
Reunion hint
Halliwell and Baby Spice Emma Bunton were photographed in Britain together last month leaving the home of a Spice Girls record producer.
Reunion hint
On June 5, Beckham told reporters at an awards ceremony that laying down her vocals for two new Spice Girls tracks "freaked" her out because she hadn't sung in so long.
Reunion hint
Bunton was photographed recently leaving a hotel after a meeting with Beckham and Halliwell.
Reunion hint
Chisholm told The Sun on June 8 that she would be up for a reunion. Then, on June 15, she told radio station BBC London 94.9 that "for the first time ever, there is some truth in the rumors." She added, "It could happen."
Expert opinion
"I think they could really help themselves by going with one set of names now," Rolling Stone's Levy says. "I can't remember everybody's names. Mel B has like three or four names; I need her to narrow it down just to the one name: be Melanie or Scary."
Expert opinion
"I think she has plans to record some new tracks for a greatest-hits album," Levy says. "Don't you actually need hits to do that?"
Expert opinion
"Posh is the most successful and yet not content to stay in the center of her success, the United Kingdom. She's desperately attempting to be some sort of celebrity icon in the United States," Levy says. "That's not going well, but (she) has managed to keep her name and face out there."
Expert opinion
"We all want to see how she grew up," Levy says. "She needs a new name; time for her to become Young Adult Spice. I think enough years have passed."
Expert opinion
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Which country hosted the 1954 World Cup? | The History of the World Cup in 20 Charts | FiveThirtyEight
The History of the World Cup in 20 Charts
Jun 12, 2014 at 3:13 PM
The History of the World Cup in 20 Charts
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Brazil, the World Cup host and the clear favorite (in our view ), will start off the tournament Thursday with a match against Croatia. Soon after, 30 other countries will take to the pitch with varying prospects of achieving their World Cup dreams. See the FiveThirtyEight World Cup predictions for more on that.
But first: a brief tour of World Cup history. We wanted to answer a few basic questions: How often do favorites win? How often do host nations win? Is the spread of soccer talent throughout the world becoming more top-heavy or more even?
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The 20 charts below provide some answers. They rank each team that entered the World Cup based on its Elo ratings before the tournament .
These Elo ratings, which were adopted from a system developed for chess , have relatively little meaning in an absolute sense. We could say, for example, that Italy has an Elo rating of 1879 — but it’s not clear what you’d do with that.
The Elo system is set up such that the average team has a rating of 1500. There are more than 200 countries that field national soccer teams, however, so being average (as Cape Verde or Trinidad and Tobago are, according to Elo) won’t normally get a team into the World Cup field, much less win it the trophy.
So instead we’ve compared each team’s rating with that of the 32nd-best team in the world, according to Elo (whether or not team No. 32 qualified for the World Cup), at the time the World Cup began. 1 The 32nd-best team has gotten quite a bit better over the years, having gone from an Elo rating of 1540 in 1930, to one of 1707 this year. (The 32nd-best team in the world is currently Costa Rica, according to Elo.) Of course, the field has also expanded — from 13 teams in 1930 to 32 in World Cups played since 1998.
The charts include one other important adjustment: We’ve given a 100-point bonus, in accordance with the Elo system’s recommended value , to the host nation. 2
The 1930 World Cup, the first on our tour, was one where the home-nation adjustment makes a difference. Held in Uruguay, it was composed mostly of teams from the Americas; few European nations were willing to make the journey. Argentina and Uruguay were the two best teams in the field by some margin, with Argentina just slightly ahead in the Elo ratings. But Uruguay’s home-nation status was enough to make it the favorite. The two met in the finals in Montevideo, with Uruguay winning 4-2. More surprising: The United States and Yugoslavia won their groups and advanced to the semifinal, ahead of the higher-rated Brazil and Paraguay.
Italy played host to the 1934 World Cup. Several South American teams, including Uruguay, declined to participate, as did the countries of the United Kingdom. Overall, however, the field was deeper and had more parity than four years earlier. Italy, Argentina and Austria would essentially have been co-favorites before the tournament began, with Italy slightly ahead on the basis of the home-country effect. Indeed, Italy won.
Italy was also the favorite in the 1938 World Cup, which was played in France under the cloud of creeping European fascism. Italy was a clear favorite because Argentina, No. 2 in the Elo ratings at the time and disappointed that Europe had hosted two World Cups in a row, refused to participate. Italy won, keeping the streak alive for Elo favorites.
But when the World Cup returned in 1950 after a 12-year hiatus because of World War II and its aftermath, there was a surprise in store. Brazil hosted the tournament and, with its home-country boost, would have been the slight favorite per Elo. But it was a deep field — with England participating for the first time, and strong entrants from Italy, Sweden and several other countries (although Argentina again declined to enter). Uruguay, just the ninth-best team in the field, according to Elo, prevailed in a famous upset .
We’ll accelerate our pace a bit now that we’ve gotten the hang of this. The 1954 World Cup, held in Switzerland, featured another famous upset in the final, with West Germany defeating heavily favored Hungary in the so-called Miracle of Bern.
The 1958 World Cup featured a deep and competitive field. Hungary or Argentina would probably have been the favorite, but Brazil and England were not far behind them. Brazil won for the first time.
This touched off Brazil’s golden era, helmed by its star Pelé. The team entered the 1962 World Cup in Chile as the favorite, and it won — marking the last time a team has won two consecutive World Cups.
By 1966, Brazil’s Elo rating had slipped closer to the rest of the world. Among a deep group of contenders, England would have been the Elo favorite because of its host-nation status. And just this once, England won.
The 1970 World Cup, held in Mexico, featured one of the deepest fields ever. England was nominally the favorite again, according to Elo, but five other countries were within 100 points of it — including the eventual winner, Brazil.
The 1974 World Cup, by contrast, had a relatively clear favorite. West Germany and Brazil were the best teams in the world by some margin, but West Germany, led by Franz Beckenbauer and having built momentum by winning the 1972 European Championships, played host to the tournament and won.
The 1978 World Cup, held in and won by Argentina, is one of the least fondly remembered. Argentina was ruled by a military junta, which had come to power in 1976 after the overthrow of Isabel Perón. That World Cup has also long been associated with accusations of match-fixing . Was Argentina’s home-country advantage, for whatever reason, larger than usual? It’s hard to say; Argentina was a good team on its football merits, and the customary 100-point home-country boost would have put it in a group of front-runners that included West Germany, the Netherlands and Brazil.
Spain hosted the World Cup in 1982; West Germany and Brazil would have been the favorites, according to Elo. Instead, it was Italy — just the 12th-best team in the field — that won.
The 1986 World Cup initiated an era of relative parity. It would have been hard to pick a favorite: 14 teams, including the host, Mexico, were stacked within 140 Elo points of one another, and they weren’t that far ahead of some of the also-rans. Argentina won, not uncontroversially, on Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal .
The 1990 World Cup also featured a fairly flat distribution of talent, although the host, Italy, would have been the nominal favorite on the basis of the home-country advantage. West Germany won instead after a low-scoring and poorly played World Cup.
The World Cup returned to the Americas in 1994, when it was held in the United States. This was perhaps the first time that the host nation had no real chance of winning; the U.S. was rated as just the 18th-best team, despite its home-country boost. Much like the 1986 tournament, there was a large group of good-but-not-great teams atop the field. The Brazilian team, led by Romário and Bebeto, won in Pasadena, California, after Roberto Baggio’s penalty kick sailed over the crossbar .
The 1998 World Cup featured co-favorites, according to Elo: France and Brazil were tied in Elo entering the tournament (after giving France its 100-point home-country bonus). Those two teams met in the final, and France won 3-0.
The 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, was one of the oddest tournaments. France was the best team entering the tournament, according to Elo, but it went winless in the group stage. The final featured some customary names — Brazil and Germany, with Brazil winning — but neither the Brazilian or German teams were especially strong by the Elo ratings. Turkey took third place despite being just the 23rd-best team in the field.
The 2006 World Cup also featured a great deal of parity, with at least 10 plausible winners, including the host, Germany. It was Italy who prevailed over France on penalties in a final remembered for Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt .
The past two World Cups, however, have seen a reversal in the trend of greater equality among footballing nations. Brazil and Spain entered the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as the front-runners, with Brazil just two points ahead of Spain in Elo entering the tournament. In the final, Spain defeated the Netherlands, ranked third in the world per Elo.
That brings us back, finally, to this year’s tournament. Here are the Elo ratings, and then a few closing observations.
Brazil is the best team in the world, according to Elo, as it is in our Soccer Power Index. There have been several other times when a home country was close enough to the top in Elo that it would have been the favorite after accounting for its home-country bonus. However, this is the first time the No. 1-ranked Elo team also played host.
That gives Brazil a significant edge on the rest of the field. In fact, the 506-point gap between Brazil (accounting for its home-country bonus) and the 32nd-best team in the world (Costa Rica) is the largest ever in the World Cup. The 127-point gap between Brazil and the second-best team, Spain, is the second-largest after Italy in 1938.
That’s not to say Spain, Argentina and Germany are poor teams. Spain’s Elo rating — 379 points ahead of the No. 32 team — would have made it the favorite in any World Cup played from 1986 through 2010. Argentina and Germany are strong enough that they would have been the favorites in a number of recent World Cups as well. Any of them would be a worthy champion, but they’ll have to get by Brazil.
Footnotes
We only collected Elo ratings data on the teams that qualified for the World Cup. Sometimes, the team ranked No. 32 in the world was not among them. Therefore, we extrapolated the rating for the No. 32 team by looking at others ranked close to that threshold — for example, by taking the average of the Nos. 30 and 34 teams’ Elo ratings if both teams qualified.
This adjustment may be too conservative , especially for the earlier years of the competition.
Allison McCann is a former visual journalist for FiveThirtyEight. @atmccann
Nate Silver is the founder and editor in chief of FiveThirtyEight. @natesilver538
| Switzerland |
Which team held on to the European Cup for the fifth consecutive year in 1960? | Football World Cup winners list | FIFA soccer WC champion teams, history
Football World Cup winners list
Published on
Jun 20, 2014
Take a close look at the greatest football teams on earth: the FIFA World Cup champions.
The World Cup, also known as the Mundial or Copa do Mundo, has been held 19 times since it inaugural tournament in 1930. It has been won by eight different teams, with Brazil having the most World Cup titles with five, followed by Italy with four, and West Germany with three. Argentina and Uruguay have two titles each while England, France, and Spain have one title.
Below is a year-by-year account of all the World Cup champion teams.
1930 FIFA World Cup
Final score: Uruguay 4-2 Argentina
Host country: Uruguay
The 1930 World Cup was staged in Uruguay and it was the host country that won the championship. In the final match, the Uruguayans saw themselves trailing behind Argentina by 2-1 but managed to turn things around in the second half by scoring three goals. Uruguay became the first World Cup winner with a 4-2 score.
1934 FIFA World Cup
Final score: Italy 2-1 Czechoslovakia (Extra time)
Host country: Italy
The 1934 World Cup was once again won by the host country and this time it was Italy that took the trophy. Playing against Czechoslovakia, Italy imposed a very tough defense but the visiting team breached the Italian line in the 70th to lead 1-0. Italy retaliated to make the game 1-1 before the end of regulation and bagged the win in overtime by a 2-1 tally.
1938 FIFA World Cup
Final score: Italy 4-2 Hungary
Host country: France
Italy retained its crown in the 1938 World Cup in France. In the final match against Hungary, the Italians broke clear with a 3-1 score at halftime and finished the game 4-2.
1950 FIFA World Cup
Final score: Uruguay 2-1 Brazil
Host country: Brazil
The World Cup was not staged again until 1950 because of the Second World War. Played in Brazil, this edition of the Mundial saw one of the biggest upsets in football history when the host country lost to the Uruguay football team.
Brazil was highly favored to win in the final match with Uruguay, which was lowly rated after not qualifying in the two previous World Cups. The Brazilians scored two minutes into the second half and everything seemed to be going well for them. However, Uruguay tied on the 66th minute mark and scored anew on the 79th to steal the 1950 World Cup trophy.
1954 FIFA World Cup
Final score: West Germany 3-2 Hungary
Host country: Switzerland
The 1954 World Cup saw another major upset: In the group stage, the Hungarians trashed West Germany 8-3 and was highly favored to win when the two teams met again in the final. Scoring two goals after only eight minutes, the Hungarian football team looked like they were on a smooth way to the Mundial trophy. However, West Germany equalized within the first half and, just five minutes before the end of regulation, broke away with another goal to win 3-2.
1958 FIFA World Cup
Final score: Brazil 5-2 Sweden
Host country: Sweden
Host Sweden matched up against Brazil in the final of the 1958 World Cup. The Swedish football team opened the scoring but found themselves trailing by 2-1 at the end of the first half. Brazil played top-class football for the rest of the second half and finished the game 5-2. Brazil’s successful campaign was spurred by one of the greatest footballers in history , Pele, who played his first Mundial in this year.
1962 FIFA World Cup
Final score: Brazil 3-1 Czechoslovakia
Host country: Chile
In the 1962 World Cup, Brazil faced Czechoslovakia in the final match without its goal-scoring genius, Pele, as he was injured in the first round. The Czechoslovakians struck the first goal but the Brazilians showed their offensive flare to emerge as victors with a 3-1 score. This was the second of five World Cup trophies in the Brazilian football team’s history.
1966 FIFA World Cup
Final score: England 4-2 West Germany (Extra time)
Host country: England
England faced West Germany at the final of the 1966 World Cup. The Germans found the back of the net first but the English equalized by halftime, 1-1.
In the second half, the English pulled away with a goal’s lead but West Germany scored before the end of regulation to take the game into overtime with a 2-2 score. Englishman Geoff Hurst, who had one goal in regulation, scored twice in overtime to make England World Cup winners and to become the only player ever to score a hat trick in a Mundial final.
The 1966 victory is the only World Cup trophy in the English football team’s history as of present.
1970 FIFA World Cup
Final score: Italy 3-1 West Germany
Host country: Spain
The 1982 World Cup title is the third of Italy. It was not an easy one, as the Italians barely survived elimination in the first round. The first half of the final game did not prove to be inspiring either, as Italy missed a penalty that would have opened the scoring.
However, Italy managed to squeeze a goal on the 56th minute and followed it up with two more goals to lead 3-0. West Germany scored a goal in the 82nd minute to finish the game honorably, 3-1.
1986 FIFA World Cup
Final score: Brazil 0-0 Italy (3-2 pen)
Host country: United States
The 1994 World Cup, held in the United States, is the fourth occasion that Brazil would rip the highest honor in football. In the final match, neither Brazil nor its opponent, Italy, scored in the regulation and extra periods so the game was forced into a penalty shootout.
Both sides missed on their first attempt but Brazil converted its following shots while Italy suffered two more misses to lose 3-2 in the shootout. The biggest disappointment came to Italian football hero Roberto Baggio, who led his team throughout the tournament only to miss his chance from the penalty spot in the final game.
1998 FIFA World Cup
Final score: France 3-0 Brazil
Host country: France
The 1998 World Cup trophy was competed between 32 teams and it was France that emerged triumphant. The French survived the quarter finals through a penalty shootout against Italy and defeated Croatia in the semis with a 2-1 score. They went on to the final to square up with Brazil.
The final belonged to French football legend Zinedine Zidane who scored two goals in regulation to make victory imminent for the host country. His efforts were complemented by Emmanuel Petit, who added another goal in stoppage period. The match ended 3-0 for the first World Cup title in France’s football squad history.
2002 FIFA World Cup
Final score: Brazil 2-0 Germany
Host country: South Korea & Japan
The 2002 World Cup was the first to be held in Asia and saw Brazil become the winner once again. Ronaldo scored both of Brazil’s goals to surge pass Germany 2-0 in the final match. The brilliant striker finished as 2002 top scorer but it was the football goalkeeping legend Oliver Kahn of Germany who bagged the award for the tournament’s best player, the Golden Ball. (This World Cup, with Korea and Japan as hosts, is the first to be hosted by two nations.)
2006 FIFA World Cup
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Which British club had the first all seater stadium? | New images shows plans for Dons 20,000 seater stadium - Evening Express
New images shows plans for Dons 20,000 seater stadium
These are the latest images of how the Dons new stadium and community facilities could look.
It comes as Aberdeen FC begin seeking feedback on designs from the public.
The cost of the entire development has been estimated at around £46 million.
Vice-chairman of Aberdeen Football Club George Yule said: “The club means an awful lot to the people in this area.
“We have a responsibility to try and inspire people, but we need to be aspirational ourselves – we don’t want this club to be a backwater.
“So you’ve got to keep pushing forward and part of that formula is having facilities that fit into the 21st Century – we don’t have that here (Pittodrie) at present.
“We do know there are some concerns and objectors out there but the reality is wherever the club selects as a site there would be objectors. I think it’s our responsibility to satisfactorily address the concerns, not just of objectors, but of people affected by the move.” Players are currently unable to train at Pittodrie because the historic ground does not contain suitable facilities.
The new ground would be a fully enclosed, singular tier 20,000 -capacity stadium.
The 25-hectare development at Kingsford near Westhill would include two 3G pitches, training pitches and space for community facilities.
There would also be a memorial garden, a shop, museum, cafe, a concourse to create a “day out” experience for visitors, and around 1,300 parking spaces – one space to every 15 seats.
The community facilities are anticipated to be used for sports within public, private and voluntary sectors.
Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust (AFCCT) will run the facilities.
The stadium will be available from the A944 via three access points, open to vehicles and pedestrians.
A strategy would also be drawn up for public transport including both public and private coaches.
Cyclists will also be taken into account when drawing up the plans.
The plans have not been welcomed across the board, with the No Kingsford Stadium Community Action Group raising a number of concerns including safety on match days and antisocial behaviour.
| Aberdeen |
Who plays at Burnden Park? | Pittodrie Stadium - The Stadium Guide
The Stadium Guide
Club: Aberdeen FC | Opening: 1899 | Capacity: 21,412 seats
History and description
Pittodrie Stadium was first used as a football ground in 1899 by the original Aberdeen football club. The opening match, on the 2nd of September, was between Aberdeen and Dunbarton (7-1).
When the club merged in 1903 with Orion and Victoria to form Aberdeen FC, they kept Pittodrie as their home.
Pittodrie underwent several developments in the 1920s, most notably the construction of a new main stand in 1925. Around that time the first modern dugout in the history of football was also introduced to the stadium.
Pittodrie hosted a record crowd of 45,061 during a match against Hearts in 1954. Further renovations were made in the decades following, and in 1978 the ground became the first large British all-seater stadium. In 1980, the South Stand received covered and the benches were replaced by individual seats.
The most recent development dates from 1993, when the Beach End got demolished and replaced with the two-tier Richard Donald Stand.
By the mid 2000s, Pittodrie had severely aged though, and the board of Aberdeen started looking into the option of further renovating the stadium. They, however, soon realised that due to a lack of space any renovations would lead to a reduction in capacity to about 12,000, and therefore instead decided to build a new stadium in the south of the city.
In 2011, the Aberdeen city council approved the plans of the Aberdeen Arena , but due to various minor legal issues start of construction has been delayed with a year. Aberdeen now hopes to occupy its new stadium at the start of the 2014/15 season.
(photos of the present Pittodrie Stadium below)
Getting there
Pittodrie Stadium lies about a mile north of Aberdeen city centre, at just a few hundred metres from the North Sea coast.
The walk from Aberdeen Rail station, up King Street, should take no more than half an hour. It will take even less from most other city centre locations.
Alternatively, one can take various buses from Union Street in Aberdeen city centre. Bus 14 and 15 (salmon line) pass the stadium on Golf Road. Bus 1 and 2 (red line) pass the stadium on King Street.
By car, arriving from the A90 south, turn right at the second roundabout coming into the city and continue onto Holburn Street. Follow until the crossing with Union Street, and turn right onto Union Street. Follow the road left onto King Street, and continue for about half a mile. Turn right into Pittodrie Street. The stadium is on the right side of the road.
Address: Pittodrie Street , Aberdeen, AB24 5QH
Tickets
Tickets for Aberdeen matches can be bought online , by phone +44 (0) 1224 63 1903, or at the Ticket Office at the stadium.
Ticket prices range from £18.00 for a seat at the Merkland End to £28.00 for a seat at the Main Stand. For more information call +44 (0) 1224 63 1903.
Stadium tours
Aberdeen FC offers guided stadium tours that include visits to the dressing rooms, boot room, trophy room, boardroom and corporate areas.
Tours run once a week on either a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday at 10:30 am. There are no tours on matchdays.
Reservations are required and can be made by email [email protected] , or phone +44 (0) 1224 650400.
Photos
Afc.co.uk – Official website of Aberdeen FC.
Aberdeen-grampian.com – Official tourism site for Aberdeen City and Shire.
Firstgroup.com – Bus route maps and timetables.
Keep up to date with the latest stadium news by following @stadiumguide on Twitter (all updates) or liking our Facebook page (occasional updates).
Reviews (1)
Lovely stadium. Homely feel. Much like the ones in Germany.
Write a review
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Which English football team are known as the Tykes? | Juventus, Barcelona... and Barnsley? The Tykes are third most in-form team | Daily Mail Online
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Barnsley are the third most in-form team in any league in England, Italy, Germany, Spain and France, ahead of the likes of Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
The League One side have won 12 of their last 15 games, with a solitary draw, to involve themselves in the promotion race, accruing 37 points.
Only Juventus and Barcelona have performed better than the Tykes over their last 15 matches.
Manchester United loanee Ashley Fletcher has impressed during Barnsley's run of 12 wins in 15 games
Harry Chapman, on loan from Middlesbrough, celebrates his goal in the 3-1 victory against Walsall
Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez's Barcelona are one of only two teams above Barnsley
BARNSLEY'S LAST 15 GAMES
Walsall (w), Coventry (w), Crewe (w), Bury (d), Doncaster (w), Gillingham (l), Bury (w), Swindon (w), Bradford (w), Rochdale (w), Shrewsbury (w), Millwall (w), Blackpool (w), Wigan (l), Colchester (w)
It belies a run of form earlier this season that saw Barnsley come within one game of breaking their own club record for losses in a row in the league - they lost eight on the spin before a last minute victory against Oldham.
Even without a permanent head coach after Lee Johnson's departure to Bristol City, Barnsley have climbed from a relegation battle to sixth in the third tier. The Oakwell side are also in the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.
They were 23rd in League One on November 14, 2015, but are now firmly involved in a promotion push, only nine points behind Wigan Athletic in second after their 3-1 win against Walsall last weekend.
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Barnsley's caretaker head coach Paul Heckingbottom remains focused on the game to game: 'It can be distracting but you have to deal with it and know what’s got you where you are and what’s getting you the results, but the focus is game by game – not positions and league tables or play-offs, it’s on the next game and getting better all the time.'
Barnsley's official Twitter account is delighted by the fact the club are among such prestigious company
Barnsley have gone from 23rd on November 14 to sixth in the League One table, only nine points from second
Sean Dyche's Burnley side are also in the top five across the five big leagues and are top of the Championship
Barnsley are not the only Football League side to feature in the top five teams in terms of form in those countries.
Championship table toppers Burnley are the fifth most in-form team in the big five countries.
Sean Dyche's side have won 11 of their last 15 matches, drawing once, to collect 36 points.
| Barnsley |
Name the 17 year old player who scored two goals in the 1958 World Cup Final? | Juventus, Barcelona... and Barnsley? The Tykes are third most in-form team | Daily Mail Online
comments
Barnsley are the third most in-form team in any league in England, Italy, Germany, Spain and France, ahead of the likes of Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
The League One side have won 12 of their last 15 games, with a solitary draw, to involve themselves in the promotion race, accruing 37 points.
Only Juventus and Barcelona have performed better than the Tykes over their last 15 matches.
Manchester United loanee Ashley Fletcher has impressed during Barnsley's run of 12 wins in 15 games
Harry Chapman, on loan from Middlesbrough, celebrates his goal in the 3-1 victory against Walsall
Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez's Barcelona are one of only two teams above Barnsley
BARNSLEY'S LAST 15 GAMES
Walsall (w), Coventry (w), Crewe (w), Bury (d), Doncaster (w), Gillingham (l), Bury (w), Swindon (w), Bradford (w), Rochdale (w), Shrewsbury (w), Millwall (w), Blackpool (w), Wigan (l), Colchester (w)
It belies a run of form earlier this season that saw Barnsley come within one game of breaking their own club record for losses in a row in the league - they lost eight on the spin before a last minute victory against Oldham.
Even without a permanent head coach after Lee Johnson's departure to Bristol City, Barnsley have climbed from a relegation battle to sixth in the third tier. The Oakwell side are also in the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.
They were 23rd in League One on November 14, 2015, but are now firmly involved in a promotion push, only nine points behind Wigan Athletic in second after their 3-1 win against Walsall last weekend.
RELATED ARTICLES
Share
5.1k shares
Barnsley's caretaker head coach Paul Heckingbottom remains focused on the game to game: 'It can be distracting but you have to deal with it and know what’s got you where you are and what’s getting you the results, but the focus is game by game – not positions and league tables or play-offs, it’s on the next game and getting better all the time.'
Barnsley's official Twitter account is delighted by the fact the club are among such prestigious company
Barnsley have gone from 23rd on November 14 to sixth in the League One table, only nine points from second
Sean Dyche's Burnley side are also in the top five across the five big leagues and are top of the Championship
Barnsley are not the only Football League side to feature in the top five teams in terms of form in those countries.
Championship table toppers Burnley are the fifth most in-form team in the big five countries.
Sean Dyche's side have won 11 of their last 15 matches, drawing once, to collect 36 points.
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In what year did Bayern Munich win their first European Cup? | UEFA Champions League winners history list | Football Bible
UEFA Champions League winners history list
Published on
Aug 13, 2014
Each year, an elite club that outsmarts the other strong European clubs is crowned the season’s UEFA Champions League winner.
The title has been contended for 59 seasons and a number of teams have gained prominence in that time. Real Madrid is the most successful team having won ten times, followed by AC Milan with seven victories and five titles for both Liverpool and Bayern Munich. Here is the complete UEFA Champions League winners list.
1955-1960
Winner: Real Madrid (SPAIN)
Runners-up: Stade de Reims (1956, 1959), Fiorentina (1957), Milan (1958), Eintracht Frankfurt (1960)
Final scores: Real 4-3 Reims; Real 2-0 Fiorentina; Real 3-2 AC Milan (Extra Time); Real 2-0 Reims (1959); Real 7-3 Eintracht
Host countries: France (1956); Spain (1957); Belgium (1958); Germany (1959); Scotland (1960)
Real Madrid was the strongest team at the time. They won five consecutive tournaments a record that has not been matched. Though they encountered some resistance, the brilliance of their star players Ferenc Puskas, Francisco Gento, Alfredo Di Stefano and Jose Santamaria helped them conquer. In 1958, the final game was decided by an extra time goal scored by Francisco Gento. The 1960 European Cup final was a thrilling match as Madrid humiliated Eintracht to a 7-3 loss in Glasgow. This match recorded the largest attendance ever with over 135000 fans at the stadium.
1960-1962
Runners-up: Barcelona (1961); Real Madrid (1962)
Final scores: Benfica 3-2 Barcelona; Benfica 5-3 Real Madrid
Host countries: Switzerland (1961); Netherlands (1962)
Barcelona ended Real Madrid’s supremacy by beating them in the 1961 competition in the quarters. They made it to the finals only to lose to Benfica. Benfica boldly went on to lift the trophy a second time the following season by beating Real Madrid by 5-3.
Winners: AC Milan (1963); Inter Milan (1964, 1965) (ITALY)
Runners-up: Benfica (1963); Real Madrid (1964); Benfica (1965)
Final scores: AC Milan 2-1 Benfica; Inter Milan 3-1 Real; Inter Milan 1-0 Benfica
Host countries: England (1963); Austria (1964); Italy (1965)
AC Milan denied Benfica a chance to make it a hat-trick by beating them in the 1963 final. Their city rivals Internazionale Milan ensured the trophy stayed in Italy in the subsequent two seasons. With a wonderful combination of star players, namely Faketti, Mazzola, Sarti, Burnjic, Suares and Jaire the Inter squad marked an era that many Italians expected to match the earlier Real Madrid’s success.
Winners: Feyenord Rotterdam (1970) ; Ajax (1971, 1972, 1973) (NETHERLANDS)
Runner-up: Celtic (1970); Panathinaikos(1971); Internazionale Milan (1972); Juventus(1973)
Final score: Rotterdam 2-1 Celtic (Extra time); Ajax 2-0 Panathinaikos; Ajax 2-0 Inter; Ajax 1-0 Juventus
Host countrys: Italy (1970); England (1971); Netherlands (1972); Serbia (1973)
The Dutch got a taste of the trophy when Rotterdam beat Celtic 2-1 after extra time in the finals of 1970 in Milan. The following season, Ajax ensured the trophy found its way back to the country by overpowering the Greek team Panathinaikos to a 2-0 defeat. Ajax maintained two more consecutive victories against Internazionale and Juventus by utilizing “the total football”.
Runner-up: Atletico Madrid (1974); Leeds United (1975); Saint-Etienne (1976)
Final score: Bayern 4-0 Atletico (Rematch); Bayern 2-0 Leeds United; Bayern 1-0 Saint-Etienne
Host country: Belgium (1974); France (1975); Scotland (1976)
The Bayern Munich team was extremely successful with the squad consisting of a number of the German national squad, which won the European Championship in 1972 then the World Cup in 1974. The first victory came through a 4-0 rematch against Atletico Madrid after the first game ended in a 1-1 draw. The following season, Bayern won the match against Paris Leeds United with a 2-0 score line and resulted in the English crowd causing havoc at the stadium. The third victory came against Saint-Etienne who they outscored 1-0.
1976-1982
Winner: Liverpool (1977, 1978, 1981); Nottingham Forest (1979, 1980) Aston Villa (1982) (ENGLAND)
Runner-up: Borussia Monchengladbach (1977); Club Brugge (1978); Malmo FF (1979); Hamburg (1980); Real Madrid (1981); Bayern Munich (1982)
Final score: Liverpool 3-1 Monchengladbach; Liverpool 1-0 Club Brugge; Nottingham 1-0 Malmo; Nottingham 1-0 Hamburg; Liverpool 1-0 Real; Villa 1-0 Bayern Munich
Host country: Italy (1977); England (1978); Germany (1979); Spain (1980); France (1981); Netherlands (1982)
Liverpool started the English dominance by triumphing over Borussia Monchengladbach, scoring three goals to their opponent’s one goal. It enjoyed another success the following year by beating Club Brugge, the Belgian champions. However they fell to their English counterparts Nottingham Forest the next season as Forest made a sensational campaign to win the trophy. In addition, Forest defended the trophy in 1980 by beating Hamburg.
In 1981, Liverpool secured their third victory by defeating Real Madrid by 1-0. Being the era for English teams to dominate, Aston Villa managed to win 1-0 against Bayern Munich in the 1982 final in Rotterdam.
Final score: Juventus 1-0 Liverpool
Host country: Belgium
The defending champions lost 1-0 to Juventus in the next final. The Juventus excitement was eclipsed by the actions of Liverpool crowd that led to the demise of 39 Juventus fans. This was a dark cloud over English success as a ban of five years was imposed on the English teams and a six-year ban for Liverpool. It marked a big challenge for English cups to contest for the title even upon the end of the ban.
Winners: Steaua Bucuresti (1986) (ROMANIA) ; Porto (1987) (PORTUGAL) ; PSV Eindhoven (1988) (NETHERLANDS)
Runners-up: Barcelona (1986); Bayern Munich (1987); Benfica (1988)
Final scores: Steaua Bucuresti 0-0 Barcelona (2-0 pen); Porto 2-1 Bayern; PSV 0-0 Benfica (6-5 pen)
Host countries: Spain (1986); Austria (1987); West Germany (1988)
With the English teams missing out after the Heysel Disaster, the trophy was first lifted by Steaua Bucuresti from Romania after defeating Barcelona through penalties. Helmuth Duckadam, the Steaua keeper, saved four penalties to aid his team to a 2-0 win. Next Porto outweighed Bayern Munich in a thrilling final when Algeria’s Rabah Madjer scored a spectacular back-heel for Porto.
Runner-up: Steaua Bucuresti (1989); Benfica (1990)
Final score: AC Milan 4-0 Bucuresti; AC Milan 1-0 Benfica
Host country: Spain (1989); Austria (1990)
Two decades after their first and only win, AC Milan routed Steaua Bucuresti to a 4-0 win to take the trophy. They defended the trophy a year later and won the final against Benfica by 1-0. The efforts of Arrigo Sacchi were proving to be fruitful for the club as he put up arguably the best defense in the tournament.
Winner: Red Star Belgrade (YUGOSLAVIA)
Runner-up: Marseille
Final score: Red Star Belgrade 0-0 Marseille (5-3 pen)
Host country: Italy
Red Star Belgrade, Champions of the Yugoslav League, held Marseille to a goalless draw and went on to beat them on penalties. At this time, the 5 year ban on English teams was lifted.
Final score: United 2-1 Bayern Munich
Host country: Spain
The final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich is obviously one memorable match among the past Champions League finals. Both teams were on the hunt for a treble and Manchester had won the FA Cup and Premier League prior to the final. Bayern took the lead in the sixth minute through a stunning free kick and the Manchester United team struggled to find the net even in the second half. Into the three minutes of stoppage time, United was awarded a corner kick and all the players went forward, including the keeper. Teddy Sheringham got the equalizer in that moment and a second corner, still taken by David Beckham, resulted into the winning goal scored by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Final score: AC Milan 0-0 Juventus (3-2 pen)
Host country: England
Italy had not performed well in the previous season of the competition but they came back much improved, three Italian teams making it to the semi finals. The 2003 final was AC Milan against Juventus. After a 0-0 tie, Juventus lost 3-2 to AC Milan on penalties. This was an important one for the Milan captain, Paolo Maldini, as he lifted the trophy exactly forty years after his father had done the same for Milan. In addition, Clarence Seedorf had won the Champions League three times with three different teams, after Ajax (1995) and Real Madrid (1998).
