title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: Franklin laughs off Poirot's theory but panics when he is told that his fingerprint has been found on Cust's typewriter key and that Milly Higley, a co-worker of Betty Barnard, saw him in her company. Franklin attempts to end his life with his own gun, only to find that Poirot has emptied it with the help of a pickpocket. With the case solved, Poirot pairs off Donald with Megan. Later, Cust tells Poirot that the press has made him an offer for his story; Poirot suggests that he demand a higher price for it and that his headaches may have arisen from his spectacles. Once alone, Poirot tells Hastings that the claim of the fingerprint on the typewriter was a bluff but is pleased that the pair "went hunting once more".


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: The "Times Literary Supplement" on 11 January 1936 concluded. with a note of admiration for the plot that, "If Mrs Christie ever deserts fiction for crime, she will be very dangerous: no one but Poirot will catch her."


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: Isaac Anderson in "The New York Times Book Review" of 16 February 1936 finished his review by writing, "This story is a baffler of the first water, written in Agatha Christie's best manner. It seems to us the very best thing she has done, not even excepting "Roger Ackroyd"."


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: In "The Observer"'s issue of 5 January 1936, "Torquemada" (Edward Powys Mathers) wrote, "Ingenuity ... is a mild term for Mrs Christie's gift. In "The A.B.C. Murders", rightly chosen by the [crime] club as its book of the month, she has quite altered her method of attack upon the reader, and yet the truth behind this fantastic series of killings is as fairly elusive as any previous truth which Poirot has had to capture for us. The reader adopts two quite different mental attitudes as he reads. At first, and for a great many pages, he is asking himself: "Is Agatha Christie going to let me down? Does she think she can give us this kind of tale as a detective story and get away with it?" Then the conviction comes to him that he has been wronging the authoress, and that he alone is beginning to see through her artifice. In the last chapter he finds, because brilliant circus work with a troop of red horses and one dark herring has diverted his attention from a calm consideration of motive, he has not been wronging, but merely wrong. It is noticeable, by the way, that characters break off at intervals to tell us that we have to do with "a homicidal murderer". We are ready to take this for granted until Mrs Christie (I wouldn't put it past her) gives us one who isn't."


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: E R Punshon reviewed the novel in 1936, writing that "Some readers are drawn to the detective novel by the sheer interest of watching and perhaps anticipating the logical development of a given theme, others take their pleasure in following the swift succession of events in an exciting story, and yet others find themselves chiefly interested in the psychological reactions caused by crime impinging upon the routine of ordinary life. Skilful and happy is that author who can weave into a unity this triple thread. In Mrs Agatha Christie's new book...the task is attempted with success." He added, "In the second chapter, Mrs Christie shows us what seems to be the maniac himself. But the wise reader, remembering other tales of Mrs Christie's, will murmur to himself 'I trust her not; odds on she is fooling me,' and so will continue to a climax it is not 'odds on' but a dead cert he will not have guessed. To an easy and attractive style and an adequate if not very profound sense of character Mrs Christie adds an extreme and astonishing ingenuity, nor does it very greatly matter that it is quite impossible to accept the groundwork of her tale or to suppose that any stalking-horse would behave so invariably so exactly as required. As at Bexhill, a hitch would always occur. In the smooth and apparently effortless perfection with which she achieves her ends Mrs. Christie reminds one of Noël Coward; she might, indeed, in that respect be called the Noël Coward of the detective novel."


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: An unnamed reviewer in the "Daily Mirror" of 16 January 1936 said, "I'm thanking heaven I've got a name that begins with a letter near the end of the alphabet! That's just in case some imitative soul uses this book as a text book for some nice little series of murders." They summed up, "It's Agatha Christie at her best."


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: Robert Barnard reviewed this novel favorably, calling it "A classic, still fresh story, beautifully worked out." He noted that the plot "differs from the usual pattern in that we "seem" to be involved in a chase: the series of murders "appears" to be the work of a maniac. In fact the solution reasserts the classic pattern of a closed circle of suspects, with a logical, well-motivated murder plan. The English detective story cannot embrace the irrational, it seems." His final judgment on this novel is that it was "a total success – but thank God she didn't try taking it through to Z".


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: In the "Binge!" article of "Entertainment Weekly" issue #1343–44 (26 December 2014 – 3 January 2015), the writers picked "The A.B.C. Murders" as an "EW favorite" on the list of the "Nine Great Christie Novels".


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: In Chapter 1, Poirot alludes to a situation in the 1935 novel, "Three Act Tragedy". In the same chapter, Poirot mentions his failed attempt at retirement to grow vegetable marrows as depicted in "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd".


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: In Chapter 3, an exchange between Japp and Poirot shows that, in 1935, Christie was already thinking about Poirot's death as later narrated in "Curtain": "I shouldn't wonder if you ended by detecting your own death," said Japp, laughing heartily. "That's an idea, that is. Ought to be put in a book." "It will be Hastings who will have to do that," said Poirot, twinkling at me. "Ha ha! That would be a joke, that would," laughed Japp."


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: Still in Chapter 3, Poirot lays out the plot of what he considers a perfect crime, a crime so challenging that "even he" would find it hard to solve. This exact murder – where someone is murdered by one of four people playing bridge in the same room with him – is the subject of Christie's "Cards on the Table", which was published later in the same year.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: In Chapter 19, Poirot reflects over his first case in England, where he "brought together two people who loved one another by the simple method of having one of them arrested for murder". This is a reference to the novel "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", and the lovers mentioned are John and Mary Cavendish.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: The plot of "The A.B.C. Murders" is mentioned by Detective Inspector John Appleby in Michael Innes′ novel "Appleby's End" (1945).


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: Chapters 393–397 of Gosho Aoyama's manga "Detective Conan" feature a case with some similarities as the criminal was inspired by the plot of "The A.B.C. Murders". Episodes 325–327 of its anime adaptation also featured the incident. The 1998 anime film "" is a combination of this story, with a murderer killing based on numbers in names as a ruse to confuse detectives, while also incorporating Christie's "And Then There Were None".


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: A Bengali detective novel of Narayan Sanyal '"O Aa Ka Khuner Kanta"' was based on "The A.B.C. Murders". Sanyal admitted the inspiration from Christie's novel in the introduction to the book. Here the character P. K. Basu, Bar-at-law, has the role of main protagonist, similar to Poirot.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: The first adaptation of the novel was the 1965 film "The Alphabet Murders" with Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot, a version far more comic than mysterious.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: The story of the 2012 Malayalam film "Grandmaster" written by director B. Unnikrishnan draws inspirations from "The A.B.C. Murders". The characterisation of Chandrasekhar in the movie as played by the Indian movie veteran Mohanlal, while inspired by that of the legendary Hercule Poirot, has more to do with the popular established screen persona of Mohanlal in Malayalam.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: In fact, B. Unnikrishnan himself had penned a more fleshed out script themed on the ABC Murders for an investigative television series named "Black and White (Season 2)" aired around 2004 in Asianet, starring actor Siddique in the role of the investigator.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: The BBC Radio adaptation "Poirot – The ABC Murders" starring John Moffatt and Simon Williams. This was first broadcast in 2000. The show is periodically rebroadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: The May 18, 1943 episode of Suspense was an adaptation of The ABC Murders, starring Charles Laughton.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: In 1992, the novel was adapted for television as part of ITV's "Agatha Christie's Poirot", and was first aired in the UK on 5 January 1992. It starred David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings, and Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp, with its guest stars including Donald Sumpter as Alexander Bonaparte Cust, Donald Douglas as Franklin Clarke, Nicholas Farrell as Donald Fraser, and Pippa Guard as Megan Barnard.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: This Japanese adaptation aired as the first night of a two-night release in December 2005. The second night was an adaptation of "The Murder on the Links". The show starred Shirō Itō as Takashi Akafuji, who represents the character of Poirot.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: The first aired episode of the French television series "Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie" was an adaptation of "The A.B.C. Murders". The episode aired in January 2009.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: In 2018, an adaptation of the novel, written by Sarah Phelps, was filmed for the BBC. It was aired as a three-part miniseries over three consecutive days from 26 December that year. It starred John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot, and Rupert Grint as Inspector Crome with guest stars including Eamon Farren as Alexander Bonaparte Cust, Jack Farthing as Donald Fraser, Freya Mavor as Thora Grey, Kevin McNally as Inspector Japp, and Anya Chalotra as Lily Marbury.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: The adaptation only loosely followed the novel's plot, and featured considerable changes to both story and character:


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: A four-part episode of the anime "Agatha Christie's Great Detectives: Poirot and Marple" is based on the book.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: "The A.B.C. Murders" are also an arc of the anime "Hyouka", or episode 15 "The Jūmonji Case" of Hyōka video series.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: 'ABC Satsujin Jiken' (ABC殺人事件, The ABC Murders) is a two volume manga by Yasushi Hoshino loosely based on a mixture of the original novel and "Murder in the Mews". Set in Japan, Poirot retains his iconic appearance though is renamed Eikubo while Hastings is renamed Asakura.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: In 2009, DreamCatcher Interactive released a video game version of the novel for the Nintendo DS entitled . The game has players control Captain Hastings and must solve the mystery by inspecting crime scenes and questioning suspects. To appeal to players familiar with the original story, the game also offers the option to play with a different murderer, which results in different clues and testimony throughout the entire game. The game received mediocre reviews, but was commended for its faithful recreation of the source material.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: The first true publication of "The A.B.C. Murders" occurred in the US with an abridged version appearing in the November 1935 (Volume XCIX, Number 5) issue of "Cosmopolitan" magazine with illustrations by Frederic Mizen.


