query
stringlengths 18
1.2k
| answer
stringlengths 41
4.1k
|
|---|---|
The Von Trapp family were immortalised in which film in 1965? | The von Trapp Story from Stowe, VT Maria Von Trapp The Real Maria Born on a train en route to Vienna on January 26, 1905, Maria Augusta Kutschera’s anxious entrance into the world set in motion a life full of remarkable and challenging events that would be immortalized on stage and screen. Maria’s mother died when she was only 2 years old and her father left her with an elderly cousin, where she experienced a lonely and strict upbringing. Surprisingly, Maria grew up as a socialist and atheist who was cynical of all religions, until a chance meeting with a Jesuit priest at her college changed her beliefs and the course of her life. Maria dedicated her life to the convent, but was taken away from the outdoor activities she loved so much. As a result of her lack of fresh air and exercise, her doctor became concerned for her health and the decision was made to send her to the home of retired naval captain, George von Trapp. Her position was not governess to all the children, as the movie portrayed, but specifically to the captain's daughter who was bedridden with rheumatic fever. The rest is truly history. Maria never returned to the convent and married the Captain on November 26, 1927. This is the story that has been made immortalized by The Sound of Music. Maria von Trapp passed away on March 28, 1987 and is interred in the family cemetery at the Trapp Family Lodge. Captain Von Trapp Memories of Our Father The South Seas – I remember Father's dream of taking the entire family to the Marquesas Islands, in the South Seas, where he had visited as a young Naval Cadet. That dream never materialized. Instead we went to America. The Whistle – As a U-boat commander, he needed a Bosun's Whistle to give commands, especially in the howling winds and roaring sea where a voice could be drowned out. In Salzburg, we had a large house and large gardens, so he used that whistle to call us instead of his voice, which we might not have heard. Each one of us had a special call, and one call for when he wanted all of us. When we heard this, we stormed to him, but we never had to march or stand at attention. A Few of Our Favorite Things – In our garden, Father built a big, open hut with three walls and a roof. It was large enough to hang hammocks inside and we each got our own. Then he demonstrated how to sleep in them without falling out. He also bought folding, rubber canoes with canvas sails and showed us how to use them. On our little outings, Father taught us how to make fires without matches and how to roast potatoes and apples in the hot cinders. When we lost our money, because the bank failed during the Depression, he started a chicken farm. We learned how to take care of the chicks and how to sift out the ones that did not lay eggs. Agathe's book, Memories Before and After The Sound of Music, contains other wonderful stories about Father. Werner Von Trapp A Humble Musician Werner von Trapp was born in Zell am See, Austria in 1915, the fourth child and second son of Captain Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead. He studied cello at Salzburg’s Mozarteum in the 1930s, and became proficient on several other instruments, as well as in the art of composing and arranging. He sang tenor with his family’s choir, The Trapp Family Singers, who won great acclaim throughout Europe after their debut in 1935. The von Trapp family escaped from Nazi occupied Austria when Werner was 23 in 1938. They arrived as refugees in New York where they quickly became popular with concert audiences, performing in the U.S. and 30 other countries until 1956. Werner joined the U.S. Army in 1943 and served in Europe with the ski troops as part of the 10th Mountain Division. After the war, he returned home to the family farm in Stowe, Vermont and resumed touring with the family choir. He married Erika Klambauer in 1948 and the two has six children. After the Trapp Family Singers retired from the stage, Werner helped found a music school in Reading, Pennsylvania called the Community School of Music. Years later, he and his family settled on a dairy farm in |
The longest shoreline belongs to which English county? | County with the longest coastline - General Discussion - Digital Spy Forums County with the longest coastline Posts: 624 County with the longest coastline I had a stinking cold at the weekend and looked at a lot of A Place In The Sun type progs (thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it!). One day Essex 'had the most coastline in England' and the next day on another programme it was Kent. Now, looking at a map I would say Cornwall. Anyone know? Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement. 28-02-2011, 14:01 Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 600 Kent's coastline is pretty big, but so it Cornwall's. Not sure who'd I put my money on, but it has to be one of them. Sure I've heard somewhere before that it is Kent though. Location: Cornwall (ex-London) Posts: 65,312 It says here it depends whether you count the Isles of Scilly and river estuaries or not (seems to be Kent, I'd say, from this): http://www.visitcornwall.com/site/ex...st-and-country Quote: Cornwall is in the privileged position of having two coastlines: the Atlantic coast famous for its surfing beaches and huge expanses of golden sand, and the English Channel coast which is more gentle with hidden coves and tranquil creeks. Argyll and Bute has a longer coastline than France, apparently. Devon's are physically separated though, so I'd say that counts as two. Cornwall may have two coasts, but they are connected at the end. Posts: 38,495 Off-hand, I would have thought Cornwall would win this easily. I guess, perhaps, the coastlines of Kent and Essex might be more "broken" than Cornwall which, technically, gives the coastline a longer length but, meh. Also, I would have said Yorkshire might be in with a shout IF you count the Trent estuary as "coastline". Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 823 Having visited Herne Bay in kent i would say they have the biggest waistline, well the women there do. Cornwall has a coast on two different bodies of water but it's the same coast as it goes from Saltash along to Lands End and then comes back on the top side towards Bude. Devon has two separate stretches of coastline. I'd agree that one of the Scottish counties has the longest coastline. Kent's coastline is pretty big, but so it Cornwall's. Not sure who'd I put my money on, but it has to be one of them. Sure I've heard somewhere before that it is Kent though. Its between Essex, Kent and Cornwall. Essex has lots of creeks and inlets which would count as "coastline" but I am not too familiar with the geography of Kent to say the same for there. Devon's are physically separated though, so I'd say that counts as two. Cornwall may have two coasts, but they are connected at the end. Quote: Cornwall has a coast on two different bodies of water but it's the same coast as it goes from Saltash along to Lands End and then comes back on the top side towards Bude. Devon has two separate stretches of coastline. I'd agree that one of the Scottish counties has the longest coastline. It's still a matter of interpretation since I would say that still can be described as two coasts. Not that it matters. It's just jostling for position by tourist boards, I'd say. |
In which Californian city did the first Disney theme park open? | Disneyland opens - Jul 17, 1955 - HISTORY.com Disneyland opens Publisher A+E Networks Disneyland, Walt Disney’s metropolis of nostalgia, fantasy, and futurism, opens on July 17, 1955. The $17 million theme park was built on 160 acres of former orange groves in Anaheim, California, and soon brought in staggering profits. Today, Disneyland hosts more than 14 million visitors a year, who spend close to $3 billion. Walt Disney, born in Chicago in 1901, worked as a commercial artist before setting up a small studio in Los Angeles to produce animated cartoons. In 1928, his short film Steamboat Willy, starring the character “Mickey Mouse,” was a national sensation. It was the first animated film to use sound, and Disney provided the voice for Mickey. From there on, Disney cartoons were in heavy demand, but the company struggled financially because of Disney’s insistence on ever-improving artistic and technical quality. His first feature-length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938), took three years to complete and was a great commercial success. Snow White was followed by other feature-length classics for children, such as Pinocchio (1940), Dumbo (1941), and Bambi (1942). Fantasia (1940), which coordinated animated segments with famous classical music pieces, was an artistic and technical achievement. In Song of the South (1946), Disney combined live actors with animated figures, and beginning with Treasure Island in 1950 the company added live-action movies to its repertoire. Disney was also one of the first movie studios to produce film directly for television, and its Zorro and Davy Crockett series were very popular with children. In the early 1950s, Walt Disney began designing a huge amusement park to be built near Los Angeles. He intended Disneyland to have educational as well as amusement value and to entertain adults and their children. Land was bought in the farming community of Anaheim, about 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles, and construction began in 1954. In the summer of 1955, special invitations were sent out for the opening of Disneyland on July 17. Unfortunately, the pass was counterfeited and thousands of uninvited people were admitted into Disneyland on opening day. The park was not ready for the public: food and drink ran out, a women’s high-heel shoe got stuck in the wet asphalt of Main Street USA, and the Mark Twain Steamboat nearly capsized from too many passengers. Disneyland soon recovered, however, and attractions such as the Castle, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Snow White’s Adventures, Space Station X-1, Jungle Cruise, and Stage Coach drew countless children and their parents. Special events and the continual building of new state-of-the-art attractions encouraged them to visit again. In 1965, work began on an even bigger Disney theme park and resort near Orlando, Florida. Walt Disney died in 1966, and Walt Disney World was opened in his honor on October 1, 1971. Epcot Center, Disney-MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom were later added to Walt Disney World, and it remains Florida’s premier tourist attraction. In 1983, Disneyland Tokyo opened in Japan, and in 1992 Disneyland Paris–or “EuroDisney”–opened to a mixed reaction in Marne-la-Vallee. The newest Disneyland, in Hong Kong, opened its doors in September 2005. Related Videos |
A phrenologist would be studying which part of the body? | phrenology facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about phrenology New Dictionary of the History of Ideas COPYRIGHT 2005 The Gale Group, Inc. PHRENOLOGY. Phrenology, a science popular from the early to the mid-nineteenth century, was dedicated to the discernment of one's character or traits of personality from reading—that is, feeling the shape and size of—the bumps on one's skull. As formulated by the German physician and anatomist Franz Josef Gall (1758–1828) and as popularized by his student and follower Johann Gaspar Spurzheim (1776–1832), phrenology was based on five main tenets: (1) the brain is the organ of the mind—mental activity is produced by the structure and function of the brain, not through some spiritual or immaterial process; (2) the brain is not unitary but a congeries, or collection, of separate faculties; (3) these faculties are localized in different regions of the brain; (4) the activity of a mental faculty determines the size of the brain organ that represents it; and (5) the skull ossifies over the brain during infant development, so that an external examination of the size and shape of the bumps on the skull will reveal the size of the underlying brain organs. A staunchly materialistic doctrine, phrenology held that each mental faculty, envisioned by Gall as an innate instinct, produced a striking behavior or characteristic. Each innate mental faculty was in turn produced by its underlying brain organ, whose size depended on its activity and which could be revealed by its corresponding cranial bump. Origins and Development Gall was born in Baden, Germany , and studied medicine in Strasbourg and Vienna , where he established a successful medical practice and became renowned as a comparative anatomist. In the 1790s he began to develop the principles of phrenology out of his observations of his fellow students—those with protuberant eyes, he noted, had particularly good memories—and of animals, as well as from dissection of human and animal brains. He also amassed a large collection of skulls, both human and animal, and busts, to support his theory. His method, however, depended on anecdote and striking confirmation rather than rigorous experimental testing of his theory. In Vienna, Gall lectured on phrenology as a "craniologist," but by 1805, joined by Spurzheim, he traveled around Europe to spread his ideas, eventually settling in Paris . There, between 1810 and 1819, he and Spurzheim published the four volumes and atlas of 100 engraved plates of Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System … with Observations on the Possibility of Identifying Many Intellectual and Moral Dispositions of Men and Animals by the Configuration of Their Heads. In addition to propounding the principles of phrenology, the work constituted a major contribution to cerebral anatomy. Gall identified twenty-seven basic mental faculties, each correlated with a brain organ: faculties such as veneration, wonder, wit, tune, memory, language, cautiousness, secretiveness, and philoprogenitiveness (love of children). He rejected the notion that the mind was a tabula rasa—a blank slate—and emphasized that each of these mental faculties was inherited as an innate instinct. He and the phrenologists who followed him tended to be interested in differences between individuals as well as between groups. Men and women, for example, were thought to possess different types of faculties. Spurzheim, however, parted ways with his mentor, changing the content and focus of Gall's science in several important ways. First, Spurzheim actually coined the term phrenology, distinguishing it from physiognomy (reading character from the face) and craniology (measurement of the skull), thereby establishing its claim as a new science. Second, Spurzheim shifted the emphasis of phrenology from anatomy, which was Gall's main interest, to the religious, moral, and philosophical aspects of the science and to its political and social applications and consequences, a move that laid the groundwork for its popularity. He added new mental facultie |
Iceland became independent from which country in 1944? | Iceland country profile - BBC News BBC News Read more about sharing. Close share panel A sparsely-populated North Atlantic island, Iceland is famous for its hot springs, geysers and active volcanoes. Lava fields cover much of the land and hot water is pumped from under the ground to supply much of the country's heating. Iceland became an independent republic in 1944 and went on to become one of the world's most prosperous economies. However, the collapse of the banking system in 2008 exposed that prosperity as having been built on a dangerously vulnerable economic model. The affluence enjoyed by Icelanders before 2008 initially rested on the fishing industry, but with the gradual contraction of this sector the Icelandic economy developed into new areas. Area 103,000 sq km (39,769 sq miles) Major language Icelandic Life expectancy 80 years (men), 84 years (women) Currency krona President: Gudni Johannesson Image copyright AFP Image caption President-elect Gudni Johannesson, with his wife Eliza Reid, at an election party in Reykjavik in June 2016. University historian Gudni Johannesson won Iceland's presidential election in June 2016 on his 48th birthday. He secured 39.1% of the vote, ahead of Halla Tomasdottir, a private equity executive, on 27.9%. A political outsider, he campaigned for the largely ceremonial post by pledging to restore Icelanders' faith in their system of government after years of public dissatisfaction with politicians first sparked by the country's banking collapse in 2010. Mr Johanesson succeeded Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, who stepped down in August 2016 after 20 years. Prime minister: Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson (resigned) Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Johannsson resigned in October 2016 after a snap parliamentary election Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson resigned as prime minister in October 2016 after a snap election saw his Progressive Party lose more than half of its seats. The parliamentary election was triggered by the resignation of Mr Johannsson's predecessor, Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, during public protests in April 2016 after leaked legal documents from the Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca revealed his offshore holdings. No party gained a parliamentary majority in an election dominated by public anger at Iceland's traditional elites and a strong desire for political change. While the anti-establishment Pirate Party made significant gains, the conservative Independence Party, a governing coalition partner since 2013, emerged as the biggest party but will need the support of at least two other parties to form a coalition government. MEDIA National radio and TV is provided by the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RUV), a public-service broadcaster owned by the state. The RUV is obliged to promote the Icelandic language and the nation's history and cultural heritage. Its services are funded by a licence fee, and by advertising revenues. Press titles include privately-owned and party-affiliated newspapers. The constitution guarantees press freedom. Some key dates in Iceland's history: 1918 - Iceland achieves full self-government under the Danish crown. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A view of Iceland's capital Reykjavik 1940 - German forces occupy Denmark. British forces occupy Iceland. 1941 - The United States takes over the defence of Iceland and stations tens of thousands of troops there. 1943 - The Treaty of Union with Denmark runs out, with Denmark still occupied by Nazi Germany. 1944 - Icelanders vote in a referendum overwhelmingly to cut all ties with Denmark and become a republic. The Republic of Iceland is proclaimed. 1944 - Iceland becomes a member of Nato. 1970 - Iceland joins European Free Trade Association (EFTA). |
'Ag' is the chemical symbol for which precious metal? | Precious metals gold, silver, platinum, palladium and titanium, plating, enamelling, finishes Silver Plated Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium and Titanium are precious metals, meaning they are rare metallic chemical elements of high economic value, shiny, hard, strong with high melting points. They form alloys (mixtures) with other metals and this makes them ideal for jewellery. Gold(Au) - Gold is a highly sought-after rare metallic element. For many centuries gold has been used for money, jewellery and ornamentation symbolising wealth and prosperity. Like other precious metals, gold is measured by troy weight and by grams. When it is alloyed with other metals the term carat (or karat in the USA) is used to indicate the amount of gold present. Pure gold is twenty-four twenty-fourths (24/24ths) gold, and is called 24-carat gold. Gold that is 18-caret gold is eighteen twenty-fourths (18/24ths) gold and six twenty-fourths (6/24ths) other metals. Only 24-carat gold is 100% pure gold. Its chemical symbol, Au, is short for the Latin word for gold, "Aurum", which means "Glowing Dawn". Is a very soft metal when it is pure (24ct). It is often alloyed with other metals to make it harder though this lessens the value. Pure gold has an attractive bright yellow colour however when alloyed with other metals it can come in other colours. It is non reactive to air and water. Silver(Ag) - Silver was once thought more precious than gold. It is a very soft metal and is often mixed with an alloy like copper. The term "Sterling Silver" probably originated in eastern Germany where they minted coins of .925 percent silver. When Britain sold cattle and grain to this area they were paid in "Easterling coins". These coins were found be be resilient and durable so King Henry II decided to adopt the standard .925 coins for Britain's own currency and set up a royal mint to produce silver coins. The term easterling silver was eventually shortened to sterling silver. To be sterling silver, the metal is made up of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. Silver has been used to make jewellery for many thousands of years. These days most silver is produced as a by-product of copper, gold, lead, and zinc mining. Silver tarnishes after exposure to air (a thin layer of silver oxide forms on the surface). The best way to deal with this is use silver dip or wipe with an impregnated cloth. We can also repolish any item to return it to its original condition. Platinum (PT) - Platinum is more precious than gold, it is a very strong dense metal that never corrodes. In its pure form it is harder than gold and silver so for jewellery it is alloyed with 5% of other metals, usually Iridium (another even rarer metal in the platinum family) to make it more workable. Naturally-occurring platinum has been known for a long time. The metal was used by pre-Columbian Native Americans, the first European reference to platinum appears in 1557 in the writings Julius Caesar Scaliger as a description of a mysterious metal found in Central American mines. It is a rare greyish white metal, ten tons of ore have to be mind to produce a single ounce of platinum. The word platinum comes from the Spanish word platina, meaning "little silver." Platinum exists in relatively higher abundance on the Moon. Palladium (Pd) - Palladium was discovered in 1803 and named after the asteroid Pallas. It is an element belonging to the platinum group of metals, Palladium is steel-white in colour, except in powder form, when it appears black. Palladium resists tarnishing in air and if annealed (a form of heat treatment) it is soft and ductile. Most palladium is used for catalytic converters in the automobile industry, it is also used in dentistry and now in jewellery due to its naturally white properties. It will develop a hazy patina over time and will discolour at soldering temperatures. Palladium becomes brittle with repeated heating and cooling. Palladium is one of three most used metals which can be alloyed with gold to produce white gold. Palladium-gold is a much more expensive al |
X-rays have a longer wavelength than microwaves. True or false? | Do Photons Of Gamma Rays And X-rays Move Faster Than Photons Of Visible Light Do Photons Of Gamma Rays And X-rays Move Faster Than Photons Of Visible Light A QUESTION OF TIME : If radiation travels at different rates, then depending on the frequency range we use in Thus we can conclude that the energy arriving now comes from different to collect data, visible light seems to travel faster than either radio or xray 'light' and visible light, gamma rays a Practice multiple choice questions for Exam II 1 : A. gamma rays, visible light, radio waves, microwaves B. gamma rays, visible light, Photon a is 5 times more energetic than photon b. This means that for photon a, compared to photon b, A. it travels at a speed which is 5 times faster B. th Electromagnetic Radiation Matter and Energy : Photons have varying amounts of energy, but all move at the speed of light. Thus each photon is a packet, or quanta, of pure energy, moving fast outside of the nucleus, can be less powerful than gamma rays and weak xrays can go partially Electromagnetic Spectrum Imagine The Universe : Spectrum, electromagnetic radiation can be described as a stream of photons, each traveling in a wavelike pattern, carrying energy and moving at the speed of light. In that radio waves, visible light and gamma rays is the ene XRays Another Form of Light Chandra X : The energy of the photon tells what kind of light it is. Radio waves (On a hot day, the particles in the air are moving faster than on a cold day.). VERITAS Education : Gammaray photons carry more energy than any other kind of light in the also employ lenses and mirrors, but the most energetic ultraviolet photons and Xrays can no of visible light and radio waves: they travel in straight lines they mov Do Ultraviolet rays travel faster than Light? : Because Ultraviolet Rays have higher wavelengths than the visual Gamma ray or Xray photon going faster than light photon could be the The Basics of Light : and refer to them by name, such as gammarays, Xrays, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, and Each photon of Xray light contains a lot of energy in comparison with, say, the sound wavesthe faster the vibration the higher the pitch of the 2 : The term electromagnetic radiation refers to a phenomenon that moves energy Electromagnetic radiation can be thought of as particles, called photons, that carry It is divided into the following regions: gamma ray, Xray, ultraviolet, vi Assignment 4A : Which of the following statements about electromagnetic radiation is FALSE? Which of the following travels through space the fastest? a. light b. radio waves c. infrared d. xrays e. you cant fool me, all of these travel through space at the same speed e. a gammaray photon is more energetic than a visible light photon. Electromagnetic Radiation : Electromagnetic radiation can travel through empty space. microwaves, infrared waves, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, Xrays, and gamma rays. Thus , some colors are reflected more than other, leading to the creation of a rainbow. When a photon is absorbed, the electron can be moved up or down an energy level. astronmytools html : dim the light. b. the seeing is better. c. has a wavelength that is shorter than the xrays emitted by the star. d. a and b a. will have a greater energy than short wavelength visible light. b. will have e. travel at a greater speed than photons of red light. a. xrays b. visible light c. radio d. gammarays e. infrared radiation HowStuffWorks How X : Xray machines seem to do the impossible: They see straight through clothing, Visible light photons and Xray photons are both produced by the movement of Radio waves dont have enough energy to move electrons between orbitals in up your bones are much larger, so they are better at absorbing Xray photons. Radioactivite Photons : When the wavelength is as short as is the case with gamma rays, then the waves Despite what the Greek root of the word would suggest, photons do not carry only |
Acetic acid is more commonly known as what? | Compound Interest - Everyday Chemicals: Acetic Acid – Vinegar & Volcanoes Everyday Chemicals: Acetic Acid – Vinegar & Volcanoes Click to enlarge It’s been a little while since the last post in the ‘Everyday Chemicals’ series, but it’s back today, and with a revamped look (which will also be applied out to the previous posts in the series over the next week or so). The latest post looks at acetic acid; this compound is well known for its presence in vinegar, but has a role in the manufacture of other chemicals we regularly encounter. It’s also an important part of a classic home science experiment! Acetic acid also has the name ethanoic acid, though this is less commonly used. Most people will know of its presence in vinegar, from which its name is derived – it originates from the latin word for vinegar. In vinegar acetic acid is generated by fermentation, which produces ethanol, and then subsequent oxidation of this ethanol. The method of acetic acid’s production by the oxidation of ethanol also helps explain why wines can begin to taste vinegary if the bottle is left open. Vinegars will contain between 4-18% acetic acid; table condiment varieties tend to have a maximum concentration of 8%, with the commercial vinegars used for pickling slightly stronger. The remainder of the vinegar is simply water, with trace compounds providing colourings and nuances in flavour, in cases such as malt vinegar and balsamic vinegar. The significant differences in different vinegars stem from their origin. Malt vinegar, popular in the UK, is created from malted barley (much like beer), whilst balsamic vinegar is made from white grape juice, then aged in barrels. Though it might be the best known of acetic acid’s uses, vinegar accounts for a minimal amount of the acetic acid that’s produced worldwide every year. Estimates put the production of acetic acid at 6.5 million tonnes per year, with the majority of this produced industrially from petrochemicals, rather than by fermentation. The major process used is the carbonylation of methanol, in which methanol and carbon monoxide are combined along with a catalyst to produce acetic acid. The rhodium-catalysed Monsanto process was also previously used, but has been largely supplanted by the iridium-catalysed Cativa process, which requires less water, and reduces the quantity of unwanted side-products from the reaction. Approximately one third of all of the acetic acid produced worldwide is reacted with ethene and oxygen (with a palladium catalyst) to produce vinyl acetate. This is a compound that can be used as a monomer to produce the polymer polyvinyl acetate (PVA), found in wood glues, and it can also be polymerised with other monomers to produce various other useful polymers. These include polyvinylpyrrolidone, used in some hair gels. Vinyl acetate isn’t the only chemical that acetic acid is useful for producing. It’s also useful for producing acetate esters, which include cellulose acetate, which can be used to make some photographic films (a use that has presumably declined now that digital photography has become prevalent). It can also be used in the preparation of some drugs – for example, aspirin can be produced by the reaction between acetic acid and salicylic acid. However, acetic anhydride, another compound that can be produced from acetic acid, is more commonly used to produce aspirin. Pure acetic lab finds use in chemical laboratories as a water-free solvent for other chemicals. In pure form, it’s known as glacial acetic acid, as its melting point being only just below room temperature at 16.7˚C means that it can often freeze in its container on cold days. Although we don’t think of vinegar as being a particularly dangerous substance, pure acetic acid is a very corrosive chemical. Back to the household, and acetic acid often finds uses as a household cleaner. Particularly, it can be found in some descales for removing limescale. Limescale is a mixture of minerals, but primarily calcium carbonate, a basic compound. As everyone learns in school chemistry lessons, the combination o |
The word 'BASIC' in computing terms means what? | What does BASIC mean? definition, meaning and audio pronunciation (Free English Language Dictionary) • BASIC (noun) The noun BASIC has 2 senses: 1. a popular programming language that is relatively easy to learn; an acronym for beginner's all-purpose symbolic instruction code; no longer in general use 2. (usually plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant Familiarity information: BASIC used as a noun is rare. The adjective BASIC has 4 senses: 1. pertaining to or constituting a base or basis 2. reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality 3. serving as a base or starting point 4. of or denoting or of the nature of or containing a base Familiarity information: BASIC used as an adjective is uncommon. Dictionary entry details |
What name is given to number 1 followed by 100 zero's? | What is googol and googolplex? - Definition from WhatIs.com purchase intent A googol is 10 to the 100th power (which is 1 followed by 100 zeros). A googol is larger than the number of elementary particles in the universe, which amount to only 10 to the 80th power. The term was invented by Milton Sirotta, the 9-year nephew of mathematician Edward Kasner, who had asked his nephew what he thought such a large number should be called. Such a number, Milton apparently replied after a short thought, could only be called something as silly as a "googol." Later, another mathematician devised the term googolplex for 10 to the power of googol - that is, 1 followed by 10 to the power of 100 zeros. Frank Pilhofer has determined that, given Moore's Law (which is that computer processor power doubles about every 1 to 2 years), it would make no sense to try to print out a googolplex for another 524 years - since all earlier attempts to print a googolplex out would be overtaken by the faster processor. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google , named their search engine after the term googol. In 1997, Larry was brainstorming names with other Stanford graduate students, including Sean Anderson, and looking at available domain name s. Anderson miskeyed googol as "google" and found it available. Larry liked it and the name "Google" stuck. Google's corporate headquarters is called the GooglePlex, an affectionately tongue-in-cheek reference to the origins of the company name. This was last updated in December 2006 Continue Reading About googol and googolplex |
Percy Shaw invented a road safety device commonly known as what? | History of the Road Stud History of the Road Stud They originated in the UK in 1933 and today are used all over the world. The simple road stud, or as they are commonly known, the Cat's Eye was invented by Percy Shaw, a road mender from Halifax, and are now used as a safety device on over 90% of Britain's roads. Their invention came about from a remarkable piece of observation when Shaw noticed after the removal of tram-lines in the nearby suburb of Ambler Thorn, he had, unwittingly been using the old polished strips of steel to navigate. The name "cat's eye" comes from Shaw's inspiration for the device: the reflection from the eyes of a cat apparently when driving home one foggy night. That is when he clicked onto the idea of using a simple reflective device buried in the road surface to guide drivers along dangerous roads. Having seen how cars were becoming more and more popular and that as more and more people wanted to travel at night they would need more and more help to do so safely. In 1934, he patented his invention, but to actually design something which was not only bright enough to light the road but also withstand the impact of the cars driving over the top of it. In 1937 he won the government contract to mass manufacture the stud and what we still see today on our roads was born. Shaw made the device from two pairs of reflective glass spheres - the 'eyes' - which are traditionally set into a white rubber dome, mounted in a cast iron housing. The clever thing about the road stud is its ability to clean itself by using a fixed rubber wiper which effectively 'washes' the reflectors as they are pushed down when a car drives over the top of the device using rainwater which has collected in the base, making the stud's effectively way ahead of their time in terms of recycling as well. At its peak, Shaw's company Reflective Road studs made over a million studs a year, exporting all over the planet, and while these days they are available in a range of colours and can be solar powered or hard wired the basic principle remains the same. What do the various types of Cat's-Eyes mean? On UK roads today there are various types of road stud all of which have different meanings: The original Cats Eyes are white studs that separate lanes or the middle of the road. Red studs warn motorists that they are close to the left edge of the road. Amber studs warn drivers of the central reservation of a dual carriageway or motorway. Green studs signify the edge of the main carriageway where rest-areas and access roads exit the main road. Green/yellow studs warn drivers that there are temporary adjustments to lane layouts, e.g. where roadwork’s are taking place. |
Solid carbon dioxide is commonly known as what? | Carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide What is carbon dioxide and how is it discovered? Joseph Black, a Scottish chemist and physician, first identified carbon dioxide in the 1750s. At room temperatures (20-25 oC), carbon dioxide is an odourless, colourless gas, which is faintly acidic and non-flammable. Carbon dioxide is a molecule with the molecular formula CO2. The linear molecule consists of a carbon atom that is doubly bonded to two oxygen atoms , O=C=O. Although carbon dioxide mainly consists in the gaseous form, it also has a solid and a liquid form. It can only be solid when temperatures are below -78 oC. Liquid carbon dioxide mainly exists when carbon dioxide is dissolved in water. Carbon dioxide is only water-soluble, when pressure is maintained. After pressure drops the CO2 gas will try to escape to air. This event is characterised by the CO2 bubbles forming into water. CO2-molecule There are several physical and chemical properties, which belong to carbon dioxide. Here we will sum them up in a table. Property 0.9 vol/vol at 20 oC Where on earth do we find carbon dioxide? Carbon dioxide can be found mainly in air, but also in water as a part of the carbon cycle. We can show you how the carbon cycle works, by means of an explanation and a schematic representation. --> Move to the Carbon Cycle . Applications of carbon dioxide by humans Humans use carbon dioxide in many different ways. The most familiar example is its use in soft drinks and beer, to make them fizzy. Carbon dioxide released by baking powder or yeast makes cake batter rise. Some fire extinguishers use carbon dioxide because it is denser than air. Carbon dioxide can blanket a fire, because of its heaviness. It prevents oxygen from getting to the fire and as a result, the burning material is deprived of the oxygen it needs to continue burning. Carbon dioxide is also used in a technology called supercritical fluid extraction that is used to decaffeinate coffee. The solid form of carbon dioxide, commonly known as Dry Ice, is used in theatres to create stage fogs and make things like "magic potions" bubble. The part carbon dioxide plays in environmental processes Carbon dioxide is one of the most abundant gasses in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide plays an important part in vital plant and animal process, such as photosynthesis and respiration. These processes will be briefly explained here. Green plants convert carbon dioxide and water into food compounds, such as glucose, and oxygen. This process is called photosynthesis. The reaction of photosynthesis is as follows: 6 CO2 + 6 H2O --> C6H12O6 + 6 O2 Plants and animals, in turn, convert the food compounds by combining it with oxygen to release energy for growth and other life activities. This is the respiration process, the reverse of photosynthesis. The respiration reaction is as follows: C6H12O6 + 6 O2 --> 6 CO2 + 6 H2O Photosynthesis and respiration play an important role in the carbon cycle and are at equilibrium with one another. Photosynthesis dominates during the warmer part of the year and respiration dominates during the colder part of the year. However, both processes occur the entire year. Overall, then, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere decreases during the growing season and increases during the rest of the year. Because the seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres are opposite, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing in the north while decreasing in the south, and vice versa. The cycle is more clearly present in the northern hemisphere; because it has relatively more land mass and terrestrial vegetation. Oceans dominate the southern hemisphere. Influence of carbon dioxide on alkalinity Carbon dioxide can change the pH of water. This is how it works: Carbon dioxide dissolves slightly in water to form a weak acid called carbonic acid, H2CO3, according to the following reaction: CO2 + H2O --> H2CO3 After that, carbonic acid reacts slightly and reversibly in water to form a hydronium cation, H3O+, and the bicarbonate ion, HCO3-, according to the following reaction: H2CO3 + H2O --> HCO3- + |