Final score: Liverpool 3-3 Milan (3-2 pen)
Host country: Turkey
The 2005 final was a clash between prominent teams, Milan playing against Liverpool. Milan found the net after 52 seconds, which stands as the fastest goal in Champions league history. Another two goals from Hernan Crespo before half time provided Milan with a comfortable lead. This was later to be ruined by goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso before the sixtieth minute to bring the game to an even 3-3 score line. This is one outstanding comeback in a major and deciding match. The game proceeded to the penalty shootout and Liverpool conquered 3-2 to be victorious for the fifth time.
| one thousand nine hundred and seventy four |
Which city hosted the 1975 European Cup Final? | UEFA Champions League 2014/15 - History - Bayern-Barcelona – UEFA.com
Bayern
• Five-time winners Bayern are attempting to reach their 11th final.
• They suffered a 5-0 aggregate defeat by Real Madrid CF at this stage last season but have won five of their seven European Cup semi-finals against Spanish teams.
• Their overall record against Spanish opponents in two-legged contests in UEFA competition is W9 L7.
• Bayern have a 100% record in Munich in this season's UEFA Champions League, and have scored 13 goals in their last two home games – beating FC Shakhtar Donetsk 7-0 in the round of 16 and FC Porto 6-1 in the quarter-finals.
• Bayern's 4-0 home defeat by Madrid in last term's semi-final was only their second loss at home to Spanish opponents – the first coming against RC Deportivo La Coruña in 2002 . Their overall home record against teams from Spain W15 D5 L2.
• Bayern have recovered from an away first-leg defeat to win the tie on ten occasions, most recently against Porto in the quarter-finals; they have suffered 11 defeats, including eight in the last 11 contests. The Porto tie was the first time they had retrieved a deficit of two goals or more in UEFA competition; they had lost the previous nine ties, although they did win five of those second legs. Their sole 3-0 first-leg away defeat came against Valencia CF in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup first round; they won the second leg 1-0 but lost on aggregate.
• This is Bayern's fourth semi-final in the past five campaigns. Their overall European Cup semi-final record is ten victories and six defeats:
0-5 v Real Madrid CF, 2013/14 (0-1 a, 0-4 h)
7-0 v FC Barcelona, 2012/13 (4-0 h, 3-0 a)
3-3 v Real Madrid CF 3-3, won 3-1 on penalties, 2011/12 (2-1 h, 1-2 a)
4-0 v Olympique Lyonnais, 2009/10 (1-0 h, 3-0 a)
3-1 v Real Madrid CF, 2000/01 (1-0 a, 2-1 h)
2-3 v Real Madrid CF, 1999/2000 (0-2 a, 2-1 h)
4-3 v FC Dynamo Kyiv, 1998/99 (3-3 a, 1-0 h)
2-5 v AFC Ajax, 1994/95 (0-0 h, 2-5 a)
3-4 v FK Crvena zvezda, 1990/91 (1-2 h, 2-2 a)
2-2 v AC Milan 2-2, lost on away goals, 1989/90 (0-1 a, 2-1 h)
4-2 v Real Madrid CF, 1986/87 (4-1 h, 0-1 a)
7-4 v PFC CSKA Sofia, 1981/82 (3-4 a, 4-0 h)
1-1 v Liverpool FC, 1-1, lost on away goals, 1980/81 (0-0 a, 1-1 h)
3-1 v Real Madrid CF, 1975/76 (1-1 a, 2-0 h)
2-0 v AS Saint-Étienne, 1974/75 (0-0 a, 2-0 h)
4-1 v Újpest FC, 1973/74 (1-1 a, 3-0 h)
• Bayern beat Club Atlético de Madrid in the 1973/74 European Cup final and Valencia CF on penalties in the 2000/01 final.
• Bayern's shoot-out record in UEFA competition is W5 L1:
5-4 v Chelsea FC, 2013 UEFA Super Cup
3-4 v Chelsea FC, 2011/12 UEFA Champions League final
3-1 v Real Madrid CF, 2011/12 UEFA Champions League semi-final
5-4 v Valencia CF, 2000/01 UEFA Champions League final
9-8 v PAOK FC, 1983/84 UEFA Cup second round
4-3 v Åtvidabergs FF, 1973/74 European Cup first round
Barcelona
• Four-time winners Barcelona are seeking their eighth final appearance.
• Barcelona have won four consecutive away games since a 3-2 loss at Paris Saint-Germain in September – the most recent of these victories was a 3-1 quarter-final success on their return trip to Parc des Princes to face Paris in the quarter-finals. With victory in Munich they would become the first Barcelona side to post five straight away wins in a single European season.
• The Blaugrana have an overall away record of W9 D10 L6 against Bundesliga sides. Prior to their 2013 defeat in Munich they were unbeaten in eight trips to Germany.
• Messi scored when Barcelona last triumphed in Germany, 3-1 at Bayern 04 Leverkusen in the 2011/12 round of 16 , and he went on to notch five more goals – a UEFA Champions League first – when they won the return leg 7-1 .
• Barcelona have won 37 of the 39 UEFA competition ties in which they won the first leg at home, most recently against FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2010/11 quarter-finals ( 5-1 home , 1-0 away ). The biggest first-leg lead Barcelona have let slip came in the 1983/84 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final, when a 2-0 home defeat of Manchester United FC preceded a 3-0 away reverse.
• Barcelona have won 13 of their 18 previous two-legged ties with German teams, including semi-final triumphs over Hamburger SV in the 1960/61 European Champion Clubs' Cup and 1. FC Köln in the 1968/69 European Cup Winners' Cup.
• Barcelona are in their seventh UEFA Champions League semi-final in the last eight seasons.
• They have won six of their previous 14 semi-finals in the European Cup:
0-7 v FC Bayern München, 2012/13 (0-4 a, 0-3 h)
2-3 v Chelsea FC, 2011/12 (0-1 a, 2-2 h)
3-1 v Real Madrid CF, 2010/11 (2-0 a, 1-1 h)
2-3 v FC Internazionale Milano, 2009/10 (1-3 a, 1-0 h)
1-1 v Chelsea FC, won on away goals, 2008/09 (0-0 h, 1-1 a)
0-1 v Manchester United FC, 2007/08 (0-0 h, 0-1 a)
1-0 v AC Milan, 2005/06 (1-0 a, 0-0 h)
1-3 v Real Madrid CF, 2001/02 (0-2 h, 1-1 a)
3-5 v Valencia CF, 1999/2000 (1-4 a, 2-1 h)
3-0 v FC Porto, 1993/94 (3-0 h)
3-3 v IFK Göteborg, won 5-4 on penalties, 1985/86 (0-3 a, 3-0 h)
2-3 v Leeds United AFC, 1974/75 (1-2 a, 1-1 h)
1-0 v Hamburger SV, 1960/61 (1-0 h, 1-2 a, 1-0 replay)
2-6 v Real Madrid CF, 1959/60 (1-3 a, 1-3 h)
* Barcelona advanced to the 1991/92 final as group winners.
• Barcelona's shoot-out record in UEFA competition is W5 L1:
5-4 v KKS Lech Poznań, 1988/89 European Cup Winners' Cup second round
0-2 v FC Steaua Bucureşti, 1985/86 European Cup final
5-4 v IFK Göteborg, 1985/86 European Cup semi-final
4-1 v RSC Anderlecht, 1978/79 European Cup Winners' Cup second round
3-1 v Ipswich Town FC, 1977/78 UEFA Cup third round
5-4 v AZ Alkmaar, 1977/78 UEFA Cup second round
Coach and player links
• In four golden years between 2008 and 2012, Guardiola amassed 14 trophies as Barcelona coach, including the UEFA Champions League in 2009 and 2011. He added the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cups in those same years and on the domestic stage claimed three successive Liga titles (2009–11), two Spanish Cups (2009, 2012) and three Spanish Super Cups (2009–11).
• As a Barça player, Guardiola landed six league titles and was part of the team that lifted the club's first European Cup in 1992. He made 263 appearances between 1991 and 2000, also featuring in their 1997 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final success – alongside Luis Enrique – and the 1992 UEFA Super Cup victory.
• Luis Enrique scored for Barcelona in their 2-0 home win over Borussia Dortmund en route to a 3-1 aggregate success in the 1997/98 UEFA Super Cup.
• Thiago Alcántara, whose brother Rafinha plays for the Catalan side, scored seven goals in 68 Liga games for Barcelona between 2009 and 2013 having come through the club's youth ranks. Pepe Reina is another La Masia product, making 30 Liga outings before leaving Barcelona in 2002.
• Robben was a Real Madrid player from 2007–09, picking up one Liga title and scoring against Barcelona in a 4-1 Liga win on 7 May 2008. He struck twice in the Netherlands' 5-1 thrashing of Spain at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Piqué, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and substitute Pedro Rodríguez all figured for Spain, whose goal came from Xabi Alonso.
• Mario Götze got Germany's winner in the 2014 World Cup final against the Argentina of Messi and Javier Mascherano.
• Marc-André ter Stegen played against Bayern seven times for former club VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach – and kept one clean sheet in three visits to face them in Munich. His record overall was W2 D1 L4 with 11 goals conceded; he kept only two clean sheets.
• Ivan Rakitić played with Bayern's Manuel Neuer and Rafinha at FC Schalke 04 from 2007–10. He found the net in a 1-1 Bundesliga draw at Bayern in September 2007.
• Alonso played 20 times against Barcelona with Real Madrid, winning five and losing nine. At Liverpool he was in the side, alongside Reina, that prevailed 2-1 at the Camp Nou in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League round of 16.
• With Athletic Club, Javi Martínez faced Barcelona 15 times but was never on the winning team, enduring Copa del Rey final defeats in 2009 and 2012.
Match facts
Bayern
• Bayern were confirmed as Bundesliga champions with four games to spare on 26 April, their third consecutive German title. However, they have not picked up a Bundesliga point since, and lost 1-0 at home against FC Augsburg on Saturday.
• Medhi Benatia, Xabi Alonso, Rafinha and Manuel Neuer all started on the bench against Augsburg; the latter two came on as substitutes, Neuer making his 200th Bayern appearance after Pepe Reina was dismissed.
• Bayern have not scored in 361 minutes in all competitions – their longest barren run in 17 years – and have not won in four competitive games.
• Bayern were denied a fourth successive German Cup final appearance on 28 April, losing the semi-final 2-0 on penalties to Borussia Dortmund.
• Sinan Kurt, Rico Strieder and Lukas Görtler have all made their senior debuts since Bayern clinched the league title.
• Franck Ribéry (11 March, ankle), David Alaba (31 March, knee), Tom Starke (5 April, ankle) and Holger Badstuber (thigh, 21 April) are sidelined. Sebastian Rode has missed Bayern's last three games with a muscle injury.
• Robben will miss the rest of the season with a torn calf suffered against Dortmund on 28 April. That had been his first game after five weeks out with an abdominal muscle problem.
• Robert Lewandowski wore a mask in the first leg in Barcelona after suffering concussion and breaking his nose and jaw against Dortmund.
Barcelona
• If Xavi features he will become the first player to make 150 UEFA Champions League appearances. Real Madrid CF's Iker Casillas also goes into the second legs on 149.
• Messi made his 100th appearance in UEFA competition during the first leg; he has 78 goals.
• Barcelona have won 38 of their last 42 games in all competitions, and 17 of their past 18 following a 2-0 success against Real Sociedad de Fútbol on Saturday. They have won their last seven games without conceding, for the first time in their history.
• Neymar scored the opener; he has now scored in his last six games for Barcelona. His latest goal was his 50th for the club, a total he has reached in just 88 games.
• Pedro Rodríguez scored Barcelona's second late on with his effort widely reported as being Barcelona's first successful bicycle kick since Ronaldinho's strike against Villarreal CF on 25 November 2006.
• Long-term absentee Thomas Vermaelen was an unused substitute against La Real. Jérémy Mathieu missed the Bayern and Real games with an Achilles injury but is now available again.
• The Catalan giants have not lost by three goals since the 3-0 semi-final loss to Bayern at the Camp Nou in 2013. They have not done so away since the first leg of that tie in Munich (0-4).
• The Liga leaders have scored five or more goals in 13 games this season.
• Messi has scored 40 Liga goals for the third season in the past four campaigns.
• Between them, Messi, Neymar and Suárez have scored a club record 112 goals this term.
©UEFA.com 1998-2011. All rights reserved.
Last updated: 29/05/15 1.41CET
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What other title is given to 'The First Lord of the Treasury'? | First Lord of the Treasury : Wikis (The Full Wiki)
6 References
Lords of the Treasury
As of the beginning of the 17th century, the running of the Treasury was frequently entrusted to a commission, rather than to a single individual. After 1714, it was permanently in commission. The commissioners were referred to as Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, and given a number based on seniority. Eventually, the First Lord of the Treasury came to be seen as the natural head of any ministry, and, as of the time of Robert Walpole , began to be known, unofficially, as the Prime Minister . Indeed, the term Prime Minister was sometimes used in a derogatory way. "Prime minister" was first used officially in a royal warrant in 1905.
Prior to 1827 the First Lord of the Treasury, when a commoner, also held the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer , whilst if the First Lord was a peer, the Second Lord would usually serve as Chancellor. As of 1827, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has always been Second Lord of the Treasury when he has not also been the Prime Minister, regardless of peerage status. By convention, the other Lords Commissioners of the Treasury are also Government Whips in the House of Commons .
Official residence
10 Downing Street is the residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, and not of the prime minister. There is in fact no prime ministerial residence apart from Chequers , a country house in Buckinghamshire used as a weekend and holiday home; however, all modern prime ministers have simultaneously been First Lord of the Treasury, and so 10 Downing Street has come to be identified closely with the premiership.
List of First Lords of the Treasury, 1714 - 1905
Much of this list overlaps with the list of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom , but there are some notable differences, principally concerning the Marquess of Salisbury , who was Prime Minister but not First Lord 1885–86, 1887–92 and 1895–1902. Those First Lords who were simultaneously Prime Minister are indicated by the use of bold typeface; those First Lords who were considered Prime Minister only during part of their term are indicated by the use of bold italic typeface. For earlier Lord Treasurers and First Lords, see List of Lord Treasurers .
Name
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England World Cup trio: Bobby Moore; Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, came from which team? | Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
UK GOVERNMENT OFFICE
A council of six Members of Parliament at any given time. The First Lord of the Treasury is the present Prime Minister, the Second Lord of the Treasury the present Chancellor of the Exchequer. From 1714 this council wielded real power of economic decision, eroding by the late 19th Century into a sinecure .
Name
British MP, Kenilworth and Southam
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Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier whilst filming which movie in Monaco? | Grace Kelly - Biography - IMDb
Grace Kelly
Biography
Showing all 104 items
Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (2) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (2) | Trivia (67) | Personal Quotes (26) | Salary (1)
Overview (5)
14 September 1982 , Monaco (injuries from car accident)
Birth Name
5' 6½" (1.69 m)
Mini Bio (2)
Grace Patricia Kelly was born on November 12, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to wealthy parents. She was the daughter of Margaret Katherine (Majer), a phys ed instructor, and John Brendan Kelly, Sr., a three-time Olympic Gold winner for rowing. Her uncle was playwright George Kelly . She was of half Irish and half German descent. Her girlhood was uneventful for the most part, but one of the things she desired was to become an actress which she had decided on at an early age. After her high school graduation in 1947, Grace struck out on her own, heading to New York's bright lights to try her luck there. Grace worked as a model and made her debut on Broadway in 1949. She also made a brief foray into the infant medium of television.
Not content with the work in New York, Grace moved to Southern California for the more prestigious part of acting -- motion pictures. In 1951, she appeared in her first film entitled Fourteen Hours (1951) when she was 22. It was a small part, but a start nonetheless. The following year, she landed the role of Amy Kane in High Noon (1952), a western starring Gary Cooper and Lloyd Bridges which turned out to be very popular. In 1953, Grace appeared in only one film, but it was another popular one. The film was Mogambo (1953) where Grace played Linda Nordley. The film was a jungle drama in which fellow cast members, Clark Gable and Ava Gardner turned in masterful performances. It was also one of the best films ever released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Although she got noticed with High Noon, her work with director Alfred Hitchcock , which began with Dial M for Murder (1954) made her a star. Her standout performance in Rear Window (1954) brought her to prominence. As Lisa Fremont, she was cast opposite James Stewart , who played a photographer who witnesses a murder in an apartment across the courtyard while convalescing in a wheelchair. Grace stayed busy in 1954 appearing in five films. Grace would forever be immortalized by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Georgie Elgin opposite Bing Crosby in The Country Girl (1954). In 1955, Grace once again teamed with Hitchcock in To Catch a Thief (1955) co-starring Cary Grant . In 1956, she played Tracy Lord in the musical comedy High Society (1956) which also starred Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby . The whimsical tale ended with her re-marrying her former husband, played by Crosby. The film was well received and also turned out to be her final acting performance.
In the summer of 1954, Kelly and Cary Grant were on the French Riviera, working on To Catch a Thief. It was probably the scene after Grace speeds along the Moyen Corniche to quickly get to the "picnic grounds", and away from a tailing police car, that she had time to look at the Mediterranean and the countryside along the coast. "Whose gardens are those?" she asked screenwriter John Michael Hayes . "Prince Grimaldi's". She would not meet the prince until the following year. In New York in March 1955, she received a call from Rupert Allan, Look Magazine's west coast editor, who had become a friend since writing three cover stories on her. The French government wanted her to attend the Cannes Film Festival that May. She had some good reasons to go. One: The Country Girl (1954) would be shown at the festival. Two: she had really loved working on the Riviera the summer before. She met Prince Rainier of Monaco during the Cannes festival. He needed a wife, because with no heir to the throne, Monaco would again be part of France, after his death, all its citizens would have to pay French taxes. And Kelly thought it was time for her to select a husband, one who would finally meet with her parents' approval.
Her biographers show that the life of a princess was not exactly living happily ever after. Old friends from Philadelphia as well as people she had known in Hollywood reported how glad she was to talk about her life in America and to be speaking English. And then on a cliff road she had known so well since her first visit to the Riviera, there was the fatal crash. The spot is often said to be the same spot where the picnic scene from To Catch a Thief was filmed in 1954. However, Kelly's own son, Prince Albert of Monaco , has categorically denied this on Larry King Live and elsewhere; according to him, the accident did not even happen on the same road, let alone at the same spot.
For the rest of her life, she was to remain in the news with her marriage and her three children. On September 14, 1982, Grace was killed in an automobile accident in her adoptive home country, Monaco, at age 52.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Pedro Borges
Spouse (1)
( 18 April 1956 - 14 September 1982) (her death) (3 children)
Trade Mark (2)
Her poised, calm, cool and collected demeanor and blond hair often coiffed in a bun
Often cast as the love interest of the leading man who is over 20 years older.
Trivia (67)
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#5) (1995).
Ranked #51 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Hoped to return to acting in Alfred Hitchcock 's Marnie (1964), but the people of Monaco did not want their princess playing a thief and romancing Sean Connery .
Had three children with Prince Rainier of Monaco : Princess Caroline of Monaco (1957), Prince Albert of Monaco (1958) and Princess Stéphanie of Monaco (1965).
Her movies were banned in Monaco by order of Prince Rainier of Monaco .
The inscription at her burial site in Monaco's cathedral does not refer to her as a princess. It uses the title "uxor principis" (prince's wife), which is traditional in the House of Grimaldi.
Following her untimely death, she was interred at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Monaco.
Assisted in the pre-production status of Grace Kelly (1983) starring Cheryl Ladd as Grace Kelly.
Actress Rita Gam was among her bridesmaids.
Born at 5:31 AM EST.
In 1993, the United States and Monaco simultaneously released a commemorative postage stamp honoring her. However, United States federal law forbids postage stamps depicting foreign heads of state, so the United States stamp listed her as "Grace Kelly", while the Monaco stamp listed her as "Princess Grace".
Part of Prince Rainier of Monaco 's attraction to marrying a movie star was to increase tourism in his tiny, cash-poor principality, and the Kelly family was turned off by his demands that a substantial dowry accompany Grace to Monaco. A figure of $2,000,000 was finally agreed upon, which was diverted from Grace's inheritance so that her brother and two sisters would not be shortchanged.
Kelly's wedding gown was the most expensive garment that MGM designer Helen Rose had ever made. It used twenty-five yards of silk taffeta and one hundred yards of silk net. Its 125-year-old rose point lace was purchased from a museum and thousands of tiny pearls were sewn on the veil.
Was considered for the role of Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) that was eventually played by Elizabeth Taylor .
The so-called "wealthy" family Grace was born into was actually an immigrant family of bricklayers who had barely a generation of newfound business success. Grace's father and brother were both Olympic gold-medal scullers. Grace's cousin, former US Secy of Navy John Lehman, Jr. now chairs the Princess Grace Foundation, which supports young performing talent.
Attended and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York.
The Country Girl (1954), the film that won Kelly an Oscar, was first offered to Jennifer Jones , who had to turn it down due to pregnancy.
When she left Hollywood, several roles she was slated to play were eventually filled by Lauren Bacall ( Designing Woman (1957) and The Cobweb (1955)). Director George Stevens also wanted her for Giant (1956).
Niece of playwright George Kelly .
Kelly was the daughter of John Brendan Kelly, Sr. (1889-1960), the son of Irish immigrants, and his wife Margaret Katherine (Majer), whose parents were German. She had three siblings: Peggy, John Jr. and Lizzane.
On January 1959, the Austrian government awarded her a medal of merit for aid to Hungarian refugees escaping Russian invasion, given through Monaco's Red Cross.
She was one of many famous tenants of the Barbizon Hotel for Women when she lived in New York. Other tenants included Candice Bergen , Liza Minnelli , Cloris Leachman , Ali MacGraw , and Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale .
She was voted the 27th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Referenced in the songs "Grace Kelly", by Die Ärzte; "Grace Kelly Blues" by Eels ( Mark Oliver Everett ),"Grace Kelly with Wings" by Piebald; and "Grace Kelly" by Mika.
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6329 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
Hedda Hopper reported that Judy Garland 's loss of the Academy Award to Grace for The Country Girl (1954) was the result of the closest Oscar vote up till that time that did not end in a tie, with just six votes separating the two. In any event, it was such a heartbreak from which Judy Garland never recovered from, mentally. Judy Garland was nominated for her role in A Star Is Born (1954) and which has remained a matter of some controversy.
Summoned Sydney Guilaroff , the chief hairstylist at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, to style her hair for her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956.
She was voted the 12th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere magazine.
Was named #13 Actress on The American Film Institute's 50 Greatest Screen Legends
The road accident which led to her death was apparently caused by a stroke she suffered while driving.
Was romantically involved with fashion designer Oleg Cassini .
Is portrayed by Christina Applegate and Cheryl Ladd in Grace Kelly (1983).
Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna 's song "Vogue".
Broke off her engagement to Oleg Cassini to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco .
Bought a silver frame as a wedding gift to Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981.
While pregnant with Princess Caroline of Monaco , Grace often used her Hermès bag to shield her belly from prying paparazzi. The company nicknamed that purse "the Kelly bag".
Her favorite flowers were roses. After her death, Prince Rainier of Monaco opened a public rose garden in Monaco.
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 447-450. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.
In Italy, a vast number of her films were dubbed by Fiorella Betti . She was also dubbed by Miranda Bonansea , Dhia Cristiani and Rina Morelli , respectively in High Noon (1952), Dial M for Murder (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955).
Was offered to do a role in 11-time Oscar-nominated The Turning Point (1977).
In her youth, her favorite actors were Joseph Cotten and Ingrid Bergman .
(April 19, 1956) Her wedding's church ceremony at Monaco's Saint Nicholas Cathedral was exclusively filmed by MGM and made into the documentary The Wedding in Monaco (1956). The 600 guests included David Niven , Gloria Swanson , Ava Gardner and Conrad Hilton .
Attended and graduated from Stevens School in Germantown, Philadelphia in 1947.
On the day she perished in a car accident, she was allegedly driving a British Rover 3500.
Cary Grant named her as his favorite co-star. His friends and family said Kelly's death hit him much harder than the deaths of Louis Mountbatten , Alfred Hitchcock and even Ingrid Bergman .
She and her husband Prince Rainier of Monaco , were at the opening of Expo '58 in Brussels.
Grandmother of: Andrea, Charlotte, and Pierre Casiraghi, Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Louis and Pauline Ducruet, Camille Gottlieb, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi and Alexandre Coste .
Was considered for the role of Sarah in Guys and Dolls (1955), however Jean Simmons was cast instead.
Was allegedly romantically involved with all of her leading men apart from James Stewart . She was also linked to Marlon Brando , David Niven and Jean-Pierre Aumont .
Her father built a beach house at the corner of 26th and Wesley in Ocean City, New Jersey in 1929. It became a popular family vacation destination, and hosted celebrity guests such as Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin , Jerry Lewis , Bob Hope and Bing Crosby . Grace's sister, Lizanne, lived in the house until it was sold in 2001.
All of her leading men were old enough to be her father (with the exception of William Holden , who was 11 years older than her and Louis Jourdan, who was only 8 years older).
Former mother-in-law of Stefano Casiraghi (1983-1990) and mother-in-law of Daniel Ducruet (1995-1996). She was also the future mother-in-law of Princess Charlene of Monaco .
Was good friends with actress Maureen O'Hara .
She and her husband Prince Rainier of Monaco became pregnant twice in 1962; on both occasions she suffered miscarriages.
Ranked #86 in Men's Health magazine's 100 Hottest Women of all Time (2011).
The very first actress to appear on a postage stamp in 1993.
She graduated from Stevens School in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 5, 1947; her classmates predicted, in her senior yearbook, that she was certain "to become a stage and screen star".
Her first date, Harper Davis, died in 1953 after contracting multiple sclerosis when he returned from World War II and whose funeral was attended by Grace Kelly.
She was a registered Democrat and her family was close friends with Franklin D. Roosevelt during his administration.
Was a Girl Scout.
Was the 42nd actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for The Country Girl (1954) at The 27th Annual Academy Awards (1955) on March 30, 1955.
She turned down the female lead in On the Waterfront (1954) in order to make Rear Window (1954) instead.
Had appeared in three films directed by Alfred Hitchcock : Rear Window (1954), Dial M for Murder (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955).
Grace Kelly passed away on September 14, 1982, two months away from what would have been her 53rd birthday on November 12.
Portrayed by Nicole Kidman in the fictionalized and critically ravished Grace of Monaco (2014). Kidman, however, was nominated for a SAG Award for her performance.
It has been alleged that as member of the Twentieth Century Fox board of directors, Kelly was responsible for closing down Russ Meyer 's uncompleted "Who Killed Bambi?".
MGM studios offered 70 000 dollars for the weeding of Grace Kelly, in gowns and bonus.
Personal Quotes (26)
Hollywood amuses me. Holier-than-thou for the public and unholier-than-the-devil in reality.
I'll tell you one of the reasons I'm ready to leave. When I first came to Hollywood five years ago, my makeup call was at eight in the morning. On this movie it's been put back to seven-thirty. Every day I see Joan Crawford , who's been in makeup since five, and Loretta Young , who's been there since four in the morning. I'll be god-damned if I'm going to stay in a business where I have to get up earlier and earlier and it takes longer and longer for me to get in front of a camera.
I hated Hollywood. It's a town without pity. I know of no other place in the world where so many people suffer from nervous breakdowns, where there are so many alcoholics, neurotics, and so much unhappiness.
Mogambo (1953) had three things that interested me. John Ford , Clark Gable , and a trip to Africa with expenses paid. If Mogambo had been made in Arizona, I wouldn't have done it.
At times, I think I actually hate Hollywood. I have many acquaintances there, but few friends.
I came to success very quickly. Perhaps too quickly to value its importance.
I would like to be remembered as someone who accomplished useful deeds, and who was a kind and loving person. I would like to leave the memory of a human being with a correct attitude and who did her best to help others.
My father had a very simple view of life: you don't get anything for nothing. Everything has to be earned, through work, persistence and honesty. My father also had a deep charm, the gift of winning our trust. He was the kind of man with whom many people dream of spending an evening.
My real difficulty was to become a normal person again, after having been a movie actress for so long. For me, at the time I was living in New York and Hollywood, a normal person was someone who made movies.
Mr. Hitchcock taught me everything about cinema. It was thanks to him that I understood that murder scenes should be shot like love scenes and love scenes like murder scenes.
Of course, I think about marriage, but my career is still the most important thing for me. If I interrupt it now to get married, because I don't believe in a part-time family life, I would risk passing the rest of my existence wondering whether or not I would have been able to become a great actress.
My parents, despite their serious attitude toward life in general, and that of their children in particular, were very broadminded people. There was no such thing as a bad profession for them. As I was their daughter, they knew that, whatever profession I chose, I would do it well. That was enough for them. There was always trust among the Kellys.
I've always treated my children as beings in their own right. I respect their feelings and aspirations entirely.
When I married Prince Rainier, I married the man and not what he represented or what he was. I fell in love with him without giving a thought to anything else.
I would like to say to my future fellow citizens that the Prince, my fiance, has taught me to love them. I already know a lot about them from the way he has described them to me, and my dearest desire today is to find a little place in their hearts.
My love of flowers opened a lot of doors for me. I've made many friends because of their passion of flowers and their vast knowledge in this field.
Although, I've played a wide variety of roles, I've never had the chance to act in a story written specially for me. It's a pity as they are the only stories that really let you reveal your personality.
When Ava Gardner gets in a taxi, the driver knows at once she's Ava Gardner. It's the same for Lana Turner or Elizabeth Taylor , but not for me. I'm never Grace Kelly. I'm always someone who looks like Grace Kelly.
Fairy tales tell imaginary stories. Me, I'm a living person. I exist. If the story of my life as a real woman were to be told one day, people would at last discover the real being that I am.
If there is one thing that is foreign to me it is shopping for pleasure. On the other hand, I believe that it is right to honour all those who create beautiful things and give satisfaction to those who see me wearing them.
It would be very sad if children had no memories before those of school. What they need most is the love and attention of their mother.
I avoid looking back. I prefer good memories to regrets.
I'm basically a feminist. I think that women can do anything they decide to do.
The studios are tenacious. When they want someone or something, they always get it in the end. I ended up signing a contract with MGM. I signed because they offered me the chance of shooting in Africa, but I signed it at the desk of the airport, when the engines of the plane were already turning.
Before my marriage, I didn't think about all the obligations there were awaiting me. My experience has proved useful and I think that I have a natural propensity to feel compassion for people and their problems.
(On Gary Cooper ) He's the one who taught me to relax during a scene and let the camera do some of the work. On the stage you have to emote not only for the front rows, but for the balcony too, and I'm afraid I overdid it. He taught me the camera is always in front row, and how to take it easy...
Salary (1)
| To Catch a Thief |
In which novel was James Bond first introduced? | Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier marry - Apr 18, 1956 - HISTORY.com
Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier marry
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American actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco in a spectacular ceremony on this day in 1956.
Kelly, the daughter of a former model and a wealthy industrialist, began acting as a child. After high school, she attended the American Academy for Dramatic Arts in New York. While she auditioned for Broadway plays, she supported herself by modeling and appearing in TV commercials. In 1949, Kelly debuted on Broadway in The Father by August Strindberg. Two years later, she landed her first Hollywood bit part, in Fourteen Hours. Her big break came in 1952, when she starred as Gary Cooper’s wife in High Noon. Her performance in The Country Girl, as the long-suffering wife of an alcoholic songwriter played by Bing Crosby, won her an Oscar in 1954. The same year, she played opposite Jimmy Stewart in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.
While filming another Hitchcock movie, To Catch a Thief (1955), in the French Riviera, Kelly met Prince Rainier of Monaco. It wasn’t love at first sight for Kelly, but the prince initiated a long correspondence, which led to their marriage in 1956. Afterward, she became Princess Grace of Monaco and retired from acting. She had three children and occasionally narrated documentaries. Kelly died tragically at the age of 52 when her car plunged off a mountain road by the Cote D’Azur in September 1982.
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In which city would you find 'Copacabana Beach' and 'Ipanema'? | www.ipanema.com ALL ABOUT IPANEMA, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - Virtual Citytour
Florianópolis - SC
Ipanema is a neighborhood that summarizes the best Rio de Janeiro has to offer. There's a legendary beach , a bustling nightlife , restaurants to write home about, the most sophisticated street shopping in town, cultural centers, museums, excellent hotels in all price ranges...
Better yet, everything is in a walking distance , and it's easy to find your way around. Streets are lined up in a grid, and you have the beach and Lagoa as your references. If you had only one day in Rio, and you want to experience the city like a local instead of a tourist, this is the place you would be heading to.
Most of what is known as Ipanema today belonged to aristocrat José Antonio Moreira Filho, the Barão de Ipanema. Ipanema means bad water in Brazilian Indian dialect, but since the name was inherited from the baron, it has nothing to do with our beautiful blue sea. Once the tunnel connecting Copacabana to Botafogo was opened, Ipanema was finally integrated to the rest of the city.
In 1894 Vila Ipanema was founded, with 19 streets and 2 parks. The neighborhood started to grow faster with the arrival of streetcars in 1902. Ipanema became a household name in the 1950's and 60's - it is the birthplace of Bossa Nova. The whole world learned about it with hit song The Girl from Ipanema by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Morais, both Ipanema residents.
Since then Ipanema is always setting new trends, and what happens here reverberates throughout the country. Take Banda de Ipanema , for instance. What started as a celebration among a few dozen friends ended up bringing a new life to Rio de Janeiro's Street Carnival festivities. Today the parades attract as many as fifteen thousand, and many other neighborhoods have street bands of their own.
