title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Alan Turing is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. He visited the National Cash Register (NCR) company in Dayton in December 1942. He was able to show that it was not necessary to build 336 Bombes, so the initial order was scaled down to 96 machines to decipher German Enigma-machine-encrypted secret messages during World War II.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Between the 1940s and the 1970s, the city saw significant growth in suburban areas from population migration. Veterans were returning from military service in large numbers seeking industrial and manufacturing jobs, a part of the local industry that was expanding rapidly. Advancements in architecture also contributed to the suburban boom. New, modernized shopping centers and the Interstate Highway System allowed workers to commute greater distances and families to live further from the downtown area. More than 127,000 homes were built in Montgomery County during the 1950s.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: During this time, the city was the site of several race riots, including one in 1955 following the murder of Emmett Till, the 1966 Dayton race riot, two in 1967 (following a speech by civil rights activist H. Rap Brown and another following the police killing of an African American man), and one in 1968 as part of the nationwide King assassination riots.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Since the 1980s, however, Dayton's population has declined, mainly due to the loss of manufacturing jobs and decentralization of metropolitan areas, as well as the national housing crisis that began in 2008. While much of the state has suffered for similar reasons, the impact on Dayton has been greater than most. Dayton had the third-greatest percentage loss of population in the state since the 1980s, behind Cleveland and Youngstown. Despite this, Dayton has begun diversifying its workforce from manufacturing into other growing sectors such as healthcare and education.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: In 1995, the Dayton Agreement, a peace accord between the parties to the hostilities of the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the former Yugoslavia, was negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Fairborn, Ohio, from November 1 to 21.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Downtown expansion that began in the 2000s has helped revitalize the city and encourage growth. Day Air Ballpark, home of the Dayton Dragons, was built in 2000. The highly successful minor league baseball team has been an integral part of Dayton's culture. In 2001, the city's public park system, Five Rivers MetroParks, built RiverScape MetroPark, an outdoor entertainment venue that attracts more than 400,000 visitors each year. A new performance arts theater, the Schuster Center, opened in 2003. A large health network in the region, Premier Health Partners, expanded its Miami Valley Hospital with a 12-story tower addition.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: In 2010, the Downtown Dayton Partnership, in cooperation with the City of Dayton and community leaders, introduced the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan. It focuses on job creation and retention, infrastructure improvements, housing, recreation, and collaboration. The plan is to be implemented through the year 2020.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton is known as the "Gem City". The nickname's origin is uncertain, but several theories exist. In the early 19th century, a well-known racehorse named Gem hailed from Dayton. In 1845, an article published in the "Cincinnati Daily Chronicle" by an author known as T stated:


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: In the late 1840s, Major William D. Bickham of the "Dayton Journal" began a campaign to nickname Dayton the "Gem City." The name was adopted by the city's Board of Trade several years later. Paul Laurence Dunbar referred to the nickname in his poem, "Toast to Dayton", as noted in the following excerpt:


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton also plays a role in a nickname given to the state of Ohio, "Birthplace of Aviation." Dayton is the hometown of the Wright brothers, aviation pioneers who are credited with inventing and building the first practical airplane in history. After their first manned flights in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, which they had chosen due to its ideal weather and climate conditions, the Wrights returned to Dayton and continued testing at nearby Huffman Prairie.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Additionally, Dayton is colloquially referred to as "Little Detroit". This nickname comes from Dayton's prominence as a Midwestern manufacturing center.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton's climate features warm, muggy summers and cold, dry winters, and is classified as a humid continental climate (Köppen "Dfa"). Unless otherwise noted, all normal figures quoted within the text below are from the official climatology station, Dayton International Airport, at an elevation of about to the north of downtown Dayton, which lies within the valley of the Miami River; thus temperatures there are typically cooler than in downtown.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: At the airport, monthly mean temperatures range from in January to in July. The highest temperature ever recorded in Dayton was on July 22, 1901, and the coldest was on February 13 during the Great Blizzard of 1899. On average, there are 14 days of + highs and 4.5 nights of sub- lows annually. Snow is moderate, with a normal seasonal accumulation of , usually occurring from November to March, occasionally April, and rarely October. Precipitation averages annually, with total rainfall peaking in May.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton is subject to severe weather typical of the Midwestern United States. Tornadoes are possible from the spring to the fall. Floods, blizzards, and severe thunderstorms can also occur.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: On Memorial Day of 2019, Dayton suffered extensive property damage and one death during a tornado outbreak, in which a total of 15 tornadoes touched down in the Dayton area. Although some of the tornadoes were only EF0 and remained on the ground for less than a mile, one was an EF4 measuring a half-mile-wide (805 meters), which tore through the communities of Brookville, Trotwood, Dayton, and Riverside. Several streets were closed, including portions of I-75 and North Dixie Street. 64,000 residents lost power and much of the region's water supply was cut off.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton Audubon Society is the National Audubon Society's local chapter. The Dayton chapter manages local activities contributing to the annual, hemisphere-wide Christmas Bird Count. The Chapter began participation in the National Count in 1924. The local Count was initially coordinated by Ben Blincoe, who was succeeded by Jim Hill in 1970. In the mid-1960s, the freezing of Lake Erie and associated marshlands led species of waterfowl to appear in the Dayton-area, where surface waters remained unfrozen. Nine varieties of birds have been observed every year in the Dayton area: downy woodpecker, Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, brown creeper, cardinal, junco, tree sparrow, song sparrow and crow.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton's population declined significantly from a peak of 262,332 residents in 1960 to only 141,759 in 2010. This was in part due to the slowdown of the region's manufacturing and the growth of Dayton's affluent suburbs including Oakwood, Englewood, Beavercreek, Springboro, Miamisburg, Kettering, and Centerville. The city's most populous ethnic group, white, declined from 78.1% in 1960 to 51.7% by 2010. Recent census estimates show a population decline since 2010.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: As of the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $27,523, and the median income for a family was $34,978. Males had a median income of $30,816 versus $24,937 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,724. About 18.2% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.0% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: As of the 2010 census, there were 141,759 people, 58,404 households, and 31,064 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 74,065 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 51.7% White, 42.9% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: There were 58,404 households, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.9% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.8% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26, and the average family size was 3.03.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The median age in the city was 34.4 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 14.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64, and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The 2013 census population estimate showed a slight Dayton population increase for the first time in five decades. However, the 2014 population estimate indicated a decrease of individuals from 2013's estimate.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton's economy is relatively diversified and vital to the overall economy of the state of Ohio. In 2008 and 2009, "Site Selection" magazine ranked Dayton the #1 medium-sized metropolitan area in the U.S. for economic development. Dayton is also among the top 100 metropolitan areas in both exports and export-related jobs, ranked 16 and 14 respectively by the Brookings Institution. The 2010 report placed the value of exports at $4.7 billion and the number of export-related jobs at 44,133. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area ranks 4th in Ohio's Gross Domestic Product with a 2008 industry total of $33.78 billion. Additionally, Dayton ranks third among 11 major metropolitan areas in Ohio for exports to foreign countries. The Dayton Development Coalition is attempting to leverage the region's large water capacity, estimated to be 1.5 trillion gallons of renewable water aquifers, to attract new businesses. Moody's Investment Services revised Dayton's bond rating from A1 to the stronger rating of Aa2 as part of its global recalibration process. Standard & Poor's upgraded Dayton's rating from A+ to AA- in the summer of 2009.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: "Bloomberg Businessweek" ranked Dayton in 2010 as one of the best places in the U.S. for college graduates looking for a job. Companies such as Reynolds and Reynolds, CareSource, DP&L (soon AES inc), LexisNexis, Kettering Health Network, Premier Health Partners, and Standard Register have their headquarters in Dayton. It is also the former home of the Speedwell Motor Car Company, MeadWestvaco (formerly known as the Mead Paper Company), and NCR. NCR was headquartered in Dayton for over 125 years and was a major innovator in computer technology.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton region gave birth to aviation and is known for its high concentration of aerospace and aviation technology. In 2009, Governor Ted Strickland designated Dayton as Ohio's aerospace innovation hub, the state's first such technology hub. Two major United States research and development organizations have leveraged Dayton's historical leadership in aviation and maintain their headquarters in the area: The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Both have their headquarters at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Several research organizations support NASIC, AFRL, and the Dayton community. The Advanced Technical Intelligence Center is a confederation of government, academic, and industry partners. The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) is led by the University of Dayton. The Cognitive Technologies Division (CTD) of Applied Research Associates, Inc., which carries out human-centered research and design, is headquartered in the Dayton suburb of Fairborn. The city of Dayton has started Tech Town, a development project to attract technology-based firms and revitalize the downtown area. Tech Town is home to the world's first RFID business incubator. The University of Dayton–led Institute for Development & Commercialization of Sensor Technologies (IDCAST) at TechTown is a center for remote sensing and sensing technology. It is one of Dayton's technology business incubators housed in The Entrepreneurs Center building.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Kettering Health Network and Premier Health Partners have a major role on the Dayton area's economy. Hospitals in the Greater Dayton area have an estimated combined employment of nearly 32,000 and a yearly economic impact of $6.8 billion. In addition, several Dayton area hospitals consistently earn top national ranking and recognition including the "U.S. News & World Report"s list of "America's Best Hospitals" as well as many of HealthGrades top ratings. The most notable hospitals are Miami Valley Hospital and Kettering Medical Center.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton region has several key institutes and centers for health care. The Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton focuses on the science and development of human tissue regeneration. The National Center for Medical Readiness (NCMR) is also in the Dayton area. The center includes Calamityville, which is a disaster training facility. Over five years, Calamityville is estimated to have a regional economic impact of $374 million. Also, the Neurological Institute at Miami Valley Hospital is an institute focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and research of neurological disorders.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city proper are:


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton City Commission is composed of the mayor and four city commissioners. Each city commission member is elected at-large on a non-partisan basis for four-year, overlapping terms. All policy items are decided by the city commission, which is empowered by the City Charter to pass ordinances and resolutions, adopt regulations, and appoint the city manager. The city manager is responsible for budgeting and implementing policies and initiatives. Dayton was the first large American city to adopt the city manager form of municipal government, in 1913.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Unlike many Midwestern cities its age, Dayton has very broad and straight downtown streets (generally two or three full lanes in each direction) that improved access to the downtown even after the automobile became popular. The main reason for the broad streets was that Dayton was a marketing and shipping center from its beginning; streets were broad to enable wagons drawn by teams of three to four pairs of oxen to turn around. Also, some of today's streets were once barge canals flanked by draw-paths.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: A courthouse building was built in downtown Dayton in 1888 to supplement Dayton's original Neoclassical courthouse, which still stands. This second, "new" courthouse has since been replaced with new facilities as well as a park. The Old Court House has been a favored political campaign stop. On September 17, 1859, Abraham Lincoln delivered an address on its steps. Eight other presidents have visited the courthouse, either as presidents or during presidential campaigns: Andrew Johnson, James Garfield, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton Arcade, which opened on March 3, 1904, was built in the hopes of replacing open-air markets throughout the city. Throughout the decades, the Arcade has gone through many transformations but has retained its charm. Some of its main features include a Flemish facade at the Third Street entrance, a glass dome above the Arcade rotunda, and a chateau roof line above the Third Street facade. The Dayton Arcade is currently under renovations with no official completion date set.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: In 2009, the CareSource Management Group finished construction of a $55 million corporate headquarters in downtown Dayton. The , 10-story building was downtown's first new office tower in more than a decade.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton's two tallest buildings are the Kettering Tower at and the KeyBank Tower at . Kettering Tower was originally Winters Tower, the headquarters of Winters Bank. The building was renamed after Virginia Kettering when Winters was merged into Bank One. KeyBank Tower was known as the MeadWestvaco Tower before KeyBank gained naming rights to the building in 2008.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Ted Rall said in 2015 that over the last five decades Dayton has been demolishing some of its architecturally significant buildings to reduce the city's rental vacancy rate and thus increase the occupancy rate.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton's ten historic neighborhoods—Oregon District, Wright Dunbar, Dayton View, Grafton Hill, McPherson Town, Webster Station, Huffman, Kenilworth, St. Anne's Hill, and South Park—feature mostly single-family houses and mansions in the Neoclassical, Jacobethan, Tudor Revival, English Gothic, Chateauesque, Craftsman, Queen Anne, Georgian Revival, Colonial Revival, Renaissance Revival Architecture, Shingle Style Architecture, Prairie, Mission Revival, Eastlake/Italianate, American Foursquare, and Federal styles. Downtown Dayton is also a large area that encompasses several neighborhoods itself and has seen a recent uplift and revival.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton's suburbs with a population of 10,000 or more include Beavercreek, Centerville, Clayton, Englewood, Fairborn, Harrison Township, Huber Heights, Kettering, Miami Township, Miamisburg, Oakwood, Riverside, Springboro, Trotwood, Vandalia, Washington Township, West Carrollton, and Xenia.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: In the federal government's National Urban Policy and New Community Development Act of 1970, funding was provided for thirteen "new towns" or planned cities throughout the country. One location was set to become a suburb of Dayton and was known variously as Brookwood or Newfields. The goal was to have an entirely new suburb that would eventually house about 35,000 residents. The new town was to be located between Trotwood and Brookville, and modeled on the ideas of Ian McHarg. The project was abandoned in 1978 and most of the land became Sycamore State Park.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton was named National Geographic's outdoor adventure capital of the Midwest in 2019 due in large part to the metropolitan area's revitalized Five Rivers MetroPark, extensive bicycle and jogging trail system, urban green spaces, lakes and camping areas.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: In cooperation with the Miami Conservancy District, Five Rivers MetroParks hosts 340 miles of paved trails, the largest network of paved off-street trails in the United States. The regional trail system represents over 35% of the 900 miles in Ohio's off-street trail network. In 2010, the city of Troy was named "bike friendly" by the League of American Bicyclists, which gave the city the organization's bronze designation. The honorable mention made Dayton one of two cities in Ohio to receive the award, the other being Columbus, and one of 15 cities nationwide.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton Region ranked within the top 10% in the nation in arts and culture. In a 2012 readers' poll by "American Style" magazine, Dayton ranked #2 in the country among mid-size cities as an arts destination, ranking higher than larger cities such as Atlanta, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. Dayton is the home of the Dayton Art Institute.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center in downtown Dayton is a world-class performing arts center and the home venue of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Ballet. In addition to philharmonic and opera performances, the Schuster Center hosts concerts, lectures, and traveling Broadway shows, and is a popular spot for weddings and other events. The historic Victoria Theatre in downtown Dayton hosts concerts, traveling Broadway shows, ballet, a summertime classic film series, and more. The Loft Theatre, also downtown, is the home of the Human Race Theatre Company. The Dayton Playhouse, in West Dayton, is the site of numerous plays and theatrical productions. Between 1957 and 1995, the Kenley Players presented live theater productions in Dayton. In 2013, John Kenley was inducted into the Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Front Street, the largest artists' collective in Dayton, is housed in three industrial buildings on East Second Street.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The city's fine dining restaurants include The Pine Club, a nationally known steakhouse. Dayton is home to a variety of pizza chains that have become woven into local culture, the most notable of which are Cassano's and Marion's Piazza. Notable Dayton-based restaurant chains include Hot Head Burritos.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: In addition to restaurants, the city is also home to Esther Price Candies, a candy and chocolate company, and Mike-sells, the oldest potato chip company in the United States.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The city began developing a reputation for its number of breweries and craft beer venues by the late 2010s.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Many major religions are represented in Dayton. Christianity is represented in Dayton by dozens of denominations and their respective churches. Notable Dayton churches include the First Lutheran Church, Sacred Heart Church, and Ginghamsburg Church. Dayton's Muslim community is largely represented by the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton (ISGD), a Muslim community that includes a mosque on Josie Street. Dayton is also home to the United Theological Seminary, one of 13 seminaries affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Judaism is represented by Temple Israel. Hinduism is represented by the Hindu Temple of Dayton. Old North Dayton also has a number of Catholic churches built by immigrants from Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, and Germany.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Tourism also accounts for one out of every 14 private sector jobs in the county. Tourism in the Dayton region is led by the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the largest and oldest military aviation museum in the world. The museum draws over 1.3 million visitors per year and is one of the most-visited tourist attractions in Ohio. The museum houses the National Aviation Hall of Fame.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Other museums also play significant roles in the tourism and economy of the Dayton area. The Dayton Art Institute, a museum of fine arts, owns collections containing more than 20,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of art and archaeological history. The Dayton Art Institute was rated one of the top 10 best art museums in the United States for children. The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery is a children's museum of science with numerous exhibits, one of which includes an indoor zoo with nearly 100 different animals.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: There are also some notable historical museums in the region. The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, operated by the National Park Service, commemorates the lives and achievements of Dayton natives Orville and Wilbur Wright and Paul Laurence Dunbar. The Wright brothers' famous Wright Flyer III aircraft is housed in a museum at Carillon Historical Park. Dayton is also home to America's Packard Museum, which contains many restored historical Packard vehicles. SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park, a partially reconstructed 12th-century prehistoric American Indian village, is on the south end of Dayton; it is organized around a central plaza dominated by wood posts forming an astronomical calendar. The park includes a museum where visitors can learn about the Indian history of the Miami Valley.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Vectren Dayton Air Show is an annual air show that takes place at the Dayton International Airport. The Vectren Dayton Airshow is one of the largest air shows in the United States.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton area is served by Five Rivers MetroParks, encompassing over 23 facilities for year-round recreation, education, and conservation. In cooperation with the Miami Conservancy District, the MetroParks maintains over of paved, multi-use scenic trails that connect Montgomery County with Greene, Miami, Warren, and Butler counties.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton was home to a thriving funk music scene from the 1970s to the early 1980s, that included bands such as Ohio Players, Roger Troutman & Zapp, Lakeside, Sun, Dayton, Heatwave, and Slave.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: From 1996 to 1998, Dayton hosted the National Folk Festival. Since then, the annual Cityfolk Festival has continued to bring folk, ethnic, and world music and arts to Dayton. The Five Rivers MetroParks also owns and operates the PNC Second Street Market near downtown Dayton.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton area hosts several arenas and venues. South of Dayton in Kettering is the Fraze Pavilion, whose notable performances have included the Backstreet Boys, Boston, and Steve Miller Band. South of downtown, on the banks of the Great Miami River, is the University of Dayton Arena, home venue for the University of Dayton Flyers basketball teams and the location of various other events and concerts. It also hosts the Winter Guard International championships, at which hundreds of percussion and color guard ensembles from around the world compete. In addition, the Dayton Amateur Radio Association hosts the annual Dayton Hamvention, North America's largest hamfest, at the Greene County Fairgrounds in nearby Xenia. The Nutter Center, which is just east of Dayton in the suburb of Fairborn, is the home arena for athletics of Wright State University and the former Dayton Bombers hockey team. This venue is used for many concerts, community events, and various national traveling shows and performances.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Oregon District is a historic residential and commercial district in southeast downtown Dayton. The district is populated with art galleries, specialty shops, pubs, nightclubs, and coffee houses.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The city of Dayton is also host to yearly festivals, such as the Dayton Celtic Festival, the Dayton Blues Festival, Dayton Music Fest, Urban Nights, Women in Jazz, the African American and Cultural Festival, and the Dayton Reggae Fest.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton area is home to several minor league and semi pro teams, as well as NCAA Division I sports programs.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton Dragons professional baseball team is a Class A minor league affiliate for the Cincinnati Reds. The Dayton Dragons are the first (and only) team in minor league baseball history to sell out an entire season before it began and was voted as one of the top 10 hottest tickets to get in all of professional sports by Sports Illustrated. The Dayton Dragons 815 consecutive sellouts surpassed the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers for the longest sellout streak across all professional sports in the U.S.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The University of Dayton and Wright State University both host NCAA basketball. The University of Dayton Arena has hosted more games in the NCAA men's basketball tournament over its history than any other venue. UD Arena is also the site of the First Round games of the NCAA Tournament. In 2012, eight teams competed for the final four spots in the NCAA basketball tournament. Wright State University's NCAA men's basketball is the Wright State Raiders and the University of Dayton's NCAA men's basketball team is the Dayton Flyers.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton Gems were a minor league ice hockey team in the International Hockey League from 1964 to 1977, 1979 to 1980, and most recently 2009 to 2012.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton Bombers were an ECHL ice hockey team from 1991 to 2009. They most recently played the North Division of the ECHL's American Conference. In June 2009, it was announced the Bombers would turn in their membership back to the league.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Despite the folding of the Bombers, hockey remained in Dayton as the Dayton Gems of the International Hockey League were formed in the fall of 2009 at Hara Arena. The Gems folded after the 2011–12 season. Shortly after the Gems folded, it was announced a new team, the Dayton Demonz, would begin play in 2012 in the Federal Hockey League (FHL). The Demonz folded in 2015 and were immediately replaced by the Dayton Demolition, also in the FHL. However, the Demolition would cease operations after only one season when Hara Arena decided to close due to financial difficulties.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton hosted the first American Professional Football Association game (precursor to the NFL). The game was played at Triangle Park between the Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles on October 3, 1920, and is considered one of the first professional football games ever played. Football teams in the Dayton area include the Dayton Flyers and the Dayton Sharks.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton region is also known for the many golf courses and clubs that it hosts. The Miami Valley Golf Club, Moraine Country Club, NCR Country Club, and the Pipestone Golf Course are some of the more notable courses. Also, several PGA Championships have been held at area golf courses. The Miami Valley Golf Club hosted the 1957 PGA Championship, the Moraine Country Club hosted the 1945 PGA Championship, and the NCR Country club hosted the 1969 PGA Championship. Additionally, NCR CC hosted the 1986 U.S. Women's Open and the 2005 U.S. Senior Open. Other notable courses include the Yankee Trace Golf Club, the Beavercreek Golf Club, Dayton Meadowbrook Country Club, Sycamore Creek Country Club, Heatherwoode Golf Club, Community Golf Course, and Kitty Hawk Golf Course.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The city of Dayton is the home to the Dayton Area Rugby Club which hosts their home games at the Dayton Rugby Grounds. As of 2018, the club fields two men's and one women's side for Rugby Union and several Rugby Sevens sides. The club also hosts the annual Gem City 7's tournament.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton is served in print by "The Dayton Daily News", the city's sole remaining daily newspaper. The "Dayton Daily News" is owned by Cox Enterprises. The Dayton region's main business newspaper is the "Dayton Business Journal". The "Dayton City Paper," a community paper focused on music, art, and independent thought ceased operation in 2018. "The Dayton Weekly News" has been published since 1993, providing news and information to Dayton's African-American community.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: There are numerous magazines produced in and for the Dayton region. "The Dayton Magazine" provides insight into arts, food, and events. "Focus on Business" is published by the Chamber of Commerce to provide awareness of companies and initiatives affecting the regional economy