title: The A.B.C. Murders

text: The UK serialisation was in sixteen parts in the "Daily Express" from Monday 28 November to Thursday 12 December 1935. All the instalments carried an illustration by Steven Spurrier. This version did not contain any chapter divisions and totally omitted the foreword as well as chapters twenty-six, thirty-two and thirty-five. In addition most of chapters seven and twenty were missing. Combined with other abridgements, this serialisation omitted almost 40% of the text of the published novel.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Traditional Filipino games or indigenous games in the Philippines () are games that have been played across multiple generations, usually using native materials or instruments. In the Philippines, due to limited resources for toys, children usually invent games without needing anything but players.There are different kinds of Philippine Traditional Games that are suited for kids, and the games also stand as one of the different culture and/or traditional games of the Philippines. These games are not only fun to play, but these games are also good for you. This is because different games require different skills. These games are also an important part in Filipino culture.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: "Laro ng Lahi" was coined and popularized by the Samahang Makasining (commonly known "Makasining") with the help of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Philippine Local Government Units, other organizations and other institutions. Imparting these Filipino games to young Filipinos is one of the organization's main activities. The Makasining also created time-based scoring for patintero, syatong, dama, lusalos and holen butas.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Traditional Philippine games, such as "luksong baka", "patintero", "piko", and "tumbang preso" are played primarily as children's games. The yo-yo, a popular toy in the Philippines, was introduced in its modern form by Pedro Flores with its name coming from the Ilocano language.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Dickie Aguado, Executive Director of Philippine NGO Magna Kultura Foundation (Arts and Culture), says that traditional Filipino games are "very much alive in the Philippines". In many urban and rural areas, a majority of Filipino children play outdoor street games, as most of them have little access to technology. Games such as patintero, tumbang preso, piko, sipa, turumpo, and many others, are played daily. One of the main reasons why some children stop playing Filipino games is because Western sports (e.g. basketball or volleyball) are featured in local barangays and in schools. With a lack of organized sports activities for Filipino street games, Filipino children may adapt to modernity by abandoning their childhood games.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Traditional Filipino games are usually played by children of younger age outdoors together with their neighbor and friends. The games have no definite rules nor any strict regulations. Different communities and regions have varying versions of the games that are agreed upon between themselves. Most games and matches have two-team gameplay in which players can divide themselves into a reasonably certain number, usually predetermined by two separate team leaders first playing Jack 'n' poy then selecting a teammate after each match. Another common variation of creating two teams is by 'win-lose' in which each player will pick another person to play Jack 'n' poy with and then grouping the winners and losers. Filipino games number more than thirty-eight. A non-exhaustive list includes:


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Players pretend to be in a gun-fight or battle which is usually done with a toy gun, mock-up gun, pellet gun, or anything closely resembling a firearm. Sometimes, children will accompany shooting sounds by saying "Bang, bang, bang" or "Pew, pew, pew". Players who were shot will rarely pretend to be dead by lying on the floor.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: To play this game, two pieces of bamboo sticks (one long, one short) are required. A player acts as a batter and stands opposite the other players at a distance. The batter holds the long bamboo stick with one hand and tosses the short one with the other hand. The batter then strikes the shorter stick with the longer stick. The other players will attempt to catch the flying shorter stick. Whoever catches the stick gets the turn to be the next batter. If nobody catches the stick, any player can pick it up. The batter then puts down the longer stick on the ground. The holder of the shorter stick will throw it with the attempt to hit the longer stick on the ground. If the longer stick is hit, the hitter becomes the next batter. If the player with the shorter stick misses to hit the longer one, the same batter will continue.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Bulong-Pari (lit. "whisper it to the priest") is composed of three teams and an "it", or "priest". The leader of team A goes to the priest and whispers one of the names of the players of team B. Then they return to their place and the priest calls out, ""Lapit!"" ("Approach!"). One of the players of team B should approach the priest, and if it happens to be the one whom the leader of team A mentioned, the priest will say, ""Boom"" or ""Bung!"" The player then falls out of line and stays somewhere near the priest as a prisoner.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Kalahoyo (lit. "hole-in") is an outdoor game played by two to ten players. Accurate targeting is the critical skill, because the objective is to hit the "anak" (small stones or objects) with the use of the "pamato" (big, flat stone), trying to send it to the hole.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: A small hole is dug in the ground, and a throwing line is drawn opposite the hole (approx. away from the hole). A longer line is drawn between the hole and the throwing line. Each player has a "pamato" and an "anak". All the "anak" are placed on the throwing line, and players try to throw their "pamato" into the hole from the throwing line. The player whose "pamato" is in the hole or nearest the hole gets the chance for the first throw. Using the "pamato", the first thrower tries to hit the "anak", attempting to send it to the hole. Players take turns in hitting their "anak" until one of them knocks it into the hole, with the players taking turns. The game goes on until only one "anak" is left outside the hole. Players who get their "anak" inside the hole are declared winners, while the alila (loser) or muchacho is the one whose anak is left outside the hole. The "Alila" or "Muchacho" is "punished" by all the winner/s as follows:


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Winners stand at the throwing line with their "anak" beyond line A-B (longer line between hole and throwing line). The winners hit their "anak" with their "pamato". The muchacho picks up the "pamato" and returns it to the owner. The winners repeat throwing as the muchacho keeps on picking up and returning the "pamato" as punishment. Winners who fail to hit their respective "anak" stop throwing. The objective is to tire the loser as punishment. When all are through, the game starts again.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Two people hold the ends of a stretched garter horizontally while the others attempt to cross over it. The goal is to cross without tripping on the garter. The game starts with the garter at ankle. while with each round, the garter's height is raised. The higher rounds demand dexterity, and the players generally leap with their feet first in the air, so their feet cross over the garter, and they end up landing on the other side. As the height increases, cartwheels to "cross" the garter are allowed. Additionally, they can add a rule (only allowed to be used at lower than the head) to only cross over with both legs and not separately.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Declan ruki (lit. "I declare, do it!"): Participants are told to do something by the winner of the previous games, similar to the Western game Simon Says.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: A hand-clapping game generally involves four people. They are split into pairs with each pair facing each other. Members from both pairs face the center (the two pairs are perpendicular to each other). Each pair then does a hand clapping "routine" while singing ""Bahay Kubo"" or ""Leron-leron Sinta"". In the middle of the song, each pair exchanges "routines" with the other.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: A variation on the game is an incorporated action according to the lyrics. An example is ""Si Nena"", a song about a girl named Nena, starting when she was born. The song progresses with her life story, (i.e. when she grew up, got married, got children, got old, died, and became a ghost). After she died, one player would act like a ghost and catch the other players.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Derived from the phrase "hole in," players hold the ball or marble called "holen" in their hand. They throw it to hit another players ball out of the playing area. Holen is a variation on marbles in the United States. It is played in a more precise way by tucking the marble with the player's middle finger, with the thumb under the marble, and the fourth finger used to stabilize the marble. Players aim at grouped marbles inside a circle and flick the marble from their fingers. Anything they hit out of the circle is theirs. Whoever obtains the most marbles wins the game. Players (manlalaro) can also win the game by eliminating their opponents by hitting another player's marble.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Another version of this game requires three holes lined up in the ground separated by some distance. Each player tries to complete a circuit, travelling to all the holes and back in order. Players decide on the starting line and the distance between holes. The first to complete the circuit wins the game. Players can knock other player's "holen" (marble) away using their own marble. Generally the distance between holes allows for several shots to arrive at the next hole. The players shoots from where the prior shot landed. A variant of this game needs players to require their "holen" to pass back to the starting line.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Hwego de anilyo (lit. "game of rings") is noticeably Spanish in influence. It involves riding a horse while holding a dagger and "catching" rings hanging from a tree or some other structure using the dagger. In recent years, a bicycle typically replaces the horse.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Jakempoy, Jak en poy, Dyak en poy, Dyakempoy from the words Jack 'n' Poy is the local version of rock-paper-scissors (bato, papel, at gunting). Though the origin of the spelling came from American influence, the game is really Japanese in origin ("janken") with the lyrics in the Japanese version sounding akin to "hong butt".


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Jakempoy, hale-hale-hoy! (Jack and Poy, hale-hale-hoy!)Sinong matalo s'yang unggoy! (Whoever loses is the monkey!)