The first pregnant woman in a bikini was actress Leila Diniz in the 70's, she lived on Rua Aníbal de Mendonça. The first men sunbathing in a bikini bottom was Fernando Gabeira at Posto 9 in the early 80's. The first topless woman (who bothered asking? - 80's), and the dental floss bikini (late 80's) are among fashion statements that were made here first.
Ipanema has played an important cultural role in the city since its early days. There are major art galleries, universities, several schools, avant-garde theaters, art movie theaters, cyber-cafés... Do not be surprised to discover a cozy café with a web connection inside a bookshop or clothing store.
Fitness is also a big thing. Expect to run into juice shops every other block. People going into and coming out of the many state-of-the-art gyms. Activities offered sometimes include capoeira, you could well walk in and give it a shot. Keep your sunglasses on to better watch the sun-kissed girls and boys of Ipanema go by.
When the sun sets, the fun does not end. With an assortment of cafes, bars, and clubs there's always something happening at night. Stroll around Praça da Paz, Baixo Farme and Baixo Quitéria. Watch a live music performance, crash a circuit party, sip a beer or fresh coconut under the stars at a beach kiosk. Gays and lesbians have their own beach spot, and enjoy venues and clubs on Rua Teixeira de Melo, Farme de Amoedo and surroundings.
This is where Ipanema starts, right at the border with Leblon. Until the 70's this is where the streetcars turned. In the 90's the area was remodeled, and received a gift of questionable taste. An obelisk was erected right in the middle of busiest commercial street, coupled with a sort of an overpass that doesn't have any practical purpose. Originally they had designed it for pedestrians, but enraged residents of the surrounding buildings were not happy about having peeping toms passing right out their bedroom windows.
A couple of blocks away from Bar 20, between streets Garcia D´Ávila and Aníbal de Mendonça is Rio's Diamond Row. In addition to the Amsterdam Sauer Museum of Gems, visit the headquarters of jewelers H. Stern to take the free workshop tour , and see the steps in the production of a jewel. Explore Rua Garcia D'Ávila, the most sophisticated cross-street in Ipanema. Designer furniture, fashion, jewelers, and branches of shops like Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and Mont Blanc are perfect for window-shopping (and a little day-dreaming).
The street, formerly known as Montenegro, always had an important role in Ipanema. The first open air fashion shows in Brazil happened here, at Blu-Blu in the 70's. This is where the famous Velloso Bar was located. Tom Jobim and Vinícius supposedly composed the song Girl from Ipanema here - the lyrics were written on a napkin, according to legend. Later Velloso would be renamed Bar Garota de Ipanema, and the street named after Vinícius. Tom Jobim ended up as the name of Rio's International Airport. This whole street is full of interesting bars, shops and eateries. Do not miss Toca do Vinícius, a shop that has everything Bossa Nova - from rare CD's to literature and memorabilia.
One of Rio's prettiest green plazas, with well-manicured lawns, a beautiful art-deco centerpiece, small pond with ducks, and countless cast-iron statues. The Peace Square is a haven of tranquility right on the main street. Arrive early and take part in the tai-chi-chuan practice, watch the babies and children arrive with their mothers and babysitters. The farmer's market on Friday morning is another non-touristy way to enjoy the routine of locals. This square is surrounded by excellent restaurants, nightclubs, shopping, a gym, beauty salon for pets, you name it. Take your time and explore the surroundings, visit the small but beautiful church, stop for a gourmet coffee, a fresh-squeezed juice, or an unforgettable meal. You will probably come back for more later.
Unfairly considered by some the Peace Square's poor cousin, General Osório is also a spot you do not want to miss. Its fountain, though badly in need of a restoration, is a masterpiece by master Valentim. The hippie fair happens here on Sundays, and this is where Banda de Ipanema gathers for Carnival. It is surrounded by discount stores, restaurants, supermarkets, a post office, etc. From here you have a view to the popular community of Cantagalo, that stretches all the way to Copacabana.
This may be the most attractive commercial street in Rio - especially if you are not a fan of hyper malls. The street is lined up with banks, bars, restaurants, travel agencies and some of Rio's best boutiques. There are also many specialty shops, hotels, gyms, night clubs, 24-hour bookstands, drugstores... you will find everything could be looking for, and then some.
Basically all streets that start at Lagoa and run towards to the Beach are worth exploring. Each one has its own characteristics and attractions. Walking from one end to the other is a fun way to discover why people who live in Ipanema would not consider moving elsewhere. If you have time to do only two or three, we suggest Garcia D'Ávila, Vinícius de Morais and Farme de Amoedo.
While most of Ipanema features a healthy mix of residential and commercial buildings, some streets running parallel to the beach are still mostly residential. They feature a number of 4-story buildings, and many houses still stand - despite the soaring prices of real estate. Barão de Jaguaribe, Nascimento Silva and Redentor are good examples, with a similar profile.
Baixo is a term locals use to define areas that concentrate a number of bars and cafes, attracting a young crowd. Baixo Quitéria is on Rua Maria Quitéria (between streets Prudente and Visconde). Baixo Farme revolves around Bar Bofetada on Rua Farme de Amoedo, almost at the corner of Barão da Torre. Take a seat at one of the tables, and enjoy delicious appetizers as you chat away. Or just grab a drink, and leaning on a car people-watching. Learn a phrase or two in Portuguese to break the ice, and do not be shy. Talking to strangers, making new friends and flirting are some of the reasons Baixos exist, after all. For gays and lesbians the best alternative is Rua Teixeira de Melo, with lounges and dance clubs.
Even if you are traveling on a budget an afternoon window-shopping in Ipanema is always fun. It could even be considered a cultural activity, if you need any excuses. There are too many options but if your time is short here are some musts. Bikini boutiques like Salinas, Blue Man and Bum-Bum (they also carry bathing suits for guys). Clothing stores born in Ipanema that became national chains: Farm, Chocolate (women), Richard's, Wollner (men), and Company (family). Major jewelers on Rua Visconde de Pirajá like H. Stern, Amsterdam Sauer. Signature purses and handbags at Glorinha Paranaguá. Fashion underwear for men at Foch. Fine leathers at Frank e Amaury. Shoes at Mariazinha (women) or Mr. Cat (men). The possibilities are really endless...
Exploring art galleries is another fun way to get an insight into the local culture. There are two major art galleries in Ipanema you do not want to miss. Bolsa de Arte is on Rua Prudente de Morais near Farme de Amoedo. Galeria de Ipanema is on Aníbal de Mendonça, right on the beach block. Both feature paintings and art objects by major Brazilian artists. The hippie fair at General Osório Square on Sundays is great if you are looking for naïf paintings of tourist sights, wooden sculptures, handicraft, or exotic musical instruments.
Although there are no mammoth malls in Ipanema, Rua Visconde de Pirajá is lined up with commercial buildings with two or three stories with shops, beauty salons, and the like. Forum and Ipanema 2000 are among the most sophisticated. The upper floors are taken by private practices, offices, and lots of fashion wholesalers. Buyers from other states are frequently seen dragging huge shopping bags from buildings like the Visconde de Pirajá 580. You will find pieces very similar to what the fashion boutiques below have on display, for half the price (minus the prestigious label, of course).
| Rio de Janeiro |
Which character was played by Nyree Dawn Porter in 'The Forsyte Saga'? | Copacabana Beach (Rio de Janeiro) - Top Tips Before You Go - TripAdvisor
Neighbourhood Profile
Copacabana
The rowdy Copacabana is one of the most traditional and old areas from Rio de Janeiro. This neighbourhood is a blend of Brazilian soul - crowded, rowdy and traditional. This neighbourhood has a bit of everything: bars with music, pubs, street fairs, chaotic streets, and many shops. All these things and more live side-by-side. There are options for all price points and tastes. However, the most powerful draw in Copacabana is still the fantastic view of the coast and the incredible beaches.
| i don't know |
What country hosted the 1978 Football World Cup? | Argentina, 1978: World Cup Football Host
Argentina, 1978
Qualifiers
The first qualifying match played on artificial turf was between Canada and USA on 24 Sept 1976 in Vancouver, Canada.
The first qualifying match played indoor was between USA and Canada on 20 Oct 1976 in Seattle, USA.
Tournament
During a first Round match on 3 June 1978 between Brazil and Sweden, Welsh referee Clive Thomas was widely criticized for his controversial decision to blow the final whistle while a corner-kick was being taken. Brazil's Zico headed a corner-kick into the Swedish net, but the referee disallowed the goal claiming that he had whistled to end the match while the ball was in the air. The final score remained at 1-1.
Puruvian goalkeeper Ramon Quiroga was booked inside Poland's half of the field in a finals match on 18 June 1978, when he brought down a Polish player. The keeper habitually came out of his penalty area to 'help' his teammates in defense. Though on this occasion he went even further to the other half of the field and pulled down Polish player Grzegorz Lato with a rugby tackle.
The only player to have scored a goal plus an own-goal in the same match is Ernie Brandts of Holland in the second phase match against Italy in 1978. The Dutch team won 2-1.
Peruvian goalkeeper Ramon Quiroga accused of deliberately conceding some goals in their 6-0 loss to Argentina in a Second Round group match on 21 June 1978 was he was born in Argentina. Argentina had to beat Peru by a margin of at least 4 goals to reach the 1978 Final. No Peruvian people could believe that their admirable goalkeeper Quiroga would let in six goals in a match. When Quiroga came back home, he published a full letter in the newspapers pleading his innocence and explaining the reasons for Peru's humiliating defeat.
The 1978 Final in Argentina had to be delayed as Dutch player Rene Van der Kerkhof had to go back to the dressing room for treatment. The Argentinean captain Daniel Passarella complained to the referee that the plaster on the Dutch player’s hand was dangerous to other players. Rene returned to the dressing room to have a soft cover placed over the plaster.
In the Final, Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 after extra time.
World Cup Firsts
( more Firsts )
The first team to win a qualifying match on penalty shootout was Tunisia, which won 4:2 on penalties over Morocco after a 1:1 tie at home on 9 Jan 1977.
The first country to withdraw from the World Cup due to the inability to pay the entrance fee was Sri Lanka which withdrew from the 1978 World Cup.
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| Argentina |
Who played 'Doyle' in the TV series The Professionals? | Argentina cheated during World Cup 1978, says Peru senator | Daily Mail Online
comments
Peru agreed to throw a game against eventual winners Argentina during the 1978 World Cup in South America in order to help the hosts progress at the expense of Brazil, it has been claimed.
They needed to win their second round game by four clear goals to reach the final at the expense of their arch rivals and promptly secured a 6-0 win.
There have always been suspicions about the game which led to Argentina lifting the trophy by beating Holland 3-1 in the final.
Champions: Argentina captain Daniel Passarella holds the Jules Rimet trophy after his team won the 1978 World Cup final 3-1 against the Netherlands
Match winner: Striker Mario Kempes scored twice in the final against the Netherlands, but should Argentina have even got through?
RESULT THAT RAISED EYEBROWS
Group B with one game to play
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Brazil 2 1 1 0 3 0 +3 3
Argentina 2 1 1 0 2 0 +2 3
Poland 2 1 0 1 1 2 −1 2
Peru 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0
Group B in the second round was a shoot-out between Argentina and great rivals Brazil.
After the first round of games, Brazil beat Peru 3-0 while Argentina saw off Poland 2-0. The two South American giants then played out a tense 0-0 draw, leaving them both level going into the final game.
Brazil then beat Poland 3-1, but because Argentina were not playing until later that day they knew they had to beat Peru by four clear goals to qualify for the final.
Trailing 2-0 at half time, Peru collapsed in the second half and Argentina went on to win 6-0 and made it to the final in the Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires.
During the final, star striker Mario Kempes gave Argentina the lead, only for Dirk Nanninga to equalise for the Netherlands.
With seconds left, Rob Rensenbrink hit the post and the game went into extra-time, before Kempes hit his sixth of the competition to win the World Cup for Argentina for the first time.
But now former Peruvian Senator Genaro Ledesma has confirmed the shock result was agreed before the match by the dictatorships of the two countries.
Mr Ledesma, 80, made the accusations to Buenos Aires judge Noberto Oyarbide, who last week issued an order of arrest against former Peruvian military president Francisco Bermudez.
He is accused of illegally sending 13 Peruvian citizens to Argentina as part of the so-called Condor Plan, through which Latin American dictatorships in the 1970s cooperated in the repression of political dissidents.
Once inside Argentina, the prisoners were tortured by the brutal military regime and forced to sign false confessions.
Mr Ledesma, an opposition leader at the time, claims Argentininan dictator Jorge Videla only accepted the political prisoners on condition that Peru deliberately lost the World Cup match - and by enough goals to ensure Argentina progressed to the final.
He said in court: 'Videla needed to win the World Cup to cleanse Argentina's bad image around the world.
'So he only accepted the group if Peru allowed the Argentine national team to triumph.'
Group B in the second round of the tournament was made up of Argentina, Brazil, Poland and Peru.
After Brazil beat Peru 3-0, then saw off Poland 3-1, Argentina had to win the game against Peru by at least four goals.
They did so with a suspicious degree of ease, leading to rumours that Peru might have been bribed. Other rumours claimed the beaten side had been offered a large shipment of grain to throw the match.
Argentina caused controversy by delaying their games until the outcome of the other result in Group B, so they knew exactly what they needed to do before every match.
Rapturous welcome: Argentina fans give their team a ticker-tape reception as they run out in the World Cup final in the Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
Without their 1978 World Cup victory, Argentina would have won the tournament just once - the same as England, France and Spain.
Years after the game, Argentine striker Leopoldo Luque said: 'With what I know now, I can't say I'm proud of my victory. But I didn't realise; most of us didn't. We just played football.'
| i don't know |
Who played 'Holly Golightly' in Breakfast at Tiffany's? | Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) - IMDb
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A young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building.
Director:
Truman Capote (based on the novel by), George Axelrod (screenplay)
Stars:
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Title: Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
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Won 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 12 nominations. See more awards »
Videos
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Director: William Wyler
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Director: Billy Wilder
An impromptu fashion shoot at a book store brings about a new fashion model discovery in the shop clerk.
Director: Stanley Donen
Romance and suspense ensue in Paris as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Who can she trust?
Director: Stanley Donen
Romantic comedy about a woman who must steal a statue from a Paris museum to help conceal her father's art forgeries, and the man who helps her.
Director: William Wyler
A couple in the south of France non-sequentially spin down the highways of infidelity in their troubled ten-year marriage.
Director: Stanley Donen
When two male musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.
Director: Billy Wilder
The sprightly young assistant of a Hollywood screenwriter helps him over his writer's block by acting out his fantasies of possible plots.
Director: Richard Quine
A troublemaking student at a girls' school accuses two teachers of being lesbians.
Director: William Wyler
Five high school students, all different stereotypes, meet in detention, where they pour their hearts out to each other, and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.
Director: John Hughes
In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.
Director: Michael Curtiz
After leaving a wealthy Belgian family to become a nun, Sister Luke struggles with her devotion to her vows during crisis, disappointment, and World War II.
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Edit
Storyline
Holly Golightly is a flighty Manhattan party girl, who expects "money for the powder room as well as for cab fare" for her companionship. She has even gotten a lucrative once weekly job to visit notorious convict Sally Tomato in Sing Sing, she needing to report back to Sally's lawyer the weather report that Sally tells her as proof of her visits with him in return for payment. Her aspirations for glamor and wealth are epitomized by the comfort she feels at Tiffany's, the famous high end jewelry retailer where she believes nothing can ever go wrong. Her resolve for this wealth is strengthened, if not changed slightly in focus, upon news from home. Into Holly's walk-up apartment building and thus her life is Paul Varjak, a writer who Holly states reminds her of her brother Fred, who she has not seen in years and who is currently enlisted in the army. The two quickly become friends in their want for something outside of their current lot. Paul's situation is closer to Holly's than he ... Written by Huggo
See All (111) »
Taglines:
Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly. . .the most hilarious heroine who ever rumpled the pages of a best-seller. . .is serving wild oats and wonderful fun! See more »
Genres:
5 October 1961 (USA) See more »
Also Known As:
Frühstück bei Tiffany See more »
Filming Locations:
Did You Know?
Trivia
In the famous "it should take you exactly 4 seconds to cross from here to that door. I give you two" scene, it takes Paul exactly 4 seconds from when he starts walking to when he reaches the door. See more »
Goofs
Early in the movie, Paul cites a review from The New York Times Book Review of his book; he gives the date October 1, 1956. The Times Book Review is a Sunday supplement and is dated for Sundays; October 1, 1956, was a Monday. See more »
Quotes
Sid Arbuck : [seeing Holly enter her building] Hey!
[he chases her inside]
Great Art or Guilty Pleasure?
6 February 2006 | by smc71
(United States) – See all my reviews
I am never sure which Breakfast at Tiffany's is. I can certainly think of movies which more accurately portray the human condition, but of few that are more fun.
Neither Holly nor Paul seem to represent real people. Their attraction, which is the focal point of the movie, is a character unto itself. Paul sees Holly as scared, vulnerable, and in need of rescue and enjoys his role as potential knight in shining armor to her damsel in distress. She is drawn to him because he sees beyond her facade of fabulousness to the scared little girl she is inside and which she tries (not that hard really at all) to hide. Adding to her attraction to him is the fact that he stands up to her when she treats him shoddily. This probably does not happen to her too often, and it intrigues her.
These are mostly the tricks a romance novelist uses to keep readers baited and rooting for a fictional, possibly doomed romance to work and do not reflect the real nature of love. There is, however, enough chemistry, genuine affection, and respect between the two characters to keep the story from seeming utterly implausible.
Of course, a movie doesn't have to be realistic to realistically portray what is right and what is wrong with the world we live in. Breakfast at Tiffany's doesn't do a whole lot of that either, though. After watching I can never pinpoint one solid message from it.
What it does have a lot of, as many others have pointed out, is stylish, witty, good fun. This is almost always the movie I choose on the rare occasions when my husband is working late, my son is asleep, I have energy to spare and good bottle of wine just begging to be uncorked. Believable or not, it is well-told and compelling, and remains one of the better movies a gal can lose herself in.
51 of 71 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?
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| Audrey Hepburn |
Pocahontas is buried alongside which river? | Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman: Sam Wasson: 9780061774164: Amazon.com: Books
Review
“So smart and entertaining it should come with its own popcorn.” (People)
“A bonbon of a book...as well tailored as the little black dress the movie made famous.” (Janet Maslin, New York Times)
“Anyone even slightly interested in Capote/Hepburn/Breakfast at Tiffany’s will delight in [Wasson’s] account.” (USA Today)
“This splendid new book is more than a mere ‘making-of’ chronicle. Wasson has pulled it off with verve, intelligence, and a consistent ring of truth...compulsively readable. Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. is both enjoyable and informative: everything a film book ought to be.” (Leonard Maltin, author of Leonard Maltin's 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen)
“A fascination with fascination is one way of describing Wasson’s interest in a film that not only captures the sedate elegance of a New York long gone, but that continues to entrance as a love story, a style manifesto, and a way to live.” (New York magazine)
“Crammed with irresistible tidbits…[Wasson’s] book winds up as well-tailored as the kind of little black dress that Breakfast at Tiffany’s made famous.” (New York Times)
“Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. offers lots of savory tidbits [from the making of Breakfast at Tiffany’s]. Mr. Wasson brings a lively and impudent approach to his subject.” (Wall Street Journal)
“Wasson’s story is part encyclopedia, part valentine, and worth reading just to find out what exactly went into making the amazing party scene.” (The Huffington Post)
“Sam Wasson is a fabulous social historian...[Fifth Avenue, 5 AM] is as melancholy and glittering as Capote’s story of Holly Golightly.” (The New Yorker)
“A brilliant chronicle of the creation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Wasson has woven the whole so deftly that it reads like a compulsively page-turning novel. This is a memorable achievement.” (Peter Bogdanovich)
“Wasson offers enough drama to occupy anyone for days...The whole thing reads like a cool sip of water.” (Daily News)
“Reads like carefully crafted fiction…[Wasson] carries the reader from pre-production to on-set feuds and conflicts, while also noting Hepburn’s impact on fashion (Givenchy’s little black dress), Hollywood glamour, sexual politics, and the new morality. Capote would have been entranced.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))
“A breezy tale of dresses and breakfast pastries, this is not.... The subtexts of Breakfast at Tiffany’s—materialism, sexual freedom—were decidedly more complicated.” (Women's Wear Daily)
“Rich in incident and set among the glitterati of America’s most glamorous era, the book reads like a novel…[Wasson] has assembled a sparkling time capsule of old Hollywood magic and mythmaking.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“The anecdotes are numerous and deftly told. This well-researched, entertaining page-turner should appeal to a broad audience, particularly those who enjoy film history that focuses on the human factors involved in the creative process while also drawing on larger social and cultural contexts.” (Library Journal)
“Sam Wasson unfolds the dramatic story of the film’s creation. He also offers a fascinating slice of social history.” (Arrive Magazine)
“Reading a book about a movie is seldom as entertaining as watching the film, but Wasson’s is the rare exception.” (Christian Science Monitor)
“[We] couldn’t put down Sam Wasson’s new book, Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M..... Along with juicy film gossip, the book offers behind-the-scenes insight on how Hepburn and designer Hubert de Givenchy created Holly Golightly’s iconic style.” (AOL Stylelist)
“Sam Wasson’s exquisite portrait of Audrey Hepburn peels backs her sweet facade to reveal a much more complicated and interesting woman. He also captures a fascinating turning point in American history— when women started to loosen their pearls, and their inhibitions. I devoured this book.” (Karen Abbott, author of Sin in the Second City)
See all Editorial Reviews
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| i don't know |
In a game of chess, which colour is moved first? | Black Goes First? - Chess.com
Chess.com
I just watched this youtube video where Black goes first............................................ in GO.
GO has been around for 4000 years.
Why does White go first in chess? Did someone get it wrong a long time ago, and Black really should go first?
This is but one example of what challenges my mind on a daily basis.
Why is blue for boys and pink for girls?
Why should we stop at red and go when it is green?
Why should man have short hair and women long hair?
Why do we lock things turning clockwise?
These are all conventions. They have no sense at all, in spite of the fact that they do have some historic origins.
That is the same with chess and go, someone someday decided that one coulor should start. The reason of the chosen coulor may not make any sense today.
heinzie wrote:
I guess because when chess was invented, you could not buy colour television sets yet
Finally a reasonable explanation for why aren't the pieces pink and orange instead of black and white.
Without colour television, how would people see the diference?
These folks don't look very happy, especially the queen, but the color looks right.
Why does the rook look so stupid, so unimaginative?
The chessmen were discovered in early 1831 in a sand bank at the head of Camas Uig on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
#6
Nov 15, 2010
I'm pretty sure that I read that black was considereda lucky color, so white got the first move?
Nov 15, 2010
Firefalcon wrote:
I'm pretty sure that I read that black was considereda lucky color, so white got the first move?
There is Black jack. We really need to sort this thing out and get to the bottom of it all. Black gets to go first in GO!
Musikamole ,
Probably the queen looks sad because in the Middle Ages' chess it was indeed a useless sad piece.
Only in the end of the XV century the queen was given the good move ability it has now.
Indeed Firefalcon is correct based on this:
In medieval times black was thought to be a lucky color. The white player was allowed to go first since the black player already had the advantage of the lucky color.
#10
Nov 15, 2010
If this "lucky colour advantage" is really the reason, than I couldn't be more acurate when I said some posts ago:
"The reason of the chosen coulor may not make any sense today"
Musikamole ,
Probably the queen looks sad because in the Middle Ages' chess it was indeed a useless sad piece.
Only in the end of the XV century the queen was given the good move ability it has now.
Yes. I remember now.
Queen once moving two squares with jump, diagonally or straight.
Didn't a real queen have something to do with this chess piece having more power? I read it somewhere, but forget.
#12
Nov 15, 2010
White moving first is a convention which became a rule. It didn't really catch on until the mid-19th Century. I believe London 1851 (where Anderssen's triumph established him as the world's top player, before there was a "Championship") was the first event to include this as part of the official rules (it is more remembered for its other important new rule - time limits with clocks). Until then - and even after, in much of the world - players in matches just alternated the first move of each game between White and Black, the same player keeping each color for the whole match. You can see this in early chess books and publications.
Probably publishing had something to do with it, too, as diagrams were beginning to appear in newspapers and books. Usually game scores were collected with just the names of the players, like Boden vs Barton, since it didn't matter what the color was. But publishers like standards, so positions quickly were presented with White from the bottom and listed as moving first - even if the first player had actually played the Black pieces in the live game.
At the least, this conditioned the public for the convention and rule that White moves first.
Conventions like this just simplify things by setting a common standard. Ever noticed that pieces are referred to as White and Black but squares are generally labeled light or dark? There is no real reason for that, other to avoid possible confusion in discussing a position.
Nov 15, 2010
Estragon wrote:
Conventions like this just simplify things by setting a common standard. Ever noticed that pieces are referred to as White and Black but squares are generally labeled light or dark? There is no real reason for that, other to avoid possible confusion in discussing a position.
Well, there is the reason that the pieces are generally an approximation to black and white, but the squares are not.
There does not appear to be much agreement or restriction on board color, from FIDE or other organisations. [I recall hearing that one of the conditions Fischer placed on playing a match in 1972 was that the board have green and yellow squares, to which Spassky graciously agreed.]
I just watched this youtube video where Black goes first............................................ in GO.
GO has been around for 4000 years.
Why does White go first in chess? Did someone get it wrong a long time ago, and Black really should go first?
This is but one example of what challenges my mind on a daily basis.
I have this Mexican friend who says it's obviously because white people always start the war.
Then again, 1.e4 doesn't really threaten anything. If you find a move like that provoking and that you need to take action, then war was already in your mindset, I guess.
| White |
What is the largest country in South America? | The United States Chess Federation - Learn to Play Chess
The United States Chess Federation
II. Piece Movements Part 1 - The King and the Rook
III. Check and three ways to get out of check
IV. Piece Movements Part 2 - The Bishop and the Queen
V. Piece Movements Part 3 - The Pawn and the Knight
VI. Special Moves- Castling, Pawn Promotion, and En Passant
VII. Scoring and Drawing
VIII. Tournament Rules
I. Setting up the pieces
Chess is played on an 8x8 board. White moves first. When you set up the board, remember the following things:
a. "White is right!" Make sure the right corner of the board is on a White square. Many movies, T.V shows, and even art exhibits with chess sets get this wrong.
b. Queen on her color! If you are White the queen should be on a White square. If you are Black, the queen should be on a Black square.
The letters on the bottom (a-h) of the board correspond to files. The numbers on the side of the board refer to ranks (1-8). Each square has a name. The red square is called e5.
Question 1: What is the green square called?
Using these names to record your chess moves is called "Algebraic Chess Notation" Strong players invariably do this, so that they can learn from their games.
II. Piece movements Part I- The Rook and The King
1. The Rook: Let's start with the moststraightforward piece.
The rook can move horizontally and vertically as many squares as it wants. The rook can move to any of the starred squares.
The rook captures in the same way that it moves.
If it's White's turn, he can take any of the three rooks. If it's Black's move, Black can use any of her rooks to take the White rook.
The king has little mobility. But the king's value is unquantifiable, because it entrapment ends the game. It moves one square in every direction.
The White king can move to any of the three starred score in the corner. The Black king can move to any of the eight starred squares.
The king captures in the same way it moves, but unlike any other piece, the king cannot be captured.
III. Check and three ways to get out of check
Check is the heart and soul of the game, so let's go over it now- and then we can review it with each new piece we learn to move!
When a piece threatens the king with capture (attacks), the king is in check.
The White rook checks the Black king.
A checked king must escape check in one of three ways.
Here, the Black king can get out of check by moving to any of the starred squares. Fleeing is the first way to get out of check.
Question: Why can't he move to e6 or e4?
The White king can simply capture the Black rook to get out of check.
Question: How many squares can the White king flee to? Is it better to capture or flee here?
Blocking is the third way to get out of check. Think of this as the king throwing one of his bodyguards in front of himself, to shield himself from injury.
The Black rook on h5 can block the check by moving to e5.
The king is never allowed to put himself in check.
Two kings cannot touch. In other words, they can't be on adjacent squares.
Diagram 1 (left) is NOT ALLOWED because kings move one square in each direction, and therefore would be putting themselves in check if standing right next to each other. You will never see this position in a real game of chess.
In Diagram 2, the Black king may not move to g5, g6 or g7, because he would be putting himself in check.
IV. Piece Movements Part II. The Bishop and The Queen
The bishop moves diagonally as many squares as it wants. Bishops remain on the same color all game. Explaining his divorce, World Champion Boris Spassky said, "We were like bishops of opposite colors." An apt analogy: Bishops of the opposite color live on the same board but never, ever have contact.
The bishop on e4 can never have a rendezvous with the one on e5.
The queen is the most powerful piece on the board. She moves like the rook and bishop combined: diagonally, horizontally and laterally as many squares as she wants. Like the rook and bishop, she captures in the same way that she moves.
The queen can move to any of the starred squares.
The queen can capture any of the Black pieces with her next move.
Let's review check with the bishop and queen.
The Black bishop is checking the White king. White can use any of the three methods to get out of check:
Fleeing with the king, to f8, d8, e7 or f7.
Blocking with the White bishop, by moving to d7.
Using the queen to capture the bishop on c6.
Let's say White is hungry and goes for the third choice.
Now we have this position:
Black can only flee here. His three choices are to flee to g7, g5 or h5.
Checkmate-
Checkmate is when a king has no way to escape from a check. (There are no squares to flee to, no way to block or capture the checking piece.) Checkmate is the goal of chess and ends the game. Many chess lovers are drawn to the game by checkmate- it's a clear competitive purpose and to many, aesthetically pleasing.
The Black king cannot capture the White queen, because the White bishop backs her up. The king cannot flee nor block.
The Black king cannot escape from the rook check and move to g5,g3 or g4, because the White king is covering all thosesquares.
Question: What do checkmated kings in diagram 1 +2have in common?
V. Piece Movements Part 3 The Pawn and the Knight
The pawn is the weakest piece on the board, but don't underestimate their importance. Philidor, the 18th century French chess champion, called pawns the "soul of chess."
Learning the pawn's move is tricky. The pawn is the only piece on the board that does not move backward. A decision to barge ahead with a pawn is final, which is why such precision is required with pawns. On their first move, the pawns can move forward one or two squares. Think of the two square push as the pawn's morning cup! After each pawn has moved, it can only move one square forward at a time.
Either e3 or e4, the morning coffee jump is allowed!
Tip: Most top players serve their pawns morning coffee.
Once the pawn has already moved, it cannot move two squares.
The e4 pawn may move to the green square e5 but it cannot have another cup of coffee and move to e6, nor can it move backwards, to e3.
The pawn captures diagonally only. The pawn is the only piece that does not capture in the same way that it moves.
In Diagram 1, the pawn on e5 can capture the knight on f6. The pawn cannot capture the pawn on e6.
Diagram 2 shows the position after the pawn captures the knight. Now Black can take the f6 pawn with his g7 pawn.
The knight is the trickiest piece to learn. Newcomers to chess often find the knight so hard to remember that they keep the knights in the back row. Such a scorned knight feels sad and depressed. Don't let it happen to yours, because knights are the most special piece in chess. Author-philosophy-grandmaster Jonathan Rowson writes: "They are the curvy pieces that bring a circular aspect to an essentially linear game."
The knight moves two squares one way, and then one square the other, in the shape of an L. The knight captures in the same way as it moves.
The Black knight can go to any of the starred squares. The White knight can capture any of the three Black pawns. Notice that knights always switch the color of square they rest on- they're on a constant rotation between day and night shifts.Knights are the only piece that can jump over other pieces. However, they do not capture any pieces that they jump over.
At the start of a chess game, the knights can jump out immediately over his own pawns, like in the diagram above. All the other pieces must wait for the pawns to free up space for them to move along diagonals, files and ranks.
The knight in Diagram 1 can jump over the rook and bishop to capture the pawn on d5. The only piece the knight takes in the process is the d5 pawn (Diagram 2), which was on its destination square.
Part VI: Special Moves- Castling, Pawn Promotion and En Passant.
Castling is a special move using one rook and the king.
Castling is the only time in chess in which you can move two pieces at once. There are two varieties, queenside and kingside.
.
In this diagram, both White and Black can castle to reach the position below.
White castled kingside and Black castled queenside. Remember that the King always moves two squares when castling. Many players forget this and move the king an extra square (to b8) when castling queenside.
TIP: Top players castle nearly every game. It makes the king safer, and also gets the powerful rook out of the corner.
Is Castling allowed?
You can only castle, if all of the following are true
#1- Your king has not moved yet
#2- The rook you want to castle with has not moved yet
#3- There are no pieces between the rook and the king
#4- You are not being checked. (You can't castle out of check!)
#5- The process of castling will not put or land the king in check.
Rule 5 is the trickiest: Even masters have asked questions about whether or not a king is moving through check while castling.
Even if White has met the conditions of the first four rules, he cannot castle in the positive above, because on his way to g1, the bishop on b5 would check the king.
Black on the other hand, is free to castle. The bishop on g3 hits b8, but the Black king does not have to go through this square to castle.
Special move #2- Pawn Promotion
Pawns cannot move backwards, so you might wonder what happens when they reach the last rank.
They turn into any piece that you want, except the king. 99% of the time, players choose the most powerful piece on the board, the queen. For this reason, "queening" is just as popular a phrase as "promoting."
In Diagram 1, both players can promote to make a queen in Diagram 2. White can promote by playing d8=Q. The Black pawn on e2 can capture the knight on f1, or advance to e1, in both cases making a queen.
You can promote to a queen even if you already have a queen. Some high-end chess sets even come with an extra queen.
Special Move #3- En Passant
En passant is French for "in passing". This rule can only be used in a very specific situation.
If a pawn has reached the fifth rank as in diagram 1, (or the fourth rank for Black) and a neighbor enemy pawn takes a morning coffee jump (in diagram 2), the White pawn can capture the zealous enemy pawn (diagram 3) as if it had only moved one square.