Sn is the chemical symbol for which metal? | tin (Sn) | chemical element | Britannica.com chemical element Earth Tin (Sn), a chemical element belonging to the carbon family, Group 14 (IVa) of the periodic table . It is a soft, silvery white metal with a bluish tinge, known to the ancients in bronze, an alloy with copper . Tin is widely used for plating steel cans used as food containers, in metals used for bearings, and in solder. The origins of tin are lost in antiquity. Bronzes , which are copper–tin alloys, were used by humans in prehistory long before pure tin metal itself was isolated. Bronzes were common in early Mesopotamia , the Indus valley, Egypt, Crete, Israel, and Peru . Much of the tin used by the early Mediterranean peoples apparently came from the Scilly Isles and Cornwall in the British Isles , where tin mining dates to at least 300–200 bce. Tin mines were operating in both the Inca and Aztec domains of South and Central America before the Spanish conquest. The symbol Sn for tin is an abbreviation of the Latin word for tin, stannum. Occurrence and distribution The element is present in the igneous rocks of Earth’s crust to the extent of about 0.001 percent, which is scarce but not rare; its abundance is of the same order of magnitude as such technically useful elements as cobalt , nickel , copper, cerium , and lead , and it is essentially equal to the abundance of nitrogen . In the cosmos there are 1.33 atoms of tin per 1 × 106 atoms of silicon , an abundance roughly equal to that of niobium , ruthenium , neodymium , or platinum . Cosmically, tin is a product of neutron absorption. Its richness in stable isotopes is noteworthy. carbon group element: Tin occurs in grains of the native metal but chiefly as stannic oxide, SnO2, in the mineral cassiterite , the only tin mineral of commercial significance. The metal is obtained from cassiterite by reduction (removal of the oxygen) with coal or coke in smelting furnaces. No high-grade deposits are known. The major sources are alluvial deposits, averaging about 0.01 percent tin. The oldest tin mines were those in Cornwall, which were worked at least as early as Phoenician times but are no longer of major consequence, and Spain. Lode deposits, containing up to 4 percent, are found in Bolivia and Cornwall. China led the world in tin production in the early 21st century, accounting for nearly half of all production; Indonesia , Peru, and Bolivia were also top producers. Several processes have been devised for reclaiming the metal from scrap tin or tin-plated articles. (For a full treatment of tin mining, refining, and recovery, see tin processing .) Properties of the element carbon (C) Tin is nontoxic, ductile, malleable , and adapted to all kinds of cold-working, such as rolling , spinning , and extrusion . The colour of pure tin is retained during exposure because a thin, invisible, protective film of stannic oxide is formed spontaneously by reaction with the oxygen of the air. The low melting point of tin and its firm adhesion to clean surfaces of iron , steel, copper, and copper alloys facilitate its use as an oxidation-resistant coating material. Tin exists in two different forms, or allotropes: the familiar form, white (or beta) tin, and gray (or alpha) tin, which is powdery and of little use. The gray form changes to the white above 13.2 °C (55.8 °F), rapidly at temperatures above 100 °C (212 °F); the reverse transformation, called tin pest, occurs at low temperatures and seriously hampers the use of the metal in very cold regions. This change is rapid only below −50 °C (−58 °F), unless catalyzed by gray tin or tin in the +4 oxidation state , but is prevented by small amounts of antimony , bismuth , copper, lead, silver , or gold normally present in commercial grades of tin. Periodic Table of the Elements White tin has a body-centred tetragonal crystal structure , and gray tin has a face-centred cubic structure. When bent, tin makes an eerie, crackling “cry” as its crystals crush each other. Tin is attacked by strong acids and alkalies, but nearly neutral solutions do not affect it appreciably. Chlorin |
Seismology is the study of what? | What Is Seismology and What Are Seismic Waves? What Is Seismology? Seismology is the study of earthquakes and seismic waves that move through and around the earth. A seismologist is a scientist who studies earthquakes and seismic waves. What Are Seismic Waves? Seismic waves are the waves of energy caused by the sudden breaking of rock within the earth or an explosion. They are the energy that travels through the earth and is recorded on seismographs. Types of Seismic Waves There are several different kinds of seismic waves, and they all move in different ways. The two main types of waves are body waves and surface waves. Body waves can travel through the earth's inner layers, but surface waves can only move along the surface of the planet like ripples on water. Earthquakes radiate seismic energy as both body and surface waves. Body Waves Traveling through the interior of the earth, body waves arrive before the surface waves emitted by an earthquake. These waves are of a higher frequency than surface waves. P Waves The first kind of body wave is the P wave or primary wave. This is the fastest kind of seismic wave, and, consequently, the first to 'arrive' at a seismic station. The P wave can move through solid rock and fluids, like water or the liquid layers of the earth. It pushes and pulls the rock it moves through just like sound waves push and pull the air. Have you ever heard a big clap of thunder and heard the windows rattle at the same time? The windows rattle because the sound waves were pushing and pulling on the window glass much like P waves push and pull on rock. Sometimes animals can hear the P waves of an earthquake. Dogs, for instance, commonly begin barking hysterically just before an earthquake 'hits' (or more specifically, before the surface waves arrive). Usually people can only feel the bump and rattle of these waves. P waves are also known as compressional waves, because of the pushing and pulling they do. Subjected to a P wave, particles move in the same direction that the the wave is moving in, which is the direction that the energy is traveling in, and is sometimes called the 'direction of wave propagation'. Click here to see a P wave in action. Figure 1 - A P wave travels through a medium by means of compression and dilation. Particles are represented by cubes in this model. Image �2000-2006 Lawrence Braile, used with permission. S Waves The second type of body wave is the S wave or secondary wave, which is the second wave you feel in an earthquake. An S wave is slower than a P wave and can only move through solid rock, not through any liquid medium. It is this property of S waves that led seismologists to conclude that the Earth's outer core is a liquid. S waves move rock particles up and down, or side-to-side--perpindicular to the direction that the wave is traveling in (the direction of wave propagation). Click here to see a S wave in action. Figure 2 - An S wave travels through a medium. Particles are represented by cubes in this model. Image �2000-2006 Lawrence Braile, used with permission. If you'd like to try your hand at making your own P and S waves, try this little experiment . Surface Waves Travelling only through the crust, surface waves are of a lower frequency than body waves, and are easily distinguished on a seismogram as a result. Though they arrive after body waves, it is surface waves that are almost enitrely responsible for the damage and destruction associated with earthquakes. This damage and the strength of the surface waves are reduced in deeper earthquakes. Love Waves The first kind of surface wave is called a Love wave, named after A.E.H. Love, a British mathematician who worked out the mathematical model for this kind of wave in 1911. It's the fastest surface wave and moves the ground from side-to-side. Confined to the surface of the crust, Love waves produce entirely horizontal motion. Click here to see a Love wave in action. Figure 3 - A Love wave travels through a medium. Particles are represented by cubes in this model. Image �2000-2006 Lawrence Braile, used with perm |
What actually is laughing gas? | Laughing Gas - Nitrous Oxide - Relative Analgesia - Inhalation Sedation Inhalation Sedation Inhalation Sedation (Laughing Gas) Inhalation sedation, laughing gas, relative analgesia, RA, happy gas, gas and air, nitrous, nitrous oxide, N2O-O2… this one has more names than any other sedation technique! And deservedly so. Inhalation sedation with nitrous oxide (N2O) and oxygen (O2) has been described as “representing the most nearly ‘ideal’ clinical sedative circumstance”… What is it? And what does it do? Nitrous oxide (N2O) is simply a gas which you can breathe in. It has no color, smell, and doesn’t irritate. It was discovered in 1772. Humphrey Davy (1778-1829), one of the pioneers of N2O experimentation, described the effects of N2O on himself following self-administration for a toothache and gum infection as follows: “On the day when the inflammation was the most troublesome, I breathed three large doses of nitrous oxide. The pain always diminished after the first four or five inspirations; the thrilling came on as usual, and uneasiness was for a few minutes swallowed up in pleasure.” Sounds like fun!! The extract above pretty much summarizes the effects of nitrous oxide: it kills pain – and it induces a pleasurable feeling. After 5 minutes or so of breathing in the gas, you should feel a euphoric feeling spread throughout your body. It really kind of feels like a ‘happy drunk’ feeling. Some people find that there are auditory or visual effects as well. You will feel a bit light headed and often people get ‘the giggles’ (hence the name laughing gas!). As an interesting aside, nitrous oxide was one of the drugs of choice for young people in the late 1700s and early 1800s, when laughing gas demonstrations were a popular source of entertainment and enjoyment. First-hand accounts of Relative Analgesia “I started feeling warm all over. The elevator-type music they had on was starting to all sound the same and I could have sworn that they were looping the same song over and over and over. I remember somewhat the dentist coming in and telling me that this is going to be a “Three Martini Cleaning” and asked me if I preferred Strawberry Daiquiri or Pina Colada. The taste of Pina Colada filled my gums and then I saw the needle with the local anesthesia for a second, but he must have decided not to use it because I seriously didn’t feel anything. I was already under a nice level buzz from the N20 and I could feel myself relaxing into the chair — the drugs were finally kicking in. The Pina Colada taste in my mouth made me start thinking of previous Caribbean vacations…” “I’m still smelling cherry flavor :-).You start with O2 of course and a few minutes later he asked how i was doing and basically nothing happened so he had to increase it a couple of times and finally I started to relax a bit. No real loopiness but just a sense of yeah I can get thru this. The biggest sensation was my legs felt kinda heavy as if to say maybe I want to stay here a while. Thinking like that I knew the gas was definitely working!! I WANTED TO STAY AT THE DENTIST!!!! Can you believe this.” How does nitrous oxide work? Today, we know that nitrous oxide (N2O) on its own can only safely be used for short periods of time (because the lack of oxygen in pure N2O can lead to unconsciousness and even death) – but that it’s safe to use for longer periods of time if you mix it with oxygen (O2). Hence, the “laughing gas” used now is called N2O-O2, and contains at least 30% oxygen (that’s all the machines used nowadays will permit). Usually, the mix is about 70% oxygen to 30% nitrous oxide. In medicine, sometimes a mix of 50% oxygen to 50% nitrous oxide is used. This is known as entonox or, more commonly, “gas and air”. Depending on the concentration and length of administration of laughing gas, four levels of sedation can be experienced (after an initial feeling of light-headedness): a tingling sensation, especially in the arms and legs, or a feeling of vibration (“parasthesia”), quickly followed by warm sensations, an |
Fe is the chemical symbol for what metal? | Iron - Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table Chemistry in its element: iron (Promo) You're listening to Chemistry in its element brought to you by Chemistry World, the magazine of the Royal Society of Chemistry. (End promo) Chris Smith Hello, this week we turn to one of the most important elements in the human body. It's the one that makes metabolism possible and don't we just know it. There are iron man challenges, iron fisted leaders and those said to have iron in the soul. But there's a dark side to element number 26 too because its powerful chemistry means that it's also bad news for brain cells as Nobel Laureate Kary Mullis explains Kary Mullis For the human brain, iron is essential yet deadly. It exists on Earth mainly in two oxidation states - FeII and FeIII. FeIII is predominant within a few meters of the atmosphere which about two billion years ago turned 20% oxygen - oxidizing this iron to the plus three state which is virtually insoluble in water. This change from the relatively plentiful and soluble FeII, took a heavy toil on almost everything alive at the time. Surviving terrestrial and ocean-dwelling microbes developed soluble siderophore molecules to regain access to this plentiful, but otherwise inaccessible essential resource, which used hydroxamate or catechol chelating groups to bring the FeIII back into solution. Eventually higher organisms including animals, evolved. And animals used the energy of oxygen recombining with the hydrocarbons and carbohydrates in plant life to enable motion. Iron was essential to this process. But no animal, however, has been able to adequately deal, in the long run - meaning eighty year life spans - with the fact that iron is essential for the conversion of solar energy to movement, but is virtually insoluble in water at neutral pH, and, even worse, is toxic. Carbon, sulfur, nitrogen. calcium, magnesium, sodium, maybe ten other elements are also involved in life, but none of them have the power of iron to move electrons around, and none of them have the power to totally destroy the whole system. Iron does. Systems have evolved to maintain iron in specific useful and safe configurations - enzymes which utilize its catalytic powers, or transferrins and haemosiderins, which move it around and store it. But these are not perfect. Sometimes iron atoms are misplaced, and there are no known systems to recapture iron that has precipitated inside of a cell. In some tissues, cells overloaded with iron can be recycled or destroyed - but this doesn't work for neurons. Neurons sprout thousands of processes during their existence - reaching out to form networks of connections to other neurons. During development of the adult human brain a large percentage of cells are completely eliminated, and some new ones are added. It is a learning process. But once an area of the brain is up and running, there is nothing that can be done biologically, if a large number of its cells stop working for any reason. And the slow creep of precipitating iron over many decades is perhaps most often that reason. In less sophisticated tissues, like the liver, new stem cells can be activated, but in the brain, trained, structurally complex, interconnected neurons are needed, with thousands of projections that are accumulated over a lifetime of learning. So the result is slowly progressive neurodegenerative disease, like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. This same basic mechanism can result in a variety of diseases. There are twenty or thirty proteins that that deal with iron in the brain - holding iron and passing it from place to place. Every new individual endowed with a new set of chromosomes is endowed with a new set of these proteins. Some combinations will be better than others and some will be dangerous individually and collectively. A mutation in a gene that codes for one of these proteins could disrupt its function - allowing iron atoms to become lost. These atoms that have been lost from the chemical groups that hold them will not always be safely returned t |
Henry V111 had several wives. Who was the last one? | Learn All About The Six Wives Of Henry VIII, Their Lives & Deaths | Historic Royal Palaces Find out more about the lives (and deaths) of Henry VIII's six wives Katherine of Aragon Divorced The first of Henry VIII's six wives, Katherine of Aragon (1485-1536) was a Spanish princess who was married to Henry for 18 years before he began divorce proceedings in his desperation to re-marry and produce a male heir. Katherine had been pregnant six times but only one daughter, Princess Mary, later Mary I , had survived. Dying in 1536, Katherine wrote to Henry: 'Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire you above all things. Farewell.' Anne Boleyn Beheaded The second of Henry VIII's six wives, Anne Boleyn (c1501-1536) was married to the King for only three years from 1533-1536. Instead of the sought after male heir, Anne was pregnant with another princess, Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I ). Anne was supported by religious reformers but was also hated by many at court. After a miscarriage, her fate was sealed and she was arrested (and later executed at the Tower of London) for adultery and incest. Jane Seymour Died Jane Seymour (c1509-1537) was the third of Henry VIII's six wives and the only wife to provide the King with the much longed for son and male heir. Having married Henry in May 1536, she gave birth to Prince Edward (later Edward VI) at Hampton Court Palace in 1537 but died soon afterwards. Henry had his son but grieved: 'Providence has mingled my joy with the bitterness of the death of her who brought me this happiness.' Anne of Cleves Divorced Anne of Cleves (1515-1557) was the fourth of Henry VIII's six wives and at 24 was half Henry's age when they married in January 1540. Henry first saw Anne of Cleves in a painting by Hans Holbein but in the flesh, Henry found Anne unattractive and began pursuing one of her maids of honour, Catherine Howard. After six months the marriage was annulled yet Anne remained in England and on good terms with Henry VIII. He commanded that she be treated as 'the king's sister' Catherine Howard Beheaded Henry VIII's fifth wife was an alluring teenager named Catherine Howard (c1522-1542). Married three weeks after his second divorce, rumours of Catherine's past and present love affairs reached a furious Henry. She was arrested at Hampton Court Palace and later taken to the Tower of London where she was beheaded in February 1542, aged about 21. Kateryn Parr |
Back to Henry V111, who was his third wife? | Anne Boleyn: Facts About the Second Wife of Henry VIII | Primary Facts Anne Boleyn: Facts About the Second Wife of Henry VIII Posted on by James • 7 Comments Here are some facts about Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. Very little is known about the early years of Anne Boleyn’s life. Historians can’t even agree when Anne was born. Some think she was born in 1500 or 1501, whereas others think a year of 1507 to be more likely. She was probably born at Blickling Hall in Norfolk. Apparently, Anne was not particularly pretty. Contrary to legend, she probably didn’t have a sixth finger on one of her hands. She was, however, stylish, intelligent and quick-witted. Anne spent time in the household of Henry’s sister, Mary Tudor, who was married to the French King, Louis XII. Anne learned to speak French fluently. Anne’s sister Mary Boleyn was a mistress of Henry VIII. After Henry VIII took an interest in Anne, it was thought that she too would become one of his mistresses. However, this was not the case, and from 1527 onwards, Henry sought to get his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled so he would be in a position to marry Anne. In 1533 Anne and Henry were secretly married. It is thought that Anne was pregnant with Henry’s child at this point. Henry and Catherine were still officially married, but Archbishop Cranmer proclaimed the marriage to be null and void. Henry’s desire to annul the marriage between himself and Catherine in order to marry Anne, led to the break with Rome. Anne gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, on August 26th 1533. Anne Boleyn fell pregnant again in 1534 but it either ended in miscarriage or the child being stillborn. In 1535 Anne suffered a miscarriage. King Henry VIII desperately desired a male heir and he started to spend time with one of Anne’s ladies-in-waiting, Jane Seymour. Anne’s enemies at court, particularly Thomas Cromwell, began to plot her downfall. On May 2nd 1536, Anne was arrested at Greenwich, accused of committing adultery, incest and high treason. It was also said that she plotted to kill the King. She was taken to the Tower of London . On Monday 15th Queen Anne Boleyn and her brother were put on trial. Anne was found guilty of committing adultery, despite a significant lack of evidence, and she was executed on the morning of May 19th 1536. Anne’s head and body were placed in an arrow chest and buried in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula. Find out about Henry VIII’s other wives by clicking here . You can also check out more of our Tudor resources by visiting this page . |
What did Sir Richard Arkwright invent in 1769? | Richard Arkwright Richard Arkwright References Richard Arkwright, the sixth of the seven children of Thomas Arkwright (1691–1753), a tailor, and his wife, Ellen Hodgkinson (1693–1778), was born in Preston on 23rd December, 1732. Richard's parents were very poor and could not afford to send him to school and instead arranged for him to be taught to read and write by his cousin Ellen. (1) Richard became a barber's apprentice at Kirkham before moving to Bolton . He worked for Edward Pollit and in 1754 he started his own business as a wig-maker. The following year he married Patience Holt, the daughter of a schoolmaster. Their only child, Richard Arkwright, was born on 19th December 1755. After the death of his first wife he married Margaret Biggins (1723–1811) on 24th March 1761. (2) Arkwright's work involved him travelling the country collecting people's discarded hair. In September 1767 Arkwright met John Kay, a clockmaker, from Warrington , who had been busy for some time trying to produce a new spinning-machine with another man, Thomas Highs of Leigh. Kay and Highs had run out of money and had been forced to abandon the project. Arkwright was impressed by Kay and offered to employ him to make this new machine. Arkwright also recruited other local craftsman, including Peter Atherton, to help Kay in his experiments. According to one source: "They rented a room in a secluded teacher's house behind some gooseberry bushes, but they were so secretive that the neighbours were suspicious and accused them of sorcery, and two old women complained that the humming noises they heard at night must be the devil tuning his bagpipes." (3) Richard Arkwright and the Spinning Frame As the economic historian, Thomas Southcliffe Ashton , has pointed out, Arkwright did not have any great inventive ability, but "had the force of character and robust sense that are traditionally associated with his native county - with little, it may be added, of the kindliness and humour that are, in fact, the dominant traits of Lancashire people." (4) In 1768 the team produced the Spinning-Frame and a patent for the new machine was granted in 1769. The machine involved three sets of paired rollers that turned at different speeds. While these rollers produced yarn of the correct thickness, a set of spindles twisted the fibres firmly together. The machine was able to produce a thread that was far stronger than that made by the Spinning-Jenny produced by James Hargreaves . (5) Adam Hart-Davis has explained the way the new machine worked: "Several spinning machines were designed at about this time, but most of them tried to do the stretching and the spinning together. The problem is that the moment you start twisting the roving you lock the fibres together. Arkwright's idea was to stretch first and then twist. The roving passed from a bobbin between a pair of rollers, and then a couple of inches later between another pair that were rotating at twice the speed. The result was to stretch the roving to twice its original length. A third pair of rollers repeated the process... Two things are obvious the moment you see the wonderful beast in action. First, there are 32 bobbins along each side of each end of the water frame - 128 on the whole machine. Second, it is so automatic that even I could operate it." (6) On 29th September 1769 Arkwright rented premises in Nottingham . However, he had difficulty finding investors in his new company. David Thornley, a merchant, of Liverpool , and John Smalley, a publican from Preston , did provide some money but he still needed more to start production. Arkwright approached a banker Ichabod Wright but he rejected the proposal because he judged that there was "little prospect of the discovery being brought into a practical state". (7) Wright introduced Arkwright to Jedediah Strutt and Samuel Need . Strutt was a manufacturer of stockings and the inventor of a machine for the machine-knitting of ribbed stockings. (8) Strutt and Need were impressed with Arkwright's new machine and agreed to form a partnership. On 19th January 17 |
Who founded the 'Open University'? | The OU story - About the OU - Open University Home Strategy The OU story The OU story What other nation in the world could have given us William Shakespeare, pork pies, Christopher Wren, Windsor Great Park, The Open University, Gardeners’ Question Time and the chocolate digestive biscuit? Bill Bryson, author and honorary graduate of the OU The Open University was the world’s first successful distance teaching university, founded on the belief that communications technology could bring high quality degree-level learning to people who had not had the opportunity to attend traditional campus universities. Background The idea that new technologies such as radio and television could be used to bring education to a wide audience began to surface as long ago as the 1920s. But it was not until the early 1960s that the idea gained momentum, when the Labour party under Prime Minister Harold Wilson decided to take action to address the continuing exclusion from higher education of people from lower income groups – building on the vision of social reformer and political activist Michael Young. Wilson later recalled: That Easter Sunday (1963) I spent in the Isles of Scilly. Between church and lunch I wrote the whole outline for a University of the Air. Early years When Labour won the election in 1964, Harold Wilson appointed Jennie Lee as Minister for the Arts and asked her to take over the project. Without her total commitment, The Open University may have remained nothing more than a bold idea – but she gradually wore down hostility and indifference. A committee of university vice-chancellors, educationalists and television broadcasters began planning in 1965, and The Open University became a manifesto commitment in 1966. Professor Walter Perry was appointed the OU's first vice-chancellor in 1969, and its Foundation Secretary was Anastasios Christodoulou. With a staff of 70-80 people, they transferred their offices to Walton Hall, a small country estate in the new city of Milton Keynes. Right from the start the OU adopted a radical open admissions policy, while attaining the highest standards of scholarship. It was a model which proved extremely popular with the public. When the OU accepted its first students in 1971, 25,000 people enrolled and 20,000 registered on a course – at a time when the total student population in the UK was only about 130,000. Expansion and consolidation Throughout the 1970s and 1980s student numbers steadily increased, despite political pressures during the years of Conservative government. Science home experiment kits, late night TV broadcasts and residential schools became part of the OU folklore. More courses and subject areas were introduced; and as the importance of career development grew, professional training courses were offered alongside academic programmes. The first postgraduate degrees were introduced; a modest project for British nationals in Brussels expanded to attract students from every country in the EU; and in 1983 the OU Business School – today the largest business school in Europe – opened its doors. Expansion continued during the 1990s, with new areas of study including law and modern languages; and the introduction of named degrees as an alternative to the Open degree. Partnerships were established to deliver higher education in other countries, and the OU became a model for distance learning across the world. Technological advances New methods of learning also featured as computers began to replace typewriters on desks and video recorders replaced the need to set the alarm to view the OU’s early morning broadcasts. By 1988, three courses required the use of a computer and students communicated with each other with the early Internet using the CoSy conferencing system. The OU/BBC partnership reflected changing technologies as video and DVD replaced live broadcasts, and peak-time BBC series brought educational content to a much wider audience. Today, course delivery takes full advantage of the internet, with students learning online and on mobile devices, and using high-tech |
What country did Alaska belong to prior to 1867? | Why did Russia sell Alaska to the United States? | Russia Beyond The Headlines Why did Russia sell Alaska to the United States? April 20, 2014 Georgy Manaev , RBTH In 1867, Russia sold the territory of Alaska to the U.S. for $7.2 million. A mere 50 years later, the Americans had earned that amount back 100 times over. How could the imperial officials have given up such a choice parcel? RBTH sorts out the muddled story of the sale of Alaska. Facebook u.s.-russia relations , history , alaska View of Alaska. Source: Alamy / Legion Media A petition calling for Russia’s annexation of Alaska that was posted on the White House website gathered more than 35,000 signatures before it was canceled. Many people still think that the Americans either stole Alaska from the Russians or leased it and did not return it. Despite the widespread myths, the deal was an honest one, and both sides had valid reasons to make it. Alaska before the sale In the 19th century, Russian Alaska was a center of international trade. In the capital, Novoarkhangelsk (now known as Sitka), merchants traded Chinese fabrics, tea and even ice, which the southern United States needed before the invention of the refrigerator. Ships and factories were built, and coal was mined. People already knew about the numerous gold deposits in the area. Selling this land seemed like madness. Pilots retrace Alaska-to-Siberia Lend-Lease route Russian merchants were drawn to Alaska for the walrus ivory (it was as expensive as elephant ivory) and the valuable sea otter fur, which could be procured by trading with the indigenous peoples of the region. Trading was done by the Russian-American Company (RAC), which was started by adventurers — 18th-century Russian businessmen, courageous travelers and entrepreneurs. The company controlled all of Alaska’s mines and minerals, it could independently enter into trade agreements with other countries, and it had its own flag and currency — leather “marks”. These privileges were granted to the company by the imperial government. The government not only collected massive taxes from the company, it also owned a large part of it — the tsars and their family members were among the RAC’s shareholders. The Russian Pizarro The main ruler of the Russian settlements in America was the talented merchant Alexander Baranov. Alexander Baranov. Source:GettyImages/Fotobank He built schools and factories, taught the native people to plant rutabaga and potatoes, built fortresses and shipyards, and expanded the sea otter trade. Baranov called himself the “Russian Pizarro” and took a liking to Alaska not only with his purse, but also with his heart — he married the daughter of an Aleut chief. Under Baranov, the RAC brought in enormous revenue: more than 1,000 percent profit. When an ageing Baranov resigned his duties, he was replaced by the captain lieutenant Hagemeister, who brought with him new employees and shareholders from military circles. Statute now dictated that only naval officers could lead the company. The strongmen quickly appropriated the profitable business, but it was their actions that ruined the company. Filthy lucre The new masters set astronomical salaries for themselves — common officers earned 1,500 rubles per year (this was comparable to the salaries of ministers and senators), while the head of the company earned 150,000 rubles. They bought fur from the local population for half price. As a result, over the next 20 years, the Eskimos and Aleuts killed almost all the sea otters, depriving Alaska of its most profitable trade. The native people suffered and staged uprisings that the Russians quashed by firing on the coastal villages from military ships. The officers began to look for other sources of revenue. Hence the trade in ice and tea began, but the ill-fortuned businessmen could not organize this sensibly either, and lowering their salaries was unthinkable. Consequently, the RAC was transferred to state subsidies — 200,000 rubles per year. But even this did not save the company. A check in the amount of $7.2 million, for the purc |
What year marked the end of the Chinese 'Ming' Dynasty? | End of Ming Dynasty | World History Project Apr 25 1644 End of Ming Dynasty The collapse of the Ming Dynasty was a protracted affair, its roots beginning as early as 1600 with the emergence of the Manchu under Nurhaci. Originally a vassal of the Ming emperors, Nurhaci in 1582 embarked on an inter-tribal feud that escalated into a campaign to unify the Jianzhou Jurchen tribes. Later Nurhaci announced Seven Grievances and openly renounced the sovereignty of Ming overlordship in order to complete the unification of those Jurchen tribes still allied with the Ming emperor. With superior artillery the Ming were able to repeatedly fight off the Manchus, notably in 1623 and in 1628. However, they were not able to recapture their rule over the Manchus and the region. From 1629 onwards the Míng were wearied by a combination of internal strife and constant harassment of Northern China by the Manchu; who had turned to raiding tactics so as to avoid facing the Míng armies in open battle. Unable to attack the heart of Míng directly, the Manchu instead bided their time, developing their own artillery and gathering allies. They were able to enlist Míng government officials as their strategic advisors. In 1633 they completed a conquest of Inner Mongolia, resulting in a large scale recruitment of Mongol troops under the Manchu banner and the securing of an additional route into the Míng heartland. By 1636 the Manchu ruler Huang Taiji was confident enough to proclaim the Imperial Qing Dynasty at Shenyang, which had fallen to the Manchu by treachery in 1621, taking the Imperial title Chongde. The end of 1637 saw the defeat and conquest of Míng's traditional ally Korea by a 100,000 strong Manchu army, and the Korean renunciation of the Míng Dynasty. On May 26, 1644, Beijing was sacked by a coalition of rebel forces led by Li Zicheng, a minor Ming official turned leader of the peasant revolt. The last Ming, Emperor Chongzhen committed suicide when the city fell, marking the official end of the dynasty. The Manchu Qing dynasty then allied with Ming Dynasty general Wu Sangui and seized control of Beijing and quickly overthrew Li's short-lived Shun Dynasty. Despite the loss of Beijing (whose weakness as an Imperial capital had been foreseen by Zhu Yuanzhang) and the death of the Chongzhen Emperor, Míng power was by no means destroyed. Nanjing, Fujian, Guangdong, Shanxi and Yunnan could all have been and were in fact strongholds of Míng resistance. However, the loss of central authority saw multiple pretenders for the Míng throne, unable to work together. Each bastion of resistance was individually defeated by the Qing until 1662, when the last real hopes of a Ming revival died with the Yongli emperor Zhu Youlang. Source: Wikipedia Added by: Theo Skolnik There are numerous causes for the decline and fall of the Ming despite the auspicious start of the dynasty under the Hong Wu emperor. The most immediate and direct cause of the fall of the Ming were the rebellions that racked the country in the seventeenth century and the aggressive military expansion of the Manchus. The decline of the dynasty, however, began much sooner; history works more often in long patterns, and the decline of the Ming can be dated as far back as the establishment of the dynasty. Chinese historians largely believe that the Ming dynasty declined because the virtue and the competence of the emperors gradually declined. The key issue in this decline was the Ming political innovation of concentrating all power in the hands of the emperor. Western historians also argue that the quality of the emperors declined and this was exacerbated by the centralization of authority. There's little question that Hong Wu's centralization of government produced disastrous results. Hong Wu himself was a dynamic and brilliant administrator who dedicated himself to a grueling work schedule. He was succeeded by his son, but his son was soon usurped by Cheng-tsu, who ruled as the Yung-lo emperor from 1403 to 1424 (Yung-lo was responsible for moving the capital back to Beijing). The Yung-lo emperor w |
Who was the mother of Queen Elizabeth 1? | Queen Elizabeth I | Britroyals Born: September 7, 1533 at Greenwich Palace Parents: Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn Relation to Elizabeth II: 1st cousin 13 times removed House of: Tudor Ascended to the throne: November 17, 1558 aged 25 years Crowned: January 15, 1559 at Westminster Abbey Married: Never Married Children: None Died: March 24, 1603 at Richmond Palace, Surrey, aged 69 years, 6 months, and 15 days Buried at: Westminster Reigned for: 44 years, 4 months, and 5 days Succeeded by: her 3rd cousin James of Scotland Queen of England (1558�1603), the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Through her Religious Settlement of 1559 she enforced the Protestant religion by law. She had Mary Queen of Scots executed in 1587. Her conflict with Roman Catholic Spain led to the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The Elizabethan age was expansionist in commerce and geographical exploration, and arts and literature flourished. The rulers of many European states made unsuccessful bids to marry Elizabeth, and she used these bids to strengthen her power. She was succeeded by James I. Elizabeth was born at Greenwich, London on 7 September 1533. She was well educated in several languages. During her Roman Catholic half-sister Mary's (Mary I) reign, Elizabeth's Protestant sympathies brought her under suspicion, and she lived in seclusion at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, until on Mary's death she became queen. Her first task was to bring about a broad religious settlement. Many unsuccessful attempts were made by Parliament to persuade Elizabeth to marry or settle the succession. She found courtship a useful political weapon, and she maintained friendships with, among others, the courtiers Leicester, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Essex. She was known as the Virgin Queen. The arrival in England in 1568 of Mary Queen of Scots and her imprisonment by Elizabeth caused a political crisis, and a rebellion of the feudal nobility of the north followed in 1569. Friction between English and Spanish sailors hastened the breach with Spain. When the Dutch rebelled against Spanish tyranny Elizabeth secretly encouraged them; Philip II retaliated by aiding Catholic conspiracies against her. This undeclared war continued for many years, until the landing of an English army in the Netherlands in 1585 and Mary's execution in 1587, brought it into the open. Philip's Armada (the fleet sent to invade England in 1588) met with total disaster. The war with Spain continued with varying fortunes to the end of the reign, while events at home foreshadowed the conflicts of the 17th century. Among the Puritans discontent was developing with Elizabeth's religious settlement, and several were imprisoned or executed. Parliament showed a new independence, and in 1601 forced Elizabeth to retreat on the question of the crown granting manufacturing and trading monopolies. Yet her prestige remained unabated, as shown by the failure of Essex's rebellion in 1601. Queen Elizabeth I's Signature Quotes: �I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too� � Queen Elizabeth I (speech as the Spanish Armada approached) �I have already joined myself in marriage to a husband, namely the kingdom of England� � Queen Elizabeth I (on being pressed by Parliament to marry) �There is no marvel in a woman learning to speak, but there would be in teaching her to hold her tongue� � Queen Elizabeth I (on being praised for her linguistic skills by the French ambassador) �Better beggar woman and single than Queen and married� � Queen Elizabeth I (her father Henry VIII had executed her mother Anne Boleyn)� Timeline for Queen Elizabeth I Year |
