Aarushhh/wikipedia-simple-splitted huggingface dataset:
Light
Gothic architecture usually has a lot of windows. Sainte Chapelle is a famous example. At Gloucester Cathedral in England, the East window is as big as a tennis court. Milan Cathedral also has windows of about the same size.

The flying buttresses which arch across the roof of the aisle were used to support the roof above the windows, so the walls did not have to be so thick.

The columns of the inside, the ribs of the vault (or roof) and the flying buttresses, made a strong stone skeleton. in between these parts, the walls and the filling of the vaults could be of lighter thinner material. Between the narrow buttresses, the walls could be opened up into large windows.

Through the Gothic period, because of the pointed arch, Gothic windows were able to change from simple openings to very rich designs. The windows were very often filled with stained glass which made coloured light in the building, and was used for story-telling pictures.
The pointed arch
Pointed arches were used in Persian architecture, and from 641 AD onwards, they were a feature of Islamic architecture. Knowledge of the pointed arch spread into Europe through the Crusaders who travelled to the Middle East from 1096 onwards. Also, Islamic forces had taken over parts of Spain, where they built cities and Mosques with pointed arches.

Architectural historians think that the pointed arch was also used by some European architects because it was a very strong way of making an arch.

In Gothic Architecture, the pointed arch is used in every place where an arch is needed, both for strength and for decoration. Gothic openings such as doorways, windows, arcades and galleries have pointed arches. A row of arches is called an arcade. A row of arches that is up high on a building is a gallery.
Rows of pointed arches were used to decorate walls. This is known as blind arcading. Often walls were made with tall narrow arched openings in them that could be used to stand statues in. An opening like this is called a niche which is pronounced "neesh".

Vaulted roofs with pointed arches
An arched roof built of bricks or stone is called a vault. In the Romanesque period before the Gothic, some churches had vaulted roofs. They were always based on perfectly semi-circular shapes. There were two main ways to make a nave vault in the Romanesque period. A vault could be long like a tunnel. Churches with this type of vault were always rather dark. Or it could be square, like two tunnels crossing each other. This meant that the columns that carried the vault always had to be placed on a perfectly square ground plan, which was not always possible.
One of the good things about pointed arches was that they could be narrow and tall, or flattened and wide. Using pointed arches, architects could make vaults of very different shapes. They did not even have to be rectangular. A Gothic architect could make a vault with one side narrow, two sides wide and the last side even wider. They could make a vault with three sides or five sides quite easily, by using pointed arches.

The vaults were made of ribs which met each other at the highest part of the vault. In between the ribs were sloping surfaces of stone or brick that could be much thinner and lighter than the ribs. At first the pattern made by the ribs was quite plain, like Romanesque vaults, but architects, particularly in England, soon started adding small ribs in between the main ones and making different patterns. Some vaults like this can also be seen in Spain and Germany, but not usually in France or Italy.
Different shapes of Gothic arches
In the Gothic period the shape and style of pointed arches changed. But the changes were not the same in every country.

With pointed arches, windows could be made very large. Architects made many designs of pointed arches crossing each other in different ways. These designs were often used in windows, which look as if they are filled with beautiful stone lace. This is called "tracery". The stone tracery was used to hold the glass in place. An Architectural Historian can often tell just how old a part of a building is by looking at the window tracery design.

Lancet arch
The simplest Gothic arch is a long opening with a pointed arch known in England as the lancet. A "lancet" is a sharp knife, so these windows are knife-shaped. Very often lancet windows are put together in a group of three or five.
Salisbury Cathedral is famous for the beauty of its Lancet Gothic Architecture. In England the style is called "Early English Gothic". York Cathedral in England has a group of five lancet windows that are 50 feet high and are still full of ancient glass. They are called the Five Sisters.

These simple windows are also found at Chartres Cathedral and Laon Cathedral in France. They are the most usual sort of Gothic windows in Italy.

Equilateral arch
Many Gothic openings have tops that are based upon an equilateral triangle. The Equilateral Arch has a very pleasing look and gives a wide opening useful for doorways, arcades and big windows.

These arches are often filled with tracery in circular designs. In England this style is called Geometric Decorated Gothic. It can be seen at many English and French Cathedrals, for example Lincoln cathedral in England and Notre Dame in Paris.
Flamboyant arch
Some Gothic windows have designs in the tracery, or even in the top of the window itself, that rises up like a flame. This is called Flamboyant Gothic. Tracery like this makes a very rich and lively effect.

Some of the most beautiful and famous windows of Europe have this type of tracery. It can be seen at St Stephen's Vienna, Sainte Chapelle in Paris, at the Cathedrals of Limoges and Rouen in France, and at Milan Cathedral in Italy. In England the most famous windows like this are the West Window of York Minster with its design based on the Sacred Heart, the East Window at Carlisle Cathedral and the East window of Selby Abbey. Architectural Historians sometimes argue about which of these is the most beautiful.
Flame-shaped arches are not as strong as ordinary pointed arches. It is never used for making a vaulted roof. If this shape is used to make a doorway, there is generally another stronger arch around it. Another way is to make a square topped door that has Flamboyant decoration over the top. In France there are many doorways, both in churches and in houses, that are like this. They are rare in England but there is one at Rochester Cathedral.