Part VII.- Scoring and Drawing.
What's a chess point?
In competitive chess every game is worth one point. Checkmate is one way to win the whole point, but you can also win if your opponent resigns or runs out of time.
Draws
A game can also end in a draw. Nobody wins or loses, and each player gets 1/2 a point. There are many paths that end in a draw.
1. Agreement- both players agree that the game is likely to be a draw.
2. Insufficient mating material.
5. Both players run out of time
6. 50 Move rule
Let's look at examples of each.
Draw #1- Agreement
Each side has a rook and a king. This is a perfect example of what's known in competitive chess circles as a "dead draw". If both players are confident that their opponents will not give up their rook, they'll agree and shake hands immediately.
Draw #2-Insufficient Mating Material-
A knight and a king or a bishop and a king are unable to checkmate a lone enemy king.
Even after hours of play, the knight in Diagram 1 or the bishop in Diagram 2 will never mate the Black king. In either position, Black can claim a draw by insufficient mating material. Queens and rooks however, can mate a lone king. If there is a pawn on the board, you cannot claim insufficient mating material because that pawn can transform into a queen or a rook.
Draw #3- Stalemate is a very important rule. If an opponent cannot move any of his pieces, including the king, the position is a stalemate and is scored as a draw.
Both positions are stalemate because Black has no legal moves. Notice that in Diagram 2 Black has several pawns, but it's still stalemate because he cannot move any of them.
Who do you think is happy in each position?
These positions are not stalemate:
In Diagram 1, Black can move the pawn on a5. In Diagram 2, Black can move the king to h7.
Draw #4- Repetition of Position-
When a chess position is repeated three times, either player can claim a draw by repetition. The most common way to achieve three-move repetition is via perpetual check, as in the example below.
In Diagram 2, The White queen lands on g6, delivering check to the g8 king.
The Black king escapes to the only possible square-h8, and the White queen checks again on h6. The king moves back to g8, and White checks again on g6 forcing Black to return to h8. After three times, either player may claim a three-move repetition.
Draw #5- Double Time Forfeit
If both players run out of time, it's a draw. If both players have run out of time, but there's checkmate on the board, the checkmater wins the game. Position takes precedence over the clock.
Draw #6- 50 Move Rule-
If no pawns or pieces have been traded for more than 50 moves, a game is determined to be a draw. This rule requires that the player who makes the claim write down his moves.
For instance, in this position:
White has two knights, and has been hopping around for hours, unable to checkmate you. If you'd been recording the moves, you can claim a draw after 50 moves.
Chess Notation:
When you become a member of the USCF, you'll see that a lot of thrilling chess games and stories are filled with chess notation. You also are required to take notation in most official chess tournaments, so it's great to get a firm handle on it as you start to play. Impress your friends by telling them that you're learning an ancient language called Aracaissaic. The pieces are abbreviated to the following letters:
King- K
| i don't know |
Which sport’s pitch has a 22-metre line in each half? | Rugby Field - dimensions : layout : remember, be confident
Rugby Field
The rugby field (pitch) step by step. Markings and explanations. Look and understand. Get the complete picture so you will remember.
Main features of the layout of the field
Main features of a rugby field
Colours highlight main features
Red - dashed line, distance from touch line to the front of a lineout.
Orange - between dashed lines, maximum length of lineout
Purple - dashed line, minimum distance for kick-off/restart kicks
Black - dashed line, distance from goal-line of 5-metre scrums
Grey - from goal-line to 22-metre line is the 22-metre area
Blue - goal-line to dead-ball line, in-goal area where tries are scored
For more details continue to "Ground area", then "Next step"
or just select a topic...or simply scroll down!
Lines and areas of the field
The Ground Area
"Rugby ground" is the area of land where the field/pitch is laid out.
It should be grass but other surfaces which are not hard are allowed.
Rugby grounds include the field and the area closely surrounding it.
There's a touch-line along each side and a dead-ball line at each end.
These are important lines.
If the ball or a player carrying the ball touches any of these lines (or anything or anyone outside these lines) the ball is out of play.
The game stops and must be re-started.
The halfway line divides the field into two equal halves.
Two teams play. Each team defends one half and attacks the other.
At half time the teams swap ends.
Position of the half-way line
Yes it`s in the middle!
But it`s relative.
No matter what the field dimensions are, the half-way line is drawn so that it is exactly mid-way between the goallines.
This means on a pitch that is 100m long it is 50m from the halfway line to the goalline.
On a pitch that is only 80m long, it is only 40m from the halfway line to the goalline.
This is an important difference because you often make decisions based on where you are on a field - on knowing how far and how fast you can run or how far you can kick.
Basing your decisions on the assumtion you are 50m from goal (because you are on the halfway line), when it`s only 40m could have unwanted consequences.
There is a goal-line for each half of the field.
At the centre of each goal-line is a set of goal posts.
In-goal area
The goal line and the area behind it are called the "in-goal area".
In-goal area
You score "tries" in their in-goal area, which...
is the goal-line itself........TRY!
is the ground behind the goal-line.......TRY!
is the goal posts and any padding.......TRY!
EXCLUDES the touch-line behind the goal-line NO try!!!!!!
EXCLUDES - the dead ball line..NO try!!!!!!
The touch-line behind the goal-line is called the touch-in-goal line
Size of the in-goal area
The in-goal area has no set dimensions.
It is always the same width as the whole field.
The depth may vary.
The actual depth may depend on the amount of space available or on the preferences of the home team.
The maximum depth of the in-goal area is 22 metres. The law says it must be a minimum of 10 metres "where practical".
It can make a big difference when you attempt to score tries.
With deep in goal areas you can even use evasion techniques (rugby sidesteps) to get a try nearer the posts.
This will make it easier for the player taking the place kick to convert the try and score more points.
Check the field you are about to play on.
If your team regularly scores tries by kicking into the in-goal area using rolling grubber kicks then running in to ground the ball, you may be affected by a smaller than usual in-goal area.
The field of play is the part of the field with the touch-lines along the sides and goal lines across the ends.
22 Metre line and 22 area
22 metre line
22 Metre line, one for each end
22 metre area
22 metre areas
Lines 22 metres out from the goal-lines in each half show the "22 areas". "22 areas" are made up of
the 22 metre lines themselves
the ground behind the 22 metre lines back to the goal-lines
but EXCLUDES the goal-lines themselves
Sometimes the game restarts with a drop kick from within the 22 area. It must simply cross the 22-metre line.
This line can also be important when "kicking for touch".
The ball may be kicked "into touch" (across either touch-line) from anywhere on the field. It's a way of moving forward, gaining ground during normal play.
If you kick from behind your 22-metre line the game restarts where the ball crosses the touch-line.
It's different if the kick is from in front of your 22-metre line. If the ball bounces on the ground before going into touch the game restarts where the ball crosses the touch-line. If the ball doesn't bounce (called "out on the full") the game restarts in line with where the ball was kicked.
If the kicking team took the ball back behind the 22-metre line before the kick, it is treated as though the kick was from outside the 22-metre line.
You restart play with a lineout . If you put the ball into touch, they throw the ball into the lineout. If they did, you throw.
You may also kick for touch when awarded a penalty. No matter where you kick from, a lineout takes place where the ball crosses the touchline and you get the throw.
You often kick for touch with a spiral punt kick from inside the 22 area.
Outside the 22 you sometimes kick for touch with a bouncing grubber kick to make sure it touches the ground before going in to touch.
Find out more about the different types of kick when you visit the kicking skills pages.
10 Metre Line
10 metre lines, one for each half
In rugby games, you start play (and restart after points are scored) with a kick-off using a drop kick from the centre of the halfway line towards the opposition who are waiting in their half of the field.
The ball must travel at least 10 metres beyond the halfway line. It may touch the ground, but it must go the 10 metres away from halfway.
So this can be easily judged a dashed line is placed 10 metres from halfway, both sides of the halfway line.
5 and 15 metre lines
5 metre front of lineout line
Front of lineout, dash line
Play stops when the ball goes "into touch" (across a touch-line).
You restart play with a lineout .
This line shows the minimum 5metre distance the ball must travel to the front of the lineout.
15 metre rear of lineout
Rear of lineout, dash line
Players taking part in a lineout must stand within 15 metres of the touch line.
The rear of the lineout lines (one at each side of the field) show the maximum length of the lineout.
In some cases scrums, penalties or free kicks are to be 15 metres in from the touch-line. These lines show where that is.
5 Metre line out from goal-line, dash line
5 metres out from goal-lines, dash lines
Sometimes a penalty or scrum will be awarded and must take place 5 metres from the goal-line, in line with a point along the goal-line decided by the match official.
These lines indicate the required distance from the goal-line.
Width of lines seems to range from 5cm to 15cm.
I've searched for an 'official' line width, but without success.
Here they suggest a width of 5cm but I decided to find out myself.
Concord Oval is home to the West Harbour Pirates and Googee Oval is home to Randwick.
Both teams play in the premier Sydney competition, the Shute Shield.
I measured the lines at both grounds. They were both aapproximately 15cm wide.
So the answer seems to be whatever suits the ground(staff!) :)
On a school field 5cm is probably appropriate but on major grounds 15cm looks very good.
I was lucky enough to see the groundstaff mark out Concord Oval and made a short video which is on our Facebook page
Strictly speaking, for a maximum size field...
the touch lines should be in addition to the 70m width of the pitch
the goal-lines would be in addition to the 100m length of the field of play
the dead ball lines should be in addition to the 144m length of the whole field (100m field of play + 2 x 22m in-goal areas)
For practical reasons it appears that measurements are made and whatever line is required is produced by a machine straddling the measured position of the line.
This means, say, that the field of play is 100m minus half the width of each of the two goal-lines. That is 100m - 2 x 7.5cm.
How you will remember the lines
You may not think viewing the field as a whole is easy.
Take it apart, see a bit at a time, put it back together as you have and you know you will remember the layout
You could practice when you have spare moments.
Close your eyes, picture each part.
See how it all fits together.
Move around, change direction, go all over. See the lines you know. Think about the rules that apply and remember. You can use rugby sidesteps anywhere!
NOTE
the dashed lines as shown have many dashes so they are easy to remember. The dashed lines actually on the field are in the places shown, but have fewer dashes.
Next step ... Previous step ... Return to Select a topic
Rugby field dimensions
Dimensions do vary, more so in lower grades. Check out the field, does it measure up? How it might affect your game and the result
Field dimensions in metres
Dimensions must be as close as possible to the figures given above.
No minimum figures are given. If you want to see the actual official dimensions you`ll find them at World Rugby Law 1 The Ground
Length
The maximum length of the "field of play" is 100 metres. That`s the distance between the two goal lines. You know what your maximum sprint distance will be!
Take field length and field position into account when you decide on your next actions.
You can break a defence with a sidestep but it is best to do it near their end of the field so you are likely to get a try and there is less chance of being run down after you have made the break.
That`s not to say you can`t put a few together and go the length of the field. Even one may be enough if you have the speed to keep clear of chasing defenders or have a speedy player backing you up.
At higher levels in the sport the length would usually be the maximum. At lower levels it may be worth checking the dimensions of the field you are about to play on.
Length variations are likely to be small, but could affect the quality of your decisions and accuracy of your kicks both in general play and shots for goal.
The chip kick in behind the defence may not be as easy on a shorter pitch because the fullback will have less ground to cover.
The 10 metre line is relative to the half-way line.
If you`re playing away and you`re on the opposition 10 metre line you may be 5 to 10 metres closer to or further from the opposition try-line than on your home ground.
Width
The maximum width of the field is 70 metres.
Again at lower levels it may be worth checking the dimensions of the field you are about to play on.
Fields significantly narrower or wider than you are used to could really affect your game and you should be aware of how the pitch you are about to play on compares with your own.
On a narrower field you may feel cramped.
The amazing jink may come in more useful.
If you are used to using wide open spaces to run around the opposition you`ll have to straighten your attack. But you`ll find it easier to defend.
On a wider field, be aware. There`ll be more ground to cover in defence. In attack you`ll be used to having to run straight on a narrower field and will probably use the extra width well.
Maybe one of your bouncing grubber kicks put through the defence would be easier and more useful than usual.
Perimeter
The 'perimeter area' is a strip of ground surrounding the playing area, if possible at least 5 metres wide.
This area is there to prevent injury when players are tackled into touch or end up running off the pitch.
'Perimeter' could also mean the edges.
You may want to know the distance round the perimeter so you know how far you`ve run each time you do a lap.
Running around a fairly typical field you would run...
2 lengths of the field (2 x 100m)
4 times the depth of the ingoal area (4 x 10m)
2 widths of the field (2 x 70m)
That makes a total of 200m + 40m + 140m = 380m
A full size pitch with 22m ingoal areas would add 48m, total 428m.
Area
You find the area of the field by multiplying length by width.
A typical length is 100m for the field of play plus the depth of the ingoal areas at both ends of the field, say 10m each - total 120m.
The width is typically 70m so the area = 120m x 70m = 8400 sq m.
A full size pitch (22m ingoal) would be 144m x 70m = 10080 sq m.
Rugby Posts
Dimensions include the posts - 5.6 metres wide.
The top edge of the cross bar is 3.0 metres from the ground.
The minimum height of the posts is 3.4 metres.
We used to call the goal posts "the sticks"
"He/she sidestepped the fullback and put the ball down under the sticks". The posts and any padding are part of the ingoal area. You can score a try by grounding the ball against the posts.
In rugby kicking, for you to score points from any type of goal (conversion, penalty or drop goal) the ball must pass over the cross bar and between the posts.
Here`s a video clip where the ball did just that before being blown back over by the wind. The points were awarded - because it had gone over.
Would you believe it!
"Pitch" is a word with many meanings!
Put it together with "rugby" and it narrows it down a lot.
Search through the World Rugby document "Laws of the game Rugby Union" and there is only one mention of "pitch".
They describe rugby traditions of opposing teams enjoyment of each others company away from the actual game of rugby. As they say, "away from the pitch".
Everything else about the rules of rugby or the laws of the game of rugby is described in terms of the "field" or "the field of play".
Growing up I always used the term "pitch".
I recently started using "field" and I`m wondering why!
What comes to mind is this. I grew up playing school rugby at a large school for boys. The Rugby First XV played matches on the single rugby field at school. Although I would still have called it the pitch.
The rest of us went to the other, distant "playing fields" where a large number of places to play rugby were marked out, all fairly close to each other.
Because there were so many of them to talk about and identify our "rugby field" was not possible.
We talked about which "pitch" we were on in the same way other people talk about pitches meaning the particular bit of a larger area that has been allocated to them.
Here I`m thinking of street performers, book-makers, market stall-holders, campers and similar people with pitches.That`s my theory!
| Rugby union |
In which sport would you see a Redskin or a Dolphin score three points for a field goal? | BBC News | SIX NATIONS | A beginner's guide to ... rugby laws
Monday, 31 January, 2000, 15:23 GMT
A beginner's guide to ... rugby laws
Other terms
The game
Duration: A game of rugby consists of two halves of 40 minutes with injury time added on at the end of each half. This is not as long as you might expect, because physiotherapists are often allowed onto the pitch while play continues.
The referee: Signalling a penalty
Players: Each side consists of 15 players, divided into eight forwards and seven backs. A total of seven substitutes are allowed for international matches.
(There are also seven and 10-man versions of rugby union, played almost exclusively at tournaments.)
Officials: There is one referee assisted by two touch judges, who mark where the ball goes out of play, adjudge kicks at goal and inform the referee of foul play.
A fourth official controls replacements and substitutes. There is no video referee.
Scoring
The object of the game is to score more points than your opponents. There are a number of ways to achieve this.
Try: A try is worth five points. It is scored when a player places the ball on the ground with downward pressure in the in-goal area between the try line and dead ball line of the opposition's half.
The try: Must have "downward pressure"
Tries can be scored in a number of ways, other than running over the try line and putting the ball down.
They include the pushover try, scored by driving the opposition's scrum back over its own line; the momentum try, where a player slides into the in-goal area; and the penalty try, awarded when a team illegally obstructs the opposition to prevent a certain try from being scored.
There is no such thing as an "own try". If you touch the ball down in your own in-goal area, it results in a kick or a scrum.
Conversion:If a team scores a try, they have an opportunity to "convert" it for two further points by kicking the ball between the posts and above the crossbar - that is, through the goal. The kick is taken from a point level with where the try was scored.
Penalty kick:If a side commits a serious offence, a penalty is awarded and the opposition can take the option of a place kick at goal from where the infringement occurred. If successful, it is worth three points.
Drop goal: A drop goal for three points is scored when a player kicks the ball from hand through the opposition's goal. But the ball must touch the ground between being dropped and kicked.
Moving the ball
Passing: All passes in rugby must travel backwards. There are different varieties of pass, including the flat, direct spin pass; the short, close-quarters pop pass; and the floated pass - a long pass which an advancing player can run onto at pace.
The tackle: There is no limit on the number of tacklers
Kicking: Kicking forms a major part of rugby and is used to start and restart the game, score points, win territory, launch an attack or get a team out of trouble (known as a clearance kick).
If the ball is kicked directly into touch by a player from behind his own 22m line, the resulting lineout is taken where the ball crossed the touchline.
But if he is outside his 22, the lineout is taken level with the place from where the ball was kicked (except in the case of penalties).
Players must be behind the kicker for all set piece kicks, such as kick-offs. But if a kick is made in loose play, then players can be in front of the kicker, although they must not advance towards where the ball is going to land until the kicker has put them onside by getting in front of them.
Players use a wide range of kicks, such as the high, hanging up-and-under/garryowen/bomb; the end-over-end grubber kick; or the speculative chip-and-chase.
Tackling: Only a player in possession of the ball can be tackled. American football-style blocking is not allowed. A tackled player must release the ball after he hits the ground. Neither he nor the tackler can play the ball until they are on their feet.
It is illegal to high tackle above the shoulders, or to "spike" a player by deliberately upending him onto his head. The same goes for the late tackle - taking the player after he has passed or kicked the ball.
It is also illegal to punch, gouge, stamp on or kick another player.
Heavy tackles are colloquially known as dump tackles, while an attempt to prevent the ball being released quickly is sometimes called a smother tackle.
Other terms: Hand-off - a player in possession of the ball fends off a tackler with the flat of his hand; Dummy- sending a defending player the wrong way by faking a pass; sidestep or jink escaping a tackler by stepping around him.
Knock-on/knock-forward: The ball goes forward off the hands or arms of a player and hits the ground or another player. Results in a scrum with the put-in to the opposition.
Forward pass: The ball fails to travel backwards in a pass. Scrum to the opposition.
The knock-on: The ball is knocked forward
Ball not released: When the ball becomes trapped in a pile up of players, a scrum is awarded to the attacking team if the ball is in contact with the ground and to the defending team if it is held up off the ground.
Scrums can also be awarded if the ball is not thrown into the line-out straight; a restart kick is done incorrectly; the ball is thrown into the lineout incorrectly; a player carries the ball over his own try-line and touches down in-goal; for accidental offside; or a scoring player fails to ground the ball properly in the in-goal area.
Offside: Hideously complicated. Basically, players not involved in rucks, mauls, scrums or lineouts must remain behind the back foot - that is, behind the last attached player.
Penalty: Penalties are awarded for serious infringements like dangerous play, offside and handling the ball on the ground. It is signalled by the referee with a straight arm raised in the air. Players can also receive red and yellow cards, as in football.
The offending team must retire 10 yards for both penalties and free kicks. A team can either kick for goal, run the ball or kick directly into touch with the resulting line-out awarded to them.
Free-kick: This is a lesser form of the penalty. A team cannot kick for goal (unless it is a drop goal). The normal 22 rule applies for kicking for position from a free kick. It is signalled by the referee with a bent arm raised in the air.
Set play/set pieces
Scrum: The eight forwards from each team bind together and push against each other. The scrum-half from the team that has been awarded possession feeds the ball into the centre of the scrum from the side most advantageous for his hooker.
The ball must be fed straight down the middle of the tunnel and the hookers must not contest for the ball until it is put in. If they do, a free-kick is awarded for "foot up".
The scrum: The number eight makes the gain line
The scrum is taken again if the ball comes straight out of the tunnel; or it wheels more than 90°; or it collapses.
Lineout: A maximum of seven and a minimum of three forwards line up parallel with each other between the five-yard and 15-yard lines. The hooker of the team in possession throws the ball in, while his opposite number stands in the "tramlines" - between the touchline and the five-yard line.
All players not involved in the lineout, except the scrum-half, must retire10 yards.
The ball must be thrown in straight down the middle of the lineout and the hooker must not cross into the field of play while throwing in.
Jumpers can be lifted by their team mates, but the opposition's jumpers must not be obstructed, barged or pulled down.
Loose play
Ruck: A ruck is formed when two or more players from opposing sides arrive at a breakdown in play and the ball is on the ground.
Maul: A maul is essentially the same thing, but the ball is held off the ground by a player.
Restarts
Kick-off: A coin is tossed and the winning captain elects to take or receive the kick.
Both halves of the match are started with a place kick from the centrepoint of the halfway line. The kick must cross the opposition's 10-yard line, which the opposition are not allowed to encroach beyond until the ball is kicked.
If the ball does not travel 10-yards; or it goes straight into touch; or it goes over the dead ball line at the end of the pitch the receiving team can opt for a scrum or a kick again.
After a score, the game is restarted from the same place under the same restrictions, with the conceding team drop-kicking the ball to the scoring team.
22 drop-out: A drop-kick is taken from the 22m line if a team touches down in its own in-goal area, but did not carry the ball over the try-line; or if the ball is kicked over the dead-ball line from any other play than the kick-off.
The ball only needs to cross the line, but if it goes directly into touch a scrum is awarded to the receiving team at the centrepoint of the 22m line.
| i don't know |
How many squares are there on a chessboard? | Answer to Puzzle #27: Number of Squares on a Chessboard
total
204
In total there are 204 squares on a chessboard. This is the sum of the number of possible positions for all the squares of size 1x1 to 8x8.
Formula For n x n Chessboard?
It's clear from the analysis above that the solution in the case of n x n is the sum of the squares from n2 to 12 that is to say n2 + (n-1)2 + (n-2)2 ... ... 22 + 12
Mathematically that is written as follows:
The proof of the explicit solution is beyond the scope of this site, but if you want to look it up a mathematician would refer to it as 'the sum of the squares of the first n natural numbers.' The final answer is given by
n3/3 + n2/2 + n/6
Can you extend your technique to calculate the number of rectangles on a chessboard?
Below are some examples of possible rectangles...
All of the above examples would be vailid rectanges...
There is more than one way of solving this. But it makes sense to extend our technique from the squares problem first. The key to this is to think of each rectangle individually and consider the number of positions it can be located. For example a 3x7 rectangle can be located in 6 positions horizontally and 2 vertically. From this we can build a matrix of all the possible rectangles and sum.
Dimensions
In total then there are 1296 possible rectangles.
Elegant approach to rectangles, consider the vertices and diagonals.
I've been sent an innovative solution to the problem of the number of rectangles on a chessboard by Kalpit Dixit. This solution tackles the issue from a different approach. Rather than looking at specific sizes of rectangles and working out where they can be located we start at the other end and look at locations first.
The vertices are the intersections. For our chessboard there are 81 (9 x 9). A diagonal starting at one vertex and ending at another will uniquely describe a rectangle. In order to be a diagonal and not a vertical or horizontal line we may start anywhere but the end point must not have the same vertical or horizontal coordinate. As such there are 64 (8 x 8) possible end points.
There are therefore 81 x 64 = 5184 acceptable diagonals.
However, whilst each diagonal describes a unique rectangle, each rectangle does not describe a unique diagonal.
We see trivially that each rectangle can be represented by 4 diagonals.
So our number of rectangles is given by 81 x 64 /4 = 1296
n x n or n x m?
The n x n (eg. 9x9,) or n x m (eg 10x15,) problems can now be calculated. The number of vertices being given by (n + 1)2 and (n + 1).(m + 1) respectively. Hence the final solutions are as follows.
n x n: (n + 1)2 x n2 / 4
n x m: (n + 1) x (m + 1) x (n x m) / 4
Which can obviously be arranged into something more complicated.
Rectangles in Maths Nomenclature
It's always my intention to explain the problems without formal maths nomenclature, with reasoning and common sense. But there is quite a neat solution here if you do know about combinations, as in permutations and combinations. Horizontally we are selecting 2 vertices from the 9 available. The order does not matter so it's combinations rather than permutations. And the same vertically. So the answer to the rectangle problem can be answered by:
9C2•9C2 = 362 = 1296
| 64 |
If you were a superstitious English cricketer what may you call a score of 111? | How many squares are on a chessboard? | Reference.com
How many squares are on a chessboard?
A:
Quick Answer
A standard chess board has 64 individual squares, but 204 squares if you count squares of all sizes. A regulation board consists of eight squares in each direction.
Full Answer
To determine the amount of squares on a chess board, count the number of squares of each size. There is one eight-by-eight square, but four seven-by-seven squares. Continuing down by size, there is nine six-by-six squares, 16 five-by-five squares, 25 four-by-four squares, 36 three-by-three squares, 49 two-by-two squares and 64 single squares. Adding these all together yields 204 total squares on a chess board.
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In which equestrian event would you compete in the puissance? | Show Jumping :: Horse Of The Year Show
Show Jumping »
Show Jumping
Horse of the Year Show features the finals of the most prestigious National show jumping championships. It also runs a full programme of International classes, four of which carry Longines World Ranking Points.
It is in the Andrews Bowen International Arena that dreams are fulfilled and heroes are made. The atmosphere is electric as riders and horses tackle the huge jumps and tight turns in a variety of exciting classes.
HOYS celebrates the end of the competitive season in true style with five days of thrilling action packed classes.
Britain's top show jumpers will take on a host of leading foreign contenders in an array of entertaining speed and jump-off classes. The competitions include the crowd favourite Puissance, featuring the huge red wall that exceeds heights of 7ft, and the prestigious Leading Show Jumper of the Year.
View photos from 2016's classes
Show Jumping highlights include:
The Puissance
The Puissance is probably the most famous show jumping competition in the world; designed to push both horse and rider to their limits.
Holly Smith capped a brilliant day's action at the Horse of the Year Show when she won The Thistledown Puissance with gentle giant Quality Old Joker. The Great Britain Nations Cup rider, competing in just her third puissance after previous appearances at Liverpool and Arena UK, cleared 2.20 metres (seven feet, three inches) in round five to take the £5,100 top prize.
With the drama and popularity of the Puissance increasing every year, the sky's the limit for 2017!
The Leading Pony Show Jumper of the Year
This is the biggest junior competition at HOYS. The classic jump-off course is always fiercely contested by some of the country's top under 16-year-old riders.
Some of today's leading British riders have made their way up the ranks by making their mark in this junior competition. The latest young stars to claim the title are Emily Ward (2013), Harry Charles (2014) and Robert Murphy (2015). The 2016 title went to Jodie Hall-Mcateer and Tixylix.
Senior Foxhunter Championship
This is the 'FA Cup' of domestic show jumping and features the very best of the country's novice horses. From first round competitions at venues up and down the country, then second-round direct qualifiers, only 24 finalists make it through to HOYS. The 2016 title went to Laura Pritchard and Horse Victorys Fayot.
Leading Show Jumper of the Year
This is the climax of HOYS' international show jumping classes. Nine of the international classes throughout the Show carry qualifying points towards this final. The top 28 horse and rider combinations will compete for the chance to battle it out on this challenging course and gain a share in the £40,000 prize fund. Cian O'Connor riding Super Sox took the 2016 title in a time of 32.49 seconds.
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| Show jumping |
In golf, if you get an eagle on a par-5 hole, how many shots did you take? | 2016 Event Schedule
Amateur-Owner Working Hunter 3'6" (35 & Under)
Amateur-Owner Working Hunter 3'6" (Over 35), sponsored by Cembell Industries
Amateur-Owner Working Hunter 3'3" (35 & Under)
Amateur-Owner Working Hunter 3'3" (Over 35)
WIHS Childrens' Hunter Championship
Evening (7:00-9:30 pm)
Tuesday evening showcases the High Performance Working Hunters, sponsored by Jacqueline B. Mars and the WIHS Adult Hunter Championship. Only the top horse and rider combinations qualify to compete, so these riders are the best of the best of their divisions.
High Performance Working Hunter, sponsored by Jacqueline B. Mars
WIHS Adult Hunter Championship
Wednesday, Oct. 26
Daytime (7:00 am-6:00 pm)
Stop by Breakfast with the Mounted Police (8:00-10:00 am in front of Hotel Monaco at 700 F Street NW) to meet the officers and their mounts. Professional and amateur hunter riders finish their divisions with a stake class, offering a larger purse. Later in the afternoon is the first show jumping class, the WIHS Children's Jumper Championship, where riders under 18 compete to win a share of $10,000.
Second-Year Green Working Hunter
Amateur-Owner Working Hunter 3'6" (35 & Under)
Amateur-Owner Working Hunter 3'6" (Over 35), sponsored by Cembell Industries
Amateur-Owner Working Hunter 3'3" (35 & Under)
Amateur-Owner Working Hunter 3'3" (Over 35)
WIHS Children's Jumper Championship
Evening (7:00-10:00 pm)
Show jumping is the name of the game tonight. WIHS Adult Jumpers go for their championship title. Plus, the top national and international show jumpers compete in their first class of the week, the $10,000 Time First Round, where the fastest horse and rider combination takes the winner's share of the purse.
WIHS Adult Amateur Jumper Championship
$10,000 International Jumper (1.45m) (Time First Round)
Thursday, Oct. 27
Daytime (7:00 am-5:00 pm)
Thursday starts with junior riders (under 18) competing early in the day on hunters, where it's style and rhythm that count, and on jumpers in the afternoon when it's all about speed and clear rounds. Then the international jumpers are in the ring for the Welcome Stake, presented by CMJ SportHorse.
Small Junior Hunter (15 & Under), sponsored by the Wasserman Foundation
Large Junior Hunter (15 & Under), sponsored by Sheila & Britton Sanderford
Small Junior Hunter (16-17), sponsored by Rose Hill Farm
Large Junior Hunter (16-17), sponsored by Altec/Styslinger Foundation
Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper (First Time Round), sponsored by the Strauss Family
$35,000 International Jumper Welcome Stake, presented by CMJ SportHorse (1.50m) (TFJO)
Evening (7:00-10:30 pm)
Thursday is WIHS Barn Night, presented by Dover Saddlery , with the generous support of The Peterson Family Foundation and National Harbor , a favorite with young horse lovers who attend in groups and have a chance to enter contests, win great prizes, and enjoy entertaining competition. Events include the hilarious WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase, presented by Charles Owen, and with Halloween in the air, top show jumpers will compete in funny, weird and exotic costumes in the $35,000 Accumulator Top Score Costume Class! Equestrian Sport Productions will sponsor an exciting new award for the best costumed horse and rider.
Visit Barn Night to learn more and register.
High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper (Time First Round), sponsored by Staysail Farm
Friday, Oct. 28
Daytime (7:00 am-5:00 pm)
Friday offers a mix of hunter and show jumping classes with riders of all ages, including the first phase of the prestigious WIHS Equitation Finals, a national three-phase competition for junior riders.
Small Junior Hunter (15 and Under), sponsored by the Wasserman Foundation
Large Junior Hunter (15 and Under), sponsored by Sheila & Britton Sanderford
Small Junior Hunter (16-17), sponsored by Rose Hill Farm
Large Junior Hunter (16-17), sponsored by Altec/Styslinger Foundation
WIHS Equitation Finals (Hunter Phase)
Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper (TFJO), sponsored by the Strauss Family
High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper (TFJO), sponsored by Staysail Farm
Evening (7:00-10:30 pm)
Friday night is all about power and speed as we salute the military on our 5th annual WIHS Military Night , presented by The Boeing Company . First is the $50,000 GE International Jumper Speed Final for international jumpers. Then comes the $25,000 International Jumper Puissance (high jump), presented by The Boeing Company, where the brave will jump the great wall until only one horse and rider combination remains fault-free. WIHS is one of the few shows in the US to offer this class. The North American record to beat is 7’ 7-1/2,” set at Washington in 1983.
$50,000 GE International Jumper Speed Final (1.50m), Table C Faults Converted
Exhibition - Army vs. Navy Barrel Racing, presented by Washington Area Chevy Dealers
Exhibition - Guy McLean
$25,000 International Jumper Puissance, presented by The Boeing Company
Saturday, Oct. 29
Daytime (7:00 am-5:00 pm)
Today you'll see the very best youngsters on ponies at the start of their riding careers. Later in the day, junior and amateur riders jump for their division championships, and top juniors compete in the second phase of the WIHS Equitation Finals. WIHS Kids' Day activities presented by Animal Planet and EQUUS Foundation , take place from 10 am-2 pm on the Verizon Center concourse and outside Hotel Monaco at 700 F Street NW.
Small Pony Hunter
Large Pony Hunter, sponsored by the Aycox Family
Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic (TFJO), sponsored by the Strauss Family
SJHF High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic (TFJO), sponsored by Staysail Farm
WIHS Equitation Finals (Jumper Phase)
WIHS Kids' Day 10 am-2 pm, Verizon Center (free event)
Evening (7:00-10:30 pm)
You may spot a future Olympian among the riders in the WIHS Equitation Finals, where top junior riders compete in the final work-off for the championship. The highlight of the week is the $130,000 Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Washington, presented by Events DC , for the President's Cup. With the biggest, most challenging jumps and the largest purse of the show, this class is a favorite with top riders including Olympic veterans and their superstar horses. Winning riders earn valuable points to qualify for the World Cup Final next April. The entertaining and adorable WIHS Shetland Pony Steeplechase Championship Series Finals, presented by Charles Owen , rounds out a perfect show evening.