Thomas Becket was murdered where? | The Murder of Thomas Becket, 1170 The Murder Of Thomas Becket, 1170 Printer Friendly Version >>> A sword's crushing blow extinguished the life of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, on a cold December evening as he struggled on the steps of his altar. The brutal event sent a tremor through Medieval Europe. Public opinion of the time and subsequent history have laid the blame for the murder at the feet of Becket's former close personal friend, King Henry II. Becket was born in 1118, in Normandy the son of an English merchant. His family was well off, his father a former Sheriff of London. Becket benefited from his family's status first by being sent to Paris for his education and from there to England where he joined the household of Theobold, the then Archbishop of Canterbury. Becket's administrative skills, his charm, intelligence and diplomacy propelled him forward. The archbishop sent him to Paris to study law and upon his return to England made him Archdeacon of Canterbury. A Medieval Mass Becket's big break came in 1154, when Theobold introduced him to the newly crowned King, Henry II. The two hit it off immediately, their similar personal chemistries forming a strong bond between them. Henry named Becket his Chancellor. Archbishop Theobold died in 1161, and Henry immediately saw the opportunity to increase his influence over the Church by naming his loyal advisor to the highest ecclesiastical post in the land. Henry petitioned the Pope who agreed. There was only one slight hindrance. Becket, busy at court, had never been ordained. No problem, Becket was first invested as a priest. The next day he was ordained a Bishop, and that afternoon, June 2, 1162, made Archbishop of Canterbury. If King Henry believed that by having "his man" in the top post of the Church, he could easily impose his will upon this powerful religious institution, he was sadly mistaken. Becket's allegiance shifted from the court to the Church inspiring him to take a stand against his king. In those days, the Church reserved the right to try felonious clerics in their own religious courts of justice and not those of the crown. Henry was determined to increase control of his realm by eliminating this custom. In 1163, a Canon accused of murder was acquitted by a church court. The public outcry demanded justice and the Canon was brought before a court of the king. Becket's protest halted this attempt but the action spurred King Henry to change the laws to extend his courts' jurisdiction over the clergy. Becket vacillated in his support of the king, finally refusing to agree to changes in the law. His stand prompted a royal summons to Henry's court at Northampton and the king's demand to know what Becket had done with the large sums of money that had passed through his hands as Chancellor. "Who will rid meddlesome priest?" Seeing the writing on the wall, Becket fled to France where he remained in exile for six years. The two former friends appeared to resolve their dispute in 1170 when King Henry and Becket met in Normandy. On November 30, Becket crossed the Channel returning to his post at Canterbury. Earlier, while in France, Becket had excomunicated the Bishops of London and Salisbury for their support of the king. Now, Becket remained steadfast in his refusal to absolve the bishops. This news threw King Henry (still in France) into a rage in which he was purported to shout: "What sluggards, what cowards have I brought up in my court, who care nothing for their allegiance to their lord. Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest." The king's exact words have been lost to history but his outrage inspired four knights to sail to England to rid the realm of this annoying prelate. They arrived at Canterbury during the afternoon of December 29 and immediately searched for the Archbishop. Becket fled to the Cathedral where a service was in progress. The knights found him at the altar, drew their swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull. The death of Becket unnerved the king. The kni |
Handmade Films was formed to produce which film? | BFI Screenonline: Film Studios and Industry Bodies > HandMade Films (d. John Mackenzie, 1979) and Mona Lisa (d. Neil Jordan, 1986) breathed new life into the much-maligned gangster genre. And while not all of the 23 films that HandMade produced during its 1978-90 heyday were up to that exalted level, the quality threshold was often enviably high. HandMade was born in highly unusual circumstances. EMI had originally backed Life of Brian , but the company's chairman Lord Delfont got cold feet about the subject matter and pulled out just days before shooting was due to start. This left the Monty Python team faced with the prospect of writing off what was already a considerable investment. Eric Idle had recently struck up a friendship with the former Beatle George Harrison , a fan of Idle's affectionate parody The Rutles (1978), and as Harrison was by far the richest person that any of the Pythons knew, Idle asked him to bail out the film. Harrison read the script, loved it, and agreed to help, forming HandMade Films with his business manager Denis O'Brien in order to produce it. It was a shrewd investment, as the film was an enormous success. HandMade was originally intended to produce that one film, but Harrison and O'Brien soon became involved in another salvage operation. In this case, The Long Good Friday had already been completed, but its production company Black Lion Films (owned by Lew Grade , Lord Delfont's brother) was nervous about its prospects, due to the level of violence and a key subplot involving the IRA. Severe cuts were proposed, along with the redubbing of lead actor Bob Hoskins, whose strong Cockney accent was felt to be a liability. HandMade agreed to buy the rights for £700,000, and released the film in its originally intended form. A solid critical hit, if not the commercial triumph of Life of Brian , it made Hoskins (previously best known for the BBC's Pennies from Heaven , 1978) a bona fide star. Harrison and O'Brien next agreed to back Time Bandits (1981), Terry Gilliam's second solo feature. The first film HandMade had funded from the start, this elaborate fantasy achieved impressively lavish production values on a relatively small investment of £4 million. More importantly, it was a surprise hit in the US, grossing over $40 million, and ensuring HandMade's future as a going concern. The Python connection was maintained with The Missionary (d. Richard Loncraine, 1981), written by and starring Michael Palin as a naively well-meaning cleric administering to "fallen women". 1982 saw a stepping-up of HandMade's production ambitions. Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (d. Terry Hughes) was a filmed record of a live show, and Privates On Parade in an adaptation of Peter Nichols' stage hit about an Army light entertainment troupe in Singapore in the late 1940s. Against this comedic backdrop, the relentlessly harsh Scrubbers (d. Mai Zetterling) seems out of place, but this study of life in a women's borstal came in the wake of the success-cum-notoriety of its male counterpart Scum (d. Alan Clarke, 1979), with which it shared a screenwriter. After this, HandMade's output slowed to one release per year. Bullshot (d. Dick Clement, 1983) was the company's first serious critical and commercial failure, an only intermittently amusing spoof of Sapper's Bulldog Drummond adventure stories of the 1920s and 30s. The underrated Water (d. Clement, 1985), revisiting colonial territory mined by the Boulting Brothers' Carleton Browne of the F.O. (1957), fared little better, but A Private Function (d. Malcolm Mowbray, 1984) was recognised from the start as a bona fide gem. Alan Bennett's first original script for the big screen was brought to life by a superlative cast, many of whom had starred in The Missionary fared far better, its quirky tale of the relationship between a high-class black prostitute ( Cathy Tyson ) and her middle-aged Cockney "chauffeur" ( Bob Hoskins ) adding unexpected warmth to what could otherwise have been a straightforward gangster film in the mould of Get Carter (d. Mike Hod |
What character did John Wayne play in 'True Grit'? | ‘True Grit’: John Wayne vs. Jeff Bridges — which one has more true grit? – EW.com Pinterest Image Credit: Everett Collection; Lorey SebastianIt doesn’t take rocket science to see why True Grit enjoyed the biggest opening weekend of any Coen brothers movie to date. The film may not have won the Coens their most rapturous reviews (though the critics were largely enthusiastic), and it’s hardly their best or most defining work. Yet it’s a remake of a famous and, indeed, iconic Hollywood movie — one that, while not quite a “classic,” remains a robust and beloved end-of-the-studio-system-era Western. OMG, I used the R-word! — I called True Grit a “remake.” The vulgarity, the lowbrow cluelessness on my part! From the outset, you see, the directorial and studio spin on this movie has been to insist that it’s a completely different animal from the deeply sentimental 1969 when-fresh-faced-teenybopper-met-grizzled-old-marshal fable of popular vengeance. The Coens, making their publicity rounds, have talked and talked about how they went back to Charles Portis’ original novel, which was published in 1968. But if, like me, you’ve never read the novel (and I would guesstimate that 97 percent of the people who saw True Grit over the weekend have not), then after all the remake? what remake?! spin, you might be startled to see how close the movie really does come to the 1969 version. At times, it borders on being a scene-for-scene, line-for-line gloss on it. There are differences, of course. The Coen brothers’ version is more tasteful and intimate and art-directed, a kind of color-coordinated curio. Hailee Steinfeld’s Mattie Ross is notably younger than Kim Darby’s (which, at times, makes the new Mattie seem even more of an old movie concoction), and major sections of the picture are set at night (a technique that worked a lot better in No Country for Old Men). That said, the essential hook of the new True Grit is, and always was, the sheer curiosity factor of wanting to see Jeff Bridges, in his born-again middle-aged movie-star prime, take on the role of Rooster Cogburn, the part that won John Wayne his only Academy Award. There’s a reason that a great many people still don’t hold Wayne’s cornball-crusty performance in very high esteem. By the late ’60s, movies were in the middle of a revolution, and they had a new audience, known (it now sounds so quaint) as the Film Generation. At the time, a lot of folks under a certain age felt that it was almost their duty to hate John Wayne. He’d become the living embodiment of the Old Values. He was a saber-rattling conservative who, only the year before, in 1968, had pushed his pro-Vietnam hawkishness to the nth degree in the jarringly jingoistic The Green Berets. He had every right to, of course. But what made The Green Berets, as a corrective to Hollywood liberalism, so infamous and despised is that it was such a didactically wooden combat movie. All that came through, really, was the propaganda. And this reinforced the notion that Wayne, though he remained the most larger-than-life of all Hollywood movie stars, was never, in the fullest sense, an actor. He had come to be seen as the macho cartoon version of himself: the arms-out swagger, the slow-motion molasses drawl, the toughness that never wavered. True Grit, the movie that finally won Wayne his Oscar, was transparently one of those movies designed to win an old warhorse legend his Oscar. Here he was — or so the rap went — running through his rawhide-cowboy shtick, only this time with the added gimmick of an eye patch and an attitude. As if to make him seem even more outdated, True Grit was released within a week of The Wild Bunch, the apocalyptic New Hollywood Western in which director Sam Peckinpah, spattering blood and bullets and doom, exploded the mythology of six-gun heroism that John Wayne incarnated. If you love movie-star acting, however, do yourself a favor: Get a hold of the original True Grit and watch it. Because what you’ll see is that John Wayne’s performance is a marvel. He makes Rooster Cogburn a cantankerous old cuss, a |
'The Dambusters' tells the true story of which RAF Squadron? | Dambusters - Trailer. - YouTube Dambusters - Trailer. Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jun 17, 2009 The Dam Busters is a 1955 British war film, set during the Second World War, and based on the true story of the RAF's 617 Squadron, the development of the "bouncing bomb", and Operation Chastise, the attack on the Ruhr dams in Germany. It stars Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallis and Richard Todd as Wing Commander Guy Gibson and was directed by Michael Anderson Category |
In the 1989 film 'Shirley Valentine', who played the title roll? | Shirley Valentine (1989) Free Movie Online Subscribe to our Free Great Movies Newsletter: Follow Us : Watch Movies on our channel Rate This Movie Be first to rate movie Movie Description Shirley Valentine is an award-winning 1989 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert. The screenplay by Willy Russell is based on his 1986 one-character play of the same title, which follows middle aged Shirley Valentine in an unexpected discovery of herself, and rekindling of her childhood dreams and youthful love of life. Pauline Collins reprises the titular lead role as middle-aged housewife Shirley, which she had previously played in the stage production in London's West End and on Broadway, and Tom Conti plays Costas Dimitriades, the owner of a Greek tavern with whom she has a holiday romance. |
What character did Bruce Willis play in 'Last Man Standing'? | Last Man Standing (1996) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A drifting gunslinger-for-hire finds himself in the middle of an ongoing war between the Irish and Italian mafia in a Prohibition era ghost town. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 30 titles created 17 Mar 2011 a list of 41 titles created 18 Jun 2011 a list of 35 titles created 19 Mar 2012 a list of 43 titles created 11 May 2013 a list of 34 titles created 17 Aug 2014 Title: Last Man Standing (1996) 6.4/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. A down and out cynical detective teams up with a down and out ex-quarterback to try and solve a murder case involving a pro football team and a politician. Director: Tony Scott An imprisoned IRA fighter is freed to help stop a brutal, seemingly "faceless" assassin from completing his next job. Director: Michael Caton-Jones Shadowy elements in the NSA target a nine-year old autistic savant for death when he is able to decipher a top secret code. Director: Harold Becker 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.8/10 X Coming from a police family, Tom Hardy ends up fighting his uncle after the murder of his father. Tom believes the killer is another cop, and goes on the record with his allegations. Demoted then to river duty, the killer taunts Tom. Director: Rowdy Herrington A struggling dentist's life is turned upside down when a famous gangster moves in next door, and his wife convinces him to inform a notorious mob boss about the gangster's whereabouts. Director: Jonathan Lynn A cat burglar is forced to steal Da Vinci works of art for a world domination plot. Director: Michael Lehmann A failed police negotiator turned small-town cop, must save the lives of a family held hostage, which draws him into a much more dangerous situation. Director: Florent-Emilio Siri An aging alcoholic cop is assigned the task of escorting a witness from police custody to a courthouse 16 blocks away. There are, however, chaotic forces at work that prevent them from making it in one piece. Director: Richard Donner Two bank robbers fall in love with the girl they've kidnapped. Director: Barry Levinson Jimmy the Tulip's (Willis) quiet new life is shaken up by his old pal Oz (Perry), whose wife (Henstridge) has been kidnapped by a Hungarian mob. The Tulip and his wife Jill (Peet) spring into action. Director: Howard Deutch A law student becomes a lieutenant during World War II, is captured and asked to defend a black prisoner of war falsely accused of murder. Director: Gregory Hoblit The secret US abduction of a suspected terrorist leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York that lead to the declaration of martial law. Director: Edward Zwick Edit Storyline John Smith is an amoral gunslinger in the days of Prohibition. On the lam from his latest (unspecified) exploits, he happens upon the town of Jericho, Texas. Actually, calling Jericho a town would be too generous--it has become more like a ghost town, since two warring gangs have 'driven off all the decent folk.' Smith sees this as an opportunity to play both sides off against each other, earning himself a nice piece of change as a hired gun. Despite his strictly avowed mercenary intentions, he finds himself risking his life for his, albeit skewed, sense of honor.... Written by Tad Dibbern <[email protected]> If you lived in this town, you'd be dead by now. See more » Genres: Rated R for pervasive strong violence and some sexuality | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 20 September 1996 (USA) See more » Also Known As: $7,010,331 (USA) (20 September 1996) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia One of the three big-budget, star-driven films that indie outfit New Line Cinema released in 1996. Like the other two films ( The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1 |
Who played 'Velvet Brown' in the 1944 film 'National Velvet'? | National Velvet (1944) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A jaded former jockey helps a young girl prepare a wild but gifted horse for England's Grand National Sweepstakes. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 37 titles created 09 Jun 2011 a list of 46 titles created 28 Aug 2011 a list of 23 titles created 09 Sep 2013 a list of 21 titles created 07 Apr 2014 a list of 35 titles created 2 months ago Search for " National Velvet " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations. See more awards » Photos Velvet's orphaned niece, Sarah, follows her dream of Olympic glory with her horse Arizona Pie. Director: Bryan Forbes After her destitute family is forced to sell her, a collie named Lassie escapes from her new owner and begins the long trek from Scotland to her Yorkshire home. Director: Fred M. Wilcox Bill's separated from his litter, making friends with the wild creatures until he's found and adopted by young Kathie. An accident separates him from her, and he's drafted into K-9 duty in ... See full summary » Director: Fred M. Wilcox Louisa May Alcott 's autobiographical account of her life with her three sisters in Concord, Massachusetts in the 1860s. With their father fighting in the American Civil War, sisters Jo, Meg... See full summary » Director: Mervyn LeRoy While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion who is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks ... See full summary » Director: Carroll Ballard A teenager loses his horse in Morocco and gets him back after various daredevil adventures. Director: Robert Dalva Edit Storyline Mi Taylor was a young wanderer and opportunist whose father had given him "all the roads in the Kingdom" to travel. One of the roads, and a notation in his father's journal, leads him to the quiet English country-side home of the Brown family. The youngest daughter, Velvet, has a passion for horses and when she wins the spirited steed Pie in a town lottery, Mi is encouraged to train the horse for the Grand National - England's greatest racing event. Written by A.L.Beneteau <[email protected]> M-G-M's Great TECHNICOLOR Heart Drama See more » Genres: 26 January 1945 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Fuego de juventud See more » Filming Locations: Mono (Western Electric Sound System) Color: Did You Know? Trivia "Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on February 3, 1947 with Elizabeth Taylor , Mickey Rooney and Donald Crisp reprising their film roles. See more » Goofs Mr. Brown, a butcher who should know better, authoritatively announces that one small-to-medium-sized lobster will provide a family dinner for six: A claw apiece for he and his wife, the entire tail (the meatiest part of the crustacean) for his picky young son who's a finicky eater and what's "in-between" (basically all of it's inedible entrails) for his three teenage daughters - with some left over for the dog! In reality, a lobster of that size would hardly feed one hungry person. See more » Quotes Mr. Herbert Brown : [Velvet is pretending she's riding The Pi] Who's this Pi? A new one? Velvet Brown : Oh, Father, you should see him, he's beautiful. He never puts a foot wrong. Velvet Brown : Mr. Ede's new horse. I'm in love with him. Mr. Herbert Brown : You're a fickle woman. I've heard you say that about other horses. See more » Crazy Credits A frame, with music, was added to the film at the end: "To families of servicemen and women: Pictures exhibited in this theater are given to the armed forces for showing in combat areas around the world. [signed] War Activities Committee/Motion Picture Industry" See more » Con |
Who played 'The Riddler' in 'Batman Forever'? | Batman Forever (1995) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Batman must battle Two-Face and The Riddler with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 24 titles created 14 Mar 2011 a list of 41 titles created 18 Jun 2011 a list of 29 titles created 31 Mar 2012 a list of 46 titles created 13 Aug 2013 a list of 39 titles created 16 May 2015 Search for " Batman Forever " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 21 nominations. See more awards » Videos When a corrupt businessman and the grotesque Penguin plot to take control of Gotham City, only Batman can stop them, while the Catwoman has her own agenda. Director: Tim Burton The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being the clownishly homicidal Joker. Director: Tim Burton Batman and Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City. Director: Joel Schumacher An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero. Director: Richard Donner Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth. Directors: Richard Lester, Richard Donner Stars: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder Superman reappears after a long absence, but is challenged by an old foe who uses Kryptonian technology for world domination. Director: Bryan Singer Bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss is transformed into a manic superhero when he wears a mysterious mask. Director: Chuck Russell A couple of recently deceased ghosts contract the services of a "bio-exorcist" in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of their house. Director: Tim Burton Synthetic kryptonite laced with tobacco tar splits Superman in two: good Clark Kent and bad Man of Steel. Director: Richard Lester Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, returns from a spiritual quest to investigate the disappearance of a rare white bat, the sacred animal of a tribe in Africa. Director: Steve Oedekerk A goofy detective specializing in animals goes in search of a missing dolphin mascot of a football team. Director: Tom Shadyac The discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business. Director: Ivan Reitman Edit Storyline The Dark Knight of Gotham City confronts a dastardly duo: Two-Face and the Riddler. Formerly District Attorney Harvey Dent, Two-Face incorrectly believes Batman caused the courtroom accident which left him disfigured on one side; he has unleashed a reign of terror on the good people of Gotham. Edward Nygma, computer-genius and former employee of millionaire Bruce Wayne, is out to get the philanthropist; as The Riddler he perfects a device for draining information from all the brains in Gotham, including Bruce Wayne's knowledge of his other identity. Batman/Wayne is/are the love focus of Dr. Chase Meridan. Former circus acrobat Dick Grayson, his family killed by Two-Face, becomes Wayne's ward and Batman's new partner Robin the Boy Wonder. Written by Ed Stephan <[email protected]> Rated PG-13 for strong stylized action | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 16 June 1995 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Batman 3 See more » Filming Locations: £4,703,430 (UK) (14 July 1995) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia Michael Gough (Alfred Pennyworth) and Pat Hingle (Commissioner James Gordon) are the only actors to reprise their roles from either Batman (1989) or Batman Returns (1992). S |
Who played the title roll in the Australian film 'Ned Kelly'? | Ned Kelly (1970) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 2:03 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Based on a true story, Ned Kelly is unable to support his family in the Australian outback, he turns to stealing horses in order to make money. He gets more deeply drawn into the outlaw ... See full summary » Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 41 titles created 12 Apr 2011 a list of 6257 titles created 04 Feb 2012 a list of 9996 titles created 26 Jun 2012 a list of 42 titles created 12 Jan 2013 a list of 24 titles created 28 Aug 2014 Search for " Ned Kelly " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. A rock singer goes to Brazil to shoot a video, but winds up getting kidnapped and turned over to the oversexed owner of a banana plantation. Director: Julien Temple An innocent man becomes one of the most wanted criminals the world has ever known. Director: Gregor Jordan Chas, a violent and psychotic East London gangster needs a place to lie low after a hit that should never have been carried out. He finds the perfect cover in the form of guest house run by... See full summary » Directors: Donald Cammell, Nicolas Roeg Stars: James Fox, Mick Jagger, Anita Pallenberg A married middle-aged art critic and 16-year-old Margot begin an affair and develop a troublesome mutually parasitic relationship. Director: Tony Richardson As a surprise, two horse owners decide to ride their animals themselves in a steeplechase. But Bill Davidson's horse "Admiral" behaves weirdly, and falls hard after an obstacle. Bill dies ... See full summary » Director: Tony Richardson Deals with the affection of a middle-aged man for a very young woman, resulting in a mutually parasitic relationship. Director: Laszlo Papas Edit Storyline Based on a true story, Ned Kelly is unable to support his family in the Australian outback, he turns to stealing horses in order to make money. He gets more deeply drawn into the outlaw life, and eventually becomes involved in murders. Based on the life of famed 19th-century Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. Written by [email protected] 1 July 1970 (UK) See more » Also Known As: Ned Kelly, Outlaw See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia The opening scenes of the movie were filmed in the Old Melbourne Gaol where Kelly was actually imprisoned and on the scaffold on which Kelly was actually hanged. The gaol (jail) at 377 Russell Street, Melbourne is now open as a tourist attraction. See more » Quotes (Adelaide, South Australia) – See all my reviews This film has been criticised too harshly, because of Mick Jagger's lack of experience as an actor and it's failure to stick to verifiable facts. But treat it as the cinematic equivalent of a folk ballad and you'll have a good time with it. Just as you wouldn't hire an opera singer to sing a folk song, you don't need a professional actor to play the lead in a rough-and-ready entertainment about a rough-and-ready character. By the time one gets to the speeded up segment that accompanies Waylon Jenning's singing of Shel Silverstein's "Blame it on the Kelly's" it becomes clear this is not a film that is intended as a serious examination of history. Like the song "The Wild Colonial Boy" which Jagger sings in one of the more memorable scenes in the movie, this is popular entertainment to be enjoyed with a few beers. Taken as such it is very enjoyable, with catchy songs, evocative cinematography and Jagger being very much the lovable, charismatic rabble-rouser he was in real-life at the time. And what matters in a folk ballad is not the truth, but the legend. 8 of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes |
The song 'White Christmas' first featured in which film starring Bing Crosby? | I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas_Bing Crosby_Lyrics - YouTube I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas_Bing Crosby_Lyrics Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Nov 23, 2013 The song White Christmas is undoubtedly the most famous and popular of all the Christmas songs. The music and lyrics for White Christmas were written by Irving Berlin in 1942 and originally featured in the movie Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby. The lyrics of White Christmas struck a chord with the soldiers fighting in the Second World War and their families who were waiting for them back home. The song and recording of White Christmas by Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter's orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers was so popular that it was later reprised in the movie called after its name - White Christmas. The film White Christmas once again starred Bing Crosby together with Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. White Christmas Final Act Pinetree Vermont I'm dreaming of a White Christmas Just like the ones I used to know Where the tree tops glisten And children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow I'm dreaming of a White Christmas With every Christmas card I write May your days be merry and bright And may all I'm dreaming of a White Christmas Just like the ones I used to know Where the tree tops glisten And children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow I'm dreaming of a white Christmas With every Christmas card I write May your days be merry and bright And may all your Christmases May all your Christmases May all your Christmases be white I'm dreaming of a white Christmas with you All the way, all the way Category |
What was the last line spoken in the film 'Some Like It Hot'? | Some Like It Hot (1959) - Quotes - IMDb Some Like It Hot (1959) Showing all 69 items [last lines] Jerry : Oh no you don't! Osgood, I'm gonna level with you. We can't get married at all. Jerry : I smoke! I smoke all the time! Osgood : I don't care. Jerry : Well, I have a terrible past. For three years now, I've been living with a saxophone player. Osgood : I forgive you. Jerry : [tragically] I can never have children! Osgood : We can adopt some. Jerry : But you don't understand, Osgood! Ohh... [Jerry finally gives up and pulls off his wig] Jerry : [normal voice] I'm a man! Osgood : [shrugs] Well, nobody's perfect! [Jerry looks on with disbelief as Osgood continues smiling with indifference. Fade out] Junior : Syncopators. Does that mean you play that very fast music... jazz? Sugar : Yeah. Real Hot. Osgood : I am Osgood Fielding the third. Daphne : I'm Cinderella the second. [at the booking office, trying to be hired] Joe : What kind of a band is this, anyway? Sig Poliakoff : You gotta be under twenty-five. Jerry : We could pass for that. Sig Poliakoff : You gotta be blonde. Jerry : We could dye our hair. Sig Poliakoff : And you gotta be girls. Joe : [trying to get Jerry to face reality regarding his engagement to Osgood] Jerry, Jerry, will you take my advice? Forget about the whole thing, will ya? Just keep telling yourself: you're a boy, you're a boy. Jerry : I'm a boy. Joe : That's the boy. Jerry : [coming around] I'm a boy. I'm a boy. I wish I were dead. I'm a boy. Boy, oh boy, am I a boy. Now, what am I gonna do about my engagement present? Joe : What engagement present? Jerry : Osgood gave me a bracelet. Joe : [takes it and inspects the stones with Beinstock's glasses] Hey, these are real diamonds! Jerry : Of course they're real! What do you think? My fiance is a bum? |
What was the name of the island where 'King Kong' lived? | Skull Island | King Kong Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Little wonder Skull Island lay undiscovered for so long. Jutting out of the perilous sea, west of Sumatra, the island was in the heart of a region afflicted by intense magnetic anomalies and violent sea storms. The very rock of which the island was built was treacherous. Once part of a much larger landmass, ancient Gondwanaland, Skull Island sat square near the turbulent boundary of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The plates rolled over one another and stresses caused violent fracturing of the Indo-Australian plate beneath the island. Significant volcanic activity resulted. Fissures and pressure spots created land and forced molten rock to the surface while, at the same time, great chunks of the island fell into the deep subduction trench that marked the plate edge. Skull Island owed its creation to the same forces that were tearing it to pieces by the mid-twentieth century. The coastline shattered and fell away while the entire island was sinking. In the island’s heart, volcanic forces brought water and mud bubbling to the surface while other areas were gnawed hollow from beneath, leaving a crumbling land full of jagged abutments and bottomless chasms. The Mystery of the Ruins Edit The first sight to greet explorers of Skull Island was the mighty wall that divided humanity’s meager settlement from the terrors of the jungle interior. Huge and imposing, this enormous structure dwarfed the puny village huddling in its protective shadow. This was not the work of that struggling populace, but the legacy of some older, far more advanced civilization long gone. Giant stone ruins of this ancient society dotted the entire island. Vast edifices jutted from the shrouding jungle and tumbled down the coast to disappear into the sea. Beneath the tangled forest that enveloped the island in a choking green embrace, a great city had once breathed. Study of these remains and of the great wall itself – which had run in an unbroken circle around the entire center portion of the island – told of a culture three thousand years old. Architectural parallels suggested Southeast Asia as a homeland. It was theorized that ancient colonists brought with them an established culture, as evidenced by the great carved statues and shards of magnificent pottery left behind. They were a devoted culture who revered the giant apes that abounded throughout their art. Some have speculated the apes may have arrived with the colonists, alluding to a symbiosis between the people and the ancestors of Kong. The exact nature of the extinction that befell these people remains a mystery. At least a thousand years ago they were wiped out, leaving little behind but stowaway rats and the stone skeletons of their city on a doomed island. The jungle swept in to reclaim the land, inexorably spreading its tendril-like root fingers over the eroding architecture, turning plazas and markets into glades and barnacling towers with ferns and gnarled creepers. The great wall crumbled as surf swallowed the land, and its few projecting stretches stood like gravestones in the green swathe, monuments to the lost civilization of Skull Island. A Menagerie of Nightmares Edit Tiny Skull Island was once part of the vast and ancient continent of Gondwana in prehistoric times. What came to be Skull Island was a stretch near the coast of the great Tethys Sea, rich in life. When this landmass broke away, many prehistoric ancestors of the island’s modern inhabitants rode with it, guaranteeing their survival when catastrophe and ecological change wiped them out everywhere else in the world. Others joined later, rafting, swimming, or flying to the island sanctuary. Land bridges came and went, bringing new fauna, each adding to the diversity of the island. Over the millennia the island eroded. As habitat was lost, life was concentrated into ever-shrinking areas. Competition became fierce. The island saw an evolutionary arms race erupt, forging a menagerie of nightmares. The Crumbling Coast and Village Edit Skull Island’ |
Kirk Douglas is the father-in-law of which famous Welsh actress? | Kirk Douglas - Biography - IMDb Kirk Douglas Biography Showing all 139 items Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (2) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (3) | Trivia (84) | Personal Quotes (39) | Salary (6) Overview (3) 5' 9" (1.75 m) Mini Bio (2) Cleft-chinned, steely-eyed and virile star of international cinema who rose from being "the ragman's son" (the name of his best-selling 1988 autobiography) to become a bona fide superstar, Kirk Douglas, also known as Issur Danielovitch Demsky, was born in Amsterdam, New York, in 1916. His parents, Bryna (Sanglel) and Herschel Danielovitch, were Jewish immigrants from Chavusy, Mahilyow Voblast (now in Belarus). Although growing up in a poor ghetto, Douglas was a fine student and a keen athlete and wrestled competitively during his time at St. Lawrence University. However, he soon identified an acting scholarship as a way out of his meager existence, and was sufficiently talented to gain entry into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He only appeared in a handful of minor Broadway productions before joining the US Navy in 1941, and then after the end of hostilities in 1945, returned to the theater and some radio work. On the insistence of ex-classmate Lauren Bacall movie producer Hal B. Wallis screen-tested Douglas and cast him in the lead role in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946). His performance received rave reviews and further work quickly followed, including an appearance in the low-key drama I Walk Alone (1948), the first time he worked alongside fellow future screen legend Burt Lancaster . Such was the strong chemistry between the two that they appeared in seven films together, including the dynamic western Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), the John Frankenheimer political thriller Seven Days in May (1964) and their final pairing in the gangster comedy Tough Guys (1986). Douglas once said about his good friend: "I've finally gotten away from Burt Lancaster. My luck has changed for the better. I've got nice-looking girls in my films now". After appearing in "I Walk Alone", Douglas scored his first Oscar nomination playing the untrustworthy and opportunistic boxer Midge Kelly in the gripping Champion (1949). The quality of his work continued to garner the attention of critics and he was again nominated for Oscars for his role as a film producer in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and as tortured painter Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), both directed by Vincente Minnelli . In 1955 Douglas launched his own production company, Bryna Productions, the company behind two pivotal film roles in his career. The first was as French army officer Col. Dax in director Stanley Kubrick 's brilliant anti-war epic Paths of Glory (1957). Douglas reunited with Kubrick for yet another epic, the magnificent Spartacus (1960). The film also marked a key turning point in the life of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo , who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy "Red Scare" hysteria in the 1950s. At Douglas' insistence Trumbo was given on-screen credit for his contributions, which began the dissolution of the infamous blacklisting policies begun almost a decade previously that had destroyed so many careers and lives. Douglas remained busy throughout the 1960s, starring in many films,. He played a rebellious modern-day cowboy in Lonely Are the Brave (1962), acted alongside John Wayne in the World War II story In Harm's Way (1965), again with The Duke in a drama about the Israeli fight for independence, Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), and once more with Wayne in the tongue-in-cheek western The War Wagon (1967). Additionally, in 1963 he starred in an onstage production of Ken Kesey 's "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", but despite his keen interest, no Hollywood studio could be convinced to bring the story to the screen. However, the rights remained with the Douglas clan, and Kirk's talented son Michael Douglas finally filmed the tale in 1975, starring Jack Nicholson . Into the 1970s Douglas wasn't as busy as previous years; however, he starred in some unusual vehicles, including alongside a young |