In England the Flamboyant style was used wall arcading and niches. The most famous examples in are in the Lady Chapel at Ely, the Screen at Lincoln and the facade of Exeter Cathedral. In German and Spanish Gothic architecture the Flamboyant style is often used for opnwork stone screens. The famous "pulpit" in Vienna Cathedral is made like this.
Depressed arch
The Depressed arch is wide and looks as if it has been pushed almost flat. When arches like this are used to make great big windows they need to be supported by many tall thin vertical shafts and horizontal transoms, so that the window looks as if it has been divided up into a grid (lots of rectangles). This sort of decoration is used on walls as well. In England the style is called Perpendicular Gothic style.

At Gloucester Cathedral the Perpendicular East Window is said to be as large as a tennis court. There are three very famous large chapels in this style- King's College Chapel, Cambridge; St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle; Henry VII's Chapel at Westminster Abbey. The other famous example is Bath Abbey.

Decoration
A Gothic cathedral was designed to be like a model of the universe. Everything about the building was designed to tell a message about God.
The statues, the decoration, stained glass windows and wall paintings told Bible stories such as how God created the world and how he rules over everything that is in the universe, the seasons of the year and the stars in the sky.

Carvings near the door often show the signs of the Zodiac because the patterns of stars in the sky were very important to farming people who did not have calendars to tell them when to plant and when to harvest.

Above the main door is often a sculpture of Jesus on a throne, judging the people of the Earth. Many pictures and sculptures are there to remind people to live good lives because they never know what will happen next.

Many churches were very richly decorated, both inside and out. the statues were often painted in bright colours but nowadays only tiny bits remain at Chartres cathedral and some other places. Wooden ceilings were usually brightly coloured. Sometimes the stone columns were painted as well.
Regional differences
Even though some things about Gothic architecture stay the same, other things look different in different countries.

Building materials
Different building materials were found in different parts of Europe. This is one of the differences in the architecture between different places.
In France, there was limestone. It was good for building because it was soft to cut, but got much harder when the air and rain got on it. It was usually a pale grey colour. France also had beautiful white limestone from Caen which was perfect for making very fine carvings.

England had coarse limestone, red sandstone and dark green Purbeck marble which was often used for architectural decorations like thin columns.

In Northern Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Baltic countries and northern Poland there was no good building stone, but there was clay for making bricks and tiles. So many of these countries have Brick Gothic churches and even Brick Gothic castles.
In Italy, limestone was used for city walls and castles, but brick was used for other buildings. Because Italy had lots of beautiful marble in many different colours, many buildings have fronts or "facades" decorated in coloured marble. Some churches have very rough brick facades because the marble was never put on. Florence Cathedral, for example, did not get its marble facade until the 1800s.

In some parts of Europe, there were many tall straight trees that were good for making very large roofs. But in England, by the 1400s, the long straight trees were running out. Many of the trees were used for building ships. The architects had to think of a new way to make a wide roof from short pieces of timber. That is how they invented the hammer-beam roofs which are one of the beautiful features seen in many old English churches.
France
French cathedrals, and those in Germany and Belgium are often very high, both inside and outside. The transepts do not stick out far. The facades in France nearly always have three doors, a rose window and two towers. There are often facades with doors on the transepts as well as the front.

England
The thing that makes English cathedrals different from the others is that they are long, and look horizontal, like big ocean liners.
English cathedrals nearly all took hundreds of years to build, and every part is in a style that is quite different to the next part. (Only Salisbury Cathedral was not built in lots of styles.)
The West window is very large and is never a rose window. The west front may have two towers like a French Cathedral, or none. There is nearly always a tower at the middle of the building, which may have a big spire.
Holy Roman Empire
In the territory of the Holy Roman Empire, the towers and spires are often enormously large. Sometimes they are so big that it was impossible to finish them until modern times. The spires are quite different to English spires because they are made of lacy "openwork".
There are also many hallenkirke (or hall-churches) which have no clerestorey windows. The nave and the aisles are about the same height.

Spain and Portugal
Like an English Cathedral, a Spanish or Portuguese Gothic Cathedral is often built in many different styles. They are often wide. Spanish cathedrals often have chapels all around them. The roof often has many different types of towers and spires. Often the central towers are polygonal.
Italy
Italian Gothic cathedrals use lots of colour, both outside and inside. On the outside, the facade is often decorated with marble. On the inside, the walls are often painted plaster. The columns and arches are often decorated with bright coloured paint. There are also mosaics with gold backgrounds and beautifully tiled floors is geometric patterns.
The facades often have an open porch with a wheel windows above it. There is often a dome at the centre of the building. The bell tower is hardly ever attached to the building, because Italy has quite a few earthquakes. The windows are not as large as in northern Europe and, although stained glass windows are often found, the favorite way of decorating the churches is fresco (wall painting).

Related pages
 Castle
 Gothic Revival architecture

References

Notes

Citations

Works cited

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 , from Project Gutenberg

Other websites
 GothicMed. A virtual museum of Mediterranean Gothic architecture 
 Photographs of 1,700 gothic and romanesque churches
In the Greek Orthodox Church, the terms "kathedrikos naos" (literally: "cathedral shrine") and "metropolis" (literally "mother city") are both used to describe the same thing. "Metropolis" is more common, but both terms are officially used.
 
There are variations on the use of the term "cathedral"; for example, some pre-Reformation cathedrals in Scotland now within the Church of Scotland still retain the term cathedral, despite the Church's Presbyterian polity which does not have bishops. As cathedrals are often particularly impressive buildings, the term is often used incorrectly to refer to any large important church. Some diocese, however, have other churches that are bigger than the cathedral.
Several cathedrals in Europe, such as Strasbourg, and in England at York, Lincoln and Southwell, are referred to as Minster (German: Münster) churches, from Latin monasterium, because the establishments were served by canons living in community or may have been an abbey, prior to the Reformation. The other kind of great church in Western Europe is the abbey.