WIHS Equitation Finals (Work-Off and Championship Presentation)
Jack Russell Terrier Races, presented by The Nutro Company.
$130,000 Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Washington for the President's Cup (1.60m), presented by Events DC
Sunday, Oct. 30
Daytime (7:00 am-4:00 pm)
On Sunday morning, the top pony hunters in the country take the spotlight, followed by the WIHS Pony Equitation Finals, judged on the skill and technique of the young riders. The show traditionally draws to a close with the WIHS Regional Horse Show Hunter Finals, presented by The Linden Group at Morgan Stanley , for a final competition to determine the champions.
Small Pony Hunter
Large Pony Hunter, sponsored by the Aycox Family
WIHS Pony Equitation Finals
| i don't know |
On a golf course, what is normally the only place you would be allowed to mark, lift and clean your ball? | Mark the Ball (Meanings of the Term in Golf)
Definition: The terms "mark the ball" and "marking the ball" have two meanings in golf:
1. Writing on the golf ball for ID purposes
When you "mark your ball" in this sense, you write on the golf ball - letters, a smiley face, dots, whatever - for identification purposes.
Rule 6-5 states: "The responsibility for playing the proper ball rests with the player. Each player should put an identification mark on his ball."
As noted, that identification mark can be anything the player wishes. The reason for marking the ball is to ensure that there is no mix-up during play that results in golfers playing the wrong ball. Say you and your opponent are both playing Titleist Pro V1 balls with the number "3." And those balls wind up right next to each other in the fairway. Which is which?
If you and your opponent each marked his ball before teeing off, you'll be able to tell the difference.
2. Placing a ball marker on the ground before lifting the golf ball
continue reading below our video
When to Lift and Clean Your Golf Ball on the Course
The second usage of "mark the ball" or "marking the ball" refers to the process of denoting the golf ball's position before picking up the ball.
In most areas of the golf course (outside of the putting greens), the ball can be lifted only in special circumstances covered in the rules. On the putting green , you can pick up the golf ball for any reason. But you always must mark the ball's position before lifting it, to ensure that you replace it in the correct spot.
Golfers carry ball markers - usually a small coin or something similar - for the purpose of marking the ball on the green.
| on putting green |
Which London football club installed an artificial pitch, which was later banned, in the 1980s? | Rules of Golf: Ball Marker Penalties
Ball Marker Penalties
I came across this interesting piece on penalties involving ball markers on the web site better-golf-by-putting-better.com . I am indebted to Neville Walker of Perth, Australia, for permitting me to use it in full.
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“Dumbest rule ever invented.” Jesper Parnevik at the 2002 Genuity Championship at Doral.
Professional golfers are no different to their amateur counterparts when it comes to playing by the rules. They too make mistakes, either through ignorance or oversight. The biggest difference is that professional golfers play under the spotlight of spectators, and this serves to highlight their mistakes. If a mistake goes unnoticed at the time of play, television viewers eagerly telephone in to act as armchair rules officials. An infringement is sometimes discovered after the player has signed his or her card, and he or she is disqualified for signing for an incorrect score.
Marking a ball on the green is a simple act, yet it is not without its dangers. You may remember the incident that resulted in the above quote. Jesper Parnevik thinking he may have broken a rule called for an immediate ruling. What happened was that his caddie tossed him the ball which he fumbled and dropped. Unfortunately the ball landed on his coin and it flipped over. Did this incur a penalty or was he entitled to replace his ball marker on the original spot without penalty? Under the rules there is no penalty provided the movement of the ball or marker is directly attributable to the specific act of marking the position of, or lifting, your ball. Otherwise, you incur a penalty of one stroke. Unfortunately for Parnevik fumbling a catch could not be construed as marking his ball.
Not even the professionals get it right. Recently on the Japanese tour an Australian golfer replaced his ball and before he could lift his ball marker, a gust of wind moved the ball to a new position. The player incorrectly replaced his ball and putted out. Consequently, he was penalised two-shots for putting from a wrong place (Decision 18-1/12). This is because it is irrelevant if a player has removed his or her marker before the wind moved the ball, as the ball is in play as soon as it is replaced.
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day.
St. Crispen's Day Speech Henry V William Shakespeare, 1599
You may ask what Henry V’s speech to his troops before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 has to do with marking your ball on the putting green. The key is in the words "Old men forget". Being a senior golfer, I have the excuse of age if I forget to replace my ball marker after being asked earlier to move it by a fellow competitor. Younger professionals can't use the same excuse for their transgression.
Tom Lehman as defending champion had a memory lapse during the second round of the British Open at Royal Troon in Scotland in 1997. At the second hole Vijay Singh asked him to move his ball marker as it was on his line. He then forgot to return his marker to the original place before putting. He only realised his mistake on the next tee. By then it was too late and he was penalised two shots (Rule 20-7c).
Two years later Tom Lehman was again penalised for a transgression involving his ball marker in his match against the Italian golfer Emanuele Canonica. In this instance he was representing the United States in the Alfred Dunhill Cup at St Andrews. Mistakenly he picked up his marker after having been beaten on the 18th hole. However, in medal match play this is not allowed, and he received a one shot penalty.
A similar incident of not replacing the ball marker happened forty years earlier, but with a different outcome. At the 1957 British Open at St Andrews Bobby Locke, then aged 39, marked his ball one putter-head off the line of his playing partner Bruce Crampton’s putt at the 72nd hole. When he came to putt, he forgot to replace his ball marker in its original spot and putted from the wrong place. The error was only picked up on newsreel film and reported to the Royal and Ancient officials after the trophy had been presented. As Bobby Locke had a three shot lead over Peter Thomson, the Championship committee after an eight-day delay concluded that he had gained no advantage. Citing the equity and spirit of the game, the Committee decided that he should not be disqualified. Had they thought otherwise they would have had to disqualify Locke as the rules at that time made no provision for a two-stroke penalty for playing from the wrong place. There are golfers who use a memory aid to remind them to replace their ball marker in its original spot. They do this by always having the same side facing up when they mark their ball. If they have to move their marker, they turn it upside down. Of course, you need a coin or flat disk of some sort to do this, and not one of those plastic markers with a spike.
All of us know that to mark your ball, you first place your ball marker behind the ball and then lift the ball. What could be easier than that? However, a long day of competition can scramble the brain. We all have had mental melt downs at one time or the other. In my case they are euphemistically called senior moments. In a bizarre incident Ian Woosnam was penalised at the 1991 World Cup when he picked up his ball and forgot to mark it in his haste to get to a toilet. When he came to putt he looked for his non-existent ball marker which was unfortunately still in his pocket. Bernhard Langer, needing a par at the last hole to win the 1999 Greg Norman Holden Classic tournament at Lakes Golf Club in Sydney, Australia took a double bogey five to lose by one shot to Michael Long of New Zealand. There is nothing truly remarkable about that as many tournaments are lost or won at the death. However, in this case Bernhard Langer lost because of a simple mistake at the short 18th. He picked up his ball marker without first putting his ball down and by doing so he incurred a one stroke penalty. He describes it as the dumbest thing that he has ever done on the golf course.
Golf is a game of rules. Some help us, other don’t. The best way to guard against unnecessary penalties is to learn the Rules of golf and carry a Rule book at all times in your golf bag.
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Hear, hear to that last sentence!
No Rules - no improvement; know Rules - know improvement!
Barry Rhodes
rules at barryrhodes dot com
Check out golfrulesquestions.com for information on my book, ‘999 Questions on the Rules of Golf’
| i don't know |
Which sport is normally played on a pitch that is 300 yards long? | Sport – Beaufort Polo Club
The Sport of Polo
Polo For The Spectator - An Insight Into The Rules
What makes polo such a special spectator sport is that you don’t have to be familiar with the rules, allowing you to take in the thrill and excitement of one of the fastest team sports in the world. The following information is designed to give you an insight into the finer parts of the game of polo.
The Game
The aim of the game is to score more goals than your opposing team! Play starts initially, and after each goal, with an umpire throwing the ball among the players in the middle of the ground. Ends are changed after each goal – this has been found to be the fairest way for teams not to be disadvantaged by wind or slopes on the pitch! When the ball goes out of play over the sides of the ground, teams line up side by side five yards back and the ball is thrown in.
If the ball crosses the back line, being last touched by the attacking team, the defending team takes a free hit from where the ball crossed the line. Should the defending team hit the ball over the back line a penalty is called and the attacking team is given a free hit from the 60 yard line opposite where the ball went out. There is no ‘corner’ or offside as in football.
The Ground
The ground is 300 yards long (274m) long and 200m (182m) wide, or if there are boards down the side (to help keep the ball in play) then 160 yards 182 wide. The goal posts (collapsible on severe impact for safety) are eight yards (7.3m) apart. There is a line at the centre of the ground and penalty lines, 30, 40 and 60 yards from each back line. A polo ground is roughly the size of 6 football pitches!
Duration of Play
The game is played over four, five or six periods of 7 minutes each which are called by the Indian name “Chukka”. At the end of the Chukka the first bell is rung, but play continues until the ball goes out of play or the second bell is rung after 30 seconds.
Players and Officials
There are four players in each team, two mounted umpires on the ground and a referee in the stand, who acts as an arbiter in the event of the umpires being unable to agree. There are also goal judges who signal goals by the waving of a flag behind the goal.
Polo is very much a team game with each of the four players having different roles, although like any team sport, these are interchangeable:
No. 1
Forward. The number 1 should have fast ponies to quickly turn defence into attack, slip the opposing back and with accurate rather than powerful hitting score goals.
No. 2
Forward basically. The number 2 should be well mounted to mark the opposing number 3. In defence but support his number 1 in attack.
No. 3
Similar to a centre half in football. He controls the speed and direction of the game and usually his passes to the forwards start an attack.
No. 4
Back. In defence the back should be able to hit strong backhanders to his members of the team and in attack likely to be seen somewhere behind waiting to snap up any chance of loose balls that come his way
Handicaps
Each player has a handicap from minus 2 up to 10, which reflects his or her ability. There are currently less than twelve 10 goal players in the World, most of whom are Argentine. The highest handicapped English players are currently 7 goals.
In handicap tournaments the number of goals start is obtained by multiplying the difference between the two teams total handicap by the number of chukkas to be played and then dividing by 6. Any fraction counts as half a goal.
Equipment
The sticks are made of bamboo shafts and hard wood heads. The length of the stick varies according to the height of the pony being played and varies from 48 to 53 inches. The ball is hit with either face of the head and not with the ends as per croquet! The ball traditionally either bamboo or Willow is made of plastic.
Ponies
There is no height limit but most ponies are between 15 and 15.3 hands (a hand being 4 inches high). Much of their schooling is devoted to stopping and turning quickly and being able to accelerate and ride-off another pony and to face a fast approaching pony. Ponies usually only play two chukkas in an afternoon with a rest of at least one chukka in between. Bandages or boots for support are compulsory and a pony blind of an eye, showing vice or not under control may not be played.
Fouls and Penalties
The most common foul occurs as the result of a player having ‘the right of way’ being crossed by another player which would be very dangerous.
A player has a ‘right of way’ when he is following the ball on its exact line or is closest to it; he must not cross this line if by so doing there is any possibility of another horse having to check in order to avoid a collision.
Players may ride-off an opponent using his/her body (not elbows) and pony to push their opponent off the ball, although this must not be at an angle and that the ponies are level. A player may use his stick to hook an opponents stick to spoil a shot, but not above shoulder height. Dangerous riding, rough handling or misuse of the polo stick are not allowed. Penalties vary according to the degree and place of the foul.
Watch
| Polo |
If you start your sport with a face-off, what are you playing? | Sport – Beaufort Polo Club
The Sport of Polo
Polo For The Spectator - An Insight Into The Rules
What makes polo such a special spectator sport is that you don’t have to be familiar with the rules, allowing you to take in the thrill and excitement of one of the fastest team sports in the world. The following information is designed to give you an insight into the finer parts of the game of polo.
The Game
The aim of the game is to score more goals than your opposing team! Play starts initially, and after each goal, with an umpire throwing the ball among the players in the middle of the ground. Ends are changed after each goal – this has been found to be the fairest way for teams not to be disadvantaged by wind or slopes on the pitch! When the ball goes out of play over the sides of the ground, teams line up side by side five yards back and the ball is thrown in.
If the ball crosses the back line, being last touched by the attacking team, the defending team takes a free hit from where the ball crossed the line. Should the defending team hit the ball over the back line a penalty is called and the attacking team is given a free hit from the 60 yard line opposite where the ball went out. There is no ‘corner’ or offside as in football.
The Ground
The ground is 300 yards long (274m) long and 200m (182m) wide, or if there are boards down the side (to help keep the ball in play) then 160 yards 182 wide. The goal posts (collapsible on severe impact for safety) are eight yards (7.3m) apart. There is a line at the centre of the ground and penalty lines, 30, 40 and 60 yards from each back line. A polo ground is roughly the size of 6 football pitches!
Duration of Play
The game is played over four, five or six periods of 7 minutes each which are called by the Indian name “Chukka”. At the end of the Chukka the first bell is rung, but play continues until the ball goes out of play or the second bell is rung after 30 seconds.
Players and Officials
There are four players in each team, two mounted umpires on the ground and a referee in the stand, who acts as an arbiter in the event of the umpires being unable to agree. There are also goal judges who signal goals by the waving of a flag behind the goal.
Polo is very much a team game with each of the four players having different roles, although like any team sport, these are interchangeable:
No. 1
Forward. The number 1 should have fast ponies to quickly turn defence into attack, slip the opposing back and with accurate rather than powerful hitting score goals.
No. 2
Forward basically. The number 2 should be well mounted to mark the opposing number 3. In defence but support his number 1 in attack.
No. 3
Similar to a centre half in football. He controls the speed and direction of the game and usually his passes to the forwards start an attack.
No. 4
Back. In defence the back should be able to hit strong backhanders to his members of the team and in attack likely to be seen somewhere behind waiting to snap up any chance of loose balls that come his way
Handicaps
Each player has a handicap from minus 2 up to 10, which reflects his or her ability. There are currently less than twelve 10 goal players in the World, most of whom are Argentine. The highest handicapped English players are currently 7 goals.
In handicap tournaments the number of goals start is obtained by multiplying the difference between the two teams total handicap by the number of chukkas to be played and then dividing by 6. Any fraction counts as half a goal.
Equipment
The sticks are made of bamboo shafts and hard wood heads. The length of the stick varies according to the height of the pony being played and varies from 48 to 53 inches. The ball is hit with either face of the head and not with the ends as per croquet! The ball traditionally either bamboo or Willow is made of plastic.
Ponies
There is no height limit but most ponies are between 15 and 15.3 hands (a hand being 4 inches high). Much of their schooling is devoted to stopping and turning quickly and being able to accelerate and ride-off another pony and to face a fast approaching pony. Ponies usually only play two chukkas in an afternoon with a rest of at least one chukka in between. Bandages or boots for support are compulsory and a pony blind of an eye, showing vice or not under control may not be played.
Fouls and Penalties
The most common foul occurs as the result of a player having ‘the right of way’ being crossed by another player which would be very dangerous.
A player has a ‘right of way’ when he is following the ball on its exact line or is closest to it; he must not cross this line if by so doing there is any possibility of another horse having to check in order to avoid a collision.
Players may ride-off an opponent using his/her body (not elbows) and pony to push their opponent off the ball, although this must not be at an angle and that the ponies are level. A player may use his stick to hook an opponents stick to spoil a shot, but not above shoulder height. Dangerous riding, rough handling or misuse of the polo stick are not allowed. Penalties vary according to the degree and place of the foul.
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What surface is the French Open tennis tournament played on? | What type of surface is the French Open played on? | Reference.com
What type of surface is the French Open played on?
A:
Quick Answer
The French Open is played on clay courts. The courts are made up of four layers, including a 10-inch layer of stone, a 6-inch layer of metal waste material, a 4-inch layer of limestone and less than an inch of broken brick on top.
Full Answer
Compared to grass or hard courts, the ball slows down and bounces higher on clay. This can hamper players who rely on a powerful serve. For example, Pete Sampras and Venus Williams have both won many Grand Slam events, but they have never won the French Open, as of July 2014.
The French Open is considered the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world.
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Which word is given to a winning tennis serve that the opponent can’t return? | Nadal surprised at hard-court selection for 2016 Olympics in Rio | TENNIS.com
Nadal surprised at hard-court selection for 2016 Olympics in Rio
Tags: Rafael Nadal
The Games will take place two weeks before the U.S. Open and will be played on the same surface as the hard-court major. (AP Photo)
Rafael Nadal expresses surprise that the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will be played on hard courts instead of clay, given the event is in South America.
The Rio Games will take place two weeks before the U.S. Open, and will be played on the same hard-court surface used in Flushing Meadows to minimize disruption for players. Brazil's traditional playing surface is clay, which the ATP event in Rio is also being held on.
"I am surprised that in a country which has clay specialists the Olympics are going to be played on hard court," said Nadal , who is in Rio for next week's tournament.
Clay is also the nine-time French Open champion’s preferred surface, with Nadal having previously expressed a preference for the ATP World Tour Finals to rotate playing surfaces.
The Rio ATP tournament will be Nadal's first event since the Australian Open, where he experienced some physical problems and was defeated in the semifinals. Nadal said he was fit to play, but expressed some caution about the warm conditions . The world No. 3 is the defending champion.
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Who won both the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Men's singles figure skating gold medal? | Hanyu beats Chan for men's figure skating gold | Fox News
Hanyu beats Chan for men's figure skating gold
Published February 14, 2014
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Sochi, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) - Neither man was perfect, but Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu edged three-time world champion Patrick Chan of Canada for gold in men's figure skating at the Sochi Olympics.
Hanyu won the short program Thursday with a record score of 101.45, leading Chan by just under four points. Despite mistakes from both on Friday, Hanyu managed to also win the free skate to give Japan its first gold medal in the men's competition.
Canada has still never won gold in men's figure skating. Chan became the third silver medal winner in the nation's history, following Elvis Stojko (1994, '98) and Brian Orser (1984, '88). Orser just happens to be Hanyu's coach.
Kazakhstan's Denis Ten won bronze with a brilliant effort. He had been ninth after the short program and had one of the few clean skates of the night.
American Jason Brown was sixth after the short program and was the last skater to take the ice Friday. He had a chance to win a medal, but a stumble early in his routine left him 11th in the free skate and ninth overall.
Ten was in the second-to-last group and set the bar with a sensational effort that netted him a free skate score of 171.04 and a two-night total of 255.10.
There were still six skaters in the last group and only two managed to top Ten's score.
Spain's Javier Fernandez was first in the last group and was in bronze medal position after the short program, but he did not thrill the judges on Friday. His score of 166.94 was fifth-best and dropped him directly behind Ten, where he eventually finished.
It was basically a two-man competition for gold between Hanyu and Chan.
Hanyu was the first of the two to take the ice for the free skate and he fell on his opening quad jump. A second mistake occurred moments later when his hands touched the ice while completing a triple-flip.
Still, his artistry and other technical elements enabled him to finish with a score of 178.64 and a total of 280.09. It still left the door open for Chan, who was next on the ice.
After opening with a perfect quad-toe, triple-toe combination, Chan touched the ice while landing each of his next two jumps -- a quad and a triple-lutz. He also had a couple of other wobbles during his program and earned a score of 178.10 to finish at 275.62.
At age 19, Hanyu became the second-youngest Olympic men's figure skating champion. American Dick Button was 18 in 1948 when he won the first of his two gold medals.
The only man in the field with a previous Olympic medal, Japan's Daisuke Takahashi, finished sixth. He won bronze four years ago in Vancouver for Japan's first Olympic men's figure skating medal.
American Jeremy Abbott finished 12th after a personal best of 160.12 in the free skate. He performed brilliantly on Friday after a nasty fall in his short program left him 15th.
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In what year did legendary British jockey Lester Piggott ride his last winner? | Barbara Ann Scott, Canadian Figure Skater, Is Dead at 84 - The New York Times
The New York Times
Sports |Barbara Ann Scott, Canadian Figure Skater, Dies at 84
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Barbara Ann Scott, who became a Canadian heroine at 19 when she won figure skating gold at the 1948 Winter Olympics, succeeding Norway’s Sonja Henie as the premier women’s skater in a sport Europeans had dominated for decades, died on Sunday at her home on Amelia Island, Fla. She was 84.
Her husband, Tom King, confirmed her death.
Growing up in Ottawa, Scott idolized Henie, the women’s singles champion at the last three Olympics before World War II. Emerging as a champion in her own right, Scott was hailed as Canada’s sweetheart when she put her country on the international sports map, prompting a toy company to create a Barbara Ann Scott doll. It became a cherished gift for a generation of Canadian girls.
Scott was the first North American to capture the world and European championships. She won both in 1947, and again the next year.
Her most spectacular triumph came at the 1948 St. Moritz Winter Games in Switzerland, where she became the first, and only, Canadian to win an Olympic championship in figure skating singles, triumphing on an outdoor rink rutted from hockey games. She was also a multiple North American and Canadian national champion.
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And she charmed with her youthful glamour. Life magazine, reporting on her 1947 world championship victory in Stockholm, called her “a shy, blue-eyed Canadian beauty” who was “undeniably lovely in face and form.”
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Barbara Ann Scott practicing in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1948. Credit The Canadian Press, via Associated Press
When Scott returned to Ottawa, her hometown, after her world and European figure skating triumphs in 1947, tens of thousands greeted her, and the mayor presented her with a yellow convertible on behalf of the city, the license plate reading 47-U-1 (for “1947, You Won”).
Scott gave the car back when Avery Brundage, the head of the United States Olympic Committee, questioned whether her acceptance of it might jeopardize her amateur status and make her ineligible for Olympic competition. But the car was returned to her after she won Olympic gold in 1948 and decided to turn professional. It was repainted blue with the license plate updated to 48-U-1.
Scott usually dominated the compulsories, the tracing of figure-eight variations, which accounted for 60 percent of the scoring in her era, but she deftly executed spins and leaps as well. At 13, she became the first female skater to complete a double lutz in competition.
“She was delicate, precise, exact, meticulous — simply perfect,” said the American skater Dick Button, who won the men’s singles in St. Moritz, joining with Scott to herald the international emergence of North American skaters.
Button, who won again at the 1952 Winter Games but is known today more for his televised skating commentary, told Sports Illustrated in 1988 that in her St. Moritz gold medal performance, Scott “did everything right, and there was nobody to challenge her who was better in one particular area, either compulsory figure or free skating.”
In reflecting on the exactness of her compulsories, Scott said: “I like everything to be neat and tidy and symmetrical. I tried to get as near perfect a circle as possible.”
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Scott was named Canada’s athlete of the year for 1945 and again for 1947 and 1948. After her Olympic triumph, she embarked on a pro ice-show career, appearing at Christmastime in 1948 at the Roxy theater in Manhattan. She went on to tour with several companies.
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Barbara Ann Scott in 2006. Credit Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press
With one, the Hollywood Ice Revue, she made her entrance at Madison Square Garden in 1955 in “ an evening wrap made of 546 white foxtails , 85 dyed gray and 375 blue,” Life magazine reported, lauding her fresh-faced teenage aura. The wrap rendered her “exhausted and nearly immobilized,” Life said, before she shed it to begin her routine.
She continued to perform until her marriage in 1955 to Mr. King, the press agent for the Hollywood Ice Revue, in which she succeeded Henie as the featured attraction. They settled in Chicago, where King’s business interests were based, but she was hardly forgotten in Canada.
“Even though I was a male skater, she was the one person I looked up to,” Donald Jackson of Canada, the 1962 men’s world figure skating champion and 1960 Olympic bronze medalist, told The Ottawa Citizen in 1999. “Barbara Ann Scott was the one big idol that we skaters knew, that everyone knew.”
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Barbara Ann Scott was born on May 9, 1928, in Ottawa, the daughter of Clyde Scott, an army colonel. She began skating at an Ottawa club when she was 6 and won the Canadian junior championship at 11. When she was 12, her father died, and friends and other Ottawa residents raised money to send her to competitions. She captured the first of her four Canadian national senior titles at 15.
After her pro career ended, Scott trained and rode show horses, owned a beauty salon and did charitable work. In their later years, she and Mr. King lived in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, in northeast Florida.
Scott carried the Olympic torch before the 1988 Calgary Games. She bore a torch again, this time into Canada’s House of Commons, preceding the 2010 Vancouver Games, where she was among the Canadian flag-bearers. She donated much of her memorabilia, including her Olympic gold medal, to the city of Ottawa in 2011.
On the 60th anniversary of her Olympic victory, she spoke of the moment she received that gold medal.
“It was a blinding snowstorm,” Steve Milton quoted her saying in “Figure Skating’s Greatest Stars” (2009). “I’ll never forget seeing the flag go up with the snow falling and hearing ‘O Canada’ so far away from home.”
A version of this article appears in print on October 2, 2012, on Page B17 of the New York edition with the headline: Barbara Ann Scott, 84, One-and-Only Skater. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe
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How old was footballer 'Pele' when he scored two goals in the final of the 1958 World Cup giving Brazil victory over hosts Sweden? | How and why Pele's mystique and reputation as the world's greatest ever footballer has been overhyped - Telegraph
World Cup
How and why Pele's mystique and reputation as the world's greatest ever footballer has been overhyped
Jonathan Liew investigates: We are told Pele is the best but his record is overstated - he is a master of self-promotion and circumstance helped him achieve pre-eminence
Pele is embraced by a pair of models Photo: REUTERS
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“Why, Jesus? Why are we being punished?”
In 1962, a plane carrying the Brazilian football team was crossing the Andes on the way to the World Cup in Chile.
Suddenly, the plane hit a pocket of turbulence, and started shaking violently. Dinner had just been served, and steaks were leaping off the plates. Pandemonium swept the cabin. This was only four years after the Munich air crash had claimed the lives of eight Manchester United players.
In the middle of the consternation, as a plane full of footballers became convinced they were heading for a rocky grave, one man sat in a state of utter restfulness.
His team-mates could scarcely believe their eyes. “You’re crazy!” they said. “Don’t you have family?”
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09 Dec 2014
In fact, Pele did have family. But he turned to face his colleagues. “What do you want me to do?” he asked calmly.
The turbulence passed, and shrieking quickly turned to laughter. As Pele later wrote: “I believe in God. If we are going to die, then so be it.”
The first key to understanding Pele is his faith. Most Pele narratives inevitably fixate upon the extreme poverty in which he was raised, first in the southern state of Minas Gerais, and then in the poor Sao Paulo suburb of Bauru. Few deal in any great depth with the devout Catholicism that accompanied him every step of the way. As a child, he would not be allowed to play football in the street unless he went to mass, inextricably intertwining the two destinies in his young mind.
When Pele was nine, Brazil lost to Uruguay in the final match of the 1950 World Cup, an event that traumatised the entire nation. The young Edson Arantes do Nascimento went to his father’s room, which was adorned with a picture of Jesus on the wall, and started wailing.
"Why has this happened?” he screamed at the picture. “Why has it happened to us? Why, Jesus? Why are we being punished?”
“I continued crying, overcome, as I continued my conversation with the picture of Christ,” he remembered. "You know, if I’d been there I wouldn’t have let Brazil lose the Cup. If I’d been there, Brazil would have won.”
Then he went back to his father and told him: “One day, I’ll win you the World Cup.”
Pele’s faith remained undimmed in adulthood. “When I had problems,” he said, “I asked Him why He put me here, unless He wanted me to do good.”
This clutch of anecdotes, probably grotesquely misleading, nonetheless reveals a little of how Pele has always seen himself. Not just as a subject of God – for that could be any of the world’s 1.2 billion Christians – but as his servant. From a very young age, Pele saw his role as one of doing the Almighty’s work on Earth.
An artist's depiction of Pele as Jesus
“In music there is Beethoven and the rest. In football there is Pele and the rest.”
As Pele was brought up to believe unquestioningly in the potency and pre-eminence of God, so generations of football lovers were brought up to believe unquestioningly in the potency and pre-eminence of Pele.
For decades, the fact that Pele was the greatest footballer that ever lived has simply been taken as gospel. Despite the emergence of more recent challengers in Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele remains the reference point against which all are judged.
Those who played with or against him, from Alfredo di Stefano to Ferenc Puskas to Franz Beckenbauer to Bobby Moore, queued up to anoint him as the greatest. As did Pele himself. “In music there is Beethoven and the rest,” he said in 2000. “In football, there is Pele and the rest.”
But it is an orthodoxy that has permeated subsequent generations too. To take one example out of thousands, Cristiano Ronaldo once said: “Pele is the greatest player in football history, and there will only be one Pele.” By the time Ronaldo was born in 1985, Pele had already been retired for eight years.
How can you call someone the greatest player of all time if you’ve barely seen them play?
To be fair, there is a good deal of evidence in his favour. Only the merest fraction of his 1,283 goals (give or take a few) were recorded on film, but what does remain paints a compelling if incomplete portrait of a truly special footballer.
Lightning pace, effortless grace, immense poise, impressive power, supreme cunning and gigantic balls: all are on display. At the very least, there is enough footage to conclude that Pele was not simply Adam Le Fondre with a stepover. He really was astoundingly good at football.
Then there is his record. Three World Cup victories in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Two Intercontinental Cups with Santos. Those 1,283 goals, of which 77 came for Brazil and 12 in the World Cup.
But even as you list Pele’s achievements, it is possible to pick holes in them. Ali Daei of Iran is international football’s leading goalscorer, with 109 goals in 149 caps. This does not make him the greatest player of all time. Hundreds of Pele’s goals came in friendlies, against up-country teams or down-at-heel invitational sides. Pele scored against the very best, but he scored against the very worst too.
His World Cup record, while impressive, is susceptible to overstatement. Injury in 1962 means that effectively, he only really won two World Cups, and was not the outstanding player either time. In 1958, it was Didi who was voted player of the tournament, while in 1970, it was very much a team effort, with the likes of Tostao and Jairzinho at least as important.
Pele’s home country has long been aware of this. Ask a Brazilian who is their greatest ever player and you are as likely to hear Heleno, Garrincha, Jairzinho or Zizinho mentioned. Pele’s multiple post-football careers, wayward predictions and often contradictory public statements have turned him into a figure frequently parodied, and occasionally disdained.
“I believe that Pele knows nothing about football,” current Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said in 2002. “He has done nothing as a coach and all his analysis always turns out to be wrong. He’s an idol in all of Brazil, but his analysis is worth nothing.”
“There is a sense that Pele belongs more to global heritage than he does to Brazil’s,” the Brazil-based writer Alex Bellos explained in his book Futebol. “He is an international reference point, and one who is simple to understand: a poor black man who became the best in the world through dedication and skill. But Brazilians do not love him the way they love Garrincha.”
Just a couple of weeks ago, Pele was criticised again for coming out against the recent political protests, describing them as “a great loss for the country”. Not for the first time, the arch conformist had shown himself to be out of touch with the skittish insurgency characterising the new Brazil.
“I’ve already fought for my country. Surely I don’t need to do it again?”
If you really boil it down, Pele’s legacy rests on those two World Cup wins. In 1958, he forced his way into the side halfway through the tournament as a 17-year-old, scoring a hat-trick in the semi-final against France and two goals in the final against Sweden. In 1970, he was the most famous player in perhaps the greatest side in international history. Later that decade, a survey showed that Pele was the second most-recognised brand name in Europe after Coca Cola.
What was interesting about Pele’s exaltation was how much of it was done in retrospect. Contemporary reports of the 1958 final clearly mention Pele, but reserve most praise for Garrincha, the most flamboyant player on the pitch. In the following months and years, though, the story of the 17-year-old kid from the poor background began to take an increasing hold.
Books, films and newspaper articles began to accumulate. His club Santos, sensing they might have the box office draw of the century on their hands, took him out on tour, playing exhibition games all over the world. Pele played more than 100 games in 1959, including 15 in three weeks on a tour of Europe. By the early 1960s, he was regularly playing three times a week with extensive travelling in between.
These tours served a dual function. Not only did they help to bulk up Pele’s record; they also spread the gospel.
In hindsight, Brazil’s 1958 win, coming so soon after the disaster of 1950, came to be seen as the turning point for an emerging, confident nation. “With the 1958 victory, Brazilians changed even physically,” wrote Nelson Rodriguez, the playwright who would go on to be one of Brazil’s most influential football writers in Brazilian history. “After 1958, the Brazilian was no longer a mongrel among men, and Brazil was no longer a mongrel among nations.”
The young, upwardly-mobile Pele assumed the face of this new Brazil. Later still, the joyful, fluid 4-2-4 formation Brazil deployed in that tournament would be set in contrast to the “anti-football” that would emerge from Argentina in the mid-1960s.
Pele takes a shot at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico
It was a marvellous tale, and Pele fitted perfectly into it. He knew it too, unsuccessfully attempting to use his fame to lever himself out of doing national service at the age of 18. “I’ve already fought for my country,” he protested. “Surely I don’t need to go to the army to do it again?”
In this country, it seems Pele’s myth was firmly established by 1964. That was the year England went to the Maracana and were caned 5-1, with Pele scoring four goals. “ENGLAND BEWITCHED BY BLACK DIAMOND”, read the headline in The Times. The report was more effusive still: “This was fiesta, this was a reflection of the moving colour film, Black Orpheus; this was life; this was the night of Pele… it was worth being alive to see, even in defeat.”
There is another factor to consider: television. The 1970 World Cup was the first to be broadcast worldwide in colour, and it was Pele’s great fortune to emerge just as mass media was catalysing an unprecedented explosion in the global scale of the game. Had he been born in 1920 rather than 1940, like the Botafogo genius Heleno de Freitas, it is likely almost no footage of him would have survived. And it is just as likely that like Heleno de Freitas, most people would never have heard of him.
“Pele has no colour or race or religion. He is accepted everywhere.”