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Juego de prenda (lit. "game of looking for the missing bird"): Any number of players can play. Players sit in a circle with the leader in the middle. Each player adopts a tree or flower that is given by the leader. The leader recounts the story of a lost bird that was owned by a king. He or she says, "The bird of the king was lost yesterday. Did you find it, ylang-ylang?" The player who adopted the ylang-ylang tree at once answers that he or she has not found it, so the leader continues to ask the other "trees" whether the bird has hidden in them. If a player cannot answer after the third count, he or she is made to deposit an object he or she owns to the leader until the leader has been able to gather multiple possessions from the players.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Luksong tinik (lit. "jump over the thorns of a plant"): two players serve as the base of the "tinik" (thorn) by putting their right or left feet and hands together (soles touching gradually building the "tinik"). A starting point is set by all the players, giving enough runway for the players to achieve a higher jump, so as not to hit the tinik. Players of the other team jump over the "tinik", followed by the other team. If a player hits either hand or feet of the base player's "tinik", he or she is punished by giving him or her consequences.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Luksong-baka (lit. "jump over the cow") is a popular variation of "Luksong-tinik". One player crouches while the other players jump over them. The crouching player gradually stands up as the game progresses, making it harder for the other players to jump over them. A person becomes the "it" when they touch the "baka" as they jump. It will repeat continuously until the players declare the player or until the players decide to stop the game most of the time once they get tired. It is the Filipino version of leapfrog.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Palosebo (lit. "greased bamboo pole climbing"): This game involves a greased bamboo pole that players attempt to climb. These games are usually played during town fiestas, particularly in the provinces. The objective of the participants is to be the first person to reach the prize—a small bag—located at the top of the bamboo pole. The small bag usually contains money or toys.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Patay patayan, also referred to as "killer eye", involves at least four players. Players cut pieces of paper according to how many players are playing. One player is the judge, at least one is the killer, and at least one is a police officer, with the others playing regular players. The objective of the game is for the police to find and catch the killers by saying "I caught you" and say the name of the killer before the killer winks at the judge. The killer is able to kill people by winking at the person he wants to kill. If he kills a normal person, the person says "I'm dead!" If he kills the judge without being caught, the judge says "I'm dead, but I'm the judge" and the game repeats.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: This game involves two players. One covers his eyes with a hand while the other flicks a finger ("pitik") over the hand covering the eyes. The person with the covered eyes gives a number with his hand at the same time the other does. If their numbers are the same, then they exchange roles in the game. Another version of this is that the one with eyes covered ("bulag") will try to guess the finger that the other person used to flick them.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Piko is the Philippine variation of the game hopscotch. The players stand behind the edge of a box, and each throws their cue ball. The first to play is determined depending on the players' agreement (e.g. nearest to the markings of the moon, wings or chest). Whoever succeeds in throwing the cue ball nearest to the place that they have agreed upon will play first. The next nearest is second, and so on. The person is out for the round if they stand with both feet.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Pityaw (Pikyaw) is popularly known as syatong or syato syatong in Tagalog and Ilocano, or Pitiw chato/chatong or shatungs in Bisaya. The history of pikyaw/pityaw comes from rural areas where peasants play this stick game.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Sambunot is a Philippine game played outdoors by ten to twenty players. The goal of the game is to get the coconut husk out of the circle.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: A circle is drawn on the floor, big enough to accommodate the number of players. A coconut husk is placed at the center of the circle. The players position themselves inside the circle. At the signal of "go", players rush to the center to get the coconut husk. Players may steal the coconut husk from another player to be the one to take the husk out of the circle. A player who is successful in getting out of the circle with the coconut husk wins, and the game starts again.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Siklot is a game of throwing stones similar to knucklebones. "Siklot" means "to flick". It uses a large number of small stones that are tossed in the air and then caught on the back of the hand. The stones that remain on the hand are collected by the player and are known as "biik" ("piglets") or "baboy" ("pig"). The player with the most "biik" plays the second stage first. The second stage involves the stones that fall on the ground. These are flicked into each other and collected if they hit each other. This is done until the player fails to hit a stone, then the next player does the same thing with the remaining stones, and so on. "Siklot" is also the name of a traditional game of pick up sticks among the Lumad people of Mindanao.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Sintak is another game that is similar to modern knucklebones, but is indigenous in origin. It is also called "kuru" or "balinsay", among other names. Instead of a bouncing ball, it uses a larger stone called "ina-ina" ("mother") that the player tosses up into the air and must catch before it hits the ground. During the throw, the player gathers smaller stones (also seeds or cowries) called "anak" ("children"). All of these actions are done with one hand. The game has multiple stages known by different names, each ranking up in difficulty and mechanics. The first stage picks up the smaller stones by ones, twos, threes, and so on. Other stages include "kuhit-kuhit", "agad-silid", "hulog-bumbong", "sibara", "laglag-bunga", and "lukob". For example, in "kuhit-kuhit" the player must touch a forefinger on the ground at each throw while also collecting the stones. The last stage of the game is known as "pipi", where the losing player is flicked on the knuckles by the other player. A variant of the game just throws the collected pebbles (more than one at a time in later stages) without an "ina-ina" stone.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Sipa (lit. "game of kicking"): The object used to play the game is also called "sipa". It is made of a washer with colorful threads, usually plastic straw, attached to it. Alternatively, "sipa" can be played using a "rattan" ball or a lead washer covered in cloth or plastic. The "sipa" is then thrown upwards with player's foot. The player must not allow the "sipa" to touch the ground by hitting it several times with their foot or just above the knee. The player must count the number of times they kick the "sipa". The one with most kicks wins the game. "Sipa" was the national sport of the Philippines until 2009.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: The game mechanics of sipa is similar to the Western game hackysack. Sipa is also played professionally by Filipino athletes with a woven ball, called sepak takraw, with game rules borrowed from Indonesia.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Sikaran is a Filipino traditional martial art that involves hand and foot fighting. Sikaran is a general term for kicking. It is also used as the name of the kicking aspects of other Filipino traditional martial arts.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Hari Osias Banaag, originator of the Global Sikaran Federation and diplomat for the game, was warmly received at the UNESCO Collective Consultation Meeting on the Preservation and the Promotion of Traditional Sports and Game (TSG). Banaag is an appointed member of Adhoc Advisory Committee Traditional Sports and Games, UNESCO. (TSG)


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Tsato (lit. "stick game", "better be good at it"): Two players, one flat stick (usually ) and one short flat piece of wood ( usually a piece cut from the flat stick).


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Player A becomes the hitter and Player B the catcher. The game is played outside on the ground where one digs a small square hole (which is slanted), in which they insert the small wood so that it sticks out.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: The farther the wood gets hit, the more points one gets (usually counted by the number of stick lengths).


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Player A may try to add a multiplier to his score. By hitting the wood upwards twice in one turn before striking it forward, the points are counted by the number of wood lengths instead.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Player B, on the other hand, has to anticipate and catch the small piece of wood to nullify the points and take his turn "or" waits for Player A to miss the wood.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Sometimes the losing player is punished. The penalty is hopping on one foot from a designated spot marked by the winning player. This is done again by hitting the wood with the stick in midair as far away as possible. The spot where it lands is where the losing player starts until he reaches the hole.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: A trompo is a top that is spun by winding a length of string around the top and launching it so that lands spinning on its point. If the string is attached to a stick the rotation can be maintained by whipping the side of the body. The string may also be wound around the point while the trompo is spinning in order to control its position or even lift the spinning top to another surface.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Taguan, or tagu-taguan (lit. "twilight game", "look out, cover yourself!" or "take-cover game!"): Participants usually step on couches, hide under tables, or wrap themselves in curtains. It is similar to hide and seek. What is unique in taguan is that this game is usually played at sunset or at night as a challenge for the "it" to locate those who are hiding under the caves in Laguna and Cavite, which is a popular site for professional taguan players. The "it" needs to sing the following before they start seeking:


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: "Tagu-taguan, maliwanag ang buwan" (Hide and seek, the moon is bright)"Masarap maglaro sa kadiliman ng buwan" (It is fun to play in the semi-dark night)"'Pag kabilang kong sampu" (When I finish counting up to ten)"Nakatago na kayo" (All of you should already been hidden)"Isa, dalawa, ... tatlo!" (One, two, ... three!)


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Another version of the chant goes:"Tagu-taguan, maliwanag ang buwan" (Hide and seek, the moon is bright)"Wala sa likod, wala sa harap" (Nobody in front, nobody behind)"'Pag kabilang kong sampu" (When I finish counting up to ten)"Nakatago na kayo" (All of you should already been hidden)"Isa, dalawa, ... tatlo!" (One, two, ... three!)


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Another version of the chant goes:"Tagu-taguan, maliwanag ang buwan" (Hide and seek, the moon is bright)"Tayo maglaro ng tagutaguan" (let's play hide and seek)"isa, dalawa, ...umalis kana sa puwestohan mo" (one, two, ... leave that place)


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Takip-silim: One player is called the taya (the "it"). The "it" is blindfolded and counts to 10 while the other players hide. The "it" needs to find at least one player and guess who it is. If the guess is correct, the player becomes the new "it".