Definition 

The word cathedral is derived from the Latin noun "cathedra" (seat or chair), and refers to the presence of the bishop's or archbishop's chair or throne. In the ancient world, the chair was the symbol of a teacher and thus of the bishop's role as teacher, and also of an official presiding as a magistrate and thus of the bishop's role in governing a diocese.
The word cathedral, though now grammatically used as a noun, is originally the adjective in the phrase "cathedral church", from the Latin "ecclesia cathedralis". The seat marks the place set aside in the prominent church of the diocese for the head of that diocese and is therefore a major symbol of authority.

Many cathedrals are very old.

Cathedrals which are not the seat of a bishop
Some churches are called cathedral, but they are not the seat of a bishop. This  may be because the way the church is organised changed over time. This is the case for Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Poprad, in Slovakia, for example. In Slovak language, this church is called cathedral. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spiš. This diocese was re-organised several times. Currently, the cathedral of the diocese is St. Martin's Cathedral (Spišská Kapitula). Churches that formerly were a diocesan seat may be called concathedral, co-cathedral, or pro-cathedral.

References

Gallery
A patron saint is someone who has devoted their whole life to something greater than themselves. They are someone who worked hard to make the world a better place. Catholics traditionally take a name of a patron saint to help them throughout their life.

Here is a list of patron saints and the things that they are the patron saint of:

Countries
Saint Andrew (Scotland, Russia)
Catherine of Siena Italy and Europe
Saint David (Wales)
Saint Denis (France)
Saint George (Canada, England, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, Ethiopia, Aragon, Catalonia, Moscow)
Francis of Assisi Italy
Saint Patrick (Ireland)
Saint Piran (Cornwall)
Saint James (Spain)

Saints
Saint David (c. 512 - 587) is the patron saint of Wales. He was a Welsh bishop in the 6th century. He is usually represented standing on a little hill, with a dove on his shoulder.  He is commemorated on 1 March. The earliest mention of St. David is found in a tenth-century manuscript of the "Annales Cambriae", which assigns his death to A.D. 601.

Related pages
Saint David's Day

References
 Catholic Online

512 births
587 deaths
British priests
Christian saints
Bishops
Welsh Christians
Saint George (c. 275/280 – April 23, 303) is the patron saint of England and some other countries. There is no reliable history about St. George yet. On St George's day some people in England wear a red rose, or put an English flag in their window. The Saint George's Cross is the flag of England: white with a red cross. 

According to a legend, Saint George of Lydda killed a dragon and saved the lives of many people.

A legend 
A city called Silene had a large lake, where a plague-bearing dragon who breathed fire and disease lived. The dragon poisoned all the countryside. To please the dragon, the people of Silene gave it a sheep every day, for food, and when there were no more sheep, they gave their children to the dragon. The children were chosen by a lottery.
One year the lottery chose the King's daughter. The King, sad and desperate, asked the people to take all his gold and silver, and half of his empire - but only if his daughter could be saved. The people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake, dressed in white as a bride, to be a fine meal for the dragon.

Not knowing this, Saint George was riding past the lake on the same day. The princess, terrified and trembling, tried to send him away, but George said he would stay and protect her.

The dragon came suddenly out of the lake while they were speaking.  George made the Sign of the Cross gesture, jumped on his horse and advanced toward the dragon.  He used his long spear to hurt the dragon badly. Then he asked the princess to throw her long pretty belt to him. He put the silk belt around the dragon's neck. 
Now, the dragon followed the girl like a humble pet follows its master.
The Princess and Saint George took the dragon back to the city of Silene, where the people were terrified to see the dragon enter. But Saint George told them not to be scared. He said that if the people became Christians and went to Church to be baptized, he would kill the dragon immediately.

The king and the people of Silene converted to Christianity, George killed the dragon with his sword, 'Ascalon', and its body was taken out of the city on carts. 
Fifteen thousand men were baptized, not counting women and children. 
On the site where the dragon died, the king built a Church for the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint George. From the altar in the church came a fountain of holy water. The water cured any disease.
Symbolism 
The story of Saint George and the Dragon symbolizes good winning over evil. Compare Book of Revelation chapters 12-13.
It is the subject of a lot of art through many centuries. In Sweden, the Princess symbolizes the nation of Sweden, and the dragon represents a foreign army of enemies. The story was passed from parent to child through songs in Russia. It was also made into the story 'The Reluctant Dragon' by Ken Ransom, which was made into a Disney film.

Patron Saint 

St. George's Day is also England's National Day, April 23, but this is not a holiday in the UK. He is the patron saint of many other countries, too - including Greece, Palestine, Georgia, Portugal and Russia. Moscow has 41 Churches with the name of Saint George, and the Moscow city Coat of Arms, or symbol, is of Saint George on a horse killing the dragon. Saint George is the patron saint of the Boy Scouts of America.

270s births
303 deaths
George
Religion in England
Legendary people
Saint Andrew is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and the patron saint of Scotland, Romania, Ukraine and several other countries. He was crucified on a cross that was turned sideways to look like an "X". The Saint Andrew's flag is the official flag of Scotland.
On St Andrew's Day, many people in Scotland wear a thistle.