The Pele who would go on to describe himself as the Beethoven of football had still not emerged by 1963. “It wasn’t me who started people saying I’m the best player in the world,” he said in that year. “I’ve got nothing to do with it. I believe the greatest player hasn’t been born yet. He’d have to be the best in every position: goalie, defence, forward.”
But what had begun to develop was an awareness of his own marketability. Following the 1958 World Cup, lucrative offers had flooded in from Europe, but he turned them all down, instead negotiating a deal with Santos by which he would receive half of any fee for playing an exhibition match abroad. He entrusted his financial affairs to a Spanish businessman called Pepe Gordo, who turned out to be downright useless: by 1966, pretty much all his investments had failed, and Pele was driven to the brink of bankruptcy.
In retrospect, it was a formative experience. In order to clear his debts, Pele negotiated a new deal with Santos on unfavourable terms, and took much greater control over his financial affairs. He signed a $120,000 deal with Puma to wear their boots, and during the 1970 World Cup was often to be seen very conspicuously stooping to tie his laces.
It was the beginning of what one might describe as the Pele brand. Over the subsequent decades, Pele has used his face and name to promote everything from Hublot watches to Subway sandwiches to erectile dysfunction.
Pele and swimmer Michael Phelps endorse Subway
Now 73, his thirst for endorsements is as unquenched as ever. Some weeks, he will visit three or four continents doing promotional work. Bloomberg estimate the Pele brand will generate $25 million in revenue this year.
“It’s not easy to separate Edson from Pele psychologically,” Pele wrote a few years ago. “Pele has taken on a life of his own. He overtook everything. I sense the dichotomy between Edson and Pele every time I take out my Mastercard. On one side is the image of me doing a bicycle kick together with the signature of Pele, and on the other is my real signature.”
But none of this would have been possible without the tenacity of the original Pele legend. The story of the poor black kid conquering the world is, essentially, what these companies are buying into. “Pele,” he says, “has no colour or race or religion. He is accepted everywhere.”
It may or may not surprise you to know that Pele is a Mastercard ambassador.
Pele on a Mastercard at the time of the 2002 World Cup
“Who was I? What was I? Just a footballer? No, it had to be more than that.”
Of course, everybody has to put food on the table. All athletes endorse products. But it is possible to identify a certain relish in Pele as he Hoovers up these sponsorship deals. He was not contractually obliged, for example, to include a plug for Mastercard in his autobiography. But he did it anyway. Why? Perhaps the answer lies in his character: rational, accumulative, fiercely competitive.
Being the best at football was not enough in itself for Pele. After all, he was God’s servant. He had to conquer all he saw.
“Who was I?” he would reflect. “What was I? Just a footballer? No, it had to be more than that.”
One of the preoccupations that comes through in Pele’s autobiography is race. For all his claims to be colourless and classless, being black shaped Pele’s view of the world, and the world’s view of him. Brazil was the last country in the Americas to ban slavery. Pele was only three generations removed from his slave ancestors. Even in 1966, his marriage to a white woman attracted negative comment from some newspaper columnists.
The Brazil 1958 team were the first genuinely multiracial side to win the World Cup. “All the other teams had only white people,” he wrote later. “I thought it was really weird. I can remember asking my team-mates: ‘Is it only in Brazil that there are blacks?’”
In these circumstances, then, perhaps it is not surprising that the narrative of the black boy rising above his disadvantaged station to smash open the “white” worlds of football and business held an intimate appeal for Pele. There is a proto-messianism to Pele’s self-image, especially when he feels he is not being sufficiently revered. “In America, Elvis Presley and Martin Luther King have wonderful memorial museums,” he wrote. “But in Brazil, there is no Pele museum. There is something not right about that, it seems to me.”
Pele in the film Once In A Lifetime
This is how Pele saw himself – a cultural icon like Elvis, a great liberator like Dr King. It explains why he was so keen to shape his own legend. And it explains why he continues to take any paying gig. “People treat you differently when you have money and celebrity,” he wrote. “It is almost like a race apart – not black, or white, but famous.”
In 2012, the Pele Museum was opened in Santos.
“The truth is that I hate seeing dead bodies”
Contrary to many impressions, Garrincha and Pele were not enemies. They were just different. But despite coming from similarly poor backgrounds, the differences between them could scarcely have been more pronounced. Bellos again: “Pele is revered. Garrincha is adored. Garrincha argued with the establishment. Pele became the establishment.”
But many Brazilians will tell you that Garrincha was at least as good a footballer as Pele, if not better. Pele would beat a man because he had to. Garrincha would do it because he wanted to. Garrincha virtually won the 1962 World Cup single-handedly. Pele could never claim that.
But the one thing Garrincha was less good at was self-promotion. Garrincha had little time for business empires and product endorsements. He hardly ever did interviews. He never stayed in the public eye for long enough to develop a persona. What he wanted to do, above all else, was to get drunk and get laid. This he did with remarkable efficiency, fathering at least 14 children before dying of severe liver failure at the age of 49.
Pele did not even attend his funeral. “The truth is that I hate seeing dead bodies,” he said by way of excuse. “I prefer to pray on my own.”
Years later Diego Maradona took issue with Pele for this. “I would have liked him to look after Garrincha instead of letting him die broke,” he wrote. In truth, there was little anybody could have done to arrest Garrincha’s decline, but Maradona’s intervention opened up a new fault-line between the two players now generally regarded as the greatest ever.
Pele and Diego Maradona have never enjoyed a happy relationship
“We never clicked,” Maradona said. “We always rubbed each other up the wrong way; we would see each other and sparks would fly.” A less charitable observer would say they turn into children around each other: a petty enmity that has diminished them both.
Every couple of years the world is treated afresh to the sight and sound of the world’s two most respected footballers essentially trolling each other. Maradona describes Pele as looking like “a doll that’s being moved by remote control”. Pele accuses Maradona of going into coaching for the money. Maradona tells Pele he should be in a museum. Pele says Maradona must be in love with him. Maradona calls Pele gay. It’s simultaneously wonderful and awful.
But here’s the point. There’s a reason why Pele and Maradona are always discussed as the two greatest footballers ever, and Garrincha isn’t even in the conversation. Garrincha’s not around to state his case. Perhaps it’s time to admit that greatness is two parts genius to one part salesmanship.
“A story in Brazil isn’t worth telling unless there are alternative versions to call upon.”
There’s something in psychology called the “reminiscence bump”. You’ll be familiar with the concept. In essence, it’s the reason all your favourite books and favourite films and favourite albums are the ones from your youth. Your teens and your 20s are when your memory is at its most efficient, which is why memories from your youth tend to be the strongest of all.
In 2012, three psychologists called Steve Janssen, David Rubin and Martin Conway decided to see if the effect extended to football. They asked more than 600 participants to name who they thought were the five greatest footballers of all time. Seeing as the questionnaire was presented in Dutch on the Amsterdam University website, perhaps it is little surprise that most people named Johan Cruyff (86 per cent), followed by Pele (56 per cent) and Diego Maradona (48 per cent).
What was more interesting was who had named who. Pele was mentioned most frequently by people born between 1946 and 1955. Cruyff was most popular amongst those born between 1956 and 1965. And if you were born between 1966 and 1975, chances are you said Maradona.
The researchers matched up the age of the respondents with the career-midpoint of the players they had selected. The magic number was 17. That was the age at which the strongest impressions were made. In short, you’re more likely to rate a great player in your late teens than at any other stage of your life.
Coincidentally, that was Pele’s age when he played in the 1958 World Cup. Perhaps that’s why he ended up as his own biggest fan.
Source: Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology
But there’s a semi-serious point at the heart of all this. “A story in Brazil isn’t worth telling unless there are alternative versions to call upon,” writes Pele at the start of his autobiography, and in the indomitably stupid debate over the world’s greatest player lies a little of football’s maddening charm.
And in retrospect, it’s easy to see why the generation that grew up with Pele was so keen to put him on a pedestal. Of course he was a brilliant player, but maybe there’s something more sinister at work there too. The legend of Pele was bequeathed to each subsequent generation almost as a fait accompli, as if the debate over the world’s greatest ever footballer was over before most of us had even clapped eyes on this world. “Here, take Pele,” the older generation seemed to be telling us, “as lasting and incontrovertible proof that everything was better long ago. You are welcome.”
But the virtue of youth is its resilience. Perhaps in a half-century from now, Pele’s name will be long forgotten, and our grandchildren will be embroiled in a similarly tedious debate about the relative merits of Lionel Messi and Ross Barkley. Every generation ultimately remakes its own truth.
Bibliography
Alex Bellos, Futebol: The Brazilian Way Of Life
Andreas Campomar, Golazo! A History of Latin American Football
Ruy Castro, Garrincha
Pele, My Life And The Beautiful Game
Pele, The Autobiography
The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, volume 65
Jonathan Wilson, Inverting The Pyramid
| seventeen |
At which football club did Tony Adams spend his entire playing career? | PENMON FAMILY HISTORY AND RELATED TOPICS - Wales - World Cup 1958
Wales - World Cup 1958
Only once in my lifetime has the Welsh National football team
qualified for the World Cup Finals ......
I was just 4 years old at the time .........
and that qualification was ironically, quite by default!
I am now nearer 70 than 40 years in age,
and I genuinely cannot see my home country qualify
for the World Cup Finals again,
despite all the players' courageous efforts.
So..... I thought I'd indulge in some nostalgia
and visit those days for the very first time,
days which I was far too young to remember in footballing terms!
Wales (0) 1 - 0 (0) Czechoslovakia
Vernon 75'
Charles M Charles J Bowen
Medwin Tapscott Webster Vernon Jones C
Match Report
The campaign started in promising style with a 1v0 victory over Czechoslovakia at Ninian Park, Cardiff, with Colin Webster, a Busby Babe, earning his first cap.
John Charles and Jack Kelsey were both outstanding, with Juventus officials watching their new star, Charles. Wales were far from their best.
Roy Vernon's late strike earned Wales both points, as the Czechs gave Wales a severe testing. in the opening game of the campaign to qualify for Sweden, and the finals in 1958.
East Germany (1) 2 - 1 (1) Wales
C Wirth 21' Tröger 61' M Charles 6'
Welsh Team;
Medwin Tapscott Charles M, Vernon Jones C
Match Report
Wales got off to a flyer in their second qualifying round match against the East Germans, as Mel Charles netted after just 6 minutes. However the Germans were a strong side and swarmed all over Wales, fully deserving their 2v0 win.
Dave Bowen and Derek Tapscott caused some concern in the Welsh camp by picking up some injuries, resulting in Des Palmer and Ray Daniel being called up. Not all the Welsh squad had travelled to Sweden, due to the cost.
Czechoslovakia (1) 2 - 0 (0) Wales
Daniel 21' (o.g.) Kraus 65'
Welsh Team
Medwin Palmer Charles J, Vernon Jones C
Match Report
The Czechs avenged their Cardiff defeat with a sound 2v0 victory. Mel Charles was excellent in defence, with Kelsey in goal on constant call. Not even a sound defence would help keep them out.
Czechoslovakia (0) 3 - 1 (0) East Germany
Kraus 60' Bubnik 81' Molnár 89' Wirth 18'
Wales (2) 4 - 1 (0) East Germany
W Palmer 38', 44', 73' Jones 42' Kaiser 57'
Welsh Team;
Allchurch L, Davies R, Palmer Vernon Jones C
Match Report
Czechoslovakia had already qualified for the finals when Wales played East Germany, with the Welsh team victorious by 4v1. Mel Charles, again playing out of his skin, scoring for both sides.
Kelsey was unavailable and Graham Vearncombe deputised in goal, earning his first Welsh cap. Swansea's Des Palmer netted a hat-trick. Wales were officially out of the World Cup.
East Germany(1) 1 - 4 (1)Czechoslovakia
H. Müller 35' Kraus 4', 88' Moravcík 23' Novák 43'
1958 World Cup
and the runner-up of one of the UEFA Groups,
where the teams played against each other
on a home-and-away basis, with the winner qualifying.
After Belgium refused,
the lucky-losers were placed into a pot,
to decide who would qualify to complete
the Final teams for Sweden.
Uruguay were drawn out,
but they refused to accept what they considered to be
a 'charitable' entry.
Wales were the next 'lucky losers' to be drawn.
15th January 1958
Israel (0) 0 - 2 (1) Wales
Allchurch I 38' Bowen 65'
Welsh Team;
Allchurch L, Medwin Charles J, Allchurch I, Jones C
Match Report
The first game gave Wales a comfortable away victory with goals from Ivor Allchurch and Dave Bowen. They played with confidence against a country which was not exactly a World-beater. Juventus had given Wales permission to play John Charles.
Wales (0) 2 - 0 (0) Israel
Allchurch I, 76' Jones 80'
Welsh Team;
Medwin, Hewitt, Charles J, Allchurch I, Jones C
Match Report
A similar 2v0 victory at Cardiff saw Wales reach the 1958 World Cup Finals in Sweden. Goals from Ivor Allchurch and Cliff Jones in front of 50,000 was a creditable achievement. Tackov Chodorov, the Israeli goalkeeper played heroically but was stretchered off after a collision with John Charles. The keeper received a standing ovation.
The success of this victory was put in perspective by a tragic occurrence the following day, particularly for Jimmy Murphy and Colin Webster.
It was the fateful day of the Busby Babe Munich plane tragedy. Both Jimmy and Colin lost friends and teammates in the disaster. Had it not been for this Welsh qualifying match, both would have been involved. Kenny Morgans, a potential future Welsh International survived the crash, but was never the same player and returned to Swansea Town.
Uruguay 4 v 2 Argentina
Uruguay
Italy 2 v 1 Czechoslovakia
after extra time
Italy 4 v 2 Hungary
France
Uruguay 2 v 1 Brazil
Brazil
West Germany 3 v 2 Hungary
Switzerland
Terry Medwin 25 Tottenham Hotspur
6 caps
Trevor Edwards 21 Charlton Athletic
1 cap
Roy Vernon 21 Blackburn Rovers
1 cap
Colin Webster 25 Manchester United
0 caps
Len Allchurch 24 Swansea Town
4 caps
Copyright Historical Football Kits and reproduced by kind permission.
World Cup
Sweden (1) 3 - 0 (0) Mexico
Hungary (1) 1 - 1 (1) Wales
Bozsik 4' J. Charles 26'
Teams
Jones C
Match Report
Hungary were the first opponents and played as beaten finalists in the previous World Cup held in 1954. However, due to political turmoil in their country, their team was virtually a new side with a few exceptions.
Wales, playing in canary yellow, were underdog, and fell behind in the 4th minute through a Bozsik goal - a survivor from 1954. The doubters all thought then that Wales were there just for the taking.
With Medwin playing out of position, the Welsh fighting spirit rallied with John Charles heading powerfully home on the 26th minute to level the scores, from a Cliff Jones cross. It was a text book header, as John outjumped everyone.
Wales pushed for the winner, but without success. The game ended level, 1v1.
Mexico (0) 1 - 1 (1) Wales
Belmonte 89' Allchurch 32
Jones C
Match Report
Wales failed to find their form against a Mexican side still smarting from their 3v0 opening match defeat against hosts Sweden.
Wales went ahead courtesy of Ivor Allchurch and the assumption was that Wales would stroll through, but they fell apart, allowing Mexico a last minute equaliser. Sullivan had missed the game through injury and was replaced by Baker.
Cliff Jones, one of the fastest wingers in the game, had a disappointng match.
Sweden (1) 2 - 1 (0) Hungary
Hamrin 34' 55' Tichy 76
Sweden (0) 0 - 0 (0) Wales
Jones C
Match Report
A draw against Sweden would be enough to leave Wales equal on points with Hungary. Jimmy Murphy set his stall out accordingly. Sweden had already qualified and fielded a weakened side, resting many players, including 4 forward players.
It was not therefore a particularly exciting game. However, Skogland missed four good opportunities to seal it for the hosts.
Jack Kelsey was becomimg one of the best goalkeepers in the competition.
A goal-less draw saw Wales facing a play-off against the Hungarians, should they defeat Mexico in their last group match.
Hungary (0) 4 - 0 Mexico
Hungary (1) 1 - 2 (0) Wales
Tichy 33' Allchurch 55' Medwin 76'
Teams
Match Report
Terry Medwin nets the winner
The first encounter with Hungary in the group match was rough - this one was even worse, with John Charles targetted for 'special' treatment. The Russian referee gave John no protection whatsover, as the Hungarians literally carved notches out of him! He was clearly chopped down in the penalty area, but no penalty was awarded.
Charles never retaliated, which infuriated the opponents even more!
Hungary stole the lead with a Tichy volley beating Kelsey low at the near post. Everything was going against Wales until the ever faithful Ivor Allchurch scored an incredible goal - a left foot volley from the edge of the box, which flew like a missile into the top corner.
This gave Wales renewed belief, with a truly battered John Charles still limping bravely about the pitch.
Then with 15 minutes to go, Terry Medwin secured Wales' place in the quarter finals.
Hungarian Sipos was sent off.
Sadly John Charles' hammering meant he would play no part in that match against the favourites to win the Jules Rimet Trophy, Brazil.
Brazil (0) 1 - 0 (0) Wales
Pele
Pele in action
Seventeen year old Pele, in his debut World Cup match, broke the hearts of the Welsh team with the only goal of the game.
From the kick off, the Brazilians streamed forward endlessly in a yellow wave of movement. The Welsh concentration was draining away.
Colin Webster shot wide in the first minute - oh, had that gone in? What then?
Wales successfully subdued the Brazilian style of play and the Taffs looked capable of pulling off the shock result of the World Cup at times.
Without the talents of John Charles, Manager Jimmy Murphy had elected to play an unltra-defensive match.
Then that fateful goal. A cross from 'the little bird' Garrincha into the box from the right found Pele, marked by Mel Charles. The teenager took the ball on his chest, turned, and squeezed a shot in from hust outside the goal area. Kelsey must have seen the ball cross the line in slow motion, but could do nothing to stop it.
The goal was the scored by the youngest player ever to net a goal in the World Cup Finals.Pele later said that it was probably the most important goal he ever scored in his career, as it gave him such confidence to continue in his career.
It was big relief for Brazil that John Charles, the Gentle Giant was injured - their defence was unlikely to have coped with him, as they were quite small in terms of height. It was a match in which Wales played as though their lives depended on it, in footballing terms.
The Welsh quest to win
the Jules Rimet Trophy
The one and only time Wales have reached the final stages of the World Cup.
Sadly, it is unlikely that they will do so again in my lifetime.
Brazil went on to win the
1958 World Cup.
W Germany 2-2 N Ireland
Pl
The line-up in the final match against Sweden:
Vicente Feola (coach), Djalma Santos, Zito, Bellini, Nilton Santos, Orlando and Gilmar;
Garrincha, Didi, Pelé, Vavá, Zagallo and Paulo Amaral (physical instructor).
The Boys who played Brazil in 1958
- a 1993 update.
Jack Kelsey,
Arsenal, Goalkeeper.
Capped 41 times between 1954 and 1962. Born in Llansamlet, Swansea. Jack played all his League football with Arsenal. Between 1949 and 1962, he made 327 League appearances and won two Championships. He died in March 1992 aged 62 at home in London.
Stuart Williams,
West Bromwich Albion, Full back.
Williams was ever-present at right back during the World Cup. Won a total of 43 Welsh caps.
After various coaching stints, Williams retired from football and now lives and works in Southampton.
Mel Hopkins,
Tottenham Hotspur, Full back.
Ever present in the World Cup from the first qualifying match to the epic battle with Brazil. Hopkins, 59, who works as a senior sports officer with Horsham District Council, won 34 caps caps for Wales, and played more than 200 games for Spurs.
Derek Sullivan,
Cardiff City, Wing half.
Sullivan was a versatile defender for Cardiff in a League career that stretched over 15 years aand 276 games. Played a vital role against Hungary and World Cup finalists Sweden and Brazil. Won 17 caps between 1953 and 1960.
He died in Newport in September 1983, aged 53.
Mel Charles,
Swansea Town, Centre half.
Like his brother, Mel was a complete footballer. Was a tower of strength at centre half, so much so that he won a place alongside Jack Kelsey and Ivor Allchurch in the World team. Charles won 31 caps and scored 6 goals. Now 58, he still lives in Swansea.
Dave Bowen,
Arsenal, Wing half.
Bowen was not only an inspirational captain but also a marvellous tactician. Capped 19 times he was the natural choice to take over as manager from Jimmy Murphy. Now 65, he is president of Northampton Town, the club he guided from the Fourth Division to the First.
Terry Medwin,
Tottenham Hotspur, Right wing.
He cracked the winner against Hungary to set up Wales quarter-final clash with Brazil. Medwin, 61, was a member of the Spurs 1961 'Double' squad and the F.A. Cup the following year. Now retired, he lives in the Swansea area.
Ron Hewitt,
Cardiff City, Inside forward.
Hewitt went to the World Cup as a squad player, and he put in a spirited performance against the tough tackling Hungarians in the group play-off and retained his place to win his fifth and final cap in the quarter-final clash with Brazil. Now 65, he lives in Wrexham.
Colin Webster,
Manchester United, Centre forward.
Webster won his four Welsh caps in the 1957-58 World Cup campaign. Replaced John Charles who was forced to miss the Brazil game through injury. He was the Mark Hughes of his day. Webster scored 27 goals in 65 League games for United. Now 61, he works as a park keeper in Swansea.
Ivor Allchurch,
Swansea Town, Inside forward.
In 68 appearances he scored a record 23 goals. He scored the equaliser in the group play-off against Hungary, a goal which he described as "one of the most satisfying". Now 62, he lives in Swansea, close to the club for whom he played more than 400 League games and scored 166 goals.
| i don't know |
Name the New Zealand middle distance runner who claimed both the 800m and 1500 m Gold medals at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics? | How Hungarians Launched America's Greatest Track Era | Runner's World
How Hungarians Launched America's Greatest Track Era
Mihály Iglói's coaching led to brilliant U.S. racing.
By Rich Elliott Monday, January 27, 2014, 8:00 am
Ed Widdis/AP Photo
On the night of Feb. 10, 1962, the world of distance running shifted on its axis.
The scene was the Los Angeles Sports Arena. American miler Jim Beatty was racing in the featured event of the night, the mile, along with two of his Los Angeles Track Club (LATC) teammates, László Tábori and Jim Grelle. The race was a carefully planned assault on the world indoor record of 4:01.4.
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The veteran Tábori hit the first quarter perfectly. Beatty led the second quarter, coming through the half in 1:59.6. Grelle muscled the third quarter, and then with a quarter to go, Beatty floored it. The fans in the packed arena leapt to their feet and roared. A tidal wave of sound brought Beatty home in a record 3:58.9, the first indoor sub-4:00 mile.
This world record in the mile signaled the first big success of the Los Angeles Track Club, a gang that would usher in the glory days of American distance running. Some of the LATC runners, and the runners they influenced, would set world records. Two would win Olympic gold medals. For a while, American distance runners would become, arguably, the best in the world. They would inspire generations of runners and coaches. And they would leave us with a persistent longing to return to the mountaintop.
The irony is that the breakthrough in American distance running in the 1960s may not have happened at all, if not for an unlikely series of events--a political uprising thousands of miles away, a critical decision by a brilliant Hungarian coach and his gifted protégé, and ultimately the formation of an ambitious new track club in America. It is a story best told by those alive today who were part of that running revolution: four former members of the LATC--Tábori, Beatty, Bob Schul and Joe Douglas--and one runner inspired by the club, Billy Mills.
When Hungary Ruled the World
"I don't need a strong man," Mihály Iglói [pictured, right] would say. "I need a fast man."
Tábori is quoting his old coach, the man who helped revolutionize interval training. At his current home in Southern California, the 82-year-old Tábori is reminiscing about the early 1950s and the miraculous rise of the Hungarian runners. "He was himself a runner," Tábori says. "He had a very strong mind."
In Hungary, Iglói had started out as a gymnast before finding his true prowess in distance running. He was a good runner, a 1936 Olympian, but he was an even better student. While studying physical education at the University of Budapest, he became fascinated by the training of a Polish champion whose workouts consisted of many repetitions of half-lap sprints. Iglói also followed the news of a German coach, Woldemar Gerschler, who was developing a system called interval training. Gerschler stunned the coaching ranks when one of his runners improved in just four years from 2:04 in the 800 meters to 1:46.6, a world record.
Gerschler saw that strengthening the heart was the key to a distance runner's improvement. He found that when a runner alternated sprints with jog intervals, this gave a powerful stimulus to the heart, and it was the interval that allowed this effect. By repeating short sprints, a runner could manage a high volume of training at race pace or faster. Gerschler theorized that interval training could also help a runner cope with oxygen debt.
Iglói experimented on himself, and he spent time in Finland, Sweden and Germany, studying how runners trained. Then World War II hit. Iglói managed to survive the war and the siege of Budapest, only to be snatched off the street by the Russians as he walked to the drugstore. He spent five long years in Siberia.
When he was finally freed, Iglói restarted his life, became a university professor of history, and began coaching at the Hungarian Army sports club, where he had access to some of the best talents in the country.
It wasn't long before Iglói's runners saw their times dropping dramatically. In 1954, his team set a world record in the 4×1500m relay. Iglói was so confident of setting the record that he had commemorative cups engraved before the race, to the amusement of his runners.
Tábori remembers how, when they returned home from track meets, they were treated as national heroes. People stopped them in the street. Top officials held feasts for them. In András Kö's László Tábori A Biography, Tábori recalls, "We were poor kids who suddenly became famous. Eighty thousand people shouted out our names and gave us a standing ovation when we broke the world record. Could this be anything but pure joy?"
Iglói was crafting a unique brand of interval training. "You repeat shorter distances with higher speeds, but how you put it together, there is a secret," says Tábori, recalling Iglói's method. "It is very individual." Iglói broke the training into two speed sessions per day, 700 sessions per year, customizing every session. His lab was the track. He experimented with the length and speed of sprint repetitions. He grouped the reps into sets, and he tried different intervals. Some workouts stretched for hours.
Iglói was strong-willed. His experience had taught him stoicism. The training was fearsome. Tábori still calls his coach by the pet name the runners had for him--Naci Bacsi, or Uncle Nazi.
In 1955, Naci Bacsi was 47 years old, and he was at the top of his game. That year his runners had a season for the ages, setting eight world records in distance events and tying another. His star runners--Tábori, Sándor Iharos and István Rózsavölgyi--ranked 1-2-3 respectively in the world at 1500m. Sports Illustrated ran the headline " Hungary Becomes a World Power--in Track ."
Going into the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Iglói's runners seemed assured of winning medals. Then, four weeks before the start of the games, the Hungarian Revolution broke out.
Students and laborers rose up in rebellion against the hated Communist government. Skirmishes flared throughout Budapest. Anti-government rebels fought with kitchen knives and gasoline bombs. The secret police fired indiscriminately on crowds in the main square.
Amid the chaos of the uprising, athletic training was impossible. Rózsavölgyi was shot at while simply walking down a Budapest street. He and Tábori were thrown up against a wall by gun-wielding revolutionaries who believed the two were secret police. Their execution was averted when an onlooker recognized the two star runners.
Right before the Hungarian Olympic team flew to Australia, Soviet troops streamed into Hungary to crush the revolution. The rebels were no match for Soviet tanks. Thousands of Hungarians were killed or wounded.
In Melbourne, the Hungarian athletes resumed their workouts. They'd missed more than three weeks of training. They moved in a daze, stalked by anxiety, preoccupied by fears of what was happening back home.
"Mentally, you were not there," Tábori recalls. "What the hell am I doing this for?"
Iglói's runners couldn't live up to expectations. Tábori, his top placer, got caught up in a wild last quarter in the 1500m final, a kicker's race, and missed a medal by one step.
Tábori (686) on his way to sixth in the 5000m at the 1956 Olympics, before defecting to the U.S. rather than returning to his war-torn country.
As the Olympics ended, the Hungarian athletes faced the question of their lives: Should I go home? Sports Illustrated had orchestrated a plot to help athletes on the Hungarian team willing to defect. Tábori recalls the final critical days in Melbourne like it was yesterday.
He asked his coach, "What are you going to do?" Iglói, with his inimitable hardness, turned and walked away.
On the day of the closing ceremony, Tábori got a telegram from his sister. "If you can, stay for the time being," she wrote, "or act according to your discretion."
Tábori made a fateful decision--he would defect.
When he reached the airport for his flight to America, he was surprised to see his coach. "Naci Bacsi, what are you doing here?"
"We should stick together," Iglói said. He'd been to Siberia, and he'd had enough of the Soviets.
"Naci Bacsi," replied the protégé, "I'll do what you tell me for as long as I can run."
Rózsavölgyi, Tábori's friend and teammate, decided to go home to Hungary. He had a wife and child he could not jeopardize. The two teammates said little. "We didn't talk much about those kinds of things," recalls Tábori, "because it gets to you."
László Tábori crosses the line in the mile race in the International Invitation event at the British Games, at White City, London, May 28, 1955.
Men Without a Country
Sports Illustrated sponsored the Hungarian defectors for several months. Tábori and Iglói joined the U.S. indoor track circuit, meet promoters giving them a $3 per diem. A friendly coach at the University of North Carolina offered them a base for their training. It was there they first met a young runner by the name of Jim Beatty, in his final year of college, and they began a lifelong friendship.
In the summer of 1957, when Sports Illustrated's sponsorship ended, Iglói and Tábori had to find a way to make a living in the U.S. The refugees moved to the San Francisco area. "The biggest problem was I couldn't even read English," Tábori remembers. "It was like someone dumped me in a big well."
Biographer Kö tells how the star runner worked as a janitor, swept floors, cleaned toilets. At times he'd get in his car at night and drive a triangle from San Jose to Oakland to San Francisco, and then back home again. "I was really down," says Tábori. "I didn't know what to do."
In this era, national teams sponsored nearly all of the international travel and competition for athletes. But Iglói and Tábori were not yet U.S. citizens. Tábori couldn't compete for Hungary or the U.S. Iglói couldn't be a national coach. They were men without a country.
Meanwhile, the state of distance running in their adopted country had been dismal for years. No American distance runner had come anywhere near medaling in the last Olympics, prompting Sports Illustrated reporter David Richardson to wonder whether "distance running simply no longer fits into the American way of life." The marquee distance runners in American meets were from New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, and yes, Hungary. Meet promoters mostly used Americans to fill out their fields or function as rabbits.
The Track Club
One of those Americans, Beatty had been a 4:06 miler at the University of North Carolina and an All-American. But since graduating, he'd stopped running and had gained weight. In 1959, at the U.S. vs. USSR track meet, Beatty watched a lackluster 1500m race that he felt he could have won. An idea began to grow. The Rome Olympics were a year away. Being a Catholic, wouldn't it be great to make the team and go to Rome? And he knew the coach who could get him there.
"I always knew I was better than my record at Chapel Hill," says Beatty, who still lives in North Carolina. "I was always knocking on the door."
So on a wing and a prayer, Beatty drove cross country to see Iglói. When he reached California, Beatty went straight to the track at San Jose State, where he found the coach.
"I walked up to Iglói," Beatty recalls, "and he said, 'Who is this fat man?'
"I said, 'Coach, you may not remember me; I'm Jimmy Beatty from the University of North Carolina. I'd like you to train me for the Olympic Games in Rome.'"
Thus began one of the most productive partnerships in track history.
In the months before Beatty arrived, Iglói and Tábori had found their bearings. Tábori was taking evening classes and had resumed training. Iglói had been hired by the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village, a sports club founded by Father Walter E. Schmidt for the express purpose, as he stated it, "to stimulate a revival interest in middle-distance running, which will enable the United States to dominate these events, for the first time, in the next Olympics." Good runners began showing up on Iglói's doorstep, including Max Truex, a former Olympian at 10,000m. Beatty was soon training harder than he'd ever thought possible. Tábori took him under his wing. "Trust the old man," the Hungarian remembers telling Beatty. "Just stick on me. Come, I show you." In return, Beatty helped the Hungarians with their English.
Within a few months Beatty was winning races and surprising everyone on the indoor track circuit. "It was astounding," recalls Beatty. "It became a revelation to me. [Iglói was] the only man who had training down to an equation. He could project the training and then tell you what time you would run at [a particular] date in the future. I don't know how he knew it."
In June, with Tábori as pacer, Beatty set back-to-back American records in the mile and the 5,000m. Beatty then won the trials 5,000 and fulfilled his dream of going to the Eternal City.
In Rome, slowed by a foot injury, Beatty failed to make the finals. "Watching other runners get medals, my disappointment turned to anger," remembers Beatty. "I made a pledge to myself--I'm going to come back next year, and I'm going to show them what an American runner can do."
Meanwhile, Tábori, the man without a country, was having one of his finest seasons. On the European track circuit he ran 11 races and won every one of them. Supporters pushed to get him accepted into the Olympics. But the International Olympic Committee had no structure for allowing stateless athletes to compete, as they do now. So Tábori sat in the stands in Rome, where he watched his old friend Rózsavölgyi win an Olympic medal in the 1500m.
For Iglói's budding track club, the biggest surprise was Truex, who placed a gutsy sixth in the 10,000m, an event long dominated by Europeans. "Athletes from all countries came over to say a word," Truex told Track & Field News. " It was amazing and thrilling. Apparently they never thought an American would run that fast."
Finely Tuned Machine
The next year, Iglói and his disciples moved to Southern California where he became coach of the Los Angeles Track Club. Iglói's program, fully reconstituted now on American soil, was hitting on all cylinders.
[Tábori, Iglói and Beatty discuss tactics in photo to right. Photo courtesy of László Tábori.]
"We trained at Dorsey High School in LA on Rodeo Road," Beatty recalls. But it wasn't like they were local heroes.
Every one of the LATC runners recalls the fence they had to climb to get onto the track. "I was ranked No. 1 in the world," says Beatty, "and here I was climbing a 6-foot chain link fence in the morning to work out."
Iglói, in suit and tie, would already be inside waiting.
Morning workouts typically lasted an hour. Evening workouts lasted two hours or more. In between, the runners were off to their full-time jobs.