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Nielsen Media Research ranked the 11-county Dayton television market as the No. 62 market in the United States. The market is served by stations affiliated with major American networks including: WDTN, channel 2 – NBC, operated by Nexstar Media Group; WHIO-TV, channel 7 – CBS, operated by Cox Media Group; WPTD, channel 16 – PBS, operated by ThinkTV, which also operates WPTO, assigned to Oxford; WKEF, channel 22 – ABC/Fox, operated by Sinclair Broadcasting; WBDT, channel 26 – The CW, operated by Vaughan Media (a shell corporation of Nexstar), assigned to Springfield; WKOI-TV, channel 43 – Ion Television, assigned to Richmond, Indiana; and WRGT-TV, channel 45 – My Network TV, operated under a local marketing agreement by Sinclair Broadcasting. The nationally syndicated morning talk show "The Daily Buzz" originated from WBDT, the former ACME Communications property in Miamisburg, before moving to its current home in Florida.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton is also served by 42 AM and FM radio stations directly, and numerous other stations are heard from elsewhere in southwest Ohio, which serve outlying suburbs and adjoining counties.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (RTA) operates public bus routes in the Dayton metro area. In addition to routes covered by traditional diesel-powered buses, RTA has several electric trolley bus routes. The Dayton trolleybus system is the second longest-running of the five remaining trolleybus systems in the U.S., having entered service in 1933. It is the present manifestation of an electric transit service that has operated continuously in Dayton since 1888.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton operates a Greyhound Station which provides inter-city bus transportation to and from Dayton. The hub is in the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority North-West hub in Trotwood.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton International Airport lies in a northern exclave of the city and offers service to 21 markets through 10 airlines. In 2008, it served 2.9 million passengers. The Dayton International Airport is also a significant regional air freight hub hosting FedEx Express, UPS Airlines, United States Postal Service, and major commercial freight carriers.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton area also has several regional airports. The Dayton–Wright Brothers Airport is a general aviation airport owned by the City of Dayton south of the central business district of Dayton on Springboro Pike in Miami Township. It serves as the reliever airport for Dayton International Airport. The airport primarily serves corporate and personal aircraft users. The Dahio Trotwood Airport, also known as Dayton-New Lebanon Airport, is a privately owned, public-use airport west of the central business district of Dayton. The Moraine Airpark is a privately owned, public-use airport southwest of the city of Dayton.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: From 2010 through 2017, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) performed a $533 million construction project to modify, reconstruct and widen I-75 through downtown Dayton, from Edwin C Moses Blvd. to Stanley Avenue.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton hosts several inter-modal freight railroad terminals. Two Class I railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway, operate switching yards in the city.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Formerly the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad, and afterward, Amtrak made long-distance passenger train stops at Dayton Union Station on S. Sixth Street. The last train leaving there was the "National Limited" in October 1979.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton has 33 charter schools. Three of the top five charter schools named in 2011 are K–8 schools managed by National Heritage Academies. Notable charter schools include:


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The Dayton area was ranked tenth for higher education among metropolitan areas in the United States by "Forbes" in 2009. The city is home to two major universities. The University of Dayton is a private, Catholic institution founded in 1850 by the Marianist order. It has the only American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school in the Dayton area. The University of Dayton is Ohio's largest private university and is also home to the University of Dayton Research Institute, which ranks third in the nation for sponsored materials research, and the Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering at Dayton, which focuses on human tissue regeneration.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: The public Wright State University became a state university in 1967. Wright State University established the National Center for Medical Readiness, a national training program for disaster preparedness and relief. Wright State's Boonshoft School of Medicine is the Dayton area's only medical school and is a leader in biomedical research.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton is also home to Sinclair Community College, the largest community college at a single location in Ohio and one of the nation's largest community colleges. Sinclair is acclaimed as one of the country's best community colleges. Sinclair was founded as the YMCA college in 1887.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Other schools just outside Dayton that shape the educational landscape are Antioch College and Antioch University, both in Yellow Springs, Central State University in Wilberforce, Kettering College of Medical Arts and School of Advertising Art in Kettering, DeVry University in Beavercreek, Cedarville University, Clark State Community College and Wittenberg University in Springfield. The Air Force Institute of Technology, which was founded in 1919 and serves as a graduate school for the United States Air Force, is at the nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: Dayton's crime declined between 2003 and 2008 in key categories according to FBI Uniform Crime Reports and Dayton Police Department data. In 2009, crime continued to fall in the city of Dayton. Crime in the categories of forcible rape, aggravated assault, property crime, motor vehicle theft, robbery, burglary, theft and arson all showed declines for 2009. Overall, crime in Dayton dropped 40% over the previous year. The Dayton Police Department reported a total of 39 murders in 2016, which marked a 39.3% increase in homicides from 2015.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: John Dillinger, a bank robber during the early 1930s, was captured and arrested by Dayton city police while visiting his girlfriend at a high-class boarding house in downtown Dayton.


title: Dayton, Ohio

text: On August 4, 2019, a mass shooting took place in Dayton. Ten people were killed, including the perpetrator; and twenty-seven were injured.


title: Michael Gargiulo

text: Michael Thomas Gargiulo (born February 15, 1976) is a convicted American serial killer and rapist. He moved to Southern California in the 1990s and gained the nickname The Hollywood Ripper. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on July 16, 2021.


title: Michael Gargiulo

text: Gargiulo is a native of the Chicago suburb of Glenview, Illinois, where he may have stabbed his neighbor, 18-year-old Tricia Pacaccio, to death on her back doorstep. Her father found her body the next morning, on August 14, 1993. Gargiulo moved to Los Angeles in 1998, allegedly to escape the scrutiny of the police in Illinois, and committed two murders and attempted murder in Southern California between 2001 and 2008.