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Teks or teks game cards (lit. "texted game cards"): Filipino children collect playing cards which contain comic strips and text placed within speech balloons. The game is played by tossing the cards in the air until they hit the ground. The cards are flipped upwards through the air using the thumb and the forefinger which creates a snapping sound as the nail of the thumb hits the surface of the card. The winner or gainer collects the other players' card depending on how the cards are laid out upon hitting or landing on the ground.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: As a children's game, the bets are just for teks, or playing cards as well. Adults can also play for money.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: A game involving two pairs, with one utilizing a stretched length of garter. One pair faces each other from a distance and has the garter stretched around them in such a way that a pair of parallel lengths of garter is between them. The members of the other pair then begin doing a jumping "routine" over the garters while singing a song ("ten, twenty, thirty, and so on until one hundred). Each level begins with the garters at ankle-height and progresses to higher positions, with the players jumping nimbly on the garters while doing their routines.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: A game variant of the tinikling dance, with the same goal—for the players to dance nimbly over the clapping bamboo "maw" without having their ankles caught.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Once one of the players' ankles gets caught, they replace the players who hold the bamboo. The game will continue until the players decide to stop.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Kadang-kadang, or karang (in Bisaya), and Tiyakad (in Tagalog) means "bamboo stilts game" in English. This racing game originated in Cebu. It was a team game introduced during the Laro ng Lahi (Game of the Races). The Laro ng Lahi was a traditional sports event initiated by the then Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports (BPESS). This game was popular long before its inclusion in the Laro ng Lahi. The elders during that period claimed they used to play it when they were younger, and also walked on kadang for fun without the rules, especially when they were done with household chores. Balance and concentration are the two most important skills a player possesses in playing kadang-kadang. However, teamwork is also necessary to successfully bring the game to the finish line.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: (lit. "catch and own a corner"): the "it" or tagger stands in the middle of the ground. Players in the corners try to exchange places by running from one base to another. The "it" tries to secure a corner or base by rushing to any of those when it is vacant. This is called ""agawang" sulok" in some variants, and "bilaran" in others.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Sekyu base is a version of Agawan Base without score limits. If a team scores five points, the game continues. The players can hide near the enemy base and ambush them.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Araw-lilim (lit. "sun and shade"): The "it" or tagger tries to tag or touch any of the players in the light.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Players make imaginary houses using curtains, spare wood, ropes, or other items. They assign each individual what they wanted each implement to be, to not be caught by him.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Iring-iring (lit. "go round and round until the hanky drops"): After the "it" is determined, he/she goes around the circle and drops the handkerchief behind another player. When the player notices the handkerchief is behind them, he or she has to pick up the handkerchief and go after the "it" around the circle. the "it" has to reach the vacant spot left by the player before the "it" is tagged; otherwise, the "it" has to take the handkerchief once more.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Kapitang bakod (lit. "touch the post, or you're it!" or "hold on to the fence"): When the "it" or tagger is chosen, the other players run from place to place and save themselves from being tagged by holding on to a fence, a post, or any object made of wood or bamboo.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Langit-lupa (lit. "heaven and earth") one "it" chases after players who are allowed to run on level ground ("lupa") and clamber over objects ("langit"). The "it" may tag players who remain on the ground, but not those who are standing in the "langit" (heaven). The tagged player then becomes "it" and the game continues.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: "Langit, lupa impyerno, im – im – impyerno" (Heaven, earth, hell, he-he-hell)"Sak-sak puso tulo ang dugo" (Stabbed heart, dripping in blood)"Patay, buhay, Umalis ka na sa pwesto mong mabaho !" (Dead, alive, get out of your stinky spot ! )


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: "Langit, lupa, impyerno, im – im – impyerno" (Heaven, earth, hell, he-he-hell)"Max Alvarado, barado ang ilong" (Max Alvarado has a stuffy nose!)"Tony Ferrer, mahilig sa baril" (Tony Ferrer is fond of guns!)"Vivian Velez, mahilig sa alis!" (Vivian Velez is fond of... Get out!)


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: When the song stops and a player is pointed at, they are "out" and the last person left is the "taya" or "it".


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: To prevent cheating, some players count to three, four, or five if they stand on the "langit", and can only be stopped if there is another player standing on it.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: A game of Indian influence. It is basically a game of tag, except the players divide into two teams, the "it" team members get to hold the ball, passing it between themselves, with the ball touching the head of the other (not "it") team.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: One player is chosen as the "hawk" and another as the "hen". The other players are the "chickens". The chickens stand one behind the other, each holding the waist of the one in front. The hen stands in front of the file of chickens.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: The hawk "buys" a chicken from the hen. The hawk takes the chicken and asks it to hunt for food, and go to sleep. While the hawk is asleep, the chicken returns to the hen. The hawk wakes up and tries to get back the chicken he bought while the hen and other chickens prevent the hawk from catching the chicken. If the hawk succeeds, the chicken is taken and punished. If the hawk fails to catch the chicken, the hawk will try to buy the chicken.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: This game was created by Cyberkada in 1995. Until the 2020s, it was one of the most popular traditional games in the Philippines.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Patintero, also called harangang taga or tubigan (lit. "try to cross my line without letting me touch or catch you"): Two teams play: an attack team and a defense team; with five players for each team. The attack team must try to run along the perpendicular lines from the home-base to the back-end, and return without being tagged by the defense players.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Members of the defense team are called "it", and must stand on the water lines (also "fire lines") with both feet each time they try to tag attacking players. The player at the center line is called "patotot". The perpendicular line in the middle allows the "it" designated on that line to intersect the lines occupied by the "it" that the parallel line intersects, thus increasing the chances of the runners to be trapped. Even if only one member of a group is tagged, the whole group becomes the "it".


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Patintero is one of the most popular Filipino street games. It is a similar game to the Korean game squid and the Indian game atya-patya.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: In 1997, Samahang Makasining (Artist Club), Inc. created time-based scoring similar to that of basketball, and modified the game thusly: Each team is composed of six people (four players and two substitutes). The attacking team is given 20 minutes to cross the perpendicular lines from the home-base to the back-end, and then return. Each team can play for three games. The four horizontal water lines (also "fire lines"), two vertical lines (left and right outside lines) and one perpendicular line in the middle of vertical lines. Each box measures 6 meters by 6 meters.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: The team can win based on the highest score of one player who reaches the farthest distance. Scoring is two points per line for each of the four lines going away from home-base and three points per line for each of the four lines coming back toward home-base, plus five additional points for reaching home-base.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Someone who makes it all the way across and back: (2 points × 4 lines) + (3 points × 4 lines) + 5 points home-base = 25 total points.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Sawsaw-suka (lit. "dip it into vinegar"): This is sometimes done to determine who is "it" in the game of tag. One player has one or both hands open while the other players tap that person's palms repeatedly with their index finger, while chanting "sawsaw suka mahuli taya!" When the last syllable of the word "taya" is shouted, the person with their hands open quickly closes them and whoever is caught becomes the next "it." After they get caught, everyone else runs while the new "it" chases them. If the is not used in the chasing game, the process simply repeats around the players. The process of tapping the palm emulates dipping food into vinegar, hence the name "sawsaw suka." which means "dip into vinegar." Another variation of the chant goes "sawsaw suka, mapaso taya", or in English "dip into the vinegar, whoever gets burned is it."


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: "Tumbang preso" or "presohan" in Luzon, and "tumba-patis" or "tumba-lata" in most Visayan regions (in English "Hit The Can"). This is one of the most popular Filipino street games, played by children using their slippers to hit a can at the center.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Like other Filipino games, players (at least three here) take the following roles: one as the "taya" (it), who is responsible for guarding the "lata" (can), and two others as the players striking. The game is performed by having the players use a "pamato" (one's own slipper) to strike the can that is held beside the "taya".


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: The "taya" is obligated to catch another player to give them their responsibility of chasing the can. However, the "taya" is privileged to do so only if the player is holding a "pamato" while approaching when the can is in its upright position. Therefore, while running after another player, the "taya" must keep an eye on the can's position. The other spend their time kicking the can and running away from the "taya", keeping themselves safe with their "pamato," since making the can fall down helps another player recover. Having everyone's turns end can become the climax of the game that leads them to panic, since the "taya" has all their rights to capture whether or not the players have their "pamato".


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: The mechanics of the game give each side privileges. The "taya" starts on one side of the road, while the can is centered on the median. On the other side a line limits the player when throwing. Players can break the rules and be punished by becoming the "taya" in several ways: stepping on or outside the boundary line when throwing; kicking the can; striking the can without having oneself reached the line; or touching it.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Regional variations, especially those in Visayan regions and Southern Luzon, add complexity to the part of the "taya". The "taya" has to make the can stand upright together with their own "pamato" on top of it. The idea is that even when the "taya" has already stood the can up, when the slipper falls from the can, they are not allowed to catch any player until the "taya" puts it back.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Ubusan lahi (lit. "clannicide"): One player tries to conquer the members of a group (as in claiming the members of another's clan). Out of five to ten players, a tagged player from the main group automatically becomes an ally of the tagger. The more players, the more chaotic the game and optimal their performance. The game starts with only one "it" and then try to find and tag other players. Once one player is tagged, they will then help the "it" to tag the other players until no other participant is left. This also is known as "bansai" or "lipunan".