What were the workouts like? Iglói the autocrat directed every step of the practice. Thirty runners all doing something different. He kept it all in his head. The runners never knew what was coming next. Iglói wanted to see how each runner reacted to each set of work.
What was the runner's breathing like? The sound of his foot strike?
The runners did set upon set of repeats at varying distances, varying speeds. Jan Mulak, a Polish coach, described the workouts as "baroque."
"It was a combination of the short interval speed workouts and the volume that served the purpose of two things . . . to increase your speed and stamina at the same time," Beatty explains.
There were no typical workouts, because Iglói made adaptations for every runner. Beatty offers this session as an example, however:
One-mile jog warm-up, then 15 minutes of stretching
20 × 150m at medium speed, with a 50m rest interval
2 × 800m at an easy jog
10 × 300m at varying speeds, with a 100m rest interval
2 × 800m jog interval
10 × 100m all-out on a football field, with the U-turn as rest interval
Most work was absent the stopwatch. The runners were told to run by feel. Special terminology described each tempo: "fresh" meant relaxed speed; "good" meant 60 percent race tempo; "fast good" was 75 percent; "hard" was 90 percent; "very hard," 95 percent.
Iglói harped on things in practice until the runners could hear him in their sleep. "Please, jogging!" (Iglói insisted the runners jog their recovery intervals.) "Every day hard training make." "Must have big goals." "Must be patient."
When English failed, he shouted at his runners in Hungarian.
A total of 12 to 18 miles for the day. The runners returned home to eat and collapse in bed and get up early the next day to do it all over again. Thirteen sessions per week, with one "play run" on Sundays.
"You either had faith in him or didn't have faith in him," Beatty recalls. "And you also had to turn yourself over to him. You couldn't question anything. He would often say, 'I know everything,' and the fact of the matter was, he did. Imagine being a runner and never having to worry about what the workout was going to be. That takes a burden off you. What am I going to do today? You don't have to worry what you're going to do today. Iglói's got it plotted out already."
Iglói believed, and he taught his runners to believe. According to Beatty, Iglói preached, "If you listen to me, and you believe in me, I'll get you where you want to go and also where you think you can't go."
Word spread about Iglói and his group. Some of the top runners in the country began to join the club. One was Bob Seaman. He'd been a fine runner, going back to 1956 when he ran the second-fastest mile by an American (4:01.4). But he felt he had more to achieve.
Grelle was the most accomplished of the new members. He'd come from the storied University of Oregon distance program, where he'd been an NCAA mile champ. He'd gone on to finish eighth in the Rome 1500m final. According to author and fellow Oregon runner Kenny Moore, Coach Iglói welcomed Grelle with 35 quarters in his first workout.
Bob Schul came to Iglói's group on the orders of Truex, his commanding officer at Oxnard Air Force Base. Schul had been a good college runner before joining the military, where he was allowed to resume his training.
Schul remembers his initial two-week stint with Iglói's group. "It was the hardest work I've done in my life," says Schul, now living in Ohio. "Those two weeks with Tábori literally killed me. [But] I thought to myself, 'I've got to get back with this man because if there's anybody who can bring me to my best conditioning, it's him.'"
With the new additions to the club, the LATC had become the epicenter of the country's distance revival.
Breakout
By 1962, the groundwork had been laid for a magical season. A critical mass of well-trained, talented runners had formed, and a chain reaction began.
Beatty's indoor world record in the mile in February was merely the first shot. Beatty's 3:58.9 was one-tenth of a second off his coach's prediction.
Beatty proceeded to have one of the greatest years in American distance running, setting the 2-mile world record and every American record from the 1500m to the 5,000m.
This got the media's attention. ABC's "Wide World of Sports" began to showcase track meets to a growing audience. Few events that year captured the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat like the U.S. vs. USSR meet. More than 153,000 fans were treated to world records and stirring finishes, including Beatty outkicking the Soviets in the 1500m. A sportswriter from the San Francisco Examiner called it "the greatest track meet of all time."
Later in the summer, Iglói brought his crew to Europe, where they scorched the track. Beatty won all his races, Grelle and Seaman notched personal records in the mile (3:56.7 and 3:58), and Truex set an American record in the 5,000m (13:49.6) before Beatty reclaimed it.
Grelle becomes the fourth American to break the 4-minute mile on April 28, 1962, at Mt. SAC relays.
Track observers were stunned by the sprinting ability of Iglói's runners. In training, the coach was experimenting with something he called "swing tempo," where his runners would shift to a faster speed. "With Iglói," Schul remembers, "we changed tempos constantly. A very good part of the success was teaching the body to switch gears."
Iglói was understandably proud of his group, even a bit cocky. "Everybody said the American runner is lazy, don't work," Iglói told Sports Illustrated. "Now the American distance runner is the best in the world."
During this breakout season, one runner from Iglói's club struggled. Ever the team player, Tábori helped pace Beatty in a few races, but his motivation waned. He fought with Iglói over whether to take money from meet promoters. "No," Iglói would say, "we are not professionals."
"I'm working all day long," Tábori recalls telling his coach. "I can't do it anymore. I don't have money for even a hamburger."
Just as American distance running was taking off, Tábori retired.
Far and Wide
Iglói was secretive about his methods, but aspects of his program filtered out and began to have an influence. "Other athletes had to do something to stay with us," Schul recalls. "At that time we were winning most everything."
"When they started finding out what Iglói was doing with our guys," Beatty says, "it started [to be] communicated outwardly that Americans can also be world-class, that Americans can also break world records."
Another LATC runner, Joe Douglas, recalls, "A lot of athletes started doing sets of 200s with a 100-meter jog, which they hadn't been doing before. I saw coaches sit in the stands and watch us train." Learning at Iglói's side, Douglas acquired a deep knowledge of his methods. Later, as head of the Santa Monica Track Club, Douglas would develop a who's who of great runners.
A young college runner by the name of Billy Mills was so taken by Beatty's success that one summer he hitchhiked from Kansas to San Francisco to try to find the coach. "I got caught up in the magic of Iglói," recalls Mills. "I had no [phone] number; I didn't know any of the runners out there." Mills spent a week searching for Iglói without success before making his way back home. But Iglói remained in his thoughts, and after college, when Mills began training himself, speed work became the main focus of his workouts. "Iglói definitely convinced me that I had to get some speed," Mills says, "but it was Iglói's athletes who were doing the convincing."
At the University of Oregon, coach Bill Bowerman began to experiment with Iglói-style workouts, after talking with former protégé Grelle. In Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Moore describes how the coach used one Oregon runner, Vic Reeve, as a guinea pig, giving him "a hundred 220s at moderate pace in the morning and then fifty 440s in the afternoon."
Some of Iglói's early disciples were now getting into coaching themselves, and soon American kids were tackling Iglói-style workouts. This reporter's high school coach, Dick McCallister, was one such disciple. By his third year of coaching (1965), he had turned Proviso West High School (Hillside, Ill.) into a running powerhouse, breaking every high school distance relay record.
America suddenly became mile crazy. In 1962, six of the top 10 milers in the world were Americans. The following year, five ranked in the top 10. This success rate has never been matched by U.S. distance runners.
The media hyped each "new mile sensation." A 17-year-old from Kansas, Jim Ryun, became the first high schooler to break the 4-minute mile. Packs of runners were blowing through the 4-minute "barrier," an unprecedented eight in one race in June 1964. Sports Illustrated described the track scene as "strong milers, fast milers, and most surprisingly, young, young, young milers."
Runners in longer distance events were also coming on. Schul ran scintillating 2- and 3-mile times in 1963 before returning to Ohio to finish college. He'd given a glimpse of things to come.
"I owe Iglói a lot," Schul says. "He taught me how to train. He taught me the mental aspect of how to force your body when it had to be forced." In the months leading to the '64 Olympics, using Iglói's workouts as a template, he prepared single-mindedly for the race of his life.
[Photo, right: Schul, an Iglói disciple, wins gold in the 5,000m during the 1964 Olympics.]
In May 1963, Beatty soundly beat New Zealand's Murray Halberg, the Rome Olympic champ, in a 5,000m. Then he went head-to-head against Halberg's teammate, mile world record-holder Peter Snell, in two titanic races. In the first race, LATC runners tried to take Snell out fast to blunt his scathing kick, but they fell short, and Snell dominated. In the second race, Beatty slashed his own American record to 3:55.5, but lost to Snell by half a second. Years later, Beatty still regrets the lost opportunity. "It literally broke my heart."
Ultimately, Beatty would fall victim to a fluke accident. While taking out the garbage in the dark, he gashed his foot open on a rusty piece of metal. It took months for him to recover, and the lost conditioning kept him off the next Olympic team.
The heyday of Iglói's LATC was passing. With Beatty and Tábori, the heart and soul of the club, both gone, the team seemed to lose some fire. But they'd set a tidal wave in motion that led directly to the heroics at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, where American distance runners had their finest hour.
In Tokyo, Mills scored one of the great upset victories in Olympic history when, with his newfound sprint speed, he outkicked all the favorites in the 10,000m. And in the 5,000m final, Americans would win a historic gold and bronze, Schul and Bill Dellinger, an Iglói man and a Bowerman man.
The Tide Ebbs
By the late 1960s, Iglói's methods were in decline, losing popularity to Arthur Lydiard's system, which focused on building an endurance base through marathon training. Perhaps this was inevitable. Lydiard shared his ideas relentlessly, while Iglói had no temperament for proselytizing. Lydiard was as outgoing as Iglói was secretive.
Iglói's critics claimed his system led to a high injury rate and mental staleness. This is hard to dispute--so much sprinting on the track in spikes has to increase risks. But few of Iglói's runners agree with this negative rap. They point out that runners from all programs got injuries.
"He pushed us hard," Schul concedes. "Maybe I was fortunate I pushed it to the right level."
One drawback of the Iglói system was that it wasn't easy to replicate. Some elements got lost in the hands of lesser coaches--the modulation of tempos, the focus on shifting gears, the mid-workout adaptations, the setting up of paced races.
According to Steve Magness in The Science of Running blog, the Iglói system became misunderstood "because it was portrayed as the complete opposite of the Lydiard approach. The Iglói method got seen as a high-intensity 'anaerobic' training system." What got lost is that "Iglói manipulated the intervals to create both aerobic and anaerobic adaptations," Magness concludes.
Iglói left the U.S. in 1970 to take a position as a national coach in Greece. The LATC disbanded. Over the years, Iglói would coach Greek athletes to 157 national records. He died in 1998 in Budapest. He was 89.
In 1972, Frank Shorter rode the rise of marathon training to Olympic gold. In the excitement over our marathon success, long slow distance became the rage, sprint work was de-emphasized, and American top-level distance running struggled for years.
Epilogue: Continuing Legacy
Not long after Tábori retired from racing, he was asked if he'd coach the runners at San Fernando Valley Junior College. He stayed for 25 years. He ran the Iglói system because that's what he knew, and like his mentor, Tábori had success. "My J.C. guys won three straight state championships," says Tábori, "and every one of them got a full scholarship." He also coached some of America's first great female marathoners, including Jacqueline Hansen and Miki Gorman.
In recent years, Tábori has worked with the distance runners at the University of Southern California. There, too, he developed some fine runners. One of them was Duane Solomon. "I [was] teaching him to kick, kick, kick," says Tábori. It was a lesson that Solomon took to heart. Two years after graduating, Solomon ran 1:42.82 in the London Olympics 800m final, the second-fastest American time ever. "That fantastic finish in the Olympic Games!" says Tábori proudly.
One more beneficiary of the Hungarian connection.
Rich Elliott is a writer living in Valparaiso, Ind. He is the author of The Competitive Edge: Mental Preparation for Distance Running and editor of the award-winning anthology Runners on Running: The Best Nonfiction of Distance Running.
| Peter Snell |
Who was the US swimmer who won 7 gold medals and created a new world record for each event at the Munich Olympics in 1972? | peter snell : definition of peter snell and synonyms of peter snell (English)
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Early athletic career
Snell's family moved to Waikato in 1949 where he attended Te Aroha College, where he became an all-around sportsman. He won several middle-distance running events in his hometown of Te Aroha , although some members of his new school lived in Ngaruawahia . He attended Mount Albert Grammar School in Auckland, where he took up a wide range of team and individual sports, including rugby union , cricket , tennis , badminton , and golf .
As a teenager, Snell excelled in tennis, and pursued the sport through appearances at the Auckland and New Zealand Junior Tennis Championships.
At age 19, Snell was motivated to concentrate seriously on running by the comments of his future coach, Arthur Lydiard, who told him, "Peter, with the sort of speed you've got, if you do the endurance training, you could be one of our best middle-distance runners." [1] During his early career under the tutelage of Lydiard, he started with New Zealand titles and records for 880 yards and the mile and, being an unusually large (by track standards) and powerful man, hinted of great things to come.
Olympic success
He came to international attention when he won the gold medal and set a new national record for 800 m at the Rome Olympics in 1960. He was particularly dominant four years later at the Tokyo Olympics where he won the gold and set a new Olympic record in the 800 metres, and won gold in the 1500 metres . The 800–1500 metres double was not achieved again by a male athlete in open global championship until Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain won both golds at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics at Helsinki . (After the 2008 Olympic Games Ramzi was stripped of his Olympic gold medal for doping, but that penalty was not applied retroactively to his World Championship gold medals).
World records
In January 1962 Snell broke the world mile record before a huge crowd at Cook’s Gardens in Wanganui , and one week later set new world records for both the 800 m and 880 yd at Christchurch . He then won gold and set a new record for 880 yd at the Commonwealth Games in Perth in 1962, and won gold for the mile at those same games. Later that year he was created a Member of the Order of the British Empire ( MBE ).
In all, Snell set five individual world records and joined with fellow New Zealand athletes to set a new four by one mile relay record as well. He was at the peak of his career in 1965 and promising much more, when he stunned New Zealand and the athletics world by announcing his retirement to move on to other things.
Snell's former world records of 1 minute 44.3 seconds for 800 m, set on 3 February 1962, and 2 minutes 16.6 seconds for 1000 m set on 12 November 1964, remain the New Zealand national records for these distances. His 800 m record remains the fastest ever run over that distance on a grass track, and is also the oldest national record recognized by the IAAF for a standard track and field event. The 800 m record also remains the official "Oceana" continental area record. [2]
New opportunities
Snell worked for a tobacco company before moving to the United States of America in 1971 to further his education. He gained a B.S. in Human Performance from the University of California, Davis , and then a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from Washington State University. He joined University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas as a research fellow in 1981. He is Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and also Director of their Human Performance Center. A member of the American College of Sports Medicine , Snell was honoured in 1999 as an Inaugural Inductee, International Scholar, into the Athlete Hall of Fame, University of Rhode Island .
Adopting a new sport, Snell become an active orienteer and won his category, men aged 65 and older, in the 2003 United States Orienteering Championship. [3] He is a past president of the North Texas Orienteering Association and a member of the United States Orienteering Federation.
Commemorations and awards
Peter Snell was one of five Olympic athletes from New Zealand featured on a series of commemorative postage stamps issued in August 2004 to commemorate the 2004 Olympic Games. The two dollar stamp issued by New Zealand Post features a stylized photo of Peter Snell snapping the tape at the finish line of the 800 metres race at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. [4]
In 2007 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (DSc) from Massey University in recognition of his work as an Exercise Physiologist. On 14 August 2009, he took part in a ceremony in Wellington that changed the honours received during the previous government to a traditional knighthood.
A larger than life-size bronze statue of Peter Snell was erected in his hometown of Opunake, Taranaki, and was unveiled on 19 May 2007. The statue is based on a photo of Snell crossing the finish line in the historic race at Wanganui's Cook's Gardens in 1962. [5] A similar bronze statue of Snell was unveiled in Cook's Gardens on 15 August 2009 to commemorate his athletic achievements. [6]
Interviewed by the Wanganui Chronicle after the unveiling, Snell said he was internationally known as a miler, but he had never reached his potential over the mile and the 800 metres was probably his best distance. [7] He said his greatest effort was the world 800m/880yard double record set on Lancaster Park a few days after his new mile record, with an 800m time that would have won the gold medal 46 years later at the Beijing Olympics .
In 2001, Macleans College in Auckland created the Peter Snell House as part of its "Whanau House" system. [8]
Personal bests
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Boxing 1975. Who did Muhammad Ali beat in the 'Thrilla in Manila'? | BBC ON THIS DAY | 1 | 1975: Muhammad Ali wins 'Thrilla in Manila'
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1975: Muhammad Ali wins 'Thrilla in Manila'
US boxer Muhammad Ali has retained the world heavyweight boxing championship after defeating his arch-rival, Joe Frazier, in their third and arguably greatest fight.
The so-called "Thrilla in Manilla" lasted 14 rounds before Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, finally persuaded him to call it a day.
Ali said the fight was "the closest thing to dying".
From the first bell the action was furious. Ringside experts classed it among the finest heavyweight title bouts - if not the finest of them all.
I didn't realise he was so great. He's a real, real fighter.
Muhammad Ali
The 25,000 fans crammed into Manila's Philippine Coliseum rose to their feet, cheering on Ali the champion, as he looked set for the kill.
But each time "Smokin'" Joe fought back, dipping under the champion's longer reach.
By the 14th round, the challenger, tired and battered about the head, walked into a series of lefts and rights to the face and jaw and was knocked almost unconscious on his feet by 15 block-busting blows inside 45 seconds.
He made it back to his own corner, still on his feet, but looking badly bruised about the head, with swellings to the left side of his forehead and under his right eye.
His trainer called time but Frazier tried to protest.
There was a moment of indecision in the stadium as the crowd waited to see whether he would return to the ring.
Then came the announcement and there was total uproar as Ali's team leaped into the ring to congratulate their man.
But Ali - who was staggering with exhaustion - fell to the canvas and had to be helped to his feet.
He told a news conference afterwards: "I'm so tired I want to rest for a week. My hips are sore, my arms are sore, my side is sore, my hands are sore."
He paid tribute to his challenger as "the toughest man in the world".
"I couldn't have taken the punches he took. I would have given in long before.
" I didn't realise he was so great. He's a real, real fighter."
Both men are said to be contemplating retirement. Ali was guaranteed $4.5m for his fourth defence since regaining the title against George Foreman in Zaire last year.
Frazier, two years his junior, got $2m.
| Joe Frazier |
Name the Dick Francis mount that collapsed approaching the finishing line in the 1956 'Grand National'? | How The Mirror reported the Thrilla In Manila - Muhammad Ali v Joe Frazier - 38 years ago - Mirror Online
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Forty years ago today, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought in one of the greatest fights of them all - the Thrilla in Manila.
It was the third and final bout in a rivalry that started in 1971, where Frazier defeated Ali in Madison Square Garden.
The second, in 1974, Ali fought back with a 12-round decision victory, before 18 months later the pair fought in one of the best bouts in history.
And our man was there. Frank McGhee (1930-2000) was the Mirror's voice of sport for 30 years and covered all of Muhammad Ali's biggest moments in boxing, including this one.
His friend Ian Wooldridge of the Daily Mail remembered: "Once, ad libbing his report by telephone from a Ali fight in New York against a pressing deadline, he said to the copy taker: 'Hold on, the applause is so deafening that I'll stop for a minute.' The copytaker replied: 'OK, Frank, but it ain't that bloody great.'"
Here is how Frank reported the Thrilla In Manila...
This report first appeared in the Daily Mirror on Thursday October 2 1975 under the headline 'It Was Next To Death'
If Muhammad Ali's off-the-cuff utterances can ever be believed, we may have seen the last fight of arguably the most fascinating and talented world heavyweight champion of them all.
Joe Frazier, the persistent rival he beat mercilessly and magnificently here yesterday to settle all the arguments between and about them, could quit for different reasons.
There is, quite simply, nowhere else for Frazier to go in boxing without diminishing himself. And that would be a pity.
This man can claim full share in a performance that for its combination of brutality, bravery and beauty belongs in a special
niche in the memory. If we never see either of them again, they will remain unforgettable for it.
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Ali, typically was the more elaborate, Frazier the more basic about what it was like to share that Philippines ring together.
"It was next to death," said Ali. "When a fight as hard as this one gets to the 14th round you feel like dying. You feel like quitting. You want to throw up."
Frazier said simply: "I couldn't see the punches coming no more. My eyes were both closed at the end. But I wanted to go on."
Because he is the man he is, he still pleaded with manager Eddie Futch in the corner before the 15th round: “Don't stop it. Don't stop it. I can still make it."
Muhammad Ali punches Joe Frazier (Photo: SIPA PRESS/REX)
One hard-bitten photographer, focusing intently on the argument in that corner, swears there were tears trickling from those eyes buried, blind, beneath bruises.
Futch, adamantly the boss in any corner he works, told me: "Joe would go the line with one arm cut off if you asked him to. But I couldn't allow it." He called over the referee Carlos Padilla, said "That’s it" - and cut off Frazier’s gloves.
"There was a possibility that Joe could have gone on to be very seriously hurt," said Futch.
"He took terrible punishment in the last thirty seconds of the fourteenth round when Ali was able to take deliberate aim and land every time.
“Not even the world heavyweight championship is worth risking the future health of a man like Joe Frazier.”
No-one can argue about that. The pride that kept Frazier upright as Ali pounded his grossly distorted, blinded head in that fourteenth round was admirable – but it could have got him killed in the fifteenth.
Muhammad Ali beats Joe Frazier in the fight that became known as 'The Thrilla In Manila' (Photo: Sipa Press/REX)
The only consolation left for Frazier is that Ali was even more exhausted afterwards. It was almost an hour before the world
heavyweight champion appeared from his dressing-room, leaning on the shoulders of two aides, to say: “I'm sore all over. My arms, my face, my sides all ache. I'm so, so tired.
“There is a great possibility that I will retire. You might have seen the last of me.
“I want to sit back and count my money, live in my house and my farm, work for my people and concentrate on my family.”
“Let Ken Norton and George Foreman or whoever fight for the title. I’m sick of it.”
He may, of course, change his mind – he quite frequently does – and have one more big one.
Ali was both generous and patronising about Frazier. “He is greater than I thought he was.
“With a style like he has to be great. Only he could get away with it, be successful with it. Any other fighter outside myself would have been beaten by him.
(Photo: Action Images)
“We’re a couple of old war-horses who have made a lot of money together. Without him I wouldn’t be the man I am today and without me he wouldn’t be he wouldn’t be who he is.”
“I’ll never fight him again though. It’s too hard.
“I tell you this. If I had taken the punches he took, I'd have gone home much earlier."
There is more than a grain of truth in that. It was only Frazier’s relentless determination which kept him moving constantly forward into punishment so severe that Ali's gloves were distorted out of shape by the end.
It was almost as though Joe were trying to prove that my opponent can be bigger, more skilful, punch just as hard, and yet be a lesser man, by the imposition of a superior will.
The snag is that Ali has considerable will-power too. As early as the first round Frazier wobbled briefly on those almost grotesquely thick legs from the concussing effect of a superb left hook high on his head.
Yet he summoned up a genuine grin of pure delight for Ali at the end of the session. He honestly seems to get a kick out of proving his strength by taking a whack and going on.
Frazier had plenty of chances to prove that in this fight. A courageous and knowledgeable Filipino referee, who wouldn’t let Ali get away with more than brief clinches, kept the fight going – and in the end did Frazier no favours by doing so. It merely meant the man had to take more punches.
In fact the clear impression Ali succeeded in creating was that even the good minutes and the good rounds Frazier had were with his own contemptuous co-operation.
Frazier usually came into it most effectively only when Ali covered up, took a breather and allowed his challenger to pummel away at his ribs and forearms.
Both judges and referee scored it to Ali overwhelming margins - 66-60, 67-62, 66-62 – and my own scorecard was nine rounds to Ali, three to Frazier and two even.
Ali didn't escape unscathed of course. No man was ever born who could fight Frazier for nearly an hour without having some bruises to count.
Until the very last Joe was always plodding relentlessly through everything Ali threw at him, to land the occasional leaping left hook or thudding, clubbing right.
Whenever it happened, Ali tended to overdo the pretence of not being hurt. He felt those punches all right.
Muhammad Ali beats Joe Frazier in the fight that became known as 'The Thrilla In Manila' (Photo: Sipa Press/REX)
The main turning point of the fight came very late – if you ignore Ali's ridiculous assertion afterwards that he himself wanted to quit in the tenth (if he did he kept it a secret from the men in his corner).
It came midway through the thirteenth round when one of two tremendous right-hand smashes at the gum shield sailing out of Frazier's mouth.
The sight of this man actually moving backwards seemed to inspire Ali.
I swear he hit Frazier with thirty tremendous punches – each one as hard as those which knocked out George Foreman in Zaire – during the fourteenth round. He was dredging up all his own last reserves of power to make sure there wouldn't have to be a fifteenth round.
Much has been made of Ali's spectacular collapse at the finish – which will amuse students of the man.
For the last few fights he has made a habit of doing just this, knowing it gives his corner-men an opportunity to straddle his prone body against the ring invasion of his fans.
There is nothing more to it than that – and there was nothing more to it than that yesterday.
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Which 'Royal' won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2006? | BBC SPORT | Phillips wins top BBC Sport award
Phillips wins top BBC Sport award
Phillips claimed more than a third of the public vote on Sunday
Zara Phillips has been named 2006 BBC Sports Personality of the Year - 35 years after her mother, the Princess Royal, received the same honour.
She won the public vote ahead of golfer Darren Clarke and gymnast Beth Tweddle.
The award marked the climax to a thrilling year for Phillips, who holds both world and European equestrian titles on her horse, Toytown.
"For two members of the same family to win the award for the first time is very special," Phillips said.
Sport Personality: Phillips wins BBC award
"My mum said when she won it no-one else was in the running! In the build-up to it, I didn't think it would be a big thing for me.
"I was thinking 'I'd rather have my world gold medal than the Sports Personality of The Year award'.
"But when it actually came around to the night, and I was up there on the stage, it was unbelievable when you looked at all the top sporting people in the room."
There were so many fantastic people up for the award, I personally didn't expect to win
Zara Phillips
Phillips looked shocked and delighted as she collected her prize at a crowded NEC in Birmingham with one third of the public vote.
"It's just amazing to be here among these people and to win this is absolutely amazing," she said.
Clarke had been hot favourite to win the award after he helped Europe to victory over the United States in the Ryder Cup just weeks after the death of his wife Heather.
But the 38-year-old from Northern Ireland had said beforehand that he did not want to triumph on a sympathy vote.
The show was taking place outside London for the first time in the event's 53-year history, with 3,000 tickets snapped up by members of the public.
"The atmosphere was brilliant and I was in awe of everyone," Phillips added later in an interview on BBC Radio Five Live.
"There were so many fantastic people up for the award, I personally didn't expect to win.
"It's great for my sport. The people that voted have obviously viewed what we did this year and seen what it's about.
ZARA PHILLIPS FACTFILE
1981: Born July 27, in London
1999: Buys seven-year-old horse Toytown
2003: Finishes second to Pippa Funnell at the Burghley Horse Trials
2004: Misses Olympics after leg injury to Toytown
2005: Wins individual and team gold at the European Eventing Championships
2006: Wins individual gold at the World Equestrian Games
"Hopefully it'll encourage more people to come and get involved."
Clarke, who won three matches out of three at the Ryder Cup, secured 21% of the vote, while world champion gymnast Tweddle earned 12%.
Phillips won the individual gold in the three-day eventing competition at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen in Germany.
The Queen's granddaughter produced a near faultless display over the three days of dressage, cross country and show jumping.
She also helped Great Britain claim the team silver and has become only the third rider to hold the European and World titles at the same time.
606: DEBATE
| Zara Phillips |
Who was the first man to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year twice? | BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2015 as it happened - BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2015 as it happened
Play video O'Neill wins Coach of the YearVideo
O'Neill wins Coach of the Year
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20 Dec 201520 Dec 2015
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Our winners
Posted at 21:55
Overseas Sports Personality of the Year: Dan Carter: An integral part of the New Zealand team that beat Australia 34-17 to win the World Cup in October.
Young Sports Personality of the Year: Ellie Downie: The 16-year-old gymnast won bronze in the all-around at the European Championships to make her the first female gymnast to win an individual all-around medal for Great Britain.
Coach of the Year award: Michael O'Neill: The Northern Ireland manager helped his country end a 30-year absence from tournament football by sealing a spot at Euro 2016 last month.
Lifetime Achievement Award: AP McCoy: Twenty-time champion jump jockey AP McCoy, 41, who retired in April after a record-breaking career.
Helen Rollason Award: Bailey Matthews: The eight-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, completed his first triathlon unaided.
Sport's Unsung Hero: Damien Lindsay: The west Belfast youth football coach played a huge role in his local community in his work with the St James Swifts Football Club.
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Disability sport - 2015 in review
Posted at 21:47
.
Thirteen gold medals, 32 medals in all, five world records and 24 personal bests - not a bad IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha for GB.
London 2012 champion Hannah Cockroft won three golds in the T34 400m, 100 and 800m, while there was also success for fellow Paralympic champions Aled Davies, who triumphed in both the shot and discus, and Richard Whitehead, who set a new world record on his way to winning the T42 200m.
Sophie Hahn's two gold medals saw her nominated on the shortlist for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
The team's display saw them finish fourth in the medal table, which was topped by China.
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Posted at 21:18
#spoty
2015 was also the yearFloyd MayweatherandManny Pacquiaofinally got it on in the ring. It was never likely to live up to expectation - and it didn't - but Mayweather won to add further weight to his claim of being the greatest ever.
However, perhaps the boxing story to really capture the imagination was Anthony Crolla winning the WBA lightweight title less than a year after he suffered a fractured skull when confronting burglars.
Crolla is now one of four world champions from Greater Manchester - the others are, of course, Tyson Fury, Scott Quigg and Terry Flanagan.
Breeding ground.
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On which horse did David Broome win the 1966 King George V Gold Cup? | King George V Gold Cup winners: 1992-2014 - Horse & Hound
King George V Gold Cup winners: 1992-2014
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We dig into the H&H archives to bring you pictures of the past 24 winners of the historic King George V Gold Cup
TAGS: King George V Cup Royal International Horse Show
The historic King George V Gold Cup is one of the most prestigious prizes in British showjumping.
Held annually at the Longines Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead, the grand prix class was open to male riders only until 2008. Lady riders became eligible to compete for the beautiful trophy in that year, but showjumping fans had to wait seven years before Beezie Madden became the first lady to lift the famous trophy aloft in 2014.
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Whose name will be added to the hall of fame in 2015? Whoever they are, they will join an illustrious list of elite showjumpers reaching back to Russia’s Dimitri d’Exe, the class’s inaugural winner back in 1911.
Article continues below...
King George V Gold Cup winners hall of fame
1911: Piccolo (Dimitri d’Exe) RUS
1912: Murat (Lt Delvoie) BEL
1913: Amazone (Baron de Maelon) FRA
1914: Amazone (Baron de Maelon) FRA
1920: Dignite (Auguste de Laissardiere) FRA
1921: Combined Training (Geoffrey Brooke)
1922: Bluff (Conte Giacomo Antonelli) ITA
1923: Grey Fox (Auguste de Laissardiere) FRA
1924: Don Chisciotte (Coonte Giulio Borsaelli di Riffredo) ITA
1925: Broncho (Malise Graham) GBR
1926: Ballymacshane (Fred Bontecou) USA
1927: Quinine (Xavier Bizard) FRA
1928: Forty Six (A G Martyr) GBR
1929: Mandarin (Hubert Gibault) FRA
1930: Chelsea (Jack Talbot-Ponsonby) GBR
1931: The Parson (Jacques Misonne) BEL
1932: Chelsea (Jack Talbot-Ponsonby) GBR
1933: Best Girl (Jack Talbot-Ponsonby) GBR
1934: Tramore Bay (John Lewis) IRE
1935: Limerick Lace (Jed O’Dwyer) IRE
1937: Honduras (Xavier Bizard) FRA
1938: Derek (John Friedberger) GBR
1939: Adigrat (Conte Alessandro Bettoni-Cazzago) ITA
1947: Marquis III (Pierre Jonquerer d’Oriola) FRA
1948: Foxhunter (Harry Llewellyn) GBR
1949: Tankard (Brian Butler) GBR
1950: Foxhunter (Harry Llewellyn) GBR
1951: Ballyneety (Kevin Barry) IRE
1952: Grecieux (Carlos Fiqueroa) ESP
1953: Foxhunter (Harry Llewellyn) GBR
1954: Meteor (Fritz Thiedemann) GER
1955: Brando (Luigi Cartasegna) ITA
1956: First Boy (William Steinkraus) USA
1957: Uruguay (Piero d’Inzeo) ITA
1958: Master William (Hugh Wiley) USA
1959: Nautical (Hugh Wiley) USA
1960:Sunsalve (David Broome) GBR
1961: The Rock (Piero d’Inzeo) ITA
1962: The Rock (Piero d’Inzeo) ITA
1963: Dundrum (Tommy Wade) IRE
1964: Sinjon (William Steinkraus) USA
1965: Fortun (Hans Gunter Winkler) GER
1966: Mister Softee (David Broome) GBR
1967: Firecrest (Peter Robeson) GBR
1968: Enigk (Hans Gunter Winkler) GBR
1969: Uncle Max (Ted Edgar) GBR
1970: Mattie Brown (Harvey Smith) GBR
1971: Askan (Gerd Wiltfang) GER
1972: Sportsman (David Broome) GBR
1973: Pennwood Forge Mill (Paddy McMahon) GBR
1974: Mainspring (Frank Chapot) USA
1975: Rex the Robber (Alvin Schockemohle) GER
1976: Chainbridge (Mike Saywell) GBR
1977: Philco (David Broome) GBR
1978: Claret (Jeff McVean) AUS
1979: Video (Robert Smith) GBR
1980: Scorton (David Bowen) GBR
1981: Mr Ross (David Broom) GBR
1982: Disney Way (Michael Whitaker) GBR
1983: Deister (Paul Schockemohle) GER
1984: St. James (Nick Skelton) GBR
1985: Towerlands Anglezarke (Malcolm Pyrah) GBR
1986: Next Ryans Son (John Whitaker) GBR
1987: Towerlands Anglezarke (Malcom Pyrah) GBR
1988: Brook St. Boysie (Robert Smith) GBR
1989: Next Didi (Michael Whitaker) GBR
1990: Henderson Milton (John Whitaker) GBR
1991: Lannegan (David Broome) GBR
1992: Everest Midnight Madness (Michael Whitaker) GBR
1993: Everest Limited Edition (Nick Skelton) GBR
1994: Everest Midnight Magic (Michael Whitaker) GBR
1995: Heather Blaze (Robert Splaine) IRL
1996: Cathleen (Nick Skelton) GBR
1997: Virtual Village Welham (John Whitaker) GBR
1998: Senator Mighty Blue (Robert Smith) GBR
1999: Hopes are High (Nick Skelton) GBR
2000: Ballaseyr Twilight (Cameron Hanley) IRE
2001: Glasgow (Norman Dello Joio) USA
2002: Champion du Lys (Ludger Beerbaum) GER
2003 Carling King (Keving Babington) IRE
2004: Farina (Rene Tebbel) GER
2005: Armani (Jeffrey Welles) USA
2006: Ideal de la Loge (Roger-Yves Bost) FRA
2007: Jubilee D’Ouilly (Aymeric de Ponnat) FRA
2008: Clausen (Holger Wulschner) GER
2009: Murka’s Pall Mall H (Peter Charles) GBR
2010: Fresh Direct Kalico Bay (Tim Stockdale) GBR
2011: Uceko (Kent Farrington) USA
2012: Cerona (Hendrik-Jan Schuttert) NED
2013: Tripple X III (Ben Maher) GBR
2014: Cortes C (Beezie Madden) USA
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| Mister Softee |
On which London Underground line would you find 'Heathrow Airport? | David Broome Sweeps Clean - British Pathé
British Pathé
Description
White City, London.