Related pages
Twelve Apostles

References

Early Christian saints
Twelve Apostles
1st-century births
1st-century deaths
After becoming a cleric, he returned to northern and western Ireland as a missionary. Because he knew the language he could preach to the people.  He also married couples when the king prohibited it. 
He brought Christianity to Ireland. He converted many pagans to Christianity. He also challenged many of their leaders and druids such as Aodhan the Brave also known as Chief Aodhan. St.Patrick eventually converted Chief Aodhan and they worked together to convert many other pagans.  

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated every year on March 17 in his honour.

Saint Patrick's Bell
There is a bell in the National Museum of Ireland that was made around the time of Saint Patrick's life. There is no evidence that Saint Patrick owned the bell but the Irish have believed for 1400 years that the bell belonged to Saint Patrick. One of the kings of Ulster who was the high king of Ireland at the time had a beautiful cover made out of gold and gems to preserve the bell. The names of the bishops of Ireland were engraved on the cover. The style of the letters on the cover were used to make the first typewriters. It is believed that the bell was rung by Saint Patrick to let people know it was time for church.

Saint Patrick and the snakes 

There are no snakes in Ireland but there is a legend that at the time of Saint Patrick there were lots of snakes and he chased them all into the Irish Sea. Some say that this legend came to be because pagans had tattoos of snakes and Saint Patrick got rid of the pagans by teaching Christianity and therefore drove out the snakes from Ireland.
Holy Trinity and the Shamrock 
 St. Patrick is credited with teaching the Irish about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. He used a three-leafed shamrock as an illustration of "three-in-one". For this reason, shamrocks are a central symbol for St. Patrick’s Day.

References

Other websites 

 Some facts about Saint Patrick 
 The history of ringing Saint Patrick's bell in modern times 
 A list of catholic patron saints 

402 births
Patrick
Slaves
460s deaths
491 was a common year.