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Dama is a game with leaping captures played in the Philippines. It is similar to draughts or checkers. In it, a kinged piece may capture by the flying leap in one direction.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: The board consists of a 5x5 grid of points, four points in each row, each alternating position with an end point on the left or right edge. Points are connected with diagonal lines.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Twelve pieces per player are positioned on the first three rows closest to the player. Players take turns moving a piece of their own forward to an empty adjacent spot along the lines. A player may capture an opponent's piece by hopping over it to an empty spot on the opposite side of it along the lines.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Multiple captures are allowed, if possible. When a player's piece reaches the opposite edge of the board from which it started, it becomes a king. Kings may move any distance diagonally forward or backward, and may capture any number of opponent's pieces it leaps over. The king cannot take multiple directions in one turn. The first player to capture all of the opponent's pieces wins.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: A variation of Dama played in schools and institutions and briefly introduced by DepEd. It uses an 8x8 board, similar to a chessboard, with each landing squares labeled with a Math sign,formula_1. Both of the players' pieces are then labelled with different numbers ranging up to three digits. The goal of the game is to lose more pieces and lose more points in order to win the match. After computation and tallying, the player with the lesser points or overall value wins.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: "Sungka" is a Philippine "mancala" game popular in the diaspora; e.g. in Macau, Taiwan, Germany, and the United States. Like the closely related "congkak", it is traditionally a women's game. "Sungka" is used by fortunetellers and prophets, also called "bailan" or "maghuhula", for divinatory purposes. Older people hope to find out through the game, with their help, whether the life of a youth is favorable at a certain day, whether they will marry one day, and, in case they will, when this will be. The game is usually played outdoors because of a Filipino superstition about a house burning down if it is played indoors. In the Anay district in Panay, the loser is said to be "patay" ("dead"). The belief is that he will have a death in his family or that his house will burn down.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: The game is played with a carved wooden board (e.g. mahogany) with seven small dips or holes on each side called "bahay" (houses), and two bigger holes on either side, and shells or stones. The premise of the game is to collect more shells than the opponent. In addition, a large store is known as "ulo" (head) or "inay" (mother) for the captured stones at either end of the board. A player owns the store to his left. Each small pit initially contains seven "sigay ("counters), usually cowrie shells. On their turn a player empties one of their small pits and then distributes its contents in a clockwise direction, one by one, into the following pits including their own store, but passing the opponent's store.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: According to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines the game is also played counterclockwise with each player owning the store to his right.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: If the last stone falls into a non-empty small pit, its contents are lifted and distributed in another lap. If the last stone is dropped into the player's own store, the player gets a bonus move. If the last stone is dropped into an empty pit, the move ends, i.e. it is "patay ("dead). If the move ends by dropping the last stone into one of a player's own small pits, one "katak" or "taktak"; literally "exhausts" or captures) the stones in the opponent's pit directly across the board and the first player's own stone. The captured stones are "subi" (deposited) in the first player's store. However, if the opponent's pit is empty, nothing is captured.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: The first move is played simultaneously. After that players alternate. The first player to finish the first move may start the second move. However, in face-to-face play one player might start shortly after his opponent so that he could choose a response which would give him an advantage. No rule prevents such a tactic. So, in fact, the decision-making may be non-simultaneous.


title: Traditional games in the Philippines

text: Often the game is played in rounds. Pits that cannot be filled with captures, are "sunog" (closed; literally "burnt"), while the leftover seeds are put in their store. This continues until a player is unable to fill even one hole.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The Sovremenny" class, Soviet designation Project 956 "Sarych (buzzard), is a class of anti-ship and anti-aircraft guided-missile destroyers of the Soviet and later Russian Navy. The ships are named after qualities, with "Sovremenny" translating as "modern" or "contemporary". Most of the ships have been retired from active service and one converted into a museum ship in 2018; as of 2021 three remain in commission with the Russian Navy with several in overhaul. Four modified ships were delivered to the People's Liberation Army Navy, and remain in service.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The "Sovremenny" class are guided-missile destroyers, primarily tasked with anti-ship warfare, while also providing sea and air defense for warships and transports under escort. The class was designed to complement the s, which were fitted primarily for anti-submarine operations.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The project began in the late 1960s when it was becoming obvious in the Soviet Navy that naval guns still had an important role, particularly in support of amphibious landings, but existing gun cruisers and destroyers were showing their age. A new design was started, employing a new 130 mm automatic gun turret. Single and twin mounts were developed, and the twin mount was chosen for its superior rate of fire. In 1971 a go-ahead was given for the Severnaya design bureau to design "a ship capable of supporting amphibious landings". At the same time, the United States Navy was constructing new large multi-role destroyers. To respond to this new threat, Project 956 was updated with a new air defence suite and new, powerful 3M80 anti-ship missiles. Although the Soviet Navy had largely moved to gas turbine propulsion for its new warships, steam turbines were selected instead for Project 956: partly because production of naval gas turbines would have been insufficient for the entire program. The lead ship of the class, "Sovremenny" was laid down in 1976 and commissioned in 1980. A total of 17 were built for the Russian Navy, but currently, only six remain in service due to a lack of funds and trained personnel. Additionally, two ships are ongoing modernization and overhaul and two are laid up in reserve (the table lists three in service, two in reserve, one being overhauled, and 11 decommissioned + four Chinese). All the ships were built by Severnaya Verf 190 in St. Petersburg.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: These ships have a maximum displacement of 7,940 tons. The ships are in length, with a beam of and a draught of . They are armed with an anti-submarine helicopter, 48 air defence missiles, eight anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, mines, long-range guns and a sophisticated electronic warfare system.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: There are a total of three versions of this class: the original Project 956 armed with the 3M80 version of the Moskit anti-ship missile, and its successor, the Project 956A, which is armed with the improved 3M80M version of the Moskit with longer range. The main difference between the two is that the missile launching tubes on Project 956A are longer than that of Project 956 to accommodate the increased size of the newer missile, and these launching tubes can be used to fire/store the original 3M80 as well. A third version, Project 956EM, later developed for the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force was the latest development of this class. Chinese media called the ship a "carrier killer".


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The ship's combat systems can use target designation data from the ship's active and passive sensors, from other ships in the fleet, from surveillance aircraft or via a communications link from the ship's helicopter. The multi-channel defence suite is capable of striking several targets simultaneously.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The ship is outfitted with the Raduga Moskit anti-ship missile system with two four-cell launchers installed port and starboard of the forward island and set at an angle of about 15°. The ship carries a total of eight Moskit 3M80E missiles, NATO designation SS-N-22 Sunburn. The missile is sea-skimming with a velocity of Mach 2.5, armed with a high-explosive or a nuclear 200 kt warhead. The range is from . The launch weight is .


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: Two Shtil surface-to-air missile systems are installed, each on the raised deck behind the twin-barrelled 130 mm guns. Shtil is the export name of the SA-N-7, NATO reporting name Gadfly. (From the 9th ship onwards, the same launcher is used for SA-17 Grizzly/SA-N-12 Yezh.) The system uses the ship's three-dimensional circular scan radar for target tracking. Up to three missiles can be aimed simultaneously. The range is up to against targets with speeds up to . The ship carries 48 Shtil missiles.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The ship's guns are the AK-130-MR-184. The system includes a computer control system with electronic and television sighting. The gun can be operated in fully automatic mode from the radar control system, under autonomous control using the turret-mounted Kondensor optical sighting system, and can also be laid manually. The rate of fire is disputed, but various Russian sources credit the weapon with a cyclic rate of 30–40 rounds per minute per barrel, in line with the French Creusot-Loire 100 mm or the Italian OTO Melara 127 mm/54, but faster than the US Mark 45.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The ship has four six-barreled 30 mm AK-630 auto-cannon systems. The maximum rate of fire is 5,000 rounds/min. Range is up to 4,000 m for low flying anti-ship missiles and 5,000 m for light surface targets. The gun is outfitted with radar and television detection and tracking. The latest "Sovremenny"s carry the Kashtan CIWS system instead of AK-630.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The destroyers have two double torpedo tubes and two six-barrel RBU-1000 anti-submarine rocket launchers, with 48 rockets. Range is . The rocket is armed with a warhead.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The ship's helicopter pad and telescopic hangar accommodate one Kamov Ka-27 anti-submarine warfare helicopter, NATO codename Helix. The helicopter can operate in conditions up to Sea State 5 and up to from the host ship.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The Project 956 destroyer is fitted with an electronic countermeasures system and carries a store of 200 rockets for the two decoy dispensers, model PK-2.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The complete sensor suite and ECM comprises: 3D radar 'Top Steer', replaced later with 'Top Plate' (MR-760), 230 km range vs fighters and 50 km vs missiles and a total of 40 targets can be simultaneously tracked; Mineral system ('Band Stand') to allow the SS-N 22 guidance; 3 navigation and surface control radar MR-201 e 212; 2 'Bass Tilt' (MR-123) for CIWS; 6 'Front Dome'(MR-90) radar for SA-N-7 guidance (a very large arrangement to assure an effective defense against saturation attacks), linked with 3D radar and two SAM launcher (5 missile min each); 1 'Kite Screech' radar for 130 mm (MR-184 Lev). ECM and ESM are many: 2 ESM MR-410 or MP-405; 2 ECM MRP-11M or 12M ('Bell Shroud'), 2 'Bell Squat', 4 'Football B' and one MR-407; 2 PK-2M rocket launchers (140 mm), and 8 PK-10 (120 mm), 2–8 laser warning receiver systems Spektr-F, one Squeeze Box (TV, laser and IR system).


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: Medium and high frequencies (M/HF) MGK-355 Platina integrated sonar system with NATO reporting name Bull Horn, including the MG-335 hull-mounted array. Type 956 originally only carries the hull-mounted array because the ASW gear of this class is primarily for self-defence. For Type 956A, an improved MGK-355MS Platina is carried, which includes hull-mounted array, VDS, and towed array, with NATO reporting names Bull Nose / Mare Tail / Steer Hide respectively. It is reported that Type 956EM is equipped with the successor of MGK-355/355MS, the MGK-355TA integrated sonar system, which includes both the hull-mounted and towed arrays (with NATO reporting name Horse Jaw & Horse Tail respectively).