A velodrome hosts what kind of event? | Types of Events | The Dick Lane Velodrome Home Types of Events Similar to Track and Field meets, velodrome races offer spectators a wide variety of events to watch. Each event is unique and presents its own set of physical and mental demands for riders. But unlike track and field, what makes velodrome racing at the DLV so unique is that all riders must compete in each scheduled event, meaning sprinters have to figure out a way to finish endurance events and endurance riders need a figure out a way to out smart the sprinters in a short fast race. All weekly and Grand Prix races are "Omnium" style events which are a series of races worth points.To win an omnium style event you must start each race and you must accumulate the most amount of points during each event. The rider with the most points at the end of all of the races wins. While watching you will find some events you may favor more than others, that's what makes it great. Here are a few of the typical events that will take place in a Grand Prix or Weekly race. SPLIT SCRATCH The split scratch will be a combination of a points race and a scratch race. There will be a mid-race sprint that will score points 4 places deep, 5,3,2,1. There will then be a final sprint which will score points 6 places deep, 9,7,5,3,2,1. Highest total points scored wins the race. Scratch race rules apply for laps gained/lost, tie-break is the results of the final sprint. WIN AND IN The Win and In race is held over 15 laps. Sprints are held every 3 laps(for 5 total) and the winner of each of those sprints "qualifies" for the final sprint. Once the 15 lap portion of the race is completed and we have our 5 qualifiers, the rest of the field will leave the track and the qualifiers will receive 3 laps to go for the final sprint. Already qualified riders may win more sprints to race the finale against less competitors, in which case the results of the sprint at the end of the 15 lap regular race portion will determine the final places to score points towards the nights omnium. POINT-A-LAP The Point- A-Lap is tactically a nightmare event because it's usually a medium distance event that doesn't favor either style of rider. What makes it such a tough race is the leader of each lap, and only the leader, of each lap scores one point per lap. with the exception of the final lap, in which the leader earns 3 points, 2 for second and 1 for 3rd. Simple... the rider with the most accumulated points at the end wins. SNOWBALL Take the Point-A-Lap and have the points be worth more as the race goes on. Usually one additional point for the leader, and only the leader, per additional lap. In other words, lap one is worth one point and lap ten is worth ten points, etc. etc. Unlike the Point-A-Lap the snowball does not place three deep on the final lap. In the event of a tie between riders, the rider who places better in the final sprint breaks the tie. SCRATCH RACE Easiest of races. A predetermined amount of laps and the rider who comes across the finish line first on the final lap wins. Typically ran two ways. Very short and very fast races to seed riders for "Match Sprint" heats. However it can also be a very long race similar to NASCAR or INDY style car races which pits riders and teams against each other. Riders try to break away from the group while teammates try to slow down the field or make other teams work to catch the break a way rider. The scratch race can be a very raw fast event or a very tactical race. CHARIOT The shortest group race that we do at the velodrome, the chariot is just one lap of the velodrome. Up to 7 riders line up side by side on the pursuit line, held by holders. When the gun goes, it's an all out dash for the line amongst all of the riders. The two keys for this event are having a great standings start, and good top end speed to hold the front position all the way to the finish line. MATCH SPRINT This race is the shortest, fastest, and ironically the slowest event on the track. Often described as a chess match on wheels, the match sprint is a display of tactics and speed. Riders com |
Only one sign of the zodiac starts and ends with the same letter, what's the sign? | 12 Zodiac Signs, Star Sign Dates & Meanings | Astrology.com.au Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces ¤ Fire Signs There are three fire signs – Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.Fire signs give fire, give action, light and radiance. They are; therefore related to the qualities of enthusiasm and zeal, love, passion, courage, speed, enterprise, individuality and spirituality. Note that this triplicity has its beginning in the cardinai sign Aries which is the flrst sign, which rules the east or sunrlse or the beginning of self. The note that is struck in the beginning of a triplicity is the ruling note of that group of signs, hence the ruling note of the fire Triplicity is SELF. Now when we speak of self, we may mean a vain egotistical kind o-f a person, but we ean also mean something much greater and sometimes very flne. We can meet a person who has developed his own innate powers to such an extent that he stands above all other people as being highly individualised. He is not conceited, not anxious to show off certain powers for example Prof Milliken, the great scientist who has discovered the Milliken Rays is not a vain man but he worked so steadily and so well in his science that he is sure enough of his own powers to know when he has something to present to the world. He is an Arian. If a chart is found to have the majority of planets in fire signs, we shall find that with the finest types of people there will be shown: creative mind energy, invention, pioneer work, particularly if the sign Aries is emphasised. Radiative kindness, individualised effort, faith, particularly when the sign Leo is emphasised. Aspiration, the gift of intuition, the love of justice and religion, particularly when the sign Sagittarius is emphasised. If, however, we are dealing with a very ordinary type of person, the planets will work out is making a selfish or egotistic type in the matters relating to the natural houses of the fire signs. Thus many planets in Aries will tend to make the person think almost entirely of himself, his appearance et cetera. His conversation is full of words “I”, and “me”. Many planets in Leo will tend to make the person think vaingloriously concerning his children. His conversation is full of the words ‘my children’ or he may spend his time talking about himself in relation to his love affairs or his speculations for these are also the 5th house affairs. Many planets and Sagittarius tend to make the person think of himself in relation to 9th house affairs thus his conversation Is largely concerning “my travels”, “my in-laws”,”my church, political opinions, philosophy, pleasures and games” it is evident than that the fire people can be first-class laws if they do not try to get out of the entirely personal life into something on which they can spend their enthusiasm. Speaking of the signs in a larger cosmic sense, Aries is irresponsible naturally. His sense of responsibility is developed in the fixed sign of Leo, which rules children: thus he learns responsibility through children. Then in Sagittarius he learns a larger responsibility which has to do with people outside of his own family. So in Sagittarius he learns justice, law and religion and feels a responsibility toward living up to the noblest ideals that come to him and also a responsibility in presenting these ideas to humanity. For as we have said previously Sagittarius is essentially a propagandist. Space is not consirered in western astrology and is assigned to Sagittarius. ¤ Earth Signs – coming shortly |
'When you wish upon a star' is a song from which Disney film? | When You Wish Upon a Star | Disney Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia When You Wish Upon a Star Share When You Wish Upon a Star is a featured article , which means it has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Disney Wiki community. If you see a way this page can be updated or improved without compromising previous work, please feel free to contribute. When You Wish Upon a Star Composer Now That's What I Call Movies (UK) Followed By [Source] "When You Wish Upon a Star" is a song written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for Walt Disney 's 1940 adaptation of Pinocchio . [1] The original version was sung by Jiminy Cricket ( Cliff Edwards ) [1] and is heard over the opening credits and in the final scene of the film. It has since become the representative song of The Walt Disney Company . The recording by Cliff Edwards and Chorus was released by Victor Records as catalogue number 261546 and 26477A (in USA) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice Label as catalogue number BD 821. Edwards recorded another version in 1940 for an American Decca Records "cover version" of the score of Pinocchio, conducted by Victor Young and featuring soprano Julietta Novis and The King's Men. It was first released on a 4-record 78-RPM album set, and years later as one side of an LP, backed by selections from The Wizard of Oz. A recording with Christian Rub (with Mister Geppetto 's voice), Cliff Edwards and Chorus was released by Victor Records as catalogue number 26479B (in USA) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalogue number BD 823. It won the 1940 Academy Award for Best Original Song. [1] It was also the first Disney song to win an Oscar. Contents When you wish upon a star Makes no difference who you are Anything your heart desires If your heart is in your dream No request is too extreme When you wish upon a star As dreamers do She brings to those who love The sweet fulfillment of Like a bolt out of the blue Fate steps in and sees you through When you wish upon a star Your dreams come true When your heart is in your dream No request is too extreme Chorus (Singing): When you wish upon a star Your dreams come true You'll find your dreams come true Influence The American Film Institute ranked the song seventh in their 100 Greatest Songs in Film History, the highest ranked Disney animated film song, and also one of only four Disney animated film songs to appear on the list, with the others being " Some Day My Prince Will Come " from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ranked at #19, " Beauty and the Beast " from Beauty and the Beast ranked at #62, and " Hakuna Matata " from The Lion King ranked at #99. The song reached the top one in Billboard's Record Buying Guide, a predecessor of the retail sales chart. Popular versions included Louis Armstrong, Glenn Miller, Guy Lombardo, Horace Heidt and, of course, Cliff Edwards. In Japan , Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark , the song has become a Christmas song, often referring to the Star of Bethlehem. The Swedish language version is called Ser du stjärnan i det blå, roughly translated: "do you see the star in the blue(sky)", and the Danish title is "Når du ser et stjerneskud", which translates as "When you see a shooting star". In Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway, the song is played on television every Christmas Eve in the traditional Disney one-hour Christmas cabaret, and the gathering of the entire family to watch this is considered a Scandinavian tradition. The song was also covered by Dion and the Belmonts in 1960 . The song was covered by KISS bassist Gene Simmons, on his eponymous solo album in 1978 . Simmons said that he covered it because he related to ut and was a fan of Disney movies. "When I first heard that song I could barely speak English but I knew the words were true. Anybody can have what they want, the world and life can give its rewards to anyone." [2] In 1986 , Linda Ronstadt recorded the classic song for her Platinum-certified album For Sentimental Reasons. Released as the album's first single, it peaked at #32 in Billboard Magazine at year's end. Bill |
Benny Goodman was known as what? | Benny Goodman | Music Hub | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Goodman was born in Chicago, the ninth of twelve children of poor Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire , [1 ] who lived in the Maxwell Street neighborhood. His father was David Goodman (1873-1926), a tailor from Warsaw ; his mother was Dora Grisinsky [1 ] (1873-1964) from Kaunas , Lithuania . His parents met in Baltimore, Maryland , and moved to Chicago before Benny was born. [3 ] When Benny was 10, his father enrolled him and two of his older brothers in music lessons at the Kehelah Jacob Synagogue. The next year he joined the boys club band at Jane Addams ' Hull House , where he received lessons from director James Sylvester. He also received two years of instruction from the classically trained clarinetist Franz Schoepp. [4 ] His early influences were New Orleans jazz clarinetists working in Chicago, notably Johnny Dodds , Leon Roppolo , and Jimmy Noone . [3 ] Goodman learned quickly, becoming a strong player at an early age: he was soon playing professionally in various bands. Goodman made his professional debut in 1921 at Central Park Theater in Chicago and entered Harrison High School in 1922. He joined the musicians’s union in 1923 and that summer he met Bix Beiderbecke. He attended Lewis Institute (now Illinois Institute of Technology ) in 1924 as a high school sophomore, while also playing the clarinet in a dance hall band. (He was awarded an honorary LL.D. from IIT in 1968.) At age 14, he was in a band that featured the legendary Bix Beiderbecke . [5 ] When Goodman was 16, he joined one of Chicago's top bands, the Ben Pollack Orchestra, with which he made his first recordings in 1926. [3 ] He made his first record on Vocalion under his own name two years later. Goodman recorded with the regular Pollack band and smaller groups drawn from the orchestra through 1929. The side sessions produced scores of sides recorded for the various dimestore record labels under an array of group names, including Mills' Musical Clowns, Goody's Good Timers, The Hotsy Totsy Gang, Jimmy Backen's Toe Ticklers, Dixie Daisies, and Kentucky Grasshoppers. Goodman's father, David, was a working-class immigrant about whom Benny said (interview, Downbeat, February 8, 1956); "...Pop worked in the stockyards , shoveling lard in its unrefined state. He had those boots, and he'd come home at the end of the day exhausted, stinking to high heaven, and when he walked in it made me sick. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand the idea of Pop every day standing in that stuff, shoveling it around". On December 9, 1926, David Goodman was killed in a traffic accident. Benny had recently joined the Pollack band and was urging his father to retire, since he and his brother (Harry) were now doing well as professional musicians. According to James Lincoln Collier , "Pop looked Benny in the eye and said, 'Benny, you take care of yourself, I'll take care of myself.'" Collier continues: "It was an unhappy choice. Not long afterwards, as he was stepping down from a streetcar—according to one story—he was struck by a car. He never regained consciousness and died in the hospital the next day. It was a bitter blow to the family, and it haunted Benny to the end that his father had not lived to see the success he, and some of the others, made of themselves." [6 ] "Benny described his father's death as 'the saddest thing that ever happened in our family.'" [7 ] Edit Goodman left for New York City and became a successful session musician during the late 1920s and early 1930s (mostly with Ben Pollack 's band between 1926 and 1929). A notable March 21, 1928 Victor session found Goodman alongside Glenn Miller , Tommy Dorsey , and Joe Venuti in the All-Star Orchestra, directed by Nat Shilkret . [8 ] [9 ] [10 ] He played with the nationally known bands of Ben Selvin , Red Nichols , Isham Jones (although he is not on any of Jones's records), and Ted Lewis . He recorded sides for Brunswick under the name Benny Goodman's Boys, a band that featured Glenn Miller. In 1928, Benny Goodm |
In Rudyard Kipling's 'Jungle Book' What was the name of the mongoose? | The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling · OverDrive: eBooks, audiobooks and videos for libraries Classic Literature Juvenile Fiction Short Stories Venture into the depths of the jungle with Mowgli, the "man cub", Baloo the bear, Bagheera the panther, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, an Indian Mongoose, and others in Rudyard Kipling's enduring classic, The Jungle Book. Inspired by Kipling's travels through India, The Jungle Book is a collection of short stories shared through the eyes of animals in the Indian jungle who possess human characteristics. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library. |
Imagine it's Friday the 13th, what day of the week was the 1st? | Friday the 13th Advertisement Friday the 13th In urban legend, Friday the 13th is supposed to be unlucky. Enough people have such a morbid fear of this day that the condition is given a name of paraskevidekatriaphobia. This word is derived from the Greek words paraskevi (Friday) and dekatria (thirteen) with -phobia as a suffix to indicate fear. Image: Attila Acs A related term is triskaidekaphobia, from Greek tris (three), kai (and), and deka (ten), which was coined in the early twentieth century to refer to fear of the number thirteen generally. The above word forms the basis of a lexical variant friggatriskaidekaphobia, also meaning 'fear of Friday 13th'. The prefix frigga is based on the name of an ancient Scandinavian goddess who was associated with witchcraft and Friday (the witches' sabbath). “I used to be superstitious, then I heard it was unlucky, so I stopped!” Even un-superstitious people might admit to feeling a little uneasy when the 13th falls on a Friday. It’s a good job this does not occur very often. Just a couple of times a year, right? It may then, surprise you to learn that, mysteriously, the 13th is more likely to fall on a Friday than any other day of the week! Lucky Friday 13th “The 13th is more likely to fall on a Friday than any other day of the week!” Surely, that makes Friday the 13th lucky, not unlucky! But wait, that can't be true, can it? Over a long period of time we'd expect things to average out. Is there really an affinity to Friday for the 13th day of the month? Yes, it's true. Let's prove it. But in order to do this, we need a little more background information … (Actually it's quite a lot of background. Hold on tight!) Here comes the sun … To understand why, we have to take a step back. Modern calendar days are based on the Gregorian Calendar . What? Hold on, we have to take a further step backwards … … the Earth revolves around the Sun. Our Solar System is heliocentric. We rotate around the Sun. By definition it takes one year to go all the way around. In exactly one year we will make a complete orbit around the Sun. The Earth spins as it rotates around the sun (more on this later), and this spinning is what causes our days and nights. The axis by which the Earth spins is not aligned with the plane of rotation around the Sun, however. It's tilted approx 23.5° away from the vertical of the 'ecliptic plane'. This tilt exposes different areas of the Earth to different levels of radiation from the Sun at different parts of the orbit. (When tilted towards the Sun, regions are exposed longer and to more direct radiation that is not spread out over a larger resolved area). These effects causes our seasons. Twice a year at special times (called the Equinoxes ) the tilt is such that the length of the night and day are the same. Seasons, agriculture, and religious events are based around these facts. Calendars provide predictable information about when these events will occur. It takes approx 365¼ days (365.25 days) for the Earth to rotate around the Sun, and for hundreds of years this figure was used as the basis for our calendar. This calendar, called the Julian Calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. To accommodate the ¼ day partial, a leap-year was defined to occur every four years. In a leap-year an additional day is added to pick up the slack. We all learn about this in school. The reality, however, is that the true orbital period is a little less than 365.25 days. It's more accurately around 365.2425 days. This difference is small, only about 0.002%, but over centuries, this error compounds. The celebration of the festival of Easter is tied to the Equinox that occurs in the Spring, and the Roman Catholic church was upset about the gradual shift of this ceremony in the calendar. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII made a couple of changes to address this issue. The first was to skip forward 10 days to re-align the calendar with the solar equinox, and the second was define a system to stop this happening again. (It's also at this point in history that the beginn |
In what year was the first episode of 'Coronation Street'? | What is Coronation Street ? Coronation Street is a soap opera shown four times a week in the United Kingdom. Of course, there's much more to it than just that ! Coronation Street is the most popular soap opera in Britain. It's also the world's longest-running television drama serial - the first episode was shown in December 1960, and has been shown continuously since then, going from two, to three (October 1989), and in December 1996, four episodes a week. The 4,000th episode was transmitted in April 1996. It is also transmitted in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe. Like other UK soaps, its attraction lies in the mundane. Set in the fictional Weatherfield, part of the Manchester conurbation in north west England, it portrays ordinary working class people in ordinary, believable situations and is a world away from US soaps such as Dallas and Dynasty. However, what makes The Street stand out from other UK soaps is the quality of writing, and the fact that plots are written from the characters viewpoint, rather than the issue-led storylines of other soaps. Coronation Street was the brainchild of writer Tony Warren. Although he was brought up in middle-class surroundings in Swinton, Manchester, Warren drew inspiration from his grandmother's surroundings in inner-city Salford. In 1956, Warren, only 19, wrote Where No Birds Sing, a script about a northern back-street, and a year later developed a comedy version - Our Street which he submitted to the BBC in Leeds and famously is still awaiting a reply. In 1958, he joined Granada Television, writing episodes for Shadow Squad, People and Places and Biggles. Granada Television (yes, named after the Spanish city) had been created by brothers Sydney and Cecil Bernstein in 1955, and was granted a licence to transmit television in the north of England. Part of the remit was to reflect the life of the region, but they were hardly fulfilling this. After pressurising producer Harry Elton to write about something he knew and understood, Warren was given twenty-four hours to 'come up with an idea to take Britain by storm'. Drawing on his childhood experiences and those first two scripts, overnight he produced what was to become the first episode of Coronation Street. Its potential was immediately obvious, and Warren's memo to the Granada board, explaining Florizel Street (Coronation Street's working title) ensured its production: "A fascinating freemasonary, a volume of unwritten rules. These are the driving forces behind life in a working class street in the north of England. The purpose of Florizel Street is to examine a community of this nature, and to entertain." Coronation Street went into production with twelve episodes, and a possible final thirteenth episode, were the street was bulldosed if the programme wasn't successful. The first episode was transmitted at 7:00 pm, Friday 9th December 1960 and was an immediate success. Before the end of 1960, more episodes were commissioned, and by May 1961 it was fully networked throughout the UK, topping the TV ratings - where it has remained ever since. You can hear a cheesy version of Eric Spear's theme tune - though the one used in the TV series is far better. |
What were 'Bit' and 'Bot' on the children's TV programme Playschool? | Happy Birthday Play School! 50 amazing facts to celebrate the children's TV stalwart - Mirror Online Happy Birthday Play School! 50 amazing facts to celebrate the children's TV stalwart Celebrate the 50th anniversary of everyone's favourite children's TV show Share Get celebs updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email You'd be hard pushed to find someone who hasn't got a fond memory of Play School growing up. While many children's show come and go like Teletubbies, the Tweenies and In the Night Garden, there's been one mainstay on British TV since, well, forever - or at least 50 years. Created by Joy Whitby, pre-school series Play School accidentally became the first programme ever to be seen on brand new channel BBC Two after a power cut interrupted the planned schedule. Making its debut on the day after BBC Two’s launch – 21st April 1964 – the series ran for 24 years up until March 1988. It launched the careers of many of its presenters including Brian Cant, Carol Chell, Johnny Ball, Derek Griffiths and Floella Benjamin. Play School was ahead of its time with its cheerful combination of songs, dances and lively presenters, accompanied by a cast of toys and pets. Play School even holds the distinction of being the first children’s programme ever to be seen in colour on BBC Two and the first children’s programme ever to feature a black host with Paul Danquah. Even Hollywood royalty appeared on the show with Emma Thompson's parents Eric Thompson and Phyllida Law hosting the show. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary, Play School will be part of a special exhibition commemorating Children’s BBC – Here’s One We Made Earlier due to open at The Lowry in Manchester in July. And campaigning audience advocacy group, the Children’s Media Foundation, are supporting a special reunion for all those who worked on or were involved with the iconic children’s show. “Play School was absolutely ahead of its time in terms of its content, production techniques and presenting style”, says Anna Home, OBE, former head of BBC Children’s, previously a Play School researcher and now chair of the Children’s Media Foundation. “You only have to look at today’s children’s programming to see how it has inspired generations of presenters and programme-makers way beyond its 24 years on screen.” Eric Thompson and Phyllida Law both appeared on Play School (Photo: Rex) Check out 50 facts to celebrate Play School's 50th anniversary below Play School was originally commissioned when Michael Peacock, the Chief of Programmes for BBC Two who had two young children of his own, was looking to redress the lack of nursery age programming on air. The thinking behind the programme’s title was that ‘play is the child’s first school’. Play School was the very first programme to appear on BBC Two on 21st April 1964. Play School only became the first programme to be shown on BBC Two accidentally, after a massive power cut blacked out the previous day’s launch schedule. Play School ran for 24 years, right up until March 1988. There were 5,692 editions of Play School transmitted in total. Only 1,900 editions of Play School have survived in the BBC archives. Play School was the first children’s programme to be shown in colour on BBC Two in May 1968. Play School’s revolutionary mixture of fun, games, songs and live presenters was a big hit. In the seventies it regularly attracted around 5 million viewers. There were a total of 104 presenters – mostly actors, comedians and singers. The Play School presenters always presented as pairs. The programme’s producers frequently mixed up the pairs to provide a different onscreen chemistry. The very first Play School was presented by Virginia Stride and Gordon Rollings. Play School presenters included Brian Cant, Johnny Ball, Floella Benjamin, Derek Griffiths and husband and wife team Eric Thompson and Phyllida Law (the parents of OSCAR winning actress Emma Thompson). The longest serving presenters were Carol Chell (763 episodes), Brian Cant (620), Julie |
What was the first vehicle registration plate in Britain? | History of Number Plates | Registration and Car Number Plate History Login/Register History of Number Plates This article focuses on the history of GB Mainland number plates. Interested in the History of Irish Number Plates ? At the beginning of the century, with mechanically propelled vehicles increasing in number, and accidents occurring more frequently, it became apparent that a means of identifying cars had become necessary. The solution was The Motor Car Act 1903. From 1st January 1904 it become compulsory for every motorcar to be registered with a number plate. This came about 5 years after Dutch authorities first introduced the idea to the world. The first mark to be issued in London was the simple, bold, A1 and this was registered to Earl Russell. He wanted the mark so badly he camped out all night to secure it, making him not only the first registrant but also the inventor of the idea of having a distinctive, personalised or cherished plate on a vehicle. Since then, the registration system has changed 4 times to accommodate the ever-growing demand for vehicle registrations. Interesting fact: Our Director Des currently has O 11 on his vehicle, which dates back to 1903 and was originally issued in Birmingham Let's take a look at the different number plate systems that have come into play over the years... Dateless 1903-1963 The first plates issued were dateless, that is, there was nothing to denote the year of issue. This system lasted for an incredible 60 years. Initially, the marks were made up of a local council identifier code of up to 3 letters, followed by a random number, e.g. ABC 123. In the early 1950s, as numbers started to run out, the components were reversed, giving rise to registrations in the format 123 ABC. In 1920 The Roads Act was passed that made a few minor changes to the number plate system. Up until this time, there was nothing to stop authorities having two registers, one for cars and one for motorcycles. This meant that it was possible for a car and a motorcycle in the same area to have the same plate. The 1920 act put a stop to this and ensured that all authorities had one single register for all vehicles. Also, up until 1920, if a vehicle moved from one area to another, it would lose the plate and receive a new one in the new area, the old plate being reassigned to another vehicle. It was decided that this was simply too confusing and inconvenient, so this practice was stopped by the 1920 Roads Act. Not surprisingly, all the dateless registrations are now in high demand, especially short combinations such as O 11 which is worth in excess of £95,000. The high price tag is due to the single letter and the fact that it only has 3 characters in total. Suffix 1963 - 1983 By 1963, a number of local councils had run out of registrations, even by adding extra digits and reversing them. As a result of this, the Suffix system was introduced, a letter indicating the year of registration being added at the end of the plate, which until then had comprised only 3 letters followed by 3 numbers. Thus, 1963 plates had the format AAA 111A, 1964 plates AAA 111B and so on. This was the first change to a system that had been set up in 1903 when there were far fewer cars on the roads. Since then the administration of the system has turned into a massive task. Everything was done manually and locally. Police checks on vehicle records were time consuming and labour intensive. There were also delays with registrations and the public were not happy with having to wait. So in 1963, as well as a revamp of the system, thought started to be given to utilising some modern technology, namely, computers to create a centralised system. This system would be nine years in the planning! Since 1903 the design of the physical plates had gone through a few changes but the most significant was in 1973 when all newly registered vehicles were required to have reflective style number plates, with black letters on a white background at the front, and on a yellow background at the rear. Older style plates, with white or silver letter |
Which creature has the largest eyes in the world? | Largest Eye in the World, Giant Squid | Smithsonian Ocean Portal Ocean Careers Largest Eye in the World, Giant Squid Giant squid have the largest eye in the animal kingdom. At up to 10 inches in diameter, people often describe it as the size of a dinner plate -- or, in other words, as big as a human head. Here, National Museum of Natural History staffer Katie Velazco goes eye-to-eye with a preserved example from the Smithsonian's collection . Why do they need such big eyes? The deep ocean is so dark that bigger eyes probably don't help the giant squids pinpoint and hunt small food. However, drawing in even a bit more light could help them see larger shadowy shifts in the depths -- like those produced by an enormous predator. A study published in March 2012 suggested that giant squids could detect a moving sperm whale from 394 feet (120 meters) with those big eyes. |
How long does a human taste bud live for, 10 minutes, 10 hours or 10 days? | Taste and Flavor - Taste Bud Facts at WomansDay.com Thinkstock Advertisement - Continue Reading Below You probably already know that your taste buds have something to do with your food preferences, but you'll likely be surprised to learn how deeply those preferences are rooted in your body's survival instincts. We spoke to the experts to learn more about taste buds, and uncovered loads of surprising information, from how pregnancy can affect taste to why some people have more sensitive palates. Read on to learn seven surprising facts about taste buds. Most Popular 1. You can't see your taste buds. Those bumps you see on your tongue when you say "ahh"? They aren't taste buds. "Those round projections are called fungiform papillae and each has an average of six taste buds buried inside its surface tissue," says Linda Bartoshuk, PhD, director of human research at the University of Florida Center for Smell and Taste. Specialized taste receptors inside the taste buds allow us to distinguish sweet, salty, sour and bitter—and a possible fifth taste called umami, which has a savory element––by sending a message to the brain. And you don't just have taste buds on your tongue—they're everywhere, from the roof of your mouth to your throat and stomach. 2. Not everyone has the same amount of taste buds. According to Nicholas Bower, MD, district medical director at MedExpress, the average adult has between 2,000 and 10,000 taste buds. People who have more than 10,000 are considered to be "supertasters" because they taste things more intensely. "Research has shown that supertasters don't like vegetables very much because they taste bitterness so intensely," says Dr. Bartoshuk. "They also may find very sweet desserts, like crème brûlée, to be over-the-top sugary." To find out where you fall on the taste spectrum, Dr. Bartoshuk recommends an easy at-home test: Apply a couple of drops of blue food color to your tongue and swallow a few times. Then examine your tongue's surface; fungiform papillae won't pick up the dye, so they'll look like pink polka dots on a blue background. If your tongue appears to be almost solid pink, then you have tons of fungiform papillae and may be a supertaster. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 3. Taste and flavor are not the same thing. Taste is what your taste buds pick up: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and potentially umami (the fifth savory taste). Flavor is a combination of taste plus smell, specifically "retronasal olfaction," which is how your brain registers scent when you eat something. For example, sniffing a chocolate doughnut will send a scent message through your nostrils to one part of your brain, and eating it will send a different type of scent signal to a different part of your brain. It is the scent message from eating that combines with taste to create flavor. However, according to Dr. Bartoshuk, the scent message from smelling with your nose is not involved with flavor at all (your brain knows the difference between the two). 4. Taste buds are designed to keep us alive. "The purpose of our ability to distinguish tastes is survival," says Trey Wilson, DDS, a New York City–based dentist. "Taste buds tell your brain whether or not to swallow what's already in your mouth." According to Dr. Bartoshuk, infants are born loving sweet and hating bitter, because natural sugar—not the sugar in, say, a processed candy bar, as we think of it today—is brain fuel, while bitter is the sensory cue for poison. "The taste system evolved to protect a baby who hasn't learned anything about what is good and bad for himself yet," she explains. Additionally, sodium is a mineral that's essential for making our muscles and nerves work, thus many people's cravings for salty snacks. 5. Your flavor preferences aren't set in stone. You can train your palate to enjoy new foods—just ask any adventurous eater who used to be a picky toddler. "By our watching our parents and friends, our brain learns what foods are 'good,'" says Dr. Bower. Want to expand your child's—or your own—palate? According to Dr. Bartoshuk, bringing |
What was Frank Sinatra's big 1966 hit, a number one in 13 countries? | Frank Sinatra - Biography | Billboard Frank Sinatra Hoboken, NJ 1915 Frank Sinatra was arguably the most important popular music figure of the 20th century, his only real rivals for the title being Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles. In a professional career that lasted 60 years, he demonstrated a remarkable ability to maintain his appeal and pursue his musical goals despite often countervailing trends. He came to the fore during the swing era of the 1930s and '40s, helped to define the "sing era" of the '40s and '50s, and continued to attract listeners during the rock era that began in the mid-'50s. He scored his first number one hit in 1940 and was still making million-selling recordings in 1994. This popularity was a mark of his success at singing and promoting the American popular song as it was written, particularly in the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. He was able to take the work of great theater composers of that period, such as Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers, and reinterpret their songs for later audiences in a way that led to their rediscovery and their permanent enshrinement as classics. On records and in live performances, on film, radio, and television, he consistently sang standards in a way that demonstrated their perennial appeal. The son of a fireman, Sinatra dropped out of high school in his senior year to pursue a career in music. In September 1935, he appeared as part of the vocal group the Hoboken Four on Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour. The group won the radio show contest and toured with Bowes. Sinatra then took a job as a singing waiter and MC at the Rustic Cabin in Englewood, NJ. He was still singing there in the spring of 1939, when he was heard over the radio by trumpeter Harry James, who had recently organized his own big band after leaving Benny Goodman. James hired Sinatra, and the new singer made his first recordings on July 13, 1939. At the end of the year, Sinatra accepted an offer from the far more successful bandleader Tommy Dorsey, jumping to his new berth in January 1940. Over the next two and a half years, he was featured on 16 Top Ten hits recorded by Dorsey, among them the chart-topper "I'll Never Smile Again," later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. During this period, he also performed on various radio shows with Dorsey and appeared with the band in the films Las Vegas Nights (1941) and Ship Ahoy (1942). In January 1942, he tested the waters for a solo career by recording a four-song session arranged and conducted by Axel Stordahl that included Cole Porter's "Night and Day," which became his first chart entry under his own name in March 1942. Soon after, he gave Dorsey notice. Sinatra left the Dorsey band in September 1942. The recording ban called by the American Federation of Musicians, which had begun the previous month, initially prevented him from making records, but he appeared on a 15-minute radio series, Songs By Sinatra, from October through the end of the year and also did a few live dates. His big breakthrough came due to his engagement as a support act to Benny Goodman at the Paramount Theatre in New York, which began on New Year's Eve. It made him a popular phenomenon, the first real teen idol, with school girls swooning in the aisles. RCA Victor, which had been doling out stockpiled Dorsey recordings during the strike, scored with "There Are Such Things," which had a Sinatra vocal; it hit number one in January 1943, as did "In the Blue of the Evening," another Dorsey record featuring Sinatra, in August, while a third Dorsey/Sinatra release, "It's Always You," hit the Top Five later in the year, and a fourth, "I'll Be Seeing You," reached the Top Ten in 1944. Columbia, which controlled the Harry James recordings, reissued the four-year-old "All or Nothing at All," re-billed as being by Frank Sinatra with Harry James & His Orchestra, and it hit number one in September. Meanwhile, the label had signed Sinatra as a solo artist, and in a temporary loophole to the recording ban, put him in the studio to record a capp |
Man has seven vertebrae in his neck, how many does a Giraffe have? | If a giraffe's neck only has seven vertebrae, how is it so flexible? | HowStuffWorks If a giraffe's neck only has seven vertebrae, how is it so flexible? Anup Shah/ Getty Images Giraffes tower above all other mammals in the world. Loping along the African savannas on skinny, stiltlike legs, adult male giraffes can top out at 19 feet (6 meters) [source: National Geographic ]. But only around half of that height comes from their stems -- the rest is all neck. Then, if all of that length wasn't enough for these spotted giants, they have yet another tool to expand their reach. Giraffes' tongues can stretch as far as 18 inches (46 centimeters) to snag even the highest hanging leaf [source: San Diego Zoo ]. In regard to the long neck, scientists continue to scratch their heads about the exact evolutionary path the animal's ancestors took to instigate such a unique adaptation. One of the most compelling pieces of this puzzle is that the great expanse of neck contains a mere seven vertebrae. That's the same number of vertebrae that humans and almost all other mammals have. From Jaws to Claws How do ducks float? For an explanation, many point to giraffes' preferred snack of acacia leaves, which would make the added extension necessary for craning to the tops of these 20-foot (6-meter) trees. However, giraffes also spend time, particularly during the later part of the day, with their legs splayed out, munching on grasses and low-lying shrubs [source: Dagg and Foster ]. Or perhaps it came about to impress the shorter-necked ladies. Giraffe males, called bulls, will duke it out in a neck-to-neck competition for female giraffes. Similar to rams locking horns in heated battles, the bulls use their hefty necks to strike each other with crushing force. Survival of the fittest would suggest that the ones with the longest and strongest would win. Whatever the case, those seven vertebrae dwarf the ones found in our bodies. In fact, each giraffe neck vertebra may be as long as 10 inches (25 centimeters) [source: San Diego Zoo ]. As you can guess, that doesn't exactly make for a light load to tote. Stack up those seven blocks of bone and toss on a head, and we're talking around 600 pounds (272 kilograms) of cargo [source: San Diego Zoo ]. How do these lanky quadrupeds support their upper halves, much less move them around? Go on to the next page to find out the secrets inside nature's longest neck. |
Whom did Boris Becker beat when he became the youngest Wimbledon champion? | BBC ON THIS DAY | 7 | 1985: Boris Becker wins Wimbledon at 17 1985: Boris Becker wins Wimbledon at 17 A West German teenager has become the youngest ever player to win the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Boris Becker, a 17-year-old unseeded outsider before the tournament began, raised the coveted silver trophy above his head to rapturous applause on centre court. Becker is also the first German ever to win the title, and the first unseeded player. He had dominated the match from the start, taking just three hours and 18 minutes to overpower eighth-seeded Kevin Curren, a South-African-born American. Flamboyant The match was a dramatic clash in the brilliant sunshine, made more spectacular by Becker's flamboyant style. His massive serve sent balls scorching across the net. He scored 21 aces to Curren's 19. Becker also has a habit of flinging himself around the court, diving headlong for volleys and baseline shots. For half a set he played with his shirt caked in dirt after one particularly spectacular fall. The final result was 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. 'Idol' for Germany "This is going to change tennis in Germany," he said after the match. "I am the first Wimbledon winner and now they have an idol." After his defeat, Kevin Curren said he thought the game would see an increase in the number of successful young players, and predicted they would have more intense, but shorter, careers. There was some speculation that Curren had been unnerved by Becker's openly aggressive style. The young player sent a hostile stare to his opponent before and after points, and in the final caught Curren's shoulder as they passed when changing ends. But Becker defended his tactics, saying "I'm going on court to win, to fight, to do what I can." Child prodigy Becker has had a brief but brilliant career. He began playing tennis aged eight, and by 12 years old was concentrating almost wholly on the game. He won the West German junior championship aged 15 and was runner-up in the US junior championship. Last January he took the Young Masters tournament in Birmingham, and won his first Grand Prix tournament at Queen's just three weeks ago. He has won 28 of his 39 matches this year, and is expected to lead West Germany in the Davis Cup against the United States next month. |
Which animal is mentioned the most in the Bible? | FOR KIDS - Animals in the Bible Close Animals in the Bible Contact Tract Ministry Mosaic Magazine Resources About MMA Blog Beyond The Bars Prayer Addictions FOR KIDS - Animals in the Bible Weekly Bible Reading Tract Samples Animals In The Bible Animals in the Bible? Hey, kids, we know you love animals. Do you have a pet at home? What is it? Small or big? Did you know there are many animals mentioned in the Bible? Actually, there are more than 55. Did you also know that each animal has a symbolic meaning? That means that we can look at each animal not only from a natural standpoint, but also try to figure out what it represents spiritually and how we can learn valuable lessons from each and everyone of them. Here we have listed some of the most famous animals in the Bible: THE ANT Have you seen an ant? Of course you have. They are everywhere around us. They are so small, but live in large groups. Also, these little creatures are one of the smartest animals in the Bible, because they are very hard working ones and therefore are a symbol of being diligent, industrious and wise in preparing for the future ahead of time. That's what we ourselves must be, right? Proverbs 30:25 says: "Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer." THE BEAR Bears represent the big and strong animals in the Bible. They are some of the biggest creatures the Lord has created. They are wild and very dangerous beasts. Therefore, bears in the Bible are symbolic of cruel, strong and bad people. Daniel 7:5 says: "And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, 'Get up and eat your fill of flesh!" THE BEE If you have ever seen a flower in a field, you have most probably seen a bee - a representative of the insect family of animals in the Bible. Bees are also very hard working and they produce one of the sweetest things you have ever eaten. Guessed it? Of course - honey. So, bees symbolize sweetness, but also, they symbolize the power to sting. When David was fleeing from his enemies, he said: "They surrounded me like bees..." (Psalm 118:12) THE BUTTERFLY The butterfly is not among the specifically mentioned animals in the Bible, but it is definitely a very good symbol, because, as you know, these beautiful creatures experience an extremely amazing process before they turn into butterflies. First they are carterpillars - something not so pretty looking. They hide in a cocoon though and after some time, a butterfly comes out. Can you believe it? Yes, that's one of the biggest miracles the Lord has done. It is very similar to the way the Lord recreates our spirits when we receive Him as our Lord and Savior. THE CALF The calves are probaly the happiest animals in the Bible. That's why, when the Bible wants to describe a person who is so happy that he is even dancing and jumping up and down, sometimes it used the symbol of the calf. For instance, in Malachi 4:2, God's Word says: "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." THE CAMEL The camels are the only animals in the Bible and altogether, which can walk on the hot sands of the desert without getting burned. That's why the people of old have used camels when they wanted to transport anything through the desert. Well, you guessed it - the camel is a symbol of a servant and a burden bearer - someone called to help us when it gets "really hot". THE DEER The deer is so beautiful and so fast - one of the most gracious and fastest wild animals in the Bible. So, they are a good symbol of beauty and swiftness. Psalm 18:33 says: "He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights." See? We should all represent God's beauty and graciousness, and we should always be swift to obey the Lord and His Word. We are sure of course, that you want absolutely the same thing. Let's have a very quick word |
Which phenomenon might you be interested in if you visit Drumnadrochit? | Seriously Bad - Nessieland, Drumnadrochit Traveller Reviews - TripAdvisor “Seriously Bad” Reviewed 3 June 2013 Unfortunately I got the leaflet for Nessieland mixed up with the "Loch Ness Monster Exhibition Centre" and went to Nessieland by mistake. Upon entering the place, I was left with a feeling something wasn't right but I paid the £6 per person fee despite the nagging feeling and the looks my girlfriend was giving me. All in all it was £12 for the two of us! You walk straight through the nessie shop, through darkened doors and follow a corridor until you come to a cinema. Along the corridor are pictures of nessie related information and bizarrely big foot! The cinema is reminiscent of a dodgy back street cinema and the documentary doesn't get any better. The whole place stank of oxo cubes, not what we were expecting! The viewing was of a wide screen film shown in 4:3 so everything was out of proportion and the colour balance badly set, the so called experts who witnessed seeing nessie are far from convincing, in most cases laughable. The only fun we had during the whole screening was making the seats squeak. Once the film had finished we were left wondering what to do and headed back towards the entrance. Here was another room with lots of Nessie related facts, models and fun kiddie material. This was more a weird haunted house ride rather than a fun information experience and left us wanting to leave the place rather quickly. We did wonder if there was anything else to the place and looked around but found that this was it. Finally we decided to leave feeling very robbed of our £12 and not happy with the experience at all. To make matters worse the actual loch ness exhitbition centre was just around the corner and apparently has won loads of awards for best visitor experience. Another warning should have been the advertising material which was very badly photoshoped. The entire thing looked like it had been put together by child. I would urge you to really consider twice about this place and other reviews are saying very similar things. Visited June 2013 This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC lordness, Guest Relations Manager at Nessieland, responded to this review, 11 June 2013 Thank you for taking time to write a review. We are sorry you were so confused by there being two visitor centres in Drumnadrochit as in fact there are few similarities between them in terms of brochure design, outward appearance, name or indeed content. Nessieland aims to inform and entertain visitors and to appeal to as wide a range of backgrounds as possible. Visitors looking for information with a slightly light-hearted approach are well catered for, perhaps more than those who are simply seeking dry scientific facts. Most visitors come out again having found at the very least a few things they didn't know about Loch Ness and the monster. big Foot is included as just another unexplained phenomenon in popular culture. I am personally unacquainted with back-street cinemas, neither can I comment on whether the eye-witnesses are plausible or not, they are merely relating their own experiences. We are sorry you were disappointed by your visit and felt robbed of your £12. I understand other local attractions cost a little more and even they are not to everyone's taste. Report response as inappropriate Thank you. We appreciate your input. This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC “Absolutely awful!” Reviewed 2 June 2013 We visited with all of our family including small baby and two children ages five. The centre is not good for the children the cave is an authentic smell which made the baby cry and one of my children to feel sick. The reading was heavy and the film was severely outdated! What was worst was the lovely outdoor play playground had dog poo in it. Before we realised our eldest had slipped and fallen in poo right next to the play frame. The staff were apologetic but no effort was made to clean the park area for other children. |
In which country is Geneva Gin made? | Home Distillation of Alcohol (Homemade Alcohol to Drink) How to Contact Me Gin Federal Standards of Identity: Gin is a product obtained by original distillation from mash, or by redistillation of distilled spirits, or by mixing neutral spirits, with or over juniper berries and other aromatics, or with or over extracts derived from infusions, percolation's, or maceration of such materials, and includes mixtures of gin and neutral spirits. It shall derive its main characteristic flavor from juniper berries and be bottled at not less than 80o proof. Gin produced exclusively by original distillation or by redistillation may be further designated as "distilled." "Dry gin" (London dry gin), "Geneva gin" (Hollands gin), and "Old Tom gin" (Tom gin) are types of gin known under such designations. A Brief History Of Gin Credit for the discovery of gin usually goes to Franciscus de la Boe (also known as Dr Sylvius), a Dutch physician and professor at the University of Leyden, Holland. This was during the 1650's. He had long recognized that the oils of juniper berries had diuretic values which helped flush out the urinary system, keeping the bladder and kidneys healthy. His objective was to develop a medicinal tonic by mixing grain spirits with juniper-berry extract. He called it geniévre (French for juniper). The Dutch renamed it genever, later it became known as geneva and was eventually anglicized by the English to gin. It is unlikely, however, that Dr. Sylvius was the first to add the flavor of juniper to spirits. Hugh Williams, master distiller for United Distillers in London, theorizes that the alchemedic monks of twelfth-century Italy probably were the first to use juniper as a flavor in distilled spirits. Although distillation was practiced by Egyptian alchemists, the Italian monks may have been the first to produce beverage alcohol in the form of distilled spirits. Italian alchemists had long recognized the diuretic qualities of the juniper berry and may have used it as far back as the time of the Bubonic Plague (1347-1350). Since one of the symptoms of the plague (or, Black Death as it was called) was the enlargement of lymph nodes, a diuretic would have been used to reduce the swelling and juniper has this property. The first printed mention of the use of botanicals in distillation is in a book published in London in the 1520's. Thus, the theory of an early form of gin existing since the mid-1300's, or earlier, is entirely possible, but it cannot be proved. The problem with the Dr. Sylvius theory is that various books on the subject of spirits refer to Sylvius creating gin in, or around the year 1650. Some of these same books, however, indicate that gin was known in England as early as the 1570's. Sylvius is, however, credited with the first printed recipe for gin and his recipe was probably also the first to be based on grain spirits � previous spirits most likely having been distilled from fruits, probably grapes. In 1568, the predominately Protestant Dutch revolted against their Catholic rulers from Spain, and in 1585 Queen Elizabeth I of England sent Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, to help the Dutch in their quest. Dudley's soldiers did more than fight, however; they discovered jenever�the Dutch name of a juniper - flavored spirit�and they praised it because it had given them "Dutch Courage" before battles. Returning home they encouraged the production of the crude spirit and it soon became England's national drink. Production of gin had begun by the early 1600's in some of England's port cities; Bristol, Plymouth, Portsmouth, and London. Increasing popularity of the new drink resulted in continued expansion of production. By 1688, England was producing a half-million gallons of gin per year. In 1689 a Dutchman (William III) ascended to the throne of England and the stage was set for ever higher production. The new King was a Protestant and figured that one way to weaken the economy of England's enemy, Catholic France, was to prevent any French goods from entering England. The result of this was to create a dep |
Cape Finisterre is the most westerly mainland point of which country? | MARKET PLACE MARCH 2015 by Baker Pickard SL (page 41) - issuu issuu Taste of India Tandoori Restaurante C/. Carabeo, 51 Nerja We specialize in traditional dishes and take great pride in serving authentic Indian food of the finest quality in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. All dishes are cooked with fresh and natural ingredients. Reserve your table 10% discount on take-away Open every evening Except Tuesday for Dinner: 1900 till 2300 NAME JUMBLE 20 E Prize Entries for the Name Jumble can be handed in to our sales office in Calle Castilla Perez, posted to Apartado de Correos 230, 29780 Nerja, or sent by e-mail to info@ themarketplace-spain.com. For posted entries please ensure the first line of the address reads 'Apartado de Correos 230' because new post office regulations mean it won't be delivered otherwise. Entries for the Name Jumble must be received by the 12th of the month. The answer will be published in next month's edition of Market Place together with the winner's name. The first correct entry drawn will win a meal for two up to 20 Euros. Please e-mail: info@themarketplace-spain. com to claim your prize. Taste of India Tandoori Restaurante Map spot 46 C/. Carabeo, 51 - Nerja, Tel: 95 252 0043 Congratulations to Bill Ogilvie of Torrox the winner of last month's Name Jumble competition....Well Done! Last Month’s Answer: A S H T O N K U T C H E R Tel: 95 252 0043 1. The movie 'Gone in 60 Seconds' featured which type of car with the nickname 'Elanor'? Dodge Charger F Ford Mustang E Pontiac Trans-Am G 2. Which boxing class is heaviest? Flyweight Bantam weight Feather weight R S O Answer the questions and ring around the letter. When you have answered all the questions collect the letters & rearrange to find the name of a well known tv personality. 3. What colour is the cross on the Greek flag? White N Blue T Black I 4. Diana Ross had a hit with 'Chain Reaction' but who wrote it? Dolly Parton C Stevie Wonder N The Bee Gees R 5. The flower Convallaria is better known as what? Lily of the valley R Marigold J Tulip K 6. If you are suffering from varicella what have you got? Varicose Veins L Chickenpox G Cold Sores O 7. In which city were the 1960 Summer Olympic Games held? Athens Paris Rome I U M 1 8. From which musical does the song 'There's no Business like Show Business' come? Annie get your Gun I Guys and Dolls U Singin in the Rain A 9. Cape Finisterre is the most westerly mainland point of which country? Spain France Canada 10. Which character did Adrian Edmondson play in the BBC comedy 'The Young Ones'? Rik E Vivien A Neil S 11. Who did Bjorn Borg beat to win his first Wimbledon singles title? Ilie Nastase S Jimmy Connors E Roscoe Tanner B 2 |
Hillary Rodman married whom in 1975? | The Marriage of Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton The Marriage of Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton 20th Century Presidential Couples The Marriage of Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and US President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office, January 1, 2000. Photo: Getty Images Share By Sheri Stritof Although they have one of the most dissected marriages in America, Bill and Hillary Clinton keep their marriage together in spite of rough times, complicated and busy schedules, and lack of privacy. Here is information on how Bill and Hillary met, their wedding, and more. Fast Marriage Facts - Bill and Hillary Met: 1970. Hillary's wedding dress was purchased at a department store. News Updates: 2/12/2010: Former President Bill Clinton is back home. Dr. Allan Schwartz, chief of cardiology at New York Presbyterian Hospital said Clinton has "no evidence of heart attack or damage to his heart." 2/11/2010: After two stents were inserted into his coronary artery, former President Bill Clinton "is in good spirits." Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to be with him at New York Presbyterian Hospital. continue reading below our video 7 Tips for a Harmonious Divorce 2/11/2010. What You Can Learn From the Marriage of Bill and Hillary Clinton: Relationships can survive hard times. Don't make decisions when you are upset and angry. Be true to yourself. Do what is right for you. Born: William Jefferson Clinton: August 19, 1946 in Hope, Arkansas. His birth name is William Jefferson Blythe III. Hillary Diane Rodham: October 26, 1947 in Park Ridge, Illinois. How Bill and Hillary Met: Hillary and Bill first met in 1970 at Yale Law School in a civil liberties class. Hillary, on first talking with each other: "If you're going to keep looking at me and I'm going to keep looking at you, we ought to at least know each other. I'm Hillary Rodham." Source: Wendy H. Goldberg and Betty Goodwin. Marry Me! Courtships and Proposals of Legendary Couples. page 103. Their first date was at a Yale art gallery to view a Mark Rothko exhibit. Bill's marriage proposal: "I bought that house you like, so you better marry me because I can't live in it by myself." Source: Wendy H. Goldberg and Betty Goodwin. Marry Me! Courtships and Proposals of Legendary Couples. page 104. Wedding Date and Information: Bill and Hillary were married on October 11, 1975 in Fayetteville, Arkansas in the brick home that Bill had purchased for the two of them. Hillary wore an old-fashioned looking dress designed by Jessica McClintock. She had hurridly purchased the dress at Dillard's department store. They had a small private ceremony followed by a reception for about 100 people. The reception was held at the home of Morris and Ann Henry. Their wedding cake had pale yellow roses on the icing. Hillary and Bill honeymooned in Acapulco. Children: Hillary and Bill have one daughter. Chelsea Clinton: Born in 1980. On Thanksgiving Day 2009, Chelsea announced her engagement to banker Marc Mezvinsky. Chelsea and Marc were married on July 31, 2010. Occupations: Bill: 42nd President of the U.S., Governor of Arkansas. Hillary: Former Secretary of State, former U.S. Senator, presidential candidate, lawyer. Religion: Hillary: Methodist. Quotes About Bill and Hillary's Marriage: Bill: "I believe when she [Hillary] says she doesn’t think she’ll run, she’s being completely honest. I want her to do what she wants to do. I’m glad she’s comin’ home, I miss her. We have fun together.” Source: Jennifer Wlach. "Bill Clinton Marks 5th Annual Collegiate Service Summit -- ABC New Exclusive." ABCNews.go.com. 4/02/2012. Tim Dowling: "If the rumours are to be believed, Bill and Hillary Clinton are in love. No, I mean with each other. Recently, the US secretary of state and the former president have been seen holding hands at the Cafe Carlyle in New York, only to be spotted a few days later walking together, again hand in hand, down a street in Washington." Source: Tim Dowling. "When Bill Met Hillary -- a love story for our times?" Guardian.co.uk. 4/28/09. Hillary: "I am very luc |
A ukulele and a banjelele both have how many strings? | Types of Ukuleles - Get-Tuned.com APP Types of Ukuleles The various types of ukulele that are present on the market today have mainly been developed as a result of the increase in popularity of the ukulele. Types of ukulele can be roughly categorized into three groups: standard ukulele types, hybrid ukulele types and variations of standard ukuleles. Standard ukulele types include the four main types of ukulele - the soprano, the concert, the tenor and the baritone. Hybrid ukulele types include any instrument that has been 'crossed' with a ukulele; such as the banjolele, the harp ukulele and the bass ukulele. Variations of standard ukuleles include any type of ukulele that has some kind of other variation, but is still classified under the four main types of ukulele. Variations of standard ukuleles mainly include ukuleles that vary in body shape such as the pineapple ukulele or the cutaway ukulele. A reason why the ukulele varies so much in size and shape is because low-end standard/soprano ukuleles are very inexpensive to manufacture, making it more cost-effective to produce different models. Often you can find ukuleles in different colors and shapes in music stores. This is because it is easy to make and sell cheap instrument variations. Some comical ukulele shapes include the electric-guitar styled ukulele, and the more traditional pineapple shaped uke, which you can occasionally find painted to look like an actual pineapple! Many of the various types of ukulele are quite different from each other, and they produce radically different tones. The ukulele has always been quite a social instrument which is perhaps part of the reason why the tenor, baritone and bass ukuleles were developed - in order to fill out the sound (by adding in lower-ranged notes) when ukes are played together. The ukulele has undergone some significant changes during its lifetime, and like most stringed instruments is quite individualistic in quality. Different makes of the same basic type of ukulele will have different tones, depending on the quality of the woods used and the specifications of the instrument. As such, it is important to shop around for a ukulele when you decide to buy one, so that you find the right ukulele to suit you. Soprano, Concert, Tenor, Baritone (from smallest to largest) The soprano ukulele is also known as the standard ukulele because it is the closest in size to the original ukuleles made in Hawaii in the late 1800's. The soprano ukulele is the most well-known ukulele, and the vast majority of music stores will stock them. The soprano uke is usually around 21 inches long, and has only 12-15 frets depending on model. This gives it the smallest playing range of all of the ukulele types, with a twelve-fret model having a range of only twenty-two half-tones (C4-A5). The soprano ukulele is favored as a learner instrument for children because of its small size and thus the small distance between frets. This makes chord positions much easier for small hands to reach than compared with a child-sized guitar. The size of the soprano ukulele also makes it the perfect travelling companion for musicians who like to take to the road. However, the small soprano can also be harder to play for people with larger hands, who may struggle to navigate around such a condensed fretboard. The soprano ukulele is standard-tuned to the re-entrant tuning of G4-C4-E4-A4. Most commonly, the soprano ukulele is outfitted with nylon polymer strings, which help to give the soprano uke the classic up-beat and harshly thin timbre that it is known for. The soprano ukulele is a common ukulele to start with because there are plenty of relatively low-cost and beginner-friendly models on the market at the moment. There is also an abundance of free online learning resources that cover material specifically for beginner soprano ukulele players, as well as great tools for beginner players like our own Ukulele Tuner and Ukulele Tuning App . Intermediate and advanced players are well-catered for too, so it is possible to upskill on the soprano ukulele without spen |
Which river runs by Balmoral Castle? | Balmoral Castle and the Dee - Walks - The AA Balmoral Castle and the Dee A walk past the Queen's memorials to her husband, servants and dogs. Distance 4.8 miles (7.7km) Paths Tracks and paths, no stiles Landscape Pine forest and viewpoints above wide river valley Suggested map aqua3 OS Explorer 388 Lochnagar Start/finish NO 264949 Dog friendliness On lead in castle grounds Parking Large pay-and-display at Crathie Church Public toilets Balmoral Castle Information 1 From the car park, cross the River Dee to the lodge gateway into Balmoral Castle. You must pay to enter the grounds and can also buy a booklet with a map of the marked walks. Shortly, turn right off the driveway on a track that bends to the left as it reaches the river. After 200yds (183m) bear left on a path that continues along the riverbank. At a yellow waymarker turn left, past a red pillar box to the cafeteria. 2 Go round to the left of the castle to its east front. A path runs directly away from the castle, to the right of a sunken rose garden, past the memorials to dogs. At a path junction turn right through a pinewood to regain the riverside. 3 Turn left on the riverside path. The tall white flowers of angelica grow here, releasing a smell like aniseed; there are lupins too, whose seeds are carried here by the river. The path runs up to a tarred driveway, which you follow for 55yds (50m) to a path rising on the left. This crosses another driveway and rises through the woods to a junction with a map showing the estate paths. Turn up to the right on a track that steepens and bends to the left under larches. At its highest point it reaches a T-junction. 4 Turn right for the fine view ahead into the corrie of Lochnagar. The little-used track runs down to join an unsurfaced forest road where you turn left. A deer fence on the right is threaded with thin laths, designed to make it visible to capercaillie. Injury from flying into fences is a significant reason for the decline of this handsome, and now almost extinct, large grouse. After a gate in the deer fence, turn right at a triangle junction, up a new forest road. In about 350yds (320m), a wide path turns up to the left and leads to a huge pyramidal cairn. from where there are panoramic views. 5 The path continues on the right, descending quite steeply to a corner where trees have been felled to provide a view down the Dee. The path descends through the deer fence to a tarred estate road. Opposite is a rather gaudy dry drinking trough, commemorating General Sir Thomas Myddelton Biddulph KCB. Turn down the road to the shop in Easter Balmoral. You can turn left to revisit the castle, as the route is about to leave the estate by turning right across a stream and down left to a public road alongside the Dee. 6 Turn right, then left, to a white suspension bridge across the river. Follow the road ahead, until a side road on the left leads to Crathie cemetery. The side road continues to the information centre at the end of the car park. Balmoral Castle became a royal home in the days of Queen Victoria, when Prince Albert would blaze away at the deer out of the castle windows, regardless of the plaque of St Hubert on the east front. Though he was the patron saint of hunters, the message is actually to spare the deer. The castle is still a favourite home of today's royal family. The mountain of Lochnagar dominates the castle and was a favourite of Queen Victoria. Her great-great-grandson, Prince Charles, also admires it and made it the setting for his children's book The Old Man of Lochnagar. Along the walk you can see the huge pyramidal cairn that was raised 'to the beloved memory of Albert the great and good; prince consort. Erected by his broken-hearted widow'. Victoria and six of her children placed stones bearing their initials in its base. It has wide views in many directions, though not to the castle itself, which is concealed by trees. Queen Victoria raised ugly stonework even on supposedly joyous occasions, and the next cairn, massive and conical, celebrates the marriage of her daughter, |
Chihuahua dogs originate from which country? | Chihuahua History - The History of the Chihuahua Breed Chihuahua History The Chihuahua is named after the state of Chihuahua in Mexico, where the Chihuahua is thought to have originated from. The city of Chihuahua, Mexico lies about 150 miles southwest of Presido, Texas in the United States. The state of Chihuahua is bordered by the United States in the southwest region by New Mexico and Texas. It was in these bordering states like Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona where the Chihuahua first rose to popularity in the United States. The Chihuahua was also nicknamed the Arizona dog and the Texas dog as it was so popular in these regions of the country. Chihuahuas in the United States: A Chihuahua named Midget was the first officially recognized Chihuahua to be registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1904. The AKC, being only 20 years old at the time makes the Chihuahua one of the oldest registered breeds in America. Although it is one of the oldest breeds in the country, it took many years for the Chihuahua to become popular as a pet. People in the early 1900's tended to buy dogs that were more utilitarian in nature. The majority of people in the U.S. lived on farms in the early 1900's and needed dogs that could be used for herding livestock, pulling carts, chasing off varmints, scaring away predators, and hunting dogs that could retrieve. The Chihuahua was simply too small to be of much use on a farm. It wasn't until the 1960's, when most of the population was now living in cities and desired a dog that was more suitable to household living, that the Chihuahua become really popular. In 1964 the Chihuahua became the 12th most popular breed in the country (out of 161). The Chihuahua has remained a popular breed in the United since the 1960's. As of 2012 the Chihuahua is the 18th most popular dog in the country. The Chihuahua reached it's peak of popularity in 2002 when it cracked the top ten and became the 9th most popular breed in the U.S. This peak in popularity may have had something to do with the immensely popular Taco Bell advertising campaign that featured a talking Chihuahua named Gidget. Ancient Chihuahuas: The history and origin of the Chihuahua is a debate fueled by much speculation and theory. It is generally accepted that the Chihuahua was present in Mexico as early as the 9th century A.D. and perhaps earlier. This knowledge is based on legends, artwork, and artifacts that have been found during archeological excavations throughout Mexico and Central America. Artifacts found at the pyramids of Cholula (near Mexico City) contain artwork pre-dating 1500 A.D. that depicts a dog resembling the modern day Chihuahua. Another discovery depicting a Chihuahua like dog was found at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza which dates as far back as the 5th century A.D. There are depictions of the deer head and the apple head Chihuahua found in Mexico. A pot resembling the modern deer head Chihuahua found at Casas Grande dates from 1100 to 1300 A.D. A wheeled toy dog was found at Tres Zapotes in Veracruz Mexico dated 100 A.D. resembles the modern day apple head Chihuahua. The evidence suggests that some kind of small dog resembling a Chihuahua has inhabited Central America for over a thousand years. Whether this dog was an actually Chihuahua, a relative, or an ancestor from which the Chihuahua descended from is unclear. A common theory is that the Chihuahua descended from the Techichi. A small dog that is believed to have been domesticated by either the Toltecs (900 A.D. - 1200 A.D.) or the Mayans (1800 B.C. - 900 A.D.) The Techichi was a small dog that lived in central and northern Mexico (present day state of Chihuahua), and was similar in size and appearance to the modern day Chihuahua. The Techichi was not as diminutive as the modern day Chihuahua, but was sturdier and more heavily boned. The modern American Chihuahua was not always as small as it is today because it was selectively bred for smaller sizes in the early 1900's. Even today, some Chihuahuas are born much bigger than the AKC standards and more closely resemble |
etc. or et cetera is Latin for what? | Et cetera - definition of et cetera by The Free Dictionary Et cetera - definition of et cetera by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/et+cetera (ĕt sĕt′ər-ə, sĕt′rə) Abbr. etc. And other unspecified things of the same class; and so forth. [Latin : et, and + cētera, the rest, neuter pl. of cēterus; see ko- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] et cetera (ɪt ˈsɛtrə) or etcetera 1. and the rest; and others; and so forth: used at the end of a list to indicate that other items of the same class or type should be considered or included 2. or the like; or something else similar Abbreviation: etc. or &c [from Latin, from et and + cetera the other (things)] Usage: It is unnecessary to use and before etc as etc (et cetera) already means and other things. The repetition of etc, as in he brought paper, ink, notebooks, etc, etc, is avoided except in informal contexts et cet•er•a (ɛt ˈsɛt ər ə, ˈsɛ trə) adv. and others; and so forth; and so on (used to indicate that more of the same sort or class have been omitted for brevity). Abbr.: etc. [1100–50; late Old English < Latin] usage: et cetera appears in English writing mostly in its abbreviated form, etc . The expression and et cetera is redundant. et•cet•er•a (ɛtˈsɛt ər ə, -ˈsɛ trə) n., pl. -er•as. 1. a number of other things or persons unspecified. 2. etceteras, extras or sundries. et cetera A Latin phrase meaning and the rest, used to mean that other things which are not named should be included. ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: |
What agent is normally used to make jam set? | 7 Tips to Make Sure Your Jam Sets Up | The Kitchn 7 Tips to Make Sure Your Jam Sets Up 7 Tips to Make Sure Your Jam Sets Up Email I am an equal opportunity jam eater. I am just as happy with the loose, sloshy batches as I am the ones that have a firmer consistency. I love to use the runny varieties to flavor plain yogurt or as a sweetener for green smoothies. The slightly overset batches are perfect for serving with cheese plates or as the filling in a thumbprint cookie. However, if your jams never quite hit the set mark and you’re getting frustrated, here are a few tips and tricks for getting a better final consistency. Understand pectin. Pectin is the fiber that holds up the cell walls of fruits and vegetables. It exists in all produce, but some things have more of it than others. High pectin fruits like blueberries, apples, and cranberries don’t need any additional pectin and can be used in combination with other fruits to boost their pectin. If you’re working with low pectin fruit like strawberries or pears, there’s no shame in using some commercial pectin, as it will give the sugar more fiber with which to bond. Use a candy thermometer. When you’re making jam with traditional amounts of sugar, you’re aiming to cook it to 220°F. That’s the temperature at which sugar forms a gel and can bond with the pectin (whether it naturally occurring in the fruit or you’ve added it). Monitoring the temperature can give you confirmation that you’re on the right track. Watch the way the jam drips. Swirl your spatula through your cooking jam, hold it up over the pot, and watch how it falls. If the jam runs right off the spoon and looks thin and runny, it’s not done yet. However, if it forms thick droplets that hang heavily off the bowl of the utensil, but don’t immediately fall off, it is either nearing completion or is done. Use the freezer test. At the beginning of cooking, put two or three small plates or bowls in the freezer. As you begin to approach the end of cooking, pull one out and put a small dollop of jam into the middle of the dish. Tuck it back into the freezer for two or three minutes (take your jam off the heat during this time, because if it the test tells you it’s done, you will have just spent three minutes overcooking your jam). When the time is up, pull the dish out of the freezer and gently nudge the dollop of jam with the tip of your finger. If it has formed a skin on top that wrinkles a bit when pushed, it is done. If it is still quite liquid and your finger runs right through it, it’s not done yet. Watch and listen. I realize it might sound a little zen-like, but I’ve gotten to the point where I truly believe that most batches of jam will tell you when they’re done. I find that the cooking noise takes on a frenzied quality that sounds more like a sizzle than a gentle boil. The look of the boil also changes towards the end. Foam subsides, jam starts to gather more thickly on the sides of the pot, and it begins to splatter more violently. Use a low or no sugar pectin. One of the reasons that people often wind up with runny jam is that they couldn’t bear to use the amount of sugar necessary to get a conventionally sweetened batch to set. If you’re trying to lower your sugar consumption but still want jam, try Pomona’s Pectin. It allows you to make a spreadable jam that’s sweetened with a small amount of sugar, honey, Stevia or other alternative sweetener. Give it time. Jam can take up to a week to achieve its finished set. Don’t declare it a failure ten minutes out of the canner. Patience pays. Visit Marisa online & check out her |
What is the worlds most common blood type? | Blood Types Chart | Blood Group Information | American Red Cross Printable Version Blood Types Although all blood is made of the same basic elements, not all blood is alike. In fact, there are eight different common blood types, which are determined by the presence or absence of certain antigens – substances that can trigger an immune response if they are foreign to the body. Since some antigens can trigger a patient's immune system to attack the transfused blood, safe blood transfusions depend on careful blood typing and cross-matching. The ABO Blood Group System There are four major blood groups determined by the presence or absence of two antigens – A and B – on the surface of red blood cells: Group A – has only the A antigen on red cells (and B antibody in the plasma) Group B – has only the B antigen on red cells (and A antibody in the plasma) Group AB – has both A and B antigens on red cells (but neither A nor B antibody in the plasma) Group O – has neither A nor B antigens on red cells (but both A and B antibody are in the plasma) There are very specific ways in which blood types must be matched for a safe transfusion. See the chart below: In addition to the A and B antigens, there is a third antigen called the Rh factor, which can be either present (+) or absent ( – ). In general, Rh negative blood is given to Rh-negative patients, and Rh positive blood or Rh negative blood may be given to Rh positive patients. The universal red cell donor has Type O negative blood type. The universal plasma donor has Type AB blood type. Blood Types and the Population O positive is the most common blood type. Not all ethnic groups have the same mix of these blood types. Hispanic people, for example, have a relatively high number of O’s, while Asian people have a relatively high number of B’s. The mix of the different blood types in the U.S. population is: |
Milwaukee is in which US state? | Milwaukee | Wisconsin, United States | Britannica.com Wisconsin, United States Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee, city , seat (1835) of Milwaukee county, southeastern Wisconsin , U.S. It is a port of entry on Lake Michigan , where the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic rivers join and flow into Milwaukee Bay, about 90 miles (145 km) north of Chicago . Milwaukee, the state’s largest city, forms the core of a five-county metropolitan area that includes such suburbs as Waukesha , Wauwatosa , and West Allis and the city of Racine , about 30 miles (50 km) south. The area also constitutes the northern extent of a heavily urbanized region that stretches southward along the lake through Chicago to northwestern Indiana . Inc. 1846. Area city, 97 square miles (251 square km). Pop. (2000) 596,974; Milwaukee–Waukesha–West Allis Metro Area, 1,500,741; (2010) 594,833; Milwaukee–Waukesha–West Allis Metro Area, 1,555,908. A portion of the historic Third Ward district, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. © Suzanne Tucker/Shutterstock.com History The Milwaukee region was once home to several Native American peoples, including the Potawatomi , Menominee , Fox , Sauk , and Ho-Chunk Nation ( Winnebago ). French missionary and explorer Jacques Marquette camped there in 1674, and fur traders soon followed. The area was opened to settlement after agreements with the Native Americans in the 1830s. In 1835 three settlers bought land in the area and began an intense rivalry: Solomon Juneau, who had arrived in 1818, founded Juneautown north of the Menomonee River and east of the Milwaukee River; Byron Kilbourn founded Kilbourntown north of the Menomonee and west of the Milwaukee; and George Walker founded Walker’s Point, which did not begin to develop until 1850, south of the Menomonee. Juneau and Kilbourn constantly clashed on the building of streets and bridges, each purposely constructing them so that they would not line up with those of the other community . The situation climaxed in 1845 when three bridges were burned by angry mobs; the following year an agreement was signed to make Milwaukee a single community. Similar Topics Washington, D.C. Milwaukee grew as a manufacturing and distribution centre in the second half of the 19th century. Flour milling, leather tanning , and iron founding were all major industries. However, Milwaukee became best known for beer production , which began in 1840. German immigrants subsequently opened several large breweries and made Milwaukee a national centre of the industry. For a time the city was the region’s primary lake port for eastbound shipments, particularly wheat . With the arrival of the railroad and the growth of Chicago as a national rail hub, Milwaukee’s importance as a shipping point declined in the late 19th century. European immigration was largely responsible for Milwaukee’s growth. German settlers played an important and sustained part in the city’s development; a wave of immigration that occurred after Germany’s unsuccessful revolution in 1848 contributed wealthy and cultured refugees. As the city’s largest ethnic group, the Germans developed their own society that included schools, churches, and breweries. Irish formed the second largest group beginning in the mid-19th century. Large influxes of Poles and Italians occurred toward the end of the century. In 1910 immigrants or their children constituted some three-fourths of the city’s population. Although Europeans continued to arrive after 1900, the influx of African Americans from the South became increasingly significant. After the American Civil War the city found itself involved with labour unions, disputes, and strikes, which lasted until the turn of the 20th century. A Progressive-era reform movement brought Milwaukee a reputation for clean and efficient government. The city is also noted for having had three socialist mayors, Emil Seidel (1910–12), Daniel Webster Hoan (1916–40), and Frank P. Zeidler (1948–60). Map of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. (c. 1900), from the 10th edition of … Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. USA Facts Growth was slowed by the Great |
The plant 'Digitalis' is better known as what? | Foxglove poisoning: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia Amount swallowed Poison Control Your local poison center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. This hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions. This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does not need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What to Expect at the Emergency Room The provider will measure and monitor person's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. The person may receive: Activated charcoal Medicines to treat symptoms, possibly including an antidote to help reverse the effects of the poison Tube through the mouth into the stomach to wash out the stomach ( gastric lavage ) Outlook (Prognosis) How well you do depends on the amount of poison swallowed and how quickly treatment is received. The faster you get medical help, the better the chance for recovery. Symptoms last for 1 to 3 days and may require a hospital stay. Death is unlikely. DO NOT touch or eat any plant with which you are not familiar. Wash your hands after working in the garden or walking in the woods. Alternative Names Willow-leaved foxglove poisoning; Revebjelle poisoning Images Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) References Graeme KA. Toxic plant ingestions. In: Auerbach PS, ed. Wilderness Medicine. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Mosby; 2012:chap 64. Review Date 11/4/2015 Updated by: Jesse Borke, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, Attending Physician at FDR Medical Services/Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Buffalo, NY. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. Related MedlinePlus Health Topics |
What is the name of Elvis Costello's famous father? | Elvis Costello - Songwriter, Singer - Biography.com Elvis Costello British singer/songwriter Elvis Costello extended the lyrical range of punk and new wave music with songs like "Alison," "Everyday I Write the Book" and "Veronica." IN THESE GROUPS “My ultimate vocation in life is to be an irritant.” Elvis Costello Synopsis Born in London, England, in 1954, singer/songwriter Elvis Costello was first signed to a record label in the late 1970s. His music took the energy and cynicism of punk and combined it with the more sophisticated lyrics and structure of new wave music, resulting in hits like "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," "Alison," "Everyday I Write the Book" and "Veronica." Background Beginning as one of Britain's new wave artists of the late 1970s and early '80s, Elvis Costello wrote and recorded a string of albums that challenged not only the musical style of the era, but the myriad styles of popular music. Costello was born Declan Patrick McManus in London, England, on August 25, 1954, to father Ross McManus, a British big-band singer, and mother Lilian Alda, a record store manager. Inspired by the musical freedom left in the wake of the Sex Pistols, Costello threw off the shackles of his workaday office job as a computer programmer and played his first gig in 1970, performing his own compositions in a London folk club. He took the stage name Elvis Costello in the late 1970s, when he was first signed to a record label. Debut Album: 'My Aim Is True' Costello released a stellar debut album, My Aim Is True, on the small British label Stiff in 1977; the album included such hits as "Alison" and "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes." His music took the energy and cynicism of punk and combined it with the more sophisticated lyrics and structure of new wave music. Also in 1977, Costello was first introduced to America on Saturday Night Live. Far more conscious of pop song-craft than other bands of the era, Costello, along with his backup group, the Attractions, went on to record a series of meticulously composed yet edgy albums that ranged in style from straightforward power-pop to soul and country. Costello was joined by the Attractions, a three-piece group, on his second album, This Year's Model (released in 1978 and including the hit "Pump It Up"), and would continue to work with the trio on most of his albums for the next eight years. Icon of New Wave Costello scored his first U.S. Top 40 single in 1983 with "Everyday I Write the Book," from the album Punch the Clock (1983), which also included the popular single "Shipbuilding," a collaboration between Costello and Clive Langer. Later hits include "Veronica," from his 1989 album Spike—named in reference to wacky 1940s band leader Spike Jones —and "The Other Side of Summer," from 1991's Mighty Like a Rose. Known for inventive collaborations, Costello has recorded with numerous musicians, including rock/pop icons Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach , with whom he won a Grammy Award in 1999 for "I Still Have That Other Girl" (best pop collaboration with vocals). Costello has also produced for a number of bands, including the Pogues, Squeeze and the Specials. Going into the new millennium, Costello continued to release albums that showcased his willingness to explore a variety of themes, including the orchestral Il Signo (2002) and The River in Reverse (2006), his collaboration with pianist/songwriter Allen Toussaint. Costello later worked with hip-hop group/ Jimmy Fallon band The Roots for 2013's Wise Up Ghost. |
Siam is now called what? | Siam Officially Renamed Thailand | History Today Siam Officially Renamed Thailand Richard Cavendish explains how the proposal to change the name of Siam to Thailand was eventually accepted on May 11th, 1949. On July 20th, 1948, the Siamese constituent assembly voted to change the name of Siam to Thailand, the change to come into effect the following year. Muang Thai or Thailand means ‘land of the free’ and the name had been changed before, in 1939 under the fascist military dictatorship of Field Marshal Luang Phibunsongkhram, but the anti-Axis powers refused to recognise the new name after Siam allied herself with the Japanese and in 1942 declared war on the United States and the United Kingdom. Phibun and his nationalist supporters in Siam took the Japanese side, partly because it initially looked like the winning one, partly because they hoped to recover long-lost territory in Laos, Cambodia and Burma, and partly because of their profound hostility to the Chinese in Thailand. They had already restricted Chinese immigration, closed hundreds of Chinese schools and shut down Chinese newspapers. In any case, when the Japanese late in 1941 demanded free passage across Thailand to invade Malaya and attack Singapore, the Thais were in no position to resist. As the war went on, however, and it became clear that the country had picked the losing side, the resources of Thai diplomacy were skilfully marshalled to make the country’s peace with the Allies while taking care not to offend the Japanese unduly. Phibun’s regime ended in 1944. After the war the United States decided that the Thai regime had acted under duress and no objection was raised to the change of name. Phibun returned to power in 1948 and his hostility to Communist China now put him in an altogether better light with the Western powers. He lasted until 1957, when his military cronies decided they had had quite enough of him and sent him packing. He retired to Japan and lived in Tokyo until his death in 1964. |
What is the fruit of the 'Blackthorn'? | Tree Lore: Blackthorn | Order of Bards and Druids Ogham: Straif (ST), a Chieftain Tree Scots Gaelic: Draighionn Welsh: Draenen ddu Astrological Rulers: Saturn and Mars The Blackthorn tree is esoterically known as both the Mother of the Woods and the Dark Crone of the Woods. Description Type: Blackthorn is a deciduous tree; its leaves turn yellow in autumn and fall off in winter, leaving a stark twisted black skeleton. Location: Found throughout the British Isles, Blackthorn dwells on the edge of woodlands forming dense thickets and hedgerows, often with Hawthorn and Elder. I found Blackthorn growing along the sacred Ridgeway near Wayland’s Smithy, and on the path leading to the White Horse of Uffington. Size: The Blackthorn ‘tree’ is actually more like a large shrub, with dark twisted branches, which can grow to twelve feet in height. Traditionally, it is said that Blackthorn never exceeds thirteen feet.1 Bark: ‘Rough and scaly, and bright orange just under the dark gray surface.’2 Branches/Twigs: The thickets are dark, dense and thorny, the branches and twigs twisting and branching out in all directions. The sapwood is light yellow and the heartwood is brown. Thorn: The tree bears wicked long sharp thorns, which if pricked, can turn septic.3 Flower: The tree bears musk scented small, delicate, white flowers with oval petals clustered into a star shape in early spring4. The blossoms, which are thin and rounded with toothed edges, appears before the leaves in early March, and bloom for several months. They are usually white, but occasionally pink, with red tipped stamens.5 Leaf: Small dark green oval leaves which turn yellow before they fall off in winter6, Fruit: Small blue-black, sometimes deep purplish, round globular berries in the summer, ripening after the first frost.7 Sloe berry juice can be used for ink or a strong red dye.8 Commercial uses: The wood is mainly used to manufacture walking sticks and Irish shillelaghs. The berries are harvested for sloe gin and fruit jam. It also has medicinal uses. Medicinal Uses The Blackthorn’s fruit, the sloe berry, ripens and sweetens after the first frost. Tasting the berry in August, I found it to be extremely bitter. An alcoholic drink, Sloe Gin is made from this small dark blue berry, which is used both medicinally and magically. This berry has been found in archaeological sites from the Mesolithic and Iron Age periods (8000-2700 BC), proving that the blackthorn berry was a part of early man’s diet.9 Sloe berries are a very bitter tonic. They are astringent, stimulate the metabolism, clean the blood, and are used as a laxative and diuretic. They help with indigestion, eczema, herpes, allergies, colds, catarrh, neurosis, weak heart, kidney stones, skin, bladder, and prostrate problems. They disperse toxins.10 In 17th and 18th Century, sloes were brewed as a purgative to treat ‘fluxes in the belly.’11 The fruit and leaves of Blackthorn contain tannins, organic acids, sugars and vitamin C. Steeped in boiling water, the flowers have a mild diuretic, tonic and laxative properties. The dried fruits are used to treat bladder, kidney and stomach disorders. The liquid from the boiled leaves can be used as a mouthwash for sore throat, tonsillitis and laryngitis. It is also good for circulations, blood strengthening, and nutrient absorption.’(The Wisdom of Trees, page 127) Green Man Tree Essences: ‘Blackthorn - Circulation. Helps absorption of energies necessary for life. Stabilizes emotions. Brings hope and joy. Stimulating.’ The leaves can be boiled into a decoction that, once cooled, is an excellent mouthwash and gargle for those suffering from tonsillitis or laryngitis. It can also be used as a soothing eye bath. A tea made from the powdered bark has a calming effect on the nerves. (Celtic Tree Mysteries, page 166) They can be prepared as a juice, syrup, jelly, jam, wine or sloe gin beverage. They are excellent when combined with apples in a jam.12 Try making a blackthorn tincture, with a sloe gin base! Folklore Blackthorn is depicted in many fairy tales throughout Europe as a tr |
Can you name the Queens eldest grandchild? | First great-grandchild for Queen - BBC News First great-grandchild for Queen Media captionThe baby girl weighed 8lb 8oz The Queen is "delighted" with the birth of her first great-grandchild, Buckingham Palace has said. The baby girl, the first child for the Queen's eldest grandson Peter Phillips and his wife, Autumn, weighed 8lbs 8oz. The newborn, who is 12th in line to the throne, was born in Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on Wednesday. Her name has not yet been confirmed. Mr Phillips, son of Princess Anne, met his wife in Montreal in 2003, and they wed at Windsor Castle five years later. A statement from Buckingham Palace read: "The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, Captain Mark Phillips and Autumn's family have been informed and are delighted with the news." Canadian-born Mrs Phillips, a former Roman Catholic, was accepted into the Church of England shortly before their wedding in May 2008. Her husband would have had to give up his right to the throne had she not done so. Since 1701, heirs to the throne marrying Catholics cannot become sovereigns. Peter Phillips is the only son of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips. He does not have a royal title because his mother turned down the Queen's offer of honours for both her children. Peter's younger sister Zara Phillips announced her engagement to the rugby player Mike Tindall earlier this month. |
'The Importance of Being Earnest' was written by whom? | SparkNotes: The Importance of Being Earnest: Key Facts The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde Study Questions and Essay Topics full title · The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People author · Oscar Wilde genre · Social comedy; comedy of manners; satire; intellectual farce language · English time and place written · Summer 1894 in Worthing, England date of first production · February 14, 1895. In part because of Wilde’s disgrace, the play was not published until 1899. publisher · L. Smithers tone · Light, scintillating, effervescent, deceptively flippant setting (time) · 1890s setting (place) · London (Act I) and Hertfordshire, a rural county not far from London (Acts II and III) protagonist · John Worthing, known as “Ernest” by his friends in town (i.e., London) and as “Jack” by his friends and relations in the country major conflict · Jack faces many obstacles to his romantic union with Gwendolen. One obstacle is presented by Lady Bracknell, who objects to what she refers to as Jack’s “origins” (i.e. his inability to define his family background). Another obstacle is Gwendolen’s obsession with the name “Ernest,” since she does not know Jack’s real name. rising action · Algernon discovers that Jack is leading a double life and that he has a pretty young ward named Cecily. The revelation of Jack’s origins causes Lady Bracknell to forbid his union with Gwendolen. Identifying himself as “Ernest,” Algernon visits Jack’s house in the country and falls in love with Cecily. climax · Gwendolen and Cecily discover that both Jack and Algernon have been lying to them and that neither is really named “Ernest.” falling action · Miss Prism is revealed to be the governess who mistakenly abandoned Jack as a baby and Jack is discovered to be Algernon’s elder brother. themes · The nature of marriage; the constraints of morality; hypocrisy vs. inventiveness; the importance of not being “earnest” motifs · Puns; inversion; death; the dandy symbols · The double life; food; fiction and writing foreshadowing · In stage comedy and domestic melodrama, foreshadowing often takes the form of objects, ideas, or plot points whose very existence in the play signals to the audience that they will come up again. The fact that Jack was adopted as a baby, for instance, predicates a recognition scene in which Jack’s true identity is revealed and the plot is resolved by means of some incredible coincidence. Miss Prism’s “three-volume novel” is another example: Her very mention of it ensures that it will be important later. An instance of foreshadowing that operates in the more usual way is Jack’s assertion that Cecily and Gwendolen will be “calling each other sister” within half an hour of having met, followed by Algernon’s that “[w]omen only do that when they have called each other a lot of other things first.” This is literally what happens between Cecily and Gwendolen in Act II. More Help |
In which US city do the 'Yankees' play their baseball? | New York Yankees Tickets | 2017 Yankees Tickets New York Yankees Tickets TicketCity > MLB Tickets > New York Yankees Tickets All Games Load More Events Currently Showing X of Y ` New York Yankees Tickets Information Back to Top The New York Yankees average ticket prices for regular season MLB games have fluctuated over the last five seasons. New York Yankees ticket prices peaked in 2011 before declining over the next two seasons, and they have been gradually increasing since 2014. The largest increase in New York Yankees ticket prices came during the 2016 season with the average ticket price moving from $37 in 2015 to $50 in 2016. The average ticket price for New York Yankees regular season MLB tickets in 2016 is currently at $50 which is up 35% from 2015. (Data updated 8/2/2016) How to Buy New York Yankees Tickets 1. Scan through the 2016 New York Yankees Schedule and select the game that you would like to attend, or use the opponent or date filters beside the New York Yankees ticket listings to find the perfect matchup. 2. Click “Select” to reveal all available New York Yankees tickets, the Yankee Stadium interactive seating chart, ticket quantity, and ticket price filters. Use the ticket price filter, and ticket quantity filter to quickly refine your search to the available New York Yankees tickets that are in your price range. You can also utilize the “eTickets Only” filter to find all New York Yankees tickets that will be delivered electronically. The Yankee Stadium interactive map can be employed to reveal all tickets available for a preferred section. Select the perfect tickets and click “Go” to proceed to checkout. 3. Review the checkout page to ensure that the correct New York Yankees tickets have been selected, and read through any ticket notes or delivery information. If everything looks correct, fill out the checkout information, and purchase your New York Yankees Tickets! Need help finding the right New York Yankees Tickets? Our Sales are Service team is available 7 days a week at 1-800-880-8886. 2016 Yankees Season Preview After a two year playoff drought, the New York Yankees returned to the MLB Postseason a year ago, falling in a thrilling Wild Card game to the Houston Astros. The new look Yankees are poised to take a step further in 2016, and come in with the confidence and more importantly, the talent to bring home yet another AL East crown to Yankees Stadium. The Yankees 2016 outfield will be as talented as any in the AL East, with speedy Jacoby Ellsbury in center, and the powerful bats of Carlos Beltran and Brett Gardner on either side of him. The growth of Masahiro Tanaka into a legitimate #1 pitcher, has opened things up in the middle of New York’s rotation for younger talent to move in. As always the New York Yankees will compete in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, but will be one of the favorites to return to the Postseason. New York Yankees tickets are always among the most sought after in the MLB, and 2016 should be no different. Check out our New York Yankees Season Preview History page for previews of previous Yankees seasons. New York Yankees Baseball at Yankee Stadium Address: 1 E 161st St, Bronx, New York, 10451 The Yankees play their home games at Yankee Stadium , located in the Bronx, New York. This new Yankee Stadium replaced the historic “House That Ruth Built” in 2008. When filled to capacity, Yankee Stadium holds more than 50,000 screaming fans. When at Yankee Stadium, you should visit Monument Park, where you can relive the rich history that New York has enjoyed for more than a century. The New York Yankees dugout is on the Yankee Stadium first base line in fron of sections 15A-17A. Yankee Stadium parking information is covered in our Yankee's event guide. Yankee Stadium Seating Chart Yankees vs. Red Sox The premier rivalry in baseball, Yankees Red Sox has grown to be bigger than the game itself. It doesn’t matter if both teams are good, bad, or middle of the pack, this game is always important. Played more than 2,100 times over a century, there have been countless pennant |
If you were watching 'The Richmond Tigers', which sport would they be playing? | Becky's Richmond Tigers Fan Site Greg From Chris Greenway: My next Jack Dyer story is about an incident in his playing days. This is how I remember him telling the story on The Footy Show one night. Richmond were playing Melbourne and one of the Melbourne players put a young Richmond player into the fence, so Jack thought he'd even it up. They had a young, tall, skinny ruckman, as Jack said: "I hit 'im. I hit 'im pretty hard. He went up in the air, he stayed there for a while and then he hit the ground, he bounced a couple of times and lay very still." It was nearly halftime and they brought a stretcher out. At the time Melbourne had Dr Don Cordner playing for them. Don Cordner was an actual medical doctor. Jack said: "The Doc took a look at 'im, shook his head and then pulled the blanket over his face. I thought I've killed 'im! We went off for halftime and Ray Dunn met me in the rooms (Ray Dunn was a Richmond committeeman and one of Melbourne's top criminal lawyers at the time), he asked me 'How are you Jack?' I said 'Not too good Mr Dunn. I think I've just killed a bloke.' He looked across the field and said 'Was it during play?' 'Yes Mr Dunn.' 'I'll tellya what Jack, if you play well in the 2nd half I'll see if I can get the charge reduced to manslaughter!'" There are a lot of them, he had a pretty eventful life. From Chris Greenway: There are a lot of great Jack Dyer stories. I have another one which did the rounds some years ago and I'm not sure if it's really true, but Jack never denied it. Many years ago we had a show on Sunday morning/afternoon here called World Of Sport (some people referred to it as World Of Football, it was about 90% Aussie Rules) and Jack was a panellist on it. They also had a weekly woodchop. I don't know if you've ever heard of the woodchop. Basically you get 3 big blokes with axes who stand on a log and whack into it, the first one to chop through his log wins. There was a famous axeman called Jack O'Toole, he was to woodchopping what Jack Dyer was to football. When he retired he still came into WoS to start the axemen off. This big booming voice would shout: "AXEMEN READY! 123!" and away they'd go. Well the 2 Jacks got along very well and often used to share a beer. Well Jack O'Toole died and I'm sure Dyer knew about it, he prob'ly even went to the funeral, but even then his memory was going. They kept a recording of O'Toole's voice to start the woodchop. Jack O'Toole had been dead for about 3 years and one day Jack Dyer said to his friend, show presenter Ron Casey: "That bloody Jack O'Toole has become an aloof so and so." Casey said: "How do you mean, Jack?" "Well, we haven't had a beer for ages, yet he comes in every week to start the woodchop." A stunned Casey could only reply "Jack, that's a recording. Jack O'Toole has been dead for 3 years!" I'm gonna miss the old bloke. From Chris Greenway: Hi again, I have another one about Collingwood. Back in the days Jack played, Richmond had a volatile centre half back called Mopsy Fraser. This guy was wild. Jack once said: "Oh even I was scared of him! He could start a fight in an empty room!" He and Jack teamed well and worked well together. They used to set players up for each other to run through. Well at the time Collingwood had 3 brothers by the name of Twomey playing for them. Richmond and Collingwood were mortal enemies. This one time they played Jack and Mopsy took out all 3 of the Twomey's: Jack got one, Mopsy got another and they cleaned up the 3rd between them. I think the Tigers won, it was at Victoria Park (Collingwood's home ground) and the supporters wanted blood. Jack and Mopsy waited for ages after the game in the rooms, but the supporters were still baying for their blood. Eventually a police escort got Jack and Mopsy out of the rooms and into their car. The supporters surrounded the car, banged on the roof, kicked the sides, screamed abuse at them, spat on it, lifted the wheels off the ground so they couldn't leave. Jack thought that they were going to be killed. All of a sudden Mopsy started to laugh. Jack turned to him a |
What is the exact imperial distance of a marathon race? | Why is the marathon distance set to 42.195 km? Why is the marathon distance set to 42.195 km? February 13, 2009 20:09 History The official distance for a marathon is 42.195 km. But why is it so? Credit : Martineric Most of the non marathon runners I ask the question answer that this weird number must be due to the conversion from imperial units to the metric system (or the other way round). It is not. The distance in miles is 26 miles and 385 yards, commonly rounded to 26.2. So why was this distance chosen? Let’s get back to the origins of the marathon race. The origin of the marathon In the year 490 B.C., Miltiade a Greek general from Athens inflicted a serious defeat on the Persians in the plains of Marathon, a small village in the northwest of Athens. In order the convey the news of the victory, a Greek soldier, Phidippides, ran at a stretch from the battlefield to Athens. After delivering the news, he collapsed and died. What distance did he actually run? We certainly don’t know the exact distance, because we don’t know the route he followed. I made a little test. I went to the Google maps web site and asked for the direction from Marathon to Athens.With the modern road system, the distance is 42.3 km. Isn’t that amazing? But most historians assume that the distance ran by Phidippides was around 40 km. Modern marathon As legendary and fictitious as this story seems, it lead to the creation of the modern marathon race. When Pierre de Coubertin gave birth to the modern Olympic games, the first marathon was set to 40 kilometers. But during the early Olympic games, the distance of the marathon varied a lot. It went from 40 km to 42.75. City 42.195 26.22 The definitive distance for the marathon race was determined in 1921 by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). The distance chosen was the one ran in London in 1908 : 26 miles 385 yards or 42.195 km. The london race in 1908 It is commonly said that the distance was set to 26 miles 385 yards because of the Royal family. During the preparation of the summer Olympiads, it had been agreed that the organizers would include a marathon of about 40 km or 25 miles. The British officials, desirous to accommodate the King of England, started the race at Windsor Castle and finished at the Royal box in the Olympic Stadium—a distance of precisely 26 miles 385 yards. But that only explains why the London marathon’s distance was 42. 195 km. It doesn’t tell us why this distance was chosen as the definitive marathon distance. A dramatic event The London race became famous because of the so called ‘London affair’. Dorando Pietri, an Italian runner, leading the race was staggering badly when he entered the Olympic Stadium. He collapsed several times on the track. The crowd in the stadium thought he was going to die. A compassionate official, finally helped the semiconscious runner across the finish line. After the event, the story was on the media for days. Some even reported Pietri had died in the hospital after the race. This sensational finish helped the marathon fix itself in the imagination of the crowds as THE endurance race, even though it was dangerous to run. This helped spread the word about marathon running more than anything else. Unfortunately, because of the help he had received, the Italian runner was disqualified and Johnnie Hayes was declared winner. The IAAF never officially explained why they had chosen 26 miles and 385 yards as the official distance for the marathon in 1921. But I’m a strong believer that it is due to the enormous emotion generated by the London race. Latest Interviews |
Where were the 1948 Olympics held? | BBC - Archive - The 1948 Olympics - Behind the scenes at the Austerity Games The 1948 Olympics | Behind the scenes at the Austerity Games About this collection When the Olympic Games came to London in 1948, the event was visiting a city still suffering from the ravages of World War II. Rationing remained in force and many people had been left homeless, yet the bomb-cratered city rose to the challenge of hosting the world's greatest sporting occasion. These 'Austerity Olympics' were not only the first post-war Games, but also the first Olympics in which British television played a role. This collection of programmes and photographs looks back at the Games, remembering the athletes who took part and revealing the BBC's role in televising events. Features |
In which sport is the term Balestra used? | How to Understand Basic Fencing Terminology: 13 Steps How to Understand Basic Fencing Terminology Community Q&A If you're new to fencing or you're "checking it out" to determine if it is the sport for you (and it is, if challenging yourself physically, mentally and emotionally is an effort you enjoy, along with winning bouts), then you have (or soon will) come across words like "sixte", or "riposte", or "septime". These are words steeped in the history of the sport and are an important part of its magic. But, the good news is they are easy to understand and remember and will add to your ability to either enjoy the sport or pick up a weapon and wail. This wikiHow defines the words; it does not try to explain the techniques that these words describe generically. The actual technique of a "parry" depends on the kind of attack that is being made and would require too much verbiage and is worthy of its own article. Steps 1 Familiarize yourself with the following key words and you'll be ready to take on the sport of fencing. 2 "Lunge" and "Parry": These are the two basic words which you will probably understand immediately. They describe actions that occur countless times in a match at every level: "Lunge" is the attack and "parry" is the defense to the attack. You can tell the lunge because the fencer who is lunging has the point of the weapon as far toward the opponent as possible, a back leg that is straight and leaning into the attack by at least 45 degrees and a front leg that is bent to the point where the knee is over the ankle. "Parry" is the defender moving her weapon to "push" aside a blade that is attacking. There are a number of different ways to parry and lunge but the basic purpose of each remains the same. 3 "En garde" (French term): In training it describes the basic stance of a fencer. In a match it is a warning from the judge to both fencers to prepare to fence. 4 "Pret" (French term): This is used by a judge at a fencing match. After the judge warns the fencers with "en garde", the judge will then say "pret" to alert the fencers that the match is about to begin. American referees typically use the word "ready" in place of "pret". 5 "Allez" (French term): This is used by a judge at a fencing match to tell the two fencers to have at one another. American referees typically use the word "fence" in place of "allez". 6 "Arrêt" (French term): Stop. This is used by a judge at a fencing match to tell the two fencers to halt. 7 "Touch": (A much welcome replacement to stabbing, that was developed as fencing became a sport.) A touch is when the tip of one fencers weapon touches the target area on an opponent. Whether the touch results in a point is the determination of the director for the bout, one of whose duties it is to insure the touch was proper under competition rules. The foregoing is true in all styles of fencing. However, in saber fencing, a touch can be scored with the entire blade. 8 "Riposte" (Another of the ubiquitous French terms (the French love to fence), literally meaning "answer".) In fencing it describes an attack that a fencer makes immediately after she executes a parry. Thus the ubiquitous fencing term "parry-riposte". The parry-riposte is one of the most common techniques in scoring touches you will see in a fencing match, again at any level. The parry-riposte is often done in a sequence of two or three, viz. the fencers quickly switch between attacking, defending, attacking, defending - back and forth until a touch is scored or one of the fencers backs down. At the top level of competition, the speed is dazzling to the point of being faster than the eye. 9 "Disengage" (not a French term though the French terms are so apt) : A disengage is moving the tip of a blade under an opponent's blade to the other side or where the disengage started. This is done very quickly and with the absolute minimum of movement - the "great" fencers simply use their fingers to make the tip of the blade duck under their opponent's weapon. It is used chiefly to escape a parry or as part of a disguised attack, i.e. the |