Deaths 
 March 17 – Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland (possibly died this year, could also have died in the year 493)
Up to 1900 
 45 BC - In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
 180 - Marcus Aurelius dies, leaving Commodus as sole Emperor of the Roman Empire.
 624 - Led by the Prophet Muhammad, the Muslims of Medina defeat the Quraysh of Mecca in the Battle of Badr.
 1328 - Isabella of France, on behalf of her 15-year-old son, Edward III of England, recognizes the independence of Scotland, ending the first of the Scottish Wars of Independence.
 1337 - Edward, the Black Prince becomes Duke of Cornwall, the first Duchy in England.
 1452 - The Battle of Los Alporchones is fought in the context of the Spanish Reconquista between the Emirate of Granada and the combined forces of the Kingdom of Castile and Murcia, resulting in a Christian victory.
 1667 - Siege of Valenciennes: During the Franco-Dutch War, ends with France's taking over of the city.
1776 - American Revolution: British forces evacuate Boston, Massachusetts, ending the Siege of Boston, after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery in positions overlooking the city.
 1780 - American Revolution: George Washington grants the Continental Army a holiday on St. Patrick's Day, in solidarity with the Irish people.
 1800 - British ship HMS Queen Charlotte sinks after a fire on board off Livorno, Tuscany, Italy, killing 673 people.
 1805 – Italy becomes a Kingdom for the first time, with Napoleon Bonaparte becoming King.
 1842 - The Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is formed.
 1860 - The First Taranaki War begins in Taranaki, New Zealand, a major phase in the New Zealand Land Wars.
 1861 – The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed, making Italy a united nation. It lasts until 1946, when a majority of voters supports becoming a Republic.
 1891 – The USS Utopia collides with the HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar, and sinks, killing 562 people.
1901  2000 
 1921 - The Second Republic of Poland adopts the March Constitution.
 1939 - Second Sino-Japanese War: The Battle of Nanchang between the Republic of China's Kuomintang and Japan begins.
 1941 – In Washington, DC, the National Gallery of Art is opened.
 1945 – World War II: The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany, collapses, shortly after its capture.
 1948 - The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels.
 1950 - Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name Californium.
 1957 – A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines, kills 25 people, including President Ramon Magsaysay.
 1958 - The United States launches the Vanguard 1 satellite.
 1959 - Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, escapes Tibet to India.
 1960 - US President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs invasion.
1963 – The Gunung Agung volcano on Bali, Indonesia, erupts, killing around 1,300 people.
 1966 - A missing American hydrogen bomb is found off the Mediterranean Sea coast of Spain.
 1968 - As a result of nerve gas testing in Skull Valley, Utah, US, over 6,000 sheep are found dead.
 1969 – Golda Meir becomes Prime Minister of Israel.
 1988 - Avianca Flight 410, a Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, crashes into a mountainside in Eastern Colombia, near the Venezuelan border, killing 143 people.
 1988 - Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.
 1991 - Diego Maradona is found to have taken cocaine and is banned from football for 15 months.
 1992 – A referendum in South Africa approves the end of Apartheid.
 1992 - A suicide car bombing at Israel's Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 29 people.
From 2001 
 2003 – Robin Cook resigns from the British cabinet over plans to go to war in Iraq.
 2004 - Unrest occurs in Kosovo. 22 people are killed, and 220 injured, as 35 Serbian Orthodox Shrines in Kosovo and 2 mosques in Belgrade and Nis, Serbia, are destroyed.
 2008 – New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns over a prostitution scandal. David Paterson replaces him.
 2009 – Marc Ravalomanana resigns as President of Madagascar, as Andry Rajoelina takes over, following weeks of unrest.
 2011 - 2011 Libyan civil war: The United Nations Security Council authorizes military intervention to protect civilians in Libya, as well as a no-fly zone over Libya.
 2013 - A meteorite hits the Moon.
2018 - Russia expels 23 British diplomats (after the UK did the same with 23 Russian diplomats on March 14) and also decides to close the British Consulate in Saint Petersburg and end the work of the British Council in Russia. This is because of an ongoing diplomatic row between the two countries over the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.
Up to 1900 
 765 – Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid Caliph (d. 809) (N.S March 27 on Gregorian calendar)
 1231 - Emperor Shijo of Japan (d. 1242)
 1473 – King James IV of Scotland (d. 1513)
 1537 - Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japanese general and politician (d. 1598)
 1628 - François Girardon, French sculptor (d. 1715)
 1665 - Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, French musician, harpsichordist and composer  (d. 1829)
 1676 - Thomas Boston, Scottish church leader (d. 1732)
 1686 - Jean-Baptiste Oudry, French painter, engraver and tapestry designer (d. 1755)
 1725 - Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-American military and political leader 
 1777 - Patrick Bronte, father of the Brontë sisters (d. 1861)
 1777 - Roger Brooke Taney, 5th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (d. 1864)
 1780 - Thomas Chalmers, Scottish theologian, religious reformer and writer (d. 1847)
 1794 - Gabriel Antonio Pereira, President of Uruguay (d. 1861)
 1804 - Jim Bridger, American explorer (d. 1881)
1813 – King Kamehameha III of Hawaii (d. 1854) (March 17 was official birthday)
 1822 – Sa'id, Khedive (Viceroy) of Egypt (d. 1854)
 1832 - Walter Q. Gresham, United States Secretary of State (d. 1895)
 1834 – Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and inventor (d. 1900)
 1846 - Kate Greenaway, English writer and illustrator (d. 1901)
 1849 - Charles F. Brush, American inventor and entrepreneur (d. 1929)
 1856 - Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter (d. 1910)