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The ship's propulsion system is based on two steam turbine engines each producing together with four high-pressure boilers. There are two fixed-pitch propellers. The ship's maximum speed is just under . At a fuel-economic speed of the range is . Several ships of this class suffered from problems regarding their propulsion system that were so severe that they had to be retired.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force (PLAN) had two modified "Sovremenny"-class destroyers delivered in December 1999 and November 2000, designated as Project 956E,with improved electronic gears.In 2002, the PLAN ordered two improved versions designated Project 956EM. The first vessel was launched in late 2005, while the second was launched in 2006. All four vessels were commissioned to the East Sea Fleet.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: On the improved Project Project 956EM, the aft AK-130 main gun was removed. The four AK-630 CIWS were replaced by two sets of Kashtan CIWS short-range air defence gun/missile systems. Each Kashtan system comprises a 3R86E1 command module and two 3R87E combat modules. Each 3R87E combat module has two 30 mm GSh-30k six-barrel automatic guns (range ) and two SA-N-11 air defence missiles. The missile is armed with a warhead and has a range of . This improved 956EM version is also the first to be armed with the newer version of SS-N-22, which is reported to have a designation of 3-M80MBE and possibly funded by China (according to Russian sources), and the new missile differs from the older ones mainly in that the range is increased from to . The air defense software is upgraded to accommodate the newer SA-N-12/SA-17 SAM system, but since China had already joined Russia in developing an even newer successor, it is not clear if SA-N-12/SA-17 has entered Chinese service in large numbers.


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: In 2006, the extra spheres (painted white in the mid-2006) added atop of the superstructures of the Chinese ships appearing in the latest photographs of the Chinese units have shown that these Chinese ships had been upgraded with the domestic HN-900 Data link (the Chinese equivalent of Link 11A/B, to be upgraded) and SATCOM (probably the SNTI-240).


title: Sovremenny-class destroyer

text: From mid-2014, all four Chinese "Sovremenny"-class destroyers are planned to undergo a midlife upgrade program. As of 2016, "Hangzhou" was reported to be undergoing refit with its original components replaced with domestic systems. In addition to the replacement of electronics and sensors, armament upgrades include replacing 2x4 3M80E Moskit anti-ship missiles with 2x4 YJ-12A supersonic missiles and swapping two launchers for 48 SA-N-12 SAMs with 4 sets of 8-cell vertical launch systems totaling 32 cells for HQ-16C or Yu-8 anti-submarine missiles.


title: Amy Anderson (comedian)

text: A classically-trained musician, she has been singing and playing the piano and guitar for many years, earning her bachelor's degree in Music Education from Westminster Choir College. Upon completing college her career took a different direction, with Anderson working in a variety of positions – including supervising a coffee shop, working with adults with autism, and owning a pet care business. Eventually she chose to move into comedy and acting, and performed in the Fresh Ink series at Illusion Theater and other places. She currently resides in Southern California, where she is a working actor and comedian.


title: Amy Anderson (comedian)

text: Many of Anderson's jokes deal with motherhood, racism, and being adopted. She produced the monthly "ChopSchtick Comedy" show at the Hollywood Laugh Factory and the Hollywood Improv, the first ever all-Asian American stand-up comedy showcase in the US.


title: Amy Anderson (comedian)

text: She was born in Seoul, South Korea and adopted, as an infant, by American parents and raised in suburban Minnesota.


title: Amy Anderson (comedian)

text: Anderson is the mother of child actor Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who played Lily Tucker-Pritchett on ABC's "Modern Family". Amy has a YouTube channel with daughter Aubrey called FoodManiaReview.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: In metallurgy, a flux () is a chemical cleaning agent, flowing agent, or purifying agent. Fluxes may have more than one function at a time. They are used in both extractive metallurgy and metal joining.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Some of the earliest known fluxes were sodium carbonate, potash, charcoal, coke, borax, lime, lead sulfide and certain minerals containing phosphorus. Iron ore was also used as a flux in the smelting of copper. These agents served various functions, the simplest being a reducing agent, which prevented oxides from forming on the surface of the molten metal, while others absorbed impurities into the slag, which could be scraped off the molten metal.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Fluxes are also used in foundries for removing impurities from molten nonferrous metals such as aluminium, or for adding desirable trace elements such as titanium.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: As cleaning agents, fluxes facilitate soldering, brazing, and welding by removing oxidation from the metals to be joined. In some applications molten flux also serves as a heat-transfer medium, facilitating heating of the joint by the soldering tool or molten solder.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: In high-temperature metal joining processes (welding, brazing and soldering), flux is a substance that is nearly inert at room temperature, but which becomes strongly reducing at elevated temperatures, preventing oxidation of the base and filler materials. The role of flux is typically dual: dissolving the oxides already present on the metal surface, which facilitates wetting by molten metal, and acting as an oxygen barrier by coating the hot surface, preventing its oxidation.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: For example, tin-lead solder attaches very well to copper, but poorly to the various oxides of copper, which form quickly at soldering temperatures. By preventing the formation of metal oxides, flux enables the solder to adhere to the clean metal surface, rather than forming beads, as it would on an oxidized surface.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: In soldering of metals, flux serves a threefold purpose: it removes any oxidized metal from the surfaces to be soldered, seals out air thus preventing further oxidation, and by facilitating amalgamation, improves wetting characteristics of the liquid solder. Some fluxes are corrosive, so the parts have to be cleaned with a damp sponge or other absorbent material after soldering to prevent damage. Several types of flux are used in electronics.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Various tests, including the ROSE test, may be used after soldering to check for the presence of ionic or other contaminants that could cause short circuits or other problems.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Brazing (sometimes known as silver soldering or hard soldering) requires a much higher temperature than soft soldering, sometimes over 850 °C. As well as removing existing oxides, rapid oxidation of the metal at the elevated temperatures has to be avoided. This means that fluxes need to be more aggressive and to provide a physical barrier. Traditionally borax was used as a flux for brazing, but there are now many different fluxes available, often using active chemicals such as fluorides as well as wetting agents. Many of these chemicals are toxic and due care should be taken during their use.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: In the process of smelting, inorganic chlorides, fluorides (see fluorite), limestone and other materials are designated as "fluxes" when added to the contents of a smelting furnace or a cupola for the purpose of purging the metal of chemical impurities such as phosphorus, and of rendering slag more liquid at the smelting temperature. The slag is a liquid mixture of ash, flux, and other impurities. This reduction of slag viscosity with temperature, increasing the flow of slag in smelting, is the origin of the word "flux" in metallurgy.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: The flux most commonly used in iron and steel furnaces is limestone, which is charged in the proper proportions with the iron and fuel.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Acid flux types (not used in electronics) may contain hydrochloric acid, zinc chloride or ammonium chloride, which are harmful to humans. Therefore, flux should be handled with gloves and goggles, and used with adequate ventilation.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Prolonged exposure to rosin fumes released during soldering can cause occupational asthma (formerly called "colophony disease" in this context) in sensitive individuals, although it is not known which component of the fumes causes the problem.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: While molten solder has low tendency to adhere to organic materials, molten fluxes, especially of the resin/rosin type, adhere well to fingers. A mass of hot sticky flux can transfer more heat to skin and cause more serious burns than a comparable particle of non-adhering molten metal, which can be quickly shaken off. In this regard, molten flux is similar to molten hot glue.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: In some cases the presence of flux is undesirable; flux traces interfere with e.g. precision optics or MEMS assemblies. Flux residues also tend to outgas in vacuum and space applications, and traces of water, ions and organic compounds may adversely affect long-term reliability of non-hermetic packages. Trapped flux residues are also the cause of most voids in the joints. Flux-less techniques are therefore desirable there.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: For successful soldering and brazing, the oxide layer has to be removed from both the surfaces of the materials and the surface of the filler metal preform; the exposed surfaces also have to be protected against oxidation during heating. Flux-coated preforms can also be used to eliminate flux residue entirely from the soldering process.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Protection of the surfaces against further oxidation is relatively simple, by using vacuum or inert atmosphere. Removal of the native oxide layer is more troublesome; physical or chemical cleaning methods have to be employed and the surfaces can be protected by e.g. gold plating. The gold layer has to be sufficiently thick and non-porous to provide protection for reasonable storage time. Thick gold metallization also limits choice of soldering alloys, as tin-based solders dissolve gold and form brittle intermetallics, embrittling the joint. Thicker gold coatings are usually limited to use with indium-based solders and solders with high gold content.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Removal of the oxides from the solder preform is also troublesome. Fortunately some alloys are able to dissolve the surface oxides in their bulk when superheated by several degrees above their melting point; the Sn-Cu and Sn-Ag require superheating by 18–19 °C, the Sn-Sb requires as little as 10 °C, but the Sn-Pb alloy requires 77 °C above its melting point to dissolve its surface oxide. The self-dissolved oxide degrades the solder's properties and increases its viscosity in molten state, however, so this approach is not optimal.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Solder preforms are preferred to be with high volume-to-surface ratio, as that limits the amount of oxide being formed. Pastes have to contain smooth spherical particles, preforms are ideally made of round wire. Problems with preforms can be also sidestepped by depositing the solder alloy directly on the surfaces of the parts or substrates, by chemical or electrochemical means for example.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: A protective atmosphere with chemically reducing properties can be beneficial in some cases. Molecular hydrogen can be used to reduce surface oxides of tin and indium at temperatures above 430 and 470 °C; for zinc the temperature is above 500 °C, where zinc is already becoming volatilized. (At lower temperatures the reaction speed is too slow for practical applications.) Very low partial pressures of oxygen and water vapor have to be achieved for the reaction to proceed.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Other reactive atmospheres are also in use. Vapors of formic acid and acetic acid are the most commonly used. Carbon monoxide and halogen gases (for example carbon tetrafluoride, sulfur hexafluoride, or dichlorodifluoromethane) require fairly high temperatures for several minutes to be effective.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Atomic hydrogen is much more reactive than molecular hydrogen. In contact with surface oxides it forms hydroxides, water, or hydrogenated complexes, which are volatile at soldering temperatures. A practical dissociation method is an electrical discharge. Argon-hydrogen gas compositions with hydrogen concentration below the low flammable limit can be used, eliminating the safety issues. The operation has to be performed at low pressure, as the stability of atomic hydrogen at atmospheric pressure is insufficient. Such hydrogen plasma can be used for fluxless reflow soldering.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Active atmospheres are relatively common in furnace brazing; due to the high process temperatures the reactions are reasonably fast. The active ingredients are usually carbon monoxide (possibly in the form of combusted fuel gas) and hydrogen. Thermal dissociation of ammonia yields an inexpensive mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Bombardment with atomic particle beams can remove surface layers at a rate of tens of nanometers per minute. The addition of hydrogen to the plasma augments the removal efficiency by chemical mechanisms.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Mechanical agitation is another possibility for disrupting the oxide layer. Ultrasound can be used for assisting tinning and soldering; an ultrasonic transducer can be mounted on the soldering iron, in a solder bath, or in the wave for wave soldering. The oxide disruption and removal involves cavitation effects between the molten solder and the base metal surface. A common application of ultrasound fluxing is in tinning of passive parts (active parts do not cope well with the mechanical stresses involved); even aluminium can be tinned this way. The parts can then be soldered or brazed conventionally.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Mechanical rubbing of a heated surface with molten solder can be used for coating the surface. Both surfaces to be joined can be prepared this way, then placed together and reheated. This technique was formerly used to repair small damages on aluminium aircraft skins.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: A very thin layer of zinc can be used for joining aluminium parts. The parts have to be perfectly machined, or pressed together, due to the small volume of filler metal. At high temperature applied for long time, the zinc diffuses away from the joint. The resulting joint does not present a mechanical weakness and is corrosion-resistant. The technique is known as diffusion soldering.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Fluxless brazing of copper alloys can be done with self-fluxing filler metals. Such metals contain an element capable of reaction with oxygen, usually phosphorus. A good example is the family of copper-phosphorus alloys.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: The composition of fluxes is tailored for the required properties - the base metals and their surface preparation (which determine the composition and thickness of surface oxides), the solder (which determines the wetting properties and the soldering temperature), the corrosion resistance and ease of removal, and others.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Fluxes for soft soldering are typically of organic nature, though inorganic fluxes, usually based on halogenides or acids, are also used in non-electronics applications. Fluxes for brazing operate at significantly higher temperatures and are therefore mostly inorganic; the organic compounds tend to be of supplementary nature, e.g. to make the flux sticky at low temperature so it can be easily applied.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: The surface of the tin-based solder is coated predominantly with tin oxides; even in alloys the surface layer tends to become relatively enriched by tin. Fluxes for indium and zinc based solders have different compositions than fluxes for ordinary tin-lead and tin-based solders, due to different soldering temperatures and different chemistry of the oxides involved.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Organic fluxes are unsuitable for flame soldering and flame brazing, as they tend to char and impair solder flow.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Some metals are classified as "unsolderable" in air, and have to be either coated with another metal before soldering or special fluxes or protective atmospheres have to be used. Such metals are beryllium, chromium, magnesium, titanium, and some aluminium alloys.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Fluxes for high-temperature soldering differ from the fluxes for use at lower temperatures. At higher temperatures even relatively mild chemicals have sufficient oxide-disrupting activity, but the metal oxidation rates become fairly high; the barrier function of the vehicle therefore becomes more important than the fluxing activity. High molecular weight hydrocarbons are often used for this application; a diluent with a lower molecular weight, boiling off during the preheat phase, is usually used to aid application.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Common fluxes are ammonium chloride or resin acids (contained in rosin) for soldering copper and tin; hydrochloric acid and zinc chloride for soldering galvanized iron (and other zinc surfaces); and borax for brazing, braze-welding ferrous metals, and forge welding.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Inorganic fluxes contain components playing the same role as in organic fluxes. They are more often used in brazing and other high-temperature applications, where organic fluxes have insufficient thermal stability. The chemicals used often simultaneously act as both vehicles and activators; typical examples are borax, borates, fluoroborates, fluorides and chlorides. Halogenides are active at lower temperatures than borates, and are therefore used for brazing of aluminium and magnesium alloys; they are however highly corrosive.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: The role of the activators is primarily disruption and removal of the oxide layer on the metal surface (and also the molten solder), to facilitate direct contact between the molten solder and metal. The reaction product is usually soluble or at least dispersible in the molten vehicle. The activators are usually either acids, or compounds that release acids at elevated temperature.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Salts are ionic in nature and can cause problems from metallic leaching or dendrite growth, with possible product failure. In some cases, particularly in high-reliability applications, flux residues must be removed.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: The activity of the activator generally increases with temperature, up to a certain value where activity ceases, either due to thermal decomposition or excessive volatilization. However the oxidation rate of the metals also increases with temperature.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: At high temperatures, copper oxide reacts with hydrogen chloride to water-soluble and mechanically weak copper chloride, and with rosin to salts of copper and abietic acid which is soluble in molten rosin.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Some activators may also contain metal ions, capable of exchange reaction with the underlying metal; such fluxes aid soldering by chemically depositing a thin layer of easier solderable metal on the exposed base metal. An example is the group of fluxes containing zinc, tin or cadmium compounds, usually chlorides, sometimes fluorides or fluoroborates.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Common high-activity activators are mineral acids, often together with halides, amines, water or alcohols:


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Inorganic acids are highly corrosive to metals even at room temperature, which causes issues during storage, handling and applications. As soldering involves high temperatures, compounds that decompose or react, with acids as products, are frequently used:


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: The terms resin flux and rosin flux are ambiguous and somewhat interchangeable, with different vendors using different assignments. Generally, fluxes are labeled as rosin if the vehicle they are based on is primarily natural rosin. Some manufactures reserve "rosin" designation for military fluxes based on rosin (R, RMA and RA compositions) and label others as "resin".


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Rosin has good flux properties. A mixture of organic acids (resin acids, predominantly abietic acid, with pimaric acid, isopimaric acid, neoabietic acid, dihydroabietic acid, and dehydroabietic acid), rosin is a glassy solid, virtually nonreactive and noncorrosive at normal temperature, but liquid, ionic and mildly reactive to metal oxides at molten state. Rosin tends to soften between 60–70 °C and is fully fluid at around 120 °C; molten rosin is weakly acidic and is able to dissolve thinner layers of surface oxides from copper without further additives. For heavier surface contamination or improved process speed, additional activators can be added.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: There are three types of rosin: gum rosin (from pine tree oleoresin), wood rosin (obtained by extraction of tree stumps), and tall oil rosin (obtained from tall oil, a byproduct of kraft paper process). Gum rosin has a milder odor and lower tendency to crystallize from solutions than wood rosin, and is therefore preferred for flux applications. Tall oil rosin finds increased use due to its higher thermal stability and therefore lower tendency to form insoluble thermal decomposition residues. The composition and quality of rosin differs by the tree type, and also by location and even by year. In Europe, rosin for fluxes is usually obtained from a specific type of Portuguese pine, in America a North Carolina variant is used.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Natural rosin can be used as-is, or can be chemically modified by e.g. esterification, polymerization, or hydrogenation. The properties being altered are increased thermal stability, better cleanability, altered solution viscosity, and harder residue (or conversely, softer and more tacky residue). Rosin can be also converted to a water-soluble rosin flux, by formation of an ethoxylated rosin amine, an adduct with a polyglycol and an amine.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: One of the early fluxes was a mixture of equal amounts of rosin and vaseline. A more aggressive early composition was a mixture of saturated solution of zinc chloride, alcohol, and glycerol.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Fluxes can be also prepared from synthetic resins, often based on esters of polyols and fatty acids. Such resins have improved fume odor and lower residue tack, but their fluxing activity and solubility tend to be lower than that of natural resins.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Rosin fluxes are categorized by grades of activity: L for low, M for moderate, and H for high. There are also other abbreviations for different rosin flux grades:


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: R, WW, and RMA grades are used for joints that can not be easily cleaned or where there is too high corrosion risk. More active grades require thorough cleaning of the residues. Improper cleaning can actually aggravate the corrosion by releasing trapped activators from the flux residues.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Aluminium and its alloys are difficult to solder due to the formation of the passivation layer of aluminium oxide. The flux has to be able to disrupt this layer and facilitate wetting by solder. Salts or organic complexes of some metals can be used; the salt has to be able to penetrate the cracks in the oxide layer. The metal ions, more noble than aluminium, then undergo a redox reaction, dissolve the surface layer of aluminium and form a deposit there. This intermediate layer of another metal then can be wetted with a solder.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: One example of such flux is a composition of triethanolamine, fluoroboric acid, and cadmium fluoroborate. More than 1% magnesium in the alloy impairs the flux action, however, as the magnesium oxide layer is more refractory. Another possibility is an inorganic flux composed of zinc chloride or tin(II) chloride, ammonium chloride, and a fluoride (e.g. sodium fluoride). Presence of silicon in the alloy impairs the flux effectivity, as silicon does not undergo the exchange reaction aluminium does.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Magnesium alloys. A putative flux for soldering these alloys at low temperature is molten acetamide. Acetamide dissolves surface oxides on both aluminium and magnesium; promising experiments were done with its use as a flux for a tin-indium solder on magnesium.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Stainless steel is material which is difficult to solder because of its stable, self-healing surface oxide layer and its low thermal conductivity. A solution of zinc chloride in hydrochloric acid is a common flux for stainless steels; it has however to be thoroughly removed afterwards as it would cause pitting corrosion. Another highly effective flux is phosphoric acid; its tendency to polymerize at higher temperatures however limits its applications.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Hot corrosion can affect gas turbines operating in high salt environments (e.g., near the ocean). Salts, including chlorides and sulfates, are ingested by the turbines and deposited in the hot sections of the engine; other elements present in fuels also form salts, e.g. vanadates. The heat from the engine melts these salts which then can flux the passivating oxide layers on the metal components of the engine, allowing corrosion to occur at an accelerated rate.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: During the submerged arc welding process, not all flux turns into slag. Depending on the welding process, 50% to 90% of the flux can be reused.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: This standard specifies each flux by a four-character code: flux type, base, activator, and form. The form is often omitted.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: The older German DIN 8511 specification is still often in use in shops. In the table below, note that the correspondence between DIN 8511 and ISO 9454-1 codes is not one-to-one.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: One standard increasingly used (e.g. in the United States) is J-STD-004. It is very similar to DIN EN 61190-1-1.


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Four characters (two letters, then one letter, and last a number) represent flux composition, flux activity, and whether activators include halides:


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: J-STD-004 characterizes the flux by reliability of residue from a surface insulation resistance (SIR) and electromigration standpoint. It includes tests for electromigration and surface insulation resistance (which must be greater than 100 MΩ after 168 hours at elevated temperature and humidity with a DC bias applied).


title: Flux (metallurgy)

text: Any of these categories may be no-clean, or not, depending on the chemistry selected and the standard that the manufacturer requires.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: Jakob Fugger of the Lily (; 6 March 1459 – 30 December 1525), also known as Jakob Fugger the Rich or sometimes Jakob II, was a major German merchant, mining entrepreneur, and banker. He was a descendant of the Fugger merchant family located in the Mixed Imperial City of Augsburg, where he was born and later also elevated through marriage to Grand Burgher of Augsburg ("Großbürger zu Augsburg"). Within a few decades, he expanded the family firm to a business operating in all of Europe. He began his education at the age of 14 in Venice, which also remained his main residence until 1487. At the same time, he was a cleric and held several prebendaries, even though he lived in a monastery, Jakob found time to study the history of investment in early Asian markets. American journalist Greg Steinmetz has estimated his overall wealth to be around $400 billion in today’s money, equivalent to 2% of the GDP of Europe at that time.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: The foundation of the family's wealth was created mainly by the textile trade with Italy. The company grew rapidly after the brothers Ulrich, Georg and Jakob began banking transactions with the House of Habsburg as well as the Roman Curia, and at the same time began mining operations in Tyrol, and from 1493 on the extraction of silver and copper in the kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary. As of 1525 they also had the right to mine quicksilver and cinnabar in Almadén.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: After 1487, Jakob Fugger was the "de facto" head of the Fugger business operations which soon had an almost monopolistic hold on the European copper market. Copper from Hungary was transported through Antwerp to Lisbon, and from there shipped to India. Jakob Fugger also contributed to the first and only trade expedition to India that German merchants cooperated in, a Portuguese fleet to the Indian west coast (1505–1506) as well as a failed Spanish trade expedition to the Maluku Islands.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: With his support of the Habsburg dynasty as a banker, he had a decisive influence on European politics at the time. He financed the rise of Maximilian I and made considerable contributions to secure the election of the Spanish king Charles I to become Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Jakob Fugger also funded the marriages which later resulted in the House of Habsburg gaining the kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: Jakob Fugger secured his legacy and lasting fame through his foundations in Augsburg. A chapel funded by him and built from 1509 to 1512 is Germany's first renaissance building and contains the tombs of the brothers Ulrich, Georg and Jakob. The Fuggerei which was founded by Jakob in 1521 is the world's oldest social housing complex still in use. The Damenhof, part of the Fuggerhäuser in Augsburg, is the first secular renaissance building in Germany and was built in 1515.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: At his death on 30 December 1525, Jakob Fugger bequeathed to his nephew Anton Fugger company assets totaling 2,032,652 guilders. He is among the most well known Germans and arguably the most famous citizen of Augsburg, with his wealth earning him the moniker "Fugger the Rich". In 1967 a bust of him was placed in the Walhalla, a "hall of fame" near Regensburg that honors laudable and distinguished Germans.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: Jakob Fugger was born the tenth of eleven children to Jakob Fugger the Elder (1398–1469) and his wife Barbara Bäsinger (1419–1497), daughter of Münzmeister Franz Bäsinger. The Fugger family had already established themselves as successful merchants in the city. Hans Fugger, grandfather of Jacob Fugger the Rich had taken up residence in Augsburg in 1367, became a burgher through marriage and acquired considerable wealth by trading textiles with Italy. A few years before his death his son Jakob Fugger the Elder was already one of the richest citizens of Augsburg.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: Jakob's older brothers Ulrich (1441–1510) and Georg (1453–1506) created the basis for the rise of the company in Europe. Around 1470 they founded manufactories in Venice and Nuremberg, then important centers of trade. Jakob Fugger's brothers Andreas and Hans both died young in Venice. His brother Markus was a cleric and from 1470 on a writer in a papal chancery in Rome where he died in 1478. His brother Peter died in an epidemic in Nuremberg in 1473.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: Loans given to Emperor Frederick III and supplies given to his entourage by Ulrich Fugger were the reason for the family being granted the lily coat of arms in 1473. The "of the lily" () naming after this coat of arms distinguishes this line of the Fugger family from the "of the doe" () branch.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: Until 2009 historians assumed that Jakob Fugger, who was a minor order at the age of 12, had lived as a canon in a church located in Herrieden. A document from the Austrian state archive has now shown that Jakob Fugger was already representing his family business in Venice in 1473 at the age of 14. Other research showed that Jakob Fugger spent the years between 1473 and 1487 mostly at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the house of German merchants in Venice. Venice being one of the most important centers of trade at the time proved to be an ideal environment for Jakob Fugger's education in banking and the metal trade. His long residence in Italy also helped bring the renaissance style to the German region, with his funding the construction of the first buildings of this style that originated in Italy. Legal and architectural structures of Venice also had a significant influence on the funding of the Fuggerei which was similar to the social housing of Venice.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: Jakob Fugger laid the foundation of his mining business in Salzburg. He provided loans to the independent silver mine owners in the Salzburg Slate Alps which had constant need for new capital. Instead of receiving the usual documents acknowledging debt he demanded "Kuxe", essentially becoming a shareholder in the mines, and through this forcing more and more mine operators in the area of Gastein and Schladming to sell their silver directly to the Fugger family instead of intermediary traders.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: Jakob Fugger was responsible for his family's business in Augsburg, Tyrol, Venice and Rome. Around 1485 the family also founded manufactories in Innsbruck (since 1510 in Hall, since 1539 in Schwaz). Through a small loan he there first came into contact with Archduke Sigismund, a member of the Habsburg family. The archduke had as the sole owner of the Tyrol property rights handed out permissions for mining operations to private investors which in return had to pay a share of their profits to Sigismund. Despite this income he was constantly short of money owing to a lavish lifestyle, several illegitimate children and his extensive construction projects. A responsibility to pay the amount of 100,000 guilders of war reparations to Venice was eventually financed by Jakob Fugger. In 1488 the total debt already amounted to more than 150,000 guilders. Notable was the form of payment: Instead of paying the Fürst directly the Fugger family paid the money to his creditors as well as providing the wages for the royal court and craftsmen. In 1517 the Fugger family financed more than half of Tyrol's public budget. As a result, they were at times entitled to all the silver and copper out of Tyrol.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: The expansion of high-risk, albeit very lucrative business connections to Maximilian I was undoubtedly promoted by Jakob. In his view, the House of Habsburg was bound to be the dominant power and dynasty within the German region, and as such should receive his financial and political support. Jakob Fugger met the young Roman-German king for the first time in 1489 at a Frankfurt fair.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: At that time, his plans for the independent Duchy of Tyrol had been agreed upon with the king's chancellor, Johann Waldner. On 16 March 1490 Sigismund and the Tyrol Estates came together with King Maximilian also present. The archduke had to resign under the pressure from the estates, who accused him of mismanagement, and his possessions fell to the king. Maximilian then promised to repay all loans of its predecessor to Jakob Fugger.


title: Jakob Fugger

text: Thus the Fugger business became one of the most important financial backers of Maximilian, who since 1486 was co-regent of the Holy Roman Empire. After his father Frederick III died in 1493 he became the reigning emperor. Despite having constant financial difficulties due to an extravagant lifestyle and many failed political projects his reign saw the kingdoms of Spain, Bohemia and Hungary gained for the House of Habsburg, not by waging war but through advantageous marriage arrangements which were funded with the help of Jakob Fugger.