title: Michael Gargiulo

text: On February 21, 2001, he stabbed 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin 47 times to death in her home in Hollywood. Ellerin's injuries included a neck wound that nearly severed her head and deep punctures to the chest, stomach, and back. Some of her wounds were up to six inches deep. According to detective Tom Small, one stab wound "actually penetrated the skull and took out a chunk of skull like a puzzle piece." On the night she was murdered, Ellerin had planned a date including dinner and drinks with actor Ashton Kutcher.


title: Michael Gargiulo

text: On December 1, 2005, Gargiulo stabbed 32-year-old Maria Bruno, his neighbor, to death at her home in El Monte, California. She was stabbed 17 times.


title: Michael Gargiulo

text: Gargiulo attempted to murder another neighbor, 26-year-old Michelle Murphy, in her home in Santa Monica on April 28, 2008. She fought off the attack, and blood matching Gargiulo's DNA was found at the scene.


title: Michael Gargiulo

text: Gargiulo was arrested by the Santa Monica Police Department on June 6, 2008. On July 7, 2011, the Cook County State's Attorney charged Gargiulo with the first-degree murder of Tricia Pacaccio. Although Gargiulo was charged in the two California murders as well as the Pacaccio murder in Illinois, police did not link him to any other murders. Gargiulo allegedly told authorities in the Los Angeles County Jail that just because ten women were killed — and his DNA was present — does not mean he murdered anyone, leading investigators to believe that there are more victims.


title: Michael Gargiulo

text: Media in Los Angeles dubbed Gargiulo the "Hollywood Ripper" and the "Chiller Killer." Gargiulo was held at Los Angeles County Jail while awaiting a capital murder trial. A pre-trial hearing was held on June 9, 2017, in Los Angeles Superior Court, with his trial scheduled to begin in October 2017. After delays, his trial began on May 2, 2019. In May 2019, actor Ashton Kutcher testified about the crimes.


title: Michael Gargiulo

text: On August 15, 2019, Gargiulo was convicted on all counts. The penalty phase of his California trial started on October 7, 2019. He faced either a death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole. On October 18, 2019, a jury rendered a verdict of death for Michael Gargiulo after several hours of deliberation, but sentencing for Gargiulo in California continued to be delayed by defense motions. On July 16, 2021, Gargiulo was sentenced to death. Gargiulo is now expected to be extradited to Illinois for the 1993 killing of Tricia Pacaccio in his Illinois hometown. If extradited and convicted in Illinois, he will face a sentence of 25 years to life.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Geralt of Rivia () is a fictional character and the protagonist of "The Witcher" series of short stories and novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. He is a magically enhanced monster-hunter known as a "witcher", who possesses supernatural abilities due to his mutations. He was described by Péter Apor as a character embodying "the neo-liberal anti-politics" spirit of Polish popular culture of the 1990s, following his debut in the books.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Geralt of Rivia is also the protagonist in CD Projekt Red's series of video games based on "The Witcher". In television adaptations, he was portrayed by Michał Żebrowski in "The Hexer" film and television series, while Henry Cavill portrays the character in the first three seasons of Netflix's "The Witcher" television series, with Tristan Ruggeri portraying a young Geralt in the first season, and Liam Hemsworth due to take over the role from the fourth season onward.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Geralt is a witcher, a magical mutant made for hunting and killing monsters. Shortly after being born, Geralt's mother, Visenna, gives him away to undergo training and, eventually, become a witcher at Kaer Morhen – the stronghold of the witchers. Geralt survives mutations during the Trial of the Grasses, thanks to which he gains various witcher traits: high resistance to injury, poison, and diseases, as well as slowed aging, but also infertility; all witchers are infertile. He resists the "changes" brought on by the Trial of Grasses better than most. This encourages his makers to perform even more dangerous experimental procedures on him, making him lose all body pigmentation. Because of his pale skin and white hair, he is also known in the Elder Speech as "Gwynbleidd" (close to the Welsh translation "Blaidd Gwyn"), the White Wolf. From the arduous training of Witchers, he becomes a master swordfighter and learns how to use the Signs, simple spells used by the witchers.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Despite his name, Geralt does not come from Rivia (although he learns how to mimic a Rivian accent and is later knighted for services to the queen of Rivia): young witchers are encouraged to make up surnames for themselves by master Vesemir, to make their names sound more trustworthy. He claims that his first choice was Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde, but this was dismissed by Vesemir as silly and pretentious.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: After completing his witcher training, he receives his Wolf medallion (the symbol of Kaer Morhen) and embarks into the world on his horse called "Płotka" (literally, "Roach" ; he gives the same name to every horse he owns) to become a monster slayer for hire.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Even though Geralt does not believe in destiny, he unknowingly demands the unborn child of princess Pavetta and her husband Duny as a reward for his services by invoking "the Law of Surprise". The child turns out to be a girl, Cirilla, commonly known as Ciri; since then the two are linked to each other. At first, Geralt does not take her because women cannot become witchers. However, fate causes Geralt and Ciri to cross their paths thrice, with him claiming her for a second time when he invokes the Law of Surprise on a traveling merchant he saves from monsters during a random encounter; and after the death of her grandmother, Queen Calanthe of Cintra, Geralt ends up taking the girl into his care, training and loving her as his own daughter.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Following the short stories, the novels unfold as Geralt is pulled into a whirlwind of events in his attempts to protect Ciri from those who would do her harm, becoming reluctantly embroiled in the political contentions of monarchs and emperors.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Péter Apor described Geralt as being emblematic of Polish popular culture's spirit of "neo-liberal anti-politics" in the 1990s. He is a professional, carrying out his duties and unwilling to become involved in the "petty quarrels" of contemporary politics. Sapkowski has stated that he personally abhors politics and considers his books to be politically neutral. Marek Oramus compared Geralt to Raymond Chandler's signature character Philip Marlowe. Dawid Matuszek discussed the gender and sexuality of Geralt, arguing that while Geralt has many obvious masculine characteristics, a deeper analysis also finds elements of feminine traits in his character.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: In 2018, "GamesRadar" ranked Geralt as the 6th best hero in video game history. In 2018, he was included in "Tom's Guide" Top 25 Best Video Game Characters of All Time.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Michał Żebrowski portrays Geralt in the 2001 Polish film adaptation, "The Hexer". He continued the role in the television series of the same name that followed in 2002. Żebrowski also provides the dub voice of Cavill's Geralt in the Polish-language dub of Netflix's TV adaptation.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Henry Cavill portrays Geralt in the Netflix television series "The Witcher", the first season of which was released in December 2019. Sapkowski served as a creative consultant on the project. Starting with season 4, the role will be recast, with Liam Hemsworth portraying Geralt. Tristan Ruggeri appears in flashbacks as a younger Geralt.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: The character of Geralt was dubbed by the following voice actors: Michał Żebrowski (Polish), Jiří Dvořák (Czech), Alexander Doering (German), Pepe Vilchis (Latin Spanish), Guillermo Romero (Spanish), Adrien Antoine (French), Pawan Kalra (Hindi), Welker Gábor (Hungarian), Gianfranco Miranda (Italian), Hiroki Tōchi (Japanese), Guilherme Briggs (Brazilian Portuguese), Sergey Ponomarev (Russian), Krin Aksorndee (Thai) and Rıza Karaağaçlı (Turkish).


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Geralt's adventures continue in a non-canonical version by CD Projekt Red's video game trilogy ("The Witcher", "" and ""), where he is still alive. He is voiced by Jacek Rozenek in Polish and Doug Cockle in English.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: The third installment of the trilogy, like its predecessors, follows Geralt through his final adventures. Following the events of Witcher 2, Geralt has regained his memory of the past and prepares to embark on a new journey. In the Witcher 3, Geralt is on the hunt for the only person he considers kin, Ciri. Along his journey, Geralt must face the Wild Hunt in order to protect the people he cares about. In the new open world, Geralt has the opportunity to complete quests that are both part of the main story and side quests. He will also interact with old friends Dandelion and Vesemir along with potential lovers Triss Merigold and Yennefer.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Sapkowski stated that the games are a work of art of their own and that they cannot be considered either an "alternative version", or a sequel, "because this can only be told by Geralt's creator. A certain Andrzej Sapkowski."


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Geralt, voiced by Cockle, appeared as a guest character in the 2018 game "Soulcalibur VI". He also appeared in special content for "" and "Daemon X Machina".


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: In the game series, and similarly in the Netflix show, Geralt is depicted as strikingly handsome despite numerous scars on his face and body. Both Cockle and Cavill provide Geralt with a gravelly, monotone voice, rarely betraying significant emotion or changing tone.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Though the novel version of the character strives to remain politically neutral, in the video games, players are presented with many key decisions that can influence Geralt’s behavior and how he might be perceived by others. Players can therefore make Geralt more politically assertive or choose to keep him neutral, which can have long-term consequences on how the story unfolds. Players can also choose to make Geralt ruthless, or lean toward making him more compassionate.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Geralt has little patience for things he considers foolish, and will often be dismissive of, or exasperated toward those he feels are imposing upon his time. While silliness on the part of others often sparks his ire, his gruff exterior is sometimes undercut by a mild sense of humor, as he appreciates teutonic puns and the occasional one-liner intentionally delivered for comedic effect.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: He also has a softer side to his personality, typically reserved for the women in his life such as Triss, Yenn, and Ciri. He is something of a sucker for women, and is not immune to being manipulated by them.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: Geralt hates magical portals and often audibly expresses his displeasure whenever he is forced to make use of them. He explains that his distaste for portals is due to the fact that one never knows where they will end up when they step through a portal.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: In 2018, one of the city squares in Sapkowski's hometown of Łódź was named in honour of Geralt of Rivia to celebrate the author's 70th birthday.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: In 2019, the Mint of Gdańsk produced a series of collector coins in collaboration with Andrzej Sapkowski. The first coin in the series was based thematically on the short story collection "The Last Wish" and features Geralt of Rivia. The issue of each subsequent coin corresponds to successive volumes of stories from the Witcher Saga.


title: Geralt of Rivia

text: In October 2021, a mural of Geralt was painted on the side of a high-rise building in Łódź. Spanning three 70-meter-high walls on a 26-floor apartment block and covering almost 2,000 sq/m, it is the largest mural in Poland and one of the largest in the world. The mural has been inspired by an 1818 painting "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" by German Romantic-era artist Caspar David Friedrich.


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: A Teacher is an American drama television miniseries created by Hannah Fidell based on her film of the same name. The series stars Kate Mara and Nick Robinson. It is produced by FX and premiered on sister streaming service Hulu on November 10, 2020. Critical reception to the miniseries was generally positive. The characterization of the two leads, performances, pacing, and expansion over the original were largely seen as improvements upon the film, while the ending was generally criticized for its rushed nature, lack of closure, and simple handling of complex issues.


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: Set from 2013 to 2014, "A Teacher" focuses on Claire Wilson, an English teacher at the fictional Westerbrook high school in Austin, Texas, who engages in an illicit sexual relationship with her 17-year-old high school student, Eric Walker. The miniseries explores the complexities of the relationship and the consequences for both of them and those around them.


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: In February 2014, it was revealed that Fidell's film "A Teacher" would be adapted for television by HBO. Fidell would write and executive produce the series along with Danny Brocklehurst. Kate Mara who is starring in the series also be serving as an executive producer, while Fidell will also direct the series, set up at FX instead of HBO. Following the completion of the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in March 2019, The Walt Disney Company became the majority stakeholders of Hulu and with FX becoming one of the assets acquired through the purchase., it was announced in November 2019 that the show would premiere on Hulu instead of FX, as part of "FX on Hulu". Keegan DeWitt composed the series score.


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: In August 2018, it was announced Kate Mara and Nick Robinson were cast in lead roles for the series. In September 2019, Ashley Zukerman, Marielle Scott, Shane Harper, and Adam David Thompson joined the cast as series regulars, while Rya Kihlstedt, Camila Perez, Cameron Moulène and Ciara Bravo joined in recurring roles.


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: Principal photography began shooting in Calgary, Alberta, in August 2019. and wrapped on October 13, 2019.


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: The miniseries premiered on November 10, 2020, with the first 3 episodes available and the rest debuting on a weekly basis on Hulu. It also premiered on BBC Two in the UK on January 3, 2021. Internationally, it is available on Disney+ under the dedicated streaming hub Star as an original series since April 23, 2021,


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: According to Whip Media, "A Teacher" was the top rising show, based on the week-over-week growth in episodes watched for a specific program, during the week of November 15, 2020, and the 6th during the week of April 25, 2021. In January 2021, it was reported that "A Teacher" became FX on Hulu's most-watched series to date, surpassing "Mrs. America" and "Devs".


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 73% based on 33 reviews, with an average rating of 6.20/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Beautiful, but slight, "A Teacher" attempts to unpack its cautionary tale are admirable, even if its approach is too muted to make a meaningful impact." Metacritic gave the miniseries a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 based on 25 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: Caroline Framke of "Variety" praised the performances of Kate Mara and Nick Robinson, complimented how the miniseries explores the consequences of the abuse experienced by Robinson's character across his relationship, and wrote, ""A Teacher" is an intensive, immersive study of how abuse works and the intimate damage it can wreak."


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: Emily St. James of "Vox" wrote that Hannah Fidell succeeds to reimagine and expand the central notion of her film across the miniseries in a thoughtful way, and praised the miniseries for portraying the relationship between the lead characters as wrong and abusive, stating it does not shy away from depicting the negative repercussions of Mara's character on Robinson's.


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: Liz Shannon Miller of "Collider" gave the miniseries a grade of A−, applauded the performances of Mara and Robinson, and stated the show succeeds to depict the negative consequences of an abusive relationship, writing, ""A Teacher" is not a love story. It really has nothing to do with love. But those who find themselves in these situations in real life don't know that, something which "A Teacher" is trying to capture, and ultimately makes it one of the most daring and complex series of 2020."


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: Matt Cabral of "Common Sense Media" rated the miniseries four out of five stars and highlighted the strong sexual content and language, writing, ""A Teacher" is a mature drama series about an illicit, sexual affair between a high school teacher and her student. The show depicts the predator's grooming of her victim, as well as the ensuing relationship and its fallout. [...] The victim is portrayed as a kind, if flawed, individual who values his relationships with his friends and family."


title: A Teacher (miniseries)

text: Kristen Baldwin of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the miniseries a B, praised the performances of the actors, complimented the chemistry between Mara and Robinson, but criticized the ending of the series, writing, "Television is a medium that allows us to live with characters; instead, "A Teacher" gives us a highlight reel of psychic convalescence, before ending on a note of oversimplified closure."


title: DeVonta Smith

text: DeVonta Smith ( ; born November 14, 1998) is an American football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he recorded over 1,800 yards with 23 touchdowns as a senior in 2020.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: Smith was awarded the Heisman Trophy for his accomplishments alongside several other awards and honors. He was the first wide receiver to win the Heisman since Desmond Howard in 1991 and only the fourth overall. He also won two national championships while at Alabama prior to being selected by the Eagles tenth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: Smith attended Amite High Magnet School in his hometown of Amite City, Louisiana. He played basketball and football. He committed to the University of Alabama to play college football.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: As a true freshman at Alabama in 2017, Smith had eight receptions for 160 yards and three touchdowns. In the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship against Georgia, Smith's only catch of the game was the game-winning touchdown reception in an overtime 26–23 victory.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: Smith led the Crimson Tide in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, with 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns on 68 receptions. On September 28, Smith set career highs with 274 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 59–31 victory against Ole Miss.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: After the season, his teammates Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy forfeited their remaining NCAA eligibility to enter the 2020 NFL Draft, where they ended up as first-round picks, but Smith decided to return to Alabama for his senior year.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: On November 21, 2020, Smith broke the all-time SEC career record for most receiving touchdowns, with two against Kentucky.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: Smith became the first wide receiver to win the AP Player of the Year award since its inception in 1998. Smith was selected over finalists Kyle Trask, Trevor Lawrence and teammate Mac Jones to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first wide receiver to win the award since Desmond Howard in 1991 and only the fourth overall.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: Several days later in the CFP National Championship Game against Ohio State, Smith set records for title game catches (12) and touchdown receptions (three), and also totaled 215 yards, despite leaving early in the third quarter with a hand injury. Alabama won, 52–24, their sixth title in 12 years, while Smith was named Offensive MVP of the championship game.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: While playing for Alabama, Smith set more than seven school receiving records. Smith accepted an invitation for the 2021 Senior Bowl but did not play. His nickname at Alabama was the "Slim Reaper", given to him by his teammates due to his small frame and athletic ability.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: Smith was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the tenth overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, who had traded up two spots with the Dallas Cowboys to select him. He was the third wide receiver taken in the draft after Ja'Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle. Despite his impressive college statistics Smith fell in the draft due to concerns over his raw measurables and that his frame was considered too small to handle playing in the NFL.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: In week 1, against the Atlanta Falcons, Smith scored his first career touchdown on his very first catch in the NFL. Smith had a solid rookie season for the Eagles, as he recorded 64 receptions for 916 yards and 5 touchdowns. His 916 yards set the Eagles rookie record for most receiving yards in a single season. Like the rest of the Eagles offense, Smith struggled during the team's 31–15 loss in the Wild Card round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as he ended the game with 4 catches (on 11 targets) for 60 yards.


title: DeVonta Smith

text: In Week 3, against the Washington Commanders, Smith had eight catches for a career-high 169 yards and a touchdown in the 24-8 win.


title: Hillbilly Elegy

text: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis is a bestselling 2016 memoir by future Ohio Senator J. D. Vance about the Appalachian values of his Kentucky family and the social and socioeconomic problems of his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, where his mother's parents moved when they were young.


title: Hillbilly Elegy

text: Vance describes his upbringing and family background while growing up in the city of Middletown, Ohio. He writes about a family history of poverty and low-paying, physical jobs that have since disappeared or worsened in their guarantees, and compares this life with his perspective after leaving it.


title: Hillbilly Elegy

text: Though Vance was raised in Middletown, his mother and her family were from Breathitt County, Kentucky. Their Appalachian values include traits like loyalty and love of country, despite social issues including violence and verbal abuse. He recounts his grandparents' alcoholism and abuse, and his unstable mother's history of drug addictions and failed relationships. Vance's grandparents eventually reconciled and became his de facto guardians. He was pushed by his tough but loving grandmother, and eventually Vance was able to leave Middletown to attend Ohio State University and Yale Law School.


title: Hillbilly Elegy

text: Alongside his personal history, Vance raises questions such as the responsibility of his family and people for their own misfortune. Vance blames hillbilly culture and its supposed encouragement of social rot. Comparatively, he feels that economic insecurity plays a much lesser role. To lend credence to his argument, Vance regularly relies on personal experience. As a grocery store checkout cashier, he watched welfare recipients talk on cell phones although the working Vance could not afford one. His resentment of those who seemed to profit from poor behavior while he struggled, especially combined with his values of personal responsibility and tough love, is presented as a microcosm of the reason for Appalachia's overall political swing from strong Democratic Party to strong Republican affiliations. Likewise, he recounts stories intended to showcase a lack of work ethic including the story of a man who quit after expressing dislike over his job's hours and posted to social media about the "Obama economy", as well as a co-worker, with a pregnant girlfriend, who would skip work.


title: Hillbilly Elegy

text: The book was popularized by an interview with the author published by "The American Conservative" in late July 2016. The volume of requests briefly disabled the website. Halfway through the next month, "The New York Times" wrote that the title had remained in the top ten Amazon bestsellers since the interview's publication.


title: Hillbilly Elegy

text: "American Conservative" contributor and blogger Rod Dreher expressed admiration for "Hillbilly Elegy", saying that Vance "draws conclusions…that may be hard for some people to take. But Vance has earned the right to make those judgments. This was his life. He speaks with authority that has been extremely hard won." The following month, Dreher posted about why liberals, Dreher states, loved the book. "New York Post" columnist and editor of "Commentary" John Podhoretz described the book as among the year's most provocative. The book was positively received by conservatives such as "National Review" columnist Mona Charen and "National Review" editor and "Slate" columnist Reihan Salam.


title: Hillbilly Elegy

text: By contrast, other journalists criticized Vance for generalizing too much from his personal upbringing in suburban Ohio. Jared Yates Sexton of Salon criticized Vance for his "damaging rhetoric" and for endorsing policies used to "gut the poor." He argues that Vance "totally discounts the role racism played in the white working class's opposition to President Obama." Sarah Jones of "The New Republic" mocked Vance as "the false prophet of Blue America," dismissing him as "a flawed guide to this world" and the book as little more than "a list of myths about welfare queens repackaged as a primer on the white working class." Historian Bob Hutton wrote in "Jacobin" that Vance's argument relied on circular logic and eugenics, ignored existing scholarship on Appalachian poverty, and was "primarily a work of self-congratulation." Sarah Smarsh with "The Guardian" noted that "most downtrodden whites are not conservative male Protestants from Appalachia" and called into question Vance's generalizations about the white working class from his personal upbringing.


title: Hillbilly Elegy

text: "The New York Times" wrote that Vance's direct confrontation of a social taboo is admirable regardless of whether the reader agrees with his conclusions. The newspaper writes that Vance's subject is despair, and his argument is more generous in that it blames fatalism and learned helplessness rather than indolence.


title: Hillbilly Elegy

text: A 2017 Brookings Institution report noted that, "JD Vance's "Hillbilly Elegy" became a national bestseller for its raw, emotional portrait of growing up in and eventually out of a poor rural community riddled by drug addiction and instability." Vance's account anecdotally confirmed the report's conclusion that family stability is essential to upward mobility. The book provoked a response in the form of an anthology, "Appalachian Reckoning: A Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy", edited by Anthony Harkins and Meredith McCarroll. The essays in the volume criticize Vance for making broad generalizations and reproducing myths about poverty.


title: Hillbilly Elegy

text: A key reason for "Hillbilly Elegy"'s widespread popularity following its publication in 2016 was its role in explaining Donald Trump's rise to the top of the Republican Party. In particular, it purported to explain why white working class voters became attracted to Trump as a political leader. Vance himself offered commentary on how his book provides perspective on why a voter from the "hillbilly" demographic would support Trump. Although he does not mention Trump in the book, Vance openly criticized the now-former president while discussing his memoir in interviews following its release. However, Vance walked these comments back when he joined the 2022 U.S. Senate race in Ohio and now openly embraces Trump ideology.


title: Hillbilly Elegy

text: A film adaptation was released in select theaters in the United States on November 11, 2020, then digitally on Netflix on November 24. It was directed by Ron Howard and stars Glenn Close, Amy Adams, Gabriel Basso and Haley Bennett. Although a few days of filming were planned for the book's setting of Middletown, Ohio, much of the filming in the summer of 2019 was in Atlanta, Clayton and Macon, Georgia, using the code name "IVAN."


title: Mary Sue

text: A Mary Sue is a character archetype in fiction, usually a young woman, who is often portrayed as inexplicably competent across all domains, gifted with unique talents or powers, liked or respected by most other characters, unrealistically free of weaknesses, extremely attractive, innately virtuous, and/or generally lacking meaningful character flaws. Usually female and almost always the main character, a Mary Sue is often an author's idealized self-insertion, and may serve as a form of wish-fulfillment. Mary Sue stories are often written by adolescent authors.


title: Mary Sue

text: Originating from fan fiction, the term "Mary Sue" was coined by Paula Smith in the 1973 parody short story "A Trekkie's Tale", as the name of a character standing in for idealized female characters widespread in "Star Trek" fan fiction. The term has been applied to male characters as well, though a male character with similar traits may be labeled a "Gary Stu" or "Marty Stu".


title: Mary Sue

text: As a literary trope, the Mary Sue archetype is broadly associated with poor quality writing, and stories featuring a Mary Sue character are often considered weaker for it. Though the term is mostly used negatively, it is occasionally used positively.


title: Mary Sue

text: The term "Mary Sue" comes from the name of a character created by Paula Smith in 1973 in the parody story "A Trekkie's Tale", published in Smith's and Sharon Ferraro's "Star Trek" fanzine "Menagerie". The story featured Lieutenant Mary Sue ("the youngest Lieutenant in the fleet—only fifteen and a half years old"), and satirized idealistic female characters widespread in "Star Trek" fan fiction. The full story reads:


title: Mary Sue

text: Smith and Ferraro created the character to parody a recurring pattern found in author submissions to "Menagerie", in which a young woman would arrive on the Starship "Enterprise" and quickly win over the established characters. While the Mary Sue character did not originally have a specific gender, these submitted stories tended to be written by women. According to Smith and Ferraro, women made up most of the "Star Trek" fan base, unlike the larger science fiction fandom.


title: Mary Sue

text: The term "Mary Sue" can also refer to the fan fiction genre featuring such characters; these stories feature female heroines who are young, attractive, and exceptionally gifted, and serve as the author's self-insertion into the story. They often resolve the conflict of the story, win the love of the other characters, and die a heroic death at the end. Mary Sue stories are often written by adolescent authors. An author may create a new character based on themselves, or they may alter an established character's personality and interests to be more like their own.


title: Mary Sue

text: The Mary Sue character has acquired a negative connotation in fan communities as a poorly developed character, too perfect and lacking in realism to be interesting. Smith and Ferraro had initially considered other (male) names such as "Murray Sue" or "Marty Sue". Comparing the character to male proxies such as Superman, Smith later said, "It was OK for [men] to have placeholder characters that were incredibly able."


title: Mary Sue

text: While originally used to describe fan fiction characterizations, the term has been applied to characters and stories in commercially published fiction as well.


title: Mary Sue

text: According to folklorist Camille Bacon-Smith, the label is "the most universally denigrated genre in the entire canon of fan fiction" and may represent "self-imposed sexism" by limiting the qualities allowed for female characters. Author Ann C. Crispin described the term "Mary Sue" as "a put-down, implying that the character so summarily dismissed is not a true character, no matter how well drawn, what sex, species, or degree of individuality". According to Jackie Mansky in "Smithsonian", as the term gained in usage, fans—most often male fans—have used it to denigrate any capable female character.


title: Mary Sue

text: The two characteristics of idealization and self-insertion are usually cited by fans as hallmarks of a Mary Sue character. Angie Fazekas and Dan Vena write that such characters "provide an opportunity for teenage girls to write themselves into popular culture narratives as the heroines of their own stories". According to Jackie Mansky in "Smithsonian", some critics argue that "Mary Sues opened up a gateway for writers, particularly women and members of underrepresented communities, to see themselves in extraordinary characters".


title: Mary Sue

text: According to Bacon-Smith, Mary Sue stories are "central to the painful experience of a female fan's adolescence", especially for those who could not or would not remain intellectually or physically subservient to their male peers; they represent a combination of active protagonist with "the culturally approved traits of beauty, sacrifice, and self-effacement". In fan-fiction versions, the protagonist traditionally dies at the end of the story; Bacon-Smith says this expresses the "cultural truth" that to enter womanhood in a male-dominated American society, one must kill the "active agent within [herself]"; Mary Sue thus embodies a "fantasy of the perfect woman", who exists to serve the needs of men while minimizing her own abilities.


title: Mary Sue

text: Smith commented in 1980 that her intent was never "to put down all stories about inspiring females". However, Bacon-Smith argues that fear of creating a "Mary Sue" may be restricting and even silencing to some writers. She quotes an issue of the "Star Trek" fanzine "Archives" as identifying "Mary Sue" paranoia as one of the sources for the lack of "believable, competent, and female characters". In this article, author Joanna Cantor interviews her sister Edith, also an amateur editor, who says she receives stories with cover letters apologizing for the tale as "a Mary Sue", even when the author admits she does not know what a "Mary Sue" is.


title: Mary Sue

text: According to Edith Cantor, while Paula Smith's original "Trekkie's Tale" was only ten paragraphs long, "in terms of their impact [...] those words [Mary Sue] have got to rank right up there with the Selective Service Act". At "Star Trek" fan convention ClipperCon in 1987, during a discussion by female authors, one author stated, "Every time I've tried to put a woman in any story I've ever written, everyone immediately says, this is a Mary Sue." Bacon-Smith writes that "Participants in a panel discussion in January 1990 noted with growing dismay that female character created within the [fan] community is damned with the term Mary Sue" [emphasis in original].


title: Mary Sue

text: Less commonly, male characters may be used to personify the same wish-fulfillment functions. Called "Marty Stu", "Gary Stu", or "Larry Stu", these characters are typically discussed in fan culture as adjuncts to the Mary Sue trope. For example, fans have argued that in "Star Trek", the character James T. Kirk is a "Marty Stu".


title: Mary Sue

text: In a 2012 interview, Paula Smith said that the male alternative is rarely pointed out, citing James Bond and Superman as popular "Marty Stu" characters. She argued that male Mary Sues benefit the male audience's coming of age: "[W]hat gets focused on in the culture is defined by boys and young men. Psychologically, there's a turning point in men's lives. There's a point where they need to break away from women in their youth, and then later they come back to women as grown men, but many men never make it, never quite come back to a world that includes women as human beings."


title: Mary Sue

text: According to Bacon-Smith, the stories that represent the "pure" form of the Mary Sue character are "found in the "Star Trek" section of any bookstore". In the 1986 "Star Trek" novel "Dreadnought!" by Diane Carey, for example, the protagonist, cadet Piper, beats a training test using a maneuver from a girls' adventure novel; is told that she is the first person ever to pass the test honestly; is recruited for the "Enterprise" by Captain Kirk, with whom she feels a "subliminal connection"; becomes central to the plot involving a hijacked ship; must free Kirk from captivity by distracting his guards; takes command of the ship during the story's climax; is promoted first to Lieutenant, then Lieutenant Commander; becomes the youngest to receive the Federation's second highest award for her ingenuity in "helping to save Star Fleet"; and in the closing of the novel, makes a date with Kirk to go sailing.


title: Mary Sue

text: Writing in feminist popular culture magazine "Bitch", Keidra Chaney and Raizel Liebler describe "" character Wesley Crusher as a "quasi–Gary Sue", who is "a brilliant teen who always seems to discover the answers to problems and who is promoted to the crew of the Enterprise with no formal training". According to writer Pat Pflieger, the character may have been a stand-in for Gene Roddenberry, whose middle name was Wesley.


title: Mary Sue

text: The "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" episode "Superstar" has been analyzed as being a deliberate satire of Mary Sue/Marty Stu type of stories. In "Superstar", a minor series character, Jonathan Levinson, casts an augmentation spell that makes him popular and hyper-competent.


title: Mary Sue

text: Gavia Baker-Whitelaw of "The Daily Dot" described "My Immortal's" main character, Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way, as "a Mary Sue protagonist who was clearly a glorified version of the author". In addition to being popularly regarded as one of the worst works of fan fiction ever written, "My Immortal" is infamous for its use of tropes associated with poor quality writing, including the Mary Sue trope."


title: Mary Sue

text: The character Arya Stark from HBO's "Game of Thrones" series has been labeled a Mary Sue for her heroic role in the show's finale; frustration with this characterization inspired a response on the feminist website "The Mary Sue", which took its name as an effort to "re-appropriate" the term.


title: Mary Sue

text: Twitter users have debated whether the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy features a Mary Sue in its protagonist, Rey, on the basis of Rey's seemingly natural skills as a mechanic, a fighter, a pilot, and a user of "The Force", which draw admiration from the film's other main characters. Writer Caroline Framke of "Vox" contrasts these points with similar aspects of the character of Luke Skywalker, concluding that Rey's realization of her abilities was not necessarily any more impressive than Luke's. Framke argues that fans' "instinctive" criticism of characters like Rey reflects a double standard, in that "seemingly perfect" male heroes are rarely so criticized. Tasha Robinson of "The Verge" writes, "We wouldn't be worrying about Rey's excessive coolness if she were Ray, standard-issue white male hero". While Robinson states that Rey is "kind of a Mary Sue character", she suggests enjoying the character's "flawlessness", rather than seeing it as a problem.


title: Mary Sue

text: The character Holly Gibney in Stephen King's "Bill Hodges Trilogy", who also appears in his books "The Outsider" and "If It Bleeds", has been called a Mary Sue, while Stephen King himself has admitted to the Holly Gibney character being his idealized fictional woman, stating in a media interview, "I just "love" Holly, and I wish she were a real person and that she were my friend, because I'm so crazy about her. The first book that she was in was "Mr. Mercedes", and she more or less stole the book and she stole my heart." In his book "If It Bleeds", he went on to praise the character even further. The Holly Gibney character is an eccentric savant and a private detective.


title: Midsummer

text: Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe.


title: Midsummer

text: The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr St John the Baptist, and the observance of St John's Day begins the evening before, known as Saint John's Eve. These are commemorated by many Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, and Anglican Communion, as well as by freemasonry. In Sweden, the Midsummer is such an important festivity that there have been proposals to make the Midsummer's Eve the National Day of Sweden, instead of June 6. In Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Midsummer's festival is a public holiday. In Denmark and Norway, it may also be referred to as St. Hans Day.


title: Midsummer

text: Saint John's Day, the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, was established by the undivided Christian Church in the 4th century AD, in honour of the birth of the Saint John the Baptist, which the Gospel of Luke records as being six months before Jesus. As the Western Christian Churches mark the birth of Jesus on December 25, Christmas, the Feast of Saint John (Saint John's Day) was established at midsummer, exactly six months before the former feast.


title: Midsummer

text: Within Christian theology, this carries significance as John the Baptist "was understood to be preparing the way for Jesus", with stating "He must increase, but I must decrease"; this is symbolized in the fact that the "sun begins to diminish at the summer solstice and eventually increases at the winter solstice." By the 6th century AD, several churches were dedicated in the honour of Saint John the Baptist and a vigil, Saint John's Eve, was added to the feast day of Saint John the Baptist and Christian priests held three Masses in churches for the celebration.


title: Midsummer

text: In Florence, medieval midsummer celebrations were "an occasion for dramatic representations of the Baptist's life and death" and "the feast day was marked by processions, banquets, and plays, culminating in a fireworks show that the entire city attended." The historian Ronald Hutton states that the "lighting of festive fires upon Saint John's Eve is first recorded as a popular custom by Jean Belethus, a theologian at the University of Paris, in the early twelfth century". In England, the earliest reference to this custom occurs on in the 13th century AD, in the "Liber Memorandum" of the parish church at Barnwell in the Nene Valley, which stated that parish youth would gather on the day to sing songs and play games. A Christian monk of Lilleshall Abbey, in the same century, wrote:


title: Midsummer

text: The 13th-century monk of Winchcomb, Gloucestershire, who compiled a book of sermons for Christian feast days, recorded how St. John's Eve was celebrated in his time:


title: Midsummer

text: Let us speak of the revels which are accustomed to be made on St. John's Eve, of which there are three kinds. On St. John's Eve in certain regions the boys collect bones and certain other rubbish, and burn them, and therefrom a smoke is produced on the air. They also make brands and go about the fields with the brands. Thirdly, the wheel which they roll.


title: Midsummer

text: Saint John's Fires, explained the monk of Winchcombe, were to drive away dragons, which were abroad on St. John's Eve, poisoning springs and wells. The wheel that was rolled downhill he gave its explanation: "The wheel is rolled to signify that the sun then rises to the highest point of its circle and at once turns back; thence it comes that the wheel is rolled."


title: Midsummer

text: On St John's Day 1333 Petrarch watched women at Cologne rinsing their hands and arms in the Rhine "so that the threatening calamities of the coming year might be washed away by bathing in the river." 15th-century diarist Goro Dati, described the celebration of Saint John's Day at Midsummer in Italy as being one in which guilds prepared their workshops with fine displays, and one in which solemn church processions took place, with men dressed in the costumes of Christian saints and angels.


title: Midsummer

text: These fires are commonly called Saint John's Fires in various languages. Historian Ronald Hutton states that the "lighting of festive fires upon St. John's Eve is first recorded as a popular custom by Jean Belethus, a theologian at the University of Paris, in the early twelfth century". In England, the earliest reference to this custom occurs on in the 13th century A.D., in the "Liber Memorandum" of the parish church at Barnwell in the Nene Valley, which stated that parish youth would gather on the day to sing songs and play games. and served to repel witches and evil spirits. Saint John's Day is also a popular day for infant baptisms and in the 19th century, "baptisms of children who had died 'pagans' were acted out". In Sweden, young people visited holy springs as "a reminder of how John the Baptist baptised Christ in the River Jordan." In addition, historically, "it was a custom to carry lighted torches on Midsummer-eve, as an emblem of St. John the Baptist, who was 'a burning and shining light,' and the preparer of the way of Christ."


title: Midsummer

text: Midsummer/Saint John's Day–related traditions, church services, and celebrations are particularly important in northern Europe – Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – but is also very strongly observed in Poland, Russia, Belarus, Germany, Flanders, Ireland, parts of the United Kingdom (Cornwall especially), France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Ukraine, other parts of Europe, and elsewhere – such as Canada, the United States, Puerto Rico, and also in the Southern Hemisphere (mostly in Brazil, Argentina and Australia). In Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Quebec (Canada), the traditional Midsummer day, June 24, is a public holiday. So it was formerly also in Sweden and Finland, but in these countries it was, in the 1950s, moved to the Friday and Saturday between June 19 and June 26, respectively.


title: Midsummer

text: It is possible that the Christian Church may have adapted a pre-Christian festival celebrating the solstice into a Christian holiday.


title: Midsummer

text: In Austria, the Midsummer solstice is celebrated each year with a procession of ships down the Danube River as it flows through the wine-growing Wachau Valley north of Vienna. Up to 30 ships sail down the river in line as fireworks erupt from the banks and hill tops while bonfires blaze and the vineyards are lit up. Lighted castle ruins also erupt with fireworks during the 90-minute cruise downstream.


title: Midsummer

text: Portuguese St. John's Day, brought to Brazil during colonial times, has become a popular event that is celebrated during a period that starts one week before St. Anthony's Day (June 13) and ends after St. Peter's Day (June 29). Despite the Portuguese origin of this festival as a midsummer festival (due to the fact of Portugal being a nation located in the Northern hemisphere), this nationwide festival, called "Festa Junina" (June Festival), or "São João" (Saint John), takes place during midwinter in most of the country (due to the fact of great part of Brazil is located in the Southern hemisphere).