 1858 - Policarpo Bonilla, President of Honduras (d. 1926)
 1862 - Silvio Gesell, Belgian merchant and economist (d. 1930)
 1865 – Gabriel Narutowicz, President of Poland (d. 1922)
 1868 - Nathan E. Kendall, 23rd Governor of Iowa (d. 1936)
 1872 - Konstantinos Skarlatos, Greek shooter (d. 1969)
 1876 - Frederick Ayres, American composer (d. 1926)
 1877 - Otto Gross, Austrian psychoanalyst (d. 1920)
 1879 - Jim Nance McCord, Governor of Tennessee (d. 1968)
 1880 – Lawrence Oates, English Antarctic explorer (d. 1912)
1881 – Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist (d. 1973)
 1883 - Urmuz, Romanian writer (d. 1923)
 1884 – Alcide Nunez, American jazz clarinettist (d. 1934)
 1885 - Ralph Rose, American athlete (d. 1913)
 1886 - Princess Patricia of Connaught (d. 1974)
 1888 - Paul Ramadier, French politician (d. 1961)
 1889 - Harry Clarke, Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator (d. 1931)
 1892 - Sayed Darwish, Egyptian singer and composer (d. 1923)
 1900 – Alfred Neumann, American movie composer (d. 1970)
1901  1950 
 1902 – Bobby Jones, American golfer (d. 1971)
 1906 - Brigitte Helm, German actress (d. 1996)
 1907 – Miki Takeo, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1988)
 1907 - Jean Van Houtte, Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1991)
 1907 - John O. Pastore, Governor of Rhode Island (d. 2000)
 1911 - Vello Kaaristo, Estonian cross-country skier (d. 1965)
 1912 - Bayard Rustin, American Civil rights activist (d. 1987)
 1914 - Juan Ongania, Argentine military officer and politician (d. 1995)
 1915 - Ray Ellington, British singer (d. 1985)
 1919 – Nat King Cole, American singer (d. 1965)
 1920 - Jose Tomas Sanchez, Filipino cardinal (d. 2012)
 1921 – Meir Amit, Israeli politician and general (d. 2009)
 1922 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bengali founder (d. 1975)
 1925 - Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian actor (d. 2015)
 1926 - Siegfried Lenz, German writer (d. 2014)
 1927 - Francisco Gonzalez Ledesma, Spanish writer (d. 2015)
 1927 - Patrick Allen, British actor (d. 2006)
 1929 - Peter L. Berger, Austrian philosopher (d. 2017)
1930 – James Irwin, American astronaut (d. 1991)
 1933 – Penelope Lively, British writer
 1933 - Heather Armitage, British athlete
 1935 - Oscar Panno, Argentine chess player
 1936 - Ken Mattingly, American admiral, pilot and astronaut
 1937 - Adam Wade, American singer, drummer and actor
 1937 - Galina Samsova, Russian ballet dancer
 1938 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1993)
 1938 – Keith O'Brien, former Roman Catholic Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh and cardinal (d. 2018)
 1939 – Giovanni Trapattoni, Italian footballer and manager
 1939 - Robin Knox-Johnston, British yachtsman
 1939 - Bill Graham, Canadian politician
 1940 - Mark White, 40th Governor of Texas (d. 2017)
 1940 - Jim Telfer, Scottish rugby player
 1941 - Paul Kantner, American musician (d. 2016)
 1942 – John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer (d. 1994; executed by lethal injection)
 1943 - Jim Weatherly, American singer-songwriter
 1943 - Bakili Muluzi, former President of Malawi
1944 - John Sebastian, American singer, songwriter and guitarist
 1944 - Juan Ramon Veron, Argentine footballer and coach
 1944 - Cito Galston, American baseball player
 1945 – Michael Hayden, General USAF, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
 1945 - Elis Regina, Brazilian singer (d. 1982)
 1947 - Yury Chernavsky, Russian composer and producer
 1948 - William Gibson, American writer
 1949 – Patrick Duffy, American actor
 1949 - Pat Rice, Irish footballer and coach
 1949 - Hartmut Briesenick, East German athlete (d. 2013)
 1949 - Stuart Rose, English businessman
1951  1975 
 1951 – Donald Findlay, Scottish lawyer
 1951 - Sydne Rome, American actress
 1951 - Kurt Russell, American actor
 1954 - Lesley-Anne Down, English actress and singer
 1955 – Cynthia McKinney, American politician
 1955 – Gary Sinise, American actor
 1955 - Mark Boone Junior, American actor
 1956 - Rory McGrath, English comedian and writer
 1957 - Michael Kelly, American journalist (d. 2003)
 1958 - José-Manuel Abascal, Spanish middle-distance runner 
 1958 - Christian Clemenson, American actor
 1960 - Ruth Langsford, English television presenter
 1960 - Michael Whitaker, English equestrian
 1961 - Sam Bowie, American basketball player
 1961 - Casey Siemaszko, American actor
 1961 - Dana Reeve, American actress and activist (d. 2006)
 1962 – Clare Grogan, Scottish singer and actress
 1962 - Rob Sitch, Australian actor, director, producer and screenwriter
 1962 - Kalpana Chawla, Indian astronaut (d. 2003)
 1964 - Stefano Borgonovo, Italian footballer (d. 2013)
1964 – Lee Dixon, English footballer and pundit
 1964 – Rob Lowe, American actor
 1964 – Jacques Songo'o, Cameroonian footballer
 1966 - Espen Hammer, Norwegian philosopher
 1966 - Andrew Rosindell, English politician
 1967 - Billy Corgan, American musician
 1969 – Alexander McQueen, British fashion designer (d. 2010)
 1969 - Bruce Parry, British former soldier, traveler and adventurer
 1969 - Patricia Ford, American model
 1969 - Edgar Gronspiron, French skier
 1972 – Mia Hamm, American soccer player
 1972 - Sean Price, American rapper an producer
 1973 – Caroline Corr, Irish singer and musician
 1974 – Mark Dolan, British television presenter
 1975 – Justin Hawkins, British singer (The Darkness)
 1975 - Puneeth Rajkumar, Indian actor, singer and producer
 1975 - Gina Holden, Canadian actress
 1975 - Andrew Martin, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2009)
From 1976 
 1976 – Stephen Gately, Irish singer (Boyzone) (d. 2009)
 1976 - Alvaro Recoba, Uruguayan footballer
 1976 - Brittany Daniel, American actress
 1976 - Cynthia Daniel, American actress and photographer
 1978 - Pilar Rubio, Spanish actress
 1978 - Owen Thompson, Scottish politician
 1979 - Sharman Joshi, Indian actor
 1979 - Stephen Kramer Glickman, American actor and comedian
 1979 - Million Wolde, Ethiopian runner
 1979 - Stormy Daniels, American pornographic actress
 1980 - Katie Morgan, American pornographic actress
 1981 - Nicky Jam, American singer and songwriter
 1981 - Servet Cetin, Turkish footballer
 1982 – Steven Pienaar, South African footballer
 1983 – Raul Meireles, Portuguese footballer
 1983 - Matteo Paro, Italian footballer
 1984 - Ryan Rottman, American actor
 1986 – Edin Dzeko, Bosnian footballer