Why was Erika Schinegger stripped of her 1966 downhill skiing world title? | TransGriot: That's A Man* News, opinions, commentary, history and a little creative writing from a proud African-American transwoman about the world around her. Wednesday, September 02, 2009 That's A Man* One of the things that hasn't been talked about yet is the devastating effects of these gender tests on the people that fail them. Imagine that one day for whatever reason, athletic competitions, et cetera, you take a medical test that you expect will confirm what you know and have deeply felt since birth. You were raised as female, you have no doubts about your gender identity, and your body and your reflection in the mirror confirm that. Now imagine how you would feel if the results of that gender test aren't quite what you expected. In 1967 Ewa Klobukowska was preparing to compete in the European Cup Championships being held in Kiev. She was the co-holder of the then women's 100m world record at 11.1 seconds. She'd won a bronze in the 1964 Tokyo Games along with a relay gold medal. Then her chromosome test came back. Because she had "one chromosome too many," she was a man*. She was stripped of her world record, her Olympic medal and barred from international competition. A year later it was Erika Schinegger's turn. In 1966 she'd become the World Cup skiing champion and subsequently a national shero in that skiing mad country. Schinegger was one of the favorites to win gold at the upcoming 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France until her gender test came back with results shocking to her. Turns out Erika was chromosomally male due to an intersex condition. That condition was missed at birth and she was raised as a girl. After discovering this information, Erika transitioned to become Erik, competed on the men's skiing tour for a few years, married in 1975 and now runs a ski school. Spanish sprinter Maria Jose Martinez Patino arrived in Kobe, Japan, in 1985 to compete at the World University Games. She'd passed previous genetic sex-determination tests, but in this instance she'd forgotten her Certificate of Femininity and had to retake the test. She failed it after discovering she had androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) and was a woman with 46XY chromosomes. The failed test had devastating and humiliating consequences in Patino's life. Not only was she barred from competing for several years, she lost an athletic scholarship, watched her boyfriends walk out of her life and ultimately, the chance to compete in the 1992 Olympics being hosted in her country. Patino lost time during her peak athletic competition years fighting to regain her eligibility. It cost her a chance to qualify for the Barcelona Games as she failed to qualify for the Spanish team by hundredths of a second. Patino retired from athletics, picked up her PhD and is now an university professor. Santhi Soundarajan was an up and coming runner who held the Indian national record in the 3000m steeplechase and was the 800m silver medalist at the 2005 Asian championships. Her world as she knew it came to an end after she repeated her silver medal winning performance at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Bahrain. She underwent a gender test and failed it. She went from being a potential medalist at the Beijing Games to being stripped of her Asian Games silver medal. Despondent over the test, she reportedly attempted suicide in September 2007. She regrouped and became a successful running coach in India. So as South Africa's Caster Semenya and the world awaits the results of the gender test, it is with this backdrop of negative history what her potential fate will be if it comes back with a negative result. At the same time, it also lets her know that there is life after a adverse gender test. But it points out once again that in humans, there is a extremely fine line hormonally that separates male from female. It's past time we recognize that. Posted by |
What is the longest race in the heptathlon? | Jessica Ennis claims gold in the World Championship heptathlon | Sport | The Guardian Jessica Ennis claims gold in the World Championship heptathlon • Victory in the 800m confirms Jessica Ennis as world champion • 23-year-old finishes with a world leading total of 6731 points Jessica Ennis celebrates after winning the World Championship heptathlon in Berlin Photograph: Phil Noble/REUTERS Sunday 16 August 2009 07.05 EDT First published on Sunday 16 August 2009 07.05 EDT Close This article is 7 years old Jessica Ennis claimed gold in the heptathlon at the World Championships in emphatic style by winning her heat of the final event, the 800m, in Berlin. Britain's No1 heptathlete received a rousing ovation from the German crowd as she paraded with her competitors after an impressive performance in the last event of a gruelling weekend. After winning, she told BBC Sport: "It's been the longest weekend of my life. But I can't believe I am world champion. I couldn't believe it after last year, it's amazing." She had an 11 second cushion over her nearest rival, Poland's Kamila Chudzik, after the javelin, but Ennis was taking nothing for granted. She stormed into the an early lead of the 800m, and with a lap to go, was 10m ahead of the field. In spite of conceding ground in the back straight, she held on to win the race and the gold medal with a total of 6731 points, a world leading performance for this year. Ennis led by 307 points overnight after winning three of the four disciplines on the opening day - the 100 metre hurdles, high jump and 200m - and setting a new personal best in the shot. That lead was trimmed to 269 points after the long jump in the Olympic Stadium, Ennis jumping 6.29m in the third and final round for a total of 5,064 points. The margin was reduced further in the javelin despite a solid throw of 43.54m in the first round. Poland's Kamila Chudzik threw 48.72m to close within 171 points of Ennis with Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska currently in third, 273 points behind Ennis. Only the 800m now remains for Ennis, but she has the comfort of knowing she is one of the fastest in the field with a personal best of two min 09.88 secs, almost eight seconds quicker than Chudzik. "It would be nice to be up there [on the podium] definitely," Ennis said. "One more event to go. I'm not looking forward to it but I will give it my all." |
Which boxer added the term marvellous to his name? | Marvin Hagler | American boxer | Britannica.com American boxer Alternative Titles: Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Marvin Nathaniel Hagler Marvin Hagler Marvin Hagler, in full Marvelous Marvin Hagler, original name Marvin Nathaniel Hagler (born May 23, 1954, Newark , New Jersey , U.S.), American boxer, a durable middleweight champion, who was one of the greatest fighters of the 1970s and ’80s. Marvin Hagler celebrating his victory over Thomas Hearns in defense of the middleweight title, 1985. Dave Cannon/Allsport Hagler began his boxing career in Brockton , Massachusetts, winning 57 amateur fights and the 1973 Amateur Athletic Union middleweight title before turning professional. He won his first 26 professional bouts, which included 19 knockouts, but his streak was broken in late 1974 when he fought Sugar Ray Seales to a draw. After losing two matches in 1976 to middleweights Bobby Watts and Willie Monroe, Hagler remained unbeaten for another decade. A powerful left-hander, Hagler stood 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 metres) tall and weighed 160 pounds (72.6 kg). In his first title fight, in 1979, he boxed world middleweight champion Vito Antuofermo to a 15-round draw. On September 27, 1980, in his 54th professional fight, Hagler took the world title from Alan Minter with a third-round knockout. Hagler went on to defend the title 12 times from 1981 through 1986. On April 15, 1985, in one of his finest bouts, he pummeled Thomas Hearns , dispatching him in three rounds. Hagler, who had legally changed his first name to Marvelous in 1982, was now ranked among the world’s preeminent boxers. On April 6, 1987, in one of the most renowned middleweight title fights, Hagler lost his long-held crown to Sugar Ray Leonard in a controversial 12-round split decision. Unable to accept the defeat, Hagler retired from boxing. Although Leonard long commanded enormous earnings for his matches, the $11 million he received for this bout was $1 million shy of Hagler’s $12 million purse. After his retirement, Hagler moved to Italy , where he began an acting career. He also served as a commentator for boxing telecasts on the British Broadcasting Corporation . Fifty-two of Hagler’s 62 career wins were by knockout; he had three losses and two draws. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993. Learn More in these related articles: |
Which rugby union players sister was killed on the Marchioness? | Lawrence Dallaglio's guilt at using sister's death to improve his game - Telegraph TV and Radio Lawrence Dallaglio's guilt at using sister's death to improve his game Lawrence Dallaglio, the former England rugby captain, has spoken of his guilt at using the memory of his sister's death in the Marchioness tragedy to enhance his skills on the pitch. Dallaglio's 19-year-old sister, Francesca, was the youngest of 51 people to die in the Marchioness disaster in 1989 Photo: ACTION IMAGES |
How many jumps are in the Grand National? | Course and Fences It is illegal for anyone aged under 18 to gamble Grand National Course and Fences The Grand National is the ultimate test of horse and jockey. The race comprises two full circuits of a unique 2� mile (3,600 metres) course, where challengers will face 30 of the most testing fences in the world of jump racing. It was originally designed as a cross-country steeplechase when it was first officially run in 1839. The runners started at a lane on the edge of the racecourse and raced away from the course out over open countryside towards the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The gates, hedges and ditches that they met along the way were flagged to provide them with the obstacles to be jumped along the way with posts and rails erected at the two points where the runners jumped a brook. The runners returned towards the racecourse by running along the edge of the canal before re-entering the course at the opposite end. The runners then ran the length of the racecourse before embarking on a second circuit before finishing in front of the stands. The majority of the race therefore took place not on the actual Aintree Racecourse but instead in the adjoining countryside. That countryside was incorporated into the modern course but commentators still often refer to it as "the country", much to the confusion of millions of once-a-year racing viewers. Nowadays, around 150 tonnes of spruce branches, sourced and transported from forests in the Lake District, are used to dress the Liverpool course's jump fences. Each fence used to be made from a wooden frame and covered with the distinctive green spruce. However, a radical change for the 2013 renewal saw that frame replaced by a softer, more forgiving material known as "plastic birch", for safety reasons. Each of the 16 fences on the course are jumped twice, with the exception of The Chair and the Water Jump, which are jumped on the first circuit only. You can take a jockey's eye view of the Grand National course via the video below: Safety Changes Following safety reviews after both the 2011 and 2012 renewals, a number of changes were made to the course with some reductions in fences or the drop after fences, plus the levelling of landing zones. Since 2013, the start of the race is now 90 yards closer to the first fence, reducing the race to four miles and three-and-a-half furlongs, from four-and-a-half miles, while measures were introduced to stop horses getting caught up in the starting tape. In particular, the start now includes the 'no-go' zone, which is defined by a line on the track, being extended from 15 yards to around 30 yards from the starting tape. The starter's rostrum has been moved to a position between the starting tape and the 'no-go' zone to reduce the potential for horses to go through the starting tape prematurely. The tapes themselves are also more user-friendly, with increased visibility, while there is now a specific briefing between the starters' team and the jockeys on Grand National day. The changes to the start are aimed at slowing the speed the first fence is approached at, while moving the start further away from the crowd reduces noise that can distract the horses. The makeup of all of the fences changed significantly in 2013. The new fences are still covered in spruce, but wooden posts have been replaced by a softer material known as "plastic birch", and on top of that birch there's a minimum of fourteen to sixteen inches of spruce that the horses can knock off. The outward appearance of the fences remains the same. Other measures included �100,000 being invested in irrigation to produce the safest jumping ground possible and a new bypass and pen around fence four to catch riderless horses. The Start There is a hazard to overcome even before the race starts - the build up, parade and re-girthing prior to the off lasts for around 25 minutes, over double the time it takes for any other race. With 40 starters, riders naturally want a good sight of the first fence and after the long build-up their nerves are stretched to breaking point, which means |
In which Australian city was the first cricket test match played? | A brief history of cricket | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo A brief history of cricket Click here for some more detailed aspects of cricket history The origins of cricket lie somewhere in the Dark Ages - probably after the Roman Empire, almost certainly before the Normans invaded England, and almost certainly somewhere in Northern Europe. All research concedes that the game derived from a very old, widespread and uncomplicated pastime by which one player served up an object, be it a small piece of wood or a ball, and another hit it with a suitably fashioned club. How and when this club-ball game developed into one where the hitter defended a target against the thrower is simply not known. Nor is there any evidence as to when points were awarded dependent upon how far the hitter was able to despatch the missile; nor when helpers joined the two-player contest, thus beginning the evolution into a team game; nor when the defining concept of placing wickets at either end of the pitch was adopted. Etymological scholarship has variously placed the game in the Celtic, Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon, Dutch and Norman-French traditions; sociological historians have variously attributed its mediaeval development to high-born country landowners, emigré Flemish cloth-workers, shepherds on the close-cropped downland of south-east England and the close-knit communities of iron- and glass-workers deep in the Kentish Weald. Most of these theories have a solid academic basis, but none is backed with enough evidence to establish a watertight case. The research goes on. What is agreed is that by Tudor times cricket had evolved far enough from club-ball to be recognisable as the game played today; that it was well established in many parts of Kent, Sussex and Surrey; that within a few years it had become a feature of leisure time at a significant number of schools; and - a sure sign of the wide acceptance of any game - that it had become popular enough among young men to earn the disapproval of local magistrates. Dates in cricket history 1550 (approx) Evidence of cricket being played in Guildford, Surrey. 1598 Cricket mentioned in Florio's Italian-English dictionary. 1610 Reference to "cricketing" between Weald and Upland near Chevening, Kent. 1611 Randle Cotgrave's French-English dictionary translates the French word "crosse" as a cricket staff. Two youths fined for playing cricket at Sidlesham, Sussex. 1624 Jasper Vinall becomes first man known to be killed playing cricket: hit by a bat while trying to catch the ball - at Horsted Green, Sussex. 1676 First reference to cricket being played abroad, by British residents in Aleppo, Syria. 1694 Two shillings and sixpence paid for a "wagger" (wager) about a cricket match at Lewes. 1697 First reference to "a great match" with 11 players a side for fifty guineas, in Sussex. 1700 Cricket match announced on Clapham Common. 1709 First recorded inter-county match: Kent v Surrey. 1710 First reference to cricket at Cambridge University. 1727 Articles of Agreement written governing the conduct of matches between the teams of the Duke of Richmond and Mr Brodrick of Peperharow, Surrey. 1729 Date of earliest surviving bat, belonging to John Chitty, now in the pavilion at The Oval. 1730 First recorded match at the Artillery Ground, off City Road, central London, still the cricketing home of the Honourable Artillery Company. 1744 Kent beat All England by one wicket at the Artillery Ground. First known version of the Laws of Cricket, issued by the London Club, formalising the pitch as 22 yards long. 1767 (approx) Foundation of the Hambledon Club in Hampshire, the leading club in England for the next 30 years. 1769 First recorded century, by John Minshull for Duke of Dorset's XI v Wrotham. 1771 Width of bat limited to 4 1/4 inches, where it has remained ever since. 1774 LBW law devised. 1776 Earliest known scorecards, at the Vine Club, Sevenoaks, Kent. 1780 The first six-seamed cricket ball, manufactured by Dukes of Penshurst, Kent. 1787 First match at Thomas Lord's first ground, Dorset Square, Marylebone - White Conduit |
What type of race is Doggett's coat and badge? | Doggetts Coat & Badge Welcome to Doggett's Coat and Badge Famous for honouring the prize of a 300-yea-old boat race You will find Doggett's Coat and Badge in South Bank, London within a short stroll of Blackfriars Bridge, Stamford Street and Blackfriars Road - however you won't find another like it. Step in to discover a traditional pub of unique character, revered for its eclectic range of real ales and its quality pub food , which are served, as they should be, with a generous measure of famous British hospitality. A fascinating past For almost 300 years, there has been an amateur rowing race on the Thames, from London Bridge to Chelsea. Originally organised by Thomas Doggett, the winner was awarded a coat and badge, hence the historic origin of our name. Thomas Doggett was an actor who became manager at the Drury Lane Theatre, then the Haymarket Theatre before becoming a politician and wit. One of a kind Doggett's Coat and Badge is one of many rare gems in the Nicholson's collection of great British pubs, reputed for their distinctive buildings, intriguing history and vibrant atmosphere. Where to find us |
Which American football team is called the Chiefs? | Kansas City Chiefs | American Football Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Arrowhead Stadium (1972-present) The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). In 1963, the team relocated to Kansas City and assumed their current name. They joined the NFL during the AFL-NFL Merger of 1970. The team is legally and corporately registered as Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, Incorporated and according to Forbes is valued at just under $1 billion. [1] From 1960 to 1969, the Chiefs were a successful franchise in the AFL, winning three league championships (1962, 1966, 1969) and having an all-time AFL record of 92–50–5. [2] The Chiefs were the second AFL team (after the New York Jets ) to defeat an NFL franchise in an AFL–NFL World Championship Game when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV . The team's victory on January 11, 1970 remains the club's last championship game victory and appearance to date. The Chiefs were the second team, after the Green Bay Packers , to appear in more than one Super Bowl; and, they were the first team to appear in the championship game in two different decades. Contents Edit In 1959 Lamar Hunt began discussions with other businessmen to establish a professional football league that would rival the National Football League . [2] [3] Hunt's desire to secure a football team was heightened after watching the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the New York Giants and Baltimore Colts . [3] [4] After unsuccessful attempts to purchase and relocate the NFL's Chicago Cardinals to his hometown of Dallas, Texas, [2] [5] Hunt went to the NFL and asked to create an expansion franchise in Dallas. The NFL turned him down, so Hunt then established the American Football League and started his own team, the Dallas Texans, to begin play in 1960. Hunt hired a little-known assistant coach from the University of Miami football team, Hank Stram , to be the team's head coach. [3] Hunt chose Stram after the offer was declined by Bud Wilkinson and Tom Landry . [3] The Texans shared the Cotton Bowl with the NFL's cross-town competition Dallas Cowboys for three seasons. [3] While the team averaged a league-best 24,500 at the Cotton Bowl, the Texans gained less attention due to the league's relatively unknown existence. [3] In the franchise's first two seasons, the team managed only a 14–14 record. [6] In their third season, the Texans strolled to an 11–3 record and a berth in the team's first American Football League Championship Game against the Houston Oilers . [5] [6] The game was broadcast nationally on ABC and the Texans defeated the Oilers 20–17 in double overtime. [5] The game lasted 77 minutes and 54 seconds, which still stands as the longest championship game in professional football history. [5] Despite having a championship team in the Texans and a Cowboys team that managed only a 9–28–3 record in their first three seasons, the Dallas–Fort Worth media market could not sustain two professional football franchises. [5] [7] Hunt became interested in moving the Texans to either Atlanta, Georgia or Miami, Florida for the 1963 season. [5] Mayor of Kansas City Harold Roe Bartle extended an invitation to Hunt to move the Texans to Missouri. [5] [7] [8] Bartle promised to triple the franchise's season ticket sales and expand seats at Municipal Stadium to accommodate the team. [5] [7] [8] Hunt agreed to relocate the franchise to Kansas City on May 22, 1963 and on May 26 the team was renamed the Kansas City Chiefs. [5] [7] [8] Hunt and head coach Hank Stram initially planned on retaining the Texans name, but a fan contest determined the new "Chiefs" name in honor of Mayor Bartle's nickname that he acquired in his professional role as Scout Executive of the St. Joseph and Kansas City Boy Scout Councils and founde |
Richard 111 lost his life in which battle? | Primary Sources Primary Sources On 22 August 1485, Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth. He lost his throne, his life and with the accession of Henry VII, he began to lose his reputation. Through the writing of the Tudor historians and Shakespeare's play, Richard's reputation was blackened and his good deeds distorted. In order to understand the times, we no longer can accept history as it has been written but must seek a re-assessment of the writings. Careful research into the details, whether large or small must be questioned. The authors themselves must come under scrutiny. Who were the chroniclers? What was their background? What was their agenda? Listed below is a brief biographical sketch on the historians of the primary sources. |
The English town of Malmesbury is in which county? | Wiltshire Council - Wiltshire Community History Get Community Information Condensed View - Comprehensive View Malmesbury This page is one of 261 pages covering every community in Wiltshire, and is provided by Wiltshire Council Libraries and Heritage. A project to provide a fuller picture of each community is in progress, working on the larger communities first. When these 261, which are modern civil parishes, are completed we will begin work on a further 180 villages and hamlets to provide comprehensive coverage of Wiltshire communities large and small. Map of the Civil Parish of Malmesbury: 1890s Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre From the Ordnance Survey 1890s revision of the one inch to one mile map. The modern civil parish boundary has been superimposed. From Andrews’ and Dury’s Map of Wiltshire, 1773: Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, Chippenham From Andrews’ and Dury’s Map of Wiltshire, 1810: Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, Chippenham This is a corrected and updated edition of the 1773 map that includes the recently built canals. Thumbnail History: Malmesbury is an ancient place built on a steep hill almost encircled by the Tetbury and Sherston branches of the River Avon, which unite at the south of the town. The site is easily defended with the older parts of the town being on an outcrop of cornbrash at over 75 metres. Lower parts of the parish are on beds of Kellaway Clay and Oxford Clay. There has long been a tradition of an early defended site here and in 2000 an excavation revealed a section of a substantial Iron Age hill fort with a bank at least 4 metres wide. It would seem that Mailduib, an Irish monk or hermit, settled here and gathered a group of pupils around him. This may have been the nucleus of the first monastery and it seems likely that the place-name is derived from Mailduib, although it has been suggested that confusion between his name and Aldhelm has resulted in the modern name. Certainly the earlier forms, from reliable 8th century texts, are Maildufi or Maldubiensis. One of Mailduib's pupils was Aldhelm (c.640-709), a Saxon who was a member of the Royal House of Wessex. He took over the monastery and Abbey c.675 and after a visit to Rome the Abbey came under direct Papal jurisdiction. Aldhelm was a learned man, a writer, poet and skilful architect who began the work on the abbey buildings and also founded the church and monastery at Bradford-on-Avon. Around 700 he built what is believed to be the first organ in England at the Abbey. He left Malmesbury in 705 to become Bishop of Sherborne and four years later was buried in his beloved Malmesbury Abbey after his death at Doulting, Somerset. He was later canonised. A settlement grew around the Abbey and this became a local trading centre by the 9th century. In 730 it was one of four places in Wiltshire listed among the 112 settlements of the Burghal Hidage. These were fortified centres and the town walls of Malmesbury could have extended to 1650 yards in length. Around 878 Malmesbury was sacked by the Danes for the first time but the Abbey was spared. The town recovered and continued to develop and was probably one of the most important in the county by the early 11th century when moneyers were working here. Another national figure connected with Malmesbury was King Athelstan (925-940). He was a great Saxon king and a benefactor of the town. His standard bearer, Godwyn, came from the town and many Malmsburians fought for him in his battles. He endowed the Abbey library and gave common land, the King's Heath, to the freemen in 939, although the charter has been lost. In the Domesday Book (1085) the town is placed at the head of the Wiltshire entry and has the most detailed description of any Wiltshire community. There are likely to have been 100 households or more and it was one of five mints mentioned in the county. In 1100 the castle of Malmesbury was built by Roger Le Poer, Bishop of Salisbury, close to the west end of the Abbey with the intention of annoying the monks. The castle played an important role in the siege of |
Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for what? | Salk announces polio vaccine - Mar 26, 1953 - HISTORY.com Salk announces polio vaccine Publisher A+E Networks On March 26, 1953, American medical researcher Dr. Jonas Salk announces on a national radio show that he has successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, the virus that causes the crippling disease of polio. In 1952–an epidemic year for polio–there were 58,000 new cases reported in the United States, and more than 3,000 died from the disease. For promising eventually to eradicate the disease, which is known as “infant paralysis” because it mainly affects children, Dr. Salk was celebrated as the great doctor-benefactor of his time. Polio, a disease that has affected humanity throughout recorded history, attacks the nervous system and can cause varying degrees of paralysis. Since the virus is easily transmitted, epidemics were commonplace in the first decades of the 20th century. The first major polio epidemic in the United States occurred in Vermont in the summer of 1894, and by the 20th century thousands were affected every year. In the first decades of the 20th century, treatments were limited to quarantines and the infamous “iron lung,” a metal coffin-like contraption that aided respiration. Although children, and especially infants, were among the worst affected, adults were also often afflicted, including future president Franklin D. Roosevelt, who in 1921 was stricken with polio at the age of 39 and was left partially paralyzed. Roosevelt later transformed his estate in Warm Springs, Georgia, into a recovery retreat for polio victims and was instrumental in raising funds for polio-related research and the treatment of polio patients. Salk, born in New York City in 1914, first conducted research on viruses in the 1930s when he was a medical student at New York University, and during World War II helped develop flu vaccines. In 1947, he became head of a research laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh and in 1948 was awarded a grant to study the polio virus and develop a possible vaccine. By 1950, he had an early version of his polio vaccine. Salk’s procedure, first attempted unsuccessfully by American Maurice Brodie in the 1930s, was to kill several strains of the virus and then inject the benign viruses into a healthy person’s bloodstream. The person’s immune system would then create antibodies designed to resist future exposure to poliomyelitis. Salk conducted the first human trials on former polio patients and on himself and his family, and by 1953 was ready to announce his findings. This occurred on the CBS national radio network on the evening of March 25 and two days later in an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Dr. Salk became an immediate celebrity. In 1954, clinical trials using the Salk vaccine and a placebo began on nearly two million American schoolchildren. In April 1955, it was announced that the vaccine was effective and safe, and a nationwide inoculation campaign began. New polio cases dropped to under 6,000 in 1957, the first year after the vaccine was widely available. In 1962, an oral vaccine developed by Polish-American researcher Albert Sabin became available, greatly facilitating distribution of the polio vaccine. Today, there are just a handful of polio cases in the United States every year, and most of these are “imported” by Americans from developing nations where polio is still a problem. Among other honors, Jonas Salk was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977. He died in La Jolla, California, in 1995. Related Videos |
What is the full name of the Mormon Church? | Mormon.org | What is the Mormon Church and Religion? | Mormon.org Explore JESUS CHRIST’S CHURCH Jesus Christ leads His restored Church today, and it bears His name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Explore 10 THINGS ABOUT MISSIONARIES What is it that drives these young men and women to sacrifice up to two years of their lives in the service of God? Explore THE BOOK OF MORMON Discover the book that has changed the lives of millions and helped bring them closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ. Explore JESUS CHRIST Learn how our Savior and Redeemer is central to happiness in this life and in the life to come. WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST? Receive our free email newsletter. Enter your email address below. Email |
Who was the next US President after Richard Nixon? | Richard M. Nixon | whitehouse.gov Air Force One Richard M. Nixon Richard Nixon was elected the 37th President of the United States (1969-1974) after previously serving as a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator from California. After successfully ending American fighting in Vietnam and improving international relations with the U.S.S.R. and China, he became the only President to ever resign the office, as a result of the Watergate scandal. Reconciliation was the first goal set by President Richard M. Nixon. The Nation was painfully divided, with turbulence in the cities and war overseas. During his Presidency, Nixon succeeded in ending American fighting in Viet Nam and improving relations with the U.S.S.R. and China. But the Watergate scandal brought fresh divisions to the country and ultimately led to his resignation. His election in 1968 had climaxed a career unusual on two counts: his early success and his comeback after being defeated for President in 1960 and for Governor of California in 1962. Born in California in 1913, Nixon had a brilliant record at Whittier College and Duke University Law School before beginning the practice of law. In 1940, he married Patricia Ryan; they had two daughters, Patricia (Tricia) and Julie. During World War II, Nixon served as a Navy lieutenant commander in the Pacific. On leaving the service, he was elected to Congress from his California district. In 1950, he won a Senate seat. Two years later, General Eisenhower selected Nixon, age 39, to be his running mate. As Vice President, Nixon took on major duties in the Eisenhower Administration. Nominated for President by acclamation in 1960, he lost by a narrow margin to John F. Kennedy. In 1968, he again won his party's nomination, and went on to defeat Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey and third-party candidate George C. Wallace. His accomplishments while in office included revenue sharing, the end of the draft, new anticrime laws, and a broad environmental program. As he had promised, he appointed Justices of conservative philosophy to the Supreme Court. One of the most dramatic events of his first term occurred in 1969, when American astronauts made the first moon landing. Some of his most acclaimed achievements came in his quest for world stability. During visits in 1972 to Beijing and Moscow, he reduced tensions with China and the U.S.S.R. His summit meetings with Russian leader Leonid I. Brezhnev produced a treaty to limit strategic nuclear weapons. In January 1973, he announced an accord with North Viet Nam to end American involvement in Indochina. In 1974, his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, negotiated disengagement agreements between Israel and its opponents, Egypt and Syria. In his 1972 bid for office, Nixon defeated Democratic candidate George McGovern by one of the widest margins on record. Within a few months, his administration was embattled over the so-called "Watergate" scandal, stemming from a break-in at the offices of the Democratic National Committee during the 1972 campaign. The break-in was traced to officials of the Committee to Re-elect the President. A number of administration officials resigned; some were later convicted of offenses connected with efforts to cover up the affair. Nixon denied any personal involvement, but the courts forced him to yield tape recordings which indicated that he had, in fact, tried to divert the investigation. As a result of unrelated scandals in Maryland, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned in 1973. Nixon nominated, and Congress approved, House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford as Vice President. Faced with what seemed almost certain impeachment, Nixon announced on August 8, 1974, that he would resign the next day to begin "that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America." In his last years, Nixon gained praise as an elder statesman. By the time of his death on April 22, 1994, he had written numerous books on his experiences in public life and on foreign policy. The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.gov are from “The Presidents of the United States of |
Which letter is at the extreme right of the centre row of a UK standard keyboard? | Use the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) to type - Windows Help Use the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) to type Select Product Version Windows 10 There are several different kinds of keyboards for PCs. The most common type is a physical, external keyboard that you plug into your PC. But, Windows has a built-in Ease of Access tool called the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) that can be used instead of a physical keyboard to move around a PC's screen or enter text. You don’t need a touchscreen to use the OSK. It displays a visual keyboard with all the standard keys, so you can use your mouse or another pointing device to select keys, or use a physical single key or group of keys to cycle through the keys on the screen. Note A PC with a touchscreen also has a touch keyboard. When you’re using a PC with a touchscreen, tap in a text field or other area where you can type and the touch keyboard appears. To open the On-Screen Keyboard Go to Start , then select Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard, and then move the slider under On-Screen Keyboard. A keyboard appears on the screen that can be used to move around the screen and enter text. The keyboard will remain on the screen until you close it. Note To open the OSK from the sign-in screen, select the Ease of Access button in the lower-right corner of the sign-in screen, and then select On-Screen Keyboard. To change how info is entered into the On-Screen Keyboard With the OSK open, select the Options key, and then choose the options you want: Use click sound. Use this option if you want to hear a sound when you press a key. Show keys to make it easier to move around the screen. Use this option if you want the keys to light up as you type. Turn on numeric keypad. Use this option to expand the OSK to show a numeric keypad. Click on keys. Use this mode if you prefer to click or tap the on-screen keys to enter text. Hover over keys. Use this mode if you use a mouse or joystick to point to a key. The characters you point to are entered automatically when you point to them for a specified time. Scan through keys. Use this mode if you want the OSK to continually scan the keyboard. Scan mode highlights areas where you can type keyboard characters by pressing a keyboard shortcut, using a switch input device, or using a device that simulates a mouse click. Use Text Prediction. Use this option if you want the OSK to suggest words for you as you type so you don't need to type each complete word. Notes Text Prediction is available in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. If you want to use one of these languages and it isn't installed, install the language files for that language. If you're using either hovering mode or scanning mode and accidently minimize the OSK, you can restore it by pointing to it in the taskbar (for hovering mode) or by pressing the scan key (for scanning mode). If you minimize the OSK and switch to tablet mode, use the Task view button to get back to the OSK. Windows 8.1 There are a few different kinds of keyboards. The most common is a physical, external keyboard that you plug into your PC. Windows also has the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK), an Ease of Access tool. Use the OSK instead of a physical keyboard to move around your PC and enter text. You don’t need a touchscreen to use the OSK. The OSK displays a visual keyboard with all the standard keys. Select keys using the mouse or another pointing device, or use a physical single key or group of keys to cycle through the keys on the screen. Note A PC with a touchscreen also has a touch keyboard. When you’re using a Windows PC with a touchscreen, tap in a text field or other area where you can type and the touch keyboard appears. For more info about the touch keyboard, see How to use the touch keyboard. To open the On-Screen Keyboard Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Search.) Enter On-Screen Keyboard in the search box, and then tap or click On-Screen Keyboard. A keyboard appears on the scree |