title: Midsummer

text: Rural life is celebrated through typical clothing, food, and dance (particularly square dancing, or "quadrilha"). The "quadrilha" features couple formations around a mock wedding whose bride and groom are the central attraction of the dancing. A kind of maypole (called "pau-de-sebo") is also raised and used in some festivities. A typical hot drink is prepared called "quentão" (very hot) that consists in a mix of fruits and spices laced with cachaça. On St. John's Day eve celebration, sometimes a ritual takes place of walking barefoot at midnight on live-coal made of the remnants of the main bonfire, which is a traditional part of the party. It's believed that if the one who walks is strong in faith, he shall not be hurt.


title: Midsummer

text: Two northeastern towns in particular have competed with each other for the title of "Biggest Saint John Festival in the World", namely Caruaru (in the state of Pernambuco), and Campina Grande, in Paraíba. The festivities also coincide with the corn harvest, dishes served during this period are commonly made with corn, such as canjica and pamonha; dishes also include boiled or baked vegetable corn (often buttered), sausages, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and numerous sweet dishes such as rice pudding. The celebrations are very colorful and festive and include the use of fireworks and bonfires.


title: Midsummer

text: On Midsummer day, Bulgarians celebrate Enyovden. On the same day, the Eastern Orthodox church celebrates the day of John the Baptist and the rites and traditions of both holidays are often mixed. A fire-related ritual may also be performed in Bulgaria on that day; it involves barefoot dance on smoldering embers and is called Nestinarstvo. Bulgarian folklore states the beginning of summer starts on Enyovden. It is thought that in the morning of Enyovden, when the sun rises, it "winks’ and "plays". Anyone seeing the sunrise will be healthy throughout the year. It is believed that on Enyovden a variety of herbs have the greatest healing power, and that this is especially true at sunrise. Therefore, they have to be picked early in the morning before dawn. Women – sorceresses and enchantresses – go to gather herbs by themselves to cure and make charms. The herbs gathered for the winter must be 77 and a half – for all diseases and for the nameless disease.


title: Midsummer

text: In Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's Day is observed on the Monday nearest June 24 and commemorates John Cabot's discovery of Newfoundland in 1497. In Quebec, the celebration of June 24 was brought to New France by the first French colonists. Great fires were lit at night. According to the "Jesuit Relations", the first celebrations of St John's Day in New France took place around 1638. In 1834, Ludger Duvernay, printer and editor of "La Minerve" took the leadership of an effort to make June 24 the national holiday of the "Canadiens" (French Canadians). In 1908, Pope Pius X designated John the Baptist as the patron saint of the French-Canadians. In 1925, June 24 became a legal holiday in Quebec and in 1977, it became the secular National Holiday of Quebec. It still is the tradition to light great fires on the night of the 24th of June.


title: Midsummer

text: The tradition of "Sveti Ivan Krstitelj" (St. John Baptist), also called "Ivanjdan" or "Svitnjak" in Western Herzegovina and coastal Croatia, is celebrated on June 23 in Croatia. The people light large bonfires in the name of Saint John Baptist, and the celebration can also be connected to the old Slavic traditions for Kresnik (South Slavic version of Perun) the god of Sun. The locals bring firewood to a designated place and light a bonfire at sunset; with children attempt to jump over as it as it burns. Rivalries between villages on who makes the bigger bonfire is common, leading to competitions between village folk.


title: Midsummer

text: In Denmark, the solstitial celebration is called "sankthans" or "sankthansaften" ("St. John's Eve"). It was an official holiday until 1770, and in accordance with the Danish tradition of celebrating a holiday on the evening before the actual day, it takes place on the evening of 23 June. It is the day where the medieval wise men and women (the doctors of that time) would gather special herbs that they needed for the rest of the year to cure people.


title: Midsummer

text: Bonfires on the beach, speeches, picnics and songs are traditional, although they are built in many other places where beaches may not be close by (i.e. on the shores of lakes and other waterways, parks, etc.) Bonfires are lit in order to repel witches and other evil spirits, with the burnings sending the "witch" away to Bloksbjerg, the Brocken mountain in the Harz region of Germany where the great witch gathering was thought to be held on this day. Some Danes regard this tradition of burning witches as inappropriate.


title: Midsummer

text: In Scandinavia, young people visited holy springs as "a reminder of how John the Baptist baptised Christ in the River Jordan."


title: Midsummer

text: On Saint John's Eve and Saint John's Day, churches arrange Saint John's worship services and family reunions also occur, which are an occasion for drinking and eating.


title: Midsummer

text: In 1885, Holger Drachmann wrote a "midsommervise" (Midsummer hymn) called ""Vi elsker vort land..."" ("We Love Our Country") with a melody composed by P.E. Lange-Müller that is sung at most bonfires on this evening.


title: Midsummer

text: "Jaanipäev" ("Jaan's Day" or "Midsummer Day" in English or "St. John's Day" for Christians) was celebrated long before the arrival of Christianity in Estonia, although the day was given its modern name by Christians. The day is still known by its many names as: "leedopäev", "suvine pööripäiv", "suvepööripäev", "püäripääv", "päevakäänak", "päiväkäänäk", "päiväkäändjäne", "päevapesa", "pesapäev" and "suured päevad". The arrival of Christianity, however, did not end pagan beliefs and fertility rituals surrounding this holiday. In 1578, Balthasar Russow wrote in his "Livonian Chronicle" about Estonians who placed more importance on the festival than going to church. He complained about those who went to church, but did not enter, and instead spent their time lighting bonfires, drinking, dancing, singing and following pagan rituals. Midsummer marks a change in the farming year, specifically the break between the completion of spring sowing and the hard work of summer hay-making.


title: Midsummer

text: Understandably, some of the rituals of "Jaanipäev" have very strong folkloric roots. One of the best-known Jaanik or midsummer ritual is the lighting of the bonfire and jumping over it. This is seen as a way of guaranteeing prosperity and avoiding bad luck. Likewise, to not light the fire is to invite the destruction of your house by fire. The fire also frightened away mischievous spirits who avoided it at all costs, thus ensuring a good harvest. So, the bigger the fire, the further the mischievous spirits stayed away. Estonian midsummer traditions are most similar to Finnish midsummer traditions but also have some similarities with Latvian, Lithuanian and Scandinavian traditions.


title: Midsummer

text: Estonians celebrate "Jaaniõhtu" on the eve of the Summer Solstice (June 23) with bonfires. On the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, old fishing boats may be burned in the large pyres set ablaze. On "Jaaniõhtu", Estonians all around the country will gather with their families, or at larger events to celebrate this important day with singing and dancing, as Estonians have done for centuries. The celebrations that accompany "Jaaniõhtu" carry on usually through the night, they are the largest and most important of the year, and the traditions are almost identical to Finland (read under Finland) and similar to neighbors Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden (read under Sweden).


title: Midsummer

text: "Jaanipäev" is usually spent in a summer cottage, where people light bonfires, or at a festival, such as Pühajärve Jaanituli in Otepää.


title: Midsummer

text: Since 1934, June 23 is also national Victory Day of Estonia and both 23rd and 24th are holidays and flag flying days. The Estonian flag is not lowered in the night between these two days.


title: Midsummer

text: On the Faroe Islands, St. John's Eve ("jóansøka") is generally not celebrated. However, on the southernmost island of Suðuroy it is observed by lighting a bonfire. Only one bonfire is lit on the island as one of the two biggest towns hosts the celebration alternately every other year.


title: Midsummer

text: The summer solstice was called "Ukon juhla" ("Ukko's celebration") after the Finnish god Ukko. After the celebrations were Christianized, the holiday became known as "juhannus" after John the Baptist (Finnish: "Johannes Kastaja").


title: Midsummer

text: Since 1955, the holiday has always been on a Saturday (between June 20 and June 26). Earlier it was always on June 24. Many of the celebrations of midsummer take place on Friday, midsummer eve, when many workplaces are closed and shops may close their doors at noon.


title: Midsummer

text: In the Finnish midsummer celebration, bonfires (Finnish "kokko") are very common and are burned at lakesides and by the sea. Often branches from birch trees ("koivu") are placed on both side of the front door to welcome visitors. Swedish-speaking Finns often celebrate by erecting a midsummer or maypole (Swedish "midsommarstång", "majstång"). Some Swedish-speaking Finns call the holiday "Johannes" or "Johanni" after the Finnish term "juhannus" – or more accurately after the Biblical John the Baptist (="Johannes Döparen" in Swedish).


title: Midsummer

text: In folk magic, midsummer was a very potent night and the time for many small rituals, mostly for young maidens seeking suitors and fertility. Will-o'-the-wisps were believed to appear at midsummer night, particularly to finders of the mythical "fern in bloom" and possessors of the "fern seed", marking a treasure. In the old days, maidens would use special charms and bend over a well, naked, in order to see their future husband's reflection. In another tradition that continues still today, an unmarried woman collects seven different flowers and places them under her pillow to dream of her future husband.


title: Midsummer

text: An important feature of the midsummer in Finland is the white night and the midnight sun. Because of Finland's location around the Arctic Circle the nights near the midsummer day are short (with twilight even at midnight) or non-existent. This gives a great contrast to the darkness of the winter time. The temperature can vary between 0 °C and +30 °C, with an average of about 20 °C in the South.


title: Midsummer

text: Many Finns leave the cities for Midsummer and spend time in the countryside. Nowadays many spend at least a few days there, and some Finns take their whole vacation at a summer cottage. Traditions include bonfires, cookouts, sauna and spending time together with friends or family. Heavy drinking is also associated with the Finnish midsummer.