 1987 – Bobby Ryan, American ice hockey player
 1987 - Rob Kardashian, American television personality
 1987 - Ryan Parent, Canadian ice hockey player
1987 - Federico Fazio, Argentine footballer
 1988 - Fraser Forster, English footballer
 1988 - Rasmus Elm, Swedish footballer
 1988 - Grimes, Canadian singer and songwriter
 1988 - Jack Monroe, English food writer, journalist and activist
 1989 – Shinji Kagawa, Japanese footballer
 1989 - Mason Musso, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 1990 - Hozier, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
 1990 - Jean Segura, Dominican baseball player
 1991 - Thomas Robinson, American basketball player
 1992 - Eliza Bennett, English actress and singer
 1992 - John Boyega, English actor
 1992 - Yeltsin Tejeda, Costa Rican footballer
 1997 - Katie Ledecky, American swimmer
Up to 1900 
 45 BC - Titus Labienus, Roman leader (b. 100 BC)
 45 BC - Publius Attius Varus, Roman Governor of Africa
 180 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor (b. 121)
 unknown year (probably 461 or 493) – Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland
 659 - Gertrude of Nivelles, Belgian abbess (b. 626)
 1040 – Harold Harefoot, King of England
 1058 - Lulach, King of the Scots
 1199 - Jocelyn of Glasgow, Scottish monk and bishop (b. 1130)
 1272 - Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (b. 1220)
 1425 – Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shogun (b. 1407)
 1516 - Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence (b. 1479)
 1620 - John Sarkander, Polish-Moravian priest and saint (b. 1576)
 1680 - François de Rochefoucauld, French author (b. 1613)
 1741 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet (b. 1674)
 1782 – Daniel Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician  (b. 1700)
 1830 - Lauren de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French politician (b. 1764)
 1846 - Friedrich Bessel, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1764)
1849 – King William II of the Netherlands (b. 1792)
 1853 – Christian Doppler, Austrian physician and mathematician (b. 1803)
 1871 - Robert Chambers, Scottish geologist and publisher (b. 1802)
 1875 - Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist and composer (b. 1832)
 1886 - Leopold Zunz, German Jewish scientist (b. 1794)
 1893 - Jules Ferry, French statesman (b. 1832)
1901  2000 
 1917 – Franz Brentano, German philosopher (b. 1838)
 1921 - Nikolay Yegorovich Zhukovsky, Russian mathematician and engineer (b. 1847)
 1926 - Aleksei Brusilov, Russian general (b. 1853)
 1937 – Austen Chamberlain, English statesman (b. 1863)
 1941 - Marguerite Nichols, American actress (b. 1895)
 1946 - Dai Li, Chinese spymaster (b. 1897)
 1956 – Irène Joliot-Curie, French physicist (b. 1897)
 1956 - Fred Allen, American actor (b. 1894)
 1957 – Ramon Magsaysay, President of the Philippines (b. 1907)
 1958 - John Pius Boland, Irish politician and tennis player (b. 1870)
 1961 - Susanna M. Salter, American politician (b. 1860)
 1962 - Pat Clayton, English soldier and surveyor (b. 1896)
 1976 - Luchino Visconti, Italian director (b. 1906)
 1980 - Boun Oum, Laotian politician (b. 1912)
 1983 – Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist (b. 1903)
 1986 - Heinz Nixdorf, German computer pioneer and entrepreneur (b. 1925)
 1990 - Capucine, French actress (b. 1931)
1993 – Charlotte Hughes, British supercentenarian (b. 1877)
 1993 - Helen Hayes, American actress (b. 1900)
 1994 - Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and singer (b. 1925)
 1995 - Sunnyland Slim, American blues musician (b. 1907)
 1995 – Ronnie Kray, British gangster (b. 1933)
 1996 - Rene Clement, French movie director and screenwriter (b. 1913)
 1996 - Terry Stafford, American singer (b. 1941)
 1999 - Jean Pierre-Bloch, French resistance activist and politician (b. 1905)
From 2001 
 2002 - Van Tien Dung, Vietnamese general and politician (b. 1917)
 2002 - William Witney, American director (b. 1915)
 2003 - Su Buqing, Chinese mathematician and educator (b. 1902)
 2005 - George F. Kennan, American historian and diplomat (b. 1904)
 2006 - Oleg Cassini, American fashion designer (b. 1913)
 2006 - G. William Miller, American politician (b. 1925)
 2007 - John Backus, American computer scientist (b. 1924)
 2007 - Ernst Haefliger, Swiss tenor (b. 1919)
 2009 – Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian politician and television host (b. 1937)
 2010 – Alex Chilton, American musician (b. 1950)
 2010 - Sid Fleischman, American writer (b. 1920)
 2011 – Michael Gough, British actor (b. 1916)
 2012 - John Demjanjuk, Ukrainian convicted Nazi war criminal (b. 1920)
 2012 - Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria, leader of the Egyptian Coptic Church (b. 1923)
 2014 - Mareike Carrière, German actress (b. 1954)
 2014 - L'Wren Scott, American fashion designer and model (b. 1964)
2014 - Oswald Morris, British cinematographer (b. 1915)
 2014 - Antoni Opolski, Polish physicist (b. 1913)
 2014 - Mercy Edirisinghe, Sri Lankan actress and singer (b. 1945)
 2015 - Shaw Taylor, English television presenter and actor (b. 1924)
 2015 - Ashley Adams, Australian Paralympic shooter (b. 1955)
 2016 - Shozo Awazu, Japanese judoka (b. 1923)
 2016 - Paul Daniels, English magician (b. 1938)
 2016 - Meir Dagan, Israeli military officer and intelligence official (b. 1945)
 2016 - Solomon Marcus, Romanian mathematician (b. 1925)
 2016 - Larry Drake, American actor (b. 1950)
 2016 - Marian Kociniak, Polish actor (b. 1935)
 2017 - Derek Walcott, Saint Lucian poet and playwright (b. 1930)
 2017 - Hugh Hardy, Spanish-American architect (b. 1932)
 2017 - Lawrence Montaigne, American actor (b. 1931)
 2017 - Auntie Fee, American YouTube personality (b. 1957)
 2017 - Inomjon Usmonxo'jayev, Soviet-Uzbek politician (b. 1930)
 2018 - Phan Van Khai, former Prime minister of Vietnam (b. 1933)
2018 - Nicholas Edwards, Baron Crickhowell, Welsh politician (b. 1934)
 2018 - Mike MacDonald, Canadian comedian (b. 1955)
 2019 - Jorge Insunza Becker, Chilean engineer and politician (b. 1936)
 2019 - Bill Burlison, American politician (b. 1931)
 2019 - Manohar Parrikar, Indian politician (b. 1955)
 2019 - Andre Williams, American R&B musician (b. 1936)
Holidays 
 St. Patrick's Day - celebrating the patron saint of Ireland, celebrated in Ireland and in Irish communities worldwide
 Children's Day (Bangladesh)