Zagreb is the capital city of which country? | Zagreb - Croatia's Capital City Zagreb - Croatia's Capital City Sights, Restaurants, Hotels, and Getting Around Zagreb Cathedral. CC BY-NC-ND deymosD Share By Kerry Kubilius Zagreb is Croatia's capital city. It lies inland, which means that unlike other capital cities in the region, it is outranked by coastal cities such as Dubrovnik in its popularity with travelers. However, Zagreb should not be overlooked as a travel destination; its lively urban energy is reflected in all aspects of its culture and can be easily accessed by visitors. Croatia map with Zagreb starred Zagreb Sights Though a fully modern city, Zagreb does have historic areas of interest that are integral to the life of the inhabitants. A handful of sights are listed below, but Zagreb has many more important attractions! Ban Jelačić Square: Ban Jelačić Square, or Trg bana Jelačića, is Zagreb's main square. Here, not only will you see the giant statue to its namesake, but you'll be able to visit a souvenir market, take in an open-air show, or find restaurants and shops to tempt you with their offerings. New Year's Eve in Zagreb is a huge event that takes place on this square every year. continue reading below our video Best Ride Sharing Apps of 2015 Dolac Market: Dolac market has been thriving since the first half of the 20th century. Mainly a fresh produce market, it attracts a steady stream of locals. However, if you're looking for a souvenir, you'll find them here, too. Lace, embroidered cloths, traditional shoes, and more can be purchased at this market. Be sure to visit the various levels of the market; it's larger than it looks on initial inspection! Kaptol: Kaptol is a part of Zagreb's Upper Town and gained importance in the Middle Ages, when churches and fortifications were built there. Evidence of this time period remains, though most of the structures there show the style of the 167th century. Stone Gate in Kaptol: The stone gate that was once a part of the fortifications around Kaptol contains a special shrine. Both visitors and the devout gather there to light a candle in front of the painting of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus, which legend says escaped a fire that consumed the prior wooden gate to the Upper Town area. St. Mark's Church: When you turn the corner from the Stone Gate shrine and enter onto the square, you're sure to let out a gasp. St. Mark's church is an iconic Zagreb emblem with its colorful tiled roof that shows the coat of arms of the city and another one representing Croatia, Slavonia, and Dalmatia. When you're touring the city, don't forget about Zagreb's museums , which cover aspects of Croatian life and local and international art. Restaurants in Zagreb Zagreb's restaurant scene ranges from fast-food vendors to upscale establishments. When you're in Zagreb, be sure to taste traditional Croatian cuisine, which is flavorful and hearty. The slow-food movement is popular in this country, which means you have the opportunity to enjoy a long pre-dinner drink while your entree is carefully prepared by chefs who present diners with food that never sees the inside of a microwave or the underside of a heat lamp. Try Kerempuh, just above Dolac Market, for well-cooked traditional meals and pleasant service. Hotels in Zagreb Zagreb's hotel scene provides anything from hostels to upscale, smack-in-center establishments. If your main focus in Zagreb is the sights, try to get a room close to the main square; there's plenty to do, eat, and buy there, too. Hotels in Zagreb: Compare Prices Getting to Zagreb International and domestic flights to Zagreb arrive at the Zagreb Airport. Flights to Zagreb: Compare Prices Zagreb is pretty well connected to other capital cities in Europe by both train and bus. It's also possible to visit other Croatian cities by bus or train. Getting Around Zagreb Most sights in Zagreb can be easily accessed on foot, but if you require public transportation, consider the city's tram service. Tram tickets can be purchased at news kiosks and must be validated for each ride. |
What is surgically removed if you have a cholecystectomy? | Overview - Cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) - Mayo Clinic Cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) Print A cholecystectomy (koh-luh-sis-TEK-tuh-me) is a surgical procedure to remove your gallbladder — a pear-shaped organ that sits just below your liver on the upper right side of your abdomen. Your gallbladder collects and stores bile — a digestive fluid produced in your liver. A cholecystectomy may be necessary if you experience pain from gallstones that block the flow of bile. A cholecystectomy is a common surgery, and it carries only a small risk of complications. In most cases, you can go home the same day of your cholecystectomy. A cholecystectomy is most commonly performed by inserting a tiny video camera and special surgical tools through four small incisions to see inside your abdomen and remove the gallbladder. Doctors call this a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In some cases, one large incision may be used to remove the gallbladder. This is called an open cholecystectomy. Gallstones. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/gallstones/Pages/facts.aspx. Accessed June 15, 2016. Understanding gallstones. American Gastroenterological Association. http://www.gastro.org/info_for_patients/2013/6/6/understanding-gallstones. Accessed June 15, 2016. Feldman M, et al. Gallstone disease. In: Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2016. http://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed June 16, 2016. Patient information for laparoscopic gall bladder removal (cholecystectomy) from SAGES. Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. http://www.sages.org/publications/patient-information/patient-information-for-laparoscopic-gallbladder-removal-cholecystectomy-from-sages. Accessed June 15, 2016. Feldman M, et al. Gallstone disease. In: Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal Cholecystectomy. American College of Surgeons. https://www.facs.org/education/patient-education/patient-resources/operations. Accessed June 15, 2016. Picco MF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 22, 2016. Related |
In which country would you find 'Punta Arenas' the worlds most southerly city? | Punta Arenas Chile Photos - Worldatlas.com Punta Arenas Chile Photos Punta Arenas, Chile Positioned some 1,300 miles south of Santiago, Punta Arenas is the world's second most southerly city, behind Ushuaia, Argentina. Overlooking the Strait of Magellan, this port city flourished during the California Gold Rush, but sea-going traffic diminished here after the opening of the Panama Canal. Regardless, it remains a prosperous and stylish city of churches and restored colonial mansions. Its central square is delightful, and Punta Arenas is a great starting point for excursions into the wilderness wonders of Chile. Of all of the countries I've traveled to, Chile is one of the most colorful. More traditional Chilean color, this time applied to blankets. Penguins, penguins, everywhere you turn in Punta Arenas, penguins. And speaking of penguins, in the Strait of Magellan about 27 miles northeast of Punta Arenas sits Magdalena Island, a nature preserve that protects the Magellanic Penguins Photos here! The island is literally covered by penguins, and in fact, an estimated 70,000 mated pairs call it home. Dominating the city's central square were dozens of twisted trees just like this one. I tried to find out what type they were, but with no luck. The Punta Arenas Cathedral is stunning, both inside and out. Besides tasty coffee, they had a copy of the New York Times. Well, to be honest. it was 10 days old, but a nice slice of home nevertheless. In the main square in Punta Arena stands a most impressive military monument. It included numerous statues like this one. Note the detail in the upper body of this figure. On that same monument there's a well-worn brass foot, and local legend has it that if kissed, the person doing the kissing will return to Punta Arenas. Well, this is my wife, so I guess I'll be returning as well. Lunch at La Tasca was both delicious and reasonably priced. We had lots of Chilean pesos left over so we bought some penguins. |
Torchwood was created from the anagram of what other TV drama? | Torchwood (TV series) | Tardis | Fandom powered by Wikia [ show ] You may wish to consult Torchwood (disambiguation) for other, similarly-named pages. Torchwood was a Doctor Who television spin-off. As an in-house BBC Wales production for digital television station BBC Three , it was the first television spin-off of Doctor Who since the pilot of K9 and Company in 1981 and the first to be commissioned for a full 13-part series. It originally featured the adventures of the Torchwood branch located in Cardiff and later the Torchwood team that succeeds it, and was set on Earth after the events of Doomsday (and for lead character Jack Harkness the events of The Parting of the Ways ). The spin-off series has not yet featured the Doctor himself, though the materialisation sound of the Doctor's TARDIS is heard in the final episode of season one, and other dialogue references have been made, most recently in the Torchwood: Miracle Day arc. Likewise, the appearance of Martha Jones in the second series provides vital continuity between third and fourth series of Doctor Who. Conversely, Jack, as well as his team of Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones featured (and former team members Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato are mentioned) in the last two episodes of the fourth series of Doctor Who. Regular characters have included Gwen Cooper , Jack Harkness , Ianto Jones , Toshiko Sato , Owen Harper , Rex Matheson and Esther Drummond . Martha Jones , Suzie Costello and Vera Juarez have also been portrayed as part of the Torchwood team led by Harkness. Semi-regulars Rhys Williams and Sgt Andy Davidson are the only non-Torchwood members who have recurred across all series. The 12 October 2016 marks the 10th anniversary of Torchwood. In celebration of that, and due to its popularity, cast and crew have been invited to the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, and a special screening of the very first ever episode to be shown for the fans. [1] Big Finish also produced a special audio story to celebrate the show's anniversary. Origins Edit In 2002 , before the revival of Doctor Who, Russell T Davies began to develop an idea for a science-fiction/crime drama in the style of American fantasy drama series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel. This idea, originally titled Excalibur, was abandoned until 2005 , when BBC Three Controller Stuart Murphy invited Davies to develop a post- watershed science fiction series for the channel. During the production of the 2005 series of Doctor Who, the word "Torchwood" (an anagram of "Doctor Who") originated during production of the new Doctor Who series, when television pirates were eager to get their hands on the tapes. Someone in the production office suggested that the tapes be labelled "Torchwood" instead of "Doctor Who" to disguise their contents as they were being sent to London . Davies thought that was a clever idea and remembered the name. Davies connected the word Torchwood to his earlier Excalibur idea and decided to make the series a Doctor Who spin-off. Subsequently, the word Torchwood was seeded in several Doctor Who episodes and other media which aired in 2005 and 2006. Premise Edit The series was set in contemporary Cardiff and followed the Welsh branch of a covert agency called the Torchwood Institute , which investigates extraterrestrial incidents on Earth and scavenges alien technology for its own use. As established in the Doctor Who episodes Tooth and Claw and Army of Ghosts , the Institute had been formed by Queen Victoria following an incident involving the Tenth Doctor and a werewolf , ostensibly to protect the British Empire from aliens and other creatures — as well as from the Doctor himself. To paraphrase Torchwood Three's commander-in-chief, Jack Harkness , the organisation was separate from the government, outside the police, and beyond the United Nations (the last reference thereby placing Torchwood in a different realm than UNIT ). Although a secret organisation, the existence of Torchwood was known by the public, and Torchwood operatives made no secret of their identity w |
What fish is used to make a kipper? | Kippers: the fish that fell out of fashion - Telegraph Kippers: the fish that fell out of fashion Our changing attitude to breakfast isn't the only reason kippers are in decline. Kippers: the fish that fell out of fashion Photo: RUTHLEWISILLUSTRATIONS.COM Comments When was the last time you tasted kipper pâté? A smooth amalgam of butter, kipper and lemon, it was once a familiar first course. 'Start with kippers,' advised a 1968 cookery article by the late Katie Stewart, who recommended serving cold pâté with hot toast and a sprinkling of parsley. We don't see kipper pâté anymore; smoked-fish starters now tend to be salmon or mackerel. On paper, kippers – butterflied, salted, smoked herrings – should be more popular than they are: they're flavoursome, packed with omega-3 fish oil and very cheap. Even top-notch Craster kippers from Northumberland are just £6.99 a kilo from Waitrose (against £10 or more for smoked mackerel). Yet these days it seems we prefer our oily smoked fish to be mackerel: smoked mackerel is eaten on about 27 million occasions a year, according to The Grocer. The rise of mackerel and fall of kippers in modern Britain is an interesting example of how tastes change. Earlier generations were wary of fresh mackerel, fearing that by the time it reached a shop the oil in the fish would be rancid. Smoked mackerel was likewise regarded with caution. In 1973 Jane Grigson confessed that she disliked it 'intensely' because 'the texture is unpleasingly soft, the taste too smoky-brown'. So how did smoked mackerel gain acceptance at the kipper's expense? Like all shifts in taste, this was down to wider forces. For one, the kipper was hurt by the 1970s crisis in the North Sea herring trade, when strict quotas were introduced to tackle overfishing. The kipper is also a casualty of our growing reluctance to cook. Because the kipper is cold-smoked – and therefore essentially raw – it needs heat (unless you wish to eat kipper ceviche). It's not demanding to put a kipper under a grill with a pat of butter or – my preferred method – to poach it briefly with water from a boiling kettle, but it's a stage too far for some. The great convenience of hot-smoked mackerel is that it can be eaten straight from the pack. Related Articles |
What was the well known nickname of Robert Franklin Stroud? | Robert Stroud - The Birdman of Alcatraz Official Bookstore Robert "the Birdman of Alcatraz" Stroud Robert Stroud, who was better known to the public as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," was probably the most famous inmate ever to reside on Alcatraz. In 1909 he brutally murdered a bartender who had allegedly failed to pay a prostitute for whom Stroud was pimping in Alaska. After shooting the bartender to death, Stroud took the man's wallet to ensure that he and the prostitute would receive compensation for her services. In 1911 Stroud was convicted of manslaughter, and he was sent to serve out his sentence at McNeil Island, a Federal penitentiary in Washington State. His record at McNeil indicates that he was violent and difficult to manage. On one occasion, Stroud viciously assaulted a hospital orderly who he insisted had reported him to the administration for attempting to procure narcotics through intimidation and threats. On another occasion he stabbed a fellow inmate. Robert Stroud following his arrival at U.S.P. Alcatraz in December of 1942 Robert Stroud at Alcatraz in October 1951 Shortly after receiving an additional six-month sentence for his hostile actions, Stroud was transferred to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas, due to ceaseless complaints about his threats toward other inmates, and also because of overcrowding in the prison. In 1916, after Stroud was refused a visit with his brother, he stabbed a guard to death in front of eleven hundred inmates in the prison Mess Hall. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by hanging, and he was ordered to await his death sentence in solitary confinement. His mother desperately pleaded for his life, and finally in 1920 President Woodrow Wilson commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment without parole. As a result of Stroud's unpredictable and violent outbursts, Warden T.W. Morgan directed that Stroud be permanently placed in the segregation unit, to live out his sentence in total solitude. Over the course of Stroud's thirty years of imprisonment at Leavenworth, he developed a keen interest in canaries, after finding an injured bird in the recreation yard. Stroud was initially allowed to breed birds and maintain a lab inside two adjoining segregation cells, since it was felt that this activity would provide for productive use of his time. As a result of this privilege, Stoud was able to author two books on canaries and their diseases, having raised nearly 300 birds in his cells, carefully studying their habits and physiology, and he even developed and marketed medicines for various bird ailments. Although it is widely debated whether the remedies he developed were effective, Stroud was able to make scientific observations that would later benefit research on the canary species. However, after several years of Stroud's informal research, prison officials discovered that some of the equipment he had requested was actually being used to construct a still to make an alcoholic brew. In 1942 Stroud was transferred to Alcatraz, where he spent the next seventeen years - six years in segregation in D Block, and eleven years in the prison hospital. In 1959 he was transferred to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, and there on November 21, 1963, he was found dead from natural causes by convicted spy, close friend, and fellow inmate Morton Sobell. Stroud had never been permitted to see the movie in which Burt Lancaster portrayed him as a mild-mannered and humane individual, but "Birdman of Alcatraz" later earned Lancaster an Academy Award nomination for best actor. For a more detailed narrative on Robert Stroud please see the full-length article published on this web site, or follow the link for more information on the book Alcatraz - A Definitive History, which can be ordered directly from this site. This publication contains a comprehensive chronicle of Robert Stroud's life and imprisonment. In addition, it includes an extensive archive of rare Alcatraz related documents and photographs. Former Alcatraz Correctional Of |
Which English seaside town had the first Butlins camp? | Skegness Holiday Park | Book Family Holidays | Butlins Seaside Apartments With a lovely fresh seaside feel inside and out, we've restyled some of our apartments in Skegness to become Seaside Apartments. Benefitting from being closest to the beach and the Skyline Pavilion, with relaxing spaces for the family including balconies or patios. Firehouse at Skegness We’re turning up the sunshine this summer in our Firehouse restaurant in Skegness with a delicious Great British BBQ menu. The menu has been specially designed for families to share a wide choice of tasty lip smacking dishes all roasted to perfection on our flame grill. Splash Waterworld If your family love our Splash Waterworlds, they’ll adore our newest development that only opened in Skegness in 2013. There are thrilling new flumes and rides, quieter paddling areas that are perfect for little ones and if your mood is rest and quietude, there are plenty of relaxing spaces to help you to unwind. |
Scotland acquired the 'Hebrides' in 1266 from which country? | Hebrides, the Encyclopedia > Places > Britain, Ireland, France, and the Low Countries > British and Irish Political Geography Hebrides, the Hebrides, the (hĕbˈrĭdēz) [ key ], Western Isles, or Western Islands, group of more than 50 islands, W and NW Scotland. Less than a fifth of the islands are inhabited. The Outer Hebrides (sometimes also referred to as the Long Island) are separated from the mainland and from the Inner Hebrides by the straits of Minch and Little Minch and by the Sea of the Hebrides; they extend for 130 mi (209 km) from the Butt of Lewis on Lewis and Harris to Barra Head island. Other islands are North Uist , Benbecula, South Uist, Barra, the Flannan Islands (Seven Hunters), and Saint Kilda (or Hirta). The Outer Hebrides comprise the council area of Western Isles. The Inner Hebrides include the islands of Skye , Raasay, Rum, Eigg, Coll, Tiree, Staffa , Iona , Mull , Scarba, Colonsay , Oronsay , Jura, and Islay . They are divided between the Highland and Argyll and Bute council areas. The climate is mild, the scenery is beautiful, and there are prehistoric and ancient historical remains and geological structures. Fishing, crop raising, sheep grazing, manufacturing of tweeds and other woolens, quarrying (slate), and catering to tourists are the chief means of livelihood. The original Celtic inhabitants, converted to Christianity by St. Columba (6th cent.), were conquered by the Norwegians (starting in the 8th cent.). They held the Southern Islands, as they called them, until 1266. From that time the islands were formally held by the Scottish crown but were in fact ruled by various Scottish chieftains, with the Macdonalds asserting absolute rule after 1346 as lords of the isles. In the mid-18th cent. the Hebrides were incorporated into Scotland. The tales of Sir Walter Scott did much to make the islands famous. Emigration from the overpopulated islands occurred in the 20th cent., especially to Canada. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. |
After nine years of work, ' A Dictionary of the English Language' was published in 1755. Who was the compiler? | Dictionary English Language by Samuel Johnson - AbeBooks Dictionary English Language by Samuel Johnson You Searched For: Results (1 - 30) of 1124 1 ISBN 10: 1929154100 ISBN 13: 9781929154104 Used Hardcover ISBN 10: 1929154100 ISBN 13: 9781929154104 Used First Edition ISBN 10: 1929154100 ISBN 13: 9781929154104 Used First Edition ISBN 10: 1929154100 ISBN 13: 9781929154104 Used Hardcover ISBN 10: 1929154100 ISBN 13: 9781929154104 Used Hardcover ISBN 10: 1929154100 ISBN 13: 9781929154104 Used First Edition ISBN 10: 1929154100 ISBN 13: 9781929154104 Used First Edition ISBN 10: 1929154100 ISBN 13: 9781929154104 Used Hardcover ISBN 10: 1929154100 ISBN 13: 9781929154104 Used Hardcover ISBN 10: 1929154100 ISBN 13: 9781929154104 Used Hardcover Samuel Johnson, E. McAdam, George Milne Published by Papermac 01/02/1982 (1982) ISBN 10: 0333329848 ISBN 13: 9780333329849 Used Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Papermac 01/02/1982, 1982. Book Condition: Good. This book is in good or better condition. It has no tears to the pages and no pages will be missing from the book. The spine of the book is still in great condition and the front cover is generally unmarked. It has signs of previous use but overall is in really nice, tight condition. Shipping is normally same day from our UK warehouse. We offer a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. Bookseller Inventory # 9053-9780333329849 Samuel Johnson, E. McAdam, George Milne Published by Papermac 01/02/1982 (1982) ISBN 10: 0333329848 ISBN 13: 9780333329849 Used Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Papermac 01/02/1982, 1982. Book Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. . Bookseller Inventory # 7719-9780333329849 ISBN 10: 0333329848 ISBN 13: 9780333329849 Used Paperback Samuel Johnson; Jack Lynch [Editor] Published by Levenger Press (2004) Used Paperback Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Levenger Press. PAPERBACK. Book Condition: Good. B000KDB86M good condition, pages are clean and free of markings except for name or stamp on title page or endpaper, light wear to corners and edges, ships same day or next. Bookseller Inventory # 171000278 Samuel Johnson, E. McAdam, George Milne Published by Papermac 01/02/1982 (1982) ISBN 10: 0333329848 ISBN 13: 9780333329849 Used Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Papermac 01/02/1982, 1982. Book Condition: Good. Will be shipped promptly from UK warehouse. Book is in good condition with no missing pages, no damage or soiling and tight spine. There may be some dog-eared pages showing previous use but overall a great book. Bookseller Inventory # 9053-9780333329849 ISBN 10: 0333329848 ISBN 13: 9780333329849 Used Paperback Published by Levenger Press 1/1/2004 (2004) Used PAPERBACK ISBN 10: 1522956409 ISBN 13: 9781522956402 New Paperback Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, United States, 2015. Paperback. Book Condition: New. annotated edition. 229 x 152 mm. Language: English . Brand New Book ***** Print on Demand *****. Samuel Johnson, often referred to as Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. Johnson was a devout Anglican and committed Tory, and has been described as arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history After nine years of work, Johnson s A Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1755. It had a far-reaching effect on Modern English and has been described as one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship. This work brought Johnson popularity and success. Until the completion of the Oxford English Dictionary 150 years la |
Actress Kate Hudson is the daughter of which famous female film star? | BBC News | ENTERTAINMENT | Kate Hudson: More than famous Friday, 9 February, 2001, 01:28 GMT Kate Hudson: More than famous Critics agree that Hudson lights up the screen By BBC News Online's Rebecca Thomas Celebrity credentials don't come much more glowing than those of American actress Kate Hudson. As the 21-year-old daughter of Oscar-winner Goldie Hawn and musician Bill Hudson - her entry onto the Hollywood A-list would seem to have been guaranteed. Click here to watch Kate Hudson talk to BBC News Online But famous parents are no ticket to success. And if Hudson is suddenly grabbing headlines for her role in Almost Famous, she is confident it is entirely due to her own talent. Hudson plays devoted groupie - or "band aid" - Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical movie about fictional 70s rock band Stillwater out on the road. I laugh when people go on about the advantages I have had - my mother's main influence has come from just being a great parent Kate Hudson The film has been a massive hit with the critics and won Hudson a prestigious Golden Globe for best supporting actress. "I laugh when people go on about the advantages I have - my mother's main influence has come from just being a great parent," says Hudson with a composure of someone twice her age. "I could have all the accolades in the world and it wouldn't go away. I can either embrace it or rebel against it. I embrace it because I love my parents to bits." Goldie Hawn: Hudson is used to the comparisons Goldie Hawn split up from Bill Hudson when Kate was three. She has since come to think of her stepfather Kurt Russell as "Pa". Much of Hudson's childhood was spent absorbing the Hollywood scene. "I grew up on movie sets and had a blast," fizzes Hudson. Yet, until Almost Famous, Hudson had only had small roles in 200 Cigarettes - with Ben Affleck - and Desert Blue - with Christina Ricci. 'Fun-loving' As a long-time admirer of Crowe - the Oscar-nominated director of Jerry Maguire - Hudson was determined to get any part in his new film. Then, when Sarah Polley dropped out of the role of Penny Lane, Hudson went into overdrive to secure the plum part. Kate is a fun-loving girl who just captured the mood Cameron Crowe "I fell in love with the character immediately. When I read it for the first time I felt I could really give something to Cameron," Hudson enthuses. "This whole movie for me was about giving to Cameron." Crowe has described Penny Lane as a young woman "who has slept with a lot of guys, yet does not look or feel like a victim". He adds: "Kate is a fun-loving girl who just captured the mood." Hudson watches Stillwater with co-star Patrick Fugit Hudson explains: "There is an innocence to Penny even though she's seen and done a lot. "But she does have a sense that she's got something special, that she can make it a party just by walking into a room." Critics concede that Hudson steals just about every scene she is in Almost Famous. Crowe says it was this radiant quality that helped her secure the role. Rock 'n' Roll Just as influential was Hudson's knowledge and love of rock music - inspired by Kurt Russell's addiction to Led Zepplin. Hudson found a soul mate in Robinson But even Hudson was impressed by the performance of Almost Famous's mock band, headed by Billy Crudup as the star of Stillwater. None of the actors had played an instrument before, but after coaching from musician Peter Frampton, Hudson raves: "I couldn't believe it - it was a full-on rock 'n' roll concert. It was incredible." She adds that meeting Crowe - who started life as a rock journalist - was also an "education". We are such geeks - we just sit in our little home and read each other poems Kate Hudson on her marriage More valuable still was Hudson's meeting two years ago with the rock band Black Crowes. Since New Year, Hudson has been married to the band's singer Chris Robinson, who is 13 years her senior. "When I first met Chris and all the guys in the band, for the first time I met people who really loved and were educated on music," says Hudson. "I realised t |
Name the tennis star who was stabbed during a tournament in Hamburg in 1993? | BBC ON THIS DAY | 30 | 1993: Tennis star stabbed About This Site | Text Only 1993: Tennis star stabbed The world number one women's tennis player, Monica Seles, has been stabbed in the back during a quarter-final match in Hamburg. The 19-year-old American star was rushed to hospital with a wound half an inch (1.5cm) deep in her upper back. Doctors said her injuries were serious, but not life-threatening. "She was very lucky," said the tournament doctor, Peter Wind. "Neither the lungs nor the shoulder blades were affected. Monica is still suffering from shock, and will stay overnight for observation." There was immediate speculation that the attack was politically motivated because of Monica Seles's Serbian roots. She is known to have received death threats in connection with the Yugoslav conflict. But Hamburg police were quick to rule this out. They described her attacker as a 38-year-old man from East Germany, and said he appeared confused and may be mentally disturbed. Later reports suggested he may have been a fan of tennis rival Steffi Graf. In full view of crowd The attack happened during the rest break in the match, against Bulgarian player Maggie Maleeva. Miss Seles was leading 6-4, 4-3 when she took a rest on her courtside seat during the changeover. A man described as stocky and balding leaned over the three-feet-high (91 cm) barrier and stabbed her from behind. Miss Seles let out a scream, clutched her back and stumbled on to the court. The attack took place in full view of the 6,000-strong crowd watching the match. "He held the knife with both hands as he stabbed her in the back," said one eyewitness. The umpire, Stefan Voss, ran from his chair for ice and a towel. "Nobody saw him coming," he said. He described the 10-inch (25cm) long knife, which fell on the floor following the attack, as "a kitchen knife, like the sort you cut meat with. It was very sharp." Monica Seles is expected to be out of action for about four weeks, missing the Italian Open, which begins on Monday, and the French Open on 24 May, in which she was to have been the defending champion. Her participation in Wimbledon in June is also in question. |
Nicknamed 'The Muscles from Brussels' who is the actor? | Jean-Claude Van Damme - Biography - IMDb 5' 9¾" (1.77 m) Mini Bio (1) Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, to Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, an accountant. "The Muscles from Brussels" started martial arts at the age of eleven. His father introduced him to martial arts when he saw his son was physically weak. At the age of 12, Van Damme began his martial arts training at Centre National De Karate (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Master Claude Goetz in Ixelles, Belgium. Van Damme trained for 4 years and earned a spot on the Belgium Karate Team. He won the European professional karate association's middleweight championship as a teenager, and also beat the 2nd best karate fighter in the world. His goal was to be number one but got sidetracked when he left his hometown of Brussels. In 1976 at the age of sixteen, Jean-Claude started his Martial Arts fight career. Over the next 6-years, he competed in both full-contact and semi-contact matches. He debuted under his birth name of Jean Claude Van Varenberg. In his first match, Jean-Claude was staggered by a round-house kick thrown by fellow countryman, Toon Van Oostrum in Brussels, Belgium. Van Damme was badly stunned, but came back to knockout Van Oostrum moments later. In 1977, at the WAKO Open International in Antwerp, Belgium, Jean-Claude lost a decision to fellow team mate Patrick Teugels in a semi-contact match. At the 1978 Challenge De Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials),Jean-Claude placed 2nd in the semi-contact division. He defeated twenty-five opponents during the week long tournament, but lost in the finals to Angelo Spataro from the Naha Club. Later in 1978, Jean-Claude lost a 3-round match for the Belgium Lightweight Championship (semi-contact) to his fellow team-mate to Patrick Teugels. In 1979, Jean-Claude traveled to the United States of America, to Tampa, Florida. In his first and only match against a United States opponent, Van Damme faced 'Sherman 'Big Train'Bergman', a kick-boxer from Miami Beach, Florida. For the first and only time in his career, Jean-Claude was knocked to the canvas after absorbing a powerful left hook from Bergman. However, Jean-Claude climbed off the canvas and with a perfectly timed ax-kick, knocked Bergman out in 56 seconds of the first round. Jean-Claude was a member of the Belgium team which competed on December 26, 1979 at the La Coupe Fancois Persoons Karate Tournament which was sanctioned by the Federation bruxelloise de Karate. Van Damme's final match victory enabled his team to win the European Team Karate Championship. In Full-Contact karate, Jean-Claude knocked out England's Micheal Heming in 46 seconds of the first round. In 1980, Van Damme knocked out France's Georges Verlugels in 2 rounds of a match fought under kick-boxing rules. Jean-Claude wanted to defeat his rival Patrick Teugels. At the Forest Nationals in Brussels, on March 8, 1980, Jean-Claude knocked Teugels down and Teugels suffered a nose injury and was unable to continue. Jean-Claude was awarded a first round victory. Jean-Claude retired from martial arts in 1982, following a knockout over Nedjad Gharbi in Brussels,Belgium. Jean-Claude posted a 18-1 (18 knockouts) Kickboxing record, and a Semi-Contact record of 41-4. He came to Hong Kong at the age of 19 for the first time and felt insured to do action movies in Hong Kong. In 1981 Van Damme moved to Los Angeles. He took English classes while working as carpet layer, pizza delivery man, limo driver, and thanks to Chuck Norris he got a job as a bouncer at a club. Norris gave Van Damme a small role in the movie Missing in Action (1984), but it wasn't good enough to get anybody's attention. Then in 1984 he got a role as a villain named Ivan in the low-budget movie No Retreat, No Surrender (1986). Then one day, while walking on the streets, Jean-Claude spotted a producer for Cannon Pictures, and showed some of his martial arts abilities which led to a role in Bloodsport (1988). But the movie, filmed in Hong Kong, was so bad wh |
The 'Serengeti National Park' is situated in which country? | The Serengeti: Plain Facts about National Park & Animals The Serengeti: Plain Facts about National Park & Animals By Kim Ann Zimmermann, Live Science Contributor | September 19, 2012 12:27pm ET MORE The Serengeti is a vast ecosystem in east-central Africa. It spans 12,000 square miles (30,000 square kilometers) giving rise to its name, which is derived from the Maasai language and means “endless plains.” This region of Africa is located in north Tanzania and extends to southwestern Kenya. The Serengeti encompasses Serengeti National Park and a number of protected game reserves and conservation areas maintained by the governments of Tanzania and Kenya. The region hosts the largest mammal migration in the world and is a popular destination for African safaris. Wildebeests and zebras cross the Serengeti Plain in an annual migration. Altitudes in the Serengeti range from 3,020 feet to 6,070 feet (920 meters to 1,850 meters) The usually warm and dry climate is interrupted by two rainy seasons — March to May, and a shorter season in October and November. An acacia tree on the Serengeti Plain. Credit: M Rutherford shutterstock The Serengeti landscape is quite varied with flat-topped acacias (a genre of shrubs and trees), rolling plains and open grasslands that are bordered by hills and rocky formations. Extreme weather conditions plague the area, with harsh winds combining with heat to create a harsh environment. The expansiveness of the Serengeti is interrupted by Ol Doinyo Lengai, the only active volcano in the area and the only volcano that still ejects carbonatite lavas that turn white when exposed to air. When it rains, the ash turns into a calcium-rich material that is as hard as cement. The southeastern area lies in the shadow of the Ngorongoro highlands and is composed of shortgrass treeless plains as this area does get rain. Some 43 miles (70 km) west, acacia woodlands rise suddenly and extend west to Lake Victoria and north to the Loita Plains. The landscape is dotted with a number of granite and gneiss outcroppings known as kopjes, which are large rocky formations that are the result of volcanic activity. The Simba Kopje (Lion Kopje) is a popular tourist stop. Animals of the Serengeti Blue wildebeests, gazelles, zebras and buffalos inhabit the region, along with lions and spotted hyenas familiar to fans of the Disney film “The Lion King.” In the 1890s, droughts and a rinderpest epidemic (also known as cattle plague or steppe murrain) took a serious toll on the animal population of the Serengeti, in particular the wildebeest. By the mid-1970s the wildebeest and the buffalo populations had recovered. Each year the great wildebeest migration begins in December in the Ngorongoro area of the southern Serengeti of Tanzania, which offers rich grasslands for feeding. This is a huge attraction for tourists, and while many think it is an intense and short-lived phenomenon, it is actually a fairly slow trek. It occurs during this time because there plenty of rain-ripened grass available for the 750,000 zebra that precede 1.2 million wildebeest and then the hundreds of thousands of other plains game bringing up the rear of the migration path. A red-headed rock agama displays colorful male territorial markings in Serengeti National Park. Credit: Mogens Trolle shutterstock Wildebeests bear their young in February and March, which sparks predators. Then in May as the plains of the south and east dry out the mass moves on to the north and west crossing the Grumeti River, where there is more grass and more a more reliable water supply. Some 250,000 wildebeest die during the journey from Tanzania to Maasai Mara Reserve in lower Kenya, a total of 500 miles (800 km). Death is usually from thirst, hunger, exhaustion, or predation. But large mammals are not the only ones that make their home in the Serengeti. Gaudy agama lizards and rock hyraxes make themselves comfortable in the numerous granite kopjes, which are formations of huge boulders of sparkling, coarse rock. A full 100 varieties of dung beetle have been recorded, as have 500-plu |
Subsets and Splits
No saved queries yet
Save your SQL queries to embed, download, and access them later. Queries will appear here once saved.