SV. Queen Elizabeth II steps from her car at the White City on her arrival to International Horse Show, greeted by Duke of Beaufort. He then turns and greets the Queen Mother and they turn and walk into the stadium. GV. The White City with the jumps set for King George V Cup. LV. Goodbye III ridden by Seamus Hayes comes over jump SV. As he comes over the next jump. LV. As he comes over next jump, the hind feet catch top of wall and knocks brick off. He then turns and comes into treble, the first of which he takes. LV. Trigger Hill ridden by Mickey Louw comes into the treble which he takes. SV. Pan, David Broome on Mr Softee takes first jump. LV. As he takes two jumps close together. LV. As he takes bar fence. LV. As he turns to take the treble which he does. GV. Grand stand. SV. As David Broome brings Mr Softee forward. SV. The Queen and Queen Mother applaud. CU. David Broome on Mr Softee, he is the winner of the King George V Cup.
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What was the full name of the infamous German 'SS'? | The SS Himmler's SchutzStaffel - www.HolocaustResearchProject.org
www.HolocaustResearchProject.org
The Schutzstaffel, better known as the infamous SS, were established by Hitler, to act as protection force at Hitler’s mass meetings in public. Many of these meetings were violent and ugly, during the Nazis early quest for power.
As such it formed part of the Nazi militia, the brown shirted Sturmabteilung, also better known by the initials SA. Unlike the SA, however, whose origins derived from the nationalist Freikorps of the post – Great War period, the SS owed its loyalties to Hitler alone and was neither conceived as, nor permitted to become a mass movement.
Heinrich Himmler who was appointed Reichsfuhrer- SS in 1929 and from its very inception he saw the SS as an elite force, as an elite unit, the party's "Praetorian Guard," with all SS personnel selected on the principles of racial purity and unconditional loyalty to the Nazi Party.
Portrait of Heinrich Himmler
In the early days of the SS, officer candidates had to prove German ancestry to 1750. They also were required to prove that they had no Jewish ancestors. Later, when the requirements of the war made it impossible to confirm the ancestry of officer candidates, the proof of ancestry regulation was dropped.
Between 1925 and 1929, the SS was considered merely a battalion of the SA and numbered no more than 280 personnel. On January 6, 1929, Adolf Hitler appointed Heinrich Himmler as the leader of the SS, and by the end of 1932, the SS had 52,000 members.
By the end of the next year, it had over 209,000 members. Himmler's expansion of the SS was based on models from other groups, such as the Knights Templar and the Italian Blackshirts.
According to SS- Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS, Karl Wolff, it was also based on the model from the Society of Jesus of absolute obedience to the Pope or in this case Heinrich Himmler.
Himmler in the early days of the SS
Heinrich Himmler himself though, was a pale and dull, man. He was a chicken-farmer who wore glasses, with receding hair, and whose disposition was mild mannered and prim. Indeed Himmler resembled nothing like the blond Aryan superman, who featured so heavily in his outpourings of Nordic supremacy and half-baked mythology.
Himmler wanted the uniforms to be more elegant, the black uniforms looked impressive, its behaviour impeccable, its discipline more strictly enforced than those of the SA. It was an organisation that actively sought well educated men, University professors, the social elite within the Nazi Party.
This perverted elitism of the SS as created by Himmler that was the core of the SS, represented by Himmler himself with curious leanings towards Nordic mysticism to such absurd lengths.
Much of how the SS was moulded into a brutal and feared organisation can be laid at the door of Himmler’s deputy, Reinhard Heydrich, and no history of the SS can be complete, without reference to the considerable contribution made by him, a man who clearly met the Teutonic hero vision, unlike the Reichsfuhrer himself.
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich joined the SS in 1931, he was of middle-class origin and had been a naval officer but in 1931 he had been cashiered for “conduct unbecoming a gentleman,” after compromising the virtue of a shipyard director’s daughter. During his time in the German Navy he had served for a time under Admiral Canaris, who nurtured his taste for intelligence work.
Heydrich’s personality was ice-cold, utterly ruthless - he was a first class fencer, excellent horseman and a skilled pilot and musician. First he directed his lucid intellect to the internal organisation of the SS, and the creation of the Sicherheitsdient – the SS intelligence service.
Heydrich never succeeded Himmler as Reichsfuhrer-SS, as he was assassinated by Czech agents, who had been trained by the British, in Prague in June 1942. The SS carried out harsh reprisals for this act, and erased the village of Lidice, from the face of the earth, killing all the male inhabitants, the children who could not be “Germanised” and the women were incarcerated in concentration camps.
The Night of the Long Knives
From 1931 onwards Himmler and Heydrich worked tirelessly to build up the SS but it was still in the shadows of the SA, whilst the SS protected Hitler’s personal well-being, it was the SA who fought in the streets in the interests of the Nazi Party, and paved the way for its electoral success.
The SA at the time were under the command of its original founder, Ernst Rohm, he believed, as did the other SA leaders, that they had brought Adolf Hitler to power and now they expected suitable reward and recognition.
They expected that the SA who now numbered approximately four and a half million members would assume the position of the new “democratic” army of the Reich displacing the hundred thousand professional army allowed by the Treaty of Versailles.
By the time Hitler had become Chancellor the SS had grown in numbers to 50,000, which Himmler detested, he was fearful the SS might suffer the same fate as the SA. He therefore undertook a purge of “unqualified” members and set up for Hitler in Berlin, the equivalent of a “Praetorian Guard.”
This was called the Stabswache and was commanded by Sepp Dietrich, an ex-sergeant and former butcher and a man, in Hitler’s words “simultaneously cunning, energetic and brutal.”
By early 1934 the unresolved conflict between the Nationalist and Socialist elements in the Nazi Party had reached a crisis. The right led by Hermann Goring was content with securing power and now sought only to extend the Party’s appeal to the classes of tradition.
Sepp Dietrich
But the left represented by three million noisy and still violent brown-shirts were demanding a second and genuinely social revolution. As a first step Ernst Rohm, the leader of the SA, had called for the army’s amalgamation with the SA.
This was a crisis Hitler had long foreseen, he knew the generals loathed and feared the SA, and the generals were placated by assurances from Hitler that the SA would never challenge the Army’s supremacy.
Despite all the evidence of Rohm’s personal corruption and his SA men’s excesses, gathered by Heydrich, and presented to Hitler by Himmler, Hitler hesitated to use it against one of his oldest comrades
It was not until the weekend of the 30 June 1934 when Goring and Himmler at last succeeded in convincing Hitler that Rohm was planning a coup d’etat which was quite untrue, did Hitler decide to act against his old friend.
Hitler acted characteristically on impulse and having no plan of his own gave carte blanche to Goring and Himmler, who had been secretly plotting murder over many months. The German army generals were aware and approved of this action but they refused to have soldiers fire on the SA members.
SA Leader Ernst Rohm
Himmler had therefore accordingly arranged for his SS to arrest the victims and when Hitler had ticked off their names had them taken out into backyards and stairwells to be shot. Rohm was arrested in a private hotel at Bad Wiessee, south of Munich, where he was enjoying a holiday with other SA leaders. He was taken to Stadelheim prison, and after refusing to commit suicide he was shot by Theodore Eicke, in his cell.
By Monday 1 July 1934 most of the SA leaders and many of Himmler’s and Goring’s personal enemies had been done away with. The “Blood Purge” which would shortly make Hitler Chancellor was the making of the SS.
It was exclusively its work, planned by Heydrich’s intelligence service and executed by Dietrich’s Stabswache and Eicke’s Totenkopfverbande (Death’s Head Units). Hitler was not to forget his debt.
Heydrich soon had under his hand all three German police forces, civil, criminal and secret, the latter as the Gestapo was to become infamous. Even more so the Totenkopfverbande, became a symbol of terror, which had now been raised, to guard the new concentrations camps.
But it was the Stabswache, now renamed the Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler which profited most. For in doing for the army what the army would not do for itself, it had broken the army’s unique right to bear arms. The Liebstandarte which was the nucleus of the future Waffen-SS - was set to become a rival far more menacing than the SA, could ever dream of.
The rise of the SS from this point on was assured, the great impetus was built up after the Reichstag fire on the 27 February 1933, the German Communist Party was banned and its members arrested by the police and incarcerated into the newly established concentration camps, which were run not by the police but the SS.
The Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler
Ten days after the fire, Himmler was appointed head of the Munich police, with Heydrich in charge of its political branch, in order to secure “loyal adherence” to Nazi rule. So began a steady take-over of the police throughout the Reich.
By the summer of 1934 Himmler controlled the political police of every state except Prussia, which was controlled by Hermann Goering, and who had built up in it his own state secret police, better known as the infamous Gestapo.
Thanks to his control of the police Himmler was able to build up the concentration camps, in order to provide “protective custody” for political suspects. One must mention here the role played by Theodore Eicke, the Inspector of Concentration Camps and SS Guard Formations. Eicke was energetic and brutal and under his regime no pity was shown to “enemies of the state.”
Some of these camps such as Dachau, Sachsenhausen, were official, under the Minister of the Interior, others were wild controlled by the SS and SA, and many of them were shut down.
After the Rohm purge of June 1934, Himmler took over control of the camps, and these were to be run by the SS, right up to the end of Nazism in 1945, both Hitler and Himmler would never abandon these particular pillars of the “Fuhrer State.”
In recognition of its services during the “night of the long knives” it was freed from its old subordination to the SA and declared an independent organisation. The SA were broken by the purge, sank into relative obscurity.
The Gates at Dachau
By 1936 Himmler had obtained full control of the police in Prussia, he was then declared Reichsfuhrer SS und Chef de Polizei, and with this the entire German police force was removed from the control of the state and incorporated into the SS.
The SS goes to War.
The Second World War of 1939 -1945 which was Hitler’s ultimate aim, could not have happened without the internal transformation of Germany into a “police state” and the absolute power wielded by the SS.
The SS were even charged with organising the fabricated attacks by Poles to justify the German invasion, it was Heydrich’s intelligence service which fabricated the staged Polish attack on the German radio – transmitter at Gleiwitz on the German –Polish border.
It was Himmler’s concentration camps which supplied the “canned goods” – that is corpses of political prisoners, murdered for the occasion and dressed in Polish army uniforms. The corpses were left as “evidence of aggression.”
Following the invasion of Poland on the night of the 31 August / 1 September 1939 it was Heydrich’s SS Einsatzkommando’s which followed the Wehrmacht in order to exterminate brutally the Polish aristocracy, intelligentsia, Priests and Jews, and thereby ensure that Polish resistance would be stifled.
After the Polish campaign and the period known as the “phoney war” the SS considerably built up its numbers and the success of the field-divisions, more commonly known as Waffen-SS proved its worth in the French campaign, this Hitler attributed to its “fierce will” – the sense of superiority which put them on an elite footing with the German army.
When Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union, under the code name “Operation Barbarossa,” Hitler knew the German army were not up to waging such a brutal war on the Soviets, and he acted accordingly.
On the 30 March 1941 Hitler in his speech, put Communist Commissars and officials, military and civilian, beyond any law save one which automatically sentenced them to summary execution (through the 13 March directive established Reich Commissars, using the identical words); and at the beginning of the month (3 March), Hitler had already ordained that courts martial would be applicable only for military personnel.
Commissars when captured would be shot out of hand, if not by German combat troops then by the murder-squads to whom they would be handed over, as the draft of the infamous Commissar Order put it: “Political leaders and Commissars who are captured will not be sent to the rear.”
German solider on the "Ostfront"
The war on the “Ostfront” was to bleed the German forces like no other struggle in the Second World War, and Himmler looked to strengthen the Axis forces by recruiting suitable volunteers for the SS from occupied countries and satellite states loyal to the Nazi cause.
Hitler gave permission to Himmler to raise divisions consisting of “Germanic” peoples of Western Europe. The victories in Scandinavia and the Low Countries had introduced the SS to several local Fascist parties, Mussert’s in Holland, Quisling’s in Norway and Degrelle’s in Belgium, and whose young followers had readily volunteered to serve in the SS.
In all 50,000 Dutchmen, 40,000 Belgians – Flemish and Walloons equally, 20,000 Frenchmen and 6,000 Danes and Norwegians were to enlist before the war’s end, enough to form a second full division Nordland, and several nominal divisions, Langenmarck (Flemish), Wallonien, Nederland (Holland) and Charlemagne (French).
The third reserve of “free” manpower was discovered by the SS in its next and most successful campaign, that of the Balkans in 1941. The Balkans was the home of the largest ethnic German community in Europe, the so-called Volksdeutsche, over one and a half million strong.
Those from the satellite states of Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria were liable to conscription by their own governments but those in occupied Yugoslavia were not. In either case Himmler found means of enlisting all who volunteered and when volunteering ceased he imposed conscription in Yugoslavia and secured the transfer to the SS of all Volksdeutsch conscripts in the armies of the other States. By 1944 the Waffen-SS was to include 150,000 Volksdeutsch, nearly a quarter of its strength.
Volksdeutsch in Poland
The Waffen-SS fought with ferocious tenacity, often rescuing seemingly lost situations on both the Eastern and Western fronts, particularly in the re-occupation of Kharkov in March 1943, and the Hitler –Jugend divisions fought with particular bravery in Normandy, following the Allied invasion during June 1944.
Extermination of the Jewish Race in Europe
It was the SS who ran the concentration camps first in Germany, then in Poland, with brutal efficiency, camps like Auschwitz which started its existence as a camp for Polish political, before being transformed into a dual death camp with gas chambers and crematoria and labour camp, where millions of Jews perished.
But it wasn't until 1936, that the SS absorbed the regular German police forces and incorporated all local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies into the Ordnungspolizei.
SS-Oberstgruppenführer Adolf Von Assenbach became commander of the Ordnungspolizei (known as the Orpo), and Heinrich Himmler became Chief of the German Police.
Himmler was then charged by Hitler to carry out the extermination of the Jewish race in Europe, and the SS carried out this inhuman task, the so-called “Final Solution.” To accomplish this goal:
On July 31, 1941, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring authorized Reinhard Heydrich, then acting RSHA chief, to coordinate the resources of the Reich “for a total solution of the Jewish Question in the area of German influence in Europe.”
Heydrich was to submit a draft of the measures he proposed to undertake “to implement the desired final solution of the Jewish Question.” In the following six months, as regional Security Police and SD commanders coordinated the annihilation of the Soviet Jews, the first trainloads of German, Austrian, and Czech Jews rolled eastwards to killing sites in the so-called Reich Commissariat Ostland (a German civilian occupation region that included the Baltic States and most of Belarus).
Heydrich with Karl Frank in Prague
Security Police and SD officials of RSHA department IV B 4, under Adolf Eichmann, arranged with local police agencies for the roundups inside Germany and with the Reich Ministry of Transportation and the Director of German State Railroads (Deutsche Reichsbahn) for transport by train. Regional Security Police and SD commanders in Reich Commissariat Ostland commanded the operations to shoot the German, Austrian, and Czech Jews after their arrival.
On January 20, 1942, Heydrich invited key officials from various Reich Ministries to a conference at a villa on the Wannsee, on the southwestern edge of Berlin. At this Wannsee Conference, he presented plans to coordinate a European-wide “Final Solution of the Jewish Question.” He informed the participants that Hitler had authorized the operation and had designated the SS to coordinate “Final Solution policy.” He impressed upon them the need for active participation of their agencies to guarantee the ultimate success of the operation.
By 1944, the Orpo had also absorbed minor law enforcement agencies such as the Postal Police, Railway Security Police, Water Protection Police, and even night watchmen who were considered state employees. The Ordnungspolizei had a separate system of Orpo ranks and it was possible for Orpo members to hold dual status in both the SS and the Orpo.
A Jew in Lodz addresses an SS officer
In 1944, all Orpo Police Generals gained equivalent Waffen-SS rank so that they would be treated as military officers, instead of police officials, if captured by the Allies. The Orpo also maintained a military division, considered part of the Waffen-SS as well as a number of Police Regiments which performed security duties under the authority of the RSHA.
But before Auschwitz and the death camps of Aktion Reinhard, named after Heydrich’s following his death, started gassing Jews, the Einsatzgruppen A, B, C and D, the mobile murder squads murdered Jews and Communists by shooting, and in gas vans.
Following Heydrich’s directives the Jews in Poland and Russia were forced into ghettos, and then deported to death camps, such as Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka, all staffed by SS and police, many of whom served in the euthanasia murder campaign.
Testimonies of SS men and Auxiliaries Regarding the Death Camps
-Franz Suchomel SS- Unterscharfuhrer Treblinka Death Camp
SS man looks down on an exhausted Jew in one of many Labour camps
A. Full capacity! The Warsaw ghetto was being emptied then. Three trains arrived in two days, each with three, four, five thousand people aboard, all from Warsaw.
But at the same time, other trains came in from Kielce and other places. So three trains arrived, and since the offensive against Stalingrad was in full swing, the trainloads of Jews were left on a station siding.
What’s more, the cars were French made of steel. So, that while five thousand Jews arrived in Treblinka three thousand were dead in the cars. They had slashed their wrists, or just died. The ones we unloaded were half dead and half mad.
In the other trains from Kielce and elsewhere, at least half were dead. We stacked them here, here, here and here. Thousands of people piled one on top of another on the ramp. Stacked like wood.
In addition, other Jews still alive, waited there for two days: the small gas chambers could no longer handle the load. They functioned day and night in that period.
-Pavel Leleko, a Ukrainian Auxiliary, SS Wachmann of the Treblinka Death Camp
“When the procession of the condemned approached the gas chambers the “motorists” of the gas chambers would shout, “Go quickly or the water will get cold.”
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Which actress starred in 'Funny Girl'? | Heinrich Himmler - Biography - IMDb
Heinrich Himmler
Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trivia (8) | Personal Quotes (2)
Overview (4)
5' 8½" (1.74 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Born in 1900, Heinrich Himmler was the godson of a Bavarian prince and became an officer cadet during the First World War. Never actually seeing combat, Himmler was discharged at the war's end and went to a technical college, where he majored in agriculture. During the turbulent years of the 1920s in which Germany's economy had been destroyed, Himmler managed to secure work as a chicken farmer and also joined one of the numerous paramilitary groups that had sprouted during that time. In 1923 he participated in the failed attempt by the Nazi Party to take over the Bavarian government (even though he was not yet a member of the party). In 1925, after the Nazis had regrouped, Himmler became a minor member of the Nazi Party in its Central Bavarian Office. Also, at that time, he accepted the position as Deputy Leader of a small group called the SS.
In 1929 Himmler became the Reich Leader of the SS, which at the time numbered less than 200 and was a suborganization of the SA. The SA, commonly known as the brownshirts, was the Nazi paramilitary wing, the group that did the actual dirty work--street fights, attacks against political opponents and outright political murders--of the party. Himmler at once expanded the SS, recruited hundreds of new members and introduced racial screening of members and changed the uniform to the much more familiar black jacket with red armband. In 1934 he orchestrated the destruction of the SA, which both he and Adolf Hitler had feared was becoming too powerful a force within the Nazi party, and many SA officials, from top generals on down to common street thugs, were either tried and executed or murdered outright. His actions secured the position of the SS as an independent group within the Nazi Party. He was made "Reichsfuhrer-SS" and now commanded not only the SS proper, but also the forces of the SD (internal security service) and Gestapo (state security police) as well as the fledging military SS then called the Verfungstruppe (later known as the Waffen-SS). In 1936 Himmler gained total police authority in the country by being named as Chief of German Police, and incorporated all of Germany's regular police forces into the SS. Three years later the Second World War began.
Himmler was the official head of the military Waffen-SS, yet in actuality he had little to do with this organization and left its running to such men as Paul Hausser and Sepp Dietrich . Himmer's most notorious activity during the war was setting in motion the extermination of all European Jews, the so-called "Final Solution", in which wholesale genocide was carried out against groups the Nazis considered "undesirable" or racially inferior, resulting in the murders of more than six million Jews and hundreds of thousands of others, a task that was assigned to the infamous Reinhard Heydrich .
By 1944 Himmler's SS had amassed total security and police authority in Germany, had a large armed force in the Waffen-SS and was also quite wealthy through the exploits of the SS Economics Office. Meanwhile, the concentration and death camps continued to be run by men of the SS Death's Head (Totenkopf) units. As the fortunes of war turned against Germany and Allied forces invaded the country and drew closer to Berlin, Himmler was given further power and appointed a military commander both of the Home Army and a frontline Army Group. His lack of military experience proved embarrassing and he was soon relieved of those duties. Meanwhile, however, he had climbed the political chain and been appointed Reich Minister of the Interior, which put him in line to be Hitler's successor. By 1945, with Germany crumbling under relentless Allied pressure, Himmler was on the brink of mental collapse and began to convince himself that he would be the postwar leader of Germany and Minister of Police for the Allies. He secretly offered to negotiate the German surrender, but Allied commander Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower flatly turned the offer down, refusing to have anything to do with the hated Himmler or his SS. When Hitler learned what Himmler had done, he stripped the former chicken farmer of all his ranks and titles and ordered his arrest. Himmler, however, still had much of the SS under his control and commanded it up to the end, even though Karl Hanke had been appointed the new Reichsfuhrer-SS.
After the surrender of Germany, Himmler wandered aimlessly about Bavaria until he was captured by the British. During his interrogation, he bit down on a cyanide capsule hidden in one of his teeth and died within seconds. Feared by many but respected by few, it can be argued that Himmler was more a creation of those who worked under him, like Heydrich, Pohl, Dietrich, Ernst Kaltenbrunner and Hausser, than by his own designs. Heinrich Himmler was survived by his wife and daughter Gudrun, who still lives in Germany and has long been suspected of connections with neo-Nazi groups.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anthony Hughes <[email protected]>
Spouse (1)
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Jonah Barrington is famous for which sport? | iSPORTstore.com - Jonah Barrington - Mr. Squash By Paul McElhinney
Jonah Barrington - Mr. Squash By Paul McElhinney
Jonah Barrington - Mr. Squash By Paul McElhinney
In the late 1960’s and 1970’s, he was known as Mr. Squash. He had helped drag a sport which had mainly been the preserve of the English public school elite and the British Empire, firmly into the post-colonial era. With his emphasis on fitness training and on the importance of winning, he managed to transform a sport of the leisured classes into a rigorous modern one. His dynamic, determined personality helped in driving this transformation – to have attended one of his clinics was to have witnessed a master class in the psychology and tactics of the sport. Not only was he a master of the theory of the game, but he managed to reach the position of No.1 in the world game, vying on and off during the 1960’s and 1970’s with the great Australian, Geoff Hunt for the top position.
I had the great honour of meeting Jonah during a tour he made to Zambia and Rhodesia in the late 1960’s. At that stage, he was at the height of his career. He travelled with a useful English player, Mike Corby who played exhibition matches against Barrington and against the local talent. Our family were living in Zambia at the time when he arrived up at the Lusaka Club to play a series of exhibitions. I recall his match against local hero, Storr Hunter, a Rhodesian émigré living in Lusaka. Hunter took quite a pummelling but managed to disport himself well against the best in the world at the time. I managed to see the match throughout but my father, who was a former Irish international, had to leave early on account of my younger brother not feeling well.
I remember very well the clinic he gave after his match. He had a sort of mesmeric, wizard like quality as he regaled the crowd with anecdotes and advice. Dark and brooding with a strong, fixed stare; he had a charisma that held the crowd in the palm of his hand. He also recounted the encounter he had some years previously with the great Pakistani player, Nasrullah Khan. Short and pot-bellied, Khan appeared a walkover to a young fit Barrington until Khan started to serve. Khan was able to lob his serve so that it hugged the wall throughout its trajectory down the court. Each time Barrington came out to return it, he crashed his racket against the wall. Khan won the first game 9-0 purely on his serve! Barrington also asked the great master for his advice on ways to cure a problem he had in regularly hitting the lower tin. Khan’s advice was: ‘Hit ball higher’. For about an hour, we were treated to a display of wit and wisdom from Barrington. He took his game seriously and was imparting his insights to an audience eager to know what the secret of his success was.
After the match, my brother Karl and I managed to get into his changing room – how we did, I’m not quite sure. We were just on our way to Ireland to attend a prep school in Co. Wicklow, we told him. It emerged that he had also gone to a school in Avoca – an immediate connection. It was quite a thrill to meet the best squash player in the world as a boy of 11 years and for him to have been so open and friendly. This was an encounter we dined out on for many years after!
Jonah had an interesting pedigree. He came from an old Anglo-Irish family with significant landed interests. One of his ancestors, Sir Jonah Barrington, established an estate in County Limerick, ‘Glenstal’ which was eventually sold in the 1930’s to a group of Belgian Benedictine monks. These monks established a boarding school which I attended in the 1970’s – another interesting connection.
Jonah’s aforementioned ancestor was also responsible for introducing rugby to Limerick (not long after William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran at Rugby School). He organised teams of working men and farm labourers from his estate to play the game and established a tradition in Limerick of rugby among working class communities. Teams like ‘Young Munster’ carry on this working class tradition even to this day. In this respect, the city stands out in Ireland where the sport has very much been a middle class sport. His Limerick ancestors were steeped in folklore, much of which we heard when we attended Glenstal.
During Ireland’s War of Independence, the then Lord Barrington’s daughter was ‘stepping out’ with a British army officer billeted in the area. On her way back from a day out, they were driving up the avenue of the estate in an open-top vehicle when an IRA sniper took a potshot from the nearby woods aimed at the officer. Instead, the shot hit the young lady and she died instantaneously. It was said that after her death, her ghost haunted the castle where the schoolboy’s dormitories were situated. The matron swore that she had witnessed the ghost on a number of occasions and it was one of the first stories I heard when I joined the school. It all added to the glamour and mystery of the place. What an intriguing family!
Jonah spent some time as a pupil at Headfort School in Co. Louth which I believe, was the only prep school in Ireland that had its own squash court. Clearly, he was able to hone his skills from an early age, the key to excellence in any sport. From Headfort, he went on to Cheltenham College, a public school with an imperial and military tradition together with good facilities for squash. After Cheltenham, he entered Trinity College, Dublin. Dublin and Trinity in those days were very relaxed and by all accounts, Jonah had a fairly relaxed passage through Trinity. At that time, Jonah was a very average journeyman player playing at one of the lower slots on the first team. He also had a very active social life which probably interfered with achieving his best at squash. It would have been hard at that time to see Jonah becoming the outstanding squash star of later years.
Accounts differ, but it seems Jonah reached some form of conversion after he left college. He started to get fit and develop his skills, mental and physical, at squash. By the mid 1960’s, he was ascending the world ladder and by the end of the decade, he was vying with Geoff Hunt for the top position in world squash. He was bringing squash to a whole new audience, communicating its skills and attractions in a compelling and stimulating way. No longer was squash simply a leisurely upper middle class sport, but now a modern, dynamic and more democratic one.
The next time I met Barrington was at a Squash Ireland event organised in Clontarf in 1975 when I was a first year student at Trinity. Being the pushy teenager that I was, I approached him after his game and reminded him of our meeting in Zambia many years earlier. His memory was not as good as mine, but that is not surprising. I recall that the event was being covered by the media as the sport was gaining in popularity at the time, not least due to the efforts of Barrington. Frank Delaney was covering the event for RTE, I think, and standing on the other side of Jonah from me, referred rather witheringly to my youthful intervention. It taught me a lesson in Irish culture: the dangers of being the tall poppy. How that attitude has held Ireland back in so many ways for so many years! By contrast, Barrington represented an Irishman who became the best he could be through hard work and determination. I know which approach I prefer.
During my Trinity years, Barrington’s memory among the squash fraternity was often intoned. He was a bit of a legend in the College given his illustrious career and ‘favourite son’ status. Stories about his exploits did the rounds, many no doubt embellished. I often used to think that he also played on the same dilapidated courts as I did. These were there since the middle 1930’s, had a huge capacity to attract dust and although not of top grade, were reasonably serviceable. Indirectly, Jonah played a role in developing the sport in his old college as he did in the wider world. Having an illustrious former alumnus like Barrington, inevitably casts a positive glow.
In 2011, the 75th anniversary of the Trinity College Squash Club, I almost had another chance to meet Jonah. He was invited by the organisers but unfortunately, he had to cry off in advance due to other commitments. Although it turned out to be a great night in the elegant surroundings of the College Dining Hall, it was a little like Hamlet without the Prince. Indeed, I knew a few former members of the club who decided not to come because Jonah was not going to be there! Despite this, Jonah was spoken about with great reverence on the night – his spirit was certainly hovering around proceedings that night.
Barrington has to be credited with so single-mindedly taking a minority sport out of its class-bound cobwebs and bringing it to a wider audience. By force of his personality, he inspired an interest in the game that had never been seen before. He was certainly a heroic figure to me as an 11 year old boy when I met him in that Lusaka changing room – what we would now call a ‘role model’. What’s more, he was also Irish. His physical health has not been great in recent years due to the effects of injuries sustained earlier in his career, but in his late 60’s, he surely has many years to go yet. From Avoca to Headfort to Cheltenham and Trinity College Dublin, he reached the pinnacle of international squash with a sense of commitment and determination which is the hallmark of all great sportsmen.
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I which European city will you find 'Dam Square'? | Jonah Barrington’s heir deserving of greater recognition – Sports Journalists' Association
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#SJA2011: Telegraph sportswriter ROD GILMOUR makes the case for Nick Matthew, the world No1 squash player, to get your vote
Since the halcyon days of the Khan dynasty and the titles won by Peter Nicol, world-class squash players have craved a return to the big stage and the column inches the sport once merited.
Like a cold yellow dot on a damp court, regular paper coverage has all but died with pagination cuts, save for the odd colour piece. Squash’s cause has also been hampered by the International Olympic Committee, who have twice denied the sport inclusion to the Games.
Nick Matthew, the squash world No1 whose "incredible achievements" have been lauded by all-time great Jonah Barrington
So, forgive me if I surmise my contender’s achievements for one minute. The name at the top of the world squash tree is Yorkshire’s Nick Matthew, who must surely rank as one of Britain’s finest-ever rackets players alongside Nicol and the 1970s great, Jonah Barrington.
Matthew’s dream was realised in June last year when he became the first Englishman since Lee Beachill in 2004 to reach world No1. He then took home Commonwealth Games gold in Delhi. In December in Saudi Arabia, Matthew became the first English-born winner of the World Open. In those two finals, he beat fellow Englishman James Willstrop.
In 2011, Matthew has contested every world tour final going (that is 10 and counting). That’s remarkable consistency. Then again, he has won 15 out of 27 tournaments since last January.
All that in a sport where it’s harder to reach the multiple heights of Jahangir (555 matches unbeaten and all that) and Jansher Khan, mainly because squash is now point-a-rally to 11. It’s frenetic stuff and great to watch live too, but Matthew’s fitness – forged in Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport – and patience-building rallies keep doing the trick. He’s continually quelling the threats of the Aussies, French and Egyptians, his main rivals.
Moreover, he’s got as much grit as the Brownlee brothers, his Yorkshire compatriots. One EIS physio, a former marathon runner, will also tell you that the workload of a squash player is probably harder than any other sportsman. When you factor in that Matthew has played back-to-back matches nearing two hours over the last 12 months, that’s some feat.
It’s little wonder that Barrington told me that Britain should sit up and take notice of his “incredible achievements” on court. And Matthew’s doing it in front of growing crowds across the globe, unbeknown to most of the British public. Surely it’s time for a change?
Every so often, along comes someone who gets people talking. A player who creates a thrill, that added spark in a crowd. In squash, that someone is Egypt’s Ramy Ashour. The way he puts the racket through the ball and his shot-making skills are jaw-droppingly electrifying.
Yet, Matthew is still world No1 despite Ashour’s continued brilliance. The test will come at the end of the month when the pair – Ashour is world No2 – are seeded to meet in the World Open final in Rotterdam. It should be some spectacle.
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