Days of the year
402 is a common year in the Common Era. It started on a Wednesday. It was known as year 1155 in some places in the Ab urbe condita.

Births 
 Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland
Somerset is a county in South West England.

The main town of Somerset was Somerton, but it is now Taunton. There are two cities in Somerset. They are Bath and Wells.

History

The name "Somerset" comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase Sumorsaete, which was used to describe people from Somerton.

In the past, the northern border of Somerset was the River Avon. However, as the city of Bristol has grown, the border moved south.

In 1974 parts of north Somerset, the city of Bristol and parts of south Gloucestershire were joined into a new county. This county was named Avon. In 1996 Avon was split into 4 parts, which are now unitary authorities. People usually say that 2 of these parts (named North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset) are part of Somerset, even though they have their own councils.
The oldest prison in England which is still used is in a town named Shepton Mallet in Somerset. Somerset also has the world's oldest road which people built. It is called the Sweet Track; it was built in about 3800 BC.

Industry and tourism

There is not much large industry in Somerset, but Bridgwater is a port, and Yeovil is important in building helicopters.

Tourism is an important industry in the county; in 2001 about 23,000 people worked in tourism. Tourists like Somerset because it is very beautiful, with much countryside and few big towns. Somerset has many places to visit:
 Part of the Exmoor National Park is in Somerset.
 Another popular place is Glastonbury, which has a popular music festival every year.
 The Cheddar Gorge has caves which are popular with visitors, and locally made cheese.

Farming is an important industry in Somerset, but not as many people work in this industry today. Somerset is famous for its cider (an alcoholic apple drink) and it has many apple orchards.
Interesting places in Somerset

Politics

Districts of Somerset

The numbers on the map are linked to the numbers below.

 South Somerset
 Taunton Deane
 West Somerset
 Sedgemoor
 Mendip
 Bath and North East Somerset (Unitary)
 North Somerset (Unitary)

Cities, towns, and villages 

This is a list of the main towns and cities in Somerset:

Other websites 
 BBC Somerset
 Somerset County Council
 Bath and North East Somerset Council
 North Somerset Council
 Travel Information 

 
Ceremonial counties of England
Glastonbury is a town in Somerset, England. It is well known for being mistakenly thought of where Glastonbury Festival is held, however the festival is in fact held in the village of Pilton, nearly 7 miles to the east.

History
Glastonbury is also well known because of Glastonbury Abbey. This is because Glastonbury Abbey is said to be the place where King Arthur is buried, and it was burned down when King Henry the Eighth got angry at all Catholic monasteries in the country as the Pope would not grant him a divorce. The abbot, Abbot Whiting, was killed on the Tor, a local landmark.

Gallery

Towns in Somerset
Civil parishes in Somerset
Glastonbury Abbey is in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. It was King Ine of Wessex who decided to build Glastonbury Abbey and out of stone. King Edmund I of England was buried at the Abbey in 946 AD. It is said to be the burial place of King Arthur.

References

Abbeys
Churches in England
Buildings and structures in Somerset
12th-century buildings and structures‎
Somerton is a town in Somerset. In 2001 there were 4509 people living in Somerton. It is between the towns of Yeovil and Street.  It is in the South Somerset District of Somerset. 

Somerton was the capital of the Kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 901.  It also used to be Somerset's county town, but this is now Taunton.

References 

Towns in Somerset
Civil parishes in Somerset
Yeovil is a town in the county of Somerset.  It is in the South Somerset District.  Yeovil takes its name from the River Yeo.  Yeo Village became Yeovil over time.

Transportation
The town has two railway stations.  They are called Yeovil Junction and Yeovil Pen Mill.  The town has many villages near by.  These are West Coker, East Chinnock, East Coker, Stoford, Evershot, Halstock and Yetminster.

Politics
Yeovil is where the council is based for the district of South Somerset.  The town's main employers are GKN Westlands Helicopters.

Sports
Yeovil is home to the giant killer football club Yeovil Town F.C..  The club played against Liverpool F.C in 2004. Yeovil used to be famous for glove-making.  This is why the football team are nicknamed The Glovers.

Towns in Somerset
County towns in England
Bridgwater is a town in the county of Somerset.  It is in the District of Sedgemoor.

Towns in Somerset
See also Street (town)
A street is a piece of land, made flat and often with pavement, so that people can travel on it better. "Street" and "road" may mean the same thing, but "street" is more often used only in a town.

Many streets are the center of local culture or of a specialized activity. New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, for example, is famous for its active nightlife and also for its role as the center of the city’s French Quarter. The Bowery in Manhattan was, at different times, a main highway, a center of underground punk culture, and a specialized shopping district for light fixtures.

Related pages
 Avenue
 Boulevard
 Road

Basic English 850 words
Roads
Taunton is a town in the county of Somerset.  It is in the Taunton Deane District.  Taunton is the county town of Somerset.  Taunton is on the River Tone and takes its name from the river.  Tone town became Taunton.

In 1685, Judge Jefferies was based in Taunton during the Bloody Assizes that followed the Battle of Sedgemoor.

References

Towns in Somerset
Shepton Mallet is a town in the county of Somerset, England.  It is in the Mendip district.

Shepton Mallet is where the council is based for the Mendip district. It is a pleasant place to go, and has a beautiful countryside.

Towns in Somerset
Mendip
Bath is a city in the county of Somerset in England. It is  west of London, and  southeast of Bristol.

Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city has preserved some of its Roman remains and its 18th century architecture.

History
The city gets its name from the famous Roman baths in the town. The Romans built the baths as part of a spa, in the year 43 BC. They called it Aquae Sulis, which means "The waters of Sulis". Sulis was a local goddess.

During the Middle Ages, it was an important city for buying and selling wool.

Bath became a city in 1585, when Queen Elizabeth I declared it to be one.

Bath has two universities and several schools and colleges.

Bath is where Roald Dahl's short story "The Landlady" takes place. The city is also mentioned in many of Jane Austen's books, like Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice.

Gallery

References

Other websites
 

Spa towns in the United Kingdom
World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom